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Alumni, Entrepreneurship
The Making of a Superhero at Draper University
Alumni Post written by Niti Shree of Draper University Summer 2015
I have always been a risk-taker and a confident individual. I always took the road less traveled in my personal and professional journey. But, I never considered myself as a person who could do anything without any fear or self-doubt until the Draper University experience happened to me.
This story is the compilation of the realizations of my powers and unleashing of the Superhero within me.
Fail and fail again
In almost all the competitions, my team came last or got special mention points. In the societal norms, I should be sad, disheartened or give up in such situations. We often just quote " Failures as stepping stone for success" in theory. But, at Draper University I learned to celebrate failures, improvise and move on.
Mind over body
I always considered myself as a physically weak person. Even though I am normally a "Say yes!" person, I couldn't break the block of wood with my bare hand in first attempt. It took me five attempts to break that wood. That "proving myself wrong" feeling after breaking was amazing. I learned the power of your mind can get anything done from you.
Exploring the world with Gusto and Enthusiasm
In our day-to-day life as we grow up, we stop feeling excited about the new activities or challenges. I became one in someway. Draper University's experience taught me that no matter how much you have grown up, keep the excitement alive in you.
The first step towards creation is observing
We live in a technology-led world and we become so used to such a life. We forget to pay attention to things around us. We are able to fly today because some entrepreneur built the aeroplane, we are able to talk to our loved ones on the go because some entrepreneur created the mobile phone…what if these people would have just moved ahead without paying attention. I learned to observe things around me after surviving at Survival Week at Draper University.
It's often said that you become the average of the five people you spend the most time with. Your network shapes you. Alone you can only grow to a certain level. I can never forget the feeling of being nervous for the "Pitch Day" and my 68 friends cheering up for me. That feeling instills your belief in yourself and the work you are headed to do.
Be uncomfortable
The very first day Tim told us to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. We all have probably heard this quote "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone", but liitle we practice. During the entire program, we were uncomfortable — not knowing what's coming next and doing activities which you never even dreamt of.
Many times we don't try something new or don't do something because we are afraid of unknown or known factors. I swam for the first time, faced the mighty waves of Pacific ocean for the first time, making the first ever confident presentation…many more firsts. Conquering your fears is most powerful feeling which takes your confidence to whole new level.
Fun is the most important element of success which most of us forget. When working hard towards your goal people often believe that there is no scope of fun. That's wrong. The true entrepreneurial journey must have lots of Fun. It keeps the creative juices flowing in your brain.
…Apart from above, there were other learning aspects too during the program. But above all, its the realization of the Superhero within me. You will get to know about my heroic skills as I go ahead in my journey.
Tagged: Entrepreneurship Program, Entrepreneurship, Draper University, DU alumni
The Draper University Experience
Ever since the start of my entrepreneurial journey it's been a dream to visit Silicon Valley and witness its ecosystem first-hand.
Tagged: Startup Advice, Draper University, kairos society, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Program
Alumni, Curriculum, Draper Ecosystem, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Program, Residential Program, Startups, Student Perspective, Tim Draper
The New Student
About Draper University and Student Entrepreneur Opportunities:
Draper University, founded by famed venture capitalist Tim Draper, is focused on inspiring people and accelerating ideas by igniting the entrepreneurial spirit. To date, DU has over 305 alumni, with 185 companies, raising over $15,446,500 in venture financing. They're funded by some of the most prestigious investors including Marc Andreessen, Tim Draper and Marc Benioff.
Beyond fostering a community of diverse leaders who want to change the world, the program equips its students with the skills, access and resources available in Silicon Valley. DU teaches entrepreneurs how to build a startup from business plan to execution and in real-world, accelerated terms. Something very hard to find with collegiate programs and even internships. This concept of real world acceleration is at the heart of the program and its curriculum.
Each program lasts 7 weeks and students come to the live-in entrepreneurship program prepared for some intense schooling. The program culminates with "Demo Day", where the students present their ideas to a panel of technology luminaries and VCs and some even walk away with a deal and/or chance to incubate their idea at Hero City. Hero City is an entrepreneurial ecosystem that houses an incubator, eco-working space and offices of VC funds. The location is conveniently across the street from Draper University's main building.
Michael Lisovetsky's entrepreneurial journey started in the 6th grade when he and a friend created a website called HomeworkSwap.
Their goal wasn't to earn money but to avoid mindless schoolwork. The site did not take off nor did their next venture, a web hosting company that failed miserably, but it set the stage for Michael's next company FazeWire, which succeeded.
The aspiring young entrepreneur sold FazeWire while still in middle school, and, though the amount was small, Michael knew this was what wanted to do with his future—he was on the road to joining a growing group of young entrepreneurs.
After high school, Michael entered New York University in the fall of 2011. He quickly realized that traditional university courses were not doing much for him, but he knew a degree would prove credible to outsiders, which fueled his drive to succeed.
Enter Draper University
Michael found Draper U completely by accident. He attended a Wearable Tech conference where he met Draper alumni and founder of Q Bracelet and Q Designs, James Kernan. James told Michael about Draper U and since he thrives on serendipitous opportunities, he felt that Draper U was a no-brainer. NYU was put on hold while Michael attended Draper in the summer of 2014.
"At best, NYU spurred a path of self-education, in which I understood the fundamentals of finance from greats such as Benjamin Graham, Warren Buffett, and Charlie Munger," says Michael. "The $150k+ price tag on my education could've been funneled a lot more effectively towards practical learning, and Draper U is an excellent example of that..."
[Tweet ""I learned more about myself and the world in the 7 weeks at #DraperU than in 4 years of university""]
Michael and HomeSwipe came out on top, securing an angel investment from Tim Draper. Now HomeSwipe is rapidly approaching product/market fit. They are scaling to Chicago soon and flipping the switch to start generating revenue.
"It's been a complete whirlwind for us, and it feels great to be behind the controls of a rocket ship that's taking off," said Michael. "I recently pitched HomeSwipe at the VCIC Global Finals, and won the Startup of the Year award. Winning against entrepreneurs significantly older and more experienced was an extremely humbling experience.
At 22 years old, Michael is already equipped with the experience and knowledge he needs for his entrepreneurial future, and he has Draper University to thank for teaching him how to—in the words of Tim Draper—"explore the world with gusto and enthusiasm."
For the full article, read here.
Alumni, Curriculum, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Program, Student Perspective
The Case for a "Virtual Citizenship" for Silicon Valley
Edmilson, is the founder of the EdTech startup Edudream and alumnus of Draper University.
Once upon a time, in this very same galaxy...
The technology and Entrepreneurship community was shaken. Investors asked themselves: The VC Market is so hot right now... Where are the good entrepreneurs? How can we find the next big thing?
Meanwhile, I was just an average Latin American guy with a big passion for technology and Entrepreneurship. My heroes were Steve Jobs and Larry Page, just regular Joes (like me) who changed the world by developing a technology that spread like fire.
However, those stories were in the epicenter of the digital world: Silicon Valley.
Silicon Valley was a fantasy to me. Unreachable due to its high cost and my lack of connections in that world. Yet, just like the young Luke Skywalker, I dreamed of seeing the Galaxy.
My home city of Recife/Brazil is to Silicon Valley what Tatooine is to Coruscant in the Star Wars universe. We have a developing entrepreneurial ecosystem and an abundance of technical talent due to good universities. But in regard to opportunities for entrepreneurs and access to capital, we are just a big pile of sand.
But everything changed when The Force gave me access to an amazing opportunity: Draper University of Heroes.
There, I found everything I was looking for: knowledge, inspiration, networking and, most importantly, access to capital by receiving investment from Draper Associates. After graduation I felt like a Jedi and had wings to pursuit my full potential as an entrepreneur.
We incorporated in the USA to stay close to investors and clients, but our developing team is actually in Brazil, where our costs are 1/5 of that of Silicon Valley. We connect the best of both worlds: Investors, capital and clients from Silicon Valley and a brilliant, motivated and passioante team from Brazil (where the hiring costs are 1/5 of Silicon Valley´s). And guess what? We pay taxes in both countries, so we are helping to generate progress in both!
But put yourself in the shoes of a technology entrepreneur from a developing country for a minute: You are just a little nerd from a third world nation. You have an awesome idea, experience and a relentless determination to make it happen. But you have no money and no connections, there is no venture capital industry in your country and you have to work for a living while you see a great opportunity to loose its time to market.
Consider for example the case of one of our dreamers: Deborah is a BioMedicine PhD candidate from UFPE (my alma mater) who graduates in August 2015. Deborah has been researching about Cancer RNA markers for 4 years and developed a diagnostic system that is cheap and detects very early stage cancer cells. She was accepted at the MIT Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. From 60 thousands applicants, she was one of 50 selected! But she needs USD$10,000 to finance the tuition, airtickets and cost of living.
She might loose the opportunity to attend this amazing bootcamp because there is no early stage venture capital in Brazil. That is why we work so hard on Edudream: to build a bridge between talent and capital, anywhere in the world. Through Edudream, people anywhere can invest in her Education and get a percentage of her future income with a vehicle called Income Share Agreement.
So, after seeing so much talent in places like Latin America, Africa, Eastern Union and Asia, and so many VC firms and incubators eager to find talent it makes me concluded:
The current allocation of capital to talent is not optimal!
Places like Draper University, or entrepreneurship bootcamps and incubators/accelerators are helping to bridge the gap. But, still, there is a great divide between the talented people all around the world and the wealth of opportunities in places like Silicon Valley.
So, dear venture capitalists and technology tycoons, my humble suggestion is that you open your mind for new possibilities. The world is big and Flat. New technologies allow people to work remotely and build good stuff from anywhere in the world. The costs of producing software are significantly lower and there are talented entrepreneurs eager for new opportunities. So, investors can find more favorable terms and an abundance of potential investments if they look outside the boundaries of Silicon Valley or disregarding nations.
And the best thing is, you do not have to have a USA Visa to be an entrepreneur in Silicon Valley and follow the american dream. One can start a business online, incorporating in Delaware through a service like Clerky, open a bank account, receive the investment and manage the money everything online! Therefore, the companies you would be investing in are legal entities in the US, but the entrepreneurs can work remotely from anywhere in the world.
In Brazil, I grew up hearing that the US is the land of opportunity and where nothing is impossible. But in this new world, you do not actually have to be physically there to be an entrepreneur. Anyone, anywhere can be a virtual citizen of Silicon Valley!
And I will say it again: Companies like mine pay taxes both in the USA and in its home country. So, instead of thinking "They took our job!", let´s think about how we are creating jobs and paying taxes.
Let´s empower entrepreneurs from all over the world to be virtual citizens of Silicon Valley.
That can be the solution for the talent pipeline problem of the venture capital industry, and a way to create wealth and opportunities for everyone!
Alumni, Interview
Alumni Profile: Brian Friedman of Loopd
Brian Friedman was part of our Summer 2013 class. He has since founded Loopd, a relational analytics company that uses wearable technology to collect data at events. Read our exclusive profile below.
June 1, 2015 - Brian Friedman attended a formal boarding school in New Hampshire where dress code was enforced with an iron fist and students attended chapel every Monday morning. After his authoritarian experience in high school, he headed to Lehigh University where he studied materials science and engineering as well as product design and was given the opportunity to start the entrepreneurship club. While attending Lehigh, Brian also worked for Red Bull as a Student Brand Manager. In the back of his mind, however, he knew his experiences in high school and college had prepared him for a much different path.
A Successful Mentor Recommends a "Leap of Faith"
"A fellow advisor and mentor recommended that I apply to Draper University," says Brian. "He is a very successful entrepreneur, and I knew if he told me to go then it would be worth taking the leap of faith. I was right, after all! For the first time I felt that it was possible to dream about anything."
Most of Brian's fellow classmates at Lehigh didn't share his strong drive to start a venture, with the majority going to work as technical sales reps with materials companies in the middle of the US or as lab assistants in dark rooms throughout New Jersey. But Brian believes that his experience at Draper University allowed him to take advantage of his creativity and also meet other like-minded individuals. Brian actually met his two co-founders, Sambhav Galada and Allen Houng, at Draper University, and they all hit it off immediately.
Sambhav Galada is the Head of Product of Loopd. He pursued his M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M. Sambhav has implemented and designed an ARM low power chip for wearable technology that enables users to get feedback on their personal fitness analytics.
Allen Houng is the Head of Software of Loopd. Allen graduated with honors in electrical engineering in Taiwan and produced an award-winning gesture-recognition engine via FPGA application. Allen has been featured on TechCrunch and StartUp Weekend Blog for his startup called Drimmit, which he built by himself from the ground up full stack.
During the program Brian learned about new trends that were the bleeding edge in Silicon Valley, including 3D printing, space mining, anti-aging pharmaceutical and blockchain technologies. He also learned that in order to build a scalable business you need to stay focused and conquer one problem at a time.
The idea for Loopd was conceived during a competition at Draper. The night before, Brian had seen a video of the Budweiser Buddy Cup, which gave people the ability to exchange Facebook information by tapping glasses. The next day in BizWorld, a startup contest, his team had to create and sell a wristband concept. Immediately he thought of BuddyBand, which was the initial idea for Loopd, but since then the concept has evolved.
"Our team put in several hours to develop our initial prototype and business model. We are a hard working group and while at Draper University we learned that you need to execute as a team if you want to build a great company," Brian says.
After Pitch Day (and Some Refinement) Loopd Is Born
Brian and his team were in the top 10 on pitch day, the culmination of the program and what every student works toward while at Draper. While their idea was applauded by many, it was also questioned by the panel of experts, which helped Brian and his co-founders refine their concept for Loopd. Since pitch day they've raised $1.2MM from Tim Draper, Marc Benioff, Rick Dalzell and other notable angel investors.
Loopd is a relational analytics platform that measures proximity-based human interactions and engagement for corporate events. Loopd is the industry's only bi-directional solution that enables attendees to exchange contact information, collect marketing materials and passively check in to speaker sessions. Using physical analytics, marketers are able to have a more sophisticated understanding of their most valuable business relationships and bring clarity to murky ROI measurements. Additional use cases for Loopd are boundless, from helping healthcare workers glean details about patients instantly, to facilitating military ground troop communication, to turning handshakes into information swaps.
In the past 12 months, he and his team have designed and built a complete analytics platform, iOS and Android app and bi-directional beacon. Loopd won Wearable Tech Product of the Year, was selected as a top-eight finalist for smart data and enterprise at SXSW Accelerator and was selected as top 48 finalist at CeBit CODE_N. Since the company's launch at SXSW, the team has closed its first enterprise deal with Box, and has Accenture, Salesforce and Cisco in the final stages. They have also assembled a great team of 15 amazing people in San Francisco and Taiwan who have skills in machine learning, wireless protocols, big data infrastructure and mobile development.
"Right now we are focused on building the next version of Loopd, which will be more cost effective, powerful and feature rich. Over the next eight months our team plans to power 20 Fortune 2000 Corporate Conferences with our hardware solution and 40 high quality events with our software solution. In the future, our technology will be the leading offline analytics provider for MRO in health, manufacturing, retail and developing nations worldwide. And this is all because of Draper University," Brian finishes with a big smile.
Tagged: DU Alumni, Entrepreneur, Loopd
Alumni, Draper Ecosystem, Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship Program, Guest Speakers, Residential Program, Scholarships, Startups, Student Perspective, Tim Draper
From Latin American Oil Rigs to Silicon Valley
Student Post — March 18, 2015 — Can you imagine a young Pakistani lady working on oil rigs in the middle of nowhere in amazon jungles in Latin America? It's hard, but it's even harder to imagine her transition from that world to a magical place called Silicon Valley. Graduation and Oil and Gas Industry
My name is Maha and I was part of Draper University's Winter 2015 class. I graduated with a Chemical Engineering degree from National University of Sciences and Technology in Islamabad, Pakistan and the University of Mississippi, US in 2013. As a fresh graduate, I was swamped with opportunities, and if you ask me today, I still don't understand why I chose working as a field engineer on international mobile for Schlumberger. I left my family, everything I had, and took a plane to Brazil. After a week of training in Rio de Janeiro, I flew to Colombia and started working on oil rigs. My job was running measurements and logging while drilling tools to provide data such as gamma ray, resistivity, neutron porosity, bulk density and others to client companies (Ecopetrol, Petrobras, Equion, etc). I was part of the drilling group and had to be on the rig from the moment drilling starts till the time it ends. After working for 5 months, I was sent to the Training Center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates where I was fortunate to be first in my class of 40 engineers from all over the world - and I was the only woman in my class!
After the training, I went back to Colombia to resume my work. I felt frustrated and tried to figure out why. Was it family, work rotation (I used to go to the rig for 40 days and come back for 3 days off), jungles or what?
It was during the Society of Women Engineers annual conference in Los Angeles a month later that I could see patterns. I realized that I was passionate about research, technologies, and startups.
After conducting a 26-hour long fishing operation in the rig, I stumbled on an e-mail from YouNoodle. The e-mail mentioned something about an entrepreneurship program in Silicon Valley, and that e-mail ended up changing my life!
I applied to Draper University of Heroes, was accepted, and immediately packed my bags and came to Silicon Valley.
Draper University and Silicon Valley
I can neither summarize my time at Draper nor at Silicon Valley in one blog post! It's an experience, a learning, and a feeling that can only be experienced, learnt, and felt.
But for all the prospective students and avid parents out there, I would jot down some of the key workshops I completed: Vision of the future, Agility, Evangelism, Survival, Resource Acquisition, Incorporation, and the Art of Pitching.
Draper University is not a traditional university. Neither it's an accelerator nor an incubator. It's something more than that. It challenges one to think beyond her limits, believe that everything is possible, and be ready to embrace failure. The university leaves no stone unturned by bringing in speakers from Facebook to Twitter to SpaceX to Khosla Ventures to Founder's Fund to Stanford University. It would take me another 3 hours to compile a list of the incredible speakers who came to speak to our class.
Another significant thing about Draper University is the mentorship the program provides. The university inundates a student with mentors. From famous Silicon Valley VC mentors to Entrepreneurs in Residence to Alumni mentors to personal female mentors, I felt overwhelmed. But mentorship played a very crucial role in helping me build relationships which I'll cherish forever!
To summarize, I feel completely transformed today. I feel blessed to have gone through the program and built a network of friends, mentors, and people who want to help me succeed. I feel fortunate to have explored the magical Disneyland they call 'Silicon Valley' and 10x more excited to begin my PhD in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University this Fall.
As Tim Draper says – the world needs superheroes and I'm going to be one of those superwomen!
Tagged: Draper University, Silicon Valley, Women and Entrepreneurship, Women engineers, Women Entrepreneurs
The Rise of Tech Superwomen: Surbhi Sarna
February 2, 2015 - Sheryl Sandburg. Melissa Meyer. Meg Whitman. These powerful and successful women have all become household names as the female execs behind Facebook, Yahoo, and eBay. But there's a new group of female thought leaders and power brokers who have all beaten the odds to succeed: Tech Superwomen. In this Forbes article, we take a look at the four Tech Superwomen below, including one of our very own alumni: Surbhi Sarna of nVision Medical!
"The Engineer" - Selina Tabaccowala, President and CTO of Survey Monkey
"The Mentor" - Joanna Bloor, VP Sales and Operations at Pandora
"The World Changer" - Surbhi Sarna, CEO & Founder of nVision (and DU alum!)
"The Decider" - Lisa Suennen, aka "Venture Valkyrie"
Surbhi was listed on Forbes 2014 30 Under 30 in science and healthcare. Her company nVision Medical is "developing technology that can be used in the doctors office for diagnosing both infertility and ovarian cancer - which remains one of the most lethal cancers worldwide due to the lack of early stage detection options."
Her advice to aspiring female entrepreneurs: "Don't let them stop you!"
Tagged: DU Alumni, Surbhi Sarna, Tech Superwoman, Women Entrepreneur
Alumni, Curriculum, Residential Program
Superhero Training at Draper University of Heroes
Student Post - January 27, 2015 - When I moved into my new room at Draper University two months ago, I encountered huge walls with graffiti art of superheroes, psychedelic colored room doors, white board walls in the whole building, and four dozen colorful bean bags in classrooms; I instantly knew this would not be an ordinary program.
When I left Pakistan for Draper University of Heroes, a 7-week residential entrepreneurship program in Silicon Valley, I honestly had no idea what I had signed up for.
Superheroes from Around the World
We were a group of 32 entrepreneurs from 15 different countries. The culture and diversity of the place...oh my, it was over whelming!
The founder of Draper University is Tim Draper who is known as the Riskmaster. He is by far the most unorthodox and daring person I have ever known! He believes that entrepreneurs are like superheroes, who take risks and change the world with their innovative ideas; hence, the name of the program.
Superhero Oath
Every morning at Draper University, we recited the superhero oath:
I will promote freedom at all costs. I will do everything in my power to drive, build and pursue progress and change. My brand, my network, and my reputation are paramount. I will set positive examples for others to emulate. I will instill good habits in myself. I will take care of myself. I will fail and fail again until I succeed. I will explore the world with gusto and enthusiasm. I will treat people well. I will make short term sacrifices for long term success. I will pursue fairness, openness, health and fun with all that I encounter. Mostly fun! I will keep my word. I will try my best to make reparations for my digressions.
Draper University of Heroes appears to have more in common with Harry Potter's Hogwarts than it does with anything seen in traditional education. Its system, its outlook, its curriculum, its policies, its staff, and its culture - all of it is unorthodox and proud to be so.
During the program we got the opportunity to visit amazing places and meet real world heroes; innovators, thinkers, geniuses and more who are contributing to the future of this planet.
Our curriculum consisted of topics like creativity, future, evangelism, finance, law, survival, sales, venture capital, and so much more which we learnt from the best field experts! We were pushed to our limits both mentally and physically and in the end, we did come out stronger. The entire experience is pretty much summed up in this one video.
I honestly did not have any idea how much this course would affect me, but it has contributed greatly in shaping both my personal and professional lives! The biggest lessons for me personally were to come out of my comfort zone, look beyond the fear of failing, and just try new things.
I couldn't be more grateful for having been a part of this journey and to be part of the DU family! Thank you DraperU!
~ Guest post by Rumaisa Mughal who is from Pakistan and was part of DU's Fall 2014 Class. Her startup Artboard was just featured in Pakistani startup news.
Tagged: Fall 2014
Alumni, News, Startups
Check out DU Alumni Startup Newsystock in China's TechCrunch TechNode
January 16, 2015 - Alumni from Draper University's innovative bootcamp program for entrepreneurs continue to launch startups that are turning heads around the world. Ryan Kyungrok Moon (Korea) from DU's Fall 2014 was interviewed by China's TechCrunch TechNode about his startup Newsystock. The article explains how Newsystock helps small investors master the market, particularly in overseas stocks. You can read the snippet below, or access the entire article here.
"Newsystock is a quantitative data based analysis system that provides accurate analysis and equity purchase recommendations in line with Korean stock market trends. They gather financial raw data, evaluate every listed stock with their unique system, then deliver the results to investors. The company also enables its users to analyze any stock by themselves, providing a thorough analysis of any stock within five minutes."
Currently based in Korea, the company is looking to expand throughout Asia and will add a Chinese language website to its Korean and English versions.
Tagged: Fall 2014, Newsystock
DU Alumni Startup iGreet featured in TIME article "5 Apps You Just Can't Miss This Week"
January 15, 2015 - It's only been two months since the Fall 2014 class graduated from Draper University's entrepreneurship program in Silicon Valley, and our alumni are already starting to make waves with their startups. Just today, DU alumni startup iGreet was featured in TIME article "5 Apps You Just Can't Miss This Week." Vicho Dimitrov (Bulgaria) and Hua Zhao (China) met each other in DU's Fall 2014 class and joined forces to create iGreet, the world's first greeting card company that uses augmented reality to bring the cards to life before your eyes. You can download their mobile app for free from the iTunes App Store, and then create customizable greeting cards that you can pick up from a local Walgreens store near you. When the recipient scans the cards with their iPhone, the card will be brought to life with moving images
According to the TIME article, "It's a way of jazzing up boring greeting cards and making birthday cards that much more affectionate, but it also evidence that our phones are the key to getting a lot more out of even the most mundane aspects of non-digital life."
Congrats to Vicho and Hua, and keep an eye out for new Valentine's Day cards coming out soon!
Tagged: Fall 2014, iGreet, Mobile App
Alumni, Entrepreneurship Program, Residential Program, Startups
Draper University Meetup in Seoul, Korea
November 19, 2014 – Last Wednesday, Draper University alum Cherry Kim held the first ever Draper University meetup in Seoul, Korea. Current student Ryan Moon was also able to video call into the meetup from DU's campus in Silicon Valley. More than 40 local entrepreneurs showed up for the info session and networking event. At the meetup, participants learned about and discussed the different activities in Draper University's unique entrepreneurship program and how the activities and assignments teach you to think big and build your ideas. Cherry also emphasized the importance of networking and the opportunity to get connected with Tim Draper's network.
Draper University's startup bootcamp will give you the real world skills and hands on experience you need to become an entrepreneur and launch your startup. Our students come from all around the world (including Korea!), and we have an average of 60% international students in each cohort. Many of our alumni have gone on to start their own companies (over 70+ successful companies and counting), land their dream job (alumni are currently working at Google, Tesla, and Yelp), and change the world. If you want to join the next cohort of heroes at Draper University, visit our website and check out our apply page for upcoming program dates and application deadlines.
Tagged: Entrepreneurship Program, Korea, Meetup, Seoul, Startup
Alumni, Entrepreneurship Program, News, Startups
U of T Alumni Raise $130k from Top Entrepreneurship Program
November 10, 2014 – Founded in 2013 by prominent venture capitalist Tim Draper, Draper University is a top entrepreneurship program in Silicon Valley. In its first year, Draper University graduated 203 alumni who went on to start 60+ companies and raise $6.2M in funding (more stats at http://draperuniversity.com//infographic/). Of those graduates, three alumni from the University of Toronto (U of T) raised a combined $130k for their startups (source: http://thevarsity.ca/2014/11/03/u-of-t-graduates-receive-130000-in-funding/). Colin Heilbut paired up with fellow alum Mu-Chi Sung to create Bistro - the world's first cat feeder with facial recognition. Their Indiegogo campaign reached its goal within 3 days of launching. Arun Nijhawan started a water leak detection tool, and Hubert Ka joined the TestLegends team that gamifies education and test preparation.
Like these 3 alumni from U of T, over 60% of students who come to Draper University's top entrepreneurship program are from outside the US. To join the next class of aspiring entrepreneurs at Draper University's startup bootcamp, apply online at http://draperuniversity.com//apply-2/.


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Do you care to dance...?
Trapart News, November 23rd, 2021
Dear Trapartisans,
... Yet another new book!
Our latest offering is Dancing with Salomé – Courting the Uncanny with Oscar Wilde & Friends by Nina Antonia. We are so proud and happy!
Dancing with Salomé unmasks the occult aspects of Oscar Wilde's celebrated tome The Picture of Dorian Gray, whilst exploring how the unseen manifested not just in the famous author's life but in that of his love interest, Lord Alfred Douglas. The gilded backdrop to their ill-fated liaison was the Decadent movement, a literary and artistic feast of the divine and debauched which redefined the lines of male beauty. Curiously, Aubrey Beardsley, the most renowned illustrator of the Decadents, refused to keep any of Oscar Wilde's books in his home, as he believed, like many of his friends, that the playwright was accursed. Beardsley's theory is not as far-fetched as it seems if one takes into account the doomed lineages from which both Oscar and Lord Alfred Douglas were descended.
Through a series of interlinking essays, Nina Antonia takes us to meet the Decadent demi-monde of the 1890's with whom Wilde and Douglas mingled. Whilst eroticism and mysticism were key themes of the Decadents, there was also a surge of interest in ritual magic, enabled by the flowering of the "Golden Dawn" – the most significant esoteric order in England's history. Wilde's wife, Constance, was a member, as was W.B. Yeats, alongside Aleister Crowley and Arthur Machen. All would play a part, directly or indirectly, in the drama of Oscar Wilde's enchanted & accursed life.
142 pages, 5 x 8". Available as a paperback, hardback and e-book. (Order from the Amazon site closest to you to save on postage costs.)
Get your own copy HERE!
Carl, Vimmerby, November 23rd 2021
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Declared a national park in 1954, the Parque Nacional de las Cañadas del Teide includes an enormous volcanic crater 30 miles (48 km) in circumference, out of which rises Mount Teide at a staggering 3,718 metres, making it the highest peak in the whole of Spain and 3rd highest volcano in the World after Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii.
Driving up to the national park is an interesting experience, from the sunny south coast you drive up towards a town called Vilaflor with its alpine-like scenery. As you travel higher still above the clouds, the terrain changes dramatically and suddenly becomes an amazing lunar landscape.


Where are the Spark Plugs?
Where are the spark plugs located on my 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer? Seriously, I can't find them, does it even have spark plugs?
@covfefe,Kay, Some engines may have a plastic cover over top of engine that needs to be removed to access the spark plugs. Link below show spark plugs being replaced on 2.0 Mitsubishi Lancer engine. Good luck. I hope this helped you out, if so let me know by pressing the helpful button.
Kay will be eternally grateful.


text:
Tajikistan "Still Free of Coronavirus"
Unlike elsewhere in the world, the authorities have not imposed a quarantine or restricted public events.
Wednesday, 1 April, 2020
IWPR Central Asia
Tajikistan received humanitarian aid from China. (Photo: khovar.tj)
Dushanbe continues to maintain that there are no cases of coronavirus infection in Tajikistan, despite the virus having already spread to neighbouring Central Asian republics.
Unlike elsewhere in the world, the authorities have not imposed a quarantine, schools and universities remain open and there are no restrictions on public events or celebrations.
The authorities' stance has been criticised both domestically and abroad, especially considering that until recently Tajikistan received some 20 flights with around 6,500 passengers daily. About 30 border checkpoints functioned, with hundreds passing through them unchecked. Although collective prayers were suspended for a while, mosques have now opened again.
In March, the World Health Organisation (WHO) appealed to the authorities to cancel upcoming public celebrations of the spring holiday of Navruz. However, the authorities ignored this plea and celebrations continued across the country.
One event in a stadium in the city of Khujand attracted 12,000 people and was addressed by President Emomali Rahmon himself, who made clear that there was no reason for public panic.
"Keeping homes clean and observing sanitary standards is one of the finest qualities of our people. And especially in situations when all kinds of infectious diseases are spreading fast," he said. "Our health is, first and foremost, in our own hands."
Now, however, despite the fact that the Tajik authorities maintain no cases of coronavirus infection have been detected within the country, all international flights have been cancelled and restrictions imposed on those returning from abroad.
Initially, only those people arriving in Tajikistan from China, Iran, South Korea, Japan or Italy were quarantined, although this has now been extended to all arrivals.
According to the ministry of health of Tajikistan, between early February to late March, 5,500 people were in quarantine, of which 2,000 have since been discharged.
Munira Karimova, the head doctor at the Dushanbe Infectious Diseases Hospital, confirmed the official government position.
"Up until now, 2,000 people who returned from abroad were tested for coronavirus, and all tests were negative," she said. "Tests are examined not only in Tajikistan, but also sent to foreign medical laboratories in London and Novosibirsk [in Russia]. In addition, a representative office of the World Health Organisation operates in Tajikistan and monitors the processes."
The government has nonetheless been criticised for its lack of transparency in dealing with the emergency.
Prime Minister Kokhir Rasulzoda is in charge of coordinating the work of the permanent headquarters for countering the spread of the virus, a body which includes the heads of the country's main government agencies, the prosecutor general and the secretary general of the security council.
The headquarters meets twice a day, but the details of issues discussed there have not been disclosed to the media.
There are rumours that a quarantine will shortly be imposed, and although the ministry of health has not officially confirmed this, their press service reported that measures needed in the event of a state of emergency were discussed at a March 28 meeting.
Tajikistan is one of the poorest countries of the former Soviet Union, and Abror Asoev, a Tajik doctor with over 20 years experience in the national healthcare system, warned that it did not have the capacity to deal with a full-blown epidemic.
He noted an insufficient number of hospital beds, respiratory devices and medicines as well as experienced doctors.
"If only one or two hundred cases are detected, there are likely to be no serious consequences for Tajikistan," he said. "However, if coronavirus spreads throughout Tajikistan, it is hard to imagine to what consequences it will lead to. The ratio of hospitals to population of the country is too low. We are having difficulties placing 5-6,000 people in quarantine. Imagine what can happen if the number of sick patients reaches this figure."
The government, however, claims that it is well prepared to combat any outbreak of coronavirus. The ministry of health announced that they had evacuated all patients from Dushanbe's large Istiqlol hospital and equipped it for the admission of patients with Covid-19.
The authorities have also developed a programme of measures to be introduced in the event of coronavirus infections being detected, and have requested assistance from international institutions including the World Bank. The details of this programme have not been disclosed, but the government has said that millions of dollars will be needed to implement it.
Although the government continue to insist that they have no cases of coronavirus, the pandemic has already had an impact on Tajikistan's economy, heavily reliant on the remittances of labour migrants in Russia and Kazakstan. The annual volume of remittances is approximately three billion US dollars, 35 per cent of the country's GDP.
More than a million people planning to travel outside the country for work have had to abandon their plans and the country's somoni currency continues to be devalued as the price of basic goods increase.
This publication was prepared under the "Giving Voice, Driving Change - from the Borderland to the Steppes Project" implemented with the financial support of the Foreign Ministry of Norway.
Project Focus Coronavirus Pandemic, Giving Voice, Driving Change - from the Borderland to the Steppes
Locations Tajikistan
Topics Crisis, Regime, Coronavirus


text:
Hans-Henning Korb (born 1988 in Berlin, Germany) is a contemporary artist based in Berlin. Hans-Henning Korb holds a BFA and an MFA in visual arts from the Berlin University of the Arts, in Berlin. He studied in the class of Hito Steyerl and at the Olafur Eliasson's Institute for Spatial Experiments (Institut für Raumexperimente)., and was a visiting student at the School of Fine Arts at the Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and the Hunter College in New York City. His work has been exhibited internationally, in venues such as the Empty Gallery, Hong Kong (2016); Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany  (2014); Photo LA, Los Angeles, CA, United States (2012); and many more.

Art
Hans-Henning Korb has developed a mode of art practice that transgresses traditional categories, combining sculptures, installations, and performances that involve music, film, computer animation, virtual worlds, plants, and organic processes. His aesthetics gives voice to complex contemporary human conditions and reflect on the questions that come to head as of late in contemporary life, such as the question of human autonomy in relation to both ecology and technology. In most works, the physical body is present. You could say there are no bodies in the digital sphere, so it's interesting that Korb's works deal with this topic and explores the various layers of the human body and consciousness as well as its natural and technological surroundings. Fascinated by the alchemical properties of plants and foods Korb most recently created a series of installations entitled Kaya Cynara that look at the emitting energy of the artichoke plant.

Exhibitions
Individual Exhibitions
 Kaya Cynara, Empty Gallery, Hong Kong (2016)
 Fight, Center, Berlin, Germany (2013). With Daniel Jacoby.
Selected Group Exhibitions

2017
OF FUTURE NOWS 2017→ ∞, FESTIVAL OF FUTURE NOWS, Hamburger Bahnhof, Berlin, Germany

2016
 Master of Fine Arts Student Exhibition (Meisterschüler Ausstellung), Berlin University of the Arts, Berlin, Germany
 A Reservoir Of Trust. The Slohagenhallah Project, French-German Cultural Center Ramallah, Palestinia
 NOWs: Launch NAVEL in LA, Navel, Los Angeles, CA, United States

2014
 Hunter MFA Open Studios, Hunter College, New York, NY, United States
 Festival of Future Nows, Neue Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany  Directed by Olafur Eliasson, and co-directed by Christina Werner, and Eric Ellingsen.
 Walk-in-Progress, Vitamin Space, Guangzhou, China
 Aeaeaeae, Hans-Henning Korb, Robert Lippok & Raul Walch: Molding Versions into Reality, Grey Sheep, Berlin, Germany

2013
 Accidental Accomplishment, Institut für Raumexperimente, Berlin, Germany
 Agora Collects, Agora, Berlin, Germany
 100° Berlin 2013, Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin

2012
 Addis Foto Fest 2012, Alle School of Fine Art and Design, Addis Abeba University, and Modern Art Museum, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
 Jan Meda – Großes Feld, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
 Transnatural Festival 2012: The State of Autonomy, Nemo Science Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
 Translation Acts, The World Is Not Fair – Die Große Weltausstellung 2012, Institut für Raumexperimente at Tempelhofer Feld, Berlin, Germany  (catalogue)
 Glasauge, Institut für Raumexperimente, Bunker, Berlin, Germany

Selected Screenings
YUWVUWVY, 2011. Video in collaboration with Aeaeaeae.
 Long Night of Transformation, Haus am Lützowplatz, Berlin, Germany (2012)
 Photo LA, Los Angeles, CA, United States (2012)
 Time is Light, 25 Positions. Photography, Video art and Sculpture, Hamburg, Germany (2011)
 Institut für Raumexperimente Videoscreening, Goethe Institute, São Paulo, Brazil (2011)

References

External links

 Empty Gallery website

German contemporary artists
German sculptors
Artists from Berlin
German installation artists
Berlin University of the Arts alumni
1988 births
Living people
Alumni

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
de fr tr
25 years of solidarity with conscientious objectors from Turkey
by Franz Nadler
(15.05.2021) How the world is changing! Resistance to military service has probably always existed, especially as desertion. Conscientious objection (CO), being the open rejection of military service, even beyond mostly Christian religious groups, began to develop no earlier than at the beginning of the 20th century, especially in countries of the northern hemisphere. The first right to conscientious objection took effect in Norway in 1921. In Germany it was introduced in the constitution as a reaction to the mass persecution and murders of opponents to war perpetrated by fascism in 1949. But also in other "Christian" countries it became more and more accepted, at last in Switzerland in 1992.
That conscientious objection could ever gain relevance in other cultural circles was still considered almost impossible in the 70s, when I was politically socialized. Today it is just the other way round. In Germany, there is nearly no such movement anymore after conscription was suspended because the majority of conscripts refused military service or were declared unfit and the military was professionalized. Now the question of conscientious objection is only relevant for some soldiers and reservists. In contrast, the importance of conscientious objection has been growing for years, for example in Islam-dominated Turkey.
In Offenbach we founded and established a counselling service for conscientious objectors in the late 1970s within the framework of the Deutsche Friedensgesellschaft-Vereinigte KriegsdienstgegnerInnen (DFG-VK), also because of our own experiences with the harassing examinations of conscience. This proved a welcome service that was gladly made use of. In addition, we were active in the anti-militarist peace movement. International co-operation with like-minded people has always been important for us.
When in Western Germany the procedure to be accepted as a conscientious objector was simplified we first concentrated on the role of the substitute service. We saw that this service only existed to meet the military service obligation, the conscription. At the same time this service is disenfranchised (forced) labour. Thus, it was clear that we also supported total objectors who refused the substitute service as well and were threatened with imprisonment because of it.
From the middle of the 70s we started to support groups and movements in other countries. At first we founded the Working Group Southern Africa in the DFG-VK, from 1990 on working as Working Group "CO in War". In 1993 we founded the association Connection e.V. to strengthen this international work. Since then the work on Turkey has been one of our main foci.
Broad solidarity work
By no means were we the only organization involved in solidarity work together with anti-militarists in Turkey. In the following I will give an overview of the different activities, work areas and approaches taken by a whole range of different groups.
Dual citizenship and "Substitute Payment" - still a problem
At the outset, we had no contacts in Turkey, and information concerning our subject was also rare. So first we collected everything that was interesting in any way. The oldest document in our archives is a decision of the Administrative Court of Bremen from February 1985. A Turk (dual citizen) living in Germany had sued so that he would not have to serve 15 months in the German army in addition to the 22 months of military service he wanted to do in Turkey at that time. His complaint was rejected on the grounds that Turkey had not signed the relevant Council of Europe Convention on Avoidance of Double Military Service. Due to the suspension of compulsory military service in Germany, this problem no longer exists. In fact, even the completed substitute service in Germany was also recognized by the military in Turkey as fulfilment of the military service obligation. Considering that over 3 million people of Turkish origin live in Germany: If they only have Turkish citizenship or are dual nationals, men of the appropriate age are subject to compulsory military service in Turkey. If they comply, they usually lose their jobs and some of them also lose their residence status. To alleviate this dilemma, the Turkish state had created the possibility to perform a shortened military service and to pay a high sum, which then benefits the Turkish military (so-called Substitute Payment). In 1985, it was still two months of service and 17,000 DM (about 8,500 €). In 2011, the amount was 13,000 €, currently it is about €5,000. Since 2012, there is no shortened military service any more, but a distance learning program of the Ministry of Defence. Since 1995, it has been calculated that 1.2 billion € has been paid in this way. Every year, some 30,000 men from Germany alone pay the amount. Even though all this has nothing to do with conscientious objection, we still have a large number of inquiries about this topic to this day.
Asylum of conscientious objectors from Turkey in Germany
The first conscientious objector from Turkey in Germany was probably Aziz Koşgin, who publicly refused in 1991 and set up a special counseling center for Turkish conscientious objectors (Savaş Hizmetini Reddedenler Girisimi/SHRG) in 1998 in the DFG-VK, in Übach-Palenberg near Aachen. The Turkish newspapers that reported on this were confiscated (e.g. Devrimci Proleterya, Azadi). We worked intensively with him for many years. It is noteworthy in this context that Aziz was not a Kurd like the majority of conscientious objectors in the following years, but a Laz (a Black Sea ethnic group).
After Aziz and until today, there has been no small number of Turkish citizens who have declared their conscientious objection, doing so partly with us, partly autonomously on an individual basis and often with local support.
Later Mustafa Ünalan became equally important; he publicly refused on January 23, 1996, in the Berlin City Parliament, burning his military service pass. He then set up a Turkish-language counseling center as part of the DFG-VK Berlin. And finally, Cemal Sıncı (an Alevi Kurd) founded a Turkish conscientious objection organization (Frankfurt Savaş Karşıtları Derneği/FSKD) in Frankfurt/Main on January 28, 1997, together with ten friends. Cemal was already politically active in Turkey and during his studies in Germany. He was the first conscientious objector from Turkey to apply for asylum and with whom we intensively discussed every step of his asylum process. The declaration of conscientious objection should be as public as possible. Thus, in February 1998, there was an overcrowded press conference in Frankfurt, at which, in addition to Cemal and his lawyer, members of the German parliament from the Social Democratic party and the Greens (Uta Zapf and Cem Özdemir) were present in support. The press response in television and newspapers was really good. Due to his manifold political activities, he was the first conscientious objector from Turkey to actually receive asylum in April 1998. Cemal is still active with Connection e.V.
One focus of the work with conscientious objectors from Turkey in Germany in the 1990s was to organize public refusals. Such a public refusal took place for the first time in Frankfurt on May 17, 1995, with nine participants. This action was supported by Connection e.V., SHRG, Working Group "CO in War" and the Self-Organization of Civil Servants. Not only was the action prepared together with the potential conscientious objectors, but in a seminar beyond a common declaration, which brought about intensive discussion on the topic. The photo with the refusers breaking (toy) rifles was a powerful symbol that was also widely publicized abroad. In the following years there were several more public refusals, some with considerably more participants, e.g. in Marburg, Dortmund, Essen (29), Saarbrücken (20), Emden, Hannover, Frankfurt (2002: 39), Kassel (over 50!). These were not organized but supported by us.
In the 1990s, probably between 200 and 300 people from Turkey publicly declared their conscientious objection to military service in Germany. Of those who sought protection here, most were able to legalize their residence over the years. Many of these actions were not only documented in the local press, often with large articles, but in individual cases also found resonance in the international press (Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, USA, South Africa), and also in Turkey. Yes, there were considerably more conscientious objectors from Turkey in Germany at that time than in Turkey itself. But this movement resonated there as well. As a result, there were also public conscientious objection actions in Turkish cities, e.g. in Istanbul in 1996. And lest we forget, there were also public conscientious objections in the Netherlands, Great Britain, Denmark and France.
Not all of those who publicly refused at that time did so only with a view to their asylum procedure. But most of them did, and the majority of them were Kurds. There were probably also some who believed the rumour that their participation in such an action would help them gain asylum. We emphasized again and again in the preparatory seminars that this is only true to a limited extent. Because: In Germany, conscientious objection is not a reason for asylum, and so we still have a lot of hurdles to clear when supporting conscientious objectors from Turkey in the asylum procedure. Contact with the asylum seekers is often very difficult, since they are usually relocated to remote asylum camps. The asylum procedure, and especially the recognition criteria, are so strict and complex that even specialists can hardly understand them. Often it is their lawyers who contact us. In some cases, courts not only from Germany but also from Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands contact us for information. And since many of the conscientious objectors from Turkey are neither granted asylum nor toleration nor the right to stay - they are deported. In these cases we try to mediate church asylum, or contact politicians and parliaments - and if it actually comes to deportation, we try to use our contacts in Turkey, so that the person in question has a contact person, for example in Istanbul, even if he is arrested immediately.
Conscientious objection in Turkey
For a long time we did not know that there were conscientious objectors in Turkey. It was only later that we learned about the first conscientious objectors, Tayfun Gönül and Vedat Zencir, in 1989 and 1990 respectively, and their declaration in the magazine sokak (street). Essential for us was Osman Murat Ülke, called Ossi. He was born in North Rhine-Westphalia and grew up in Pforzheim. At the age of 15, his parents put him in a "terrible boarding school" near Izmir in Turkey, from which he soon emancipated himself. After experiencing the extreme militarism of Turkish society, he decided to struggle against it. On September 1 (Anti-War Day) 1995, he publicly announced his conscientious objection in Izmir, burning his draft notice. With him was a War Resisters' International (WRI) delegation from five countries. In the following years he found himself in a repetitive cycle of conscription, criminal proceedings, and prison. He appealed to the European Court of Human Rights - and was proven right in 2006. The court called his fate a "civil death," awarded him compensation and demanded that the human right to conscientious objection, now accepted at both the European and international levels, be accepted by Turkey as well. The Turkish state paid the fine according to the decision to the European Court but didn't legalize the status of Ossi. He is still living under the condition of "civil death".
We supported Ossi in many ways. Thus we had already invited him before his public refusal several times for traineeships and round trips to Germany (together with Aziz Koşgin and Christian Bartolf, 1993 and 1995) in order to ensure solidarity for him for his foreseeable imprisonment. In 1995, he was here for the International Day of Conscientious Objection (the motto being: "Conscientious objectors need asylum!"). He was enabled to give a speech in German parliament, and a reception was held in parliament by Vice President Antje Vollmer (The Green Party), from which members of parliament/"experts" from the SPD and CDU distanced themselves, since conscientious objection was merely an "exceptional right". Through the Central Office for the Right and Protection of Conscientious Objection (Zentralstelle KDV) contact could be made with all parties in the parliament. Ossi and Aziz brought their concerns to a meeting there, and the parliamentarians then became really active, for example Thomas Kossendey from the CDU. Of course, in practice, they too hardly achieved anything decisive. This also applies to the manifold worldwide activities for Ossi by Amnesty International in April 1997. With our support, three important prizes were awarded to the SKD or to him directly: in 1996 the Friedrich Siegmund-Schultze-Förderpreis (Protestant Church), in 1997 the Bavarian Peace Prize of the DFG-VK Bavaria and in 2007 the Clara-Immerwahr-Prize of the IPPNW (International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War), each of which was again accompanied by quite a bit of press publicity.
After him, we supported dozens of other conscientious objectors and made their cases public. Most of these we supported by conducting fax actions to Turkish authorities. On December 3, 1999, we placed advertisements in newspapers (Süddeutsche Zeitung and Evrensel as well as Özgür Politika) demanding legalization of conscientious objection. Those Turkish newspapers were then confiscated.
SKD Izmir
Ossi was also the one who, together with other conscientious objectors and supporters, helped to establish the first conscientious objection organization in Turkey in December 1992: ISKD (İzmir Savaş Karşıtları Derneği). The countless solidarity activities for Ossi and then for the others, who by no means came only from Germany, also ran through the ISKD.
In the 90s there was still a lively conscientious objection movement in Europe, to which also the Turkish belonged. So it was daring but logical to host the annual International Conscientious Objectors Meeting (ICOM) in July 1993 in Turkey, in Ören, on the Aegean coast. In the end, 90 people came from 19 countries, including Colombia. Communication was certainly not easy. So it remained a mystery to me until the end what drove the large number of Turkish anarchists' interest was in the meeting, since without interpreters a conversation was simply not possible. But the interest in each other was all the greater for it, and as a result led to both a strengthening of conscientious objectors in Turkey and more international solidarity. There was also a remarkable amount of press coverage. For example, Rudi Friedrich gave a full-page interview to the daily newspaper "Aydınlık" (Light) on the human right to conscientious objection.
On November 8, 1993, SKD Izmir was banned; it had about 300 members at the time. Journalists who reported on conscientious objectors were arrested and their newspapers closed. The association was able to be re-established in February 1994, and a brochure "Military Justice in Turkey" (May 1994) was produced. Time and again, there were proceedings against the association, but the association was still able to continue the work. I was in Izmir for a month in 1999 and I still remember the rooms crowded with young people.
The SKD was later dissolved, but the contacts with those who were active at that time still continue on a private level.
In order to be able to support Ossi better, and subsequently to be able to spread information (also e.g. about prison conditions) and to coordinate solidarity activities, we founded an international alarm network in January 1994, which still exists today (together with WRI). If necessary, the respective contacts to media and politics can be activated.
SKD Istanbul/VR-DER
On September 1, 1993, 40 people founded Istanbul SKD, and on May 17, 1994, shortly after conscientious objection activities, four activists were arrested and the association was closed. On September 1, they wanted to establish it again, but the police prevented it.
It was not until 2013 that the VR-DER (Vicdani Ret Derneği/Association for Conscientious Objection) was able to re-emerge in Istanbul. Today, it is the only one in Turkey. We have maintained a good contact with the association.
International Solidarity
In 1993 there were also first contacts between the counseling center for Greek conscientious objectors, which existed in Germany at the time, and those in Turkey. There were also contacts at the ICOM 1997 on the Greek island of Ikaria. This led to a common understanding so that conscientious objectors from Turkey and Greece were supporting each other, e.g. in trials. Conscientious objectors from Turkey also got involved, for example, in 2009 on behalf of those in Israel with a protest in front of the embassy. This solidarity developed into the Mediterranean Meeting on Conscientious Objection, which took place in Cyprus in 2014, with participants from Cyprus, Northern Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Palestine and Egypt, among others. This then grew into a platform for mutual support.
Process monitoring/delegations
"If you're on your own, they'll put you down" sang the German band Ton Steine Scherben. This is especially true for conscientious objectors. If life in a militarized environment is already hard to bear, nothing good can be expected from the concentrated power of the state, the military and the judiciary. It takes a support group. It takes publicity. All this must be organized long before the declaration of refusal. Then, building on that, international solidarity can take place. Even if it cannot be proven in a 1:1 ratio according to the action-effect theorem, we have repeatedly found that something can be achieved - even if it only means that the individual feels strengthened. This can be achieved by collecting signatures, petitions, fax campaigns, vigils in front of embassies and consulates, ideally coordinated in several cities or even in several countries at the same time. However, the physical presence of international delegations on site seems to me to be particularly important. Although it usually does not have much direct effect, it can make a difference. Observing trials is by no means a simple matter of flying there, being safe as a foreigner, holding up the flag and then reporting on it at home.
There have been a lot of proceedings against conscientious objectors - but you cannot be present at all of them. Dates are often being postponed. And then the hearings do not always take place in the big cities with airports. Often there are still 1,000 km to be travelled by bus.
So when a request comes from Turkey for an international delegation to observe a certain process, we usually consult on an international level and try to organize as many different people from different countries as possible. This can also be quite dangerous for them. Some could already be prevented from entering the country. That is why it is important to establish the appropriate infrastructure at home in advance, with emergency telephones, contacts with the Foreign Office, etc. At the same time, the structure in the country of origin must be set up. At the same time, however, the structure in Turkey itself must be clear: Who will accompany the delegation, whom will they meet, who will translate?
For the International Day of Conscientious Objection, in May 1994, there was to be not only a public refusal in Frankfurt, but in parallel one in Istanbul. To support the latter, Gernot Lennert and Christian Axnick of the DFG-VK Hessen went to Istanbul with Volker Thomas of the Darmstädter Signal, an organization of critical soldiers. The meeting with over 100 participants was broken up at the behest of the Ministry of the Interior, people were arrested and the association was banned. The three Germans were also arrested. Later they were released, but their papers were kept until the trial before the military court. It was a good thing that the alarm network existed - and it worked. The three were finally able to leave the country three weeks later.
A wide variety of reciprocal visits are also of great value for solidarity. There must have been dozens of them in the past years, both on an individual level and in an organized way. It has proved particularly useful to work together over a longer period of time, not only to get to know the people involved, but also to get to know the way they work.
Lecture Tours
Conscientious objectors have to live in illegality in Turkey. Since they have no papers, they cannot leave the country legally. Therefore it is the task of the supporters to draw attention to their situation and to organize solidarity for them. Thus, there were repeated invitations from other activists of the SKD, from lawyers, but also from refusers who still had valid papers. For example, the DFG-VK North Rhine-Westphalia planned to invite the conscientious objector lawyer Ahmet Hür and the conscientious objector Arif Hikmet Iyidoğan to Germany and the Netherlands for two weeks in January 98. Months before, they had already thought about what their program might look like. Of course, visits to groups of the DFG-VK with public events, Connection e.V., Pro Asyl, Republican Lawyers Association, medico international, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection (EBCO), the War Resisters' International in London, parliamentarians of all parties, Ministries of Justice, Foreign Office, European Parliament ... Certainly not everything could be realized and certainly not everything was successful. However, the confrontation with the subject is essential in such undertakings. And the visits are not only good for spreading information, but also for organizing solidarity. And they are also important for the people from Turkey themselves, so that they get an idea of who we are, how we work and what is feasible or not.
Newspapers/Booklets
In the course of time, a number of newspaper projects have been established in connection with conscientious objection. These were founded either by conscientious objectors themselves or in cooperation with supporters. They had an enormous value for the propagation of ideas, the exchange and the cohesion of the activists. In the first two years, the SKD published the magazine Bakaya (Service Refugee), a magazine with an explicitly anti-militarist orientation, which Aziz Koşgin also helped to distribute in Germany. From January 1994 to the end of 1995, the really impressive Savaşa karsı Barış (War against Peace) was published, with 15 issues in a circulation of up to 2,500. Then it was confiscated, the editors arrested and put on trial. In 1996, the newspaper nisyan (Forgetting) was also created, about which I do not know more. In Germany, there were four issues of otkökü (grassroots, Turkish/German) from March 2001, essentially a project of Ossi as a supplement to the newspaper "graswurzelrevolution". We produced KIRIK TÜFEK (The Broken Rifle) monthly from February 1994, in which we reported in German mainly about conscientious objection and its movement.
For the orientation of conscientious objectors living here, the booklet "Askere gitme! - Don't join the military!" published by the DFG-VK North Rhine-Westphalia in 1990 was certainly important. In 1996, the booklet "Let's refuse military service" was produced, in German and Turkish.
Reports about actions and cases were always found in ZivilCourage and graswurzelrevolution. But also the (normal) daily newspapers like tageszeitung, junge Welt, Jungle World, Frankfurter Rundschau, Welt, Süddeutsche Zeitung often reported in really serious and detailed articles.
Now most activities, statements and publications are published online. The main website about conscientious objection in Turkey is the page of the Association of Conscientious objection, www.vicdaniret.org. War Resisters' International https://wri-irg.org/en/programmes/turkey-stop-cycle-violence as well as Connection e.V. www.Connection-eV.org/CO_Turkey are running own projects on it, too.
It should be clear: Anyone who has fled Turkey and is not allowed to work has no money. And this also goes for anyone who has to live in illegality in Turkey. And it is the same with the corresponding organizations. That is why not only we have collected money for certain projects again and again, but why we set up an extra solidarity account for this work in 2007. Money comes in, but it is not enough. So early on, together with the people from Turkey, we thought about which funds we could tap. Since we have had experience in this area for a long time, we have even held a fundraising seminar. We are also happy to make our experience and contacts available for new projects.
WRI Working Group "Stop the Cycle of Violence"
At the beginning of the violent clashes in southeastern Turkey in 2015/16, some of the activists in Turkey asked us for international support against the war. As a result, an international working group was formed under the umbrella of War Resisters' International (WRI), comprising members from Connection e.V., Bund für Soziale Verteidigung (BSV), Internationaler Versöhnungsbund - Austrian branch, La Transicionera (Spain) and activists from Turkey. The working group called for a stop of the cycle of violence in Turkey. It organized a campaign against the war, sent a delegation to the war area, accompanied some criminal procedures against human rights activists in Turkey, and published several brochures and articles to raise awareness and support for the situation in the Southeast and the precarious situation of human rights activists. Most recently, the working group published a booklet on how people in Turkey can be supported from outside, i.e. from other countries, who are threatened with imprisonment and criminal proceedings.
Solidarity Work Today
Let us skip the next few years and come to the situation today. Many things have already been mentioned, and we do not want to repeat them. Therefore, only new things.
In Germany, there are still conscientious objectors from Turkey in the asylum process whom we are supporting, currently Beran Mehmet Işçi and Onur Erden. Together with them and their lawyers, we are preparing the next steps of the procedure in each case. We are trying to build up a support infrastructure in the area where they live and to organize press contacts and public appearances, e.g. at the Easter march.
Conscientious objectors from Turkey, even if they only have German citizenship, can be arrested at any time based solely on posts in social media when visiting their relatives in Turkey, for example. This has just happened to İlhami Akter - he refused in 1993 - who then fled on his own via Georgia. Also in this case, together with a solidarity group from Hamburg, where he lives, we tried to use all the contacts available (e.g. members of the Bundestag, Foreign Office, Mayor of Hamburg) to be helpful to him. Now he is happily back here and is writing a book about his fate, which we are helping him with.
The VR-DER has been working for years in three main areas: 1. counseling and support for current conscientious objectors, with appropriate actions 2. developing international pressure, for recognition of the right to conscientious objection, and 3. the situation of military conscripts ("suicides"). And finally, there are various charges against the association and active members of the association. Right now we are pursuing the idea of building up pressure again for the recognition of the right to conscientious objection. A Bulletin Conscientious Objection is now published every two months. For the association we have developed an extra donation campaign. In all these areas we mostly work together via video conferences.
On an international level, there is currently good cooperation with conscientious objectors from Turkey who have fled to other countries (Cyprus, France, Germany) and have a secure residence status there, resulting in this "book project", for example. Here, too, communication, which is restricted by the Coronavirus, takes place mainly via video conferences.
Review and outlook
In the course of time, an almost unmanageable number of groups and organizations in Germany have been active on behalf of conscientious objectors from Turkey. First and foremost, of course, there are the self-organization approaches, with groups in Frankfurt, Aachen, Dortmund, Kassel, Hamburg, Berlin... Then the cooperation with the local groups of the DFG-VK, state associations (with particularly many activities in Frankfurt/Hesse, Dortmund/North Rhine-Westphalia and Hamburg) and then also the federal association. But also the Campaign Against Conscription (Berlin), the self-organization of conscientious objectors and the total objectors with their magazine Ohne uns and the counseling centers for conscientious objectors of the churches were repeatedly involved. Some organizations of the peace movement also showed fundamental interest in the topic, in addition to those already mentioned, e.g. IdK Berlin (Internationale der Kriegsgegner*innen), Zentralstelle KDV, Internationaler Versöhnungsbund, Bund für Soziale Verteidigung, grassroot groups, Greenpeace, Ohne Rüstung Leben, Kurve Wustrow.
When it came to supporting someone in the asylum process, a completely different spectrum usually opened up: Asylum and human rights organizations such as Pro Asyl, Komitee für Grundrechte und Demokratie, Republikanischer AnwältInnenverein, kein mensch ist illegal, refugee councils - and at the local level, especially when someone was to be deported: From the school class to the parish (Pax Christi), the soccer club to the master baker, everything was there. Of course, almost all conscientious objector organizations in the European countries - and beyond - were active in solidarity work, e.g. the US Vietnam War veteran Greg Payton visited our friends in Turkey and left a powerful impression there. They continuously reported on the individuals and also set up actions themselves. A pivotal role is played by War Resisters' International (WRI) in the exchange and worldwide dissemination of information. They are based in London, where the area of responsibility on conscientious objection is currently coordinated by a person from Turkey. Through the Turkey-Kurdistan working group there, worldwide solidarity campaigns are organized and international delegations are assembled. EBCO, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection in Brussels, should not be forgotten. This office is primarily concerned with the right to conscientious objection in Europe also the implementation of legal requirements. EBCO puts pressure on the Council of Europe so that it will not forget the scandalous human rights situation of conscientious objectors in Turkey. There are also good contacts with the Quaker UN office in Geneva. There, the task is to enforce the right to conscientious objection worldwide. And since conscientious objection is also a matter of human rights, Amnesty International must not be omitted from the list, as it repeatedly draws attention to the precarious situation of individual conscientious objectors worldwide, for example through urgent actions. Even if in the area of lobbying, with governments, European parliament, European commission, Council of Europe and the UN surely no fast break-through is to be obtained, however, appropriate UN resolutions build up a certain degree of pressure, which the Turkish government must argue against over and over again.
As experience has shown, not only conscientious objectors are persecuted in Turkey, but also their organizations and media as well as, in principle, anyone reporting on them.
Turkey has, after the USA, the second largest army in NATO with 375,000 active soldiers. It is a state within a state. And this army is permanently deployed. Not exclusively but with particular instensity in the Kurdish areas. And more and more beyond the borders: Northern Cyprus, Northern Iraq, Syria, Libya, Mediterranean Sea, Azerbaijan/Armenia - and also in more and more African states. The current six months compulsory military service is a mandatory prerequisite for this. While a few years ago young men were able to avoid service relatively unproblematically, this is no longer so easy today due to a better registration and reporting system. Thus, at certain times, there have been as many as three-quarters of a million military draft evaders. (In 2014, the Turkish Statistical Office reported "up to 800,000" military draft evaders). Today, there are still several hundred thousands. Recruitment is going on for all it is worth. In addition only some newspaper headlines: "Grandpa of the company" - 71-old men drafted (Frankfurter Rundschau - 13.6.05). / 71-year-old drafted (Die Welt - 5.3.08). / Turkish army calls up 80-year-old for service (Frankfurter Rundschau - 2.4.11).
And there are checks and searches everywhere in the country; for example, in 2013 from Oct. to Dec. almost 5,000 conscientious objectors were arrested during checks. Presumably, more than 1,000 publicly known conscientious objectors are also exposed to this danger.
Concluding remark: Even if the right to conscientious objection is certainly of enormous importance, on the other hand - as experience shows - it is a right which must be applied for and not everyone is granted this right. Substitute service is virtually a punishment for claiming that right. It would mean progress if not only universal pacifists were granted the right to conscientious objection, but if recognition of selective objection were also possible, so that Kurds, for example, would no longer have to shoot "at their brothers." Moreover, we should keep in mind: The concern of conscientious objection is, of course, to end war - and this includes the abolition of conscription and armies. Only then can we live in peace.
And of course: conscientious objectors and deserters alike do need asylum! On June 27, 2007, Mustafa Alcali, a deserter from Turkey, hanged himself in deportation custody in Frankfurt/M. There is still a lot to do!
Franz Nadler: 25 years of solidarity with conscientious objectors from Turkey. May 15, 2021. Published in the booklet "Conscientious Objection in Turkey", May 2021. Editors: Connection e.V., War Resisters International and Union Pacifiste de France
Keywords: ⇒ Conscientious Objection ⇒ Europe ⇒ Turkey
(15.05.2021) Başlık: Türkiye'de Vicdani Ret - Askerliğe Hayır! - Kitapçığın tanımı ve içeriği


TMP Group are authorised stockists of Duralock post and rail fencing which, with timber becoming more and more scarce, is a smart choice for boundary and rural fencing in Australia.
Whilst Duralock post and rail fencing looks like timber, it is actually a unique PVC formula thta requires no painting, maintenance, and will not discolour or become brittle. It is also resistant to termites.
Widely used as a rural fence for horses and other animals, Duralok post and rail fencing has been designed to flex on impact, thus minimising risk and injury to the animal. It's simplistic design makes it simple to install for the DIY inclined.


A seismic shift is afoot in the intelligence, complexity, and interconnectedness of everyday products, and the flimsy foundation of customer assent to standard terms will continue to crack, if not collapse. We recently noted some relatively straightforward adjustments that manufacturers can make to their standard terms to address issues related to e-commerce portals. The Internet of Things (IoT), however, could render the old contracting process (not just old products) obsolete. We highlight some challenging IoT contractual considerations below. A more comprehensive and academic treatment of the topic can be found here.
Manufacturers and distributors sensibly disclaim warranties, limit liabilities, and curb disputes in their standard terms. But courts will flout such measures, particularly in a consumer setting, unless valid contracts were formed. Standard terms are more likely to prevail if they are conspicuous, clear, reasonable, accessible, and expressly accepted by customers, but sellers often fall short of these guidelines for the sake of a seamless customer experience. Without careful attention, IoT products will exacerbate the strain on an already flawed contracting framework.
With consumers purchasing products with the tap of a button or a simple voice instruction, and with IoT products automatically purchasing refills and replacements to maximize convenience, it seems increasingly unlikely that consumers actually read, understand, and accept end user terms. In addition, courts might question sellers' ability to rely on IoT products' apparent authority to bind consumers when making programmed purchases.
At the same time, more and more products include software and data elements, adding to the list of risks and opportunities to be addressed in standard terms. Prudent sellers deploy their terms (i) to obtain broad rights to user-related data; (ii) to restrict modifications and any critical, commercial, or other unauthorized use of the software, often including references to more comprehensive end user license terms; (iii) in light of the Federal Trade Commission's warning regarding end-of-life problems with IoT products, to limit obligations to provide ongoing updates or service and to maintain flexibility to discontinue or modify the products; and (iv) to disclaim responsibility for third-party software and products.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the IoT contracting process, sellers shouldn't wait for courts to realize that contracts are becoming more distant—the connection among consumers, contract terms, and the contract formation process is stretching. If, for example, a trash bin senses that supplies are low and sends an update to a digital assistant, which then automatically orders replenishments, how do sellers get assent to, and provide updates regarding, product terms? What remedies would be available to the end customer if an IoT product were to make a mistake or misrepresent another product?
Make the terms readily available, and provide references early and often. Consider including a link to the terms and a summary of the most controversial provisions (e.g., the dispute resolution process) in user manuals, websites, apps, warning labels, and other materials provided or made available to end users. Clearly indicate that by purchasing or using the product, the customer agrees and is subject to the terms. Consider requiring that distributors, including digital assistants, provide notice of and obtain customers' assent to the terms. Voice recognition and other technologies that enable swift purchases could also support contract formation.
Look for natural opportunities to obtain customer acceptance of the standard terms. Any product, website, or app registration process or rebate procedure could incorporate the acceptance of end user terms.
Examine and limit perceived abuses of information asymmetry. Manufacturers and their products can collect copious amounts of specific, and potentially sensitive, information about consumers, especially if data is widely shared among products. Even if users expressly accept the terms, courts will require a minimum level of procedural and substantive fairness. Courts and regulators will be wary of a transaction if the seller seemingly utilized its information and other bargaining advantages to exploit consumers. Similarly, a provision could be nullified if the seller, given its detailed customer data, knew or should have known in advance that the specific customer probably would have objected to the provision (though some courts might, instead, focus on the reasonable expectations of an average consumer).
Monitor, and consider coordinating with, other merchants. Because products are more connected than ever, consider how the terms, policies, and practices of related parties, and the functionality and performance of their products, will affect your products and the end customer.
The IoT revolution, including its legal underpinnings, is still in its infancy. But manufacturers and distributors can take proactive steps to improve the enforceability of their standard terms while building a transparent, trailblazing reputation as this new landscape evolves.


(Cucumis sativus) 45-50 days. A hard to find, compact, highly productive, open-pollinated variety. Bush Pickle Cucumber plants only grow to 3′, about half the size of typical vining plants, making it even easier to get to the cucumbers at harvest time. Very nice for small gardens and container gardening on patios and rooftops, a popular way to grow your own vegetables these days! Try growing 2 plants in a 5 gallon container. Bush Pickle fruits grow to 4-5″, medium green with white spines, and slightly tapered. Tolerant to Scab and CMV.
Bush Pickle Cucumbers are heat loving, frost sensitive vines. Plant heirloom cucumber seeds in full sun, ½ – ¾" deep, in 1′ diameter hills of 4-6 seeds each, 3-4′ apart. Germination occurs in 4-13 days in soil 70-95°F. Thin to 1-2 plants per hill. In short season climates you can start cucumber seeds indoors 3 weeks before last frost, in individual peat pots at least 3½" across. Harden off Bush Pickle cucumbers plants for 1 week before setting out. Harvest regularly for continuous production, making sure to pick overripe cucumbers that were missed. Heirloom slicing cucumbers are best when uniformly green, firm and crisp. For pickles, harvest cucumbers when 2-6″ according to preference.


text:
SOLARIS TO DELIVER FIVE ELECTRIC URBINO BUSES TO LUXEMBOURG
After having a year ago bought one Solaris Urbino 12 with a diesel engine, the Luxembourg operator Sales Lentz ordered now five electric Urbino's. Two of them in a twelve meter version and three as an articulated 18 metre bus.
Sales Lentz will put the buses in operation in Bascharage, a town in the south of Luxembourg. Solaris will deliver two 12-metre buses in March 2019, and another three articulated buses of 18 metres in June. All five buses will be manufactured at the Bolechowo plant of Solaris, nearby Poznan.
In March 2017, the Solaris Urbino 12 electric was tested by Sales Lentz on two lines in Bascharage and the company is currently also testing the articulated Urbino 18 electric. The test was completed successfully which made Sales Lentz order five of the electric Urbino's. Sales Lentz is one of the biggest, privately-owned public transport operators in Luxembourg.
The three articulated electric buses are propelled by a central traction engine with a power of 240 kW. The energy storage system consists of batteries of the Solaris High Energy type of 240 kWh. The vehicles can be charged either by means of a plug-in connector or via a roof-mounted pantograph. The 2+2+2+0 door arrangement allows 43 seats, of which 16 are accessible from the low floor.
The 12 metre zero-emission Solaris buses will be energized via an electric portal axle with integrated electric motors with a power of 2x125 kWh. The energy storage unit will be the same as in the articulated buses. The charging options for this bus are similar to those used in the articulated version of the vehicle, as it will be possible to recharge via a plug-in connector or a pantograph. The 2+2+0 door arrangement gives room for 38 seats.
The buses will be equipped with air-conditioning, passenger information system, a video surveillance system, energy-efficient LED lighting and passenger seats fitted with individual safety belts.
SOLARIS BUS & COACH:
View company profile More articles about this company
Busworld Europe


text:
Villa Willemsdorp By Dieter De Vos Features A Lopsided Gable And Walls Clad With Roof Tiles
The asymmetric profile of this suburban property in Belgium was generated directly from the permitted developing heights prescribed by nearby arranging laws .
Designed by Belgian architect Dieter De Vos, the two-storey Villa Willemsdorp is found in a residential neighbourhood in De Pinte, south-west of Ghent.
The spot is typified by traditional gabled houses – a style that De Vos was keen to steer clear of.
He instead opted for a much more abstracted gable, generated by seeking at the appropriate-to-light privileges of neighbouring buildings and utilizing them to function out greatest height allowances at diverse points around the site.
The architect was also cautious to adhere to neighborhood preparing guidelines concerning form and massing.
"In order to give the home character within this context, the developing volume touches the limits of the rules concerning volume and roof shape," he explained. "This cost-free interpretation leads to a sculptural volumetric composition with sudden sloping surfaces."
Relevant story: Three-pronged Villa Moerkensheide frames a trio of backyard terraces
De Vos previously completed one more home in De Pinte, which has brick walls and arched windows. In contrast, the architect chose to clad the entirety of Villa Willemsdorp in red ceramic tiles that are usually utilised for roofing.
The houses's entrance is found on the north-dealing with street facade, as part of a row of metal panels that also integrates the garage doors. On the opposite side of the constructing, a lengthy stretch of glazing opens the building out to the backyard.
Other details include a dormer window that extends across a flat area of the roof, and a pair of angular floor-to-ceiling windows positioned on opposite walls.
"The backward-leaning street elevation has quite an introverted visual appeal, whilst the home opens up on the other elevations with a totally glazed garden elevation at the terrace, a pronounced dormer window and a constellation of smaller incisions on the side elevations," added De Vos.
Inside, the ground floor of the 275-square-metre building is largely taken up by the open-program living and dining room. The kitchen is tucked away at the back, while the dining and lounge regions sit side by side.
A wall of cupboards runs along one particular side of the area, creating loads or storage room.
Upstairs, there are two bedrooms, the family members bathroom and a small review.
Breeze-block walls have been left uncovered during the residence, but are painted white. The exact same goes for the exposed concrete ceilings, which reveal the texture of their timber formwork.
"The plank formwork of the concrete ceiling is mirrored by the oak floorboards," stated De Vos.
Sustainable heating is supplied by a geothermal heat pump, which is linked to a method of underfloor heating. There are also solar panels on the roof, making energy utilised for heating water.
Photography is by Filip Dujardin.
1st floor strategy
Long section one
Extended area two Dezeen
Lopsided
Ugly Belgian Homes Hannes Coudenys
Willemsdorp
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As I was printing the printer stoped printing and then this came up.
Does anyone know anything about this or how to fix it?
That is a Windows error, it is not coming from the printer. What software are you using?
More specifically a .NET error. Is your .net up to date?
I'd also like to know what software you're using to control the printer. Afaik Printrun and Repetier-Host don't use .net, not sure if Cura does. It's pretty important to know what software generated the error, as there are many ways to communicate with your Printrbot.
Mooselake wrote: I'd also like to know what software you're using to control the printer. Afaik Printrun and Repetier-Host don't use .net, not sure if Cura does. It's pretty important to know what software generated the error, as there are many ways to communicate with your Printrbot.
IIRC Cura doesn't use .net.


text:
BCM One Leverages Acquisition for Microsoft Cloud Push
BCM One's recent buyout of CloudStrategies creates an even larger Microsoft Cloud, Office 365 & Skype channel partner. BCM One Co-CEO Frank Ahearn explains.
by CJ Arlotta • Oct 3, 2016
Frank Ahearn
Leveraging existing business relationships, BCM One found a buyout target that expanded its headcount, enhanced its portfolio of Microsoft (MSFT) certifications and maintained its expertise in voice services.
Indeed, BCM One announced the CloudStrategies Group buyout in August. Financial terms were not disclosed. The two companies had been partners ahead of the deal, thanks to an introduction by Microsoft.
Founded nearly 25 years ago, BCM One has transformed itself over the years from a telecommunications reseller to a managed solutions provider. The company's core focus involves planning, deploying, designing and managing newer technologies as they roll out for clients.
BCM's involvement with Microsoft began progressing rapidly about two years ago, after the company's executive team decided to "look long and hard" at the software giant. Eventually becoming a Tier 2 cloud services provider (CSP) with Microsoft, BCM One began deploying Office 365 seats for existing clients.
"We didn't roll that out to our over 500 agents nationally," said Frank Ahearn, founder and co-CEO of BCM One, during a ChannelE2E interview. "We were just doing it in-house. We wanted to make sure we did it right." As more clients inquired about Office 365 and Skype for Business, BCM One turned to Microsoft about the possibility of augmenting its staff.
In response, Microsoft connected BCM One with CloudStrategies. The partnership allowed BCM to outsource its Office 365 and Skype for Business transitions to CloudStrategies. "It went really, really well," Ahearn said. As time went on, he sat down in a meeting with Pete Zarras, founder of CloudStrategies, to discuss additional business opportunities between the two companies.
Both parties were interested in joining forces. "Six months later we finally got the deal done," he said. "Microsoft is 100 percent behind the deal. They think it's a great marriage."
Now that the buyout is official, both remain in "business as usual" mode. One major change involves Zarras leading BCM One's Microsoft practice internally. "Our salespeople opportunities will go through and flow through Pete [Zarras] as far as managing the bandwidth of the company's staff," Ahearn said.
After the acquisition, BCM One's headcount jumped to about 115, with most employees based in New York City. Headcount will reach about 125 by "the holiday party." The company is actively hiring for several sales positions. BCM One also has more than 500 agents selling its products and services across the country.
Going forward, BCM One may acquire additional businesses fitting into its culture and philosophy of "providing a world-class experience for clients." BCM One will potentially pursue more outsourcing partnerships first, and may consider more M&A moves based on those potential relationships.
"We're not looking to bite off more than we can chew, but we are looking at other possibilities,"Ahearn said. "Skype for Business is going to be huge. We already have Azure expertise, but we're looking for more of that. So we're not only looking for talent, meaning people out there who are looking to work for an organization that provides a world-class experience with every human interaction, but for companies that want to be part of something bigger to provide that same world-class experience for their clients."
BCM One also plans to grow as a Microsoft partner through certifications with a goal of becoming a Triple Gold Partner. Before the acquisition, BCM One had certifications on the silver level. Now it has five certifications as a combined entity, including one Gold in Cloud Productivity, one Silver in Cloud, a Silver in Messaging, a Silver in Midmarket Solutions and a Silver in Small and Midmarket Cloud Solution.