Robotic process automation. Digital technology. Machine learning. Enhanced process automation. Natural language processing. Artificial intelligence. Big data analytics. Cognitive automation. How many different monikers are possible? Could the terminology be any more confusing?
Initially, we will steer clear of technical descriptions, which might sound something like: "We are building a cognitive autonomic, data-analytic, neutrally heuristic knowledge engine." While that may not sound like something you need, it is almost certain that these technical innovations will change how you do business in ways even the pundits are still figuring out.
This article puts some of the terminology aside for a moment and describes an evolving field of study we will call "intelligent automation," which encompasses the more common term "robotic process automation" but includes much, much more.
Call it what you want, intelligent automation may not be a choice. It is no longer about "if" but about "where, how, and how fast." We will provide insights into why intelligent automation is important to the tax profession, your tax department, and business in general. Along the way we will tone down the hype and debunk some of the myths about intelligent automation.
In the marketplace, multiple terms, such as RPA and digitalization, have been used to capture the concept of automation of labor by leveraging digital technologies to augment, or automate, the tasks undertaken by workers in your business, including the tax department.
This may not sound so new—after all, you have probably been leveraging technology for years to augment your approach to the tax function. In some ways this is still true, but in others, this time things are different.
The real power of cognitive computing is its ability to ingest massive amounts of data about which to formulate hypotheses. The human brain cannot handle this volume of data and does not have the time to absorb it, let alone process it.
Part of the confusion is that intelligent automation covers a very broad spectrum. On the one hand, intelligent automation is about automating simple tasks, such as cutting and pasting content from one system to another. Imagine sitting in a swivel chair, clicking back and forth among various software programs. You repetitively click through the programs in the same sequence time after time, making countless identical cut-and-paste moves. But now, imagine executing the same routine in far less time, using only one click.
On the other (more complex) hand, intelligent automation includes software that thinks and reasons—that is, it provides cognitive solutions. In fact, some advanced intelligent automation solutions can perform activities (e.g., business, medical,1 and legal) previously performed exclusively by humans—and often do it far better than their human predecessors. In this article, we break down this spectrum of automation into three distinct categories to better differentiate among the types of intelligent automation.
Tax departments are beginning to understand and apply the great potential of intelligent automation to their core functions. Intelligent automation can support a tax department's strategy related to the business and many activities that support the tax department's strategy. A recent poll of over 1,000 professionals in various industries asked, "Do you believe process automation tools will offer value to your tax function?" and found that sixty-eight percent said yes, seven percent said no, and twenty-five percent responded that these tools were "not applicable."2 So, while more than two-thirds of respondents believe that aspects of intelligent automation will offer value to the tax function, it is interesting to note that this belief is not universal.
From a strategic perspective and to simplify these communication challenges, we have divided the spectrum of intelligent automation into three categories: basic process automation, enhanced process automation, and cognitive automation.
These categories are not black and white. An automation tool may have the characteristics of multiple categories or straddle the boundary between two categories.
This spectrum is not to be confused with a maturity model, as tools in each category have specific capabilities that address specific automation opportunities. In other words, each category addresses real-world issues and provides the appropriate capabilities to solve those specific issues at the right trade-off between cost and performance. In the same way that you don't want to use a sledgehammer when a regular hammer will suffice, you don't use a sophisticated cognitive platform to perform basic cut-and-paste activities.
Robotic process automation, RPA, bots, process automation, basic process automation, basic robotic process automation—these terms describe essentially the same thing. Confusion often arises from the term "robotic" in robotic process automation; why call such a solution "robotic" if the automation doesn't use physical robots?
The short answer is that "robotic" describes the underlying process, not the automation. In other words, we are automating a process that is naturally robotic, even if humans perform it with manual labor. Such work is done the same way over and over, like copying content from field A and pasting it into field B. When we apply automation technologies to this process—that is, we automate it—we consider that solution a software robot.
Basic process automation (or, for simplicity's sake, a "bot") leverages a class of technology to automate rudimentary swivel-chair processes found in almost all organizations today. Many tax departments have begun exploring the use of bots to automate repetitive tasks.
You may be familiar with creating a macro within Microsoft Excel. That macro typically automates sequential mouse clicks within Excel. By analogy, in its simplest form, a bot is also a macro. However, the bot is a macro that can sit atop multiple software programs rather than be confined within Excel. In this way, bots appear to integrate various software programs.
In the past, a computer programmer could always write software code to integrate disparate software programs. However, the newer class of bot software has a user interface where a tax professional can more easily program a bot. As a result, professional software programmers may be unnecessary.
The swivel-chair processes subject to basic process automation are typically repetitive, involve multiple systems, and follow very explicit steps, such as when a human captures (cuts) information from one system (e.g., the trial balance from a legacy mainframe system), possibly reformats that data, and then enters (pastes) it into another system (e.g., an Excel spreadsheet).
These tools leverage capabilities such as work flows, rules engines, and screen scraping to automate existing manual processes. A particular bot program may reside on the desktop and run at the user level (acting as human users, with system logon credentials like users have), or it may be deployed on a server and accessed by multiple users.
As an example, suppose your new tax software requires that you set up a state tax folder for every unique entity. The setup involves selecting (or clicking) the same six options for each folder. You click once to create the folder, click again to select which state you want, then again to indicate that you want all the subfolder options, and so on.
Without being augmented with a bot, a tax professional would be required to click 60,000 times just to set up the folders needed to ensure compliance. But with a bot, because the process is standard and repeatable, it can be automated using the bot software, thereby reducing 60,000 clicks to a single click. Once programmed, with a press of a button, the bot will go through all 60,000 steps in a fraction of the time that, and far more precisely than, any human could.
In general, these basic automation tools can be thought of as quick-hit technologies that allow for an incremental approach to automation. Bots are another arrow in your quiver for using process and technology to solve a problem. They are best implemented when there are (or can be) high standardization and high volume. Like all tools, they have strengths and weaknesses. Bots should be viewed as a supplement to other technology tools; they may be great tools in specific situations, but may not be the best in others.
use "machine learning" (ML) to develop a knowledge base by consuming significant amounts of data to learn and develop a set of algorithms. This set of algorithms is then used to make predictions about data.
With these abilities, tools in this category can deal with processes that may involve many complex transactions and require a deeper level of analytics involving both structured data (e.g., a database) and unstructured data (e.g., free-form text). At the same time, these tools can leverage years of experience gained across multiple sets of data, information, and knowledge.
As an example, suppose your organization receives numerous Schedule K-1s from different partnerships. While the government-issued Schedule K-1 has prescribed lines on the tax form, often there are white-paper detail attachments (including footnotes) giving further detail with respect to Schedule K-1 items.
The government does not prescribe a format for these white-paper details, and each tax return preparer determines how to present the information. Because there is no generally recognized taxonomy, data is typically unstructured and is inconsistently presented by multiple tax preparers, each of whom may use different words to describe the same items.
Generally, processing this data requires someone to read and parse each data point on the white-paper detail in each Schedule K-1.
However, a combination of natural language processing and machine learning makes it possible to automate the capture, array, and analysis of this unstructured data and transform it into structured data that may be used in a tax application. Hence, the tax filing process using information from the Schedule K-1 and related white-paper details may be expedited, and quality and consistency can be enhanced by reducing the likelihood of manual errors.
In general, enhanced process automation tools are more complex and take longer to develop and implement than basic process automation. These tools typically also take longer to integrate into the environment, do not reside on the desktop, and may require connections to the cloud to gain the maximum benefits.
Cognitive automation is probably the most confusing and most hyped technology but also holds the greatest potential to revolutionize how you work. Not surprisingly, it also requires the largest investment in time and dollars.
What is cognitive automation? Cognitive software mimics human activities such as perceiving, inferring, gathering evidence, hypothesizing, and reasoning. And, like humans, cognitive software is taught rather than traditionally programmed.
In other words, while we program explicit steps into a traditional computer to solve a problem, in a cognitive solution, we teach the tool the area of interest, or "domain." Once the base domain knowledge is established within the software, the cognitive solution typically continues to learn and solve problems within that domain, generally all on its own.
A domain may include all or a portion of a federal or state tax law.
When cognitive solutions are combined with automation, these systems can be trained to execute judgment-intensive tasks.
In years past, when artificial intelligence (AI) systems were constructed, the challenge was making them smart. Expert knowledge bases were built through a very low-tech process of interviewing an expert and then capturing information by manually building a knowledge system using languages designed especially for AI.
This representation of knowledge was extremely hard to build and almost impossible to maintain.3 As a result, static knowledge quickly became outdated.
With recent advances in natural language processing, computers can now read and extract meaningful information from unstructured data. This capability is, by far, the single biggest driver of what will be the explosion of computer-based cognitive intelligence.
Here's why. As much as eighty percent of the world's data is unstructured.4 What's more, ninety percent of this unstructured data has been created since 2011.5 The ability to leverage this data, meaningfully consume it, and build the associated knowledge ontology in an automated fashion changes the promise of this technology.
While the tremendous upside of cognitive automation tools is tantalizing, they generally require a much more significant investment in time and resources, including personnel, training, and dollars. The contextual learning stage alone can represent an investment measured in years, not months.6 These are not back-office tools for which you can write a script and fire off an automation program.
The role of cognitive automation in the tax profession, and in the business world in general, is still evolving. Recent media demonstrations of cognitive automation—the victory of IBM's Watson on Jeopardy!, the defeat of a Go master by Google's AlphaGo's AI program, a driverless Google car navigating city streets—have catalyzed public excitement and engagement.7 But we are still in the early days of the evolution of these technologies, and much has to be learned, developed, and tested—and these are not inexpensive endeavors.
What does intelligent automation mean to the leaders of an enterprise's tax function? Given the diverse nature of the tool sets and the confluence of technologies available, it is possible that your organization is already using basic process automation (i.e., bots) in some form or fashion. So, where do you begin?
With intelligent automation in general, you can start small and move toward more sophisticated tool sets, building upon success. The effort can start in the tax function, or it can be part of a larger enterprise effort. And allowing people to identify areas where your department can use intelligent automation is very empowering.
Our observation is that most tax departments will explore basic process automation first. One consideration is that it offers a potential augmentation or alternative to offshore labor arbitrage. (Labor arbitrage is a middle- and back-office strategy that cuts costs by offshoring work to lower-cost countries, such as India, China, the Philippines, etc.) Many tax departments have begun to study what increasing reliance on process automation will look like for their companies.
What Happens to Tax Professionals?
The hype may have you believing that bots will take over the world. As discussed above, most of the automation, especially in the near term, will likely affect repetitive, mundane tasks, followed by a quick pivot toward natural language processing and machine learning as a way to deal with unstructured data. In many situations, eliminating these tasks will allow tax professionals to increase their engagement with the work and to devote more time for analysis to create value by identifying opportunities and minimizing risk. Of course, this assumes those tax professionals have the skills to perform higher-level analysis.
Additionally, more and more tax professionals may evolve into automation/process specialists, although most tax professionals may still have to familiarize themselves with some of the current technology concepts as they become integral to their operations.
Over time, it is quite possible that the tax and accounting fields may transform completely (as may entire industries such as auto manufacturing, communications, and transportation services). However, the timing is up for debate. Some experts claim five to ten years; others predict it will take many decades to develop the capabilities of intelligent automation and generate knowledge.
But one thing is sure. We are witnessing the beginning of a technological revolution.
The case for augmenting tax professionals with intelligent automation is compelling and multifaceted and includes several potential key benefits, as follows.
Engaging team members. Eliminating soul-crushing, uninspiring, mundane, and repetitive tasks should allow employees to focus on value-added activities. Allowing team members to identify the areas best suited for intelligent automation may lead to increased job satisfaction and lower attrition.
Productivity/performance. Bots are designed to work 24/7, 365 days a year; they don't have to wake in the middle of the night to start batch processing after the books are closed.
Scalability. With the right governance, intelligent automation can scale instantaneously at digital speeds to respond to fluctuating workloads.
Consistency/predictability. The programming logics used in bots are designed to eliminate inconsistent decisions, e.g., not electing to turn right one day and left the next if faced with the same scenario. They are configured to solve a problem the same way every time.
Quality/reliability. When properly configured, tested, and maintained, bots make no mistakes and thereby eliminate human error. That said, when not properly configured and maintained, a robot will fail—at digital speeds.
Auditability. Bots keep a log—a file built by the software that documents every action it took and the corresponding outcome, a file that should, if properly backed up and maintained, provide an audit trail.
Intelligent automation will likely change the landscape of your tax function. But, like most technology-based evolutions, it will probably happen in increments.
The potential benefits summarized above support the primary objectives of the tax department's strategy to support the business (e.g., support after-tax business decisions and manage regulatory compliance and risks effectively and efficiently). In fact, intelligent automation presents an opportunity for the tax department to significantly enhance value in many areas.
This article covers a lot of ground on the broad spectrum of intelligent automation. We have discussed the different capabilities and applicability of the various categories of intelligent automation. Our goal is to enable a more meaningful conversation about the inevitability and potential of intelligent automation, especially as tax departments begin to enter this arena.
These are exciting times, with great opportunities right around the corner. Intelligent automation will likely change the landscape of your tax function.
But, like most technology-based evolutions, it will probably happen in increments. And there is a good chance it will happen in ways that are likely to surprise you. Be prepared to say at some point, "How did we get here, and when did all of this happen?" As tax professionals, you have to decide if you will embrace this technology, understand it, get ahead of it, and be an early adopter.
Editor's Note: The information contained here is general and is not intended to address the specific circumstances of any particular individual or entity. This article represents the views of the authors and does not necessarily represent the views or professional advice of KPMG.
Steven K. Rainey, KPMG partner, is chief innovation officer and national data and analytics leader, tax. Brad Brown, KPMG partner, is chief innovation officer and national transformation and technology leader, tax. David B. Kirk, Ph.D., is KPMG managing director, advisory.
Ariana Eunjung Cha, "Watson's Next Feat? Taking on Cancer," Washington Post (June 27, 2015), www.washingtonpost.com/sf/national/2015/06/27/watsons-next-feat-taking-on-cancer/?utm_term=.3f10c8c9733b.
Marc T. Macaulay, Brad L. Brown, and Steven K. Rainey, "Emerging Developments in Tax Reporting and Financial Analysis: The Impact of the Latest Technologies Including D&A and Digital Labor," KPMG Financial Reporting Network (December 1, 2016), www.kpmg-institutes.com/institutes/financial-reporting-network/events/2016/12/part-4-emerging-developments-in-tax-reporting-and-financial-analysis.html.
SINTEF, "Big Data, for Better or Worse: 90% of World's Data Generated Over Last Two Years," Science Daily (May 22, 2013), www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/05/130522085217.htm.
Lauren F. Friedman (Reuters), "IBM's Watson Computer Can Now Do in a Matter of Minutes What Takes Cancer Doctors Weeks to Perform," Business Insider (May 5, 2015), www.businessinsider.com/r-ibms-watson-to-guide-cancer-therapies-at-14-centers-2015-5.
Nello Cristianini, "The Road to Artificial Intelligence: A Case of Data Over Theory," New Scientist (October 26, 2016), www.newscientist.com/article/mg23230971-200-the-irresistible-rise-of-artificial-intelligence/.


We love the winter. This is when Toys of Eros shines. We can really talk to you, and advise you with your shopping. Often you're alone in the store, and get our undivided attention. You can ask all those embarrassing questions you don't want to ask in front of 50 strangers.


This game started out 7-0 Miami and it looked like this was going to be a back and forth affair. 14-10 Houston at the half…still felt the same way. And then Miami forgot how to cover WRs and the blitzkrieg was on…42-23 Texans in the end. I'm not sure how this got so out of hand, it felt closer…but then I felt like Miami was lucky it wasn't worse…it was a weird game to re-watch. Two teams I don't think are playoff worthy played on TNF, and one of them, the home team won…yeah!
Houston has won five games in a row, now. Beating teams with .500 or worse records. The good news for them is – they don't have but one (WAS) game on the remaining schedule with a team with a winning record (as of today). Only the Colts could catch them, I think, but that just got harder for Indy with this win. We project Houston at 8-9 wins and the likely AFC South winner, but it's very precarious because it's a bad division top-to-bottom. Houston beats Denver at Denver Week 9…it's all but their division title.
Miami started 3-0 and found their way to 4-4, as expected. 8 wins is possible, but we see 7 more likely. Miami isn't good enough to get to 9 wins without extreme luck. It's not impossible, but I'd bet a lot against it.
-- Who doesn't love Kenyan Drake (12-58-1, 2-37-1/2)? 'Gotta love the Drake'.
Actually, this game was frustrating for me with Drake…despite me making a big deal about him the last few weeks and then getting a sweet game here – are you kidding me…two targets? In a game that Miami needed offense…Miami abandoned what was working with Drake the last few weeks (using him as a WR of sorts, as a Kamara of sorts) and used him more traditionally.
If you can count on anything in life…it's that O-C Dowell Loggains will run from anything working successfully just when you're convinced only a moron could do so. *See: Tarik Cohen Weeks 1-2 last year vs. his next 15 weeks under Loggains in Chicago last season. Look at what Cohen's doing now. Loggains is the worst offensive coordinator in the NFL now that Mike McCoy is gone.
Keep riding Drake for FF because he's all Miami really has.
Several Miami WRs hurt… Jakeem Grant (4-36-0/8), who has been a homerun hitter all season…as a runner, a returner, and as a bubble screen and go WR – well, he was forced into a starting role. What does Loggains do here? Uses him as a traditional WR mostly, with no carries and I don't think he had a real setup bubble screen.
Never stop sucking at what you do Dowell! You and Darrell Bevel should get together and see whose worse at their vocation.
-- DeVante Parker (6-134-0/9) did get the touches. A failure for years, hurt all season…right into the lineup and seeing a majority of the targets this game.
Also, insufferable…fantasy analysts that follow the NFL's lead/B.S. scouting and analysis. And because they do…DeVante Parker will be the hottest pickup of the waivers Week 9. There people haven't burned enough by Parker…now, they'll jump right back in – this time is different! This time he has Brock Osweiler!!
Do not fall for this. Your only play on him (besides staying away) is to grab and trade to ESPN followers/suckers immediately.
-- Is Will Fuller (5-124-1/6) made of glass? I feel like he's on his fifth season-cut-short-by-injury season in three NFL seasons. He's had so many injuries I can't keep track of when he's playing or out hurt.
With Fuller out, there will be more emphasis on Keke Coutee upon his return from injury. This is not a good thing for Coutee as it allowed more coverage to float towards him. Fuller was running interference for the Coutee uprising…now, that's over.
Vyncint Smith (0-0-0/0) is the WR likely to step inf or Fuller…and that could be interesting. He's not a plug and play for Fuller and give you instant Fuller-like results. He's more of a wild card shot at a big play TD threat…a big bodied, nice athlete, raw WR talent, a WR3.5 who is not ready to be an impact starter but has to get ready.
-- Houston rookie TE Jordan Thomas (4-29-2/4) had a 2-TD game and that's likely to draw some excitement on waivers in some leagues this week.
Thomas is a big-bodied, lumbering TE who was 'available' for these scores…not a 'by design' weapon. It might be the only 2 TDs he scores this season. Nothing certain here during the waivers period.
-- Miami rookie TE Mike Gesicki (4-14-0/5) has yet to score a TD this season…despite being such a supposed red zone threat because of his height and leaping ability from the NFL Combine.
The problem is, and you saw it on full display in this game…Gesicki plays with all the gracefulness of a player playing with two broken legs. I see nothing close to his NFL Combine measurables on the field. Didn't in college. Didn't in the preseason. Certainly not in the regular season. I think you can call it already – NFL bust.
-- Back-to-back 100+ yard games for Lamar Miller (18-133-1, 0-0-0/2) sends his fantasy value ever higher…and I'm ever-trading if I have him. He sells as a strong RB2 now. Miller never sustains success for long, so I'll bail in the right deal.
The moment he has his usual 14 carries for 32 yards game…his value goes back down to RB3.
-- I'm not a big Deshaun Watson (16-20 for 239 yards, 5 TDs/0 INT) fan, but I have admitted he's much better than my scouting grades had him. He's a great human too, so I hope he continues to burn my scouting (not really, but it sounds magnanimous of me…I despise being wrong).
As good as Watson is…he's not this good. This was a set of circumstances coming together for a big night. His TD pass counts in Weeks 1-7: 1-2-2-2-1-1-1…and now 5 TD passes in Week 8. Pardon me if I don't rush him to the top of the QB rankings next week.
-- The favorable Houston schedule ahead extends to their DST. It's not a great schedule from here on in, but it's not bad.
Keenum-BYE-Alex Smith-Mariota-Mayfield-Luck-Darnold-Wentz through Week 16.
I'd use Houston Week 9 at Denver if needed…but I'd probably bail after that. Alex Smith doesn't turn the ball over. Week 12 is great with Mariota. Weeks 13-14 now Mayfield and Luck…no, thanks.
The Texans defense hasn't been all that great, they've just had some favorable matchups of late. It's about time to jump off this train.


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Solar FAQs
What are the main equipments that are required to generate electricity from Solar?
The essential equipments that are required to produce electricity from the Sun are as follows:
Solar PV Modules or Panels (can be one or more)
Charger Controller or Inverter
Batteries, in case you opt for storage
How many solar panels do I need to generate appreciable electricity?
The requirement of solar panels depends on application and load profile. As a thumb rule, for Grid-Tie solutions, solar panels should have a rating that is 20 % more than the inverter AC rating. For Off-Grid solutions, panel rating shall be based on day as well as night kWhr consumption. Please refer our solar calculator to check the sizing of your solar system.
Why is a Charge Controller required?
A charge controller regulates a battery's SOC, providing full power when necessary and reducing the charge when the battery's SOC is at sufficient levels. This is important for maintaining the state of health of the batteries installed.
How many types of Charges Controllers are available?
There are two types of charge controllers that are available: PWM stands for "Pulse Width Modulation" and is basically a 3-stage charging cycle type controller. Most of your DC applications use this technique for lower power ratings typically up to 2 KVA.
MPPT stands for "Maximum Power Point Tracking". This is a new type of controller that not only provides multi-stage charging but also delivers more power to installed batteries by comparing PV voltage with battery voltage, thus delivering the best current to charge your batteries. This makes it more efficient as compared to a PWM charge controller.
Do I need a Power Inverter?
If it is not used, you will not have 120 VAC and will have to use battery power alone. This might be acceptable in a small RV or cabin, but not for normal AC appliances.
What are the differences between 12, 24 and 48 V solar inverters?
This refers to the battery bank voltage. The main consideration is that at higher voltages the current produced is low so that you may use lower current rated systems such as wires that connect your PV array, your battery bank, inverter and/or charge controller.
Correct Cables & Wire Sizes FAQs
Why is wire size so important?
In order to obtain maximized energy transfer from your solar panels, wires running to your equipments need to be large enough to carry the current generated. If the wire/cable size is inadequate, it is possible that your connected wires may likely overheat and even catch fire. Cable sizing is a key safety aspect.
What about the rest of the system?
Wires between a Charge Controller and Batteries can be of the same size as the wires from your Solar Panels. However, batteries and inverter need to be connected with long cables. The size of your battery bank and inverter will determine the minimum cable size. This should be covered in detail in the instructions that come in the user manual with your inverter.
Buyers Buying Solar Products/Projects FAQs
How do Solar Panels produce electricity?
Solar Panels work based on the phenomenon called the Photoelectric Effect to produce electricity. Solar Panels are nothing but blocks of specially designed semiconducting materials that produce a small amount of electricity when light falls on them. This small amount of electricity is produced in a large number of panels to produce electricity for everyday consumption.
What is the expected lifespan of a Solar PV System?
A Solar PV System does not consist of any moving parts. It is not prone to any kind of damage caused due to the friction between moving parts or any other mechanical phenomenon that causes damage to a generator or a motor. A Solar PV System can easily last from 20-25 years or even more, if maintained properly.
How is Solar better than Diesel Generator as a backup system?
The capital cost of a Solar PV System is higher than a DG System. Nevertheless, a DG System incurs a very high fuel and maintenance cost. On the other hand, a Solar PV System does not require fuel. Even its maintenance is very minimal and easy. Besides a Solar PV System is clean and environmental friendly, and becomes cost effective in the long run compared to DG sets.
What kind of maintenance schedule needs to be followed to keep my Solar PV System in a healthy condition?
A Solar PV System requires very minimal and easy maintenance. Solar Panels should be cleaned regularly so that the system works at its full efficiency. Occasional checks should be done to ensure that solar panels are not being exposed to shading effect. Other components of the system, except Solar Panels, have to be kept in a shaded area. These steps help in prolonging the life of your overall Solar PV System.
What equipments other than Solar Panels are required in my Solar PV System?
A Solar Panel in the system produces electricity while other components convert and manage power transferred to connected load. The electricity produced by the panel is in DC form and has to be converted to AC form for user's consumption. A proper and safe flow of electricity needs to be ensured so that no damage is done to your appliances. To increase the reliability of the system installed, other components are a must.
Is power production affected on an overcast day?
A Solar PV System does not require direct sunlight to work, though direct sunlight generates maximum system efficiency. The system continues to work even during overcast conditions but efficiencies get reduced. Efficiency generally reduces to 70 % during an overcast day. In India, where more than 300 sunny days are available in most of the places, overcast conditions are not a major concern per se.
What is the required investment for a Solar Rooftop Solution?
The cost of a Solar Setup depends on factors such as connected load, type and quality of the components used, total available rooftop area etc. As per rough estimate, a grid connected Solar PV System with Grade A manufacturer's components costs around INR 65,000/KW while a battery connected system costs around INR 1,00,000/KW.
How much time will it take to breakeven,if I invest my finances in a Solar Rooftop Solution?
In a Solar PV System, major investment is installation. It has a minimal maintenance cost and no fuel cost. A 5 KW Solar PV System has average payback period of approximately 4-5 years. The lifespan is as high as 20 to 25 years. As a result, 70 to 75 % of power produced in a lifetime may be considered free electricity.
How much Rooftop Area is required to install a Solar PV System?
It is mandatory for a Solar System to have a shadow free area at all times of the day. The most important factor on which this area relies on is Panel Efficiency. Generally, a Solar Panel with 15 % efficiency requires 100 sq.ft. of shadow free rooftop area. Another factor is the weight of your Solar Panels that may put pressure on the roof of your building. For old and poorly built construction, Solar Panels have to be scattered in a larger area for the building to withstand the distributed weight.
Does ambient temperature affect the efficiency of a Solar PV System?
Counterintuitively, an increase in the ambient temperature around your Solar PV System results in a decrease in the efficiency of the system. It is to be noted here that though PV Systems work based on the energy from the Sun, they work on the Sun's light energy and not on its heat energy. Increase in temperature may result in lower system output voltage, thus decreasing the said efficiency.
How does shading affect the performance of a Solar PV System?
Shading has a very large impact on the performance of a Solar PV System. Since a PV Panel is made up of a large number of Solar Cells, shading on even a small part of the module can have an adverse effect on the energy produced by rest of the modules installed as their energy may get consumed by the part which is under shade.
Why should I setup a Solar PV System at my premise?
Setting up a Solar PV System at your premise gives you a chance to be self-sustainable in your power consumption by reducing your dependency on grid power, which in turns leads to electricity savings. A Solar PV System is a clean and environment friendly way to generate power. You can even sell electricity (via net metering) to the already power deficit grid in the country, thereby playing a national role to fulfil the nation's electricity demand.
How much rooftop space is required?
Most of the solar panels installed are on rooftop. However, in some cases they can also be mounted on the ground. You would need a shadow-free area of approximately 100 sq.ft. to accommodate 1 kWp panels. Please make sure that the area gets maximum sunlight. Your solar installer will select the best angle for solar panels.
Solar Panel FAQs
Solar panels are designed to absorb sunlight and generate electricity.
They are also known as PV or photovoltaic modules as they don't need anything beyond sunlight to produce (direct current) electricity.
Solar panels can easily replace fossil fuels that cause unnecessary pollution.
These panels supply clean and renewable energy that comes directly from the Sun, reduce the carbon footprint, and are environment friendly.
The Cost of Solar Panels
The cost of solar panels has considerably reduced in the past few years. The reason is increased demand by consumers who have begun to realize the benefit of going solar. At Livguard, we value quality and provide top notch solar panels at a very affordable price. Also, an investment in solar solutions is very sound as compared to merely relying on grid power. In the long run, it is cheap as the whole cost can be recovered in a short span of years. In fact, after a certain period of time, if you choose the right installation service, you can actually start earning profit from your investment.
25 Years' Performance Warranty
Livguard gives you 25 years of performance warranty on panels with an assured great performance, not merely functionality.
Lower Electricity Bills
Electricity bills are no longer a worry. Solar panels generate electricity to charge the battery of your inverter and to run your loads. You don't always require grid supply and this reduces your electricity bills. It is a one-time investment: You get solar panels installed today and begin to enjoy clean electricity for at least 20-25 years. Yes, you heard it right. After all, the Sun never invoices you.
GI and GIH FAQs
What is Solar Hybrid (Off-Grid), Solar Grid interactive and Solar Grid Interactive Hybrid systems. What is the basic difference between all three systems?
Solar hybrid system is a solar solution that comprises of PV panels, batteries and a hybrid/off-grid inverter. It works with or without grid support and is designed for self-sustainability.
Solar grid interactive is a system that is in sync with your local grid. It requires a grid interactive inverter and solar panels. It works to send excess solar power generated back to your local grid via a net meter. It only works as long as grid supply is available. If electricity gets cut off, this system no longer functions.
Solar grid interactive hybrid brings you the Power of 2. It consists of a grid interactive hybrid inverter, batteries and solar panels. When grid supply is available, it will send excess solar power back to your local grid via net metering and when grid power is not available, it will use your batteries to run your critical loads.
Where can we use Solar Hybrid (Off-Grid) Systems?
You can use them if you experience long duration power cuts of 3 hours or more on a given day. Such a system is widely recommended if you have a premise in a remote part of the country.
Where can we use Solar Grid Interactive (GI) System?
You can use them if your grid supply is reliable on a 24x7 basis or if your day time power cut is bare minimum (0-1 hour). As long as grid supply exists, this system will sell excess solar back to your local grid via a net meter to help reduce your monthly electricity bill.
Where can we use Solar Grid Interactive Hybrid (GIH) System?
You can use them if your grid supply is good enough and you experience short duration power cuts of 1-2 hours. This works as a grid interactive system, thus helping you reduce your electricity bill and at the same time, runs your critical loads during power cut.
I already have an inverter system. Can I simply use GI instead of GIH?
You can, but it is not recommended. GIH will provide power backup through batteries when gird supply is not available. No additional inverter system is required as backup is readily available.
When there is a power cut, GI with normal inverter system will discharge the battery for backup. However, in GIH, the critical load will be catered by both solar power and battery power, leading to more solar utilization and enhanced battery backup.
For which solar systems does government provide subsidy?
Central subsidy via MNRE for GI and GIH systems that have been deployed in residential up to 10 KW and housing societies (>10 KW to 100 KW). Also, be aware of state level subsidies in your region that will help you further reduce cost of buying our best in class solution.
How to go about government approvals & subsidies for residential rooftop solar plants?
For Solar GI/GIH system, one must ensure that all the necessary government requirements for net metering is taken care of. This may require some of your valuable time and fees depending on your local electricity utility/DISCOM. For battery based systems, no permits are required. However, in case there are subsidy schemes offered by local government, additional documentation may be required for subsidy. Livguard products are designed as per IEC/BIS standards, and are eligible for subsidy schemes. Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) regularly announces subsidy and its disbursement procedure on its website. It is recommended to visit the same.
What is a zero export device?
The device helps PV plants to function without net metering. Also useful for establishments that have DG Sets wherein the solar power is not exported to the DG set.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I had a revelation while watching Over The Top (1987) this weekend: Sylvester Stallone really is a good actor. In addition to his obvious bad assery, I found myself feeling bad for the big galoot as he struggled with dealing with his son. It shouldn't really come as a surprise, I've seen a surprising amount of Stallone movies this pass year including Death Race 2000, First Blood, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Over The Top, Tango and Cash (how did I not blog about those three?), Cliffhanger and Rambo. I've also seen most of the Rocky movies in my days, but need to rewatch them, Cop Land and, as I've mentioned before, I can't wait for The Expendables. Two of those I've watched recently, so let's jump in, shall we?
A few weeks back I had some free time on the weekend (I came down with a crazy cold while we were trying to paint our bathroom, I swear) and decided to give Cliffhanger (1993) on Netflix Instant Watch. I got so into it that Em, who was graciously finishing the painting while I slowly turned into a snot machine, heard me yelling at the TV and was about to yell at me for playing video games while she was working until she came in to see me on the edge of my seat.
I'd never seen the movie, so it held a lot of surprises for me, especially when it came to the cast. I pretty much only knew that Stallone and the girl from Northern Exposure (Janine Turner) were in it. I had no idea John Lithgow, Michael Rooker and the cop from CSI Miami (Rex Linn) were all in it. You gotta love Lithgow as a villain.
The thing that surprised me about both of these Stallone movies is how much deeper the story is than you'd expect. With Cliffhanger, you'd just expect it to be dudes on a mountain making other dudes find their lost money, but instead you've got all this backstory between Stallone and Rooker and Stallone and Turner. The same goes for Over The Top, which I picked up at Best Buy for $5 last week even though I'd never seen it before. It's not JUST the Stallone arm wrestling movie. He's also dealing with his 10-year-old kid who he's never met before (played by David Mendenhall, the voice of Daniel Witwicky in Transformers), the kid's sick mom, her dad (played by Lost Highway's Robert Loggia!) and a bunch of dudes in tank tops at the arm wrestling championship.
Of course, it comes with its fair share of ridiculousness too. Stallone's a truck driver and one of the prizes for the American arm wrestling championship just so happens to be a big rig. Exactly what he needs. Huh, go figure. There's also a whole series of scenes in which his son steels a car, drive it to the airport, gives it to a security guard, flies to Las Vegas, avoids his grandpa's goons (one of which, I'm pretty sure played a goon in Road House, the one with the curly hair) and makes his way to the arm wrestling championships all while his dad is in the middle of the competition. Crazy! How does he do this? Were credit cards even around back then? It's like they tried to throw a little Home Alone in the middle of this action movie, it's great. You've also got a great series of weirdos he has to arm wrestle (all of whom are much, MUCH bigger than him.
If you can't get behind this kind of awesomeness, I pity you.
Two more quick things. One, the movie was so rad that it earned itself an action figure line back in 1986 with real arm wrestling action! I very much wish I could find a commercial online for this, but as the basic video search I did on YouTube brought nothing, click through to this Virtual Toy Chest link, you'll be doing yourself a service my friend.
And second, just try and tell me that this painted image of Stallone, arm extended with a truck and a hawk behind him isn't cooler than anything you've seen in the past 13 years. Bazinga!


Almost all of us, the digital population of the world, are already acquainted with the state of Kerala in the southern part of India. After all, Kerala is the state of India which receives maximum media coverage, thanks to Kerala tourism board. We all have our own versions of best places to visit in Kerala. Kathakali dance, ayurveda centres, backwaters, pristine beaches, tea gardens and the diverse palate of food the state offers is no secret anymore. However, we have curated a list of 6 best kept secret experiences to have in Kerala!
1. Home-made chocolates of Munnar–These sweet delights can be found in the shops of Munnar. Heaven for the sweet toothed visitors to the city, they come in different flavours, colours and shapes. Generally, the chocolates are incredibly sweet and flavoured with cashew and almonds. Most of the shops provide the buyer samples to taste before finalising the actual transaction. You can buy these boxes of chocolate and easily carry it home to gift to your friends and family.
2. Once in 12 years blooming of Neelakurinji – Neelakurinji is a flower which blossoms every 12 years in the Western Ghats of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The shrubs are around 30 to 60 centimetres high. When they bloom, the green landscape of Kerala transforms into a purplish blue heaven. The blooming of these flowers can be best experienced in Idukki district of Kerala. The magical flowers bloomed last in the year 2006.
3. Explore Silent Valley National Park – The lesser known national park perched in the state of Kerala in the district of Palakkad was once threatened by a hydro electric project in the 1970s. Thankfully, the project got cancelled amid stern protests. Currently the park is the habitat of the endangered species of the lion tailed macaques. A wide variety of butterflies are also found to fly around in this park. The silent valley national park is a perfect example of an offbeat destination in Kerala.
4. Backwaters of North Kerala–The backwaters of Kerala need no introduction. Nobody departs Kerala without cruising on the waters in Allepey or Kumarakom. But the backwaters of North Kerala are different. They are primarily found in Kasargod district of Kerala and they are free from the tourist clutter. Living in the kettuvallam, or houseboats, over the backwaters of Kerala, you can observe the calm life that the villagers lead.
5. The Jewish neighbourhood of Kochi – The most interesting part of Kochi is the Fort Kochi area. Around the Pardesi synagogue in Fort Kochi is the Jewish neighbourhood, lately known as the 'Last Jew Town'. The colourful walls with David's star imbibed in the iron railings of the doors and windows make this place completely different from the rest of India. Most of the Jews who still choose to live in Kochi sell handmade products, curios and artefacts. The rest have migrated back to Israel. Unfortunately, this neighbourhood is living upto its name and very soon, the last Jew town will vanish with the end of its last generation.
6. Mohiniyattam–This Indian classical dance form originated in Kerala, but unlike Kathakali, it is not that popular with tourists. Like Kathakali, Mohiniyattam dance's unique features lie in its expressions. During British rule this dance form was maligned and ridiculed at; thankfully all that narrow mindedness exists no more. If you find yourself on Keralite soil someday, don't just stop at Kathakali – grab a ticket to the Mohiniyattam show as well.
N.B : All photos used in this post are sourced from Royalty Free Photo stock of Kerala Tourism Board.
Are you from Kerala? Do you know of any more secret spots or activities to do in 'God's Own Country'? Write comments and let us know!
Nice!! Blog took me back to my Kerala trip.. ?


Libbie Canter is a member of the Communications & Media, Data Privacy and Cybersecurity, and Litigation Practice Groups. She represents and advises clients on matters before Congress and various federal agencies, including the Federal Communications Commission and the Federal Trade Commission. She has advised clients on a broad range of privacy issues, including data security breach matters, online and mobile marketing, and social networking policies for employers. Her legislative work focuses on the areas of communications and media, privacy law, and cloud computing policy.
Blumenthal Introduces Data Protection and Breach Notice Legislation.


While technology is great, sometimes it does fail us. Going to remote areas generally means a lack of cell reception, making it difficult to make calls in moments of need. Today we get a look at The SPOT X, which aims to change that, providing connection anywhere it's needed. The SPOT X looks like a Blackberry with an antenna that provides two-way satellite messaging and email with no annual commitment. The device communicates via GPS tracking and the Globalstar satellite network, also offering navigation tracking by way of Google Maps.
To take things a step further, it also has the ability to post to social media. The illuminated QWERTY keyboard is easy to use in any light while averaging ten days of battery life when tracking in 10-minute intervals. The SPOT X also comes with an impact resistant, dust, and waterproof design, making it able to hold up on any adventure.
Check out the new device in the image up top and give us your thoughts in the comments below. Head over to learn more about Spot X right here, right now. Stay tuned for more from the world of technology coming soon.


I love getting on the air every week to share new music, interviews and even my live with you each week. Your testimonies, comments and emails always encourage me and confirm this what God has called me to do.
At heart I'm a DJ though. So I really look forward to the Going in Mixshows each month. And July is no different.
We debut the new Lecrae single "I know," as well as the new Tony Tillman (Brothatone) song "Show Me."
Plus, we countdown the 5 hottest songs of the month.
Tune in this week as I celebrate completion of my first 5K Race. This past Thursday, I ran (yes, I ran. lol) in the Verizon 5K Corporate Challenge in Morristown, NJ. While my time wasn't terribly fast, 44:30, being able to run the entire course was a huge accomplishment for me.
6 months ago, I wasn't exercising at all. I began walking around Christmas and started training for the 5K 2 months ago.
My wife Belinda also, participated as she finished her 3rd 5K. I share this with you guys, as we're both committed to losing weight and getting healthier. I've already lost 25 lbs.
To celebrate, we countdown my favorite songs to work out too.
Also, B. Reith joins us to discuss life after Gotee Records, his new mixtape, As The Story Continues as well as the two tours he has coming up, The Move Tour and the Synergy Tour.
Plus, we've got loads of new music and two fresh new mixes: The Going in Mix and the Mix of the Week.
- "I Like Me" - Kirk Franklin feat. Da T.R.U.T.H.
Tune in this week as we're joined by two of the artists from this summer's largest Christian Hip Hop Tour, The MOVE Tour. The Ambassador and DJ Malski discuss the origins of the tour, plus the new projects they're both working on.
Also, we countdown the 5 Hottest Songs in Ambassador's catalogue and debut Malski's new single, "We Flashin'."
The Internet has also been buzzing about The radio confrontation that a Phildelphia Pastor had with Meek Mil over his new song "Amen" earlier this week. We discuss what the confrontation showed, that everyone seems to be missing.
Plus, Lecrae seemingly re-embraced the Christian Hip Hop label in an interview with Family Christian Bookstore. Did he flip-flop? Sketch gets to the bottom of this as well.
On top of all of that, we play new music from Canon, B. Reith, Brinson, Timothy Brindle and Suzy Rock.
- "Zone Out (Tee-Wyla Club Mix)" - KB feat. Tee-Wyla & DJ Ynot?
- "Jesus Muzik (B-More Like Christ Mix)" - Lecrae feat. Trip Lee, Tee-Wyla & DJ Ynot?
- "Trumpet Sound (BMore Like Christ Remix)" - The Tribbett feat. Tee-Wyla & DJ Ynot?
Thought of the Week - Is It Still Cool to be a CHH Artist?
From July 26 - July 28, the city of Chicago will host a very important conferences geared towards Urban Christians - Legacy Conference 2012: Sola Gratia. Organized by Brian Dye and the Legacy Fellowship Church family, the conference seeks to equip Urban America to make disciples who make disciples.
Featuring teaching and performances by Matt Chandler, Chris Broussard (ESPN), Dr. Anthony Bradley, shai linne, Propaganda, Thi'sl, Viktory, Bizzle, Andy Mineo and many others, the Legacy Conference is certainly an experience that you don't want to miss.
To prepare you for this epic event, we've decided to dedicate the entire show to the conference. Joined by Kareem Manuel, who is an integral part of the Legacy Fellowship Planning Team, we give you the ins and outs of why you should be there. Plus, we feature a special Wade's World Wide Top 5 featuring artists slated to perform at the conference this year.


Instrument bottom mount in PEHD (High Density Polyethylene), thickness 15mm with or without flotation.
The structure is easy to dismantle and delivery in a wood transport box (and small toolbox with spare parts inside).
There is available space inside the structure.


When parents separate they will need to address issues associated with the custody of their children. This is so both when the parents are married and when they have never been married. It also applies when the parents never lived together. Simply put, decisions need to be made concerning where the children are at any given time, who is responsible for providing their care and how important decisions are to be made about the children. Decisions will also need to be made when the children's or the parents' situations change necessitating a modification of the already set in arrangements. When the parents cannot decide this themselves, they can benefit from the help of collaborative professionals.
The legal standard applied to all custody cases is the "best interest of the child". In other words, the only thing that matters in custody cases is what will be best for the child. Of course the parents' wishes and input are important, and children are not happy when their parents do not feel that their concerns have been heard and considered. One of the primary goals of your collaborative professionals is to make sure that your thoughts and concerns about the custody of your children are heard and considered.
There are two types of custody. The first involves who will be responsible for your children's day to day physical well-being and who will be making routine daily decisions about your children. This is the category of custody that deals with exactly where your children will live. This category of custody is referred to as "residential custody". There are numerous ways parents can work out the residential custody for their children. It is dependent on the personalities of the parents and the children, the geographical distance between the parents' homes, the age of the children and the routine that has been established by the parents for their children prior to the issue of residential custody being decided. Anything else that the parents think is important will also be considered in the collaborative process of resolving your children's custody. A residential custody schedule can be traditional, where one parent is the "primary residential parent", meaning that the children live primarily with that parent and have access to the other parent on a set schedule. The access schedule is designed by the parents in collaborative sessions taking their schedules in mind as well as considering the schedules of the children so that homework can be done and extracurricular activities or medical needs can be accommodated. Residential custody schedules can also provide for more time with both parents. This is referred to as "joint residential custody". Although many people believe that joint residential custody means that the children spend equal halves of their time at the home of each parent (often described as "50-50″) the residential schedule can be as individualized as each family is unique. It is the job of your collaborative professionals to help work out the best schedule for your family.
The other type of custody is known as "legal custody." This refers to the important decisions that parents make for their children having to do with health, education, religion, etc. The parents can agree that 1) they make these decision together, 2) one parent can make all decisions without having to consult the other parent or 3) one parent can have the responsibility for one category of decisions while they decide all other categories together. Decision making together is referred to as Joint Legal Custody while decisions made by only one parent is referred to as Sole Legal Custody. Your collaborative professionals will work to help you make the choices that are right for your family.
Custody and access, whether it is agreed upon by the parents or imposed by a court is never final. As children change and the parents' circumstances change so must custody arrangements be permitted to change. The children's needs may change as they age so that the arrangement put into place when they were younger does not fit their current needs. A parent may move so that the arrangement no longer fits the distance between the parents. The parent's situation may change in other ways, such as in the amount of time they must put in at a new job.
Whether there is a need to change access schedules or any other aspect of physical or legal custody, collaborative law provides an effective way to address changes that arise. Whether establishing the first impression custody/access and legal custody arrangements, or modifying an existing custody arrangement, the collaborative process allows parents to work directly with each other, with the help of collaboratively trained attorneys and mental health professionals, to modify their custody arrangement to suit their changing needs.


text:
The Pale Criminal
Kerr, Philip
Penguin Books Ltd (UK)
Berlin Noir 2
Philip Kerr was born in Edinburgh and read Law at university. He stayed on to read Law and Philosophy as a postgraduate, most of this German, which was when he first became interested in German twentieth century history.He worked first as a copywriter at a number of advertising agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi, but spent most of his time researching an idea he'd had for a novel about a Berlin-based policeman. And following several trips to Germany - and a great deal of walking around mean streets of Berlin - his first novel, March Violets, was published in 1989 and introduced the world to the iconic tough-talking detective Bernie Gunther.Since then he has written and published ten universally lauded Bernie Gunther novels, and is currently working on his eleventh. He has won both the RBA International Prize for Crime Writing, and the CWA Ellis Peters Historic Crime Award. von Kerr, Philip
Philip Kerr was born in Edinburgh and read Law at university. He stayed on to read Law and Philosophy as a postgraduate, most of this German, which was when he first became interested in German twentieth century history.He worked first as a copywriter at a number of advertising agencies, including Saatchi & Saatchi, but spent most of his time researching an idea he'd had for a novel about a Berlin-based policeman. And following several trips to Germany - and a great deal of walking around mean streets of Berlin - his first novel, March Violets, was published in 1989 and introduced the world to the iconic tough-talking detective Bernie Gunther.Since then he has written and published ten universally lauded Bernie Gunther novels, and is currently working on his eleventh. He has won both the RBA International Prize for Crime Writing, and the CWA Ellis Peters Historic Crime Award.
Kundenbewertungen für "The Pale Criminal"


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By Declaration and the Death
Street Date: February 12, 2016
Style: Folk Rock
In may of 2013, Birmingham-based singer/songwriter John Ball released a stunning self-titled EP that displayed a creative depth and maturity most artists don't reach until their later years. The softly spoken folk/rock sound was simple and approachable, but with a certain charm that brought me back multiple times. Now, close to three years later, By Declaration and the Death offers an almost perfect follow-up.
The eight-track record begins with "Find it in Me." A lone piano and acoustic dominates the first half of the song before a full band of instruments carry to it a close. Crescendos often have the tendency to feel forced or unnecessary, but in "Find It In Me," it's well-done and fails to fall into those common potholes. This leads into the anthemic title track and the alt-rock "Feel It." Both have the mainstream audience insight, but to label them as such would be a disservice as there's a lot more going on here than what is met on the surface. "Feel It," for example, offers up the sincere question, "If I lose the faith, if I lose control, will you still bring me back, will you still guide me home?" Track four, "Satisfy," is a more straightforward worship song that serves as a major highlight.
But it's the final three tracks that make this album truly stand out. This final half is a row of dark, mostly acoustic numbers that set themselves apart from the songs before them. "Charcoal" is a grim, painful look at Peter's denial of Jesus. Melancholy verses give way to a desperate finale that makes the story feel frighteningly familiar. "Pull Me Out" showcases the best of John's vocals with the simple three-word chorus, and "Whistle Blows and Anchor Chains" brings the record to a close in a humble and raw fashion.
John Ball left a strong impression with his self-titled EP, but By Declaration and the Death may be even better. If you're looking for an emotionally honest album that's above the norm, John Ball's newest may be just what you're looking for.
- Review date: 3/23/16, written by Lucas Munachen of Jesusfreakhideout.com
Album length: 8 tracks: 30 minutes, 35 seconds
Buy It: iTunes
Buy It: AmazonMP3
Find It in Me (5:11)
By Declaration & the Death (3:12)
I Feel It (3:51)
Satisfy (3:44)
In Between (2:31)
Charcoal (5:00)
Pull Me Out (3:09)
Whistle Blows & Anchor Chains (3:57)


The 20-year-old South African made his third first team appearance of the season in the Belgian top-flight, coming on for the last seven minutes in St Truiden's 2-0 defeat at Mechelen. St Truiden are now fifth in the standings, five points behind leaders Club Brugge.
Clifford came on off the bench in the second half, while compatriot Kgaogelo Sekgota remained an unused substitute as Lithuanian club Stumbras scored late in a 1-0 victory over Zalgiris to win the 2017 Lithuanian Cup – the first in the club's short four-year history.
Dolly was an unused substitute as Montpellier held Ligue 1 giants PSG to a goalless draw, a point which leaves them 12th on the French standings.
Jacobs came on as a substitute for the last 12 minutes in Livingston's 2-0 away win at Falkirk. They're now fourth on the table , four points adrift of leaders Dunfermline in the race for Scottish top-flight promotion.
Jacobs played the full 90 minutes as Queen of the South went down 3-1 to second-placed St Mirren in the Scottish Championship, leaving them sixth on the log.
Jali started his sixth game of the season in Oostende's 1-1 away draw at Genk for just their second point of the season as they remain bottom of the log after eight games.
Mahlambi watched his new club Al Ahly in Champions League action from the sidelines over the weekend, as they beat Esperance 2-1 to book their spot in this year's semi-finals.
Mahlangu played the whole match in Dinamo Bucuresti's 1-0 loss to second-placed FCSB, as they slipped to seventh in the Romanian league standings.
Manyama was an unused substitute as 14th-placed Konyaspor stopped their three-match winless streak with a 2-0 home win over seventh-placed Akhisar Belediye. They now have six points after six games.
Mayambela netted his fifth goal of the campaign as Swedish side Degerfors registered a 3-1 win over Frej, taking them up to seventh on the log after 25 games.
Mfeka scored the third of six goals as American club Reno 1868 smashed Portland Timbers 6-1 in the USL. The result leaves them second in the standings, just two behind leaders Real Monarchs.
Mokotjo came on as a late substitute in Brentford's first league victory of the season, a 3-0 away win at Bolton to lift them to 20th out of 24 teams in the Championship table.
Moloto played 88 minutes in Swope Park Rangers' 3-1 away win at Colorado Springs as they sit fourth on the USL table.
New Bafana Bafana call-up Mothiba played 71 minutes in Valenciennes' 2-0 loss to Auxerre in Ligue 2, leaving them 14th on the log with 11 points after nine games, 10 points behind leaders Reims.
Ndlovu played the entire match, but was unable to find the back of the net in Qarabag's 4-1 league win over Sumqayit, maintaining their spot at the summit of the Azerbaijan standings.
Ntlhe came on for the last 19 minutes for English club Rochdale in their 3-0 win over Gillingham. The result leaves them in 18th on the League 1 standings after nine games played.
Nunes is yet to miss a minute's action for Polish club Pogon Szczecin this term, starting the club's 10th game of the season in their 2-1 loss to table-toppers Gornik Zabrze. Nunes grabbed the assist in his side's late consolation goal in the 88th minute.
Phiri played the entire second half in Guingamp's 3-1 Ligue 1 loss to Bordeaux, leaving them 10th in the French top-flight standings.
Ralani started his 17th match of the campaign, but could not follow up his brace from last week as Helsingborg were held to a 0-0 draw at Falkenberg. His club are now four points adrift of a play-off berth in fourth position after 25 games.
Rantie marked his return from suspension by coming off the bench for the last half an hour of play as Turkish club Genclerbirligi left it late to beat Istanbul Basaksehirr 1-0 – their first win of the season after six games played.
It was sweet revenge for Serero, who played 59 minutes in Vitesse's shock 2-1 win over his former employers Ajax Amsterdam. Vitesse are now third after six games in the Eredivisie.
Untersee's Empoli was on the losing end in a 1-0 defeat to Cittadella, as they slipped to fourth on the Serie B standings. Untersee played the full 90 minutes.
Veldwijk lasted 77 minutes in Dutch club Groningen's 1-0 victory over FC Twente, propelling them up to 11th on the standings.
Zungu played his first 90 minutes for Amiens in their 1-0 loss to Caen in Ligue 1, leaving them 16th on the log.


text:
Jamareo Artis: Mars Rover
FROM THE INSTANT HE FIRST PICKED UP THE BASS AT THE AGE OF 10, Jamareo Artis spent every bit of his youth gigging his way through the churches and music venues of North Carolina, all while studying music theory and everything from jazz to bluegrass.
By Jon D'Auria , Oct 29, 2013
FROM THE INSTANT HE FIRST PICKED UP THE BASS AT THE AGE OF 10, Jamareo Artis spent every bit of his youth gigging his way through the churches and music venues of North Carolina, all while studying music theory and everything from jazz to bluegrass. "I got my first bass for Christmas," says the Bruno Mars bass man, "and in that moment I stopped riding bikes and playing video games and sports— I just played bass all day. It became everything to me, but I never thought it would lead me to this." Artis' hard word and practice paid off as he went on to win P Diddy's MTV Making His Band competition in 2009 at the age of 20. From there it was a chance meeting outside of a recording studio that introduced him to a budding singer named Bruno Mars who instantly recruited him to join his band. Nowadays Artis can be found playing his collection of P-Basses on the biggest stages in the world, finessing in Jacoinspired runs to the retro music of Mars and all while keeping perfectly in step with Soul Train-esque choreographed moves and never skipping a beat.
What is your approach on bass when you're writing with Bruno?
Bruno plays simple chords and writes simple songs, but he's very musical and a smart songwriter. I really didn't know what to play over the basic changes at first, but then I realized that he's all about melodic and simple bass lines. It can be just three notes, but those three notes better make an impact on the song in a big way. He always brings up the bass line for "Billie Jean" to me. It's simple, but almost everybody in the world can hum it.
So you've become much more of a selective player recently?
Only four or five years ago I learned that you don't have to impress people and get your point across by just playing endless licks or overplaying. Now I've learned how to pick my spots and know where to fit in the good stuff. You got to choose your licks wisely— like Jamerson used to do. He'd sit in the pocket a full song and then throw in two notes in the third verse that would change everything.
What's the secret behind your booming vintage tone?
Aside from all the gear I use, it's all about finger technique. Everybody's fingers sound different, and I manipulate my sound from my finger work differently for different songs. I always play P-Basses, and that really helps me get my ideal, warm Motown sound. My sound is a mix between the tone of my heroes James Jamerson, Pino Palladino and Jaco Pastorius. I love the round, warm old school tone that's thick but that also cuts through.
You guys put on a very energetic live show.
The most difficult thing is to dance and play in this band. We do some Jackson 5 choreographed stuff on stage, and it's not as easy as you think. We get down every moment of an hour and forty-five minute set and you have to make sure your dancing is in sync with your playing. I try not to let that effect what I'm playing, because that's the most important thing.
What's your most memorable performance to date?
That's easy. We got to perform with Sting on the Grammy Awards this year. We rehearsed everyday the week leading up to it and Sting came to every rehearsal and he definitely didn't have to. He's a legend and you just don't know how certain people are going to be, but he took me right under his wing and has been a mentor to me ever since.
Bruno Mars, Unorthodox Jukebox [Atlantic, 2012]
Basses Fender Pino Palladino Signature Precision Bass, Fender Road Worn '50s Precision Bass, Fender Deluxe Active Precision Bass Custom
Rig 2 Mesa Boogie M9 Carbine heads, 2 Mesa Boogie LTD 8x10 Powerhouse cabinets
Effects EBS DPhaser, EBS OctaBass
Strings DR Strings Hi-Beams (.045–.105), DR Strings Legend Flatwounds
Jamareo Artis: From Bruno Mars to Solo Orbit
By Jon D'Auria Sep 1, 2016
Paul Bender: From Hip-Hop to Fusion with Hiatus Kaiyote
By Jon D'Auria Aug 12, 2015
Jamareo Artis of Bruno Mars Releases His Debut EP 'Liberation'
By BP Staff Sep 10, 2015
Jamareo Artis and Bruno Mars to Open AMA Awards
By BP Staff Oct 19, 2016
Evan Brewer: The Deep Ethos Of Entheos
By Jon D'Auria Feb 1, 2018
A Perfect Circle, Puscifer, Ashes Divide, 30 Seconds To Mars Matt MCJunkins Mer De Bass
By Jon D'Auria Oct 24, 2011
Tom Petersson: Cheap Trick's Titan of Tone
By Jon D'Auria Jun 8, 2016
Michael Shuman: King of Queens
The Andrew Gouche Way
By Jon D'Auria Sep 18, 2013


John is very talented. His ability with words that enable you to see and feel what he writes cuts right through you so you can feel his heart. He is one of the treasures to find here at WordPress.
I wanted to try my hand at a "Shape Poem," which some people call a "Concrete Poem" (I don't know why) Mine is really not a poem. More like prose. But it was long enough to fill the form so here it is….. I actually posted it earlier under another name, but i like this one better… I hope you enjoy it, if not please let me know why…. And thank you for visiting.
Previous When dealing with people, let us remember . . .
Please leave all comments at the original site and share this with your social media so others can read it, too.


text:
Valore in economia
Valore aggiunto
Valore azionario
Valore monetario
Valore nominale
Valore morale o ideale in filosofia
Valore in fisica
Valore efficace
Valore energetico
Valore legale in giurisprudenza
Valore in matematica
Valore assoluto
Valore attuale (matematica finanziaria)
Valore attuale netto (matematica finanziaria)
Valore nelle scienze sociali
Valore in statistica
Valore atteso
Valore in informatica
Valore in musica

Pagine correlate
Valori (disambigua)

Altri progetti

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: How do "inner" and "outer" work in this bubble sort code? I am trying to learn the bubble sort algorithm in a book for C. I can't seem to understand in the code below how int outer and int inner link to which element of the nums array. Like how does inner become nums[0] while outer becomes nums[1] (if I'm correct), then progresses through the loop?
#include <stdio.h>
#include <stdlib.h>
#include <time.h>

int main()
{
    int ctr, inner, outer, didSwap, temp;
    int nums[10];
    time_t t;

    srand(time(&t));

    for (ctr = 0; ctr < 10; ctr++)
    {
        nums[ctr] = (rand() % 99) + 1;
    }

    puts("\n Here is the list before the sort: ");
    for (ctr = 0; ctr < 10; ctr++)
    {
        printf("%i\n", nums[ctr]);
    }

    for (outer = 0; outer < 9; outer++)
    {
        didSwap = 0;
        for (inner = outer; inner < 10; inner++)
        {
            if (nums[inner] < nums[outer])
            {
                temp = nums[inner];
                nums[inner] = nums[outer];
                nums[outer] = temp;
                didSwap = 1;
            }
        }
        if (didSwap == 0)
        {
            break;
        }
    }

    puts("\n Here is the list after the sort: ");
    for ( ctr = 0; ctr < 10; ctr++)
    {
        printf("%i\n", nums[ctr]);
    }

    return 0;
}

A: inner never becomes nums[0]. inner and outer are array indexes, so when inner is 0, nums[inner] is nums[0].
The code that performs the comparison and swapping never does that with inner and outer, it uses nums[inner] and nums[outer].
        if (nums[inner] < nums[outer])
        {
            temp = nums[inner];
            nums[inner] = nums[outer];
            nums[outer] = temp;
            didSwap = 1;
        }

A:
I am trying to learn the bubble sort algorithm in a book for C.

For starters if the presented code is indeed from a book then I advice to stop reading the book because it seems the author of the book is a low-qualified programmer.
The presented method is not the bubble sort method.
It looks like the selection sort method with redundant swaps.
And moreover the code contains a serious bug.
For example take an array like
int nums[] = { 0, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 };

and the array will not be sorted!
What is the inner loop doing?
It travers the array after the current element nums[outer] and if it finds an element nums[inner] that is less than nums[outer] it swaps the elements and sets the flag didSwap to 1 (the flag means that some elements were swapped and the outer loop shall continue its iterations)
        if (nums[inner] < nums[outer])
        {
            temp = nums[inner];
            nums[inner] = nums[outer];
            nums[outer] = temp;
            didSwap = 1;
        }
    }

Otherwise if there are no swaps then the control exits the outer loop
    if (didSwap == 0)
    {
        break;
    }

However the selection sort method must continue its iteration even if for the current nums[outer] there was not found an element nums[inner] less than nums[outer].
Here is a demonstration program that shows that the presented sort method (that is not the bubble sort method) does not work.
#include <stdio.h>

int main( void )
{
    int ctr, inner, outer, didSwap, temp;
    int nums[3] = { 1, 3, 2 };

    for (outer = 0; outer < 2; outer++)
    {
        didSwap = 0;
        for (inner = outer; inner < 3; inner++)
        {
            if (nums[inner] < nums[outer])
            {
                temp = nums[inner];
                nums[inner] = nums[outer];
                nums[outer] = temp;
                didSwap = 1;
            }
        }
        if (didSwap == 0)
        {
            break;
        }
    }

    puts("\n Here is the list after the sort: ");
    for ( ctr = 0; ctr < 3; ctr++)
    {
        printf("%i\n", nums[ctr]);
    }
}

The program output is
 Here is the list after the sort:
1
3
2

As you can see the array was not sorted.:)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


to benefit the Connecticut Humane Society Pet Food Pantry.
iGRAFIX will be collecting all kinds of unopened and unexpired pet food for the Connecticut Humane Society's Pet Food Pantry at two drop-off locations in Collinsville, CT and Manchester, CT. For locations please scroll down.
"Holding this pet food drive will help people keep their pets. Being able to keep a beloved four-legged friend avoids a stressful situation for owners and their furry friends. If a pet has to leave its home it could mean an uncertain future for the animal, not all pets end up in a shelter with a no-kill policy. Millions of unwanted cats and dogs are euthanized in the United States every year. That makes it even more important to have pet food pantries available and well stocked," DiBenedetto states.
The Connecticut Humane Society established the Pet Food Pantry in November 2010. The pantry currently supplies food for hundreds of dogs and cats each month. Please help make life a little easier for our friends in need. Your generosity will help families keep their pets at home and is appreciated more than you will ever know!
30 lbs of food will feed one dog or three cats for one month. Our goal is to collect 300 lbs of food, helping 10 dogs or 30 cats.
I am sure the families and pets appreciate this.
Meow meow, woof woof = thank you!
I adopted my cat and puppy from a shelter, I would be devasted if I had to give them up. They're part of my family. The pet food pantry is great and I thank you for supporting them.
We at The Spa Expectations Corp would love to assist. I will either have my CT Director drop off or we will write a check.
This is wonderful and I commend you.
It's sad but true – pets are brought to the pound in hopes they will find a new home. Unfortunately more often than not they're being put to sleep. The pet food pantry is an excellent cause to support.


ARE YOU READY TO WALK YOUR CAMINO?
A transformational Coach can help you and your team to find focus and achieve your goals.
I will hold space for your personal growth. I will not attempt to fix you or to change you to make you fit into a societal norm for happiness or success. I will walk with you on a deep journey into yourself. Together we will open up cracks, allow the wonder and beauty that are inside you to find their way to the surface. We will then nurture a new sense of wholeness until its roots have truly taken hold.
Are you ready to take a deep dive within yourself and find new ways of living?
Do you want to unlock the potential of your team and tap into the wisdom of the group?
What could happen if you would go on a quest with a collective wisdom council?
©2019 All Rights Reserved. Tom Koninckx.
Integral Coach™ and Integral Coaching® is a registered trademark in Canada owned by Integral Coaching Canada Inc. and licensed to Tom Koninckx.


If you really want to drop those unwanted pounds, starving yourself is definitely not the best course of action. Research is showing that by skimping on your food intake too much, you can actually defeat your purpose. When your body doesn't receive an adequate number of calories, especially in the form of carbohydrates, it resorts to converting the protein in your muscles to fuel. Protein is the tissue in your body that burns the most calories; therefore, you are actually depleting the number of calories your body will burn. In addition, because this tissue is so important to the body, it will be quickly replaced when you start eating normally.
Choose a diet plan that will not only help you lose the weight, but will also teach you how to keep it off. The more times you have to diet, the slower your metabolism seems to become, and the more difficult it is to lose weight.
Eat a sufficient amount of food and eat at frequent intervals, so you aren't tempted to binge.
Combine you're dieting efforts with an exercise program. Several studies have shown that this is the most effective way to lose unwanted pounds and keep them off.
Set periodic goals and be sure they are realistic. If you haven't cheated on your diet, and still can't reach your weekly goal, it may be because it's not attainable. Time to reevaluate.
Make sure you are eating the right types of calories. Does your diet feature a sensible balance of proteins, carbohydrates and fats, while still being conducive to good weight loss?
The next time you decide to lose weight, take a close look at your diet and make sure it's going to meet all of your needs for successful weight loss.


FutureYou is an Australian executive recruitment super boutique challenging current recruitment industry thinking. Founded on the belief that there is a better way to connect outstanding talent with businesses across Australia, the company brings together a team of recruitment professionals to provide clients and candidates with depth of knowledge and specialisation. FutureYou covers a number of disciplines, without the constraints of traditional geographical borders or sector silos.
A bespoke facility that has the flexibility to expand with the company.
APositive created a customised recruitment finance solution that has the proven flexibility to grow at the size and scale that FutureYou requires. "APositive's communication and customer service – pre and post implementation – is excellent. APositive make a complex process straight forward for the recruitment industry," says Simon.
Partnering with APositive has provided the foundation for FutureYou to fuel the rapid growth of their temporary and contracting recruitment book. The partnership has also enabled the company to stick with – and meet – its business plan and growth objectives.


text:
Ведьмина служба доставки, или Служба доставки Кики:
 «Ведьмина служба доставки» — детская книга японской писательницы Эйко Кадоно.
 «Ведьмина служба доставки» — полнометражный анимационный фильм режиссёра Хаяо Миядзаки, снятый по книге Эйко Кадоно в 1989 году.
 «Ведьмина служба доставки» — японский игровой фильм, снятый по той же книге в 2014 году.


In the 2018 summer issue, Green Canopy CEO, Aaron Fairchild, was named to "Fast Company's Most Creative People in Business."
"Your inclusion on the list is an acknowledgment of your innovative and impactful work. You join 99 other remarkable leaders striving to solve global and societal problems in novel ways," states Fast Company Editor-in-chief, Stephanie Mehta.
Fairchild responds, "I am grateful to be recognized by such an esteemed publication as Fast Company, focused on revolutionizing the current business paradigm and to be listed among leaders and businesses using innovation to catalyze the next economy — one that is more regenerative and inclusive."
The Green Canopy Team is honored to have a leader who inspires us to continue doing the deep work necessary to realize the future we believe in.
Green Canopy introduced the Company's first Net Zero Energy Homes in Portland by holding a class with valued partners in the movement. New construction "Net zero" or "zero energy" homes are highly-efficient home powered by the sun and typically built to a higher certification standard — in this case Earth Advantage Platinum. With less than 10 ever transacting on the Portland Regional Multiple Listing Service in the last 20 years, zero energy homes are very unique. Real Estate Brokers and buyers are learning more about what zero energy is apart from the apparent solar panels. Benefits like: healthier, allergen-free air quality; comfortable, evenly-distributed heating and cooling; and smart, cost-saving technology.
The event was held in one of the two Green Canopy Net Zero Energy Homes. Introductions were given by Debbie Chase of First American Title who welcomed brokers with bites from Elephants Delicatessen. Green Canopy Cofounder, Sam Lai, explained the mission of the company and the desired outcome of regenerative communities. And Chris Dawkins and Brian Schmidt of Lightbox Portland shared stories about their lessons learned from building their zero energy project that sold last month in Northeast Portland.
To begin the class on zero energy, Peter Brown of Earth Advantage — green building certifier — divulged details on what makes up a zero energy home. For this certified Earth Advantage Platinum Zero Energy project, Earth Advantage visits the project site several times to audit the quality of building — something that is not done for code-built homes. It is tested on a range of performance metrics like efficient water and lighting fixtures, structural integrity, and the energy consumption versus production. Brown also explained that the performance of zero energy homes is dependent on the lifestyle of the occupant — a household of 8 would likely consume more energy than a household of 2. A lively discussion ensued about the accuracy of energy certifications when home occupants have significant impact on the energy consumption of the homes. One remark was how a car's Miles Per Gallon may not precisely reflect a car's performance due to user differences like the number of passengers in the car or a different driving styles.
The class adjourned and attendees were invited to walk through the home with the green building experts. Interactive "tags" were placed near distinctive features for attendees to learn about the features and their respective benefits for homebuyers.
Green Canopy CEO, Aaron Fairchild, was recently featured on the Next Economy Now podcast by Lift Economy in the episode "Aaron Fairchild: Rooting Into Perennial Impact Under One Green Canopy."
The podcast "highlights the leaders who are taking a regenerative, bio-regional, democratic, transparent, and whole-systems approach to using business as a force for good." Green Canopy is continually inspired by Lift Economy's work to benefit all life.
Listen to this episode to hear more from Aaron about how Green Canopy is influencing the existing construction paradigm while deliberately, methodically and incrementally addressing some of society's most difficult challenges as we collectively work to create a more resilient and regenerative future.
Aaron offers Green Canopy's past, present and future outlook, thoughts on culture and management, the phases of the company's growth and the importance of inclusive building for a more enriching world.
For more information on Green Canopy's approach to the current construction industry, listen to "Money is a Means to an End: Scaling Your Business with Aaron Fairchild" by The Construction Leading Edge.
At Green Canopy, we believe living in a net zero energy home goes hand in hand with a zero waste lifestyle. Partnering with Seattle Zero Waste, Zero Waste Washington, Eco Collective Seattle and Seattle EcoWomen in welcoming zero waste activist, Bea Johnson, to Seattle was an honor.
Bea Johnson — a French native living in California as a mother of two — took this concept, and applied it to her everyday life and decisions. Johnson's blog, Zero Waste Home, that she started in 2008, shows how to create less waste in a practical and cost-saving way.
Since 2008, her family of four has only been producing enough trash to fill one small jar every year. In the process, she's found that a zero waste home has simplified her lifestyle and afforded her family more time together, with a priority on creating experiences and memories together. Bea has inspired a global community of Zero Waste bloggers and lifestyle adopters. Her bestselling book, Zero Waste Home named after the blog, has been translated in 20 languages, she's given 200+ speeches in 30+ countries and been featured in publications and TV Shows around the world. The New York Times, the Today Show, BBC Breakfast.
Refuse what you absolutely do not need — and especially disposables or plastics.
Whatever you cannot refuse or reduce then you reuse. Make the things that you do purchase, long-lasting re-usables and not single-use items. This can also look like reusing the compostables you've bought as many times as possible as Johnson will freeze the discarded pieces of vegetables from cooking to make vegetable stock.
Whatever you cannot refuse, whatever you cannot reduce, whatever you cannot reuse — then you recycle. Sending back the products and materials that wear out to the initial supplier or a local recycler to be turned into something else. If you absolutely cannot refuse using a laptop and it breaks, recycle it at a local business or mail it in if needed.
Whatever you cannot refuse, reduce, reuse or recycle, then you allow to rot in the compost. This is the last of her R's because it is the last resort and typically a very small amount leftover after going through the first four Rs.
The most impactful part of Bea Johnson's talk for me, was hearing how implementing a zero waste lifestyle has shifted her family's focus towards giving gifts of experience instead of things, allowing for more memories and bonds to be made. Instead of new toys for Christmas, her son got to go skydiving for the first time and still talks about it.
Imagine gathering over 200 business leaders in the middle of a massive continent, where humans have lived for tens of thousands of years. The purpose? To advance a nascent movement, using business as a force for good to positively change the world. The location of this gathering? The very birthplace of our oldest instruments. There — in the deep, red earth — in the heart of an arid land, water reaches to the surface forming natural springs. The combination of water and music has charged the region with deep communal and rhythmic energy. It is hard to imagine a better place to come together. That place is Alice Springs, Australia — the location of the first ever, 2017 Australian B Corps Champions Retreat.
B Corporations are for-profit companies, certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Behind the Australian B Corps Champions Retreat was a team with a leader — a visionary, validator, an organizer. A master engineer, who understands the elements needed to launch a movement from the ground and elevate it in the uplifting thermals.
I had the chance to find this person and talk with her a number of weeks ago and have been dying to write about her ever since. Alicia Darvall was the first Executive Director of B Lab Australia & New Zealand. When she was hired by the Small Giants team in 2014 to head up B Lab Australia, there were 13 certified B Corps in the country. After three short years, the Australian & New Zealand B Corps community has grown to over 230 certified companies. Alicia came to B Lab from, not surprisingly, a background in working with entrepreneurs and organizing festivals. She has over 15-years' experience in senior roles at fast-growing, high-profile businesses and organizations, such as Moonlight Cinema, Melbourne Fringe Festival and Melbourne Fashion Festival. As ED for Australia & New Zealand B Lab, Alicia provided strategic support to entrepreneurs; coached them to build on their values, engage within their community and stakeholders, and measure their impact.
When I asked Alicia how she was able to grow the Australian B Corps Community so rapidly, her response was simply, "I followed flow without inserting my personal agenda." Every movement needs its first follower, and Alicia is the ideal first follower. She is creatively inspired and wise enough to remove her ego in the effort to help others thrive. It is no wonder why B Lab elevated her. At the top of 2018, Alicia handed off the Australia & New Zealand B Lab reins to the talented Andrea De Almeida, and accepted the role of Executive Director of Global Partners. Her stated mission at B Lab Global is, "to nurture a creative manner required to build a movement that lasts." Wow… To do this, she identifies and works with emerging B Lab regions to help them channel their unique cultural flow of energy to create movement and community.
In addition to helping new regions progress, Alicia works with B Lab's network of networks, the B Lab Global Governance Council. In this effort, she helps the Council follow energy flows required to grow and develop, and then sustain their efforts through implementing earned income strategies.
After meeting with Alicia, I walked along the sidewalk in a shower of rain. I didn't try and dodge the raindrops — it had been hot and humid for days and the rain refreshed my skin and soul. I couldn't help but make the connection between the refreshing rain and our conversation. Alicia is a rare and rejuvenating leader who is tuned into the energy of others and understands that by following flow and not adding ego, amazing things happen. As a member of the B Corps community, Green Canopy is grateful that she is a leader in our network, helping to make our work lasting and transformative. Thanks Alicia!


text:
Random Analytica
About Shane Granger
Random thoughts, charts, infographics & analysis. Not in that order
Random Analytics: The West African Ebola Outbreak (to 31 Aug 2014)
by Shane Granger
Here are three updated charts of the 2014 Ebola Virus Disease outbreak using a number of primary sources including the most recent World Health Organisation Disease Outbreak News (DON) released 4 September 2014 with data to the end of August. As new updates occur I try to update the charts and promulgate via Twitter.
***** Please note that all EVD infographics in this series were updated with public source information to 4 September 2014 *****
Ebola (Top 10 Outbreaks by Case Numbers)
The first chart displays the top 10 outbreaks in order of case numbers. Each horizontal bar is filled with the flag(s) of the country where the outbreak occurred. In the case of the West African outbreak there are now five countries involved and the flags are in number of cases order.
With clinical cases now reaching more than 3,700 the West African outbreak has now become largest Ebola outbreak in history based on both case numbers (3,707) and fatalities (1,848). The second largest outbreak was of Ebola Sudan which occurred in Uganda (2000) when 425 became infected and 224 died. The recent outbreak is the first to migrate across international land borders. The only other recording of an EVD that jumped borders prior to this outbreak was the Gabon/RSA (1996) outbreak. In that instance a doctor caught the disease in Gabon and subsequently took an international flight to South Africa where he became ill and infected other Health Care Workers (HCWs).
Ebola (Cases by Classification and Year)
The second chart shows cases by classification (in order they are Ebola Zaire, Sudan, Bundibugyo, Reston and Ivory Coast) by year and then split into those recovered or those deceased (which follows in a red variant). The combined West African and DRC outbreaks has become the most significant in terms of case numbers by year, eclipsing the 1976 dual outbreaks (Zaire and Sudan) which saw 603 cases and 431 deaths (a combined Case Fatality Rate of 71.5%).
On a side note I really need to re-organise this chart to display 2014 horizontally because the sheer size of the outbreak has destroyed any clarity of previous years. A project for next week.
Currently the provisional Western African outbreak has seen 3,760 cases and 1,861 deaths (a CFR of 49.5%).
Notes: Several years had just one case. They are 1972 (a retrospective fatality of Ebola Zaire in Zaire), 1977 (a single case of Ebola Zaire in Zaire), 1988 (an accidental infection of Ebola Zaire in Porton Down, UK) and 2011 (a single fatality of Ebola Sudan in Uganda).
The West African Outbreak – Cases & Fatalities by Month
The final chart shows both case numbers and fatalities by month. Each column is split into the five impacted countries with data visualised by the varying national flags.
Although I am only an amateur epidemiologist this has been a very telling chart and details how the epidemic curve has continued to increase over time. According to predictions by the World Health Organisation the outbreak may continue to grow and infect up to 20,000 persons so we are more than likely to see a further increase in both case and fatality numbers in September.
If you are interested in following this developing story I would suggest you follow/read Helen Branswell (Canadian health journalist for the in-depth stories) or Crawford Kilian and his excellent health related blog for all the big health related chatter including links to key Ebola persons and organisations.
For really good analysis and consistently updated charts in professional charting software (Tableau, Piktochart et al) I favour fellow Queensland Ian M. Mackay and on the other side of the Pacific pond, Maia Majumder. I do a range of other infographics (I like to think of them as data paintings) including analysis in the Flublogia space, when I find the time. My last health related piece was on Ebola in Sierra Leone.
[1] World Health Organisation. Ebola virus disease outbreak – west Africa: Disease Outbreak News – 4 September 2014. Accessed 5 September 2014.
[2] World Health Organisation. Ebola Response Roadmap: 28 August 2014. Pg. 5. Accessed 5 September 2014.
Tags: Disease : Ebola : Health : West Africa : WHO
Random Analytica: Early days of the Wuhan Coronavirus
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