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Closing Keynote Address to the Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility 3rd Annual Conference, Sydney
First, please allow me to thank Leeora Black, from the Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility for inviting me to address your third annual conference and Westpac, a corporate leader in CSR, for hosting the event.
I appreciate the commitment of the Australian Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility to promoting CSR issues. Your comprehensive advisory, research and training services are nurturing a real understanding of CSR across the public, private and government sectors.
I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Centre on its partnership with La Trobe University to deliver a Graduate Certificate in Corporate Responsibility, being launched here today with classes starting later this month. It will be the first graduate level qualification in this important and emerging corporate management area.
I look forward to following its progress, and the contribution the programs graduates make in this field.
Conferences such as this play an important role in encouraging stakeholders to discuss and debate the often complex issues raised by the deceptively simple three letters – C-S-R .
It is also an opportunity for leaders in the area, who are critical to driving this important evolution in business thinking, to get together and exchange cutting-edge thinking about the future direction of CSR in Australia.
The Rudd Government has a commitment to a strong CSR policy, one that builds on your skills, leverages on your commitment and adds to your efforts.
Shortly I want to share the Government's thoughts on the importance of what you do and the long-termism that you bring to investment decision-making, and how we, as the Government, can assist in your important work.
But before I do I want to make a few comments on the current economic environment and the actions the Rudd Government are taking to deliver nation building and jobs to Australia.
Current Economic Situation
Let me be very clear – as has the Prime Minister and the Treasurer recently – the world is currently facing a global recession.
I don't need to go through the causes and events that have led to 2009 shaping up as a very tough year for the global economy and for Australia – the background is now well known.
Global growth forecasts have been slashed for 2009 and the IMF is now forecasting a collective budget deficit of seven per cent of GDP for advanced economies.
Australia cannot be immune from the effects of this crisis. A budget deficit is now forecast for 2008-09 of $22.5 billion, or 1.9 per cent of GDP.
The Rudd Government reaffirms its commitment to deliver budget surpluses, on average, over the course of the economic cycle.
As the economy recovers, and grows above the trend, the Government will take action to return the budget to surplus.
Nation Building and Jobs Plan
In the midst of this global recession it would be irresponsible not to act swiftly and decisively to support jobs and invest in nation building.
That's why the Rudd Government announced on Tuesday a $42 billion Nation Building and Jobs Plan to support jobs and to invest in future long-term economic growth.
Treasury estimates that the Plan will provide a boost to economic growth of around ½ per cent of GDP in 2008-09, and around ¾ per cent to one per cent of GDP in 2009-10.
The $42 billion Nation Building and Jobs Plan builds on the stimulus measures already implemented by the Rudd Government to support economic activity and jobs.
And why does this matter to the issue of today's conference? It matters very much – the Nation Building and Jobs Plan is about economic stability, economic confidence and economic growth. It has strong immediate payment support but also strong longer-term features to drive long-term growth.
It is exactly this kind of stability that will further assist in maintaining the growth and continuing the mainstreaming of the CSR agenda that everyone in this room works so hard to deliver.
Long-Termism And Extra-Financial Risk
I would now like to take this issue of the long-term a little further, particularly as it relates to CSR and investment decision-making.
As the Federal Minister with responsibility for corporations, markets and also superannuation, my portfolio brings together for the first time two of the most powerful drivers in responsible business practice: corporate governance and compulsory long-term investment.
As I know everyone here understands, business and the financial markets do not, and cannot exist in a void, isolated from the communities and the environment in which they operate.
The Rudd Government is committed to sustainable economic growth, and realises that sustainable, responsible businesses are integral to our future prosperity and international competitiveness.
To be sustainable, businesses must take a long-term view of their impacts on local communities and the natural environment - as well as returns to investors.
Responsible business practice is an integral part of sound corporate governance practices and that the integration of environmental, social and governance issues into investment decisions is critical to valuing long-term investments.
The current global financial crisis has shown us, all too clearly, the folly of business and investment decisions based on a focus on short-term paper profits over long-term real and measurable value creation.
The financial crisis has highlighted not only the materiality of a broad range of extra financial indicators in determining risk – but also brought to peoples attention the importance of the economy as a piece of social infrastructure.
While the Rudd Government is committed to responsible economic management, and minimising the impact of the current financial crisis, we are equally committed, as our Nation Building and Jobs Plan clearly illustrates, to delivering a sustainable, long-term future for the nation.
After so much was squandered on short-termism – now is the time focus on the long-term.
It presents an important opportunity for a repricing of risk and the deep integration of long-termism in investment decision-making.
Responsible business and investment is not about not taking risks – it is about a better understanding of risks, the implications for the the community, the environment and value creation. And then taking the right risks.
Addressing these issues – social, economic and environmental is key to long-term business success.
It was disheartening, but not overly surprising to recently read that in an international survey just released it was found that 40% of global business leaders surveyed said their industries would have to pull back on CSR initiatives – including energy efficiency and environmental.
I am cognisant that in the current financial climate many companies are looking to reduce their costs and that in these circumstances some may see CSR as "low-hanging fruit".
I would see this as an unnecessary mistake.
While I realise that there may be some softening in discretionary spending as businesses tighten their belts – if we can move to a point where CSR and long-termism is truly embedded in business practice, we wouldn't see this response.
CSR mitigates against knee-jerk responses.
For example, in the current financial environment many companies are making very difficult human resource decisions, decisions that will have a significant effect on their future sustainability, and that of the economy and the community as a whole.
I believe businesses that are able to factor in the complex and long- term impacts of their decisions and explore innovative approaches to managing staff and the delivery of their services will be better placed to weather the storm. They will emerge in a better place to take advantage of new opportunities for growth.
This is the face of modern CSR during a global financial crisis.
Only recently BT, one of the world's largest telecommunications providers delivered a strong practical argument for the business case for CSR.
BT analysis showed that ₤2.2 billion of new revenue could be tracked to the company's CSR credentials.
Having spent ₤22 million on charitable activities, they thought it was important to show value for money. In addition to this they gained huge cost savings of ₤410 million a year from their environmental initiatives, including energy efficiency measures and changing the way staff work.
There is a strong nexus between corporate social responsibility, sound corporate governance and sustainable business development.
Or to put it another way, wise investors and consumers will respond to good CSR.
And in turn, that creates the right environment for long-term survival and growth.
While terms like "corporate social responsibility" and "responsible investment" may sound altruistic, they all boil down to sustainable business practices.
The kind of business practices Australia needs right now.
I now want to turn to the framework in which this Government approaches modern CSR.
Our approach is to apply a multi-faceted framework based around partnerships – real, productive, pragmatic and practical partnerships between Government, business and the community.
We cannot rely on strict regulation to mandate CSR on business, this would stifle innovative responses from business, add costs and be counter-productive.
I consider the Government to be part of a three-way partnership with business and the community.
We must work together to foster the long-term profitability of corporate Australia, and deliver flow-on benefits and reduce any costs to the community at large.
Climate change is a perfect example of where we are developing this triangle of partnership – Government, business and community.
Action so far
The Rudd Government has already begun to develop its role within this partnership framework.
In May last year, the Prime Minister announced that the Government had granted $2 million over three years to the St James Ethics Centre.
This support has enabled the Centre to build a hub of activity working with Australian businesses to develop their capacity to identify and adopt more responsible business practices.
The Centre has continued to develop and refine the CSR management tools available to small-to-medium enterprises and the Corporate Responsibility Index.
In a world first, the funding has enabled the Centre to become the focal point in Australia for the Global Reporting Initiative – the international gold standard for reporting on sustainability and the UN Global Compact – the global initiative in corporate citizenship.
Linking these to very significant global initiatives in corporate responsibility and creating a base for them in Australia – the Centre is helping make the way clear for Australian companies to engage in CSR both locally and in the international space.
In my view, this Government-supported, community organisation-delivered initiative is a perfect example of the partnership approach at work.
Speaking of building partnerships, I should also take this opportunity to congratulate Dr Simon Longstaff, Executive Director of the St James Ethics Centre, on his appointment to the Global Reporting Initiative Board.
Taking the next step – CSR Reporting and the Global Reporting Initiative
Now I'd like to comment on the role of business in reporting on their CSR activities – a critical part of the equation.
As I have said on other occasions, the true value of corporate responsibility crystallises around effective reporting.
Commercial activities can have a substantial impact on community wellbeing and the environment, and the public is keen to know how this impact is being managed.
But CSR reporting can also contribute to better functioning markets.
CSR reporting provides a mechanism which helps broader social, environmental governance issues to be priced into investment decisions. This is important — markets cannot function efficiently and sustainably unless these issues are taken into account.
With access to CSR information, investors can better understand how a company creates financial value and deals with issues that can affect its financial performance and value over time.
Many investors are also realising that when financial and non- financial is combined it can provide valuable insight into the overall quality of management.
Australia's regulatory approach to non-financial reporting has generally been to establish broad reporting principles under which CSR reporting is implicit.
Entities that must prepare a Directors' Report must report on CSR if the issues are significant enough to be considered in a general review of the business. Information is also required on performance in relation to particular and significant State or Commonwealth environmental regulations.
Notwithstanding these requirements, CSR reporting by Australian businesses is lagging behind the rest of the world.
The recent KPMG report into international corporate responsibility reporting shows that despite having risen from 23% in 2005 to 45% by 2007, the prevalence of CSR reporting in Australia is still well below that of leading nations such as Japan and the UK.
It is however very encouraging to note that the number of top 100 companies reporting has doubled to 68 over this period.
That said, in our contribution to the partnership, we want to carefully consider any regulatory approach to CSR reporting. We certainly want to avoid boilerplate disclosures and increased compliance costs. The Government does not wish to rush into a heavy-handed approach.
Rather, we are keen to promote the importance of sustainability reporting and to play an active role in the development of well‑designed and functional sustainability reporting frameworks.
That is why our initial efforts in this area have focused on supporting the Global Reporting Initiative, or GRI.
The GRI has emerged as the global standard framework for CSR reporting.
Governed by an international multi-stakeholder board, that promotes the importance of non-financial reporting. The GRI's vision is that reporting on environmental and social performance by all organisations will be as routine and comparable as financial reporting.
To date, in excess of 1,500 companies worldwide have declared a voluntary adoption of the GRI guidelines.
As a demonstration of the Government's willingness in this area, I am announcing today that we have formally accepted an invitation for the Australian Government to be represented, for the first time, as a member of the GRI Governmental Advisory Group.
A seat at the global table on GRI will directly buy us into the development of this key reporting approach.
Membership of the Group will put the Government in a position to provide high-level advice and feedback to the GRI.
Through its membership, the Government can directly contribute to the development of the GRI and improve its relevance and uptake in Australia.
It is also an important opportunity for the exchange of best practice and policy advice among governments on policy development.
Through its membership, the Government is demonstrating its commitment to leadership in the field of sustainability, not only locally but regionally and internationally.
The Australian Government's representation on the GRI Government advisory board complements and bolsters the work of the St James Ethics Centre and Dr Longstaff.
The other side of the coin – the role of the investment
This brings me to the final aspect of my approach to CSR and the partnership that underlies it.
That is, to drive CSR into the mainstream considerations of business, rather than using blunt Government regulation, we strongly feel that the answer lies in the role of the investor community, and in particular superannuation funds.
Placing CSR in the minds of the investment community stands to powerfully reshape how CSR is considered in decision-making and harness the power of market forces to drive change.
Some of you may be aware that I have a bit of a keen long-term interest in superannuation; in fact I have even been known to list it as a personal hobby.
Superannuation – as you will all know – is the natural long-term investment. As such it has a range of natural structural commonalities with the long-termism needed of good CSR decision-making.
Sustainability, long-term value creation and superannuation go hand in hand.
Australia has a sophisticated financial sector, served by commercially astute professionals who offer their services to the world.
Our managed funds industry is one of the major markets for managed funds in the world and the largest in the Asia Pacific. With a total of A$1.1 trillion under investment, this is forecast to grow to around A$2.5 trillion by 2015.
Superannuation funds dominate the local industry.
Because superannuation is a long-term investment, it is well placed to take advantage of long-term opportunities, but is also most exposed to long-term risks.
The role of ESG factors in the effective analysis of risk and investment valuation has also seen a broader understanding of the fiduciary responsibilities of financial institutions.
The growing realisation within the industry that a range of environmental, social and governance issues poses core investment risks, can be seen by the fact that more than half of all funds under management in Australia have signed up to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investment (UNPRI).
The Principles are a global initiative by the UN Environment Programme Finance Initiative and the UN Global Compact that brings together leading investment institutions from around the world, representing over A$10 trillion in assets under management.
Signatories in Australia Include ARIA (CSS PSS), Australian Super, CBUS Super, HESTA, UniSuper and VicSuper, just to mention a few.
Yet despite this growing realisation within the superannuation industry of the long-term investment risks posed by a range of ESG issues, I understand that perceptions about the legal environment have made superannuation trustees hesitant to expressly incorporate ESG factors in investment strategies for which they have been responsible.
I see it as very important that trustees understand their responsibilities when it comes to balancing short and long-term objectives and give careful consideration of the associated long-term risks that can effect investment decisions.
In my view, the consideration of ESG factors is so critical to the long-term financial success of super assets, it is an important part of trustees' fiduciary responsibilities. And as such, I believe that ESG and other extra-financial factors should be incorporated into the investment decision-making process of superannuation trustees.
Their potential to impact heavily on the long-term viability of investments links them inextricably to beneficiary outcomes, including financial returns.
Trustees that recognise and respond to ESG factors will be better prepared for the risks and opportunities that they will face.
I believe that a comprehensive, evidence-based review of extra-financial risks will ultimately improve the returns and lower the investment risk they offer members.
That is why I have written today to the Australian Prudential Regulatory Authority, APRA requesting it review its investment guidance with the aim of clarifying the fiduciary responsibility of trustees in regard to balancing short and long-term investment goals and to make it clear that trustees can incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in the formulation of their investment and other operational strategies.
APRA has informed me that it will in the very near future consult closely with industry in undertaking this analysis.
This is a critical formal step on the part of the Government to ensure that the regulatory environment throws up no impediments to the mainstream integration of ESG/CSR factors in superannuation fund investment decision-making.
Responsible Investment Academy
It is one thing for Government to ensure the framework for ESG consideration is sound.
But for the partnership around investment decision making to really reap rewards, we need to ensure that the investment community is fully geared up to deliver on its end of the bargain.
With the growing evidence of the materiality of ESG factors and the strong commitment by investors address these issues – comes the challenge of actually incorporating it into their investment methodology.
I am keen to take advantage of this window of opportunity to engage the investment sector as they reassess their strategies in light of the current economical and environmental climate.
This afternoon, I am delighted to announce that the Government will provide $2.5 million over three years to the Responsible Investment Association Australasia to help it establish the Responsible Investment Academy.
The Academy will deliver education and training programs to members of the investment community on how to better assess the ESG considerations of investment opportunities. It will help develop the skills and the capacity in the industry to harness the potential of responsible investment.
There is also an opportunity for business to utilise the Academy, Investment Managers and CSR managers, will need to develop the skills b to effectively engage and communicate with investors.
The Academy's addition to the sector is expected to lead to innovations in the market for finance.
I believe the Academy will play an important role in enhancing Australia position as an international financial service hub.
Though its education and continual development program, the Academy will facilitate the responsible, informed and sustainable investment – through the emergence of new management techniques, analysis and forecasting practices, along with a greater sophistication in risk pricing.
The learning programs of the RIA have the potential to lead to improvements in corporate governance standards, and practices that lead to better run companies.
This will inturn benefit investors, business and society through reduced costs of business failure, improved long term investment returns and attraction of investment capital.
Ladies and gentlemen, in closing this evening, I would like to restate my commitment to fostering responsibility in the Australian business and investment communities.
We have seen the perils of short-term thinking, both, economically, socially and environmentally.
What we need now is a greater long-term view, one that is grounded in socially and environmentally sustainable business practices. This is vital if we are to secure Australia's future prosperity and international competitiveness.


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Liam Paul Paris Howlett (* 21. August 1971) ist ein Gründungsmitglied der englischen Band The Prodigy.

Musikalische Karriere

Musikalische Anfänge
Howlett begann mit dem Musizieren während der Grundschule, als er von seinem Vater gegen seinen Willen zum Klavierunterricht geschickt wurde. Auf der weiterführenden Schule kam er mit der Hip-Hop-Kultur in Kontakt. Er lernte Breakdance und schloss sich der Crew Pure City Breakers an. Zu seinen musikalischen Favoriten gehörte unter anderem Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five. Howlett wollte seine musikalischen Vorstellungen in eigenen Liedern umsetzen und kaufte sich einen Moog-Prodigy-Synthesizer. Von diesem Gerät leitet sich auch der Name seiner späteren Band ab. In derselben Zeit gewann er als DJ einen Mix-Wettbewerb bei Capitol Music. Wenig später wurde er von einer Hip-Hop-Band namens Cut to Kill als zweiter DJ aufgenommen und hatte so seine ersten Auftritte. Nach seinem Abschluss bekam er einen Job beim Londoner Magazin Metropolitan. Er freundete sich schnell mit dem Herausgeber an und erhielt von ihm £ 4000 für die Produktion seines ersten Albums. Da er aber als weißer DJ von den anderen Bandmitgliedern nicht als vollwertig akzeptiert wurde, platzte die Produktion: Die anderen unterzeichneten – mit Hilfe eines von Howlett geschriebenen Liedes – hinter seinem Rücken einen Vertrag mit einer Plattenfirma. Howlett trennte sich daraufhin von der Band. Inzwischen dominierte in England Acid House. Die Rave-Kultur, die sich daraus entwickelte, beeinflusste auch Howlett. Nachdem er 1989 zum ersten Mal eine Rave-Party besuchte, wurde er als DJ in der Diskothek The Barn in Braintree engagiert. Hier traf er auf seine späteren Bandkollegen Keith Flint und Leeroy Thornhill.

The Prodigy

1990 gründete Howlett zusammen mit Keith Flint und Leeroy Thornhill The Prodigy. Die Band findet sich unter anderem in den Genres Big Beat, Breaks, Electropunk, Hardcore und Techno wieder. Innerhalb der Band fungiert Howlett als Autor (Musik/Text), DJ, Keyboarder und Musikproduzent. Die Band veröffentlichte bislang sechs Studioalben und über 30 Singles. Den Höhepunkt erreichte die Band mit ihrem dritten Studioalbum im Jahr 1997. Das Album The Fat of the Land platzierte sich unter anderem an der Chartspitze in Deutschland, Österreich, der Schweiz, den Vereinigten Staaten sowie deren Heimat in Großbritannien. Darüber hinaus bekam das Album in all diesen Ländern mehrfache Gold- und Platinauszeichnungen.

Weitere Projekte
1998 stellte Howlett einige Remixes für die Radiosendung von Mary Anne Hobbs her. Während dieser Aufgabe bearbeitete er einige seiner alten Lieblingssongs. Im Februar 1999 veröffentlichte er eine bearbeitete Version des Mixes, das erste Material, das in seinem neuen Heimstudio "The Dirtchamber" aufgenommen wurde. Dem Album wurde der Titel Prodigy present The Dirtchamber Sessions Volume One gegeben, obwohl es eigentlich ein Soloalbum von Howlett war.

Ende Januar 2006 erschien ein Kompilationsalbum mit dem Titel Back to Mine: Liam Prodigy, eine Sammlung von Howletts Lieblingssongs. Dazu kam ein Prodigy-Track namens Wake the Fuck Up. Dieser diente oft als Intro in The Prodigys Live-Konzerten.

Im April 2022 lieferte Liam Howell den Outtro-Score zum Netflix-Film Choose or Die.

Persönliches
Howlett ist seit 2002 mit Natalie Appleton von der britischen Girlgroup All Saints verheiratet. Am 2. März 2004 kam ihr gemeinsamer Sohn Ace zur Welt. Das Paar lebt heute gemeinsam in Hampstead in London, Vereinigtes Königreich.

Weblinks

Einzelnachweise

Künstler der elektronischen Tanzmusik
The Prodigy
Brite
Geboren 1971
Mann

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Last week I wrote an article about a project by NUSSU SAVE (Students Against Violation of the Earth) to improve the community recycling bins in one Choa Chu Kang neighbourhood in Singapore's north-west.
The problem: stuff that shouldn't be recycled, such as styrofoam cups and dirty food containers, often gets into the recycling bin along with recyclables. Food waste can render a binload of paper unrecyclable. Why? People either don't know what's recyclable, or don't care.
The project involves a very simple tweak: telling people what can and can't be recycled – right on each recycling-bin lid. And then putting waste bins next to each set of recycling bins, so that someone who just wants to get rid of a piece of trash can do so.
A similar project on the National University of Singapore campus from 2008-2009 cut contamination almost entirely, though it remains to be seen how well this community project will turn out.
I asked Marcus, the NUS Office of Environmental Sustainability project advisor, to keep me posted on how much the project cost. You might be able to show that useful behavioural interventions need not cost a lot if they are targeted, I said.
He said something that gave me pause: not many environmentalists think this way.
It's as though there are two camps: people who want to get recycling and other environmental change done at any and all costs, and people for whom costs alone are the biggest factor, who give less weight to the longer-term environmental costs and benefits. And it sounds an awful lot like they're not communicating well with each other.
Part of the problem is that the two camps have very different expectations of human behaviour. I'm not going to say it's the whole problem, but it hurts. One side is very, very optimistic. The other side is saying, well, we don't think it's going to help that much, so we're not willing to invest this sum.
"Useful behavioural interventions need not cost a lot if they are targeted." Sounds pleasant and non-controversial, doesn't it?
Interventions – mean anything that will boost the recycling rate, or cut back on carbon emissions, or improve energy efficiency, or whatever environmental goal you have in mind.
Need not cost a lot – This one is trickier. What does 'a lot' mean? And to whom? There's another important question that has to be addressed. Who's doing the paying? But the whole idea of 'need not cost a lot' is that this is a small intervention, that it's affordable when compared to other, bigger schemes and wholesale policy changes.
But here's the most important (and maybe the hardest) bit – they need to be targeted. That means you need to work with human behaviour, not against it. I like the recycling-bin stickers because they predict, quite accurately, that people don't know what can be recycled. And I like the waste bins next to recycling points because they predict, also accurately, that people don't care.
You want a behavioural intervention whose returns outweigh its costs. You don't want to spend thousands of dollars, say, on beautifying dustbins, if that is not going to increase the rate at which people put things in dustbins rather than on the ground.
Good luck guys, let me know how it goes!


If I have a spacecraft at the Saturn Fly-By location in 1982 I can move to the Uranus Fly-By location, but how long does it take; 5 time tokens?
That would put the spacecraft at Uranus Fly-By in 1986, right?
What does the Saturn symbol in front of the time token mean?
Also, looking at the calendar, 1982 appears to be the last year to be able to do a Neptune Fly-By, which would be impossible if you are only arriving at Saturn Fly-By in 1982, correct?
It's funny how you think you understand the game until you try and teach it to someone else.
Yes, Saturn Fly-By to Uranus Fly-By takes 5 yrs; 5 time tokens.
No, it would arrive in 1987.
The Saturn symbol means that you must resolve the Saturn location hazard when you leave its vicinity.
Correct, you need to be at Uranus Fly-By in 1982 to perform that slingshot maneuver to Neptune.
I've read the rules, but sometimes situations come up that make you question your understanding of said rules.
They make sense, too, because you'd be flying around the planet before moving on to the next one.
Quick follow up to this original question.
If I have a spacecraft at Jupiter Fly-By and want to go to Saturn Fly-By, how do I know what the Jupiter hazard is if I do not survey Jupiter?
Can I just flip over Jupiter and deal with whatever hazard is on the Jupiter location and move on to Saturn Fly-By without revealing a Jupiter mission card?
Facing a hazard is what causes the location card describing that hazard to flip over.
So when you maneuver from Lunar Orbit to the Moon, you face the moon hazard and flip the Moon card over to see what it is -- not because of the location you're going to, but because of the hazard on the maneuver you're performing.
My question is, does revealing the Jupiter location this way (by traveling from Jupiter Fly-By to Saturn Fly-By) cause you to draw a Jupiter mission?
This is what I suspected, and how I played it, but I wanted to double check. It does limit your options for exploring beyond Jupiter.
Yes. Revealing Jupiter causes you to draw a Jupiter mission (if there is one that qualifies).
Interesting. I always thought Outer Planets Transfer was just if you missed a slingshot year (and could afford to make it work).
Now it seems like a good option to avoid Jupiter if you're trying to get to Saturn or beyond, but don't want to reveal additional missions you may not be able to accomplish.
Loving how the game continues to reveal new strategies.
Doesn't using Outer Planets Transfer to get you to Jupiter still require it to be a slingshot year, as it starts with the symbol and is coloured red, just like the Venus slingshot?
Yes, but in another number of years. And the advantage of OPT is that you can go there in any number of years you choose, so you can make your craft get there right when you need to.
I was suggesting Outer Planets Transfer as a way to get beyond Jupiter without going revealing the Jupiter location via slingshot maneuvers.
Might be useful for scoring particular missions without having to draw Jupiter missions, that's all.


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DIGITAL MARKETING NEWS
Fresh World News from USA
Germany's Shuttered Museums Are Offering Up Their Galleries to Cramped and Poorly-Ventilated Schools | artnet News
Last month, Monika Hauser-Mair, the director of a small state museum in the German town of Rosenheim, received an unlikely call.
A local school principal was on the line asking if she might consider hosting a senior high school class in the museum, which was closed to the public because of a local lockdown.
The answer? An immediate yes.
Two days later, a blackboard and a projector were rolled in, and tables and chairs were assembled in rows as the Sebastian-Finsterwalder-Gymnasium's grade 12 class relocated into a brightly lit space adorned with paintings by Fried Stammberger and Peter Tomschiczek, and a sculpture by Erika Maria Lankes.
It made for a nice—albeit unusual—setting for courses in math, German, and social studies.
"The students enjoy the new ambience," Hauser-Mair tells Artnet News. "We think arts education [should] never stop."
Schools across the country, struggling to manage with the difficulties of social distancing, poor ventilation, and infections, have been hard hit by the pandemic. Schedules are thrown out when a single coronavirus case shuts down an entire building, and the psychological effects of all this on the students are still largely unknown.
Museums may help ease some of the burden. Often spacious and well-ventilated, they are being floated as possible overflow sites for stuffed (and stuffy) classrooms. In some states, like the North Rhine Westphalia, class field trips to museums are still allowed under lockdown rules.
In an open letter this week to the German chancellor, cultural organizations, including the German museums association and the German theater association, extended a helping hand to schools in need.
"We would like to make an active contribution to the educational opportunities of children and young people in pandemic times," the organizations wrote, telling the government to "make use" of their resources and experiences, as well as their advanced hygiene protocols.
While they are unanimous in their desire to support students, not all institutions can agree on what that help should like look.Julia Hagenberg, head of education from the Düsseldorf State Collection, which is holding shows by Hito Steyerl and Simon Denny, points out that most museums are ill-suited for classes. "Exhibition rooms are too coldly air-conditioned for a permanent stay," she says, adding that museums should not become discipline- and achievement-oriented spaces. "Using them as classrooms would obstruct the possibility of perceiving them as such alternative places."
But Germany's federal minister for education, Anja Karliczek, likes the idea. And in an interview this week with Berliner Morgenpost Klaus Lederer, Berlin's culture minister, also suggested that children should be given priority access to cultural venues. Given the infrastructures in place at museums, such as staff educated in public outreach, there are many potential routes.
The plan could make sense given that the current lockdown will be extended for German cultural institutions until at least December 20, and possibly into January should infections continue to rise. Museums and other cultural venues have been closed since November 1.
"Special times challenge us to develop special ideas," says Christina Végh, director of the Bielefeld Kunsthalle, who has been meeting with officials from the education sector to workshop ideas. "Existing infrastructures could be used, and new formats could be developed according to the needs of the educational institutions." Museums, she says, can offer "other ways of teaching."
But there are still some roadblocks the government needs to lift. "The current legal situation continues to restrict cultural institutions, meaning that we have no room to maneuver to make possible offers to education [institutions]," she says. Were that to change, "it would send a signal that education and culture are recognized for their high social value."
Whatever happens, the moment does provide a useful lesson: that museums were educational facilities all along.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The Exploding Girl is a sensitive, naturalistic film about Ivy, who comes home to Brooklyn during a college break She doesn't get up to anything much except exchanging tedious cell phone calls (just like real life!) with her boyfriend and hanging out with Al, a friend who sleeps on her couch when he finds out his parent have rented out his room.
As Ivy Zoe Kazan is marvellous and for a change actually looks like an eighteen or nineteen-year-old college student: awkward and unsure but bright and curious. She is as unknowable to us as she is to herself. Perhaps Ivy's outward calm and understated behaviour are coping mechanisms she has developed to deal with her epilepsy. She knows enough to try to control her condition but she doesn't always know how to shape the events around her. The film is rather slow and uneventful but it is different and honest and enjoyable to watch. Watch out for the interesting soundscapes including almost constant traffic noise.


text:
// Copyright 2018 Google LLC
//
// Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
// you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
// You may obtain a copy of the License at
//
// http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
//
// Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
// distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
// WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
// See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
// limitations under the License.

/**
 * CrmBasedUserList.java
 *
 * This file was auto-generated from WSDL
 * by the Apache Axis 1.4 Mar 02, 2009 (07:08:06 PST) WSDL2Java emitter.
 */

package com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm;

/**
 * UserList of CRM users provided by the advertiser.
 */
public class CrmBasedUserList  extends com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.UserList  implements java.io.Serializable {
    /* A string that uniquely identifies a mobile application from
     * which the data was
     *                     collected to AdWords API.
     *                     For iOS, the ID string is the 9 digit string that
     * appears at the end of an App Store URL
     *                     (e.g., "476943146" for "Flood-It! 2" whose App
     * Store link is
     *                     http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flood-it!-2/id476943146).
     * For Android, the ID string is the application's package name
     *                     (e.g., "com.labpixies.colordrips" for "Color Drips"
     * given Google Play link
     *                     https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.labpixies.colordrips).
     *
     *                     Required when creating CrmBasedUserList for uploading
     * mobile advertising IDs.
     *                     This field
     * can be selected using the value "AppId". */
    private java.lang.String appId;

    /* Matching key type of the list.
     *                     This field is read only and set on the first upload
     * by API.
     *                     Mixed data types are not allowed on the same list.
     * From v201802, this field will be required for an ADD operation.
     *                     This field
     * can be selected using the value "UploadKeyType".
     *                     This field is
     * read only and will be ignored when sent to the API for the following
     * {@link Operator}s: SET. */
    private com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.CustomerMatchUploadKeyType uploadKeyType;

    /* Data source of the list.
     *                     Default value is FIRST_PARTY. Only whitelisted
     * customers can create third party sourced crm
     *                     lists.
     *                     This field
     * can be selected using the value "DataSourceType".This field can be filtered on.
     *                     This field is
     * read only and will be ignored when sent to the API for the following
     * {@link Operator}s: SET. */
    private com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.CrmDataSourceType dataSourceType;

    /* This field can be selected
     * using the value "DataUploadResult".
     *                     This field is
     * read only and will be ignored when sent to the API for the following
     * {@link Operator}s: ADD. */
    private com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.DataUploadResult dataUploadResult;

    public CrmBasedUserList() {
    }

    public CrmBasedUserList(
           java.lang.Long id,
           java.lang.Boolean isReadOnly,
           java.lang.String name,
           java.lang.String description,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.UserListMembershipStatus status,
           java.lang.String integrationCode,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.AccessReason accessReason,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.AccountUserListStatus accountUserListStatus,
           java.lang.Long membershipLifeSpan,
           java.lang.Long size,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.SizeRange sizeRange,
           java.lang.Long sizeForSearch,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.SizeRange sizeRangeForSearch,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.UserListType listType,
           java.lang.Boolean isEligibleForSearch,
           java.lang.Boolean isEligibleForDisplay,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.UserListClosingReason closingReason,
           java.lang.String userListType,
           java.lang.String appId,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.CustomerMatchUploadKeyType uploadKeyType,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.CrmDataSourceType dataSourceType,
           com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.DataUploadResult dataUploadResult) {
        super(
            id,
            isReadOnly,
            name,
            description,
            status,
            integrationCode,
            accessReason,
            accountUserListStatus,
            membershipLifeSpan,
            size,
            sizeRange,
            sizeForSearch,
            sizeRangeForSearch,
            listType,
            isEligibleForSearch,
            isEligibleForDisplay,
            closingReason,
            userListType);
        this.appId = appId;
        this.uploadKeyType = uploadKeyType;
        this.dataSourceType = dataSourceType;
        this.dataUploadResult = dataUploadResult;
    }

    @Override
    public String toString() {
        return com.google.common.base.MoreObjects.toStringHelper(this.getClass())
            .omitNullValues()
            .add("accessReason", getAccessReason())
            .add("accountUserListStatus", getAccountUserListStatus())
            .add("appId", getAppId())
            .add("closingReason", getClosingReason())
            .add("dataSourceType", getDataSourceType())
            .add("dataUploadResult", getDataUploadResult())
            .add("description", getDescription())
            .add("id", getId())
            .add("integrationCode", getIntegrationCode())
            .add("isEligibleForDisplay", getIsEligibleForDisplay())
            .add("isEligibleForSearch", getIsEligibleForSearch())
            .add("isReadOnly", getIsReadOnly())
            .add("listType", getListType())
            .add("membershipLifeSpan", getMembershipLifeSpan())
            .add("name", getName())
            .add("size", getSize())
            .add("sizeForSearch", getSizeForSearch())
            .add("sizeRange", getSizeRange())
            .add("sizeRangeForSearch", getSizeRangeForSearch())
            .add("status", getStatus())
            .add("uploadKeyType", getUploadKeyType())
            .add("userListType", getUserListType())
            .toString();
    }

    /**
     * Gets the appId value for this CrmBasedUserList.
     *
     * @return appId   * A string that uniquely identifies a mobile application from
     * which the data was
     *                     collected to AdWords API.
     *                     For iOS, the ID string is the 9 digit string that
     * appears at the end of an App Store URL
     *                     (e.g., "476943146" for "Flood-It! 2" whose App
     * Store link is
     *                     http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flood-it!-2/id476943146).
     * For Android, the ID string is the application's package name
     *                     (e.g., "com.labpixies.colordrips" for "Color Drips"
     * given Google Play link
     *                     https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.labpixies.colordrips).
     *
     *                     Required when creating CrmBasedUserList for uploading
     * mobile advertising IDs.
     *                     This field
     * can be selected using the value "AppId".
     */
    public java.lang.String getAppId() {
        return appId;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the appId value for this CrmBasedUserList.
     *
     * @param appId   * A string that uniquely identifies a mobile application from
     * which the data was
     *                     collected to AdWords API.
     *                     For iOS, the ID string is the 9 digit string that
     * appears at the end of an App Store URL
     *                     (e.g., "476943146" for "Flood-It! 2" whose App
     * Store link is
     *                     http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/flood-it!-2/id476943146).
     * For Android, the ID string is the application's package name
     *                     (e.g., "com.labpixies.colordrips" for "Color Drips"
     * given Google Play link
     *                     https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.labpixies.colordrips).
     *
     *                     Required when creating CrmBasedUserList for uploading
     * mobile advertising IDs.
     *                     This field
     * can be selected using the value "AppId".
     */
    public void setAppId(java.lang.String appId) {
        this.appId = appId;
    }

    /**
     * Gets the uploadKeyType value for this CrmBasedUserList.
     *
     * @return uploadKeyType   * Matching key type of the list.
     *                     This field is read only and set on the first upload
     * by API.
     *                     Mixed data types are not allowed on the same list.
     * From v201802, this field will be required for an ADD operation.
     *                     This field
     * can be selected using the value "UploadKeyType".
     *                     This field is
     * read only and will be ignored when sent to the API for the following
     * {@link Operator}s: SET.
     */
    public com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.CustomerMatchUploadKeyType getUploadKeyType() {
        return uploadKeyType;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the uploadKeyType value for this CrmBasedUserList.
     *
     * @param uploadKeyType   * Matching key type of the list.
     *                     This field is read only and set on the first upload
     * by API.
     *                     Mixed data types are not allowed on the same list.
     * From v201802, this field will be required for an ADD operation.
     *                     This field
     * can be selected using the value "UploadKeyType".
     *                     This field is
     * read only and will be ignored when sent to the API for the following
     * {@link Operator}s: SET.
     */
    public void setUploadKeyType(com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.CustomerMatchUploadKeyType uploadKeyType) {
        this.uploadKeyType = uploadKeyType;
    }

    /**
     * Gets the dataSourceType value for this CrmBasedUserList.
     *
     * @return dataSourceType   * Data source of the list.
     *                     Default value is FIRST_PARTY. Only whitelisted
     * customers can create third party sourced crm
     *                     lists.
     *                     This field
     * can be selected using the value "DataSourceType".This field can be filtered on.
     *                     This field is
     * read only and will be ignored when sent to the API for the following
     * {@link Operator}s: SET.
     */
    public com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.CrmDataSourceType getDataSourceType() {
        return dataSourceType;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the dataSourceType value for this CrmBasedUserList.
     *
     * @param dataSourceType   * Data source of the list.
     *                     Default value is FIRST_PARTY. Only whitelisted
     * customers can create third party sourced crm
     *                     lists.
     *                     This field
     * can be selected using the value "DataSourceType".This field can be filtered on.
     *                     This field is
     * read only and will be ignored when sent to the API for the following
     * {@link Operator}s: SET.
     */
    public void setDataSourceType(com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.CrmDataSourceType dataSourceType) {
        this.dataSourceType = dataSourceType;
    }

    /**
     * Gets the dataUploadResult value for this CrmBasedUserList.
     *
     * @return dataUploadResult   * This field can be selected
     * using the value "DataUploadResult".
     *                     This field is
     * read only and will be ignored when sent to the API for the following
     * {@link Operator}s: ADD.
     */
    public com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.DataUploadResult getDataUploadResult() {
        return dataUploadResult;
    }

    /**
     * Sets the dataUploadResult value for this CrmBasedUserList.
     *
     * @param dataUploadResult   * This field can be selected
     * using the value "DataUploadResult".
     *                     This field is
     * read only and will be ignored when sent to the API for the following
     * {@link Operator}s: ADD.
     */
    public void setDataUploadResult(com.google.api.ads.adwords.axis.v201809.rm.DataUploadResult dataUploadResult) {
        this.dataUploadResult = dataUploadResult;
    }

    private java.lang.Object __equalsCalc = null;
    public synchronized boolean equals(java.lang.Object obj) {
        if (!(obj instanceof CrmBasedUserList)) return false;
        CrmBasedUserList other = (CrmBasedUserList) obj;
        if (obj == null) return false;
        if (this == obj) return true;
        if (__equalsCalc != null) {
            return (__equalsCalc == obj);
        }
        __equalsCalc = obj;
        boolean _equals;
        _equals = super.equals(obj) &&
            ((this.appId==null && other.getAppId()==null) ||
             (this.appId!=null &&
              this.appId.equals(other.getAppId()))) &&
            ((this.uploadKeyType==null && other.getUploadKeyType()==null) ||
             (this.uploadKeyType!=null &&
              this.uploadKeyType.equals(other.getUploadKeyType()))) &&
            ((this.dataSourceType==null && other.getDataSourceType()==null) ||
             (this.dataSourceType!=null &&
              this.dataSourceType.equals(other.getDataSourceType()))) &&
            ((this.dataUploadResult==null && other.getDataUploadResult()==null) ||
             (this.dataUploadResult!=null &&
              this.dataUploadResult.equals(other.getDataUploadResult())));
        __equalsCalc = null;
        return _equals;
    }

    private boolean __hashCodeCalc = false;
    public synchronized int hashCode() {
        if (__hashCodeCalc) {
            return 0;
        }
        __hashCodeCalc = true;
        int _hashCode = super.hashCode();
        if (getAppId() != null) {
            _hashCode += getAppId().hashCode();
        }
        if (getUploadKeyType() != null) {
            _hashCode += getUploadKeyType().hashCode();
        }
        if (getDataSourceType() != null) {
            _hashCode += getDataSourceType().hashCode();
        }
        if (getDataUploadResult() != null) {
            _hashCode += getDataUploadResult().hashCode();
        }
        __hashCodeCalc = false;
        return _hashCode;
    }

    // Type metadata
    private static org.apache.axis.description.TypeDesc typeDesc =
        new org.apache.axis.description.TypeDesc(CrmBasedUserList.class, true);

    static {
        typeDesc.setXmlType(new javax.xml.namespace.QName("https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/rm/v201809", "CrmBasedUserList"));
        org.apache.axis.description.ElementDesc elemField = new org.apache.axis.description.ElementDesc();
        elemField.setFieldName("appId");
        elemField.setXmlName(new javax.xml.namespace.QName("https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/rm/v201809", "appId"));
        elemField.setXmlType(new javax.xml.namespace.QName("http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema", "string"));
        elemField.setMinOccurs(0);
        elemField.setNillable(false);
        typeDesc.addFieldDesc(elemField);
        elemField = new org.apache.axis.description.ElementDesc();
        elemField.setFieldName("uploadKeyType");
        elemField.setXmlName(new javax.xml.namespace.QName("https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/rm/v201809", "uploadKeyType"));
        elemField.setXmlType(new javax.xml.namespace.QName("https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/rm/v201809", "CustomerMatchUploadKeyType"));
        elemField.setMinOccurs(0);
        elemField.setNillable(false);
        typeDesc.addFieldDesc(elemField);
        elemField = new org.apache.axis.description.ElementDesc();
        elemField.setFieldName("dataSourceType");
        elemField.setXmlName(new javax.xml.namespace.QName("https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/rm/v201809", "dataSourceType"));
        elemField.setXmlType(new javax.xml.namespace.QName("https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/rm/v201809", "CrmDataSourceType"));
        elemField.setMinOccurs(0);
        elemField.setNillable(false);
        typeDesc.addFieldDesc(elemField);
        elemField = new org.apache.axis.description.ElementDesc();
        elemField.setFieldName("dataUploadResult");
        elemField.setXmlName(new javax.xml.namespace.QName("https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/rm/v201809", "dataUploadResult"));
        elemField.setXmlType(new javax.xml.namespace.QName("https://adwords.google.com/api/adwords/rm/v201809", "DataUploadResult"));
        elemField.setMinOccurs(0);
        elemField.setNillable(false);
        typeDesc.addFieldDesc(elemField);
    }

    /**
     * Return type metadata object
     */
    public static org.apache.axis.description.TypeDesc getTypeDesc() {
        return typeDesc;
    }

    /**
     * Get Custom Serializer
     */
    public static org.apache.axis.encoding.Serializer getSerializer(
           java.lang.String mechType,
           java.lang.Class _javaType,
           javax.xml.namespace.QName _xmlType) {
        return
          new  org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanSerializer(
            _javaType, _xmlType, typeDesc);
    }

    /**
     * Get Custom Deserializer
     */
    public static org.apache.axis.encoding.Deserializer getDeserializer(
           java.lang.String mechType,
           java.lang.Class _javaType,
           javax.xml.namespace.QName _xmlType) {
        return
          new  org.apache.axis.encoding.ser.BeanDeserializer(
            _javaType, _xmlType, typeDesc);
    }

}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Newsom Signs SB 51, Durazo's Legislation that Changes Law on Caltrans Tenant Property Sales – Streetsblog California
August 3, 2021 by Encinitas News
Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom signed S.B. 51, state legislation that changes a four-decades-old law that governs how Caltrans-owned residential properties along the 710-corridor will be sold. Critics contend that the changes will make it harder for tenants, some of whom have lived in the properties for forty years, to purchase the properties. The legislation's author, Senator Maria Elena Durazo, contends the legislation will make it easier to preserve the existing stock as affordable housing for current and future generations.
In the 1970s Caltrans purchased properties along the I-710 Corridor in Northeast Los Angeles, Southern Pasadena, and Pasadena, including hundreds of houses and apartment buildings. In 1979, California passed the Roberti Act of 1979 (or just Roberti). It created a process by which Caltrans would sell the properties should the I-710 extension or tunnel projects not move forward.
The project was cancelled in 2017.
S.B. 51 clarifies and changes Roberti in two important ways. First, it only allows the sale of the properties to existing renters, the municipalities themselves, or organizations that preserve affordable housing. Second, it disallowed co-ops consisting of existing renters from being able to purchase the properties in which they live as a group without competing against other potential buyers. This second provision oddly only applies in El Sereno, not Pasadena or South Pasadena.
Residents of Caltrans-owned properties in all three cities have banded together under the banner of United Caltrans Tenants (UCT) to provide mutual aid to each other, legal support when Caltrans doesn't fulfill its obligations as a landlord and advocacy power in Sacramento. UCT lobbied against S.B. 51 (Streetsblog article, podcast) holding events in their communities and testifying (remotely) during legislative hearings in Sacramento. Last week, they held a demonstration after Newsom signed S.B. 51 into law.
Caltrans understanding of the Roberti Law from a presentation to the CTC on June 24.
So why did Durazo, known as an advocate for the working class, introduce and back a measure that is despised by hundreds of tenants that will be directly impacted by it? Advocates with UCT are not sure, noting that there was not any communication from Durazo's office and no response to their feedback and proposed amendments.
In a statement to ABC News, Durazo's office declared, "S.B. 51 does not prohibit tenants from forming a housing-related entity and attempting to purchase the properties as a collective."
"Housing-related entities" are defined by Caltrans as organizations that, after purchasing a property, would rehab the property, offer to rent it to existing tenants, and then maintain the rest as affordable housing stock. Durazo's point is true. However, prior to S.B. 51, renter-created co-ops had a right of first refusal. After S.B. 51, a renter-created housing-related entity would be competing against other such groups, including non- and for- profit developers.
UCT does see a potential legislative solution.
"…recently proposed S.B. 381 (Portantino, 2021) which would even enhance and clarify co-op purchase rights, but only in South Pasadena," UCT continued in a statement. UCT is urging that S.B. 381 language be expanded to include not just the areas in South Pasadena, but also the ones in El Sereno and Pasadena.
S.B. 381 has passed the full Senate and the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee and can be picked up by the Senate Appropriations Committee after the summer recess.
Streetsblog's San Gabriel Valley coverage is supported by Foothill Transit, offering car-free travel throughout the San Gabriel Valley with connections to the new Gold Line Stations across the Foothills and Commuter Express lines traveling into the heart of downtown L.A. To plan your trip, visit Foothill Transit. "Foothill Transit. Going Good Places."
Sign-up for our SGV Connect Newsletter, coming to your inbox on Fridays.
And finally… bake-off – Scottish Legal News
New national facility for families affected by drug use


CHETNA, which means awareness in several Indian languages- is an acronym for Centre for Health Education, Training, and Nutrition Awareness. CHETNA has been working in India, since 1980- and has maintained its place as an important advocate for women rights. CHETNA's work is of great importance in a country where women experience a combination of socio- cultural barriers to their health. CHETNA believes that improving health facility based oversight mechanisms (OMs) and stimulating political action towards sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) are vital components to improving the health and wellbeing of women in India.
CHETNA works to ensure that hospitals and health institutions remain accountable to women and their health needs. They do this by advocating for strong Oversight Mechanisms (OMs). In January to June of 2015, CHETNA successfully managed to engage with 17 different Rajasthan Medical Relief Society (RMRS) facilities. CHETNA provided each facility with a submission of what services should be provided by them to ensure women health needs are met. This engagement has resulted in 5 community based organizations affiliated with CHETNA to be awarded membership in RMRS oversight mechanisms at 7 facilities. They also successfully encouraged 7/17 facilities to hold meetings and three facilities have taken action to improve the quality of services provided . This has resulted in increased hygiene and sanitation, the initiation of delivery services, and filling vacant medical staff positions.
elected representatives of the Panchayats (local government) and taken action to address proposals from the Gram Sabha (local community group). This engagement has been met with success, as the Panchayat governments are interested in addressing women's health concerns. This is evident in the prompt implementation of Gram Sabha funding allocations, which has resulted in Anganwadi (small facilities that provide basic health care) centres being repaired, land, funds, and the start of construction for new sub-centres, and the filling of vacant positions for medical officers in health centres.
CHETNA has engaged with the mid-term review of the implementation of recommendations from India's Universal Periodic Review. CHETNA chaired the review session of SRHR recommendations in a consultation with human rights activists and organizations from Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa. In addition, CHETNA contributed a note on Maternal Health in India, Maternal Child Health and Nutrition Days, and efforts to ensure vital services were available to the Salt Pan region of Gujarat.


I would look in the mirror and see this blond haired, blue eyed girl looking back and wonder who I was. My adopted parents both had brown hair and brown eyes so I didn't look at all like them.
Not only did I not look like my parents, I was the polar opposite of both of them. This caused issues over the years. My Mother hoped for a cuddly baby/child and I wasn't. They both hoped for someone similar to them and when I wasn't that child, they tried to make me something different. Their way of doing this wasn't positive and this shaped the way I think of myself today.
I've always searched for acceptance and unconditional love. When it came time for me to start my own family and I was unsuccessful I decided it was time to find my birth parents and get some answers. It became apparent that I needed to find my birth Mother to hopefully shed some light on what was going on with me medically.
I hired someone to find my birth parents and once I received the name of my birth Mother, I my search started there. I called complete strangers on the phone putting myself out there each time. it was like that Dr Seuss book, "Are You My Mother?" The women I called were sympathetic to my situation, but they weren't my mother.
Finally I found the right number. It took all my courage to call this woman and ask her that dreaded question, "Are you my mother?" It turned out she was my Mother. She was willing to meet me and I arranged a trip to meet her and her family in person.
I flew out a few weeks later, along with my adopted Mother, and anxiously awaited the moment I'd been waiting for all my life.
I knocked on the door and when she opened it, I couldn't hold back the lifetime of emotions and the tears started flowing. I saw myself in her face and it was more than I could handle.
Her reaction was quite different from my own. She didn't cry and I could immediately tell she felt nothing for me. I won't get into the details of our meetings, we had two in total, but she felt nothing for me and made it quite clear.
I left each time I met with her more hurt than the time before. I'd been searching for not only someone who looked like me and shared my DNA, but someone who would love me unconditionally.
During this time I wasn't a mother and yet I still couldn't understand how anyone could relinquish their child, all while feel nothing toward them. This was amplified after I gave birth to Hunter. While I was pregnant I was overcome on a daily basis by the love I had for this child growing inside my body. I felt connected to him the moment I learned I was pregnant.
I've dealt with the pain of being rejected by my birth Mother not only at birth, but after meeting her as an adult. I don't think of her every day, but she does come to my mind quite frequently. Over time I've wondered where she is, if she's happy, if I ever cross her mind and if she wishes things were different between us.
Yesterday she came to the forefront of my mind. I had this overwhelming feeling that I needed to check on her. I Googled her name, as I have done so often in the past, and I came across her obituary. She passed away this in May of this year. I stared at the picture on the obituary site and all I could do was cry.
I felt overwhelmed by loss, sadness and missed opportunities. I'd always hoped in the back of my mind that she would change her mind one day and want to grow a relationship. The little girl inside me hoped she would finally share the name of my birth Father with me. I wanted closure, I wanted love and I wanted a relationship with both my birth parents.
I spent my entire day thinking about her and all the 'what ifs'. Then I realized as I tucked my sweet 10 year old boy into bed, that this was my legacy, he was my legacy. No I may not have blood relatives or a close family in my life, but God gave me this incredible gift. I stopped and looked at him and I saw my face looking back at me. The blond hair, the blue eyes, the smile....all mine. My husband and I created this amazing gift, that I cherish more than life itself. Without her, none of this would be possible.
I came to the realization that my birth Mother missed out on so much. She missed out on knowing me, but she missed out on knowing her wonderful, bright and caring grandchild.
I decided the best way to get it all out was to write her a letter. I know she's no longer here on this earth, but I hope somehow she will hear these words and understand my love for her despite the hurt.
Thank you for giving me life. You may have had other options, but thank you for carrying me for nine months and caring for me during that time.
There's always been a hole in my heart where you should have been. Each day I longed to know you and bond with you. I longed to see my face in yours. I always hoped we'd be similar, love the same things and maybe have the same talents.
These were all just wishes that didn't come true. The loss I have felt over my lifetime has at times been hard to bear. I've always looked for that connection with someone, until I was given the gift of my son.
Yes, you gave me up, but after I met you and you decided not to be a part of my life....you missed out. You missed out on seeing the love I have for my husband and my child. You missed out on seeing Hunter smile, talk for the first time, his first day of school, losing his first tooth, riding his bike for the first time without training wheels and becoming the sweet, compassionate young man he is today.
You also missed out on knowing me. You missed out on seeing me get married, grow my family and have successes in my life. Yes YOU missed out. I missed out on knowing you, but ultimately YOU missed out on so very much.
I will always love you in my own way and I will probably always carry some sort of hurt from what happened. However, I thank you again for my life. Without you, I wouldn't have my loving husband who takes care of me and loves me unconditionally. I wouldn't have my caring, healthy child who also loves me no matter what.
Thank you for the gift of life. I hope you're now in a better and peaceful place. I hope you're looking down and are proud of the woman, wife and Mother I've become.
RIP birth Mother....I'll always love you.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I don't know if this will help anyone out there who's going through something similar, but I know writing this has helped me. Thank you for being a part of my healing.
Thanks for sharing your story! You always hear of the happy reunions and I often wonder about the other type of adoption stories. The not so happy ones. I hope you find healing as you process the news that she is gone.
As much as I know this must have been a difficult, emotional, hurtful time for you to live and write about your feelings. You let it go in a big way girl. I am so happy and proud of the beautiful woman and mother I call my friend.
i was raised by birth parents, along with a younger sister, and baby brother. by all appearances, we were a typical middle class family. after my brother was born, mom told sis and me repeatedly that if she would've had a boy first, she never would've had another child. after she divorced my father, when i was 12, she campaigned to have us kids tell dad we didn't want to see him anymore. he finally quit paying child support, changed his name and ss#, and built quite a nice life for himself, his new wife, and stepson on the east coast, incognito. ironically, in his late 50s he contracted some undiagnosed disease that left him paralyzed from the neck down (the runner couldn't run anymore). he eventually died, and stated in his will that he had no children. mom is still the self-serving individual she's always been. my sister and i finally stopped speaking to her 9 years ago.
the moral of this story: birth parents don't mean squat. they can be as mentally absent and emotionally inaccessible as any stranger.
i hope your experience helped you find your peace in this world. Blood-shmud. TV and movies can paint a very Norman Rockwellian view of family life for us, but reality is, it's never quite that idyllic.
I wish you peace and contentment with the beautiful family you do have. Your husband and son are so fortunate that YOU are their family. YOU are their blessing.
I always knew I was adopted. My adoptive parents were not vetted very well, as was the case all too often in 1951. I always wondered about my biologicals, as do most adoptees. I found my birth mother when I was 20. After 6 months of anguish, I had my doctor call her. She drove to meet me that weekend. She was full of apologies, but little else. I could tell immediately that I was a disappointment to her. I never thought about it at the time, but she had 3 brothers who lived in my city who I am sure she came to see. I never saw her again, though we corresponded for a few years.
She passed away Christmas Eve 1998, without telling a single person in her family that I existed. Not her husband or her 4 children. As fate would have it, two of her daughter moved to the same Atlanta suburbs where I had relocated. I contacted and met one of them. I was so hopeful I could have them in my life, but it wasn't to be. They wanted nothing to do with me. I mourned, knowing God had not brought us so close without a reason. It took me years to realize he brought us to the same place and time for me to realize that I would love nothing more than to be a part of a family who would welcome a found sister, but I have no use for one who would not. I am enough.
I have one son, whom I adore, and he has 2 daughters, one of whom resembles me. They are my DNA connections. I will be satisfied with that. They can never fully understand their importance to me. As you, I was the odd person out. I had nothing in common with my adopted family as I grew up. Now I can see myself in the kids.
Our journeys are not unique, but I don't think we represent the majority. I know so many people who make instant connections with their biologicals. Perhaps they are the lucky ones. But perhaps we are the ones who learn the most about ourselves...just maybe.
I am sitting here in a puddle of tears. What a beautiful letter you wrote to Bernie. With all my heart I wish things hadn't turned out this way. She missed seeing how talented you are, your kindness, your fierce love of Steve and Hunter, how every time you move you buck up and make the best of it and, she missed hearing your beautiful singing voice. Melody, you are aptly named.
I cherish the picture I have of me at 12 years old sitting on the grass in the back yard holding 5lb. 11oz., baldy headed you. I'll always remember you telling Mom, "Grandma I drowned", when you rode your big wheel around the pool and fell in (she always knew a grandchild was going to drown once your parents put that pool in.) I remember letting you drive Stan's new Firebird when you only had your permit. Bernie truly missed out on the wonder of you. We are the lucky ones, we got to experience it all and have years to see what will com.
You have done what so may have had to do...you have created the kind of family you would have loved to be a part of. My family is great, but there were no hugs or kisses growing up--tat's not what my British mom did. I shower my little family with them (even though the baby is 25!) and I hope they know they are loved every day. You and your boys have so much love--it shows every time you post a picture.
Your Mother missed out on a talented and caring individual. That is really sad for her. I am glad you are sharing your talents here and having a wonderful life. My daughter is adopted. It is hard but she is a gift to me and I have made sure that she knows her birth mom. We are doing well and I hope that she and her birth mom can someday be good friends. God bless you!
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You sound like an amazing and talented young woman. I am certain your son knows he is loved because you have the ability to love. Evidently, your birth mom did not.
My situation was a little different than yours, however, I know the hole well. Our mother passed away when she was 27, I was 5 my sister was 3. To our really good fortune, our dad married a woman, who from the very outset, took us as her own. I'm 69 now, and I still wonder what my birth mother was like, her voice, her laughter, did she have a temper? We always called our step-mother "Mom" and to this day still do. I would never disrespect her in any way. Growing up, never once did I feel like a step child (I didn't even think there was a word). Mean stepmother? What was that? My Mom and Dad went on to have 7 children of their own, never ever making a difference between my sister and theirs. To this day all 9 of us have a close knit relationship. God has blessed us in so many ways.
But to to my point, there is still the yearning to have been able to know her. (She was so ill, that she was in hospitals so much that my sister and I spent a lot of time with relatives) I don't really remember her at all. But God had blessed us with our "Mom" and I believe one day I will meet my birth Mother and we will have a good conversation!


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The Villainess (2017) Blu-ray Review
The Villainess is a hi-octane adrenalin fuelled martial-arts action film from the outset. From the opening scene our heroine slashes and hacks away at an onslaught of gangsters. This is quite a conscious reference to the hero hacking away at his captors with a pair of hammers in a key and memorable scene from Chan-wook Park's Old Boy (2003). There is a disctinct between both films though that is shot not just as POV, but as though it were a video game, and my this player seems to have 9 lives. We see her re-load her gun and slash away at her assailants as tough it were a video game. After she leaves the corridor and finds herself in an open gym she finds that she has more attackers to deal with (level 2?). When she is thrown into a mirror in the gym, this is the first time we see her and realise defintely that this is a woman. That is a full 8 minutes of relentless hack, slash and bludgeoning. Are we meant to be shocked that she is a woman? That the title is gendered, I guess not. Which is another thing – it does seem to be disingenuous to call this woman the villain; she is more victim than villain.
Dae-su Oh (Min-sik Choi) is caught by the police after she leaps out into an alleyway where she is captured by the police and taken to a secret training facility to be a sleeper assassin after the authorities become aware of her special skills. We also discover that Dae-su is pregnant. She is allowed to have her baby and we are aware of how long she is here for training as we see her daughter growing into a toddler. When she has completed her training, Dae-su is released into normal life under an assumed name and must carry on in obscurity until she is called to do a job. It's not long until she is ordered to carry out a hit. She is even wooed by a young neighbour (Jun Sung) who wears her down with his persistence and she ends up marrying him. When she is ordered to carry out a hit on her wedding day her past threatens to come back to her.
If the plot seems somewhat familiar, it's because the plot is similar to Luc Besson's Nikita (1990). Even the scene where she carries out a hit on her wedding day is very similar to the engagement vacation Nikita makes with her lover to Venice. But The Villainess is not a remke of Nikita, but does follow along similar lines and there is little let up in the action even right down to the showdown car, or rather bus chase at the end. One of the most impressive chase sequences is on motorbikes with a miture of stunts and CGI that looks very impressive indeed. But other films spring to mind, not least of all the Kill Bill (2004) films with its action packed revenge story as well as those films predecssors, namely the likes of Miko Kaji's Japanese films from the 1970s, such as the Lady Snowblood and Female Prisoner Scorpion films.
There is little room for melodrama here or much in the way of character set-up as the action is remains hi-octane throughout. The action almost seems relentless but keeps the film moving at a cracking pace. Having said that it does have a couple love interest moments that appear to be a little cliche ridden, but never the less they fail to to get in the way of the action.
In the early 2000s South Korean cinema was riding the crest of the wave of international recognition with the likes of Chan-wook Park and Ki-duk Kim's films seeming to have successes one after the other, although over the last few years there have been fewer of what became known as Asia Extreme. It would be good if The Villainess oversaw a resurgence of these action and horror thrillers.
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Hyperloop One Announces Rebrand, Partners, and $80 Million Funding
Frank Gruber
@FrankGruber
Imagine if you could travel from Las Vegas to Los Angeles in 20 minutes. That's the dream of a hyperloop, an idea conceived by Elon Musk. Today, in downtown Las Vegas at a press and investor event, Hyperloop Technologies shared some exciting updates which included the change of its brand to Hyperloop One, new strategic partners, and an $80 million dollar round of funding.
"This is the first step towards a major revolution in transportation," said Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One.
The name change makes sense as there are other competitors using a similar name, so the Hyperloop One brand will help them differentiate from the other efforts.
Investor and entrepreneur Shervin Pishevar shared the origin story of Hyperloop One which included taking Elon Musk's idea and nudging him to turn it into a white paper so that others could push it forward. Pishevar ran with it and eventually pulled in former SpaceX employee Brogan BamBrogan as their CTO. BamBrogan shared the technical vision for building Hyperloop One and summed it up by saying:
"It's a smooth, elevator like experience to get you directly to your destination."
Pishevar wants Hyperloop to help level the playing field that geography plays in people's destiny.
"Transportation is the new broadband," said Shervin Pishevar.
Pishevar went on to say that while virtual reality is cool, it's not real life and continued:
"You cannot hug a hologram. For those of you that know me, I'm a hugger, so that's really important to me."
Pishevar and his team know that this will not happen overnight, and require many enormous efforts by various groups referred to as the "global ecosystem". This new global partner ecosystem includes leaders in transportation engineering, architecture, infrastructure strategy and financing, construction and operations. Companies including AECOM, AMBERG Group, ARCTURAN SUSTAINABLE CARGO, ARUP, Bjarke Ingels Group, Cargo Sous Terrain, Deutsche Bahn Engineering & Consulting, FS LINKS, GRID, KPMG and SYSTRA have all joined forces with Hyperloop One to develop the future of transportation. Some of the partners joined the Hyperloop One CEO on stage.
Hyperloop One announced a new $80 million series B round with follow on investments from Series A investors Sherpa Ventures, EightVC, ZhenFund and Caspian Venture Partners. New investors in the Series B round include 137 Ventures, Khosla Ventures, NextGen Venture Partners, Fast Digital, Western Technology Investment (WTI), SNCF, the French National Rail Company, and GE Ventures.
Photos from the event can be seen in the photo gallery below.
Rob Lloyd, CEO of Hyperloop One, shares the vision.
Partners join Hyperloop CEO Rob Lloyd to discuss the ecosystem.
Tomorrow Hyperloop One will be showing off a test out in the northern Las Vegas desert.
Tags: Product News
New $199 Nintendo Switch Lite Confirmed
By Conor Cawley | Jul 10, 2019 at 9:01 am
The Nintendo Switch Lite is a now confirmed device from the Japanese gaming company that could rival the 3DS and other mobile gaming options. Take a look at everything we know, including what's different, how much it costs, and what colors it comes in.
Apple Cuts Macbook Air Price and Upgrades the Macbook Pro
Apple announced this week that they would be lowering the price of the Macbook Air, while upgrading the specs of the Macbook Pro. Take a look at what kind of savings you can expect and what added features you'll see in upcoming models.
We Saw the Cars of the Future at the Goodwood Festival of Speed
From the rapid, record-setting Volkswagen ID.R race car, to Samsung's 5G drifting expo, to driverless delivery vans, we got a glimpse into the future of cars and the auto industry in the sunny English countryside at the Goodwood Festival of Speed.
Frank Gruber is the cofounder, CEO and Executive Editor of Tech.Co (formerly Tech Cocktail). He is the author of the book, Startup Mixology, Tech Cocktail's Guide to Building, Growing, and Celebrating Startup Success. He is also a startup advisor and investor to startups. Find Frank Gruber online and follow him on Twitter at @FrankGruber.


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