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Innovative digital humanities professor and game designer Mary Flanagan takes the art of play—and social change—to a whole new level.
Jennifer Wulff '96 | Nov - Dec 2014
First, let's get something out of the way. Mary Flanagan, Dartmouth's digital humanities chair and founder of the game design and research lab Tiltfactor, could expound for hours on the history of games and the psychology and design of them, whether it's Tic-Tac-Toe or Angry Birds, but she is not interested in yet another conversation about violence in video games. "It's the first question the media has asked me in my entire career," she says. "And I think it's a little weird." (For the record, this reporter waited until at least 40 minutes into the interview.) "I suppose that if games can be used as a tool for good, one could argue that they could also be a tool for the not-so-good," she adds. "But I'll leave that for other folks to spend time on."
She's got more important things to do. Arriving at Dartmouth in 2008, Flanagan, whose full title is the Sherman Fairchild Distinguished Professor in Digital Humanities, was hired by then dean of faculty Carol Folt to shake things up at the College and help steer it toward a future that includes a more interdisciplinary approach to teaching. Working across multiple fields in the arts and the sciences, Flanagan is now known across campus for far more than just her trademark pigtails. "In terms of research, the most exciting questions now are in the margins of all the disciplines. Bridging those areas is risky and difficult and takes a lot of energy, but Mary is absolutely amazing at navigating it all and making it look easy," says professor Ross Virginia of the environmental studies department. "She's a rock star. There's no other way to put it. An academic rock star."
President Phil Hanlon '77 has been a fan since he arrived in Hanover. "One of the key ambitions I began talking about, really from day one, was that I want Dartmouth to think big—to imagine a future where our faculty and students are forging new knowledge and innovating in the areas between the traditional disciplines, in the spaces where those disciplines overlap," he says. "Mary's work receives the interest and attention it does, as well as lines of students eager to get into her classes, not only because it captures the imagination, but because it is an example of the academy taking on complex societal challenges and unleashing the creativity and potential of our students in the process."
For her part, Flanagan is grateful to be at a place where she isn't simply alternating between delivering lectures and sitting at a desk grading papers. "The direction Hanlon wants to go in with experiential learning is how I like to teach," she says. "Getting out in the world, trying things and seeing how they work. I can't just teach one class for the rest of my life."
Not that it wouldn't have a waiting list. In her popular game design course, which she offers each spring, students not only create prototypes of games, but they benefit from Flanagan's huge network of contacts by skyping with some of the biggest names in gaming. Last spring she wowed students by lining up Gamelab cofounder Eric Zimmerman (who designed the popular tablet game Diner Dash). "It was really crazy," says Sara Holston '17. "Professor Flanagan came in and just said, 'Okay, we're doing this and this in the first half of class and then in the second half we're skyping in Eric Zimmerman, so think of questions!' "
Max Seidman '12, who took three courses with Flanagan while he was a student, says that he hasn't met many instructors like her either. "She is extremely energetic and was constantly giving us great anecdotes and these really positive critiques of our work," he says. In fact, he was so inspired during his time as a student that he took a job at the Tiltfactor lab after graduating and is now a full-time staff member. One of his first assignments was working on a project commissioned by the Mascoma Valley Health Initiative, which asked Tiltfactor (whose tagline is "game design for social change") to create a game emphasizing the importance of vaccinations. "You could make another brochure that says 'vaccinate your child,' but games are more fun," says Flanagan. The goal of the game they came up with, called Pox, is for players to protect the weak by vaccinating those surrounding them, while at the same time containing outbreaks. After the game was released the team kept tabs on how it was played and what impact it has had on its users. One finding was that Tiltfactor's zombified version of Pox (called Zombiepox, of course) garnered more sympathy from players than the original board and iPad versions.
One reason may be that make-believe can be more powerful than fact. "Fiction is far more useful as a tool toward behavior change than we originally thought," says Flanagan. "Some think it's escapism, but it stays with you longer. I mean, how many people know the spells in Harry Potter but don't have the slightest interest in learning what's in front of them in an algebra class?"
The Tiltfactor lab, located on the second floor of the new Black Family Visual Arts Center, is a bright, fun and invigorating atmosphere. Lots of windows, red leather sofas, a Rock Band kit in the corner, rows of computers, shelves of card and board games and Wii discs. Oh, and writing on the walls. When Flanagan was helping design her office and the lab space (connected by frosted glass), one of her must-haves was whiteboard paint so she and her team could easily jot down ideas. Add a vending machine and this could act as a bunker you'd never want to leave. Perhaps, say, if there were a Zombiepox outbreak.
"I'm interested in helping some of our larger social institutions, such as libraries, which are kind of the foundation of a democracy, to become more robust in the 21st century instead of withering on the vine," says Flanagan. "We can use the power of games to reinvigorate that space."
Flanagan, 45, founded Tiltfactor when she was working as a professor of contemporary digital arts, culture and technology at Hunter College. Happy in New York City, where she had an apartment in the West Village, she didn't give much thought to the Dartmouth professorship, which opened thanks to a $10 million gift from the Sherman Fairchild Foundation to hire professors in emerging fields. In fact, she wrote a recommendation letter for a friend instead. A year later, the job still unfilled, she realized it was time to make a move herself. "They wanted someone who could teach in different areas, like studio art, et cetera, so I was really interested in that aspect," says Flanagan, who is also an artist. Her installations, which include a giant joystick you need to climb on to use, have appeared internationally as well as at the Whitney and Guggenheim museums.
Just six months into her new gig, Flanagan and her Tiltfactor team, which first worked out of a cozy corner in North Fairbanks, made national headlines with a game called Layoff, which is still available to play at Tiltfactor.org. Similar to Bejeweled and Candy Crush, where the player places matching tiles together to remove them from the board, this is a game where you play a CEO type improving company efficiency by letting workers go. As your bottom line grows, so does the unemployment line. Meanwhile, financial headlines scroll along the bottom and, as you hover your mouse over the workers, each has a backstory, such as "Dakota supports an elderly father at a nursing home." With the release timed so closely after the bank bailouts of 2008, the game, which attracted 1 million players in just its first week, struck a nerve across the country. Blogger Michael McWhertor hit the nail on the head by calling the game "edutainful"—a combination of entertainment, education and pain.
Inciting a reaction in players—while they're having fun, of course—is exactly the "social change" aspect that Flanagan is going for when designing a new game. "She takes either uncomfortable or controversial or complex issues and tries to approach them with a slant or a skew," says Dr. Geoff Kaufman, Tiltfactor's postdoctoral researcher in psychology. "I think that's part of the reason she named the lab Tiltfactor. She takes pride in tilting people's perspective on things. She's very free-thinking and open-minded, and she likes people thinking outside their comfort zones."
Funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities and National Science Foundation, Tiltfactor makes little money from sales of its products. The real value is coming up with games that can, for instance, help combat gender bias, educate people on communicable diseases or explore the limitations of our healthcare system—all projects it has worked on. Tiltfactor also runs a program called Metadata Games, which offers games that add new life to archival material by allowing users to tag uploaded photos from museums and schools, making them easier to search for by future users. Dartmouth alums can play along at alum.metadatagames.dartmouth.edu by tagging pictures from the Rauner Special Collections Library. "I'm interested in helping some of our larger social institutions, such as libraries, which are kind of the foundation of a democracy, to become more robust in the 21st century instead of withering on the vine," says Flanagan. "We can use the power of games to reinvigorate that space."
Flanagan's next hurdle? Climate change. It's an issue close to the heart of Professor Virginia, director of the Dickey Center's Institute of Arctic Studies. "The science is clear that the impacts are large and humans can make a difference," he says. "But people are so entrenched in their own ideas, it's difficult to break through that to create a dialogue. What I've come to learn from Mary is that games are a really useful way to break down barriers, so we're trying to find a way to chip away at that."
Working with Flanagan has blown him away. "She has a driven curiosity. She's always so optimistic about everything," he says. "I'm sure she has a worry list like everyone else, but when you're working on something with Mary you just run out of time before you know it. She has this youthful and open enthusiasm that belies the seniority of her accomplishments."
The first person in her family to graduate from college, Flanagan was raised by an electrician dad and stay-at-home mom in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Were there always games on the table? Did she make up her own from a young age? While she enjoyed playing lots of card and board games at the home of her grandmother, whom she calls a "rural farm lady card shark," and she has a picture somewhere of receiving Operation as a gift at 4 or 5, she can't recall being any more into games than the next kid. "I'm slightly suspicious of narratives that make it seem like you were meant to do this one thing and only this thing," she says. "Some people may convince themselves as adults that they always knew, but we'd be really boring if we all had such a linear track. 'Oh, he's already a physician? Well, when is he going to watch the Muppets?' "
Some of her fondest memories are making elaborate Halloween costumes with her dad, a natural tinkerer who died in 2009. "One year I was an upside-down blimp with blinking lights and fans," she says. "I'm not from a long line of innovators in a high art sense, but my dad was pretty interesting. Given a different place in time and different resources, he definitely would have been an inventor."
She took her first computer course in high school, learning BASIC (written by two Dartmouth professors), but just knowing how to program wasn't enough for the young student. "I had all these conceptual questions that got in the way, like 'How does the computer know what run means?' " she says. "My teacher would be like, 'Just type it in,' and I'd just keep asking, 'But why?' "
She encourages such deep thoughts from her own students. During her foreign study program this summer in Scotland, where the class attended the Edinburgh International Film Festival and studied music video production and digital cinematography, Flanagan held dinner salon discussions for her 10 young charges. "We'd read essays and talk about all the movies we saw," she says. "People come to Dartmouth because they actually want to be scholarly and explore intellectual life, so we did a lot of that."
With her work at Tiltfactor making waves across the gaming community and landing her research and essays in dozens of publications, Flanagan, whose fifth book, Values at Play in Digital Games, was just published by MIT Press, is now a sought-after lecturer, which sometimes leaves her very little time in Hanover. This fall included trips to Boston, New York City and Buffalo, New York, and she was a visiting scholar at the University of Toronto in late September. In mid-November she'll be a keynote speaker at the Philosophy of Computer Games Conference in Istanbul and then she's heading to France for an artists' residency. Wouldn't she rather stay home and stick to the stereotype of a professor curled up fireside with a book and maybe a pet cat? "There are no cats, there are no fireplaces, and I don't like sitting around," she says. "I guess I'm not your traditional professor."
Jennifer Wulff lives in Wilton, Connecticut, and is a frequent contributor to DAM.
Professor Flanagan reveals her five favorite games (that she did not create) and why she loves them.
(China, approximately 2000 BCE). "The simplest of board games, but simultaneously the most complex of them all. Human players of the game still beat computers."
(Sony, 2009). "A console game that acts like a meditation on existence, with simple controls but much to think about."
(Atari 2600, 1982). "Because I played this game so much as a child I could draw each eight-bit pixelated screen from memory."
(U.S. Playing Card Co., 1904). "This card game was the most popular social game in the 20th century before bridge emerged. I played with my immediate family, grandmother and great- aunts until the wee hours."
(Zynga, 2009). "It is fantastic that my mother continues to beat me, week after week, though I am an Ivy League professor."


This may sound strange but I'm a nice normal boy and I think this will be hot. But i prefer this to be an ongoing thing as well.
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Scott Comegys is an alpaca farmer and Brian Manktelow is the Lyons supervisor.
Two Wayne County residents are competing for the 130th Assembly seat that been held by the same person for nearly three decades.
Palmyra alpaca farmer Scott Comegys, a Democrat, is running against Lyons Town Supervisor Brian Manktelow, a Republican. The winner succeeds Republican Bob Oaks, R-Macedon, who is not seeking re-election. Oaks first was elected in 1992.
Each took issue with how tax money is used.
Comegys focused on education, where he said plenty of money is spent.
Manktelow said residents are overtaxed, and they don't have a loud enough voice in how their money is spent.
Manktelow continued on the tax theme by saying there is too much government.
Comegys said promoting a green economy is one way to create jobs. He said the environment can be used to support a range of businesses.
He said he supported protecting the environment and developing new technologies, such de-icing roads without using salt and use alternative energy — to promote sustainable agriculture. He said the area can build on its agriculture to draw tourists.
"Broadcast to the world that this is a beautiful area," he said.
Comegys said health care costs have to be addressed. "There's a high poverty rate in the area. It's hard to come out of that when you have some health care costs, particularly health insurance costs." He said he is looking at a universal health care plan.
The 130th Assembly District covers all of Wayne County; the towns of Sterling, Victory, Ira, Conquest, Cato, Mentz, Brutus, Sennett, Montezuma and Aurelius in Cayuga County; and the towns of Hannibal, Minetto and Oswego in Oswego County.
Terms are for two years, and there are no term limits. The salary is $79,500 a year with a per diem of $174 day if the legislator stays overnight and $59 for no overnight stay.
Education: Associate's degree in sustainability from Monroe Community College.
Top priorities: Reducing government regulation, reducing taxes, keeping young people in the region.


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Damola Olatunji Bio, Bukola Awoyemi, Age, Ex-wife, Twins, Birthday, Hotel, Instagram
Wiki Data
Olatunji Damola Birthday & Age
Olatunji Damola Ex-Wife
Bukola Awoyemi and Damola Olatunji
Damola Olatunji Twins
Olatunji Damola Hotel Acquisition
Social Media: Facebook & Instagram
Others facts you need to know about Damola Olatunji
Damola Latest News
Damola Olatunji is a prolific Yoruba actor, motivational speaker, CEO Dynasties arts academy, EJIREtv, movie director and Entrepreneur.
He is one of the most popular actors in the Yoruba Film Industry. Starring in over 100 Yoruba films, he has advanced from been an actor into been a director and producer.
Though Damola started acting at a very young age when he was given roles to perform on stage plays, his actual rise into prominence in the Yoruba Film Industry began after his role in the movie 'ojo' (Rain), produced by a notable actress Opeyemi Aiyeola and directed by his mentor who introduced him into acting; Yomi Fash Lanso.
Name: Damola Olatunji
Net Worth: $300, 000
Date of Birth: February 2, Year Unknown
Age: Under Review
State of Origin: Osun State
Profession: Acting, Engineer
Spouse: Bukola Awoyemi
This super talented actor is from Edo Agbo in Osun state southwestern part of Nigeria
The well-received actor was born on the 2nd of February. Damola Olatunji's year of birth is unknown for now as it appears the actor tries as much as possible to keep certain information about himself away from the prying eyes of the media.
The fast-rising actor began his education in the south-western part of Nigeria – Osun state, in the place where he was born.
He completed his primary and secondary education in Ife to be precise after which he advanced to Yaba College of Technology Lagos and studied Electrical Engineering.
It is important to note that initially, Damola did not plan to go into acting, neither did he have any dream of becoming an actor as at then and that is the reason he chose to study Electrical Engineering at Yaba College of Technology, Lagos,
However, during the course of his study, he developed the desire to get involved in other activities and that was how he got into acting. First, he joined a drama group where he was given roles in stage plays.
Also, he met friends who have been in the Industry and got Inspired by his mentor; Yomi Fash Lanso who gave him the supports and encouragement he needed, and the rest they say is history.
Top 10 Richest Comedians in Nigeria (2020)
In April 2013, Damola Olatunji tied the knot with his UK based lover who happened to be his first wife Raliat Abiodun Sobowale at the Ikoyi Registry in the fourth month of 2013, but their marriage hit the rock at about a year after.
This, however, gave room for Bukola Awoyemi another budding actress in the Nollywood Yoruba movie frontal (Popularly known as Arugba) to come into the Handsome actor's life.
Damola Olatunji, Bukola Awoyemi and Kids
Initially, their (Bukola and Damola) relationship was kept a secret, even when Bukola got pregnant, but eventually, the public became aware of their relationship when Bukola gave birth in the U.S to a lovely set of twins in January 2015. Later on, reports had it that their Union has been legalized.
Damola and Bukola have a lovely set of twins, the couple calls them Dave and Debby.
He as a growing interest to invest in Real Estate, he made this known at the commissioning of his newly acquired Hotel (PrimeStone Hotel and Suites) on the 1st of May 2016 at 305 Ipe Street at Owupe axis in Sango Ota which was estimated to cost well over N60 Million naira.
The actor had, however, come out to deny that he has acquired such property disclaiming the news is untrue.
The actor/ director is the second child in a family of six. Damola Olatunji's father: Mr. Olatunji was a civil servant while his mother Mrs. Ajibola Anike Olantunji happens to be a prophetess.
Damola Olatunji disclosed during an interview session that due to his father's job, his father was not always around as he could be away for weeks and return only on weekends, so he grew up under the strict watch of his mother prophetess Ajibola Anike Olatunji.
He also explained that his mom told him that he should be very careful with women because they could make his life miserable.
She also warned Damola and his brothers that if any of them impregnates a girl, they would have to drop out of school and raise the child.
Damola Olatunji can be reached on:
Instagram: @damolaolatunji
Facebook: UNCONFIRMED
Phone Number: UNDER REVIEW
Damola Olatunji is one of the fast-rising Yoruba actors in Nigeria at the moment
He is a father and proud husband
He is a trained Engineer
Damola's state of Origin is Osun State
Damola has children (twins) namely, Deborah and David
Damola Olatunji's ex-wife is Raliat Abiodun Shobowale
Damola celebrates his birthday February 2 of every year
He has had no child with Raliat Abiodun Sobowale in their previous marriage
He had moved to get married to Bukola Awoyemi and they had welcomed a set of twins (boy and girl) named David and Deborah who are 5 years old in 2019
Damola Olatunji is named as one of the sexiest men in the Yoruba movie industry
He was nominated for best-supporting actor and Best Director in 2017 at the City People Movie Awards
He now has a new Instagram account @damolaolatunji after the old one got hacked and has attracted close to 600k followers
Bukky Arugba: "I'm married to Damola Olatunji, I didn't snatch him from his ex-wife"
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


At 2:Won Prix De La Salamandre (FR-G1), Prix Marcel Boussac (FR-G1).
Dubai Poule D'essai Des Pouliches (FR-G1), Prix Jacques Marois (FR-G1), Prix Du Moulin (FR-G1).
2nd Prix De Diane Hermes (FR-G1), Queen Elizabeth II S. (ENG-G1).
At 4: Won Breeders' Cup Mile (USA-G1), Prix D'Ispahan (FR-G1), Prix Jacques Marois (FR-G1).
2nd Prix Du Moulin (FR-G1).
Champion at 2, 3 & 4 (in America, England and France).


More in the Watercolor Flowers Series?!? No way, right? YES way! This one is way out of my comfort zone, too!
The Watercolored Anemones set from WPlus9 is a set created from a watercolor painting by Dawn (see it below the video), the owner of the company; she created it so we could all use our pigment inks and make watercolor-looking flowers with layering the stamps. But I wanted to see what would happen if they really had some watercoloring….so I tried it! Watch the video below, or check it out HERE on YouTube.
Behind The Scenes: a peek at the inspiration behind the #wplus9 "Watercolored Anemones" stamp set releasing on June 5th. This one was painted for a very dear friend.
I think this card was well worth all the attempts to make it work….what do you think?
Another stunner!!! Love the contrast too!
Thank you Sandy so much for this tutorial! I have watched it multiple times and have never tried the technique before, but I tried it and I loved the results! Thanks to you teaching this technique I was inspired to use it with many of my floral stamps. Blessings to you and yours.
Absolutely beautiful Sandy!! That texture paste really is the icing on the cake!!
Your flower painting is just beautiful – I love it! Thanks so much for sharing all the steps in your video!!
Wonderful. You really don't sleep, I believe. Some projects take me so long to get done and than I think of you and your inspiration. With that I know all will get completed on time with a little faith mixed in.
These colors are just gorgeous! Really glad you added the contrast, it just brought those flowers to life! Thanks so much for sharing.
Sandy, this is absolutely GORGEOUS! I love card and the colors, and that gold texture is fabulous! Need some of that! I am never disappointed visiting with you! Hugs!
This is such a beautiful card. I would have passed on this stamp set but seeing what you did with it it's going on my wishlist. Thanks for sharing your lovely work.
Such a pretty image Sandy. I love the way it turned out and that gold, super. Thanks for sharing.
I am in love with this!
Such gorgeousness! I usually enjoy your videos, but this one is a whopper! I so identify with the contrast, bold colours etc. too.
You keep that contrast girl because the way you use it is stunning. Gorgeous card. Gorgeous painting.
Sandy, Sandy, Sandy! This so reminds me of some old valentines I found. This truly has the vintage look and the colors are perfect. I love watching you do what you do. I can only hope that someday I will create something with water colors that is half as good as yours. You are a true artist. You are an inspiration to all. Thank you so much for sharing with us.
I LOVE this!!!! Absolutely gorgeous!!!!
Absolutely gorgeous! I cannot remember ever loving any one card more. I love "vintage" and although I've never tried watercolor before I have to try this. Thank you for this beautiful work of art!
Oh, so lovely! The flowers look like someone lovingly pressed them between the pages of a book, and you just took them out to create this beautiful card. There's a whole story there that's making itself up in my mind! 🙂 Very romantic art.
Gorgeous! You've pushed the edge of your comfort zone to new extents beautifully.
Beautiful!!! I love the antique feel of this card. Thanks for sharing!
oh my goodness!! this is just too fabulous for words! the antique look you gave the flowers is so beautiful and the gold touches make this card so extraordinary; just love this! thank you for this amazing inspiration.
Beautifully done. Thanks for sharing you video how to with us.
Love it. I like you like the contrasting colors too. Very pretty and that gold paste was a nice addition.
In looking at the stamp set I would have never thought it could be turned in to something so beautiful. I love everything about the card and am so appreciative of your talent and artist's eye. As always, thank you for sharing your gifts with us.
Not sure you wanna live in there … lol!


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Ron Clarke
Successful bidder named to construct and operate Gold Coast light rail
The company which will build and operate the $1 billion…
6 May 2011 | By Queensland Government
The company which will build and operate the $1 billion traffic-busting Gold Coast Rapid Transit network stretching from the new University Hospital to Broadbeach has today been announced...
Gold Coast Rapid Transit on track with $68 million contracts awarded
Two contracts worth $68 million have been awarded for early…
7 October 2010 | By Queensland Government
Two contracts worth $68 million have been awarded for early works on Queensland's first light rail system...


The 9th annual Play for Life Football Tournament came to a close Thursday night with Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi being crowned champions of the corporate tournament.
The five-day tournament saw twelve corporate teams converge on Zayed Sports City Stadium to take part in the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre's 'Diabetes.Knowledge.Action' campaign, under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, which aims to promote the positive impact a balanced diet and regular exercise has on preventing and managing diabetes with its high prevalence rate in the UAE. Since launching in 2008, Play for Life has attracted more than 2,000 players and close to 20,000 spectators.
The tournament took place from April 17-21 with teams divided into three groups, with each team pitted against a rival in a seven-a-side match of 30 minutes duration before the top eight teams progressed to the quarter finals.
Activelife by Daman brushed aside ARWA 5-2 in their quarter final before edging past Dolphin Energy in the semi final.
Meanwhile CCAD needed penalties to see off ADNEC in their last 8 encounter. But their semi-final with HAAD was a much more comfortable 3-0 win.
The final between CCAD and Activelife by Daman was a tense affair, ending goalless after extra time with CCAD winning 2-0 after a penalty shootout.
HAAD overcame Dolphin Energy to claim third place in the tournament.
As well as the overall championship category, a number of awards were given out.
spectators that joined us this year is a testament to the success of the tournament and of the positive message we are spreading to our communities. We congratulate all team members for their comradeship and team spirit in making this event such a triumph.


make a living in my country is not easy, especially for those middle class people like us.
from birth, we are carrying the responsible to not only taking care our own family but also pay the living of both side parents and relatives.
I need to work to support the family (which instead of stay-at-home mom).
I do wonder, why i am bound to all these responsibilities and want to get rid off it.
seems my lives is not about myself but also for others.
however, when i shift my attention back to myself.
i m working very hard in order to get promotion and continue to move up in ladder.
I'm not happy in corporate job but because of the good pay and i ignore my feeling.
believe in change....there are always things in life that challenge us, but overcoming them makes us stronger & helps us to reach our own goals in life.
this post really touched me - hope you have someone who gives YOU the support you need!


Sugar Grove Slim and his owner, Jim Sparger, stop by the High Country Press offices on Tuesday.
In recognition of Groundhog Day, Sugar Grove Slim made his annual appearance at some daycare centers, churches and schools in the High Country on Tuesday morning.
After stopping by the offices of High Country Press, Jim Sparger, who owns the taxidermied groundhog, said he was on his way to downtown Boone and Blowing Rock to give daises to Slim's female admirers.
The Blacksburg, Va., office of the National Weather Service tweeted out this photo.
While the local groundhog legend didn't make any predictions about the oncoming spring, the predictions from notable groundhogs around the country were mixed.
Sparger said he educates the children on groundhogs on why they have teeth, on being related to rats and squirrels, and that even though they look cute and some people have had groundhogs as pets, it's not wise to try to pet them.
So why does Sparger, who has resided in Sugar Grove for 30 years, go around showing off Sugar Grove Slim and educating the public about groundhogs. First of all, he said he loves all animals – not just groundhogs.


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HII receives additional funding for USS John F Kennedy construction preparation
4 March 2014	(Last Updated March 4th, 2014 18:30)
Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) has received an extension to the previously awarded construction preparation contract for the second Gerald R Ford-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, John F Kennedy (CVN 79).
Under the $1.29bn follow-on contract, HII's Newport News Shipbuilding division will complete an additional 343 structural units and purchase the majority of the remaining material for the ship, including items such as valves, controllers, pumps and raw materials.
Newport News' CVN 79 construction vice president Mike Shawcross said that the additional funding allows the company to maintain positive momentum with savings initiatives and pre-construction in advance of the construction contract that is expected later this year.
"In addition to increasing the number of structural units under contract, it allows the CVN 79 procurement team to place purchase orders for most of the remaining material for the ship, which helps us meet our efficiency objectives through economic order quantities and consolidated buys," Shawcross added.
"It also ensures that lessons learned, best practices and production efficiencies from building Gerald R. Ford can continue to be implemented at the most optimal time, providing a smooth transition to the second ship of the Ford class."
In preparation for construction of CVN 79, the company will provide services and material including necessary research studies; engineering; design; related development efforts; advance planning; advance procurement for detail design and procurement of material; advance construction; lifecycle support; logistics data and other data.
Fitted with improved weapons handling systems and a redesigned island to increase aircraft sortie-generation rates, the aircraft carrier will feature nuclear power plants and increased electrical power-generation capacity.
Work under the contract will be conducted at Newport News, Virginia, US, while the US Naval Sea Systems Command will serve as the contracting activity.
Image: A unit for the John F. Kennedy (CVN 79) rests on the assembly platen at Newport News Shipbuilding. Photo by Chris Oxley, courtesy of Huntington Ingalls Industries, Inc.
Submarine Masts and Components
Marine Alutech
Vessel Manufacturing and Design for the Naval Sector
CeramTec
Advanced Ceramics for the Naval Industry
GD NASSCO launches US Navy's first replenishment oiler John Lewis
US and allies begin exercise Sea Dragon 2021 in Guam
Vertex Aerospace and BAE Systems sign Harrier II maintenance deal
DND completes fleet time support programme of HMS Montrose
Swarm attack: taking on piracy's deadliest tactic


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Vanderbilt Transplant
Transplant Center
Refer a Patient Online
Pancreas Transplant
Transplant Support Services
Transplant Locations
Vanderbilt Transplant Center is a leading provider of organ transplantation in the Southeast – giving hundreds of people new hope and longer life each year.
As Tennessee's only full-service transplant center, we offer the most advanced care for end-stage organ failure in children and adults. Our transplant specialists also perform lifesaving dual-organ transplants, including heart-kidney, heart-liver, heart-lung and liver-kidney.
Transplant Care: Why Choose Vanderbilt
High volume of transplants: Vanderbilt is one of the largest, most experienced transplant centers in the Southeast. Our transplant teams have performed more than 8,300 solid organ transplants since 1962.
Superior outcomes: We handle a high volume of transplants, with patient outcomes that rank among the best in the country. This means our patients often recover faster, with fewer complications.
A team approach: Our transplant specialists combine their expertise to create a personalized care plan that is right for you. These specialists work closely with a team of psychiatrists and psychologists, transplant pharmacists, nurses and social workers to provide you with quality care before, during and after your transplant.
A dedicated inpatient unit: At Vanderbilt Transplant Center, we provide you with a private room, equipped with the latest technology and safety measures. This ensures you and your family receive the highest level of quality care and comfort.
Innovative research: Our researchers not only apply the latest research in transplant care, but also pioneer some of the latest innovations. At Vanderbilt, our researchers launched the PREDICT program. This program uses genetic testing to protect transplant patients from serious side effects caused by a common anti-rejection drug.
Access to clinical trials: As the only academic medical center in the region, we offer access to clinical trials investigating new, promising technologies and approaches to transplant care.
Caring for veterans: We are one of only a few transplant programs designated by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to provide heart, kidney and liver transplants to our nation's veterans.
Pediatric transplants: We know our smallest patients require a dedicated team of specialists as knowledgeable as they are comforting in their approach to pediatric care. That's why we provide pediatric heart, kidney and liver transplants through Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.
Support services: Our transplant center offers a variety of support services, from social workers to transplant pharmacists, to help guide you through the transplant process. We also offer a unique Return-to-Work program to help you resume employment and restore your emotional and financial well-being. View our support services.
Vanderbilt Transplant Programs
Our highly skilled and experienced transplant teams care for people facing the failure of one, or sometimes two, organs. Our adult transplant programs include:
Kidney-Pancreas Transplant
Living Donor Kidney Transplant
We provide organ transplants for children in need of a healthy heart, liver and kidney through Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Pediatric transplant programs include:
Heart Transplant Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital
Kidney Transplant Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital
Liver Transplant Program at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital
We offer a mobile app to help patients and families learn more about our transplant programs and living donation. The app provides program phone numbers, a team directory, locations and directions. Download and install our app in the Apple App Store or Google Play.
James George had not one, but two transplants at Vanderbilt. He received a new liver and then about a decade later, a kidney. Now 67, he's working on his Master's degree and living a full life again without dialysis. See his story.
Vanderbilt Transplant Center provides surgical care in Midtown Nashville. We also provide pre- and post-surgery care at community-based locations across Tennessee and northern Alabama. Find a transplant care location near you.
To arrange a consultation or make a referral to Vanderbilt Transplant Center, complete our online referral form or call a member of our transplant team.
Heart Transplant: (615) 936-3500
Kidney-Pancreas Transplant: (615) 936-0695
Liver Transplant: (615) 936-5321
Lung Transplant: (615) 936-0393
Referring physicians can also complete and fax referral forms to our transplant teams. Download our referral forms:
Heart transplant referral form
Kidney-pancreas transplant referral form
Liver transplant referral form
Lung transplant referral form
Referring physicians can also access our mobile app – VUMC Transplant. Through the app, referring physicians can transfer patients to Vanderbilt 24/7, speak directly with our on-call physicians, fill out mobile-friendly referral forms and review our outcomes data. Download and install our app in the Apple App Store or Google Play.
Related Programs and Services
Advanced Heart Failure Program (Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute)
Cardiac and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (Dayani Center for Health & Wellness)
Heart Failure Program (Vanderbilt Heart & Vascular Institute)
Stem Cell Transplant Program (Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center)
Stem Cell Transplant (Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital)
Vanderbilt Center for Kidney Disease
Vanderbilt Hepatology (Digestive Disease Center)
Vanderbilt Pulmonary
Our VUMC Transplant app improves access and communications for patients, families and referring physicians.
Download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play.


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The big power plan - EU aims to cut energy use by 30 percent
The European Commission has unveiled its big power plan, aiming to slash energy use in the bloc by 30 percent by 2030.
Cutting waste, better integrating renewables and phasing out subsidies for coal-fired electricity generation are all part of the vision.
But wind and solar energy producers will no longer have priority for selling to the grid, in places where renewables already have a large share.
Campaigners have been warning against that, claiming it risks slowing progress. They have also called for more ambitious energy efficiency targets.
#CleanEnergyEU: "We are particularly proud of the binding 30% energy efficiency target…" | All documents: https://t.co/na7dXqOX5cpic.twitter.com/WSwFBv00qS
— European Commission (@EU_Commission) 30 November 2016
The EU is aiming to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent compared to 1990 levels. It wants renewables to make up at least 27 percent of the power mix by 2030.
As part of the plan, regional centres are proposed to improve cooperation among grid operators.
But all of this still needs to be approved by member states and the European Parliament.
"Designed for polluting power companies, not for European citizens". Our comment on the '#CleanEnergyEU' plans: https://t.co/h3rP6wC9WJ
— Greenpeace EU (@GreenpeaceEU) 30 November 2016
EUROPEAN UNION ENERGY LOW COST ENERGY EFFICIENCY


I like to think I'm not a creature of habit, but I do have several rituals that I wouldn't miss for the world. One of them is a bi-weekly morning swim on Noosa's Main Beach with my mate Carol, followed by a coffee at Sails. Okay, the temperature has dropped a few degrees in recent weeks and the swim has been replaced by a walk, but the coffee routine remains the same.


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Cushion Cut Engagement Rings, Your Guide To Elegance.
November 1, 2017 February 8, 2019 by Alex Bortignon
Everybody knows what a diamond solitaire setting looks like, but would you know a "cushion cut" setting if you saw one? We think you'd certainly recognise it, since the cut has been around for over a century, but you may not have known its name — until now, that is!
Up until the early twentieth century, the cushion cut was what nearly every woman lucky enough to get a diamond ring along with a proposal was wearing. The cut was known as the old mine cut, which had a total of 58 facets. As new ways of cutting diamonds were introduced, however, the cushion cut sort of went the way of the corset, and tasteful men began to choose these new and unusual cuts as engagement rings for their brides-to-be.
The Cushion Cut Explained
You may have heard the cushion cut referred to as the pillow cut, as the two were interchangeable terms used to refer to the same square or rectangular cut with rounded-off corners and what many consider today to be overly large facets. Why would large facets be a turnoff? Probably because, compared to more modern cuts with multiple smaller facets, the diamond didn't sparkle as much as we like diamonds to these days, especially if the diamond used wasn't as clear as some.
How to Ace the Cushion Cut
If you, like many today, are rediscovering the romantic cushion cut, you'll need to remember just two important basic points …
The diamond used must have great colour (H or better) and clarity or the ring won't catch the light as well, creating those characteristic — and dazzling — sparkles that make a diamond such a unique and lovely stone. (Stick to SI2 or SI1 clarity for optimum results.)
To hold a diamond cut securely, you'll need to select a four-pronged setting — at least
You'll be pleased to learn that the cushion cut of the 2000s — the one women are rediscovering today — is actually better than the one women wore "back in the day". The original, you'll remember was based on the "old mine cut" and had a total of 58 facets. Today's version has 64 facets in all, and the stone is often more oval-shaped than square or rectangular.
You're in Good Company!
Several celebrities have recently been presented with stunning (and usually large!) cushion cut diamonds that combine the romance of yesterday with the ever evolving creativity that is exclusive to the early 21st century! One that comes immediately to mind is Sofia Vergara, whose then-fiancee, Joe Manganiello, presented her with a stunning cushion cut diamond engagement ring. Another proud bearer of a beautiful, modern-day cushion cut diamond is Kate Bosworth, who sports a pink cushion cut surrounded by small white stones. (Cushion cuts are a popular choice for so-called "fancy colour" diamonds.) And we can't forget pop queen Miley Cyrus, whose beloved Australian actor/fiancee is, of course, Liam Helmsworth.
Today's cushion cut diamond is both romantic and modern, since it's cutting technology has improved and refined its appearance.
The Most Famous Cushion Cut Ring Ever?
It may be the one that Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge is wearing now — the same one that her late Mother-in law wore. The cushion cut sapphire surrounded by diamonds is one of the most endearing and dazzlingly iconic rings of all — at least in modern times!
The choice of British royalty as well as our own Hollywood "royalty", the cushion cut is one that you'll cherish, no matter what setting or precious metal you choose to showcase its charms! At the rate things are going, the cushion cut may soon begin to outpace rounds and princess cuts in terms of popularity and demand!
In search of a cushion cut? We are here to help!
Sparkle up your Instagram feed! Follow us!


Esteemology - Page 22 of 39 - Esteemology was created to help empower victims of abuse, to build their self-esteem and make better relationship choices. To help navigate through dysfunctional relationships with emotional manipulators, to make the changes necessary to never attract these types again.
Imagine that you were in a relationship with someone you didn't love. Imagine that you found this person to be flawed, worthless and just not good enough for you. Now imagine that you couldn't leave the relationship. You were stuck in it. What kind of relationship would that be? How would it affect your thoughts, your behavior and your everyday life?
We've all heard the phrase, you're making mountains out of molehills, which of course means, you're making something out to be bigger than it really is. When you're a codependent, or have low self-esteem, you have a tendency to do the opposite and dismiss big, important issues as unimportant or insignificant.


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Q: How to get data and store it with Boomi? I'm using Dell Boomi to send Data from a XML file to a MSSQL Database.
I have a XML file filled with data that needs to go to two different tables in my DB.
The problem is that the second table has a column called containerID, that takes the ID from the first table. But the ID is random generated by the DB.
I tried mapping the xml data to the first table, inserting it to the DB and then started a second process taking the ID of that table, but I don't know how to only store this id information and map it later together with the xml file.
What is the best way to do this?

A: I believe using two data operations is the simple answer. Your first data operation query should return last inserted id. ref Return value after INSERT
Using Message shape you can modify the Current Data returned from first DB operation
and use that in your second DB operation.
You can get more help from this official article

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Ransomware remains as one of the most brutal infection among the malware family that locks your computer or encrypts your files. What more, once infected you cannot get your data back unless you pay a ransom. Even if you decide to pay, there is no guarantee that you'll get your data back. International software security group, Kaspersky Lab, runs a website, NoRansom which lists Ransomware decrypter tools to help those who are infected.
This website was launched last year with Kaspersky joining forces with Dutch law enforcement to help victims of CoinVault ransomware restore access to their data. Subsequently, the website has been updated with other free Decrypter tools for victims of deadly Cryptors such as TeslaCrypt, CryptXXX, and more.
If you are infected with a Ransomware or looking at a source to help in case you land in such a situation, you can visit the NoRansom website to find out if they have released a Decrypter tool. Kaspersky has also provided easy-to-understand information on How to restore files, to assist you to decrypt the data.
WildfireDecryptor tool to decrypt files affected by Wildfire.
ShadeDecryptor tool to decrypt files affected by Shade version 1 and version 2.
RakhniDecryptor tool to decrypt files affected by Rakhni, Agent.iih, Aura, Autoit, Pletor, Rotor, Lamer, Lortok, Cryptokluchen, Democry, Bitman (TeslaCrypt) version 3 and 4, Chimera.
RannohDecryptor tool to decrypt files affected by Rannoh, AutoIt, Fury, Crybola, Cryakl, CryptXXX versions 1 and 2 (files encrypted by Trojan-Ransom.Win32.CryptXXX version 3 are detected, but not decrypted).
XoristDecryptor tool to decrypt files affected by Xorist and Vandev.
We expect more tools to be added by Kaspersky in the future. Make sure you remove the malware from your system before using any of the above Decrypter tool else it will repeatedly lock your system or encrypt files.
Click here to visit NoRansom.
PS: It's always recommended that you protect yourself from Ransomware infection by creating backups and using a free anti-ransomware software. However, if you still get infected then instead of paying Ransom you may try and see if any of these free Ransomware Decrypter tools can help retrieve your data.


Showcasing the very best of Royal Museums Greenwich's collection of First and Second World War art, this new programme of displays in the Queen's House includes visually arresting and moving portraits, battle scenes, and depictions of everyday life during conflict, by artists including: Leslie Cole, Eric Ravilious, Richard Eurich, Norman Wilkinson, Stephen Bone, William Dring, John Worsley, Gladys E Reed, John Kingsley Cook and Charles Wheeler.
Charged with the task of revealing a 'truth' that went beyond the simple recording of events, official war art served the purposes of commemoration, instruction, documentation and propaganda as well as raising morale at home and on the front line. These four rooms examine the home front, action at sea, life above and below deck and the faces of war though exemplary works by Eurich, Wilkinson, Bone and Wheeler, among others. The paintings explore unusual viewpoints and poignant stories, taking the visitor from Everett's dramatic depiction of a convoy of merchant ships in 1918, to Bone's impressionistic eyewitness portrayal of the Allied Landings in Normandy in 1944. Other images reveal the faces and day-to-day lives of those at war from intimate snapshots of life on-board submarines, to moving posthumous portraits of Victoria Cross holders.
Two rooms are devoted to sketches, pastels and watercolours, all of which tell a personal story of war. William Dring was a portraitist and an official war artist to the Admiralty and Air Ministry; his works predominantly in pastel captured the faces of distinguished war heroes and young naval servicemen with the same psychological intensity. The highly talented but as yet unknown Gladys E Reed provides a contrast to the well-documented Dring, and her intimate sketches, made throughout her service as a Wren on her 'off-watch' time reveal what life was like for women working during the war.
Works by Worsley and Cook represent their shared but very different experiences of life in prisoner-of-war camps and on-board ships. John Worsley was the youngest official war artist in the Royal Navy, but his confidence shines through the vivid watercolours and illustrations of his time spent in captivity in a naval officers' prisoner-of-war camp in Germany. John Kingsley Cook was not an official war artist, but his championing of the merchant navy is depicted through on-the-spot sketches, contemporary to the events he experienced, as well as retrospective drawings made from memory.
The themes of Modern British Art and the War at Sea make up the focus of two rooms displaying works by First and Second World War artists. The first room is devoted to John Everett, an official First World War artist and a practical deep-water sailor. Everett's work showcases his interest in, and interpretation of, the military's use of 'dazzle' - a colourful camouflaging technique used to disguise ships. At his death in 1949, he bequeathed all remaining maritime works in his possession to the National Maritime Museum which holds the most important collection of his paintings and works on paper in the world. The second room concentrates on Second World War artists' responses to modernity, among them Eric Ravilious, one of the few official war artists to be killed whilst on duty. Ravilious was inspired by themes of art and industry, shown in the exhibition through a selection of sketches and prints, including his striking Submarine Series. Other Second World War artists featured include Stephen Bone, Barnett Freedman, Roland Pitchforth and Thomas Hennell.


Some consumers incorrectly think that a bankruptcy pretty much ruins their credit profile for the long haul. And while a bankruptcy filing does in fact damage a credit profile the fact is it's less of a long term impact than one might think. Don't misinterpret here, a bankruptcy filing does severely damage a credit history but it's not the end of the world. A bankruptcy is typically the result of some sort of life-changing event such as an extended illness and unable to work, a divorce or a death in the family. An extended layoff can also contribute but whatever the cause many find financial relief with a bankruptcy filing and gives them time to get back on their feet and right their financial ship.
There are two types of bankruptcy filings for individuals, a Chapter 7 and a Chapter 13. A chapter 7 filing is a complete discharge of all dischargeable debts. Such debts are installment loans and credit cards, for example. There are certain types of debt that cannot be discharged such as taxes, spousal or child support and student loans for example. A chapter 13 filing does not wipe away dischargeable debt but instead sets up a repayment plan where the outstanding debts are paid off in monthly installments.
With a chapter 13, the consumer presents all outstanding debt to a bankruptcy court and with legal assistance prepares a repayment plan that will pay the outstanding debt over a period from three to five years. The creditors who are claim outstanding debts owed to them must approve the repayment plan in addition to the court's approval. A trustee is then assigned to oversee the bankruptcy petition including making sure the consumer provides all the necessary financial information. Once the plan is approved, repayments begin.
While it's true that bankruptcy filings are a public record and remain on the credit report for up to 10 years, that doesn't mean someone has to wait that long before getting a mortgage. In fact, for FHA loans, the waiting period to obtain a home loan is 24 months, not 10 years. But there are a few caveats that must be addressed. It's important to note that the Department of Housing and Urban Development, or HUD, does not require any waiting period whatsoever, but individual lenders can and do.
A lender can evaluate an FHA loan application that has a recent Chapter 13 filing and review recent credit patterns. It's also important to have the consumers explain how they got into financial straits and why the bankruptcy filing was the only option. Typically this means providing copies of medical bills, unemployment compensation or other third party documentation that would provide grounds the situations causing the filing was out of the consumer's control.
Today, mortgage loan applications are submitted and approved electronically. A consumer fills out an online application or completes an application in the presence of a loan officer. The loan officer then uploads the electronic file for an approval. The approval process is almost instantaneous and reviews FHA loan requirements and compares them with what appears on the application including income, assets, employment history and other important factors. Credit scores are also evaluated. Yet in the event of a recent Chapter 13 discharge, where the repayment plan was completed successfully, the lender will manually underwrite the loan and not submit the electronic file. When a loan file is manually underwritten it is up to the lender's discretion whether an FHA loan merits an approval.
Once the borrowers provide evidence the circumstances leading up to the filing was out of their control, the lender wants to see a perfect credit history since the filing. This means timely payments under the Chapter 13 repayment plan. Rental or mortgage history over the previous 24 months will be reviewed. The lender wants to see other positive factors in the file that will warrant an approval. For example, someone who has been at the same job for 10 years is a positive factor. So too can a higher down payment than the minimum 3.5% FHA requires. These positives are referred to as "compensating factors" and weigh heavily on the lender's decision.
Okay, but what if someone is currently in a Chapter 13 repayment plan, must that individual wait until the bankruptcy has been discharged and the repayment plan successfully retired? FHA guidelines do make an allowance for someone currently in a Chapter 13 as long as there has been one year passed since the filing. But again, this will take some documentation on the borrower's part to convince the trustee to accept the purchase. Before an FHA loan can be approved after just one year, the trustee has to give the okay.
The most important factor will be timely payments made, especially as it relates to the repayments. If there is just one payment made over the previous 12 months more than 30 days past the due date, the lender won't approve the loan.
Current rental payments will also be verified with copies of cancelled checks showing timely rent made over the past year. And this is key here, a rental history must be verified. Many who experience such financial stress might seek the shelter of living with a family member rent-free while their credit is being repaired. However, lenders want to see a verified rental history and living rent-free, however short the period, does not fulfill the 12-month rental history requirement.
The minimum credit score must be 580 and if there are two borrowers on the application, the lowest of the two scores will be the qualifying score. Any other credit accounts opened and used over the past year must also show a timely history. It cannot be stressed enough that just one credit "hiccup" can derail an FHA loan application while currently in Chapter 13 repayment period.
There are several hurdles that must be met in order to get an FHA loan during or after a Chapter 13 and many borrowers aren't ready to jump back into homeownership so soon. Yet for those that do want to own again and begin rebuilding their credit history, they can do so with an FHA loan sooner than they might have thought.


Legislation in Bulgaria has been aligned with EU legislation to ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and capital.
Business isn't as easy in some countries as it is here in the UK. You need to be aware of the cultural and legal implications of your business operations in Bulgaria, because you could face heavy punishment for transgressing.
It is therefore important to acclimatise yourself with the law. There will be many legalities that you will have to adhere to, and you may even find that some laws you are familiar with here in the UK are no longer applicable. Likewise, you may find some new laws which strike you as strange or even oppressive.
The body of laws, administrative rulings, and precedents which oversees the legal rights of, and restrictions on, employees and their organisations in Bulgaria. This will include things such as minimum wage in Bulgaria, holiday and maternity entitlement, ergonomics, trade unions, disability, etc.
The body of laws which oversee business and commercial activity in Bulgaria. It may encompass such areas as principal and agent; freight and shipping; guarantee; marine, fire, life and accident insurance; bills of exchange and partnership; contracts; food and health regulations; safety laws; privacy rights; copyrights; trademarks; etc.
The body of law that oversees society in Bulgaria. It is invariably culture specific. It is important to familiarise yourself with these laws, especially as you will be adopting a new environment and culture.


Metadata lurks in every electronic document, message or post each of us creates and edits - and in every platform and device we use. Whether or not they are litigators, all law department and law firm attorneys and clients are susceptible to breach of confidentiality and malpractice traps. Counsel can protect law firms, law departments, clients and others by avoiding common but critical mistakes as to track changes, PDF conversions, redaction and electronic discovery. Attend this live webinar to learn from an expert how to do your best to eliminate the malpractice, ethical and other risks arising from confidential metadata in word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and PDF files. You will find out how, whenever appropriate, to render your electronic documents metadata-free, the do's and don'ts of electronic redaction and how to warn your colleagues, staff and clients about: the mobile gap; location-tracking; and the accidental cloud (à la Petraeus/Broadwell). You will also gain insight into dealing with opposing counsel's and adverse parties' metadata that has fallen into your lap, and into navigating potential discoverability in litigation of metadata in client-created electronic documents.
This webinar and the accompanying software demos will be displayed for attendees directly from the presenter's computer desktop - via the interactive component of GoToWebinar®, for which Lorman will provide access and installation instructions in advance. This will be the best way to follow along with the program and a link will be provided for you prior to the program date.


Startups are but one species in a complex regulatory and public policy ecosystem. This ecosystem is larger and more powerfully dynamic than many founders appreciate, with distinct yet overlapping laws at the federal, state and local/ city levels, all set against a vast array of public and private interests. Where startup founders ensure opportunity for interruption in regulated marketplaces, lawyers attorney prudence: regulations exist to promote certain strongly-held public policy objectives which( unlike your startup's business model) carry the force of law.
Although the canonical "ask forgiveness and not permission" approach taken a number of Airbnb and Uber circa 2009 might lead founders to conclude it is strategically acceptable to "move fast and break things"( including the law ), don't lose sight of the resulting suits and enforcement actions. If you seem closely at Airbnb and Uber today, each have devoted immense resources to building regulatory and policy squads, lobbying, public relations, defending suits, while increasingly looking to work within the law rather than outside it- not to mention, in the case of Uber, a change in leadership as well.
Indeed, more recently, examples of founders and startups running into serious regulatory issues are platitude: whether in healthcare, where CEO/ Co-founder Conrad Parker was forced to resign from Zenefits and later fined approximately $500 K; in the securities registration arena, where cryptocurrency startups Airfox and Paragon have each been fined $250 K and further could be required to return to investors the millions raised through their respective ICOs; in the social media and privacy realm, where TikTok was recently fined $5.7 million for infringing COPPA, or in the antitrust context, where tech giant Google is facing billions in penalties from the EU.
Suffice it to say, regulation is not a low-stakes table game. In 2017 alone, according to Duff and Phelps, US fiscal regulators levied $24.4 billion in penalties against companies and another $621.3 million against people. Particularly in today's highly competitive business scenery, even if your startup can financially absorb the fines for non-compliance, the additional stress and distraction for your squad may still inflict serious injury, if not an outright death-blow.
The best style to avoid regulatory setbacks is to first understand relevant regulations and work to develop compliant policies and business practices from the beginning. This article represents a step in that direction, the fifth and final installment in Extra Crunch's exclusive "Startup Law A to Z" series, following previous articles on corporate matters, intellectual property( IP ), customer contracts and employment statute.
Given the breadth of activities subject to regulation, however, and the many corresponding regulations across federal, country, and municipal levels , no analysis of any particular regulatory framework would be sufficiently complete here. Instead, the purpose of this article is to provide founders a 30,000 -foot view across several dozen applicable laws in key regulatory areas, providing a "lay of the land" such that with some additional navigation and guidance, an optimal course may be charted.
The regulatory areas highlighted here include:( a) Taxes;( b) Securities;( c) Job;( d) Privacy;( e) Antitrust;( f) Ad, Commerce and Telecommunications;( g) Intellectual Property;( h) Financial Services and Insurance; and finally( i) Transportation, Health and Safety.
Of course, some regulations may touch on multiple regulatory regions, for example, the "Fair Credit Reporting Act" is a law ultimately about privacy, but it impacts many financial and employment-related services as well. Certain statutes may therefore be cross-listed in more than one regulatory region. Also, since we can't look at every U.S. state and city, this article will focus primarily on the federal and California state laws.
After you focus on the particular regulatory areas that may implicate your business, next reference the short quotations and links to relevant primary and secondary sources below, then work to identify the specific compliance dangers you face. This is where other Extra Crunch resources can help. For example, the Verified Experts of Extra Crunch include some of the most experienced and skilled startup lawyers in practice today. Use these profiles to identify lawyers who are focused on serving companies at your particular stage and then seek out any further guidance you need to address the regulatory matters pertinent to your startup.
Before diving into further detail, it may be helpful for some readers to note the distinction between a statute and a regulation. Simply put, regulations offer more detailed direction on how certain statutes should be followed. So regulations are not technically statutes, but they carry the force of statute( including penalties for violation ), since they are adopted by governmental agencies under authority granted by ordinance. Beyond that, understanding how laws and regulations are actually legislated is helpful to illustrate the extent to which the process is politically driven.
In the U.S ., a bill are required to pass both legislative branches of government, then, if signed by the executive branch, it will be codified in ordinance as law( Schoolhouse Rock anyone ? ). Once codified, the legislative branch will approve the relevant executive department or agency to determine whether specific regulations are necessary to give the law impact. If so, those executive departments or bureaux will determine what further regulations are needed, and in turn, work to enforce them.
At the federal level, for example, proposed regulations are developed first through a "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, " listed in the Federal Register and filed in the corresponding executive agency's official docket( available at Regulations.gov ). This affords the public an opportunity to comment on the regulations. After receiving comments, the filing bureau may revise the proposed regulation before final regulations are issued, which again will be published in the Federal Register and then filed under the agency's official docket at Regulations.gov, before they are codified in the Code of Federal Regulations( CFR ).
At nearly every step in this process then, institutions, government, and interest group are running- sometimes at cross purposes- to shape what the law will be and how it will impact your startup.


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In warehouse crackdown, LA says it wants to protect tenants
Some artists fear the city will overreach in efforts to bring unpermitted warehouses up to code
By Jenna Chandler@jennakchandler Dec 15, 2016, 2:32pm PST
Workers in a bucket are raised by a crane at the site of a warehouse fire that has claimed the lives of at least thirty-six people on December 5, 2016 in Oakland, California.
The Los Angeles Times has the first look at what an "aggressive" crackdown on warehouses illegally converted into housing and hubs for artists in LA might look like.
Spurred into action by the deadly Oakland warehouse fire, Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer met recently with city officials to talk enforcement options. He told the Times the details are still being worked out, but new rules would target property owners—not tenants.
According to the Times, city officials want to make sure tenants are notified when a building is in violation of building and safety codes and that property owners are "responsible for relocating unlawful residents." The newspaper indicates that might include paying for relocating tenants.
Artists have feared increased scrutiny and regulations designed to protect tenants in alternative venues will backfire by leading, for example, to increased rents.
In the one of the priciest cities in the country and in the midst of an affordable housing crisis, LA artists have found safe havens in places such as Lucky Cat Lab, which the San Jose Mercury News describes as an East Los Angeles foundry turned work space for artists who pay $400 to $800 per month. Its founder, Liana Bandziulis, a 25-year-old photographer, told the Mercury News she's worried officials will overreach.
"I just really hope that people in my position take a good long look at their buildings and deal with it, and I hope that legislators not only enforce regulations, but ask, why did this happen?" Bandziulis told the Mercury News. "Maybe we're missing rules, but we're also missing support."
Echo Park Records owner Alexis Rivera told KPCC that Los Angeles should follow Oakland's lead. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf has pledged $1.7 million to housing for artists. Some of that money will be used to purchase new properties that will be leased below market rates to local artists, according to SF Gate.
"The arts are at the center of vibrant and diverse communities, and are critical to neighborhood health and well-being, yet artists and cultural organizations are increasingly vulnerable to instability and displacement," Schaaf said in a statement.
L.A.'s warehouse crackdown will target owners, not tenants, city attorney says [LA Times]
After Oakland warehouse fire, LA to crack down on unpermitted dwellings [Curbed LA]
LA artist colonies brace for safety backlash from Oakland's tragic Ghost Ship warehouse fire [San Jose Mercury News]
Oakland mayor announces grant to help artists [SF Gate]
How L.A.'s Richest Neighborhood Tried to Stop a Black Lives Matter Protest
How to Bribe a Los Angeles Lawmaker
Black Lives Matter Organizers Share How Defunding Police Could Fund a Better L.A.
L.A.'s Homeless Population Grew 13 Percent Since Last Year's Count — and Is Likely Already Worse
What L.A. could do with its $1.8 billion police budget
Los Angeles wants to help pay your rent


Takako meditated with Aoi and talked. I ran aside and slept on the ground and on a tree. The season advanced like the original world, and winter was approaching.
Takako noticed that white hair like fluff was mixed among the hair of the whole body, the black hair of the summer. Aoi 's whole body is beginning to mix pure white hair. From a distance perspective, it is changing from black to gray.
"This white hair is winter hair, the whole body will be covered with white fur soon, it will be very warm hair, sleeping even in the snow," Aoi said.
Takako stroked the soft hair around her belly. I thought it was like wool. It's an animal's winter hair. "It's warm, although the limbs are a bit cold, but my chest and stomach are cheerful."
"The human body is warm, has heat, energy of heat, activity in the body keeps the body living regardless of intention.The hair grows unconsciously to live also to live The body is reacting, "Aoi said.
"The body of a beast really is like a wildlife"
"I guess you also have a lot of wild remnants in the human body.I think that it was a nail, a cuspid tooth or a cocoon, etc. It seems that the upright biped walking was a division between animals and humans, no one answered about it Human beings who walked upright biped changed the view and feel of the world.The brain has also developed.These things saw not only the information but also the story there I found a story about the scenery, my friends and myself.The emotions became enriched and creativity was born.To create a tool and pursue that possibility.The tool is a form of a dream and hope.The substance I think that it was born in the beginning.I think that it was "tool" at the beginning.It is convenient thing to do something.It is much easier to do than doing without doing anything.It comes from nature at first It was a stick, a stone or such. Or beginning to processing it, I think the emergence of. Creativity to change the easy form to do more, to Toka chimpanzees and gorillas, but I think there is some individuals, maybe not. "
The other animals "I think that the story is going down a bit again, I think I was talking about 'tools', but as it is, it seems to be a story of" creativity "
"Yes, surely now I was thinking only about" creativity. "I really forgot about just a little while living in" Now "," creativity "changed" material "," substance "Creativity" also draws dreams and hopes, perhaps it may be "creativity." I think that it was good among the tools, because the human being is the subject But when "tool" came to the highest value of value, I think that the world is the world that "substance" is the subject of the world.The human being is swallowed by the system to get it.The spiritual world, It is the same as there is no longer, non scientific things are being driven to somewhere. "
While speaking, Aoi looked up at the sky from time to time. "But the sky is shining in the same way all the time, while showing the facets of every season"
Takako nodded in Aoi 's words and looked at the sky in the same way. And suddenly I thought of the world in which the reality came. Buildings stand side by side, cars are in and around, the world full of "material". There is something nostalgic in that world.
"I have been in here for quite a while now, even if I can return to the same time as I came, the sense seems to be familiar to this world if I am too long, I feel like I will not be familiar with the original world well "Takako said.
"Well, you might as well go back soon," Aoi said.
"I think that I like this world very much, although it is far from the common sense of the original world, I feel it is very simple to live and live"
"I think I already know, but it is possible to live simple and fun even in your world, it depends on your mind and consciousness."
"In your world there was a man called Buddha more than two thousand years ago, it is a human being awakened," Aoi said.
"I think that there was a document called saddle that the disciples left behind."
"There are many people who have woken up in your world, both in the past and now, Buddha realized that I was an avatar, and that consciousness was spreading to the universe and I realized it was the universe itself Man keeps advancing in the infinitely spreading consciousness over time.While getting the freedom of "choosing." There is a choice for every step.The choice is usually done almost unconsciously Because I can not be conscious of "choice" instantly. "
"I think that 'selection' is certainly done unconsciously, and I think that 'choice' is often influenced by daily habits, even in the rest of the phase.
"To live happily simply and simply," Choose the best way "every moment, until it becomes unconscious"
"What does that mean? Is it meant to live an instant for the best?"
"Well, it's such a feeling." Make "thinking" and "behavior" the "best thinking and action." Always keep positive and constantly take action before your eyes as the best action, It will be "the best reality"
"Is it the reality you desire?"
"Shed time towards the reality we want, time can not be stopped, we can change the flow, that ability is all human, and" choice "gains freedom for that You choose "choice" yourself, you always choose the last in any situation, even if you force you to do something.
"Even if you are forced to do something, you are choosing to do"
"It is yourself to choose the reality you want, so positive is very important, if you thought that" such a reality can not come ", you are" choosing "that person I can not be confident about my ability and strength.I can not believe that consciousness is spreading to the universe and what I can do for the future that wants the future I can not change my fate and I can not change the reality And my wish is always fulfilled, "thinking" is connected to reality as it is "as a wish"
"Is negative thinking reflected in reality?"
"It's such a thing, to keep positive with the bottomless adversity, it is important to notice the possibility of that person, any situation, any situation, there is the power to change it. Human energy is united with the universe "Thinking" moves the universe and creates reality "
"Our future may be in a crisis situation, as the rock human beings of this world have stalled, humans dominate people and nature and destroy it, create a sustainable system We admit the highest value to substances, which surely comes to an end to such a world, is that we can change that reality? "
"You also know the Beatles"
"Of course I know ... I think that John Lennon was awakening, the movement of music and art of that era is also said to be a flower movement.The students who were aimed at the muzzle by the police, Love and peace, awakening has started from the contemporary civilization. "
"It seems that young people were connected by art across races and national borders, the movement spreading to the world, the influence seems to remain," Takako said.
Aoi and Takako came back to the base of Oyama where they were originally.
"Here is the place where you guys' house in your world," Aoi said.
Pots and mirrors were standing in the meadow. It feels very heterogeneous.
"This is the place of our facility in the world, I feel like returning very much when I come here, I am worried about my children, I have already left a lot," Takako said.
"Okay, the original world has not advanced a second, I will return you on that time axis," Aoi said. "Try to stand in front of a mirror"
Takako stood in front of the mirror and reflected his whole body. There was a beast whose white winter hair began to mix. When I looked closely, the figure was a wild animals themselves.
"What is this fang and sharp nail for?"
"To protect yourself, humans are also hunted by carnivores, not elevated consumers in the ecosystem.In wolves and birds of prey, they are hunters, we are prey." < br> "Wolf is alive, it has been extinct in Japan"
"Another natural creature plays a necessary role for the natural ecosystem, but the wolf has become extinct even in this world, but the wolf here evolved from the dog," Aoi said.
"I am sorry a little, but will he come again?"
"If you wish, I will always be in your unconsciousness and in the sky, I will pick you up again if I wish in front of a mirror."
"Thank you, I will go back to my world, and I will manage to live my own way. With children"
"It will be a good future, A surely," Aoi said.
Takako offered his hand to the mirror. My fingertips stepped in in the mirror. Takako turned over again. "Aki, I am very happy to meet you, please look at me forever."
"Sapo, we will be together forever, do not forget," Aki said.
Takako waved his hand and went into the mirror.
As I passed through the mirror, it was a room of a facility like a ruin. All the furniture seemed to be brought out, and nothing remained. Broken pieces of the window glass were scattered on the floor, with mud attached.
The sun is plugged from a broken glass window.
The area was very quiet. A bird flew and stopped at broken glass fragments of the window frame, after a while looking through the room, it fluttered and flew away.
"The original world has not advanced for a second, I will bring you back on that time axis," Aoi said.
Sapo thought, "Is this my world?"
I saw white clouds from the window.


text:
Welcome... your bill is ready
More hospitals informing patients of payment due, during and even before they begin their stay
Melanie Evans
Patricia Hanley, right, an admitting representative at NYU Langone Medical Center, reviews an estimate the patient received and provides financial consultation prior to the scheduled procedure.
Hospitals are increasingly contacting patients with scheduled procedures about their medical bills—and when the patients will be able to pay them—before or during a hospital visit.
Estimating what patients may owe for a scheduled surgery or procedure has grown more common and sophisticated as employers and insurance plans shift a greater share of medical costs to patients through higher deductibles or other out-of-pocket costs. The practice, hospital executives say, allows patients with scheduled procedures to comparison-shop and consider their options. It also can help prevent sticker shock after treatment and allows hospitals to more quickly identify patients who qualify for financial assistance, they say.
But the practice, which does not include urgent or emergent care, also relies on estimates that can change significantly once patients receive treatment, which can leave patients and their families irate.
Efforts to collect some or all of those estimated bills in advance of scheduled treatment have also increased.
Hospital executives say collecting bills before a patient arrives or before they go home has proven more successful and less expensive than sending a bill after the fact.
"We can always collect on the way in or the way out," says Barbara Tapscott, vice president of revenue management at Geisinger Health System, which began five years ago to give patients an estimated bill ahead of a hospital stay.
Geisinger, based in Danville, Pa., contacts scheduled patients about estimated out-of-pocket costs before they arrive at the hospital, but also approaches hospitalized patients about their medical bills. Not all hospitalized patients, because of their condition, are able to meet with Geisinger's billing staff, but patients might be approached with physician approval, she says.
Some hospitals seek to reschedule patients who do not pay. That leaves patients' doctors to make the final call whether the procedure can be put off until the patient pays.
Hospital billing, a political flash point for years, was recently back in the news after Minnesota's attorney general released an investigation of a billing and collection company hired by a Twin Cities health system. The report, and a subsequent lawsuit, alleged the company violated patient privacy and consumer protection laws. Accretive Health, which settled with the attorney general and agreed not to do business in Minnesota for two years, denies the allegations.
Fairview Health Services risked losing its contract with Medicare at one hospital over billing violations that primarily focused on patients in the emergency room, where federal law requires hospitals to screen and stabilize patients before seeking payment. But two of the violations that threatened the University of Minnesota Medical Center-Fairview's Medicare contract were related to a patient with a scheduled surgery in 2011 who was asked before his operation to pay coinsurance of $10,000.
Violations addressed
Fairview successfully addressed the violations—one for failure to follow its grievance procedure and another for failure to ensure patients are free from all forms of harassment—but the system declined to say how. "Fairview is not answering questions about specific patients," a spokeswoman says in an e-mail. Fairview provides estimates for certain scheduled surgery and radiology patients, but does not always require pre-payment; the uninsured may be required to make a deposit, she says. Patients can request an estimate for any procedure.
Patients' rising financial burden has prompted more conversations between the billing office and physicians at Banner Health.
Jeni Erikson, Arizona senior director for patient financial services for Phoenix-based Banner, says the system consults doctors and the hospital chief medical officer to determine if a patient's condition is elective or emergent. Elective procedures may be rescheduled for patients who don't make an upfront payment.
"We don't determine it based solely on their ability to pay," she says.
The size of deductibles has increased in recent years, and a larger percentage of patients are seeing those higher deductibles.
Health plans with deductibles of $1,000 or more have grown increasingly common. More than one-quarter of those insured with single coverage through their workplaces this year now have plans with a deductible at least that high, according to data from Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research & Educational Trust. That's compared with 6% of workers six years ago (see chart, at left).
The share of the workforce covered by high-deductible plans with a savings option has also increased during that time to 19% from 4%. The average deductible for single coverage this year totaled $2,086, an increase of 22% from 2006, according to the Kaiser/HRET survey.
Erikson says patients who have more time to respond to a payment request are more likely to pay. "They have time to think about it," she says. So Banner Health seeks to contact patients, when possible, at least five days ahead of a scheduled procedure.
"We do not want to reschedule a patient," she says. "It's part of patient satisfaction. We want to make sure they have the test that their physicians order for them."
Executives at the Laurens County Health Care System, which has a 73-bed hospital in Clinton, S.C., started to ask doctors two years ago to consider whether procedures could be rescheduled when patients refuse to provide upfront payment.
Gary Morris, director of patient financial services for the rural hospital, said in a May interview that the hospital did so as more patients arrived at the facility without insurance. The government-owned hospital is in a county heavily dependent on the auto industry, according to records provided to bond investors.
Morris says the hospital asks all scheduled patients, uninsured and insured, for a deposit on their out-of-pocket costs. If doctors determine treatment is elective, not urgent, Morris says the hospital approaches a patient about rescheduling until they can make the deposit.
Hospital staff carefully distinguish that it's the patient's choice—not the hospital or doctor—to postpone treatment until they have the means to pay. "It's kind of a soft sell," he says. Patients are not forced to reschedule, he says.
Morris says he received no complaints over the policy, however a few patients have walked out. Doctors have adapted to the policy by preemptively marking procedures as urgent, he says. The rescheduling policy applies only to services that are deemed nonurgent or nonemergencies.
"We are not trying to run people off," Morris says. "We want their business, but we want also to be paid for our business."
Fewer surprises, more cash
Centura Health in 2009 overhauled its efforts to give patients an estimate of costs and collect some of the amount ahead of their hospital stay.
"We knew where the market was headed," says Colette Pierz, Centura's director of business operations and revenue management. Rising deductibles and patients' higher out-of-pocket costs prompted the move, she says. Patients are now better informed, and the hospital system, based in Englewood, Colo., has a better chance of collecting ahead of treatment rather than after the fact, she says.
Centura will seek to increase its upfront collections in 2013 to total 1.5% of its net patient revenue, up from 1% in 2010, she says.
The system seeks to collect at least half of patients' estimated costs ahead of treatment and offers payment plans for patients unable to pay, she says. Whether to reschedule treatment for patients who do not pay is made by each hospital after consultation with the patient's physician.
In New York City, NYU Langone Medical Center first began more than a decade ago to estimate medical bills for patients ahead of a scheduled hospital visit.
Debra Menaker, the hospital's senior director of revenue cycle operations, says the practice may not always be perceived as a service, but patients often do not fully understand their insurance benefits—and financial liabilities—until they are contacted by the hospital.
"It's kind of a reality check," she says. An upfront estimate helps to avoid surprises, she adds. "None of us like a menu with no prices. That makes people uncomfortable."
Early bill estimates also allow patients who need an elective procedure to consider their options "about where to go or what to do," she says.
NYU Langone provides an estimate to expecting parents one month prior to their due date. Patients with a scheduled surgery or admission will get a bill within days of scheduling; how much time in advance of the visit depends on how far out the surgery or hospital stay is scheduled.
"We make every effort to work with the patient to make sure that it's manageable and so there are no surprises," she says.
Meanwhile, the system spends less on bill collection and boosts its cash flow by providing patients with early estimates.
Menaker says patients who pay in advance no longer have to worry about the bill as they recover or as they care for a newborn. "It's one less thing you have to worry about," she says.
The system will not turn away expectant parents who cannot pay, she says. Once a woman goes into labor, her condition is considered emergent. Delivery is "scheduled, but not elective," Menaker says.
Holland (Mich.) Hospital provides the amount it will charge for a procedure to patients who request the information within 24 hours.
The 130-bed hospital has begun to adopt electronic insurance verification that will eventually include its scheduled services, says Julie Zukowski, director of patient financial affairs for the hospital.
When that happens, Zukowski says, the hospital will start contacting scheduled patients with an out-of-pocket estimate ahead of their visit. Zukowski says Holland Hospital will also seek to collect the amount, but won't reschedule if patients do not pay upfront.
Holland Hospital officials are aware that consumers who are now shouldering more of their medical costs are looking for price information, and other hospitals have, for example, made estimates available online.
"I know the industry is going that way," she says.
Hospitals that do provide a price quote often struggle to convey to patients that the cost might change, says James Logsdon, vice president of revenue-cycle operations and strategic revenue services for Texas Health Resources, based in Arlington.
"We're trying to make something a science that just isn't a science," he says. Unlike buying a lawn mower, the price for medical care can change by checkout.
The health system, which includes 14 hospitals, contracted with a company in January 2011 to replace a request for a deposit based on patients' insurance benefits with a more sophisticated estimate of out-of-pocket costs.
Logsdon called the deposit figure "crude" and says the new estimates are better, but still limited by the timeliness and accuracy of patients' insurance information and the unpredictable nature of medical care. Doctors may perform additional or alternative procedures compared with the services the estimate was based on, he says.
One-third are 98% accurate
In 1 in 3 cases at Texas Health Resources, doctors perform the same services included in the original order and price estimate, he says. In those cases, estimates are 98% accurate, he says. For the remaining two-thirds of patients, the final bill varies from the estimate by at least 10%, he says.
And patients who may be pleased to be informed upfront about costs can be hugely dissatisfied when the final bills are significantly higher, Logsdon says. Many in the industry are interested in how to improve estimates, he says. "Everybody is struggling with this."
Nonetheless, as more patients are grappling with higher out-of-pocket costs, they have begun to shop around for the best price, he says.
"The market kind of drove us there," he says.
Health systems also are promoting more engaged patients and consumers. "We're trying to encourage patients to be better shoppers, to be better consumers, to take responsibility for their health and their health dollars," he says.
Texas Health Resources is seeking to be competitive in that marketplace. The system's average charges for common inpatient services are listed online by the Texas Hospital Association. "We want them to have resources to do shopping."
TAKEAWAY: Hospital policies vary widely on how much payment is expected upfront from patients scheduling nonurgent procedures and what the consequences might be if payment isn't made.