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Home Uncategorized Elon Musk Turns 51 This Tuesday : A Closer Look Into Musk's Failures, and How He Recovered!
Elon Musk Turns 51 This Tuesday : A Closer Look Into Musk's Failures, and How He Recovered!
Elon Musk will turn 51 On Tuesday, (28 June 2022). He is a businessman, investor, and inventor who was born in South Africa and raised in Canada.
Despite his multiple roles and constant success with his most recent endeavors, he is presently most recognized for his roles as CEO and CTO of SpaceX, CEO and chief product architect of Tesla Motors, and chairman of SolarCity.
Both the world's and modern history's richest individual is he, according to records.
Approximately 24% of Tesla's outstanding shares and 43% of privately held SpaceX are currently owned by Elon Musk, as of this writing. Tesla's market value first crossed the $1 trillion milestones in October 2021.
A $100 billion valuation was placed on SpaceX's money raid in the same month. Elon's net worth was then for the first time teetering on the verge of $300 billion.
Elon Musk's Five Failures, and How He Recovered
Elon Musk is a genius, as is well known, and has developed more amazing ideas than the majority of people care to recall. According to Musk, this is somewhat of a curse, as he said in a recent interview with Joe Rogan. He explained how it's difficult for him to concentrate on just one project because he has so many good ideas.
Whatever Elon Musk comes up with may seem to have a good chance of being implemented. He is an innovative businessman with success. He is among the wealthiest people in the world, with a net worth of about $22.3 billion. In actuality, due to Tesla's boom during the COVID-19 pandemic, he ranks among the top 10 richest people in the world.
The South African businessman, on the other hand, is also known to have failed repeatedly. The circumstances surrounding many of these failures have been highly contentious. Elon Musk, however, always seems to prevail in the face of all difficulties and despite all disadvantages.
I'll go into more detail by demonstrating how Musk consistently bounces back from the most crushing setbacks and employs these lessons to grow his businesses even further.
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1. Netscape's rejection and ZIP2's expulsion
Musk initially tried to get a job with Netscape and other new tech companies but was rejected. In response to these denials, he established Zip2, an online phone book that could be searched for businesses.
Although it may seem like a very straightforward concept today, it was revolutionary when computers were still hardly used. Regrettably, Zip2 had difficulties in its early years and few investors were eager to support the concept.
Musk later developed a mapping project and wrote the code for it, effectively combining the two concepts. In order to reduce costs, company employees lived on-site.
Nevertheless, in 1996, Zip2 finally received some desperately needed funding, but amazingly. Elon Musk was demoted from CEO and given a much smaller position in the organization. When he disagreed with Richard Sorkin's vision or guiding principles for the business, he did succeed in helping to have him ousted as CEO.
The businessman made the choice to move on and start working on a brand-new idea after experiencing significant success, which would eventually lead to the creation of what is now known as PayPal.
How This Failure Can Help Startups and Entrepreneurs:
Despite the setbacks, Elon Musk has never wavered in his resolve. He never gave up and, at the very least, launched his own projects when faced with challenges. He also always clung to his convictions. Whatever the case, Elon Musk's tenacity, and unwavering faith play a big role in his current level of success.
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2. PayPal was at first deemed "The Worst Business Concept of the Year"
A post shared by PayPal (@paypal)
When PayPal was introduced as security software for the PalmPilot and other handheld devices in 1999, it was voted the worst business idea of the year, which may surprise you. But as their online wallet project gained traction, Musk and co-founder Max Levchin began to concentrate on it.
Actually, it became evident that this wallet was being used to facilitate eBay auctions when users started emailing the business. In order to move forward with an electronic wallet, they decided to drop the original plan. In order to develop this idea, PayPal eventually received funding; as a result, the company went public in 2002.
Because they overlook the market's problems, most startups fall short of success. In other words, they continue to develop theories and notions that were already doomed to failure.
Elon Musk has consistently made adjustments as needed and aimed to develop a product that offers the end-user a clear solution. Uncomplicated, of course, is how it appears. But far too many startups let their fixation on a particular product concept keep them from seeing the real market opportunities.
3. Before it became profitable, Tesla suffered a severe failure
A post shared by Tesla (@teslamotors)
When Tesla first entered the market, many industry experts were very outspoken about how they felt about it. The electric car was a non-starter, in their opinion, and was doomed to failure.
These market stock predictions appeared to be coming true in 2008 as the stock of Tesla was on the verge of failing due to insufficient funding. When this happened, Musk was working on the Model S. Unbelievably, he made the decision to declare bankruptcy while using his personal resources to keep the business afloat.
This money ($35 million) came from the proceeds from the sale of PayPal, which made up his wealth. Elon became formally bankrupt in just two years. It's a good thing that the entrepreneur was able to survive thanks to personal loans from friends. Tesla quickly started to make money, much like Uber. Musk worked multiple shifts and turned to sleep on the factory floor during this time, along with his staff.
A leading manufacturer of electric vehicles today is Tesla. However, if Musk hadn't shown such tenacity, none of this would be possible. And to make matters worse, his conviction was what initially made this possible. This strongly implies that pursuing a personal passion is arguably the most powerful driving force a business can have.
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4. Nobody Predicted that Space X Would Succeed
A post shared by SpaceX (@spacex)
Space X had to wait a whopping sixteen months before they could demonstrate that they could successfully land a rocket on one of the recovery drone ships. It's true that the first attempt went pretty well, with this rocket's accuracy surprising most experts. However, development was sluggish, and many people continued to question the company's reliability.
Three of these rockets were, however, successfully landed by Space X in quick succession in the middle of 2016. The following year, they attempted to duplicate this success four times rather than three times, and that is when disaster struck. With the media treating the story quite aggressively, it was a major setback for Musk and Space X.
Though it was expected that Space X would slow down the process, Musk insisted that they must proceed and make the most of the crucial information that was gathered during this failure. He also mentioned in a recent interview how risky the field of space exploration is. He made a point of stating that there will always be fatal risks involved in "sending people to Mars."
We can see Elon Musk is a maverick and a nonconformist through this colossal failure at Space X. In other words, he adopts a unique position that sets him apart from his peers and uses independent thought to produce the outcomes required for success.
5. Elon's Complicated Personal and Financial Situation
And lastly, Musk is a controversial figure, which we cannot ignore. His personal life has seen a number of extremely difficult circumstances. After all, his divorce from his first wife was highly publicized and took a long time. According to him, a severe depression dominated this time.
After the 2008 financial crisis caused Space X and Tesla to lose money, as if that weren't enough, Musk was once more on the verge of bankruptcy. He was actually debating closing one of these two businesses.
Musk ultimately chose to divide any funds still available between the two businesses. He learned that NASA would be investing $6 billion in Space X later that year. It goes without saying that both businesses made it through the storm, and a few years later, Elon even got married again.
Elon Musk continues to show an unwavering desire to succeed, regardless of what you may think of him. He makes bold decisions and sticks to them wholeheartedly, to the very end, despite his doubt and skepticism.
Life Lessons:
Although he has experienced numerous setbacks, Elon Musk is undoubtedly a brilliant person who is also incredibly driven and has a strong desire to succeed. A successful future for Tesla and Space X appears to be a given. This is such a testament to his character that it is impossible for us to predict what the South African will do next!
The media's propensity to exploit your business failures is something we cannot simply gloss over. Musk's failures are just a few examples of how mercilessly that news will be broadcast. But if you're a budding businessperson, have no worries; when you succeed, the media will cover your achievements as well.
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Reference checks are an important step in the hiring process of many companies. They are extremely common, and it is likely you will be asked for the names of several references before you are made a job offer. There are a few mistakes job seekers make with their references that are easily avoidable.
Some job seekers list their references directly on their resume. These can be included at the end in a reference section, of throughout the resume under each job. In either case, this is a mistake.
You should not list your references on your resume. By placing your references on your resume, you are inviting anyone that reads your resume to contact the people you list. As an executive recruiter, I've read articles from several sources that advise recruiters to search resumes for references to recruit. If you are posting your resume on online, with references attached, there's a good chance a recruiter will use the information you give them.
There isn't a benefit to listing your references on your resume. To land an interview, you need to demonstrate your skills, experience and track record of success. Listing a former supervisor will not help in this capacity. The hiring manager will make their decision to interview you long before they invest the time to contact a reference.
It is common to see the phrase "References Available Upon Request" at the bottom of a resume. This isn't a bad thing, but it's completely unnecessary. If a company requires reference checks in its process, it is going to ask for them whether you write this or not. A company will expect you to be able to provide references.
Go ahead and leave the "References Available Upon Request" off your resume. Save the space for information that will make a difference in landing an interview.
When you provide references, try to select former supervisors and try to select individuals from your recent work history. The best reference is your most recent direct supervisor. This individual should have a similar perspective as the manager hiring you. After this, past supervisors, make good references. References from more recent positions are more valuable than older ones.
After direct supervisors, individuals at the same level as your direct supervisor, but in a different functional area, can provide helpful references. A senior executive several levels above you is also a good reference, but usually not as good as a direct supervisor. A direct supervisor has much more contact and time directly observing your performance than senior level people. This allows the supervisor to describe your performance in more detail.
Peer references are also good to have, but are less valued by employers. It is easier to pick and choose a peer that you are friends with that you know will give a very positive reference. Hiring managers often discount these references.
Personal references are rarely valuable. Friends, neighbors, ministers, teachers and other individuals may be able to describe your personality, values and background. They rarely can provide an assessment of your performance and potential in a specific job.
When you select your references, you should let the reference know that you would like to use them as a reference. Let them know you are interviewing for a job and they may be contacted. Describe to them why you are looking for a job, the type of positions you are seeking and the type of companies you are pursuing.
You should have at a minimum three references. Don't expect a company to check every reference. They may only check a few. The company may request additional references, especially if you do not include any former supervisors.
A great selection of references would include two direct supervisors, a exec above the level of your supervisor and a couple peers. A list of five references like this should satisfy an employer.
A letter of recommendation is a reference that is written and given to you so that you can provide it to a prospective employer. Recommendations are good to have, but do not eliminate the desire of companies to speak with your references directly. They may have questions that the letter does not address, or just want to hear from the reference directly. In either case, you may still be asked for contact information of someone that provided a recommendation.
An option for recommendations that is becoming more common is to obtain recommendations on LinkedIn. When a former boss or coworker writes a recommendation on LinkedIn, it can be viewed by anyone (if you have your profile set to a public status), and can be beneficial in your search.
If you are employed and your employer does not know you are considering a change, you many not want your current employer to be contacted. This is usually not a problem and is understood by companies. Make sure you provide references from the position immediately prior to your current position. If you have been with the same company for a long time, you should try to get one or more references from your current employer. In this case, it is easier to get peers and this should be ok. Just try to get a supervisor from sometime in your work history.
References are usually requested around the time of the first face-to-face interview, often immediately following the interview.
You may have a past employer that will only verify employment dates. Companies do this to avoid any legal liability that may arise from providing a negative reference. They decide to avoid references all together. If this is an employer's policy, there is little you can do to change their stance. A prospective employer should understand. Just make sure you have selection of references from other employers.


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Access control controllers Access control cards/ tags/ fobs
Make: Aritech
Aritech Access Control Readers
Reader Type Bar Code Biometric Card Swipe Contact Magnetic Stripe Infrared Mifare Proximity RFID Smart Card Wiegand
Standalone/ Networkable Networkable PC-based Standalone Standalone / Networkable
Makes Aritech
Mount Type Flush Mullion Panel Surface Wall
Keypad Integrated
Aritech ACI-6007/ACC-1
Card Swipe, Standalone, 12, 96 x 96 x 38, -20 ~ +50, Vandal & Weather Resistant
Aritech ACI-600/ACC-1
Card Swipe, Standalone, 12, 86 x 112 x 31, -25 ~ +70, Vandal & Weather Resistant
Wiegand, Standalone, 12, 96 x 96 x 38, -25 ~ +70, Vandal & Weather Resistant
Card Swipe, 10 - 15, 43 x 270 x 28, -25 ~ +70, Vandal & Weather Resistant
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Access control readers - Expert commentary
Access Control and Door Entry Management: How Technology is Driving Change
Access control and door entry is a huge responsibility, and challenge, for local authorities and housing associations UK wide. For councils, they're accountable for the security and safety of many public facilities such as leisure centers, libraries as well as residential housing developments which are often large scale and home to hundreds of people. Housing associations manage affordable rental housing which also means they're responsible for the appropriate access control management for each individual house or apartment. Technology developments have enabled better entry systems that are far more secure yet also more convenient and easier to manage. For example, with modern intercom and access control systems, remote management and communication is something that offers local authorities and housing associations features that enable them to reduce costs and cut their carbon footprints by managing multiple sites from one place. On the other hand, such technological innovation has meant that local authority and housing association specifiers and consultants now have a wide range of systems and products to choose from which can cause issues in ensuring the right system for a specific building or development is chosen. Choosing an appropritate access control system In choosing an appropriate system, local authorities and housing associations need to opt for a cost effective solution that can be easily maintained with excellent support from the manufacturer and guarantees that the system and system parts will remain supported for the duration of its expected life cycle. It is also important that the chosen system is flexible to cater for the varying needs of the tenants and visitors. Of increasing importance is the reduction of anti-social behavior which new technology can help by providing the use of data loggers which track the use and events of a door entry system, allowing specific evidence to be located by integrating with CCTV. Using technology to our advantage Through advancements in management systems and services, we can gain a much better visual representation of the events and general usage of an intercom entry system and not just its proximity access control. Systems, for example, can now send email alarms or notifications to the administrator or management. We are now able to modify user rights and access levels on the go from a mobile app which enables a much greater control over service and maintenance engineers, such as making sure they have full access when required via an app, rather than arriving to site with the incorrect keys or access fob. Systems, for example, can now send email alarms or notifications to the administrator or management Dealing with tenant's lost and stolen keys has never been so easy either. The blocking or deletion of lost fobs and adding a new fob can be carried out in minutes while at the same time removing the cost of sending an engineer to the development to program new fobs. This greatly reduces the carbon footprint of the whole task as fobs can now be sent out via mail to a secure location for collection. Technology has also helped local authorities and housing associations to overcome the issue of not being able to have a concierge or building manager available 24/7 at some developments. Now with internet communication, it's possible for tenants and visitors to get in touch with someone should they need assistance, whether that's from within the apartment or from an entrance point. For example, lets take the Videx VX2200 with IP concierge integration. This system is exceptionally flexible, enabling calls to be answered on Videx intercoms and also mobile phones if required. With the integration of the IP concierge each block can be either standalone or networked via the internet back to a central control room. Reduced maintenance costs and carbon footprint We work with a wide range of local authorities and housing associations to help them overcome access control and door entry challenges. One organization we have recently partnered with is The Living Group to help them greatly reduce their maintenance costs and carbon footprint by installing the MiAccess offline proximity system on many of their developments across the North East. Technology developments have enabled better entry systems that are far more secure yet also more convenient and easier to manage By installing an appropriate system, The Living Group has managed to overcome issues caused by the existing system's limitations and also enabled much more flexibility when it comes to effectively managing the access control system of all their included developments. For those responsible for effective and appropriate access control, the management of the systems are easier, quicker and there's no delay or on-going costs for needing a specialist program to modify fobs and access rights as this can now all carried out in-house. Improved security legislation Further advancements in programmes such as Secured by Design (SBD), a police initiative that improves the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work and visit, means that there's more security legislation being implemented that's making intercoms and access control more secure, without affecting ease and convenience. Videx holds an SBD accreditation and we know, from first-hand experience, how it's making a difference in keeping tenants safe. When you combine the safety features promoted by an SBD member company like ourselves with the likes of the Videx event logging, image capture and ability to modify access users on the go, for example, we can help to create a very safe and secure environment. Personally, I think there needs to be a greater emphasis on the role of security legislation Technology has completely transformed the way local authorities and housing association are able to choose, install and manage door entry and access control systems for tenants and visitors alike. Personally, I think there needs to be a greater emphasis on the role of security legislation such as Secured by Design to ensure all councils and housing association consultants are up to date with what constitutes a robust and secure system that's also cost effective too. In my role, I see weaknesses in systems and constant ongoing costs that could easily be avoided. For instance, features such as timed remote entry means local authority and housing association management no longer need to worry about keys being lost, the wrong keys being supplied or locks needing to be changed. With new systems such as the Videx MiAccess and Videx WS4 range, we can help to massively reduce a housing association's or council's carbon footprint and engineer costs by allowing them the access to management and control from an offsite location. Crime prevention We can also use live and logged events to help prevent crime in different ways, from antisocial behavior growing around a tenant being called or visited much more regularly than others, to knowing a tenant is currently still living at a property but isn't paying rent or answering to any correspondence. Technology enables local authorities and housing associations to receive detailed data and therefore behavioral insights on the people under their management and care. If consultants and specifiers are advised on the most appropriate systems that meet their specific entry needs, they can ensure greater, safer and more convenient access control that meets the requirements of both the end user and the those responsible for its effective management.
Wireless Technology Is Transforming Motion Detection
Motion detection is a key feature of security systems in residential and commercial environments. Until recently, systems have relied heavily on closed circuit television (CCTV) and passive infrared (PIR) sensors, which both require significant investment and infrastructure to install and monitor. Developments in wireless technology are increasing home security possibilities. Few years ago, these developments led Cognitive Systems to discover that the wireless signals surrounding oneself can be used to detect motion. Known in the wireless industry as WiFi sensing, this technology brings many benefits that other motion detection solutions have not been able to provide. The working of WiFi sensing At Cognitive Systems, the company has used WiFi sensing technology to develop a motion detection solution called WiFi Motion™, which measures and interprets disruptions in RF signals transmitted between WiFi devices. When movement occurs in a space, ripples in the wireless signals are created. WiFi Motion interprets these ripples and determines if an action, such as sending a notification, is needed. Enabling this functionality in a space is incredibly simple. With a software upgrade to only one's WiFi access point (or mesh router), motion sensing capabilities are layered into one's WiFi network. Existing connected WiFi devices then become motion detectors without detracting from their original functions or slowing down the network. Using artificial intelligence (AI), WiFi Motion establishes a benchmark of the motionless environment and learns movement patterns over time, which could be used to predict trends. This allows unusual movement patterns to be detected with greater accuracy while decreasing the potential for costly false alerts. WiFi Motion requires no line-of-sight or installation WiFi sensing and other home monitoring solutions All of these capabilities are made possible by WiFi sensing and together create a motion detection system that provides unparalleled accuracy, coverage, privacy and affordability compared to other solutions on the market. PIR integration is far more complex and imposes electronic and physical design restrictions compared to WiFi sensing. In terms of placement, PIR systems are difficult to install, requiring line-of-sight and a device in every room for localization. WiFi Motion requires no line-of-sight or installation and is also a scalable solution compared to PIR. Much like cameras, PIRs can only cover so much space, but WiFi Motion can cover the entire home and even detect motion in the dark and through walls, without adding additional devices to the home. WiFi Motion detects less distinguishing context than cameras and microphones, but more context than regular PIR sensors for the perfect balance of privacy and highly accurate motion detection. Privacy solution While cameras have been the security solution for years, WiFi Motion offers a more affordable solution that can rival the privacy and coverage capabilities of even the most high-end cameras. With such a wide coverage area, one might think that WiFi sensing infringes on privacy, but actually, the opposite is true. With WiFi Motion, the contextual information collected cannot be used to identify a specific individual, unlike cameras which can clearly identify a person's face or microphones, which can identify a person's voice. It is different from other smart home security options that use cameras and microphones because it only senses motion using WiFi signals - it doesn't "see" or "listen" like a camera or microphone would. This provides opportunities for added security in spaces where privacy might be a concern and installing a camera may not be a comfortable solution, such as bathrooms and bedrooms. The data collected is also anonymized and highly encrypted according to stringent industry privacy standards. Existing connected WiFi devices then become motion detectors Additional WiFi sensing applications Since WiFi sensing technology requires no additional hardware or subscription fees, it is much more affordable than other motion detection solutions. It can be used as a standalone solution, or it can be easily layered into more complex systems. This ease of integration, scalability and relatively low cost brings a lot of potential for various applications. Motion detection can trigger other smart devices in the network to turn lights on or off In eldercare, for example, WiFi sensing can be used to help seniors live comfortably in their homes for as long as possible. With the increasing aging population and high costs associated with care homes, the market for this application is considerable. Caregivers can use an app to monitor movement in their loved one's home and be alerted about unusual movement patterns that could indicate a concern. For smart homes and other environments that have a network of smart devices, the artificial intelligence (AI) component of the technology allows for improvements to automated features. Motion detection can trigger other smart devices in the network to turn lights on or off or make adjustments to the temperature in a room. Security for the commercial sector For office buildings and other commercial properties, it is easy to see how all of these features could be scaled up to offer a highly accurate and cost-effective motion sensing and smart device automation solution. Cognitive Systems is closely involved with the development of WiFi sensing technology, working with various industry groups to establish standards and help it reach its full potential. WiFi Motion is merely the tip of the iceberg in terms of motion sensing possibilities, but its applications in the world of security are undeniably compelling. It is an exciting time for the wireless industry, as one works with stakeholders in the security space to explore everything this technology can do.
The Growth Of The Mobile Access Card Market In 2020
The emergence of smartphones using iOS and Android is rapidly changing the landscape of the IT industry around the world. Several industries, such as digital cameras, car navigation, MP3, and PNP, have been replaced by equivalent or even better performance using smartphones. Smartphones provide increasing portability by integrating the functions of various devices into a single unit which allows them to connect to platforms with network-based services and offer new services and conveniences that have never been experienced before. These changes have expanded into the access control market. Although not yet widespread, 'Mobile access cards' is one of the terminologies that everyone has been talking about. RF cards used for access security are being integrated into smartphones just as digital cameras and MP3s were in the past. While people might forget their access cards at home in the morning, they seldom forget their smartphones. Using smartphones for access control increases entry access reliability and convenience. Mobile/smartphone access control A key aspect of mobile credential is that it makes it possible to issue or reclaim cards without face-to-face interaction As in other markets, the combination of smartphones and access cards is creating a new value that goes beyond the simple convenience of integration enhancing the ability to prevent unauthorized authentication and entrance. People sometimes lend their access cards to others, but it is far less likely they might lend their smartphone with all their financial information and personal information – to another person. This overcomes an important fundamental weakness of RF cards. Another valuable aspect of mobile credential is that it makes it possible to issue or reclaim cards without face-to-face interaction. Under existing access security systems, cards must be issued in person. Since card issuance implies access rights, the recipient's identification must be confirmed first before enabling the card and once the card has been issued, it cannot be retracted without another separate face-to-face interaction. Mobile access cards In contrast, mobile access cards are designed to transfer authority safely to the user's smartphone based on TLS. In this way, credentials can be safely managed with authenticated users without face-to-face interaction. Mobile cards can be used not only at the sites with a large number of visitors or when managing access for an unspecified number of visitors, but also at the places like shared offices, kitchens and gyms, currently used as smart access control systems in shared economy markets. The market share of mobile access cards today is low even though the capability can offer real benefits to users and markets. While the access control market itself is slow-moving, there are also practical problems that limit the adoption of new technologies like mobile access cards. Use of Bluetooth Low Energy technology While NFC could be an important technology for mobile credential that is available today on virtually all smartphones, differences in implementation and data handling processes from various vendors prevents universal deployment of a single solution to all devices currently on the market. Accordingly, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) has been considered as an alternative to NFC. Bluetooth is a technology that has been applied to smartphones for a long time, and its usage and interface are unified, so there are no compatibility problems. However, speed becomes the main problem. The authentication speed of BLE mobile access card products provided by major companies is slower than that of existing cards. Enhancing credential authentication speed Authentication speed is being continuously improved using BLE's GAP layer and GATT layers The second problem is that mobile access cards must be accompanied by a supply of compatible card readers. In order to use mobile access cards, readers need to be updated but this is not a simple task in the access control market. For 13.56 MHz smart cards (which were designed to replace 125 kHz cards), it has taken 20 years since the standard was established but only about half of all 25 kHz cards have been replaced so far. Legacy compatibility and the need for equivalent performance, even with additional benefits, will drive adoption timing for the Access Control market. While BLE technology helps resolve the compatibility problem of mobile access cards, it can identify some breakthroughs that can solve the speed problem. Authentication speed is being continuously improved using BLE's GAP layer and GATT layers, and new products with these improvements are now released in the market. Making use of key improvements allows Suprema's mobile access card to exhibit an authentication speed of less than 0.5 seconds providing equivalent performance to that of card-based authentication. AirFob Patch MOCA System's AirFob Patch addresses the need for technological improvements in the access control market in a direct, cost effective, and reliable way – by offering the ability to add high-performance BLE to existing card readers – enabling them to read BLE smartphone data by applying a small adhesive patch approximately the size of a coin. This innovative breakthrough applies energy harvesting technology, generating energy from the RF field emitted by the existing RF reader – then converting the data received via BLE back into RF – and delivering it to the reader. By adding the ability to use BLE on virtually any existing RF card reading device, MOCA allows greater ability for partners and end users to deploy a technologically-stable, high performance access control mobile credential solution to their employees, using devices they already own and are familiar with. Adding MOCA AirFob Patch eliminates the need to buy and install updated readers simply to take advantage of mobile credential, lowering costs and risks, and increasing employee confidence and convenience. Growth forecast of mobile access card market in 2020 In 2020, forecasts show that the mobile access card market will grow far more rapidly Several companies have entered the mobile access card market, but they have not set up a meaningful product solution stream until 2019. In 2020, forecasts show that the mobile access card market will grow far more rapidly. Reviewing new entries into the market allows identification of the latest products that provide improving solutions to compatibility and speed problems. MOCA AirFob Patch addresses development plans in process today that overcome the legacy installed base of card readers – allowing rapid creation of an environment that can make immediate use of BLE mobile access cards. Integrated mobile digital ID With proven usability and within suitable environments, mobile access cards will also begin to make inroads into other markets, not just the access control market. In the sharing economy market, which seeks access management without face-to-face interaction, the integrated mobile digital ID led by the 'DID Alliance' will serve as a technical tool that can be used in access authentication – forging increasing links between the access control and digital ID markets.
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A used car lot owner had re-occurring issues with intruders cutting holes in the perimeter fence during night-time hours and vandalizing or burglarizing the area. The intruders would not enter the small office building, so the security system was never triggered. The customer did own a video surveillance system and it would record criminal activity but it did not prevent or deter crime. Integrating motion detectors Using the existing intrusion alarm panel (Interlogix NX8-v2 panel) and the existing video system, the system integrator introduced two OPTEX Visual Verification Bridges and four OPTEX Redwall SIP-3020 Outdoor PIR motion detectors. The motion detectors were installed over the two main perimeter light poles pointing into the lot with IP cameras located directly above each of the motion detectors. Access to camera visual With the two Visual Verification Bridges installed, the integrator can provide operators immediate access to eight live cameras during every alarm event. The Redwall SIP-3020 provided up to 30m of distance coverage and 20m width, complete with anti-masking and vandal tampers. With this simple but effective solution, the integrator was able to provide their customer with immediate visual verification of alarm sensors, only when the alarm panel is armed. Wireless key fobs were provided so the dealer can arm and disarm the system from outside the gate helping to eliminate false alarms during arming and disarming. Reduced false alarms Since the completion of this installation, there have been several nuisance alarms caused by cats that were immediately disregarded. Due to the visual verification solution there was no intrusion and the client has not had any vandalism or crime since. Per the customer's request, the OPTEX Bridge has been installed on three additional car lots.
Feenics Welcomes Yannis Souris And Chris Smith To Its Ottawa Headquarters To Address Continued Growth
Feenics Inc., an award-winning provider of the Access Control as a Service (ACaaS) Keep by Feenics cloud-hosted platform, has added two new team members to its Ottawa headquarters. Yannis Souris has been appointed Marketing Manager and Chris Smith takes on the role of Regional Sales Manager for the Northeast, as the company continues to address its ongoing fast growth in the cloud-hosted access control market. Souris is a seasoned marketing professional with 20 years of experience in digital marketing programs, brand management and e-Commerce platforms. His marketing, advertising and creative work has garnered Souris considerable recognition—earning more than 200 local, national and international awards. Cloud-hosted platform Chris Smith is a results-oriented professional with nearly a decade of experience managing a national territory At Feenics, Souris will work closely with top management to continue to communicate the Feenics story of the efficiencies of a cloud-hosted platform—focusing on social media, media outreach and internal and external marketing programs. Prior to joining Feenics, Souris was Digital Marketing Director for Knowland Courses and Workshops in Ottawa. New Regional Sales Manager for the Northeast, Chris Smith is a results-oriented professional with nearly a decade of experience managing a national territory, focusing on the implementation of effective strategies to increase sales and grow the customer base. Most recently he was Regional Sales Manager for Interlogix, where he managed and developed the dealer channel, attaining leading sales results. His other achievements include: 2018 Top Rising Talent Award; Employee of the Quarter Q1 2018; and Top 10% in sales quota achievement. Assist in critical initiatives "As we continue to grow, adding important team members will assist in our critical initiatives and messaging," said Paul DiPeso, Executive Vice President of Feenics. "With these two hires, we bring new and exciting marketing expertise and deep sales experience to the Feenics organization." Keep by Feenics gives users the choice of on-site servers or offsite cloud deployment Feenics continues to fortify its position as an ACaaS market leader, recently certified as an International Organization for Standardization ISO 9001:2015 company. To address global growth, Feenics opened an office in the Middle East and since has added other management and sales team members to solidify its market expansion. Feenics is the maker of Keep, a cloud-hosted platform that provides extreme scalability, unprecedented flexibility and advanced security in ACaaS applications. Native visitor management It integrates native visitor management and a RESTful API that allows systems installers simple integration of a wide array of complementary systems and open hardware devices, generating new revenue streams while creating a path for customers to lower their total cost of system ownership. Keep by Feenics gives users the choice of on-site servers or offsite cloud deployment, hosted by the public cloud Amazon Web Services. Keep significantly minimizes costs through simple, maintenance-free and automatic upgrades, patches, disaster recovery and back up.
Interlogix Plans To Dismantle Its Businesses In The United States And Canada By The End Of The Year
Interlogix, a division of UTC Climate, Controls & Security, announces a plan to dismantle its businesses in the United States and Canada by the end of the year. Here is a statement from the company: "After a thorough portfolio review of our security business, we have communicated our plans to wind down our Interlogix U.S. and Canada businesses. This decision will allow us to focus on the significant growth opportunities for our other fire and security businesses, including LenelS2." Fire detection and life safety Dealers can continue to purchase, install, register, and service Interlogix products with complete confidence" Interlogix products will be manufactured and orders fulfilled through 2019 and will be available for purchase from distributors and dealers during 'a well-coordinated transition period,' according to the company. "We will continue to provide customer support related to product technical services, timely fulfillment and comprehensive product warranty into 2020 and beyond," says the company statement "Dealers can continue to purchase, install, register, and service Interlogix products with complete confidence." Interlogix represents a full product line including intrusion detection, video surveillance, fire detection and life safety, access control and security/fire data transmission products. Enhanced video streaming capabilities Interlogix was created in the merger in 2000 of ITI Technologies and SLC Technologies. It was purchased by General Electric in 2002 and later renamed GE Security. United Technologies Corp. (UTC) bought the security business of General Electric in 2010 and reverted back to using the Interlogix brand. Last year, Interlogix introduced TruVision Navigator version 8.0 of its unified security software Last year, Interlogix introduced TruVision Navigator version 8.0 of its popular unified security software, including enhanced video streaming capabilities, integration with the Interlogix UltraSync Modular Hub systems and tighter integration with IFS networking switches. Voice-Controlled digital devices Early this year, Interlogix reinvested in its UL-listed, professional-grade, security panel lineup and added two touchscreen controls. In addition, it began providing access to more device integrations – such as sensors, lights, locks, thermostats and garage door controls, video doorbell cameras and voice-controlled digital devices, among others. In the spring, the company re-launched its Interlogix Security Pro program, a national channel partner program offering Interlogix dealers an array of resources and incentives designed to help them successfully grow their businesses.
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experience, both as a creator and as a spectator, to the territory of his own artistic practice.
metaphors, experiences, events... many aspects of the festival came to mind as potencial ideas for art pieces.
constraints of the festival itself.
taking music as the central phenomenon of popular culture.
to think and design it through".
João Paulo Feliciano's artwork is defined by a relentless experimental approach through which everything that surrounds him can be appropriated and converted into pliable substances. Within his body of work we can list images, objects, paintings, sculptures, sound installations, music, text, lyrics and several other strongly performative actions. All these contribute to outline his practice as an author that chose to refuse the possibility of being classified through the media he uses as well as through a particular style.
His filiation as an artist, concerning both visual arts and music, strikes us as unusual by not being the natural result of an academic evolution and education in these areas, but the consequence of a compulsive attention to other authors, their medias and works, resulting in a sharing, self-learning process. We can say that Feliciano is an independent artist as, in a broad sense, he does not restrict himself neither to a fixed artistic genre nor the traditionally evolutive hegemony of a curricular path, aligned with the rules of the art market and the system of relations and protocols it imposes.
Under the title Monkey Business, the exhibition reveals a political, ironical stance that brings into question, once more, the position of the artist and the gallery within the universe of contemporary art. João Paulo Feliciano does not yield to the temptation of using a political discourse as expression of an activist or interventional action. On the contrary, he reveals his working processes using the gallery space as an extension of his daily activity as an artist and cultural producer. The exhibition is not built as a system of relations between different pieces but as a discourse that flows between the presentation of recent work and the appropriation of the space by displacing part of the imaginary contents of the artistís studio to the gallery. As if the exhibition was just one more moment in his daily life.
Converting and reframing spaces, different media and objects, is a recurring strategy and distinguishing feature in JPF's work. A sculpture composed by two similar deactivated electronic organs disposed back to back, united by a flat mirrored surface dislocates the observerís perception while at the same time the artist bombards the acknowledgement processes we are subjected through the semantic internalization of the workís title, A Pair of Pair.ies.
Funky Junk I and Funky Junk II, images printed on canvas, depict a stack of keyboards (still lifes?). These pieces inhabited the artist's working space, stored at random and haphazardly handled, bordering abuse, they were later recovered to reveal a daily routine where the production of the artwork is a momentary process that solely depends on the artist decision.
This approach to production process is transferred to the gallery space through the presence of several objects, pertaining to different typologies and cultural references: merchandising (related with his music work), music albums, catalogues and books produced in different moments of his career both as musician and as an artist. The absence of art pieces in the last room of the gallery disrupts the context of the show. There, we can find a heterogeneous collection of objects for sale. It is as if the gallery and the show incorporate a garage sale of personal items, all available for a small price. A flee market that ironically questions the status of the art market and consumers. This intervention, abruptly discontinuing the exhibition, emphasizes the desire of the artist to use strategies and actions unrelated to the hierarchy of the art object as a trade value.
Monkey Business can be seen as an index of João Paulo Feliciano's body of work. The exhibition offers clues to his actions, signs of a cumulative, cinetic, multidisciplinary and transgressing artistic process. Returning to the title of one of Feliciano's first pieces, Mind Your Own Business, we can recover this open approach on his work. Dating from the early nineties, this video confronts the viewer with the impossibility of perceiving the rapidly changing images. An ironic moment that stems from the everyday life of an author fuelled by the stimuli that impel him to think about the artistic practice as a way of life.
JPF is a visual artist and musician whose work spans a broad spectrum of media and creative strategies. Selected shows include: Sonic Boom – the Art of Sound, Hayward Gallery, London, 2000; XXVI São Paulo Bienal, 2004; solo show at the Serralves Museum of Contemporary Art, Oporto, 2004; The Possibility of Everything: JPF selected works 1989-1994 (major survey show), Culturgest, Lisbon; The Blues Quartet, Contemporary Arts Center, Cincinnati. As a musician he has collaborated, among others, with Rafael Toral, Christian Marclay, Phill Niblock, Lee Ranaldo or David Toop. In 2009 he founded the dance orchestra Real Combo Lisbonense, dedicated to exploring the heritage of early portuguese pop music. At the same time he launched his own record label – Pataca Discos – through which he has released the music of Real Combo Lisbonense as well as debut albums for singer and songwriter Márcia and the band You Can't Win, Charlie Brown.
Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art is pleased to present MUSIC LESSONS (Lições de Música), a selection of hitherto unseen works by Lisbon-based artist João Paulo Feliciano.
The title of the exhibition derives, at a first glance, from a series of photographs framed side by side with "original documents" (magazine covers, book pages or record sleeves). The principle of the "music exercise", where an example is formulated by the teacher for the student to follow and emulate, is taken beyond its literal practice and turn into a conceptual and witty comment on culture as an uninterrupted chain of knowledge that passes from one generation to the next. The exhibition as a whole encapsulates not only João Paulo Feliciano's sense of humour and use of dadaesque mischief, but his questioning of certain romantic ideals.
attitude. Rather than commit to categories and disciplines, Felicano has since chosen to push boundaries with his experimental frame of mind and adoption of outright playful procedures that introduce chance, indeterminacy and unpredictability to a body of work that has proven itself to be idiosyncratic and discontinuous.
With this body of new works, Feliciano critically focuses on process more than product. This is not by chance, nor does it derive from any strategic option towards the development of his work, it is rather the result of a truly personal experience: over the past two years approximately, Feliciano has submitted himself to the lengthy trials and tribulations of training according to the conventional regime and practice of classical music, based on theory, eartraining, solfeggio, sight-reading, hand control, posture, discipline, repetition and emulation.
All that he avoided as a child growing up but takes on as an adult with a straight face and determination. To undermine the Romantic ideal, the fetischized artist, Feliciano not only surrenders to the ups and downs of being a student, but additionally takes on the role of trickster, copycat and appropriator, reminding us that the way to become a master, inventor or creator always starts as a mimicking process. We all learn by imitation.
For instance in the work From Right to Left: Playing the Rhodes Electric Piano and the Farfisa Organ. Feliciano takes the cover of Bill Evans' From Left to Right: Playing the Fender-Rhodes Electric Piano and the Steinway Piano and recreates the cover photo with a sleight difference, that is, he not only uses his own instruments (shifting away from Evans'), but reverses the Left-Right set-up resulting in a face-to-face composition of "student" and "master".
In Conducting Patterns, an open-ended suite of pencil drawings on paper, Feliciano takes the graphical patterns from a book on conducting techniques and enlarges them to life-size. Afterwards, Feliciano himself practices the beating of bars and measures in front of the sheets of paper, not holding a conductor's baton but a pencil. The resulting drawings register all of his gestures, with the uncertainties, hesitations, failures and achievements inherent to the process of learning music.
In another piece, the video Mimic Gimmick, Feliciano plays air guitar to the improvisations of legend avant-garde guitarist Derek Bailey. Here, the artist could not be more literal about the process of mimicking, exploring the absurdist aspect of mimicking what, by it's very nature, cannot be mimicked.
Through this heightening of theatrics, viewers are presented with caricatures and doubles of the Romantic ideal of the artist, someone who evolves into a solitary, suffering genius with an explosive temperament and an unwavering intensity. Feliciano's copies have the added effect of bringing renewed attention to the patina and intrinsic qualities of the originals he has chosen to emulate. Through these works, João Paulo Feliciano produces deferral. He places himself in the absurd position of the novice but does this to remind us that music is a social event where authors (and listeners) past and present meet. This too can be extended to the work of art which becomes a kind of arena where art-world but also everyday references coalesce and are opened to interrogation.
new and recent work featuring objects, video, light, sound and music.
This spring Cristina Guerra Contemporary Art presents new work by Portuguese artist João Paulo Feliciano. Drawing on themes of encoding and breakdown, this exhibition explores the artist's instrumentalization of objects, colour, light, sound and music. Feliciano's light-sculptures use sound – melody and the spoken work - and its breakdown, often into kaleidoscopic, sensuous, giddy, colourful products.
João Paulo Feliciano is interested in random systems that open up the possibility for infinite combinations. His multi-disciplinary installations can be seen as starting points, triggers to a series of variations. The structure of the 4 works on display in this show marry high and low tech; designer objects and found, discarded, everyday pieces; sculpture, light and sound in mesmerizing performative compositions.
In his approach to techonology Feliciano eschews modernity's child, the productive mechanism, awakening it from monotony to a dream of creativity and wonder.
Feliciano's current exhibition not only reveals the artist as an engineer, but a musician in absence.
The Blues Quartet, a sound and light sculpture-installation and centerpiece of this exhibition, explores the crossover between aural and visual art. Four different lamps stand upright on the corners of a table-stage. On top of the table-stage, two planes of dark blue transparent perspex intersect to divide the space in four. The four lights blink in response to the sound of music playing, creating reflections, transparencies and juxtapositions; a bewildering choreography of light, colour and sound.
Designed to evolve in directions the artist may not have anticipated, Feliciano's Quartet is a spellbinding experience.
CD audio, stereo, 10 min., in loop.
edition of 3 - the table and one of the lamps (B) are different in each of the copies.
soundtrack: Rafael Toral; text: Octávio Nunes; voices: Bruno Nogueira, Manuel Marques.
Quite often Feliciano make use of simple technology to shape sound and light into sensuous, funny happenings, such as the nonsensical, jabbering lamps in 'Da Discussão Nasce a Luz' (discussion brings enlightenment), where the artist anthropomorphizes these otherwise unthinking, unresponsive table lamps. Staging them on opposite sides of a table, Feliciano sets up a conversing pair: a Modernist and a Romantic, who engage in a dialogue of common-places expressions with their modified voices loosely representing the paradigms. Two idiots who offhandedly beat about the bush.
The sculpture Pequeno Poema Eléctrico is one of the show's most discrete pieces. A small optical trick is performed by two electrolytic condensers positioned on each side of a sheet of dark blue transparent perspex. Connected by a pair of electrical wires, the poles seem to cross the perspex sheet. According to Brazilian-based art critic Claudia Laudanno, "Feliciano introduces us to a field of aesthetic chemistry where transgression and desire enhance the shifted order". The sculpture also harks back to the work of Portuguese artist Noronha da Costa and his explorations of reality and illusion, light and shadow, presence and absence.
'No Sound is Innocent' was designed by the artist as an affective sculptural-piece evoking the power of music and its ability to remove us from presence, taking us back to important moments in our lives and preventing us from loosing their season, their atmosphere, their taste. This rapport is also simultaneously associated and prompted by the technology we use to play our favourite songs: for more than a century, advances in technology have shaped our intimacy with music. Whereas the physical size of LPs and record players was best suited for the experience of communal listening at home, the I-Pod gives us individuality, portability and unpredictability, providing us with a more pervasive and immersive relationship with music. The imagery associated with music has evolved accordingly: if the colourful printed cover of the LP was static yet large enough to imprint an affective image, the MPEG video file gives us a much smaller and less glamorous picture, yet it allows us to easily record and playback moments of our own lives, opening new dimensions to how we deal with our memories.


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Ashford, Kent Bed and Breakfasts. Compare latest rates and Live availability for all your favourite places and places you have always wanted to go using our new My Shortlist feature. Click + to add to your Shortlist.
Bed and Breakfasts in Ashford, Kent for 1 night from Fri Apr 19, 2019 to Sat Apr 20, 2019 within 10 miles, in an Average Nightly price range of £1 to £200.
This 16th Century free house is situated on top of the North Downs in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The Bowl Inn is now under new ownership and the owners are putting their stamp on this charming country Inn. So come and enjoy our newly refurbished bar and warm yourself by the open fire. br / br / br / br / Sample our tried and tested menu bursting with traditional country pub classics. We strive to use locally sourced ingredients of the highest quality so what s not to love! Indulge on succulent steaks classic pies home cooked ham and a lovely roast dinner on a Sunday afternoon. br / br / br / br / Food is served Monday to Thursday 12-3pm & 6-9pm Fridays & Saturdays 12-9pm Sundays 12-5pm. br / br / br / br / For those not content to just relax there is no shortage of walks where you can take in some of the breath taking views across the Downs. If you want to explore further afield we are also close to Canterbury Dover Faversham Hythe and many more of Kent s beautiful towns. br / br / br / br / Added to this is an extensive rural garden and south facing front sun terrace we also have a 2.5 acre paddock which is available to hire for private events! br / br / br / br / As the home of one of Kent s most popular Beer Festivals four top condition Real Ales are always available. Sample some of Kent s award winning local real ales from breweries such as Hopdaemon Old Dairy Gadds Whitstable Brewery Wantsum and more. We offer a wide range of Lagers Wines and Spirits.
The Bowl situated high above Charing on top of the North Downs in a Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was originally built as a farmhouse in 1512 and then in1606 it became a brewhouse. It has had a long and varied history the present licensees arrived in 2014 and have developed the Bowl to offer good quality accommodation and excellent home-made food in a relaxed country pub enviroment.
Situated just 5 minutes' drive from Lenham, Who'd A Thought It boasts a Champagne and oyster bar, along with free Wi-Fi in public areas. With free private parking, the hotel features highly individual rooms and suites. The luxurious rooms include a flat-screen TV with a DVD player, tea and coffee making facilities, and an iPod docking station. The en suite bathrooms have complimentary toiletries and a hairdryer. Many rooms also boast a spa bath and a four-poster bed. In the mornings, Who'd A Thought It serves a full English breakfast, along with continental options for guests leaving early. The Champagne and Oyster Bar serves several menus, including gastro bar meals, a lunchtime tasting menu, and a la carte dishes. Who'd A Thought It's Champagne and Oyster Bar is host to frequent themed events. Seasonal holidays are also celebrated with style at the hotel. The property is home to the Whody Boudoir Dress Boutique, which offers a range of shoes and accessories. Lenham Railway Station is just 2 miles away.
The Pebbles Cottage Guest House is Located between the town of Hythe and the seaside village of Dymchurch on the main A259 and offers a garden. This 4-star bed and breakfast offers free WiFi, 9 km away from the Eurotunnel and 27 km away from Dover Port. Free off-road parking is available. A full English breakfast served, or guests also have the option to order a breakfast of their choice. The mini steam train can be seen passing from the view from the cottage. Bike storage is available at the property. Lympne Castle and Port Lympne Wildlife Park are both within is 5 km from The Pebbles Cottage Guest House, while Romney Hythe & Dymchurch Railway is 3.4 km from the property. The nearest airport is London Gatwick Airport, 112 km from the property.


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Home / Defence and Security / Was it worth it?
Ian Dudgeon | May 30, 2021
Prime Minister Scott Morrison's announcement on 15 April that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) would withdraw from Afghanistan by September brings closure to Australia's longest, operational military deployment. With ongoing uncertainties about Afghanistan's future, was that deployment worth it?
For me, the ADF deployment, initially military-only and later part of a whole-of-government mission, which resulted in the loss of life of 41 soldiers, was justified because it served key national security interests. The ADF's initial deployment in October 2001 of a Special Operations Task Group (SOTG) comprised of SAS troops, was in response to the 9/11 attacks on the US by the Afghanistan-based international terrorist group Al Qaeda.
Prime Minister John Howard invoked Article IV of the ANZUS Treaty and committed ADF support to the "US alliance" and preventing Afghanistan again becoming a safe-haven for terrorists. This was the underpinning rationale for all ADF deployments.
Originally part of US Operation Enduring Freedom, in December the SOTG became part of the UN-mandated and US-led coalition International Security Assistance Force (ISAF). The SOTG mission was counterterrorism (CT) and targeted Al Qaeda only, not the then Taliban government.
By late 2002, ISAF had defeated Al Qaeda, whose remnants fled to Pakistan. Mission accomplished, the SOTG, along with most foreign forces, was withdrawn in November 2002. The Taliban government was also ousted by indigenous elements who would become part of the new Afghan government.
However, the security situation in Afghanistan deteriorated after the withdrawal. By 2005, the Taliban, with Al Qaeda remnants and other foreign support, including from Pakistan, had established an effective insurgent force that threatened the stability of the new Afghan government. The US sought the recommitment of coalition partners to help combat this threat and assist with national reconstruction.
The 2002-2005 period coincided with the deadly bombings in Bali in 2002 and 2005 and the Australian embassy in Jakarta in 2004 by Jemiah Islamia (JI), a terrorist group with known links to Al Qaeda. It also coincided with Australian high priority peace and nation-building commitments in East Timor and the Solomon Islands and a new commitment supporting US interests in Iraq.
The Australian government, therefore, was acutely aware of the international terrorist threat and key role of civil-military operations for stabilisation and reconstruction.
As documented in the 2016 Smith Report, despite the Howard government's wariness about any long-term involvement in Afghanistan, the national-interest case for recommitting to Afghanistan was compelling. Subsequent Labor and Coalition governments had similar concerns but maintained that commitment.
The second SOTG, deployed in August 2005, soon became part of a much larger Australian government commitment to Afghanistan. The expanded ADF deployment assumed a counterinsurgency (COIN) role as Australian involvement transitioned to a whole-of-government civil-military commitment.
Troop numbers increased from 150 in 2001 to a peak of 1,550 in 2012-14. Missions by Army and RAAF elements included CT/COIN, force protection, reconstruction tasking, support to other civil aid programs, and training and mentoring the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF).
Most deployments were to Uruzgan province. Initially Dutch-led, Australia took over responsibility for the local Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in 2010, and leadership of all coalition assets through Combined Team-Uruzgan (CT-U) in 2012. Other ADF personnel, including multiple "embeds" within ISAF, were deployed mostly in Kabul and Kandahar.
In 2014, the long-planned "transition to transformation" occurred, and responsibility for national security and nation-building became "Afghan-owned and Afghan-led." This impacted on all stakeholders, including Australia. ADF units were progressively withdrawn, as were other ISAF forces. As of writing, some 80 ADF personnel remain deployed in Afghanistan, undertaking ANSF train, advise, and assist (TAA) roles in Kabul.
All up, some 39,000 ADF personnel have served in Afghanistan at a cost of about $9 billion – a relatively small part of the Defence budget over the past 20 years. Australian aid, including police law enforcement training has cost an additional $1.51 billion. Of the 51 coalition partners, Australian troop numbers were the tenth highest, and Australian casualties – 41 soldiers killed and more than 260 wounded – were the ninth highest. For a non-NATO country, Australia more than played its part.
However, despite this input and the commitment of many able Afghans, since 2014 the Afghan leadership has failed to win the "hearts and minds" contest and establish a stable national system of government or nation-wide security.
The Taliban now control or have significant influence across some 60 percent of Afghanistan, mostly in rural areas including much of Uruzgan. There are complex reasons for this, including ethnic and tribal issues, contesting warlords, religion, and related motivations and commitments, which have played out in ways contrary to Afghan national, UN/coalition, and Australian objectives.
Notwithstanding, the ADF deployment is justifiable in terms of both US alliance and broader CT outcomes. Australia has well demonstrated its commitment and credibility as an alliance partner, both politically and militarily. For the ADF, specific benefits include enhanced professionalism across capabilities, inter-operability, and relationships. These directly benefit mutual security interests within the Asia-Pacific region.
The initial SOTG CT mission was successful. CT/COIN operations since 2005 have been a qualified success. Although the Taliban were not defeated in Uruzgan for the reasons above, COIN operations during 2005-14 effectively disrupted them, enabling the implementation of aid and other programs which positively benefited district and provincial recipients. These, subsequent TAA and other ISAF missions post-2014, have assisted the ANSF to maintain control over some 40 percent of Afghanistan, especially major urban areas.
But Afghanistan remains a work in progress. It is not a given that the Taliban will significantly increase areas under their control or harbour international terrorists within controlled areas, especially if reconciliation proceeds. But sustainability will be challenging as, at least presently, the prospects for short- or long-term security and stability are bleak.
Separately, the above experience in a civil-military context updates lessons learned from the ADF's role in East Timor and the Solomon Islands. It has also given Australia credibility and influence in the transnational CT community and seats within the Global CT Forum and UN Global Coordination CT Compact, adding to the security of Australian citizens and interests at home and abroad.
There are other valued experiences and lessons learned. These include the challenges of working at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels in a whole-of-government environment, and closely with NATO partners.
The Smith Report also details 17 important lessons for government and the ADF, including policy, planning, risk assessment, command structures, leadership, alliance and coalition management, force protection, prisoner handling, and public affairs. While these lessons devolved from operational experiences, joint exercises and gaming will be important for maintaining currency and adaptability.
One negative from Afghanistan is the alleged war crimes by a very small number of the troops deployed. These must be investigated and justly resolved. But they must not overshadow the highly professional and commendable service by all others who served.
While I believe the key national-interest outcomes do justify the ADF's deployment, I appreciate it is up to the bereaved families of those soldiers who died to assess their loss in this context. Historically, my own family has had to make that judgement.
This article was published by the Australian Institute for International Affairs.
Ian Dudgeon
Ian is a Presidential Associate of the Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA) and the Principal of Ian Dudgeon & Associates. He spent 32 years in the Foreign Affairs and Defence portfolios with postings to Chile, Malaysia, Thailand and Japan.
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Technology dictates a company's efficiency but more importantly, it is a major influencer in your customer's buy process.
Working with technology and technical people can be a major challenge for most wellness companies. Without an Information Technology (IT) background, it is hard to know whether there is a legitimate reason for wanting to buy software, develop in-house or outsource.
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Here are four guidelines to help you make the best possible decision.
Determine Software Needs - Clearly document your software requirements and what business needs they will solve. Prioritize these needs as Must Have, Nice to Have, Not Required (or similar criteria scale). Once you determine what you actually need and want, you are ready for next step. To help you determine and prioritize your technology needs, download this requirements checklist you can fully edit to help you with the process.
Evaluate Existing Software Options - Determine if there are any viable products on the market today that will meet your business needs. If so, a careful analysis of available off-the-shelf product options is the best way to start. You can use the requirements checklist you completed in the previous step to evaluate how close existing software will meet you needs.
Assess In-House Skill-Set, Workload and Timeline - If your software needs are truly unique, you need to determine if your in-house development team/business experts have the knowledge and capacity to develop the software in-house within the required timeline. Developing software is a huge undertaking and often takes far longer than anticipated. Keep in mind that the larger and more complex the project, the lower the probability that it will be completed successfully.
Outsource to Third-Party - If developing in-house isn't feasible, outsourcing is a reasonable option. If approached carefully, you may be able to find a provider who has domain expertise and the resources to scale up quickly.
There are pros and cons to each option and if not clearly understood by all can be very costly both upfront and over the long-term. It is not uncommon to hear about a large organization that has lost millions after pulling the plug on a software development project, developed internally or outsourced. Read the white paper to understand all the pros and cons.
The ideal solution would be to test-drive your envisioned solution before you make a significant investment to reduce risk.
CoreHealth can quickly configure it's corporate wellness technology to meet your specifications allowing you to test-drive with actual clients before you commit. If you love the solution as-is, you can carry on using it long-term and avoid the whole debate altogether.
Discover the wellness providers we currently help.


Oil painting prices can be found on the individual pieces within the Oils section of the site. This is due to the difficulty in figuring shipping costs for the various pieces.
If you are interested in a certain piece please email me with inquiries. Please include the title of the piece and your shipping address. I will then be able to figure a correct shipping cost.


Saturday 18th May saw a very interesting gathering of lay and religious missionaries, faith based development workers, pastoral workers and other stakeholders in Mission. They came together, ahead of the All Hallows Conference on 'Mission Today and Tomorrow' which takes place in early June, to start a conversation on the future direction and position of lay mission within the Irish Church.
Ronan Barry, Mission Alive Co-Ordinator at the Irish Missionary Union facilitated the event and directed the attendees in a very deep, wide-ranging discussion, which went to the heart of what mission is about in general as well as exploring lay mission. A statement of identity was then agreed about the involvement of lay people serving mission and it has been agreed by the main protagonists at this event, Viatores Christi (VC) and Volunteer Missionary Movement (VMM) who are both lay member organisations of the Irish Missionary Union (IMU) and Misean Cara. The event took place at Viatores Christi HQ in Dublin.
Both groups see this statement as an expression of their intent to commit to and develop a missionary movement in Ireland into the future.
Who are we as Lay People serving Mission?
· We are an integral part of the Irish Church, called and sent to live Gospel values by the witness of our life and our service in areas of need.
• We express these values through our work and our lives.
• We are invited to live lives of global solidarity.
• We share the earth with all its inhabitants and we respect the integrity of creation.
Both organisations are now highlighting this statement of identity before the international conference 'Mission Today and Tomorrow' which takes place on 5th – 6th June.
Viatores Christi, founded in 1960, aims to respond to needs overseas by giving people an opportunity to share their lives and skills with those in need and to give witness to their faith in a practical way in another culture.
The VMM (Volunteer Missionary Movement) began working in 1969 in Uganda. Since then VMM has worked in nearly 40 countries, with the principle: that authentic human development must foster the development of each person and of the whole person.
Mission Alive is the official promotional office of the Irish Missionary Union. It develops educational resources promoting mission and missionary themes. It also works with faith based volunteering programme.


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These 10 States Have the Most Miserable Winters in the Entire Country
Sorry, Minnesota — we're staying away until springtime.
By Lyndsey Matthews
It's January! Welcome to the month when conversations are limited to two topics: everyone's new diet and how unbelievably cold it is outside.
Since I've never been a fan of talking about how you're giving up carbs for 30 days, that leaves me with the weather. And thanks to two guys who write for the website Thrillist — Kevin Alexander and Matt Lynch — we have plenty to discuss. Earlier this week the two sat down to find an answer to the season's greatest question: Which state deserves the title of "the state with the worst winter"?
They based their rankings off of everything from obvious factors like weather patterns and average temperatures, to nitty-gritty details like how effectively each state's department of transportation can quickly clear highways and hilarious things like "the historical success rates of their winter-season sports teams."
So which state "won" the honor of being the worst place to spend winter? Sorry, Minnesota. This is the only time that being #1 is really not that great. Alexander and Lynch bestowed the title of the most miserable winter in America on the Land of 10,000 Lakes due these factors:
How can you remain so upbeat when you get all the winter weather patterns? Alberta clippers? Sure. Panhandle hooks? You betcha! Parts of northern Minnesota see up to 170 inches of snow in a winter. One hundred seventy inches! That's like two and a half times the height of Kent Hrbek!! It can get down to -60 degrees, a temperature at which frostbite can occur in fewer than five minutes. Your sports teams never win championships. All of your good high school hockey players end up starring for NHL teams in other cities. Ice fishing can't be that cool, really.
Brutal, right? They didn't hold back with the rest of the top 10 states — listed below — either.
Tip: You can also use their top 10 as a cheat sheet of places to avoid between November and April, if you're smart (and um, don't already live there).
Read the full story to see how the rest of the 50 states stacked up against each other this winter.
Lyndsey Matthews Freelance Writer Lyndsey Matthews is the Destination News Editor for AFAR; previously she was a Lifestyle Editor across all of Hearst Digital Media's brands, and a digital editor at Martha Stewart Weddings and Travel + Leisure.
35 Creative Super Bowl Party Ideas


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Teddy Sheringham Signed Football Competition
To celebrate the start of the upcoming footballing showcase, you can win one of four signed footballs by Teddy Sheringham! All you have to do is like our page and share this post to your story to enter our prize draw!
There are four chances to win - one winner will be announced weekly throughout the biggest football show! Get in the game with Bet UK!
Terms and conditions apply!
T&Cs:
1 - The promoter is LeoVegas UK Limited (company no. 39198) whose registered office is on Level 7, The Plaza Business Centre, Bisazza Street, SLM 1640, Sliema, Malta.
2 - The competition is open to residents of the United Kingdom aged 18 years or over except employees of LeoVegas UK Limited and their close relatives and anyone otherwise connected with the organisation or judging of the competition.
3 - No entry fee or purchase is necessary to enter this competition.
4 - By entering this competition, an entrant indicates his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
5 - Route to entry for the competition and details of how to enter are via Instagram or Facebook.
6 - Only one entry will be accepted per person. Multiple entries from the same person will be disqualified.
7 - Closing date for entry will be 16/12/22. After this date, no further entries to the competition will be permitted.
8 - No responsibility can be accepted for entries not received for whatever reason.
9 - The rules of the competition and how to enter are as follows:
Like our page on either Facebook or Instagram.
Share this post to your story to enter our prize draw!
10 - The promoter reserves the right to cancel or amend the competition and these terms and conditions without notice in the event of a catastrophe, war, civil or military disturbance, act of God or any actual or anticipated breach of any applicable law or regulation or any other event outside of the promoter's control. Any changes to the competition will be notified to entrants as soon as possible by the promoter.
11 - The promoter is not responsible for inaccurate prize details supplied to any entrant by any third party connected with this competition.
12 - The prize is as follows:
One of four signed footballs by Teddy Sheringham.
No cash or other alternatives will be offered.
The prizes are not transferrable.
Prizes are subject to availability and we reserve the right to substitute any prize with another of equivalent value without giving notice.
13 - Winners will be chosen at random by software, from all entries received and verified by the promoter and/or its agents
14 - The winner will be notified by email and/or DM on Twitter/Facebook and/or letter within 28 days of the closing date. If the winner cannot be contacted or does not claim the prize within 14 days of notification, we reserve the right to withdraw the prize from the winner and pick a replacement winner.
15 - The promoter will notify the winner when and where the prize can be collected/is delivered. This prize will be posted and therefore we will require the winner's full address.
16 - The promoter's decision regarding all matters to do with the competition will be final, and no correspondence will be entered into.
17 - By entering this competition, an entrant indicates his/her agreement to be bound by these terms and conditions.
18 - The competition and these terms and conditions will be governed by [English] law, and any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of [England].
19 - One winner will be announced per week between now and the 18th of December
20 - Entry into the competition will be deemed as acceptance of these terms and conditions.
21 - This promotion is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with, Facebook, Twitter or any other Social Network. You are providing your information to LeoVegas UK Limited and not to any other party. The information provided will be used in conjunction with the following Privacy Policy


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Al-Mustafa International University
Enemy seeks to activate divisions between Iran, Iraq
Qom, Dec 23, IRNA - The President of the Al-Mustafa International University said that there is a deep historical link and many cultural and historical commonalities between Iran and Iraq that various efforts have been made by the enemy to activate ethnic faults to create divisions between the two nations.
Speaking at the "International Conference on Cultural Dialogues on the Civilizational Perspective of Iran and the Arab World" on Monday at the conference hall of the Institute of Islamic Science and Culture of Qom, Ali Abbasi said that in recent years, "we are witnessing the conspiracies and deep seditions to sow discord among Islamic countries among which ISIS and the Takfiris were one of the major seditions" that could engulf the region for years.
He emphasized that the divisions among the Muslim nations would impede the realization of the modern Islamic civilization and stated that the emphasis on universal approach and common human values is the precondition of the civilization, therefore the Takfiri ideas will hinder the realization of this civilization.
Abbasi went on to say that science, spirituality, ethics, and attention to religion are essential for establishing just global relationships, as well as providing a basis for living with religious and ethical elements, including indicators of modern Islamic civilization.
He said that today's Islamic world needs cultural dialogue more than ever, adding that at a time when the enemy is trying to segregate, divide and foment strife between Islamic countries, the effort for holding cultural dialogue between Iran and the Arab world is more important than any other time.