There is so much that goes into the organisation of any kind of event. Everyone organising an event is often faced with many choices and decisions to make. The things to be taken care of range from arranging an attendee list to choosing a venue.
No matter how skilled you have become at organising events you would observe that the venue for your event is a big determinant of how well your event goes. Your choice of venue plays a huge role in your event. It can affect the other things that go into event planning like use of amenities, catering decisions and even the date of your event.
Bearing this in mind, venue selection can be quite intimidating for both newbies and veterans in event organisation. However, you do not have to feel this way for long. Here are some guidelines on things you need to consider when choosing a venue for your event.
One of the first things to look at when choosing a venue is location. You should ensure that the place is of reasonable proximity to the attendees of your event. If it is a local event, look for a venue which is close to either the residential areas or work places of the attendees. If it is an event for which most of the attendees have to travel in from out of town, look for a venue which is close to the airport or close to the hotels the attendees would be staying at. The location of the venue goes a long way in ensuring that the attendees are motivated to come for the event and that they have a pleasant experience.
The type of event you are organising plays a role in helping you understand the kind of venue you need. The location of the event may be alright but if you have an inappropriate venue for it, you would have a poor event. For example, if you are hosting a meeting in Leeds, it is not just enough to ensure that the venue is close to the attendees, you should look for great deals on the meeting rooms Leeds offers. This can be made easy by using a venue sourcing agency like Venue Finder. Getting a venue which is suitable for your event ensures that the right amenities you need for your event are in place.
When you decide that a venue is suitable for your event, ensure that the services and amenities offered in it are what you need for the smooth running of your event.
Your attendees would feel a lot better knowing that there are enough safe spaces to park their cars at little or no cost at all while attending your event.
Employ these guidelines when searching for a suitable venue for your event and watch how successful it turns out.


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People have the right to know what Brussels is planning
| source: MTI
On the Friday edition of the Kossuth Radio programme "Good morning, Hungary", Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said that immigration is at the heart of the forthcoming elections to the European Parliament (EP), and that in this regard the people have the right to know what Brussels is planning.
He said that the Government's latest information campaign seeks to help Hungarians understand the migration measures which Brussels is seeking to employ. "A campaign like this lays bare the plans of the Brussels bureaucrats," he said.
Mr. Orbán stated that the current pro-immigration majority in Brussels is seeking to increase immigration, which would result in Europe ceasing to belong to Europeans.
The Prime Minister also said that Brussels does not provide nation states with any form of genuine assistance for the defence of their borders; on the contrary, it has announced programmes for the legal and regulated transportation of migrants into the European Union. He observed that EU leaders such as President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker also continually talk about the need to facilitate legal migration to Europe.
He also highlighted the fact that the EP had adopted a number of decisions promoting migration – for example wanting to give many billions of forints to NGOs which promote immigration.
Mr. Orbán said that the plan to expand Frontex is a sound idea, but he noted that it is worth considering the magnitude: they are seeking to defend the borders of the whole of Europe with approximately 10,000 people; meanwhile the defence of Hungary's southern border alone requires some 8,000 armed personnel, with fluctuating degrees of intensity.
On the issue of border defence, he remarked that Europe is unable to create a border defence agency that would be able to defend the entire length of the continent's borders. Therefore, he said, there will be a continued need for commitment from Member States to defend the external borders. However, Hungary's request for the EU to reimburse at least half of its border defence costs has been fruitless, he said: although it did make such a promise, the EU has not handed over a single penny for this purpose.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the anonymous bank cards being given to migrants, and asked: "If we're not supporting migration, why are migrants being provided with bank cards topped up with money?"
He noted that all seven points of the Government's information campaign are supported by facts, and Brussels is not even trying to dispute specifics points.
Responding to news that the European People's Party is holding an extraordinary parliamentary group meeting to discuss the Government's billboard campaign, Mr. Orbán said: "Splendid. This the right thing to do; then at least we can discuss the seven points, which we think are genuine, and which they dispute […] Bring it on, we're ready."
According to the Prime Minister, the European elite is not used to being criticised. He noted that it is the leaders of European institutions, however, who bear responsibility for both the United Kingdom's departure from the EU, and the simultaneous arrival in the EU of millions of migrants. He went on to stress that in May's EP elections people must elect leaders who will not repeat the mistakes of the past five years: "You cannot sweep mistakes under the carpet; and in any case, no carpet is big enough to cover two such monumental mistakes as ushering out the British and ushering in migrants."
Regarding the family protection action plan, the Prime Minister said that the vast majority of people in Europe live their lives in the traditional way and see family as their number one priority; yet there are some people who choose peculiar lifestyles, and who do not agree with the Government's current proposals. Mr. Orbán said that such people "should not attack those of us who would like to live in a traditional, family-oriented world; they should keep their opinions to themselves." He added that he is therefore only prepared to concern himself with negative opinions if they pass the test of diplomatic courtesy.
He highlighted that the vast majority of people support the family protection measures, and in Hungary there is national unity on the issue of supporting families.
Speaking about the village family housing support scheme, he said that the Government believes it is important for the village way of life to survive. Therefore, in the approximately 2,000 settlements which have a rate of population decline higher than the national average, young people who want to have children and start a home will also be able to use the available grants for the purchase, extension and refurbishment of existing properties.
"I strongly believe that the village is not a thing of the past, but of the future; and I also believe that in villages people can live lives of quality," he said.
Regarding funding for the family protection action plan, the Prime Minister said that Finance Minister Mihály Varga is extremely circumspect, but is right to be – because there is a need for someone who is level-headed, composed and not driven by emotions. He said he always accepts Mr. Varga's opinion, because government finances must be in order. Mr. Orbán said that undisputed recognition of the Finance Minister's work has been provided by Hungary's most recent credit rating upgrade, which is expected to be followed by further upgrades in the future.
The Prime Minister observed that Mr. Varga himself has a large family, he knows exactly what this involves, and he knows about life in the countryside, coming from the town of Karcag – which "is not New York, and not the world's centre of urban life".
Mr. Orbán concluded the interview by summarising the Government's agenda: the issue of the village family housing support scheme has been approved; specific rules for the family protection action plan will be finalised
at the next government meeting; detailed regulations for an economic development programme related to 440 to 450 villages are being developed; and the Cabinet is also preparing a comprehensive Roma inclusion programme.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán on the Kossuth Radio programme "Good Morning Hungary"
We must make 2021 an exceptionally good year
family protection action plan Good morning Hungary Kossuth Radio's "180 Minutes" V4
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German Supreme Court Recognizes Same-Sex Parents after Californian Surrogacy | Germany
Surrogacy being forbidden in Germany, gay couples have been venturing abroad to have biological children, including to California. There, it is both legal to hire a surrogate mother and possible for both men to be recognized as fathers. However, upon return to Germany, it is often difficult to have such court decisions recognized, as the lower German courts have been divided over whether this would violate German ordre public. The German Federal Court (Bundesgerichtshof, BGH) has now resolved this issue in favor of the intended fathers, in line with the recent surrogacy cases of Mennesson v. France and Labassée v. France (both of 26 June 2014). It emphasized the right of the child under Article 8 ECHR to a legal relation to those parents desiring to take care of it and rejected as insufficient the motive of preventing circumvention of domestic prohibitions of surrogacy.
The case
The case concerned two men in a registered life partnership who had concluded a surrogacy agreement with a Californian single woman. One of the men donated the semen, the egg cell was obtained through an anonymous donation from an unknown woman. In September 2010, the surrogate mother became pregnant with twins, one of whom aborted spontaneously in the 30th week. In December 2010, the biological father acknowledged paternity before the German consulate in San Francisco and declared joint custody with the surrogate mother. In April 2011, the Californian Superior Court recognized the two men as fathers of the unborn children, at the exclusion of the surrogate mother. The surviving child was born in May 2011 and travelled back to Germany with its fathers four weeks later. The registrar's office refused to certify the birth abroad, the lower courts upheld this decision based on ordre public.
The legal situation
Except in cases of trans* parenthood, German law knows only different-sex parents by birth: the child's mother is the woman who gave birth to it (excluding the genetic mother in case of donated eggs), and the father is the man who is married to the mother, who acknowledged paternity, or who successfully challenged another man's paternity as the biological father. Same-sex partners of biological parents have no choice but to adopt the baby as a step-child – which can pose significant problems for female couples using a private donor, if the donor changes his mind. However, a parental assignment based on a contract is not entirely foreign to German law, as it exists in case of fathers using sperm donors.
Surrogacy is forbidden because the legislator considered it a drastic intervention into the personality of children born in this manner, but also of the surrogate mothers, as well as the mother-child relation which begins during pregancy. The legislator considered that this special relation was incompatible with surrogacy as a service. Moreover, the surrogate mothers and the children had to be protected against health and psychological risks after birth. For children, this concerned an untroubled self-discovery and a secured familiar attribution; for women, it concerned preventing degrading conflicts resulting from the service, as well as disputes over handing over the child. In particular, disputes could arise where the child was handicapped and the "ordering parents" did not want to accept it; if the mother did not want to give up the child after birth; or if the issue of abortion arose during pregnancy.
The Federal Court decided that the Californian paternity decision had to be recognized in Germany under section 108 of the Act on Proceedings in Family Matters and in Matters of Non-contentious Jurisdiction (FamFG) — at least where one of the parents was biologically related to the child.
The surrogate mother being unmarried, the biological father is also the father under German law. But the Court also saw no obstacle to recognition for his partner as co-father. Section 109 FamFG forbids such recognition in particular "when recognition of the judgment would lead to a result that is obviously incompatible with significant principles of German law, in particular when recognition is incompatible with fundamental rights." The Court considered that German ordre public was not violated in constellations where one father was biologically related to the child, unlike the surrogate mother; it made no claims for different situations.
First of all, the fact alone that a same-sex couple was assigned parentage could not be a reason for a violation of ordre public, as life partners can be just as beneficial for the child as parents as can married partners (Federal Constitutional Court, Successive adoption case, 2013). While the double genetic kinship of opposite-sex parents may create a stronger bond, this did not exclude a socially equivalent parentage by life partners if it is to be permanent and if it is legally established.
While fundamental rights (as considered by the legislator in prohibiting surrogacy) can militate against recognition under s. 109 FamFG, they can also militate in favor. Here, the Court based its considerations in particular on two recent ECtHR cases, Mennesson v. France and Labassée v. France (both of 26 June 2014), which concerned opposite-sex couples using surrogate mothers. The ECtHR had stressed that, when deciding on parental status, the privacy right of the child under Article 8(1) ECHR had to be taken into consideration, which includes the right of the child to form a legal parent-child relation, as "an essential aspect of the identity of individuals is at stake where the legal parent-child relationship is concerned" (Mennesson, para. 96):
"99. The Court can accept that France may wish to deter its nationals from going abroad to take advantage of methods of assisted reproduction that are prohibited on its own territory […. H]owever, the effects of non-recognition […] are not limited to the parents alone, who have chosen a particular method of assisted reproduction prohibited by the French authorities. They also affect the children themselves, whose right to respect for their private life – which implies that everyone must be able to establish the substance of his or her identity, including the legal parent-child relationship – is substantially affected. Accordingly, a serious question arises as to the compatibility of that situation with the child's best interests, respect for which must guide any decision in their regard.
100. This analysis takes on a special dimension where, as in the present case, one of the intended parents is also the child's biological parent. Having regard to the importance of biological parentage as a component of identity […], it cannot be said to be in the interests of the child to deprive him or her of a legal relationship of this nature where the biological reality of that relationship has been established and the child and parent concerned demand full recognition thereof. […] The Court considers, having regard to the consequences of this serious restriction on the identity and right to respect for private life of the [children], that by thus preventing both the recognition and establishment under domestic law of their legal relationship with their biological father, the respondent State overstepped the permissible limits of its margin of appreciation.
101. Having regard also to the importance to be given to the child's interests when weighing up the competing interests at stake, the Court concludes that the right of the [children] to respect for their private life was infringed."
The German Federal Court followed this jurisprudence quite closely. It considered that, while the legislator's reasons were relevant for the ordre public assessment, in the present case the child was already born, and its rights and interests had to be taken into consideration. The position of the surrogate mother and her relationship to the child was of particular concern where she did not wish to give up the child; here, however, she did so freely — as properly established by the foreign court —, in the same manner as agreeing to an adoption. (Where this was not the case, her dignity could be at stake.) Therefore, the best interests of the child and its right to legal assignment to both parents were paramount.
The Court found that the child's right to a legal parent-child relation under Art. 8(1) ECHR would be violated if it were denied the legal assignment to the intended co-father. The "limping" legal relation to the surrogate mother, not valid in her home country, was not sufficient. This prevented the national legislator from denying recognition solely to prevent "circumventions" of the domestic prohibition of surrogacy. Moreover, unlike the surrogate mother, the intended parents wished to assume the parental position and to provide the child with the necessary loving care.
The compatibility of this result with German ordre public, the Court argued, was demonstrated by fact that the same result could also be achieved by way of step-child adoption. However, being able to later decide whether or not to adopt the child introduced additional risks for the child, who — unlike in adoption cases — would not have been born but for the co-parents's wish. The co-parents should therefore be bound even if the child was handicapped, or if they separated, or if they regretted their decision.
Finally, the right of the child to know its descent was not a reason to deny recognition to the foreign judgment, as the law on civil status was solely concerned with legal parentage, not with knowledge of biological facts.
The decision affords more clarity to same-sex couples using surrogate mothers, preserving both their parental rights and the rights of the child that has already been born, in line with recent ECtHR jurisprudence. While surrogacy is a highly contested practice that raises severe concerns over the commercialization of the female body and free decision-making in situations of economic distress, the rights and best interests of the child, once born, must be paramount. These interests will usually require the recognition of a legal bond with the co-parent who had declared the wish to assume parental responsibility in the surrogacy agreement.
Nora Makard
The decision of 10 December 2014 is available here (only in German).
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Safeway Open Donates $50,000 to Cope Family Center in Napa
Napa, CA (July 19, 2016) – The Safeway Open, which pledged to support the Napa community with funds from this year's inaugural PGA TOUR event coming up in October, made its first donation today to Cope Family Center. The donation of $50,000 came by way of the Safeway Foundation, which receives the net proceeds from the Safeway Open and distributes these proceeds to deserving non-profit organizations.
Cope Family Center was founded in 1972 with a mission to empower families to create happy, healthy lives for their children through child abuse prevention, parent education and self-sufficiency services. The organization serves thousands of families and children each year in Napa Valley.
"We are very happy to support such a deserving organization in Napa Valley," said Tom Schwilke, Nor-Cal Division President, West Region, for Albertson's Companies, parent company of Safeway. "It is very important for our company to help improve the life of others by supporting both youth and families in need with proceeds from the Safeway Open."
"We are honored to receive this generous donation from the Safeway Open through the Safeway Foundation," said Joelle Gallagher, Executive Director of Cope Family Center. "Investments from corporate foundations like the Safeway Foundation show the commitment of local business to partner with us in building a safe and healthy community."
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Time Warner Counts On Kids, Content Creation To Justify Rejecting Murdoch's Bid
The company outlined four key areas for growth on its earnings call Wednesday, among them a big push into the kids market and leveraging its library of new and old programming.
By Peter Lauria
Peter Lauria BuzzFeed News Business Editor
Posted on August 6, 2014, at 7:22 a.m. ET
Adrees Latif / Reutersd
Yesterday, Time Warner thanked investors for their support and told them it didn't need to merge with Rupert Murdoch's 21st Century Fox because it was "well positioned for success."
Today it reported second-quarter earnings that suggest that view may indeed be justified.
The company, which owns cable networks TNT, TBS, CNN, and HBO, as well as the Warner Bros. film studio, reported a 3% gain in revenue to $6.8 billion. Net income totaled $850 million, and earnings per share beat analyst expectations, coming in at 98 cents per share versus 84 cents per share in the same quarter last year.
The earnings report follows Murdoch's surprise decision yesterday to withdraw his company's unsolicited bid to acquire Time Warner for $85 per share, a proposal originally valued at around $80 billion. Murdoch cited Time Warner's unwillingness to engage in negotiations in part for his walking away.
Time Warner stock, which had been trading above the $85 per share price offered by Fox the last few weeks, fell more than 10%, or just under $9, to around $76.40 per share in after-hours trading yesterday on the news. The decline shaved around $7.2 billion off of Time Warner's overall worth. The stock remained at basically that level in trading Wednesday despite the company's strong earnings report.
Time Warner cited reasons ranging from its mix of cash and stock to voting control to its own strategic growth plan as reasons for rejecting Fox's offer. On its earnings call Wednesday, CEO Jeff Bewkes said the company would have no further comment on Fox's proposal. He and other executives did talk around a potential deal in response to analysts' questions, however, noting that it isn't "a bad thing to add scale, eliminate redundancies" and that they "look at M&A opportunities as they present themselves." Those comments, and the fact that analysts didn't ask and executives didn't address potential regulatory obstacles to a deal, implicitly leave the door at least a little ajar in the event Murdoch comes back with a richer offer or another buyer emerges.
Bewkes spent most of the call outlining four key areas for growth in a bid to convince investors that he can get Time Warner's stock above Murdoch's $85 per share value independently. They include: expanding and monetized its global kids business via its Cartoon Network and DC Comics properties; increased subscription fee revenue in new carriage deals for its Turner networks; international expansion of HBO (which will put it in direct competition with Netflix); and more TV and film production from its studios.
A big part of Time Warner's growth strategy relies on mining its film and TV library, which ranks as the biggest in the world. Indeed, as BuzzFeed previously noted, access to that content — and the ability to sell it across new distribution channels — was a key factor driving Murdoch's interest in buying the company.
"Global growth in multi-channel TV is increasing the value of high-quality video content," said Bewkes, adding that Time Warner already has the scale to create and distribute the content.
Of its plan to push into the kids market, Bewkes said one area where Time Warner has underperformed in particular has been with consumer products, and it expects developing the characters in its Cartoon Network and DC Comics franchise will be a key growth driver going forward. The company said it would provide more specific details about this framework "at an investor event in the fall."
Growth in subscription fees at HBO and its Turner Networks, which had been a sore spot in the past, drove earnings in the quarter. HBO grew revenue 17% to $1.4 billion, with part of that increase coming from its deal to license The Sopranos, Six Feet Under, and other shows to Amazon in April. Bewkes said that in the first half of this year, HBO added "more than twice as many domestic subscribers" as the same period a year ago and grew international subscribers nearly 15% in the last year. He cited the Amazon deal as helping pay-TV distributors market HBO which, in turn, increases subscribers and the overall value of network.
Revenue at Turner increased 5% to $2.8 billion due in part to increased subscription fees. TNT and TBS so far this year rank as the first and third-most-watched cable networks in primetime among 18- to 49-year-olds. Still, both networks are experiencing overall ratings weakness, in part because of acquired programming, another reason why the company wants to leverage its production capabilities to ramp up original programming.
Other concerns remain as well. HBO's deal with Amazon is a onetime event, for instance, and advertising growth at Turner came in at just 1% primarily due to the airing of two men's college basketball Final Four games. The outlook for the third quarter is even worse, with expectations of either no growth or a low single-digit decline in advertising revenue.
Time Warner also said that it would increase its share buyback program by $5 billion, a move further designed to placate investors from pressuring the company to engage in deal negotiations. The company said it has already returned more than $4 billion to shareholders this year in the form of buybacks and dividends. Murdoch, for his part, did the same yesterday, announcing that Fox's board authorized a $6 billion share buyback program to be completed over the next year.
CNN, which Murdoch said he would sell in a deal, and HLN, which is undergoing a transformation in a social news-focused network, it is worth noting, were not mentioned at all in Time Warner's earnings release. (CNN was only mentioned by name twice on the earnings call.)
With the jettisoning of underperforming assets now complete and the rejection of Fox's bid, the pressure is now squarely on Bewkes to perform. That point was overtly emphasized by investors, who sent Time Warner's stock steadily lower throughout the call. Now that Bewkes has told them the framework for Time Warner's strategic growth plan, they want him to prove he can execute it.
Update: This post has been updated with comments from Time Warner's earnings conference call.
Contact Peter Lauria at peter.lauria+done@buzzfeed.com.


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luisrsphoto - Fotolia
Dutch IT award recognises importance of research in the wild
Promoter of human-centric scientific research techniques claims the prestigious 2020 Netherlands Prize for ICT Research
Kim Loohuis
Published: 13 Nov 2020 14:31
Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) scientist Pablo Cesar, a proponent of scientific research in the real world, tells Computer Weekly about his people-centric work.
Although research outside the laboratory is much more difficult to control, the results are more valuable, he says. The jury of the 2020 Netherlands Prize for ICT Research agreed, praising him for his research in real-life situations, and confirmed the value of this approach to science.
Cesar was born in Madrid, Spain, and chose to take his PhD at Aalto University in Helsinki, Finland. Although the support for science in Finland is excellent, he decided to move to the Netherlands to further his career.
When the opportunity arose, 15 years ago, in Amsterdam to take a research position at CWI, Cesar did not have to think long. "The Netherlands has a very strong knowledge and research environment, which appealed to me enormously," says Cesar.
Social television
In 2005, the researcher started at CWI, where he joined a team that researched and experimented with social experiences around the consumption of television. According to Cesar, the research focused on the fundamental problems and opportunities related to the interaction between people and technology.
"We investigated how we could allow people to watch television together while being separated from each other," he says.
This was later extended to remote family games and other activities people can do in a living room. "The goal was to connect people when apart," says Cesar.
Cesar was already working on embedded systems like television set-top boxes in Helsinki, "but for my PhD the focus was more on the hardware and software problems, and not on the human factors and social aspects," he tells Computer Weekly. Around 2010, Cesar also picked up research into 3D video conferencing or holo-portation.
Read more about IT research in the Netherlands
Dutch academic is trying to get inside the minds of cyber criminals by understanding what makes them tick.
Dutch research organisation is looking into areas where self-sovereign identity technology could be used in society and business.
ABN Amro is working with QuTech to ensure that banks can protect data against quantum computers in the future.
Realistic context
In addition to lab environments, Cesar and his team conduct research in realistic settings.
"I tend to focus outside the lab in my research. The type of data and results you get are different. Obviously, in a lab, you get fairly clean results, because the setting allows you to control the variables and the way you change them," he says.
"When you perform research in the wild, you need to build different types of systems, because there is more noise. But bringing it outside allows the team to understand how our research actually impacts society."
Human-machine interaction
The human being is therefore central to the research of Cesar and his Distributed and Interactive Systems (DIS) research group. His ultimate goal is quite simple.
"The interfaces should be invisible, allowing for natural and seamless communication," he says. "Right now, we are all working from home and having video conferences, interacting with a camera and a screen. My goal is to make this interaction much more natural, and hope that in the future we will get into a situation where we can use our human natural communication skills for communicating with machines."
His research focuses on answering the questions of how we communicate with the devices around us and how we can improve that communication and interaction.
Prize for ICT research
Every year, the Royal Dutch Science Society (KHMW) awards the Netherlands ICT Research Prize to a scientific researcher who has carried out innovative research or is responsible for a scientific breakthrough in ICT. This year, the prize was awarded to Cesar, the group leader of DIS at CWI and a professor at the Delft University of Technology.
Due to the Covid-19 coronavirus outbreak, the prize could not be awarded to the scientist until after the summer. The prize is linked to a sum of €50,000, which may be used freely by the winner to strengthen their research.
Human-centric research
"I am incredibly honoured with the prize, as it is a recognition for human-centric research in the Netherlands," he tells Computer Weekly.
"We, computer scientists, build algorithms, and they need to be human-centric. If we don't take into account human factors, we may design the wrong type of algorithms"
Pablo Cesar, CWI
"This type of research in computer science is much more established in the US, but in Europe it has only been on the rise for the past 20 years. We, computer scientists, build algorithms, and they need to be human-centric. If we don't take into account human factors, we may design the wrong type of algorithms. This prize is a recognition of such a scientific approach and is very helpful for the community.
"As a researcher, writing all these papers and trying to get them published, I am quite used to rejection. So winning feels absolutely great," he adds.
Cesar already has plans for the prize money. "I would like to organise a symposium with top researchers from the field to discuss and exchange ideas about the current state and future of our research. That's very valuable for my team, because in this way we also get to know other views and perspectives."
But the symposium will have to wait, because Cesar would like to combine it with his inaugural lecture as professor at TU Delft next year. "Moreover, Covid must be over before I physically bring everyone together," he says.
3D video conferencing
The crisis has, however, spurred extra attention to his research into 3D video conferencing (or teleportation). "Now that everyone works from home as much as possible and meetings are often virtual, we are noticing the shortcomings of current video conferencing technology and the impact that screens have on us," says Cesar.
In 3D environments, people are often shown as avatars, and whether that avatar is correct depends very much on the context of the communication. "When playing games, an avatar may be adequate, but when you want a doctor to take a virtual look at your knee problems, you need a real-time representation of yourself."
Optimising network usage
Cesar's team is currently focusing on the development of a universal system that is so accessible that it can also be used in a standard living room.
Optimising network use is key in this respect. For example, the researchers are looking at mechanisms whereby only parts of the image are sent or high resolution is only used for parts where attention is focused, such as when a doctor assesses a knee.
"It is also not necessary to send images of someone's back when you are in a meeting," says Cesar. "The system must be able to assess very well what is important and what's not, based on the context of the interaction."
"The technology is ready for this, but we are researchers and don't develop real products. What I have seen with social television is that it took almost 15 years for it to attain real-life adoption," adds Cesar. "Adoption takes time. Eventually, there will be companies that will take our findings and develop products that work."
"The technology is ready for this, but we are researchers and don't develop real products. Eventually, there will be companies that will take our findings and develop products that work"
Research institute TNO, for example, is more focused on applying scientific research and has been working for some time on eXtended Reality, a technology that is close to Cesar's research.
Although CWI is a scientific institute and TNO focuses more on application, the organisations work together and share knowledge. "The Netherlands has a strong knowledge culture, interesting and impactful ideas are born here. That means many visionary ideas will be coming from the Netherlands," concludes Cesar.
Supply chain management balance shifts from efficiency to resilience under Covid
This e-guide explores these matters, beginning with a comprehensive article that ranges over supply chain management, from a macro level through how trading platforms have been flexed to switch suppliers rapidly down to how robots have been quickly deployed to solve problems of scale.
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By: Bryan Glick
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Dutch university wins Atos Olympic IT challenge – ComputerWeekly.com
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If you would like to contact me for more information, please call me at 315.652.0000 or email.


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Can the Repeal of the Fiduciary Rule Harm Your Annuities Investments?
Annuities are in the news as Trump's appointee to head the Department of Labor spars with Sen. Warren. Here's what investors need to know.
John Persinos
Editors' pick: Originally published March 26.
If you've been following news coverage of the confirmation hearings of Alexander Acosta, Donald Trump's appointee for head of the Department of Labor, you know he's been taking heat from Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren over the fate of something called the fiduciary rule.
Here's why this development matters to your wealth-building strategy.
This rule is actually a change to the set of rules that control how financial advice is given. According to the measure, financial advisors can no longer favor investment products that give them personal kickbacks over other instruments that would have a better impact on their client's long-term yields, along with prohibiting other "tricks of the trade" that profit investment professionals at the expense of retirement savers.
The rule is slated to take effect on April 10, which means it's a hot topic for the next Department of Labor boss. Especially since Trump has vowed to overturn the rule. That's because he and his cronies on Wall Street who receive the benefits of investment advisory not being fiduciaries argue that the rule would limit the variety of financial instruments advisors could offer their clients. Also, they estimate that it could cost the advisory industry as much as $20 billion in lost profits.
Acosta has said he'll follow Trump's lead on the nixing of the fiduciary rule, a statement that has drawn a considerable tongue-lashing from Massachusetts Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren.
Warren has been a defender of the fiduciary rule from the get-go, and she argues that it would have a far-reaching positive effect on boosting retirement savings and putting the kibosh on unethical abuses. "It's far too easy for an advisor to sell just one more annuity, regardless of whether it is a prudent choice for the investor, when a free vacation or an international cruise is waiting for him on the other side of the sale," she said.
Warren uses annuities as an example because they're a good choice for retirement savers who want steady income in the future. Here's how they work: you pay into annuity (usually offered by a life insurance company) now, and the company promises to repay you with interest at a later date. Some annuity products will even pay you for the rest of your life.
Some analysts predict that the implementation of the fiduciary rule would decrease annual annuity sales by more than 30%, to $40 billion. But even if Trump's executive order to cancel the rule were overturned, these instruments would still pack a wallop for your retirement portfolio. That's largely because the companies offering them would need to make annuities more attractive for investors in an increasingly competitive environment.
In fact, if Trump's plan to drop the fiduciary rule succeeds, it may be better to look elsewhere for profits - away from the fat cats who don't have your best interest in mind.
Stocks that pay generous dividend income are always good for your retirement portfolio. The "Dividend Aristocrat" list includes the 51 stock on the S&P 500 that have increased their dividend yields steadily for at least 25 consecutive years. Some of the world's greatest legacy stocks - such as Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) - Get Free Report , Abbott Laboratories (ABT) - Get Free Report , and PepsiCo (PEP) - Get Free Report - are on there. That's not to leave out REIT HCP HCP, which currently pays a yield of 6.8% - that beats the rate of many annuities, plus you can start getting paid now (on top of regular stock gains).
Warren Buffett reaped $4.9 billion by making this one small change to his investment strategy. It's the closest you'll ever get to NEVER losing money while investing. I made $185 every day over 1,586 days doing this. Is it time for a change that will lead to more money in your pocket? Get the full details here.
John Persinos is an analyst with Investing Daily. At the time of publication, he owned stock in Johnson & Johnson.
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Book-keeping services based upon individually tailored recording systems.
Appraisals and business plans for proposed start-ups.
Payroll services including advice on the treatment of non-salaried remuneration.
We act for a number of prestigious restaurants in Glasgow and Edinburgh and across the central belt of the country as well as a number of smaller bistro-type establishments further afield.


Comparing a guided ride to just the cost of a rental bike leaves out a lot. You have to find a bike to rent, find transportation, find a trail, all of which cost time and money. Even if you only look at the quantifiable costs, the difference is fairly small. If you factor in any of the non-quantifiable benefits, the value added of a professional guide starts to shine through.
Contrary to what the tourist bike rental shops will tell you (to rent you a bike), or my hipster singlespeeding friends will argue 'til the end of time, there isn't really any good riding in the city to recommend to a visitor.
There is however, a lot of great riding in Marin County, the birthplace of the Mountain Bike!


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Body Mind & Spirit
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UFOs & Extraterrestrials
18240 titles from eBooks.com
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The Book of Joy
The stay and support method to help your baby sleep through the night
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Sleep: the Holy Grail for parents of babies and small children. The secret to helping babies to sleep through the night is understanding their sleep cycles and the feeding/sleeping balance. This book provides simple and effective techniques to help parents establish positive sleep habits and tackle sleep problems without feeling under pressure to...
Sleep: the Holy Grail for parents of babies and small children. The secret to helping babies to...
Mary Magdalene Revealed
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The Gospel of Mary Magdalene reveals a very different love story from the one we've come to refer to as Christianity. Harvard-trained theologian Meggan Watterson leads us verse by verse through Mary's gospel to illuminate the powerful teachings it contains. A gospel, as ancient and authentic as any of the gospels that the Christian bible...
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Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking
Read this book and you'll never smoke a cigarette again
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Read this book and you'll never smoke another cigarette again. Allen Carr has discovered a method of quitting that will enable any smoker to stop, easily, immediately and permanently . As the world's bestselling book on how to stop smoking and with over nine million copies sold worldwide, Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking is...
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Learn how to end the self-destructive behaviors that stop you from living your best life with this breakthrough program. Do you... • Put the needs of others above your own? • Start to panic when someone you love leaves—or threatens to? • Often feel anxious about natural disasters, losing all your money, or getting seriously ill? • Find that no...
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The tenth-anniversary edition of the book that changed lives in profound ways, now with a new foreword and afterword. In 2006, a groundbreaking feature-length film revealed the great mystery of the universe— The Secret— and, later that year, Rhonda Byrne followed with a book that became a worldwide bestseller. Fragments of a Great Secret have...
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The Happiness Trap
Stop Struggling, Start Living
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Popular myths about happiness are directly contributing to our epidemic of stress, anxiety and depression – and popular psychological remedies are making it even worse!In this easy-to-read, practical and empowering self-help book, Dr Russ Harris reveals how millions of people are unwittingly caught in 'The Happiness Trap'! Hen then provides an...
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A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
New World Library (2010)
This #1 New York Times bestseller is now available in paperback. Powerful, direct, heartfelt and transformative, the words in The Power of Now can change readers' lives.
This #1 New York Times bestseller is now available in paperback. Powerful, direct, heartfelt and...
Artist's Way Series
"Without The Artist's Way , there would have been no Eat, Pray, Love ." —Elizabeth Gilbert The Artist's Way is the seminal book on the subject of creativity. An international bestseller, millions of readers have found it to be an invaluable guide to living the artist's life. Still as vital today — or perhaps even more so — than it was when it...
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A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind
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New York Times Bestseller "If you've ever wondered how you have the capacity to wonder, some fascinating insights await you in these pages." --Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals As concise and enlightening as Seven Brief Lessons on Physics and Astrophysics for People in a Hurry , this mind-expanding dive into...
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The Secret Work of the Order of the Eastern Star is comprised of Six Signs, Five Passes, Two Mottoes, a Word, and a Grip, in addition to certain special answers to stated questions. This short document reveals all of the Secrets and Rituals.
The Secret Work of the Order of the Eastern Star is comprised of Six Signs, Five Passes, Two...
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TSMC launches 16nm FinFET line
Tags: #14nm #16nm #broadwell #fab #fabrication #finfet #semiconductor #soc #system-on-chip
Companies: #globalfoundries #taiwan-semiconductor #tsmc
Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC) has announced that it will begin manufacturing of FinFET-based 3D chips using a 16nm process before the year is out - albeit only for small quantities of specific parts.
The race to the next process node, where the size of and distance between components on a semiconductor shrink, is a key part of Moore's Law - but something companies have been struggling with of late. Intel has publicly admitted that a delay to its next-generation chips is a direct result of the difficulties in shrinking process nodes much further, and that's a company not-inconsiderably ahead of its competitors: Intel's next-generation Broadwell chips will be based on a 14nm process with three-dimensional Tri-Gate Transistor technology.
TSMC, meanwhile, claims to have completed prototype work on its own next-generation process node with a view to starting small-scale production before the year is out. Like Intel, TSMC is boasting of three-dimensional components - fin-based field-effect transistors, or FinFETS, which drop the voltage required by the transistor while reducing current leakage compared to traditional planar transistors - but at a larger 16nm node.
The new process node marks the first time TSMC has offered FinFET to its customers, which industry group Common Platform has previously targeted solely for the 14nm process node - but it does so significantly after competitor and AMD spin-off GlobalFoundries, which announced a FinFET-based hybrid process back in September 2012 using 14nm transistors on a 20nm interconnect base - a hybrid model it dubbed 14XM, or Extreme Mobility.
TSMC made its announcement at the International Electron Devices Meeting earlier this week. According to coverage of the meeting by Nikkei, the move to a 16nm process means a drop in power consumption of 55 per cent or a boost to performance of 35 per cent compared to the company's existing 28nm product line. The first 16nm FinFET-based products will, unsurprisingly, be system-on-chip (SoC) components destined for mobile devices.
Like the company's existing 20nm line, however, production is going to be sorely limited with only small quantities of parts being produced at 16nm going into 2014. When the node will be ready for wider adoption, TSMC isn't saying - but the company has had previous issues with manufacturing difficulties and a lack of capacity at its 40nm and 28nm process nodes which resulted in customer complaints - meaning that it will have to balance hitting mass production soon enough to be relevant with getting the manufacturing process stable if it wants to avoid a repeat of past mistakes.
So far, TSMC has not released the names of any customers signed up to the first 16nm production runs.
TSMC announces 5nm, 3nm fab plan
Looks to build a £12.5 billion facility.
December 9, 2016 | 11:51
TSMC gets green light for China fab plans
On-track for 2018 opening.
TSMC promises 10nm tape-out, outlines 5nm roadmap
7nm by 2018, 5nm by 2020.


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We have a crucial role to play
Andrzei (Andi) Orlowski
The Deputy Director of Business Intelligence at Imperial College Health Partners looks at how NHS data analysts are helping to transform health and care:
They may be an army of keyboard warriors tucked away in the vaults of NHS buildings from Penzance to Carlisle and everywhere in between – but our hugely talented data analysts are in pole position to change the game for patients now and in the years to come.
These analysts working in hospitals, CCGs, local councils and other public agencies are our version of Google Deep Mind and should be classed as such, equally as capable and the back bone to creating a health and care system fit for the 21st century.
You may have heard the latest buzz words around the NHS – 'population health management' or PHM for short – this rudimentary put means taking a data-driven planning and delivery approach to care to achieve maximum impact; helping system leaders best plan resources for now and the future.
This PHM approach is where our talented data analysts can make a huge impact on direct patient care; identifying and finding creative ways to tackle the different health risks facing us all, literally changing the service that people receive and improving their health as a consequence.
There is growing global evidence of the positive impact of PHM approaches – in Staten Island, USA, for example, they saw A&E attendances for asthma plummet after spending 10% of their budget as a grant to improve housing standards and purchasing vacuum cleaners for those in need in their population. Channelling resources in to cleaning the homes of those having repeat admissions, rather than offering higher doses or more drugs, had a profound effect on lowering admission rates.
As data analysts in the NHS we proudly come to work to use our skillset, like the whole of the NHS workforce, with the priority of ensuring that our work positively impacts and helps patients live healthier lives. I believe that PHM unlocks, starting with data analysts, us making this change happen for the whole population.
Data analysts understand the codes and algorithms needed to segment a population and help ask the right questions to obtain a useful result, our clinical colleagues can then apply their medical expertise to understand these patterns enabling solutions through these powerful collaborations.
The NHS is currently running a series of pilot sites testing the power and scope of what can be achieved using these collaborations of the expert knowledge of data analysts, public health specialist and highly skilled clinicians and this will be rolled out over the coming months.
The pilot has not been without challenges as linking local datasets is a tricky task, but where it has been achieved we have been able to gain new and extremely useful insights to help improve care for patients.
Let's take the example of a groups of patients who all have the same diagnosis but who all use NHS services differently with a subgroup using services a lot more frequently and as a result use more resources. There has been excellent work already done by colleagues to further explore the needs of these patients and to then enable resources to better meet these needs.
Through PHM this work can now go further; through understanding populations wider or social determinants of health and then to target resources at gaps in care, or areas more amenable to change, could make a bigger impact and offer more value to the whole health system. This is now more possible due to integrated care systems, where council, public health, voluntary sector, GPs and hospitals are all working better together, making it far easier to collaborate on data and system change.
By linking datasets, we could explore information on these patients, and use the linked data to help us to discover more about them – for example are they all from a care home population? It could mean that the frail and elderly in a particular area are being admitted unnecessarily too frequently and therefore a new care model could be considered to address these issues.
In the past, information on where those elderly people lived may not have been linked to the hospital data available and therefore a wider picture revealing a trend would not have emerged for analysis. Local relationships, and data sharing, mean this is now possible.
The solutions are the next step – use of skype with the local hospital, upskilling of care home staff, extra helplines to provide reassurance. These are all models of care being provided at multiple places in the country which could be used if we knew that the problem in that area was excess referrals to A&E from care homes.
The fact is that we can always improve care pathways but for many individual treatments or interventions there may only be marginal gains, because the treatments work well and the pathway may already almost fully optimised.
But if we see the same patients going to hospital for the same exacerbations over and over again, the improved local organisational relationships we now have mean we can start to build a picture around that cohort of patients and address the wider determinants of health.
For example, people with COPD who are admitted to hospital frequently may find more drugs are not the answer. They may live in a house that's damp and mouldy and all they need is support with their electricity bill in winter – it's better for those people and would cost us less as a system to address the damp and mould issue rather than the costs of repeated admissions and drugs.
Data analysts hold the key to unlocking the wealth of possibilities and as the PHM approach comes to a town near you soon, I'd encourage you to raise your hand and get involved because it really will mean shaping patients' futures for the better.
To register as part of our on line Population Health Management network and stay up to date with the latest information please email: england.stgphm@nhs.net.
Andi Orlowski is a health economist and leads the business intelligence function at Imperial College Health Partners which supports the North West London Sustainability and Transformation Partnership.
He is particularly interested in population health analytics especially the concept of impactibility modelling and finding those people most amenable to an intervention.
Andi is also a Senior Advisor for NHS England on Population Health Management in the Operations and Information Directorate. He works with STPs and ICSs across the country advising and working with them on population health management.
Date published: 16 July, 2019
Date last updated: 18 July, 2019
Mohammed Absar says:
19 July, 2019 at 11:07 am
This way of linking data from across the health system and focusing on cohorts of similar patients to design interventions is absolutely the right way to go. More drugs is definitely not always the right thing to do!
We carried out a number of such projects at Tower Hamlets in east London working with GP, mental heath and social care colleagues from the council, with support from UCL to design focused care programmes and personalised budgets for some patients.
More Information here:
https://www.towerhamletstogether.com/our-work/improving-population-health
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Putting anaesthetic emissions to bed: commitment on desflurane
Skill mix in dentistry – the next steps in a team sport


Tammy, a mother of three young children, can still recall the horrifying day when the phone rang while she was cooking dinner. When Tammy answered the phone, she knew instantly that something was wrong. Tammy's husband, John, was killed in an auto accident on his way home from work.
As a stay at home mom, Tammy was quickly overwhelmed. With a budget already stretched, Tammy found herself with little savings and a lot of bills. The negligent driver's insurance company continued to deny, delay, and defend the claim. Although Tammy consulted an auto accident attorney and filed a lawsuit, it did not speed up her case. Months were passing and a settlement was not in sight. The stress was taking a toll; she need cash fast.
As Tammy was cleaning up after the kids, she heard a commercial on the TV in the other room – "Do you need cash to pay your bills before your lawsuit settles?" Curious that help may be available to her, Tammy called her attorney to see if he was familiar with such a service. Tammy's attorney told her that such financial help is provided by litigation funding companies and he immediately suggested Litigation Funding Corp. as the expert in the industry. After Colleen thoroughly explained how the funding works, Tammy applied for a $3,500 cash advance. She was approved the next day and her bills were paid in full. Eight months later, Tammy's case settled for $1.2 million at which time Litigation Funding Corp. was repaid. Had Tammy lost her case, she would have owed us nothing. That's because litigation funding is no-risk funding to plaintiffs.
If you are in a pending suit and struggling financially, don't risk debt and a poor credit rating. Litigation Funding Corp may have cash for you! Our approval process fast and free! There are no upfront fees; no credit checks or employment required. Contact us today and we will be happy to assist you.


The dance is all the more remarkable, Prof Gahr explained, because of everything else the birds are doing during the display: they clutch a piece of nesting material in their beaks, tilt their heads upward, bob up and down and sing – all while keeping an eye on their partner. "It's quite complicated, to do all that without falling from the perch – it's very acrobatic," he said.
Two things … They don't just sing, they sing and dance at the same time. And they dance to make a sound, it's musical. And both males and females do it. Wait, one more thing. That slowed-down singing is too creepy.
I wonder what else birds do that we're not privy to. Do they sing at frequencies we can't hear? Birds have something going on that we need to respect.
Here's the trailer to Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film, The Birds. I always thought that the caged lovebirds were the impetus for the attack, the fact that they were caged.
This entry was posted in Uncategorized on November 26, 2015 by Bix.
I never in my life imagined I would come to look upon birds this way. I'm facing it … they own the sky, and a lot more.
Which has me wondering … how will they feel about having to share it, the sky, with drones? I've already seen a few videos where they attacked them. I read that there may be a million drones for sale this Christmas.
I'm appreciating how beautiful these birds are, their coloring is such that I wish I could see them in person to admire. Love this video and their courtship behavior. Am not going to think about all the destructive mishaps befalling our bird population. Not only glass building collision accidents, pesticide deaths, loss of habitat, and now as you say, Bix, drones. I hadn't even thought about those. What madness!
Marj, so, so true. Birds are so easy to ignore. People around me use Roundup on their lawns to make them pretty, or something. I can't. I just can't. They spray and I watch the robins and cardinals peck there for food and I cringe.
We could go on and on about Roundup! what a disaster it seems to everything on the planet. And back to birds, I forgot to mention wind turbines. Although I did read recently they're starting to redesign them (in California) to make them less of a hazard to birds, so that's encouraging.


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Q: Spinnaker on AWS: Create application hangs I'm having trouble creating a new application on Spinnaker after following the quickstart guide for AWS. The server runs fine on Port 9000 and I've enabled Port 8084 (via AWS Security Group) for Deck/Gate to run.
However, when I try to create a new project on the UI, the menu hangs like shown here.
I've tried configuring and running this setup several times now, however I cannot get past this part. Can someone help?
Thanks in advance.

A: So I worked on things some more and was able to fix my problem. I realized that Spinnaker needs Authentication set up as mentioned in this FAQ.
I opted to expose my Spinnaker to end users (likely to change in the near future). While I enabled Gate and Deck to listen on 0.0.0.0, I did not associate a domain name with them which caused things not to work. After associating them with a domain name, I was able to make a new application.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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, terme anglais signifiant « homme de fer », peut renvoyer à :

 Iron Man, titre original du film L'Homme de fer de Tod Browning sorti en 1931 ;
 Iron Man, film de Joseph Pevney sorti en 1951 ;
 Iron Man, un héros de comics ;
 The Invincible Iron Man, un film d'animation adapté des comics sorti en 2007 ;
 Iron Man, premier épisode de la trilogie adaptée des comics, sorti en 2008 ;
 , la bande originale du film sortie en 2008.
 Iron Man 2, deuxième épisode de la trilogie sorti en 2010 ;
 Iron Man 2, la bande originale de John Debney sortie en 2010 ;
 Iron Man 2, la bande originale du groupe AC/DC sortie en 2010 ;
 Iron Man 3, troisième épisode de la trilogie sorti en 2013 ;
 Iron Man, un jeu vidéo adapté du film Iron Man sorti en 2008 ;
 Iron Man 2, un jeu vidéo adapté du film Iron Man 2 sorti en 2010 ;
 Iron Man: Armored Adventures, une série animée adaptée des comics diffusée en 2009 ;
 Iron Man, une chanson du groupe Black Sabbath sortie en 1970 ;
 Iron Man, un single d'Ozzy Osbourne sorti en 1983.

 Voir aussi

 , une compétition de triathlon ;
 , une compétition de triathlon ;
 , une compétition américaine de hockey sur glace ;
 , surnom de Cal Ripken, Jr. ;
 Iron Man, un type de match de catch ;
 Ultimate Iron Man'', une mini-série

Homonymie de titre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Le ꭇ, appelé r sans anse, est une lettre additionnelle latine utilisée dans la transcription phonétique d'Otto Bremer.

Utilisation

Représentations informatiques
Le r sans anse peut être représenté avec les caractères Unicode (Latin étendu E) suivant :

Notes et références

Bibliographie

R
R


text:
A richly deserved honour
Aunty Joanna is now Dame Joanna Bogle DSG after being appointed as a Dame of St Gregory by Pope Benedict XVI in one of the last acts of his pontificate. The award is given for those who have proved their loyalty to the Holy See by means of their public deeds and are worthy of a public expression of esteem on the part of the Holy See. Joanna is undoubtedly worthy of such recognition in view of her tireless work over decades in support of the Holy See, the promotion of the Catholic faith, raising public awareness of the Martyrs of our country, fighting fearlessly for the family, giving sterling support to good Catholic apostolates, and bravely defending the cause of Catholic womanhood in the face of sometimes bitter opposition. She has also given support to Catholic priests in many ways, not least in the kindly demonstrations of support at Chrism Masses in Westminster and Southwark over many years. In both military and ecclesiatical circles, gongs are sometimes regarded with a degre
St George's day at Blackfen
For St George's feast day today we had an evening Missa Cantata with Mass II and the chants from the gradual. At Communion, the schola sang a version of the Salve Festa Dies with references to St George. I am told that it dates from the battle of Agincourt. UPDATE : The hymns can be found at this post: Hymns for St George . After Mass, we had time to go to the Robin Hood and Little John in Bexleyheath which is a fine traditional English pub serving excellent ale and, on this occasion, sort of canapés of yorkshire pudding and roast beef. They know us well from Saturday Missae Cantatae which they sometimes attend. For what it is worth, here is my short sermon for the feast day: Great Saint George, our patron help us, In the conflict be thou nigh; Help us in that daily battle Where each one must live or die. As far as we know, St George was a high-ranking solider in the army of the emperor Diocletian. At that time, Christians were growing every stronger, their demogr
Ordinariate: Evensong, Benediction and talk by Charles Moore
The Friends of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham are holding a Spring Event on Thursday 13 June 2013. This event begins with Evensong and Benediction at 6pm in the Little Oratory, Brompton Road, London SW7. Monsignor Keith Newton, Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham, will preside. Afterwards, there will be a talk in St Wilfrid's Hall by Charles Moore, former editor of the Daily Telegraph and Margaret Thatcher's authorised biographer. Refreshments will be served. £10 payable at the door. All are welcome. For more information, email catherineutley@friendsoftheordinariate.org.uk
God Spray
Pope Francis today used a witty expression to describe the vague religiosity of many people who are happy enough to use the Church when they need it but stay within the bounds of saying "I think it's nice to have a faith." It seems that the Vatican news agencies are now shying away from providing the full text of his daily homilies and giving only summary reports. As others have noted, this is a problem in itself: in a world of instant communication, we really do need to have the exact text rather than someone else's interpretation if we are to have anything at all. Nevertheless, there are some quotations in today's Vatican Radio report and I enjoyed this section: The Pope drew inspiration for his homily from the Gospel of John in which Jesus tells the crowd that "he who believes has eternal life". He says the passage is an opportunity for us to examine our conscience. He noted that very often people say they generally believe in God. "Bu
Thoughts on the Funeral Service for Baroness Thatcher
Did anyone notice the black vestments and six unbleached candles? I don't think many people would comment on them: they were just the right and obvious thing. Quite rightly our primary focus as Catholics is to pray for the repose of the soul of Margaret Thatcher and I assure you, prescinding from any political comment, that I have done so and will do so. As I was travelling today, I didn't get to watch the service itself but did enjoy seeing part of the procession with the gun carriage, the display of some difficult drill at 70 paces per minute, the shouted orders, half-muffled bell and all that. People I follow on Twitter seemed quite positive about the address given by Bishop Chartres . Having now read it, I agree that he rose to the occasion and was glad to see that he ended with the prayer "Eternal rest..." (or, as he put it "Rest eternal...") The music was all deemed superb as we are privileged to expect from one of the top Cathedral choirs in
Pro-Life twitterati force Gosnell case into public eye
The MSM were trying to ignore and black out news of the appalling case of multiple murder by Kermit Gosnell because it confronts us all with the horror of what the culture of abortion really amounts to. Gosnell was following a macabre logic - if you can murder babies in the womb or as they are just coming out of the womb, there is no essential moral difference if you then decide to decapitate babies who have just been born. Thanks to about 23,000 tweets per hour yesterday, the truth is now being reported by some MSM outlets. Damian Thompson has ensured that it is not ignored on the Telegraph news feed, and various media are now playing catch-up. Bloggers have also picked up on the story to ensure that the truth is known. From an increasing roll of honour, let me just list a few: Fr Ed Tomlinson Mulier Fortis Contercultural Father Mark Lambert For a list of follow-up articles, see Big Pulpit . Thanks be to God for all those who used the social media to make sure that th
Catholic Medical Association Annual Symposium
An excellent opportunity for Catholic healthcare workers to network and to hear some excellent lectures. I feel so fortunate to be able to host this in my parish. Dr Treloar send the following message: It is just three weeks now till the Annual Symposium of the Catholic Medical Association which will be on the 4th - 5th May, in Blackfen in South East London. We really do think that it will be an excellent day and we hope very much that to see you there for a really enjoyable weekend. The main conference is on Saturday. The AGM of the CMA will be on Sunday, and of course, it's fine if you can only come for the Saturday. Excellent speakers, answers to difficult questions as well as a great deal more. For details and how to book for the symposium go to www.catholicmedicalassociation.org.uk . Cost for the symposium is just £10 (although there is a suggested donation of £10-15 to cover lunch and refreshments throughout the day). The banquet MUST be booked beforehand. CPD certificates will
LMS Pilgrimage in honour of St Margaret Clitherow
A National Pilgrimage in honour of St Margaret Clitherow on Saturday 4 May 2013. There will be Solemn High Mass at 1.30pm at St Wilfrid's Church, Duncombe Place, followed by a procession to the Church of the English Martyrs via the Shrine of St Margaret in the Shambles. At 4pm at the English Martyrs Church there will be Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and veneration of the relic of St Margaret Clitherow. (Any further enquiries to info@lms.org.uk )
Little Way Association new website
The Little Way Association is a charity that aims to "help the poor, needy and sick in developing countries throughout the world." If you are looking for a good charity that does those things, you can now find out more at their brand new website . The name is of course an indication that the fact that the Association works under the patronage of St Therese of Lisieux.
Vatican Press Office response to the end of the world
Father Lombardi would keep his cool even if he had to announce the second coming, says Francis Phillips, the excellent columnist and blogger for the Catholic Herald . Her article got me thinking mischievously about what would happen if the second coming were scheduled. First of all the Vatican Bollettino would announce several days in a row an " Avviso di Conferenza Stampa " (Notice of Press Conference). Two high-ranking prelates and a layman would be slated to speak. Given the importance of the occasion, we might expect Cardinal Burke of the Sacred Penitentiary and Archbishop Muller of the CDF, but it could be Archbishop Zygmunt Zimowski of the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Assistance to Health Care Workers and Cardinal Amato of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints since there might be need for emergency service and quite a lot of saints all in one go. For the laity, perhaps someone from the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences to talk on the astronomical implic
Pro-Life PCS Union exec committee candidate
Pro-Life campaigner, Peter Hunter from Blackpool, is standing for election to the National Executive Committee of the Public and Commercial Services Union , the fifth largest union in the UK. For many years, the PCS has been affiliated to the pro-abortion organisation Abortion Rights. As a consequence of this, it goes beyond its remit to campaign for a woman's "right to choose" abortion. Peter Hunter is seeking election to the National Executive Committee on a pro-life stance. He is Catholic and a fearless campaigner for the right to life. Members of the Union are encouraged to support Peter's candidacy. I received this information from the Trade Union Pro-Life Group and obviously want to bring it to the attention of any Catholic or other pro-life members of the PCS Union. For further information, please email Peter .
Abstinence and Friday of the Easter Octave
Must we abstain from meat on the Friday of the Easter Octave? In my "Catholic Dilemmas" column in the Catholic Herald of 29 March 2013, I said that we should. This has created a larger correspondence than any other of the columns that I have written in the past six years. So I thought I should address the question further here. First of all the law concerning abstinence. The relevant canon of the current Code of Canon Law says: Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday... (Can. 1251) So the question is whether the Friday of the Easter Octave is a solemnity. In the 1969 document Calendarium Romanum , we read the following in the Normae Universales de Anno Liturgico et de Calendario : Octo primi dies temporis paschalis constituunt octavam Paschae et uti sollemnitates Domini celebrantur. (n.24) (The first eight days of paschal time constitute t
Pastoral thoughts on the oil of gladness
Photo credit: Mulier Fortis Many years ago when I was a newly-ordained priest, an evangelical Christian stopped me in the street to ask me why I was looking so miserable. He said that I should be happy because Christ had risen from the dead. I explained to him that I had just come from the hospital where I had visited a young woman who had taken an overdose of paracetamol. During the course of the next day, she had realised that it was a foolish thing to do and that she did not want to die. Then her liver and everything else packed up and I had just administered the sacraments to her before her now inevitable death. When we celebrate Mass, we do so for a variety of people. Most of them will be happy to be there, glad to know that they have done something good by offering God due worship, glowing with the joy of their families or with seeing the young children of others playing happily outside after Mass. As a priest I am usually able to rejoice in greeting people and laughing
Ordinariate: Evensong, Benediction and talk by Cha...
Pro-Life twitterati force Gosnell case into public...


text:
Tubulin-Dependent Transport of Connexin-36 Potentiates the Size and Strength of Electrical Synapses
Cherie A. Brown, Cristiane Del Corsso, Christiane Zoidl, Logan W. Donaldson, David C. Spray, Georg Zoidl
Connexin-36 (Cx36) electrical synapses strengthen transmission in a calcium/calmodulin (CaM)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII)-dependent manner similar to a mechanism whereby the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR2B facilitates chemical transmission. Since NR2B-microtubule interactions recruit receptors to the cell membrane during plasticity, we hypothesized an analogous modality for Cx36. We determined that Cx36 binding to tubulin at the carboxy-terminal domain was distinct from Cx43 and NR2B by binding a motif overlapping with the CaM and CaMKII binding motifs. Dual patch-clamp recordings demonstrated that pharmacological interference of the cytoskeleton and deleting the binding motif at the Cx36 carboxyl-terminal (CT) reversibly abolished Cx36 plasticity. Mechanistic details of trafficking to the gap-junction plaque (GJP) were probed pharmacologically and through mutational analysis, all of which affected GJP size and formation between cell pairs. Lys279, Ile280, and Lys281 positions were particularly critical. This study demonstrates that tubulin-dependent transport of Cx36 potentiates synaptic strength by delivering channels to GJPs, reinforcing the role of protein transport at chemical and electrical synapses to fine-tune communication between neurons.
https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8101146
Connexin-36 (Cx36)
electrical plasticity
tubulin and microtubules
10.3390/cells8101146
Dive into the research topics of 'Tubulin-Dependent Transport of Connexin-36 Potentiates the Size and Strength of Electrical Synapses'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
connexin 36 Medicine & Life Sciences 100%
Electrical Synapses Medicine & Life Sciences 92%
Plastic Property Chemical Compounds 68%
Tubulin Medicine & Life Sciences 63%
Strength Chemical Compounds 37%
Communication Chemical Compounds 26%
Calcium-Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinases Medicine & Life Sciences 24%
Calcium(0) Chemical Compounds 22%
Brown, C. A., Del Corsso, C., Zoidl, C., Donaldson, L. W., Spray, D. C., & Zoidl, G. (2019). Tubulin-Dependent Transport of Connexin-36 Potentiates the Size and Strength of Electrical Synapses. Cells, 8(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8101146
Tubulin-Dependent Transport of Connexin-36 Potentiates the Size and Strength of Electrical Synapses. / Brown, Cherie A.; Del Corsso, Cristiane; Zoidl, Christiane; Donaldson, Logan W.; Spray, David C.; Zoidl, Georg.
In: Cells, Vol. 8, No. 10, 25.09.2019.
Brown, CA, Del Corsso, C, Zoidl, C, Donaldson, LW, Spray, DC & Zoidl, G 2019, 'Tubulin-Dependent Transport of Connexin-36 Potentiates the Size and Strength of Electrical Synapses', Cells, vol. 8, no. 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8101146
Brown CA, Del Corsso C, Zoidl C, Donaldson LW, Spray DC, Zoidl G. Tubulin-Dependent Transport of Connexin-36 Potentiates the Size and Strength of Electrical Synapses. Cells. 2019 Sep 25;8(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/cells8101146
Brown, Cherie A. ; Del Corsso, Cristiane ; Zoidl, Christiane ; Donaldson, Logan W. ; Spray, David C. ; Zoidl, Georg. / Tubulin-Dependent Transport of Connexin-36 Potentiates the Size and Strength of Electrical Synapses. In: Cells. 2019 ; Vol. 8, No. 10.
@article{6b72ceaf4bcd4f3e8c6b9dcedec1c86e,
title = "Tubulin-Dependent Transport of Connexin-36 Potentiates the Size and Strength of Electrical Synapses",
abstract = "Connexin-36 (Cx36) electrical synapses strengthen transmission in a calcium/calmodulin (CaM)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII)-dependent manner similar to a mechanism whereby the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR2B facilitates chemical transmission. Since NR2B-microtubule interactions recruit receptors to the cell membrane during plasticity, we hypothesized an analogous modality for Cx36. We determined that Cx36 binding to tubulin at the carboxy-terminal domain was distinct from Cx43 and NR2B by binding a motif overlapping with the CaM and CaMKII binding motifs. Dual patch-clamp recordings demonstrated that pharmacological interference of the cytoskeleton and deleting the binding motif at the Cx36 carboxyl-terminal (CT) reversibly abolished Cx36 plasticity. Mechanistic details of trafficking to the gap-junction plaque (GJP) were probed pharmacologically and through mutational analysis, all of which affected GJP size and formation between cell pairs. Lys279, Ile280, and Lys281 positions were particularly critical. This study demonstrates that tubulin-dependent transport of Cx36 potentiates synaptic strength by delivering channels to GJPs, reinforcing the role of protein transport at chemical and electrical synapses to fine-tune communication between neurons.",
keywords = "Connexin-36 (Cx36), cytoskeleton, electrical plasticity, gap junction, transport, tubulin and microtubules",
author = "Brown, {Cherie A.} and {Del Corsso}, Cristiane and Christiane Zoidl and Donaldson, {Logan W.} and Spray, {David C.} and Georg Zoidl",
doi = "10.3390/cells8101146",
journal = "Cells",
publisher = "MDPI Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute",
T1 - Tubulin-Dependent Transport of Connexin-36 Potentiates the Size and Strength of Electrical Synapses
AU - Brown, Cherie A.
AU - Del Corsso, Cristiane
AU - Zoidl, Christiane
AU - Donaldson, Logan W.
AU - Spray, David C.
AU - Zoidl, Georg
N2 - Connexin-36 (Cx36) electrical synapses strengthen transmission in a calcium/calmodulin (CaM)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII)-dependent manner similar to a mechanism whereby the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR2B facilitates chemical transmission. Since NR2B-microtubule interactions recruit receptors to the cell membrane during plasticity, we hypothesized an analogous modality for Cx36. We determined that Cx36 binding to tubulin at the carboxy-terminal domain was distinct from Cx43 and NR2B by binding a motif overlapping with the CaM and CaMKII binding motifs. Dual patch-clamp recordings demonstrated that pharmacological interference of the cytoskeleton and deleting the binding motif at the Cx36 carboxyl-terminal (CT) reversibly abolished Cx36 plasticity. Mechanistic details of trafficking to the gap-junction plaque (GJP) were probed pharmacologically and through mutational analysis, all of which affected GJP size and formation between cell pairs. Lys279, Ile280, and Lys281 positions were particularly critical. This study demonstrates that tubulin-dependent transport of Cx36 potentiates synaptic strength by delivering channels to GJPs, reinforcing the role of protein transport at chemical and electrical synapses to fine-tune communication between neurons.
AB - Connexin-36 (Cx36) electrical synapses strengthen transmission in a calcium/calmodulin (CaM)/calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII)-dependent manner similar to a mechanism whereby the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR2B facilitates chemical transmission. Since NR2B-microtubule interactions recruit receptors to the cell membrane during plasticity, we hypothesized an analogous modality for Cx36. We determined that Cx36 binding to tubulin at the carboxy-terminal domain was distinct from Cx43 and NR2B by binding a motif overlapping with the CaM and CaMKII binding motifs. Dual patch-clamp recordings demonstrated that pharmacological interference of the cytoskeleton and deleting the binding motif at the Cx36 carboxyl-terminal (CT) reversibly abolished Cx36 plasticity. Mechanistic details of trafficking to the gap-junction plaque (GJP) were probed pharmacologically and through mutational analysis, all of which affected GJP size and formation between cell pairs. Lys279, Ile280, and Lys281 positions were particularly critical. This study demonstrates that tubulin-dependent transport of Cx36 potentiates synaptic strength by delivering channels to GJPs, reinforcing the role of protein transport at chemical and electrical synapses to fine-tune communication between neurons.
KW - Connexin-36 (Cx36)
KW - cytoskeleton
KW - electrical plasticity
KW - gap junction
KW - transport
KW - tubulin and microtubules
U2 - 10.3390/cells8101146
DO - 10.3390/cells8101146
JO - Cells
JF - Cells


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text:
At UN, Facebook's CEO Mark Zuckerberg Announces Plan to Link Refugee Camps to the Internet
The civil war in Syria, now in its fourth year, has resulted in the world's largest human rights crisis since World War II. Over four million Syrians have been displaced across the Middle East: approximately 2 million are in Turkey, 1.2 million have fled to Lebanon and 630,000 are reported to be in Jordan. The bloodshed in Syria is so horrific that almost 250,000 Syrians have moved across the border into Iraq. Those who had property and possessions to sell are paying human smugglers to venture on dangerous boat rides through the Greek Isles to the Balkans in order to travel on to Germany or Sweden.
Unwanted, these refugees (not "migrants" as often reported in the media--they are fleeing Syria first and foremost because they are running for their lives, with jobs an afterthought to survival) have almost zero options to start life anew.
While Germany has shown leadership on accommodating these refugees, and formerly war-ravaged Serbia has shown compassion, these people are largely unwanted and scorned. The U.S. will accept 10,000. Australia is opening its doors. The Gulf States have overall said no. Uruguay's tiny effort has been a failure. The result is a human tragedy unfolding in southeastern and central Europe, only a generation ago home to citizens who wanted to escape from communism and the Iron Curtain.
Those who dismiss this crisis with the oft heard "we don't want those Muslims" ignore the fact that they are human beings largely from religious and ethnic minorities, or are fleeing the violence that bloodthirsty organizations such as ISIL are enacting on Shiites. And pragmatically, many of these refugees are educated, whether they had completed a trade in secondary school or graduated with a degree from Syria's respectable university system. Emotions aside, political leaders must realize that aging European countries--and others in the West--have the opportunity to invigorate an aging labor force. Society could benefit from the professionals and skilled workers Syria offers, as Lucy Marcus has suggested in The Guardian. They are multi-lingual, hungry, ready to work and are having families--and that first generation will become even more assimilated and help build a stronger society, as has long been the case with immigration worldwide.
The founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, sees their potential.
During a speech he gave during the United Nations General Assembly in New York over the weekend, Zuckerberg highlighted the fact that these refugees are amongst the four billion people worldwide who lack reliable access to the internet. He promised that Facebook will help the UN bring internet connectivity to refugee camps throughout the Middle East. Admitting this goal was not pure altruism, Zuckerberg also told his audience that "we all benefit when we are more connected."
Zuckerberg is right. Of course Facebook would score more users, though that fact is a given considering it has about 1.5 billion of them already. But better access to the internet benefits all: it gives the opportunity to an aspiring Lebanese chef to show off his culinary skills; lets a student study mathematics remotely; makes it easy for dispersed family members to check in; and allows those stuck in refugee camps to at least work on their crafts, sell their items and grasp some hope.
Zuckerberg did not offer specifics on how he would execute his plan. But it is clear that tech companies already see the potential in granting internet access to remote regions. The company is already testing a drone that it says will expand wireless internet usage in areas lacking reliable access. Google has been doing the same. The challenge is not an easy one--unreliable access to electrical power gets in the way of reliable wifi access, even if many citizens only access the internet with a phone and are fortunate enough to have a solar-powered charger. But access to a world beyond the barbed wire fences of these refugee camps would be progress for people who so far have only been punished.
Much work lies ahead to ensure these refugees are not trapped in a cycle of violence, poverty and the complete lack of dignity.
Many refugees do not even have the financial means to try to cross the Aegean Sea. Destitute, hundreds of thousands are stuck in camps in places such as Lebanon's Bekaa Valley or Jordan's Marjeeb Al Fahood plains, and these camps are the target for Zuckerberg's plan. Children are no longer going to school while their parents are generally unable to work. The result could be a lost generation, one that is already embittered and will long be a financial strain on nations, including Lebanon and Jordan, that already struggle with their own internal challenges. And while the focus has been on Syrians, they have been joined by Afghans, Africans and migrants from other countries seeking a life other than one marked by poverty and violence.
NGOs are struggling as much of the world is exhausted from what is seen as another crisis, and therefore are not writings checks to fund the delivery of basics such as food and water. Politicians, with the exception of Angela Merkel, are too scared to stand up to their constituents and do what is humane and right. Business may have to step into this void, so Zuckerberg's announcement, even at this early stage, is a refreshing step forward.
Image credit: UN, Voice of America