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Our Internal Inclusion Programs
18 Years in Inclusion
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Interfaith Convenings
This is an initiative bringing together interfaith leaders from across the Greater Boston area to promote inclusion in all types of religious communities. Building networks and sharing resources, clergy and laypeople come together to learn best practices and get motivated to make the inclusion of people with disabilities a top priority in their churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples.
Ruderman Inclusion Summit
A biannual conference of international scope, bringing 1,000 people from around the world and across sectors to focus on inclusion in all facets of life. Attendees, speakers, and volunteers will come together to learn, network, exchange best practices, and get motivated to promote full inclusion in all aspects of life. In 2017 the content will include over 15 panels and plenaries, on the topics of education, healthcare, housing, government services, policy, advocacy, social justice, the arts, technology, employment, and more. www.inclusion2017.org
Our Inclusion Partnerships and Programs
Adaptive Sports New England
Northeast Youth and High School Inclusive Sports Project: The Ruderman Family Foundation has partnered with Adaptive Sports New England to expand the Northeast Youth and High School Inclusive Sports Project. This project maximizes and enhances the participation of student-athletes with visual or mobility impairments in high school sports across the eight northeast states. Activities include leadership development among high school sports professionals; sports clinics for students with and without disabilities; education and training for school and community officials; and raising awareness about opportunities for sports participation. For more information, please visit: http://adaptivesportsne.org/
Bar Ilan University, Disability Rights Clinic, Law Faculty
White Paper: The Ruderman Family Foundation and LINK20 partnered with the Disability Rights Clinic to compose a comprehensive position paper regarding disability and leadership. The position paper examines concepts of leadership, justifications for advancing the leadership of people with disabilities, the social barriers they must confront, and the desirable ways to advance and raise public awareness of this subject. The paper has been widely distributed and presented to decision-makers in order to increase the effective implementation of the proposals for inclusion that the researchers offer. The Clinic also provides legal counseling to increase knowledge of the social and fiscal rights of people and children with disabilities. To learn more visit http://law-clinics.biu.ac.il/en/node/116
Beit Issie Shapiro, Israel Elwyn, Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles
The National Self-Advocacy and Leadership Development Project for People with Intellectual Disabilities in Israel: Our program transforms the idea of "nothing about us, without us" into a practical program, where groups of adults with intellectual disabilities meet and work to promote local and national projects and issues of importance. The program seeks to empower this population and provide them with knowledge and skills for self-advocacy and active leadership so that they can exercise their natural rights through Israeli and international legislation, participate in making decisions pertaining to their lives, advance policy issues that require government attention, and improve the quality of their lives. This program is supported by the partnership between the Ruderman Family Foundation, Beit Issie Shapiro, Israel Elwyn, and the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles. To learn more visit https://en.beitissie.org.il/social-change/leadership-self-advocacy/
Beit Issie Shapiro, PresenTense Israel
Accelerator A3i: The Ruderman Family Foundation collaborated with PresenTense Israel and Beit Issie Shapiro to launch A3i – Accelerator Inclusion in Israel – the first accelerator for assistive technologies in the world. Technology affects all of us, however for people with a disability; technology can be truly transformative – allowing for greater inclusion in all aspects of life. The A3i accelerator has launched over 30 exciting and innovative products and services that are assisting tens of thousands of people in Israel and around the world. To learn more about Accelerator A3i visit http://eng.a3i.org.il/ and to learn more about PresentTense visit http://presentense.org
Bizchut
Campaign intended to increase awareness of the integration of people and young people with disabilities into community life: Human rights, equal opportunities and participation of people with disabilities in all areas of life are all common values shared by Bizchut and LINK20. Bizchut is a center for the promotion of the human rights of people with disabilities and is the first and leading organization in Israel in this field. Together, Bizchut and LINK20 launched a wide-ranging viral campaign that was initiated, planned, and recorded by young people with disabilities. The campaign intended to increase awareness of the integration of people and young people with disabilities into community life, as well as to generate public support for the proposed "Living in the Community and Personal Assistance" bill moving through the Israeli Parliament. The campaign received more than a million views through exposure on social media and news coverage in Israel and the United States. To learn more about Bizchut visit https://www.bizchut.org.il/copy-of-2
Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston
Inclusion Program: Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston (BGCB) and the Ruderman Family Foundation are proud partners in a comprehensive inclusion initiative for Boston youth. This program fosters an inclusive culture and ensures that all members can benefit from the full positive impact of BGCB's programming. Through this initiative, local Boston youth and families receive critical access to affordable, high-quality inclusive opportunities during the out-of-school-time hours, so all members of the community feel welcomed and accepted. To find out more about the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston's Inclusion Program, please visit: http://www.bgcb.org
Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester
Project Bind: The Ruderman Family Foundation has partnered with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Dorchester (BGCD) and the Boston Police Department in order to expand Project BIND (Boston Inclusion Network for Disabilities). Through the Safe Summer Streets, Junior Police, and Youth Forum programs, children and families connect and form positive relationships with local officers, promoting the safety and inclusion of club members with disabilities and their families.
Boston Jewish Film Festival
ReelAbilities Film Festival: The ReelAbilities Film Festival brings together the community to promote awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with different abilities. This weeklong film festival shines a light on a population that is often overlooked in the film world and provides moving, thought-provoking, and enjoyable movies that are not frequently shown as part of mainstream offerings. The Ruderman Family Foundation is thrilled to continue our partnership with the Boston Jewish Film festival to support this important arts initiative. To learn more about this year's ReelAbilities Film Festival, please go to: http://boston.reelabilities.org
Brandeis University, Lurie Institute for Disability Policy
Ruderman Social Justice in Disability Scholars Program: In 2013, RFF partnered with the Lurie Institute for Disability Policy at Brandeis University. This program develops leadership capacity for Brandeis undergraduates with an interest in disability issues. Participants complete an internship at a disability organization, take courses in Disability Policy, and work with Brandeis faculty to complete a research project related to disability and social justice. For more information, please visit: http://heller.brandeis.edu/letter/index.html
The Ruderman Chabad Inclusion Initiative: The Ruderman Chabad Inclusion Initiative (RCII) was established in 2015 in order to provide Chabad communities around the globe the education and resources they need to advance the inclusion of people with disabilities. Program highlights include the development and dissemination of "Toward Inclusion", a Jewish Learning Institute signature course, and the creation of a "Jewish Disabilities Inclusion" site within Chabad.org, the most utilized religious website in the world. For more information, please visit http://www.rcii.org/.
Friendship Circle of Miami
Kulanu Circle Hebrew School: In line with its deep commitment to inclusive Jewish education, the Ruderman Family Foundation has partnered with the Friendship Circle of Miami to support Kulanu Circle Hebrew school. Kulanu Circle is the only inclusion-based Sunday Hebrew school currently meeting the needs of Jewish children with disabilities in Miami. The Friendship Circle offers Jewish education to all children regardless of ability, providing Bar Mitzvah education and training so that all children who want to, and are eligible to become a Bar Mitzvah, are able to participate. For more information about Kulanu Circle, please go to: http://www.friendshipcirclemiami.org/templates/youth/article_cdo/aid/1950693/jewish/The-Kulanu-Circle-at-the-Chabad-of-Kendall-Pinecrest.htm
Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP)
Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project: The Ruderman Synagogue Inclusion Project (RSIP) is a partnership between CJP and the Ruderman Family Foundation to support synagogues. Creating communities where people of all abilities are valued equally and participate fully. RSIP works together with 6-8 Partners and 6-8 Affiliate synagogues from all Jewish denominations every year. Growing the cohort of inclusive synagogues to reach a critical mass that can influence and revolutionize religious life in the entire CJP catchment area. https://www.cjp.org/our-work/caring-social-justice/ruderman-synagogue-inclusion-project
Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and Gateways: Access to Jewish Education
MER Inclusion Scholarship Fund: In partnership with CJP and Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, the MER Scholarship helps to defray the cost of both school-based and ancillary services for day school students with disabilities and special needs, particularly those who require financial aid. The goal of the scholarship is to attract and retain students with disabilities in Jewish day schools, transforming the face of inclusion in Jewish education. https://www.cjp.org/our-work/jewish-learning/jewish-day-schools/morton-e-ruderman-inclusion-scholarship-fund
Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and Jewish Vocational Service (JVS)
Transitions to Work: In 2011, RFF partnered with Combined Jewish Philanthropies (CJP) and Jewish Vocational Service (JVS) to create Transitions to Work, a training and job placement program for young adults with disabilities. Transitions graduates are highly qualified for the jobs that they apply for, and more than 90% of Transitions graduates stay at their jobs for at least one year. In order to raise awareness within the business community about the benefits of inclusive employment, Transitions to Work has partnered with more than 75 corporations. For more information, please visit https://www.cjp.org/our-work/our-caring-programs/transitions-to-work
Feurstein Institute
Hazon Partnership and Marriage Preparation Program: In 2013, the Ruderman Family Foundation and the Feuerstein Institute partnered to create the Hazon Partnership and Marriage Preparation Program. This cutting-edge venture provides young adults with disabilities the guidance and training to form, establish, and maintain lasting intimate relationships. As a relationship develops, the Hazon staff provides the participants with couples and family counseling and teaches courses in all matters relating to building a family and maintaining a household. To date, four couples have married, and more are on the path to engagement. As part of the program, a public council was set up to conduct discourse about relationships and parenting of people with disabilities and to raise public awareness of the issue in general. The council is multidisciplinary and its members represent different fields of knowledge: religion, ethics, law and justice, health, education, and psychology. To learn more visit http://www.icelp.info
Foundation for Jewish Camp (FJC)
Ruderman Inclusion Initiative: In 2014, the FJC Ruderman Inclusion Initiative was established at six Jewish overnight camps across North America. This initiative enabled these camps to hire and train inclusion coordinators who, with guidance from FJC, currently work to increase the number of children with disabilities attending their camps. This initiative also includes marketing campaigns in order to promote Jewish camp to families of children with disabilities. For more information, please visit http://www.jewishcamp.org/
Gateways: Access to Jewish Education
Ambassadors for Inclusion: After many years of partnership, the Ruderman Family Foundation is excited to collaborate with Gateways: Access to Jewish Education on an exciting new initiative called Ambassadors for Inclusion. Ambassadors for Inclusion creates a Kindergarten through 12th-grade program to educate Jewish students to be members of, and thrive in, an inclusive Jewish Community. Students learn about a range of disabilities through informational PowerPoints, videos, interactive activities, and hearing first-hand from speakers with disabilities. This program takes place in Jewish Day and Congregational schools throughout the greater Boston area and is expanding to communities outside Massachusetts into West Hartford, CT, and Port Chester, NY. You can learn more about Ambassadors for Inclusion at: https://www.jgateways.org/peerinclusion
Government of Israel and the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)
Israel Unlimited: JDC Israel Unlimited is a strategic partnership between JDC, the Government of Israel and the Ruderman Family Foundation, that aims to create a cultural shift towards a more inclusive society while helping the immediate, daily needs of people with disabilities. Israel Unlimited is the leading incubator of programs and services for people with disabilities in Israel, staffed by passionate professionals who believe that we should focus on people's abilities, not disabilities, and help them integrate into Israeli society. In the last two years, Israel Unlimited has been leading a revolution in Israel regarding the issue of independent housing in the community, person-oriented services and personal budgeting. Programs are currently operating in more than 50 different cities and regional councils across Israel, reaching over 18,000 participants. By the end of 2018, Israel Unlimited expects that reach to expand to over 36,000 participants. To learn more visit http://israelunlimited.jdc.org.il/en
Government of Israel, the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC), and Joint Council of Mechinot
Inclusive Mechinot: The Ruderman Family Foundation partners with the Joint Council of Mechinot (Pre-Military Leadership Academies) to ensure the inclusion of young people with disabilities in pre-military programs throughout Israel. We believe that in order to have the best Israeli civic and social leadership tomorrow, all parts of Israeli society, including the IDF, must work to cultivate leaders today. The full inclusion of individuals with disabilities at the mechinot, which not only prepare students for military service but also help them grow as civic leaders, requires extensive and intensive change, including staff training, structural modifications, procurement of equipment, and a new approach to the education of mechina students, as well as efforts to achieve attitudinal change within society.
The Ruderman Family Foundation supports the Council's programs and assists alumni of mechinotto obtain fitting military assignments and to find their places in civilian life after their service. The program is a collaboration between the Ruderman Family Foundation, the Government of Israel and JDC- Ashalim and the Joint Council of Mechinot. To learn more visit http://mechinot.org.il/en-us/
Haifa, Techion Institute
TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers: TOM: Tikkun Olam Makers hosted TOM: Israel 2017 a 72-hour Makeathon at the Technion Institute in Haifa in partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation. The Makeathon (a marathon of innovation and creation) brought together over 160 'Makers' – engineers, designers, innovators and problem solvers – from the United States, Canada, England, China, India, Sri Lanka and Israel, to work together with 20 people with disabilities to develop technological solutions for everyday challenges. In addition to being the largest Makeathon in world history, TOM:Israel 2017 was the first international Makeathon of the growing global movement that spans Israel, the United States, Canada, Latin America, Australia, and Vietnam. Throughout the 3-day event in Haifa, teams of technologists, designers, therapists, and people with disabilities addressed 17 challenges of people living with disabilities, working hand-in-hand to create prototype solutions. To learn more visit http://tomglobal.org
Hillel International
Ruderman Inclusion Ambassadors: Our partnership with Hillel International focuses on disability engagement and inclusion at college, as well as throughout the entire Hillel organization, combatting stigma and transforming campuses into truly inclusive spaces. This initiative funds inclusion training during conferences; the Ruderman Inclusion Ambassadors, who are engagement interns on campuses; an inclusion curriculum for Ask Big Questions; and social media coverage of inclusion on campus. http://www.hillel.org/
Jewish Community Center of the North Shore
Inclusion Camp and Early Childhood Education Program: In response to growing demands in the North Shore for more inclusive programing, the Ruderman Family Foundation and the JCC of the North Shore have partnered to provide an Inclusive Camp, and a newly inclusive Early Childhood Education program. The camp provides a fun summer experience for both campers and staff with and without disabilities, while the Early Childhood Education program offers year-round inclusive programming for children attending the JCC's preschool. For more information on both of these wonderful programs, please visit the JCC of the North Shore's website at: https://jccns.org
Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)-Tevet
RampUp: The Ruderman Family Foundation has partnered with JDC-TEVET's RampUp, a program that has been helping Israelis with disabilities work and fulfills their real potential since 2013. RampUp offers a comprehensive and holistic set of services, including individual and group employment workshops, soft skills training, personal career counseling, and more — all with sensitivity towards the client's disability. RampUp also works with local employers to create a bridge between participants and potential positions and refers participants to companies at no cost.
Kesher
Home for Special Families in Israel: The Ruderman Family Foundation partners with Kesher, the Home for Special Families in Israel, on three programs. The first, "Parents Building Community", which fosters a sense of solidarity among families of children with special needs, functions both as a support group and a lobbying body aimed at impacting local policy surrounding disabilities. The second initiative, "National Network of Parent-Led Communities" is an extension of Parents Building Community. Parents from all Kesher communities meet six times a year to address relevant topics such as lobbying, fundraising, and training for community facilitators. Finally, the "National Sibling Network" unites and provides a support group for young adults who have siblings with disabilities. The sibling community is also part of the Foundation's LINK20 network.
Lappin Foundation
Inclusion of Teens with Disabilities in Youth to Israel Adventure: Thanks to the partnership of the Lappin Foundation and the Ruderman Family Foundation, youth with disabilities are participating in the Youth to Israel Adventure. This Israel experience for teens includes a two-week trip to Israel, as well as pre and post-trip programming for youth with and without disabilities. For more information about this exciting trip, please visit: http://y2i.org
Massachusetts General Hospital and the Lurie Center
Autism Care Collaborative Project: The Autism Care Collaborative Project (ACCP) is building capacity across Massachusetts General Hospital to address the health care needs of individuals with autism across their lifespan. Mass. General is working to ensure its healthcare services are fully accessible and responsive to the needs of individuals with autism and to develop a pilot program as a model for hospitals and other health care providers nationally. Through a partnership with the Ruderman Family Foundation, this project has resulted in informational videos and in-person training for hospital staff. As well as expanded patient Behavior Support Plans and in-take questionnaires, and the hiring of the Autism Navigator, who is directly involved in the care of patients with autism and their families. To learn more about this program, please go to: http://www.massgeneral.org/children/services/treatmentprograms.aspx?id=1614
Ministry of Labor and Welfare of Israel, Meitav Dash, and Joint Distribution Committee (JDC)-Tevet
EsekShaveh – Equal Business: Equal Business is an innovative program, which aims to promote professional and higher education employment of people with disabilities in the business sector. Equal Business guides employers and human resource directors of large companies in implementing regulations to expand employee rights for people with disabilities. The program operates in three different circles. 1.) Work with organizations, providing knowledge and tools for recruiting and employing people with disabilities. 2.) Building a network of committed employers. 3.) Extensive activity in public discourse to increase awareness of the importance of employing people with disabilities in quality and professional employment. Equal Business is a tri-sector collaboration of the Ministry of Labor and Welfare, Meitav Dash, JDC- Tevet, and the Ruderman Family Foundation.
National Ramah Commission
Inclusion Initiative: In 2015, the Ruderman Family Foundation partnered with the National Ramah Commission to promote inclusion within Ramah camps across the country. This initiative supports vocational education programming, including training of camp staff, at four Ramah overnight camps. Through the partnership, Ramah has also established new programs at two additional Ramah overnight camps. These programs provide a range of camping experiences to children with diverse disabilities.
New England Yachad
Youth Engagement: The Ruderman Family Foundation partnered with New England Yachad in 2013 to expand inclusive volunteer leadership opportunities for youth. This program includes the creation of Yachad high school clubs, a youth leadership board, and a Jewish Youth Group network. Participants with and without disabilities attend shabbatons, leadership trainings and club meetings. To learn more about upcoming events and previous events, please visit: https://www.yachad.org/newengland
The Morton E. Ruderman Memorial Lecture Series and Ruderman Scholarship In Jewish Studies: The Ruderman Family Foundation is proud to work with Northeastern University on two important initiatives to support its Jewish Studies program: The Morton E. Ruderman Memorial Lecture Series and the Ruderman Scholarship in Jewish Studies. The lecture series offers a remarkable opportunity for Jewish Studies students, and the community at large, to engage with a famous, world-class leader through a public talk. As part of the Ruderman Scholarship in Jewish Studies, the Jewish Studies program holds a competition for naming the Ruderman scholar(s) and an award goes to one or two students of Jewish Studies each year. This competition incentivizes students to declare a minor in Jewish Studies, brings visibility to the program, and rewards the finest students. Both the Lectureship and Scholarship programs honor the memory of Northeastern alumnus Morton E. Ruderman, and his commitment to teaching about Jews and Judaism at Northeastern, and to bringing visibility and added prestige to the Jewish Studies program. For more information about these programs, please go to the Northeastern Jewish Studies website at: https://www.northeastern.edu/cssh/jewishstudies
Ted Arison Family Foundation
Municipal Accessibility Index: The 2016 Municipal Accessibility Index is an initiative of the partnership between the Ruderman Family Foundation and the Ted Arison Family Foundation. The index raises the issue of inclusion of people with disabilities in the community in public discourse, increases awareness of rights for people with disabilities among the general population, and motivates local city authorities to improve residents' quality of life. The accessibility index is based on the findings of two studies conducted by the Institute for Applied Psychology at IDC Herzliya and DAS International Institute. The studies investigated the degree of accessibility of services, public attitudes, and social involvement of people with disabilities in twenty cities around Israel. To learn more visit http://www.negishut.co/
United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism (USCJ)
USCJ Ruderman Inclusion Action Community: The Ruderman Family Foundation partnered with the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism in 2015 to establish the USCJ Ruderman Inclusion Action Community, which aims to transform Conservative congregations into truly inclusive communities for people with disabilities. Each year, up to 20 congregations from across North America receive expertise and consulting from the USCJ as they develop comprehensive visions and action plans on inclusion. For more information, please visit https://uscj.org/leadership/ruderman-inclusion-action-community#about
University of Delaware, National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities
Jewish Leadership Institute on Disabilities and Inclusion: In 2015, RFF partnered with the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities to offer the Jewish Leadership Institute on Disabilities and Inclusion. This Institute enables leaders from Jewish organizations across the country to advance the agenda of inclusion throughout their organizations. Participants learn from the renowned faculty of national experts on disability inclusion and supports. They also gain a solid understanding of the value of inclusion and build a network of some of the most influential leaders in the field. For more information, please visit: http://www.nlcdd.org/jli.html


I contacted Google earlier about the new content warning and it was about some of the skins on this blog. So I am supposed to remove any posts/pictures showing the entire body. I guess even if they're blurred or pixelated. I don't know about underwear but that's probably next and maybe even swimwear will be offensive not too long from now. I realize that some posts only have pictures that show the bodies so I had to revert them to drafts for now. I will republish them and replace the pictures with the picture below after I finish removing all of the offensive Sim body pictures.


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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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My Technology Can…Help You Rapidly Identify Suspects
January 14, 2019 • by Michael Swarz
Veritone's IDentify lets agencies quickly compare their known offenders against crime scene footage.
Photo: Veritone
A lot of people believe that video surveillance tools and evidentiary video systems like in-car and body-worn cameras have made the jobs of law enforcement investigators much easier. But the truth is that even when individuals are caught on camera at the scene of a crime, investigators still have their work cut out for them to identify suspects and connect them to the crime.
My company's technology—Veritone IDentify—can make this task much easier. I'll explain how in a minute. But first a little background.
As you know, the typical investigator has to sift through masses of arrest records, turn to other agencies for intelligence, or even ask the public to help identify people captured on video. This is because many agencies lack the resources and tools to effectively compare individuals caught in video against photos of known offenders and previously arrested individuals.
Most agencies today employ highly laborious, manual processes to identify people in videos. Consequently, many agencies are forced to prioritize only serious or high-profile crimes, leaving many cases unsolved.
With the massive wave of body-cam, smartphone, personal, and commercial video and surveillance systems, agencies now have access to unprecedented volumes of video footage, but the manual techniques used to sift through it all do not efficiently scale at the same rate.
Booking databases provide agencies with access to a treasure trove of information, including names, faces, arrest records, and other information detailing current or previously detained individuals. Correlating this information to crime scene footage can help identify suspects and solve crimes. Unfortunately, this valuable information is often difficult to effectively leverage during an investigation. Historically there has not been a systematic way for agencies to simply compare crime scene footage against booking databases.
To identify a suspect, investigators traditionally rely on intel from their department first and then move on to the painstaking process of manually comparing booking database records against crime scene footage. Many agencies do not even have an easily searchable database of their own known offenders, which results in a difficult and time-consuming process. Reviewing thousands of records and comparing them to digital evidence requires the investigators to spend the majority of their time at their desks, focusing on the administrative tasks to organize and label evidence instead of conducting proactive police work.
The introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) into law enforcement tools will have a significant impact on agency productivity and crime-solving capabilities. AI can be the long-awaited force multiplier for agencies, automating a once manual process and delivering actionable suspect intelligence in record time.
By using AI-based systems public safety agencies can now analyze and leverage far more of their digital evidence. Facial recognition AI engines quickly comb through massive datasets at incredible speed, providing actionable insights in less time and with less manpower.
Veritone's latest product, IDentify, was developed to meet the needs of public safety agencies. IDentify lets agencies quickly compare their known offenders against crime scene footage, saving valuable time and resources. Once the agency's booking and persons of interest databases have been connected, investigators create "cases" in IDentify and associate digital evidence with each case for IDentify to automatically compare detected faces in evidence to the agency's existing databases. IDentify returns all matches complete with the pertinent booking information included in the database. The matches are organized by certainty for investigators to review. Investigators can either mark each match as a potential suspect or dismiss it. Once a possible suspect has been identified, the investigator confirms the match, then the investigator may optionally attach pertinent notes within IDentify to be shared with others across the agency.
Unknown faces generated from crime scene footage but not present in the department's databases are reviewable in a list for investigators to dismiss or add to the existing persons of interest database. This expanded database can be leveraged by IDentify to compare unknown individuals and notify investigators when they are looking at the same individual.
IDentify optimizes workflows for investigative teams. Teams can seamlessly manage and track case evidence associated with an investigation from one centralized location and apply status labels related to such evidence such as active, closed, or archived. Notes and case details such as case ID, department, officer ID, case description, location, and time, can be added to the case in IDentify. To save time and money, investigators can trim digital evidence files to process only particular file segments and to select specific persons of interest for more focused face recognition and evidence review.
Here' a case study that shows how IDentify can help law enforcement agencies become more productive.
A California police department wanted to automate the process it uses to link known offenders to criminal activity. The department's existing process of identifying suspects by manually comparing crime scene images and video to its known offender database of previously arrested or booked individuals was slow and not very effective. If the suspect was not a known offender, the officer's only option to make an identification was to put the suspect's photo on a BOLO and hope someone would recognize them. If this didn't generate any leads, cases would just "sit there" until the suspect committed another crime or got arrested.
This department chose IDentify as a tool to help streamline the process. IDentify optimized workflows for the department's investigative teams, and the investigators were able to identify nine suspects in less than four months.
www.veritone.com
Michael Swarz is product marketing manager, legal for Veritone.
Read more about Veritone Facial Recognition technology What Does My Tech Do?
CentralSquare Named a Top 100 GovTech Company
CentralSquare, a leader in public sector technology, announced that it has been named to Government Technology magazine's 2020 GovTech 100 list.
IWCE Announces Conference Agenda, Opens Registration
IWCE, an annual event for critical communications technology professionals, has unveiled the full program for its 44th annual conference to be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center March 30 to April 3, 2020.
Condor to Present Law Enforcement Drone Operations Class at SHOT Show
Topics for this class include: the latest technology in both drone operations and counter-drone technology, how to manage a drone program, and how to remote-pilot the aircraft while still complying with federal regulations.
EOTech, Safran Optics 1 to Present Night Vision and Thermal Imaging Class at SHOT Show
The class covers the basics of night vision technology and how it works, the generations of night vision, components and their importance, as well as the science of thermography and real world applications of thermal imagery in law enforcement.
Axon Sues Federal Trade Commission Over Vievu Merger Complaint
Rick Smith, Axon's CEO, says the lawsuit will not have any effect on the company's ability to provide law enforcement agencies with video evidence capture and management tools and less-lethal weapons. "Typically these things take two to four years to sort out," he explains.
NYPD to Add Hate Crimes to CompStat Reports
"The best way to fight hate is to shine a light on it," Police Commissioner Dermot Shea said at a press conference Monday.
Getting the Most Out of Night Vision Systems
Understanding what questions to ask vendors, knowing what night vision systems can do, and being willing to use them more often gives night vision buyers more return on investment.
Police Technology eXchange Brings Together Police Buyers and Technology Suppliers for Networking and One-on-One Meetings
Held Dec. 9 through 11 at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ, Police Technology eXchange 2019 was a hosted buyer event where invited agency personnel ("delegates") met with technology companies ("supplier hosts") about products they are interested in buying.
PTX 2019 Brings Together Police Buyers and Technology Suppliers for Networking and One-on-One Meetings
Held Dec. 9 through 11 at the Scottsdale Resort at McCormick Ranch in Scottsdale, AZ, PTX 2019 was a hosted buyer event where invited agency personnel ("delegates") met with technology companies ("supplier hosts") about products they are interested in buying.
Gamber-Johnson Introduces Rugged Lite Keyboard
Gamber-Johnson's new Rugged Lite Keyboard is designed to work with a tablet computer and special mounting equipment for a cost-effective solution and the perfect complement for an application that does not require fully rugged devices.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Data is everywhere in business, and teams that are adopting data-driven cultures are making huge strides. Tools and strategies for data-based decision making can be applied in so many different ways: for maximizing operational efficiencies, as a team engagement tool or to help build more effective customer acquisition campaigns.
In my coaching practice, I've started to see some truly successful implementations of both business intelligence (BI) and artificial intelligence (AI) as execs learn to lead confident, data-driven teams.
There's no question that integrating artificial intelligence and business analytics can have a major impact on your team's performance, but there are some key challenges to making it happen. While data can make your organization more efficient, it can also impact your brand identity, the roles on your team and the customer experience.
Understanding data's role in your team is the topic of many of the discussions and an incredibly important point to understand. I recently had the chance to speak with Sisense CEO Amir Orad, who has some unconventional takes on these issues.
Machine Learning Is A Tool. Treat It As One.
One of the analytics industry thought leaders I've been reading lately is Jen Underwood, founder of Impact Analytix.
Underwood believes there are too many different solutions and touch points for marketers to effectively understand the data and draw strategic conclusions from it. "The average marketer," she notes, "uses up to 70 data sources to assess marketing performance." That kind of overwhelm leads to paralysis rather than decisive decision making.
To overcome these challenges, the instinct can be to restaff, replacing your current marketing or sales team with data experts who fully understand BI, AI and their implications. But this approach can, Orad suggests, lead to serious problems for your business. "Technical brains lack the business acumen or the people skills to actually interact with the business," he explained. "If you're looking to scale your AI-driven business by just picking up those with a lot of technical skill, you will end up with pockets of talent in the organization that are not well connected and don't interact well with the rest of the organization."
So how can we help our teams process, understand and use this data more effectively? Let's break it down.
The first thing to realize is that there is a limit to how much data a company can actually process, analyze and act upon. We may have already passed that point of peak data; Forrester Research estimates that as much as 60-73% of data collected is never successfully used for any strategic purpose.
This is where BI can evolve to better serve our teams. Today's line-of-business professionals need panoramic views of all customer touchpoints in one consolidated, easy-to-digest interface. This kind of big-picture view, available through sophisticated, interactive business intelligence dashboards, creates a cogent view of the various data streams and helps turn that data into actionable insights.
From this 360-degree view, we can begin to lead our teams from insights to action and truly apply the data in ways that improve our bottom-line results.
Data can't make an impact on your business unless you expect your team to make data an integral part of their decision making processes. Alerts, reports and dashboards are great, but if your team doesn't know what to do with them, then what's the point?
Depending on your own situation, your "why" might be identifying anomalies, predicting events and outcomes, optimizing procedures or improving ROI. It really doesn't matter what you need to solve -- the key is identifying it clearly.
It's Your Data. Own It.
As AI and BI explode into prominence, it's easy to be overwhelmed and start to feel like your data is calling the shots. It takes strong leadership to recognize that data is the tool, not the master. We all need data to work for us in better, more evolved ways.
Lead from a position of calm understanding that your BI data exists to serve you. Then, support your team with the tools they need to make that happen.


Three-story, two-tone brown stucco buildings with attached garages. Many multi-story floor plans available. Property has very nice lagoon-style pool but there is the only one for over 500 units. Very nice gym and indoor basketball court. Units have standard features such as laminate counter tops and white appliances. Pros include: There are eight different floor plans to choose from including four that are multi-story. Many units come with attached garages. Property has a beautiful pool area and exercise facilities. Location is close to many area attractions. On the down side, community room is only available for use during leasing office hours. Only one pool available for over 500 units. Units do not have upgraded features. Ceiling in top floor of units is vaulted but goes to low slant at places. Watch out: The eastern most edge of complex sits on Scottsdale road, and those units may have noise issues during rush hour traffic times.
Property is located on Scottsdale Road just north of FLW Blvd. It is walking distance to the Promenade shopping center with a Trader Joes and many big name stores and restaurants. It is close to the Loop 101 freeway as well as the upscale Kierland Commons and Scottsdale Quarter shopping districts.
Expansive North Scottsdale property in prime location--walking distance to Scottsdale Promenade and close to Kierland Commons, Scottsdale Quarter and most of North Scottsdale premier destinations. Property has lagoon style pool, indoor basketball court and theater screening room for residents. Many units are multi-story with fireplaces and garages.
Not to worry if this isn't the apartment of your dreams. You can check out other apartments in Scottsdale.


Are you on affiliate marketing? Today we'll tell you the list of 5 top affiliate networks for publishers in India. We will review affiliate networks with full descriptions. Get rid of registering affiliate programs on every site.
We'll try to state about this program in simple words so that you can able to understand quickly. Affiliate program is an referral marketing program where a webmasters place the advertisers products on his page and promote them. For which the webmaster gets commission (affiliate network earnings) if some one click the product link and purchase on advertiser site. The advertiser gives a unique tracking URL so that the advertiser can track how much sales generating from that site. The most common types of affiliate programs include pay-per-click (PPC), and pay-per-sale (PPS)etc. Affiliate networks are the mediator and linked with various e-commerce sites affiliate program. So we don't need to register on every e-commerce sites affiliate channel , just select any affiliate network and choose the desired affiliate program listed you want to use.
2) CueLinks: They have Java Scripts though which all outgoing links of your site will be converted to affiliate link also manual affiliate Link make tool. Cue links has a widget which you can use in you sites sidebar/footer etc. The widget automatically shows good deals from Shopping sites. Another feature is Cue Words though which some Keywords in your post will be linked with relevant affiliate links. Payment is NET60. but their reports are not in detail.
3)Payoom: Payoom affiliate network is Indian fastest growing affiliate network. They offer CPA, CPD and CPL campaigns in India. Payoom sometimes offers excusive coupons for their users. Payment is both Net45 and Net60.
4) Komli: Komli is One of the leading front runners in the mobile advertising space and with robust reporting panel, Komli mobile is becoming one of the top mobile ad network in India. Komli has offers which are second to none and for advertisers it has a huge share of publishers. Komli has a good dashboard also they give offers via mail. Payment Is Net45.


The final Visual Guide update from wave 3 of the Star Wars [Solo] basic figures is the repacked Rey (Jedi Training) figure. Click below to check out our Visual Guide, and click here to read our full review.
NEW FIGURES! The Star Wars [Solo] Rey (Jedi Training) Force Link 2.0 figure is a complete waste of a slot. She'll also clog up pegs. Learn more in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even comment about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your review requests via email if you'd like to see something that we didn't cover yet.
Found! Rey (Crait Jedi Training) Hits Toys R Us Brick And Mortar!
What's up with all of these Festivus miracles today? JTA reader Eric S. from Los Angeles CA has found the Toys R Us exclusive Rey (Crait Jedi Training) figure there! They're hitting folks!
Here's another Star Wars [The Last Jedi] 12-Inch figure added to our Visual Guides. Click below to check out Rey (Jedi Training). Make sure to also read our full review right here.
Another scale means another Rey (Jedi Training) figure. Check out the 12-Inch Figure version in our Research Droids Reviews today! Be sure to leave your own thoughts in our comments section, vote in the poll or even leave comments about it on our Facebook page. Click the banner below for the direct link to the review! As always, you can also send your own personal review requests via email if you'd like to see something that we didn't cover yet.
← Maz Kanata/Elite Praetorian Guard TBS6 Wave At HTS's eBay Store!
Rey (Jedi Training) (44) is another repacked The Black Series [Phase III] 6 inch figure, this time with a slightly revised paint job.Click below to check out our full Visual Guide. Click here to check out our full review.


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Roseanne Barr is talking about Ambien again -- this time with Dr. Oz.
To recap, the comedian sparked the cancellation of her revived sitcom "Roseanne" in May after she posted a racist tweet about former Obama White House aide Valerie Jarrett. In one since-deleted tweet explaining what happened, Roseanne claimed she'd taken the sleep aid Ambien the night she sent the offensive tweet.
"Guys I did something unforgivable so do not defend me. It was 2 in the morning and I was ambien tweeting-it was memorial day too-i went 2 far & do not want it defended-it was egregious Indefensible. I made a mistake I wish I hadn't but…don't defend it please," Roseanne wrote on May 30.
Now, on the first episode of Season 10 of Dr. Mehmet Oz's medical talk show -- which debuts on Sept. 18 -- Roseanne's sharing what else she's done while on Ambien. Page Six got a sneak peek at some of what Roseanne -- who appears on the first half of the show and also talks about losing her sitcom because of her behavior -- had to say.
"Well, I've done some weird things on Ambien and I think a lot of people have too," she tells the doctor and TV host. "I've heard from thousands of people about it."
For example, she says, "One guy got up and cooked a turkey and ate it -- so that was, like, four hours, if you think about it -- and didn't remember it in the morning," she shared. "And all the time that happens to me -- when I go up in the kitchen and there's a whole box of Triscuits laid out and eggs cracked on the wall, cheese everywhere. I 'Ambien eat,' like Tiger Woods 'Ambien drove.' It's a weird drug."
Dr. Oz then tells her, "I actually looked up Ambien. Tweeting is not a side effect."
"No," Roseanne agrees before the clip ends.
In the wake of her May tweet about the drug, the makers of Ambien issued a statement shutting down Roseanne's seeming claim that it was responsible for what she said. "While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication," the company tweeted.
Roseanne's original tweet about Valerie -- she also later claimed she didn't know the political adviser was black -- read, "muslim brotherhood & planet of the apes had a baby=vj."
As for her Tiger Woods reference, toxicology tests revealed that the famed golfer had five drugs in his system, including the sleep drug Zolpidem, which is commonly known as Ambien, when he was arrested on DUI charges in Jupiter, Florida, early one morning in 2017 after police found him driving erratically.


On Monday I decided to process some apples. There are loads on the ground under the fruit trees in the walled garden, and unless picked up, they just rot on the ground. This is what 8kg of apples looks like.
My sister-in-law has this fancy gadget which peels and cores apples and slices them all into a nice even spiral.
So I set it all up to have a go. My brother-in-law got it straight up.
My sister-in-law also has a dehydrating machine. It consists of a motor at the bottom, and 6 trays on which you lay out the food to be processed.
When you finish layering all the trays, the machine heats up and keeps the fruit at an even temperature until sufficient moisture has been removed from the fruit to preserve it. The instructions suggest 80% of the moisture in apples should be removed for best results. I had intended to weigh them to work that out, but in the end just used my judgement to decide when they were done.
The drying process took about 5 hours and filled the whole house with a lush sweet appley smell.
Only about a third of the apples were processed this way (because I ran out of room on the trays). The rest I juiced and froze the juice for later.
When I go away somewhere the first thing I pack is my craft! This trip, I brought the little cardi I have been completing for my daughter's little foster son. It began as one of my daughter's projects, but with 5 kids now she has little time.
I am pleased to say it is finished.
Thank you to everyone who left me comments regarding the front bands. Especially to Marly who blogs here at Marly's Quilts, who went to the trouble of making a sample piece and making up a tutorial complete with photos for me.
In the end, having tried and unpicked at least 3 attempts, and various methods, I ended up just knitting up the stitches and sewing the band on, joining it up at the back. I have some cute little duck buttons at home which I will sew on when I get back.
Last night I started to put together some little hexagon coasters which I intend to give as small Christmas gifts. I had paired up the fabrics and cut the hexies at home, so its a bit of a snack. Not sure I brought enough to occupy me for another week though.
Our Nephew saw me prepping them, and when I offered him a set, he seemed very keen. So here is his set. 3 done, one to go.
And set number 2 ready to sew. I fussy cut the Christmas motifs for this set.
The trouble with taking photos in a room where there is a large sky light is that there are shadows which ever way you turn. Nice bright room, but the shadows show up in every photo.
I also wanted to show you a cute bunch of buttons I picked up at a little shopping village called the Hop Pocket in Bromyard the other day. Set in the midst of fields, and I think in converted barns, there's a myriad of shops.
I could well have spent a delicious hour or two (and a pile of pounds too) if the Dearly Beloved had not been running a marathon race ahead of me through the shops! I think he was thinking of his credit card. LOL.
If you think this might be in England, you are dead right. And why might you ask, are you doing a post about a place in England? Well, we have come back again. Which also explains my silence for the last week or so.
After we got back from the UK earlier this year, we received an invitation to a wedding - my cousin's daughter was getting married. After much umm-ing and ahh-ing we decided to go. The wedding was last Saturday, and I'll tell you about that in the next post.
This post is about a magnificent country manor house owned by the National Trust which is near Dorking, in Surrey, called Polesden Lacey.
Polesden Lacey was owned by Mrs Greville from 1906 until her death in 1942 when she bequeathed it to the National Trust. It was extensively and lavishly modernised and redecorated during her lifetime. She was a renowned society hostess, regularly entertaining royalty.
It was a grey bleak day, and we decided to view the house after we had been for a walk. It was a good move as it rained in the afternoon.
These steps led up into a lovely wooded area. I can just see Edwardian ladies going for a stroll on this lawn.
And this is the front lawn. Those are deck chairs where you can sit in the sun to admire the view.
There was a walled garden with heaps of lovely flowers.
These probably grow like weeds in the UK, but I am not familiar with them. Top left is Echinacea, which I didn't realise had such big flowers. Top right I think is a Penstemon - loved the beautiful colour of these little bell shaped flowers. Bottom left is a mystery, but look at the stems of the flowers - such a pretty blue. Bottom right I have seen every where since I arrived - such cheerful balls of yellow fluff.
The garden wall had this little circular "window" with a spectacular view into the distance. Like looking through a telescope.
And the sweet gardener's cottage. It is now available for holiday lets.
The house itself was huge, and stuffed full of stunning antiques and collectibles. I have selected a few special pics to show you.
These tapestries are hanging in the upper level of the foyer. They are large, and I can't imagine trying to make one, let alone three. There are tapestries throughout the house.
This hallway took my breath away. Lined with paintings and display cabinets full of gorgeous china and figurines.
This is main reception room, aptly called The Gold Room.
Everywhere you look there is gold leaf.
Despite the opulence of the Gold Room, I think my favourite room was the Tea Room.
The windows look out onto the lovely garden, and on a sunny day, I should think it would be a sunny room. The dress is a copy of one of Mrs Greville's tea gowns. It took 3 years and 2000 volunteer hours for 34 members of the National Association of Decorative Arts Societies to recreate this gown. It has 5000 sequins on it.
There were loads of pretty things in the house, but I absolutely fell in love with this sweet little 18th Century French heart shaped table. The notes said that the lid lifts up and there is a mirror and two drawers inside.
Downstairs in the ironing room which was functional, not opulent, I spied this - a 1906 hand crank Singer.
Hope you enjoyed our little stroll through history together. If you get a chance this is a place well worth going to visit.
Today is the 5th of August. What do you mean August? Last time I looked it was April. Oh well. That's how it feels anyway. Anyone else feel that the year has flown by so swiftly that you haven't had time to blink.
I thought I'd show you my latest creation.
This is an "I Spy" style of quilt for a little boy of 4 under foster care with Barnardos. Our latest project at Stitching Hearts is to supply the local Barnardos branch with a quilt for each child under their care.
The centre panel is a jungle scene with dinasaurs, and around it are squares of fun fabrics, sashed in two shades of grey/green.
Spider Man, horses, apples, birds, musical instruments, soccer balls & a bunch of trolls and gargoyles, in the pic above. I scored a great alphabet fabric from Spotlight yesterday for $4 a meter which I will use for backing. This one will go with me to Stitching Hearts tomorrow to be pinned.
I am making a similar quilt at the moment which is all in pieces on my workroom floor. This will be for a boy who is 3.5, and it has a feature panel with Bob the Builder on it. I'll show you that next time.
Last time I went to Stitching Hearts I brought home 5 quilts for Barnardos. I have been appliqueing the children's names on them to personalise them. I am doing it by hand as they are already quilted. Its so difficult to keep the applique stitches from showing on the reverse, and the bulk of the quilt makes it difficult to grasp. But they look good!
I've told you before that I go to Sydney every fortnight on a Tuesday to do research in the Mitchell Library. Well for the last few weeks the Library has had this World Atlas on display.
It is called "Earth Platinum" and is the largest book of its kind ever published. Conceived in Sydney, printed in Italy and bound in Hong Kong. Don't think there's room for it on my bookshelf LOL.
Have you looked at Google this morning? There is a cute animated gizmo on it celebrating the 151th anniversary of the first traffic light. It reminded me of a battery operated toy traffic light that my father made for me when I was about 4 or 5. I haven't thought of that toy for years! Sadly I no longer have it, and don't have a photo either.
Did your father ever make toy(s) for you?


Jacob Beltran and Guillermo Contreras June 26, 2017 Updated: June 26, 2017 7:41 p.m.
Protestors gather in front of the Federal Courthouse in San Antonio to voice their opposition to SB 4, on Monday June 26, 2017.
As the so-called sanctuary cities faced scrutiny inside a federal court downtown Monday, hundreds including elected officials and the area's leader of the Catholic Church, gathered outside to protest Senate Bill 4.
Outside the courthouse, about 750 protesters were addressed throughout the day by various organization leaders.
Archbishop Gustavo Garcia-Siller prayed to the crowd and then addressed the protesters.
The hearing to block SB4, which Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law last month, might take up to two days for oral arguments, according to a judge's order in the case.
The United States, which filed a request late last week to be heard, will have 30 minutes to present its statement. The City of Dallas may have 15 minutes to make a statement and proposed intervenors the City of Houston and Texas Association of Hispanic County Judges and County Commissioners will have 10 minutes each to make a statement, the judge's order said.
Nirenberg was joined by other officials including Austin Mayor Steve Adler and Austin Councilman Greg Casar and Houston Councilman Robert Gallegos.
Councilman Rey Saldaña and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff were inside testifying against the bill, Nirenberg said.
A few people occasionally chanted "Hey-hey, ho-ho, SB4 has got to go!' as a stage was set up for speakers, with rain dousing the crowd at around 11:30 a.m.
San Antonio Alliance union organizer Katy Bravenec shouted in response "I'm an immigrant," as he chanted.
The man tried to get around her, but she would not move when he put his hands on her shoulders and slightly attempted to push her back.
The man was escorted out of the area by Department of Homeland Security officers, who said he was agitating the crowd. They added that he could be escorted away because the group protesting there had a permit for use of the area.
Michelle Tremillo, executive director of the Texas Organizing Project, recalled Proposition 187 when it was introduced to California legislation in 1994.
She said the bill was introduced in response to Latinos gaining influence in the area.
During his prayer, Garcia-Siller asked for God to help all sides involved in SB4.
"We ask you to hear our prayer for reconciliation, that the separation between us may be overcome," he said.
State and local organizations addressing the audience included the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, American Civil Liberties Union of Texas, MOVE San Antonio and La Union del Pueblo Entero.
State Sen. Charles Perry, author of SB4, released a statement Monday afternoon saying that the law is not about taking on a federal immigration role, but partnering with law enforcement to keep those who commit dangerous crimes off the streets.
"The public understands that law enforcement officials should not help those found guilty of serious crimes, such as sexual assault and burglary, evade immigration detainers," Perry said in the statement, saying there is much misinformation and fear-mongering surrounding the bill.
During the rally, state Senators Diego Bernal and José Menéndez said members of the senate voted no to amendments that would narrow down the scope of SB4 such as exempting victims of domestic abuse, giving a border patrol exam to law enforcement, and exempting crimes of traffic stops and jaywalking.
"We asked for compliance with the civil rights act, what do you think they said?," Menéndez asked. "No," the crowd responded.
"This bill is really a law that's looking for a solution," Menéndez said.
San Antonio Express-News staff writer Jason Buch and E-N photographer Bob Owen contributed to this report.


This Aminews is to inform you about the global tax transparency developments and environment, focusing on automatic exchange of information on financial accounts. These developments are aimed to combat tax evasion by taxpayers on their foreign financial accounts and cross border investments. This can have a deep impact in relation to your contemplated/existing structure.
Today, new global regulations similar to FATCA are rapidly being finalized by the OECD and G20. The OECD has established the Standard for Automatic Exchange of Financial Account Information in Tax Matters – which comprise the Competent Authority Agreement (CAA) and the Common Reporting Standards (CRS, or the Standards).
Information on all financial accounts and related transactions will be annually reported by Financial Institutions to local tax authorities and subsequently automatically be exchanged between participating jurisdictions. The Standard set out the financial account information to be exchanged (balances, interest, dividends, and sales proceeds), which financial institutions need to report and the different types of accounts and taxpayers covered (individuals and entities, including trusts and foundations).
Up to date 94 jurisdictions around the world have committed to implement this AEOI Standard and 61 of them have already signed the Multilateral Competent Authority Agreement (MCAA). Out of these 94 jurisdictions there are 56 jurisdictions that committed to start exchanging information by September 2017 regarding information corresponding to fiscal year 2016, thus effectively starting 1 January 2016.
These early adopters include all EU countries (with the exception of Austria, which will start one year later). Also the UK Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories, such as BVI and Cayman Islands, committed to implement the AEOI Standard with a 'go live' date by 1 January 2016. 38 jurisdictions (including Switzerland, Singapore, the BRICS) are committed to introduce the AEOI Standard one year later, i.e. by 1 January 2017 with first exchange by September 2018. Please find these 94 jurisdictions listed at the bottom of this Aminews.
Due to the automatic exchange of information between participating jurisdictions, the foreign bank accounts and foreign assets held directly or indirectly by a resident in the participating jurisdictions will likely become known to the tax authorities of an individual´s country of tax residence. Tax inspectors will match this information with local tax returns filed and any taxable income not yet disclosed may trigger tax audits, assessments and penalties. These developments will lead to global tax transparency.
Due to the introduction of anti-abuse legislation (Blacklist, CFC regime, etc.) or other domestic tax disclosure rules in many jurisdictions, you may have to disclose the assets/entities of your contemplated/existing structure or may have to report the income that distributed from that structure in your personal tax return, regardless of whether such income is distributed to you. We therefore recommend that you check this circumstance with your tax advisor.
Migration of the individual to become (tax) resident in a low/zero tax location.
For these and other structuring solutions we can refer you to our private client services and trust services.
Please feel free to contact your Sales Officer or Relationship Manager in case you require any clarification with regard to the above.
Jurisdictions that committed to start exchanging information in 2017 (over FY 2016): Anguilla, Argentina, Barbados, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Bulgaria,* Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Curaçao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Estonia, Faroe Islands,* Finland, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland,* Guernsey, Hungary, Iceland, India, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Jersey, Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Montserrat, Netherlands, Niue, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Seychelles, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United Kingdom.
Jurisdictions that committed to start exchanging information in 2018 (over FY 2017): Albania, Andorra, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, Australia, Austria, The Bahamas, Belize, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, China, Costa Rica, Ghana, Grenada, Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Marshall Islands, Macao (China), Malaysia, Monaco, New Zealand, Qatar, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Samoa, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sint Maarten, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay.


On August 12, 2017, white supremacists descended on Charlottesville, Virginia, intent on inciting racist violence in that community. When anti-racist protesters showed up to oppose the "Unite the Right" rally, white supremacists attacked -- unleashing violence that wounded many and killed protester Heather Heyer.
SURJ is excited to announce a 5-week online course on organizing and campaigns, starting on April 2nd.
Who is this course meant for? This training is designed for folks practicing leadership or will be moving into leadership in SURJ chapters. We are encouraging people who are actively working on organizing campaigns or folks who are interested in helping their chapter shift their work to include and center working on organizing campaigns.
For those interested in supporting people in and around Houston who are waking up to devastation from Harvey each day, there are a few options below for how you can do that *directly* and without going through nonprofit organizations like the Red Cross and Salvation Army, which have questionable distribution practices.
Over the weekend and into this week, Trump's Muslim ban sparked protests across the country in huge cities and small towns. Many of us who participated were energized by being in action and space with others who share our values. Others of us who watched were inspired to take bolder action the next time Trump issues a repressive Executive Order.
Yet, polls released this week show that more Americans support the ban than oppose it.
In the months since Trump has been elected, we have seen amazing mobilization across the country. However, we know that in these critical times, also we need to be digging into organizing--the process of building power for a multi-racial movement led by folks of color that transforms the system of white supremacy.
SURJ is offering a week long organizing training to provide skills to increase our ability to shift power for the long haul and have impact in our communities.
There's much that we don't know about what the resistance ahead will look like with Trump in office and a Cabinet full of racist, misogynist, transphobic, xenophobic millionaires and billionaires. What we do know is that art and artists have always paved a path forward for resistance, and we're thrilled to share some of the pieces created by Micah Bazant and Kate Deciccio in this moment.
In recent years, the leadership of and action by the Movement for Black Lives, Latinx communities, Indigenous communities, and other movement groups led by people of color have politicized millions of people around race. Many of those who are white have found SURJ as a home from which to act and as a result, we have grown exponentially over the last two years.
We've spent the last several months struggling to get clearer on our role in the movement, our theory of change, and the strategies we're using now and hope to explore as we move forward.
We don't have all the answers, and we know we're not the only ones trying to figure them out. We know that we are going to make mistakes along the way, and we're confident our thinking will shift and grow over time by being in the work. We share our thinking below on our theory of change with a lot of humility and openness to feedback.
This week brought welcome news in the ongoing struggle against the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) as the federal government acknowledged that the the permitting process failed to meet the Standing Rock Sioux's rights. The acknowledgement came after months of brave direct action and as public pressure built. However, the fight is far from over.
This week, Colin Kaepernick took bold action to protest police brutality of Black people.
When we hear people disagreeing with him or conflicted about his action, we should not stay silent, but rather move outside our comfort zone to engage in open conversation with folks about the racial justice issues he has raised. We've developed a conversation guide to support you.


text:
Mitch McConnell draws a line in the sand for the Tea Party
Jazz Shaw Nov 08, 2013 8:41 AM ET
Up until now, the war between the Tea Party and the "establishment GOP" (however you define that) has been kind of one sided. Responses from the old guard have tended to run along the lines of, "we're all fighting for the same goals, we just don't agree on the tactics" or, more simply, "can't we all just get along?" But this week, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell sat down with Peggy Noonan for a WSJ interview which is bound to have some tongues wagging. In it, he's essentially taken off the gloves, and said what most of the media mavens have been repeating for months now.
"The most important election yesterday wasn't the governor of New Jersey and it wasn't the governor of Virginia, it was the special election for Congress in South Alabama, where a candidate who said the shutdown was a great idea, the president was born in Kenya, and that he opposed Speaker Boehner came in second." The victory of a more electable Republican, is significant, Mr. McConnell says. To govern, parties must win. To win, parties must "run candidates that don't scare the general public, [and] convey the impression that we could actually be responsible for governing, you can trust us—we're adults here, we're grown-ups."
The tea party, he says, consists of "people who are angry and upset at government—and I agree with them." But "I think, honestly, many of them have been misled. . . . They've been told the reason we can't get to better outcomes than we've gotten is not because the Democrats control the Senate and the White House but because Republicans have been insufficiently feisty. Well, that's just not true, and I think that the folks that I have difficulty with are the leaders of some of these groups who basically mislead them for profit. . . . They raise money . . . take their cut and spend it" on political action that hurts Republicans.
He also didn't shy away from taking on the Senate Conservatives Fund.
He refers to the Senate Conservatives Fund. "That's the one I'm prepared to be specific about." The fund "has elected more Democrats than the Democratic Senatorial Committee over the last three cycles." The group is targeting Mr. McConnell with ads slamming his leadership during the shutdown. "Right now they're on the air in obvious coordination with Harry Reid's super PAC—Harry Reid's!—in the same markets, at roughly the same amount, at the same time."
The last money quote for you refers specifically to the primary challenge he's facing.
But says he isn't worried about his own race: "I don't wanna be overly cocky, but I'm gonna be the Republican nominee next year."
This is about as close to an open declaration of war that McConnell has come. It would seem that the time for "let's all go along to get along" is over, and the GOP is ready to air all the dirty laundry in public. But here's one interesting thing for you to consider this morning. You'll notice that Mitch didn't say, "I'm gonna be the Senate Minority Leader after the next election" or, "I'm going to be serving in this seat for another six years." He just said he was going to be the nominee. That sounds like his focus has shifted to the very real battle he faces on his own Right flank, rather than pretending that the Tea Party challenge is little more than the buzzing of flies and he's focusing on his Democratic challenger.
I'm not sure how much else he can (or needs to) do at this point. McConnell has secured the early endorsements of as many big hitting Tea Party folks as he could find out of the gate, starting with Rand Paul. He's raised money in piles he hasn't needed in a very long time and attempted to define his opponent long before he got enough cash and clout to define himself. In short, McConnell has followed every rule in the standard election playbook to set himself up for a win, and all he can do now is hope that the voters follow predictable patterns.
But is Mitch somehow "giving permission" for everyone else in the country – from Graham to Enzi – to start putting up wanted posters of Tea Party upstarts with targets on their faces? If so, Reagan's 11th commandment is well and truly out the window for both sides, and the primary is going to be a far more bloody affair than I'd been predicting as recently as this summer. Discuss.
Tags: REPUBLICANS TEA PARTY MITCH MCCONNELL ESTABLISHMENT


A regular feature of the show is a crash re-enactment, with local emergency services treating "road trauma victims" (usually student volunteers from John Curtin College, Fremantle).
This year the mock crash involved a motorcycle - particularly relevant given the Avon Valley is a popular destination for motorcycle riders.
Pictured above: Shire of Northam RoadWise Committee member Lew Couper, Karen Dore from the Shire of East Fremantle and creator of the Avon Valley Motorcycle Friendly Region project, and Max Heath, Toodyay RoadWise Committee member.
Contact Road Safety Advisor Cliff Simpson on mob: 0409 686 138 to find out how you can get involved in addressing road safety issues in the Wheatbelt North region.


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International Women's Day 2018: Caroline Weir
CAROLINE WEIR ON HER CAREER PROGRESS
On International Women's Day 2018, Scotland Women's National Team midfielder Caroline Weir reflects on how her career has progressed from being the only girl on a boys' team to being nominated as one of the best female football players in the world.
Hailing from Dunfermline, Weir started playing football at a young age and is now approaching 50 Scotland caps and starring for Liverpool.
She scored the winning goal against Spain in the Euros and was recently named on the FIFPro World XI shortlist, confirming her status as one of the best midfielders in the world.
Caroline, congratulations on being named as one of the players on the FIFPRO World XI shortlist. What does it mean to be recognised by your teammates and opponents you've faced?
It's a huge honour and I definitely didn't expect to be named in a group containing so many players I look up to.
I am really enjoying my football at the moment and have big ambitions for 2018, so to be recognised like that is great for me.
I have to thank my teammates, as they have been great at always pushing me to be a better player.
When did you footballing journey begin?
My first memories of playing football was in the back garden with my Dad, brother and sister who were all into football as well. I was about three-years-old at that time and then joined my first team aged five, with boys.
I continued playing with the boys team at Pittencrieff Primary School for five years throughout school before moving to Hibernian when I was 10.
My Dad, Lindsay, has been very supportive from day one and came to all my games and drove me all over the country.
When I joined Hibs he got involved with the running of the club and became Chairman of the girls set up and helped construct the pathway into the first team.
Kirsty Smith and Claire Emslie were both involved in that squad so it's nice to still be playing with them for our country.
A young Caroline Weir (front row, second from left) playing for Hibs alongside fellow SWNT stars Kirsty Smith (back row, third from left) and Claire Emslie (front row, second from right).
When you've grown up with each other, it's nice to see your friends do so well. Claire is absolutely smashing it at Man City and I'm delighted for her.
What was it like breaking through at Hibernian and then moving down to England?
I was only young, around 15-years-old when I made my debut for Hibs so it was pretty daunting, but great to experience a high level early on alongside some international players.
At 18 I then moved to Arsenal when Shelley (Kerr) was the head coach and it was a huge step for me.
I was there for two years and it was a massive learning experience for me with some good and also tough experiences.
It made me a better player in the long run as I had to grow up as a person.
Looking back now, it was a really worthwhile experience but at the time it had its difficulties as I was so far away from home and living on my own for the first time was hard.
Shelley has always been a great coach and it's great to be playing under her again as I believe I'm a much better player now and more mature.
How did your move to Liverpool come about?
Before going to Liverpool I spent four months at Bristol City under Willie Kirk, who coached me at Hibs. That time allowed me to play consistently in a good league. As much as it was a short time, it was a massive point in my career and was really important.
Now that I'm at Liverpool I can see just how much the women's game has progressed over the years. The physical side of the game has grown and there seems to be a lot more interest than there was when I was breaking through, especially off the back of the Euros.
We see ourselves as role models coming through and it's something I think we all take very seriously.
What did you learn from playing at Euro 2017?
It was one of the highlights of my career so far and just to be at a major tournament was an experience I'll never forget.
The last game was so bittersweet as I loved scoring the winning goal against Spain which was a big high but to not get that second goal to put us through was a huge low. That's just football though.
All the players loved the Euros and it's made us hungrier to reach the World Cup
What advice would you give to aspiring footballers?
If you feel you're standing still, then you need to change that and always make sure you're improving and developing. If I think I'm standing still it's the worst feeling. That means you're not improving and wasting your time.
Most of all though, you need to enjoy what you're doing as that makes it easier to sacrifice things and work hard.
What's next for Caroline Weir?
Short term, qualifying for the World Cup in 2019 is a priority but most of all I just want to help the team in whatever way possible and make sure I am performing to my optimum best.


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NBA Offseason Recap: Cleveland Cavaliers
By Ben Gulker Aug 26, 2012, 11:08am EDT
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This has nothing to do with the Cavs, but you deserve to see this picture. Jonas Jerebko, there's a new stud in town.
Daniel Gilbert didn't bring a championship to Cleveland before LeBron James brought one to Miami, but after several nice offseason transactions, the Cavs are positioned as one of a handful of teams likely to be fighting for the last few Playoff spots in the East. It's not often that a team can lose a once-in-a-generation player like James and expect to find itself in the Playoff hunt just a few years later, but through some luck in the lottery, successful drafting, and savvy trades and signings, the Cavs are positioned to be a team with all the potential to shake things up in this year's Playoff race.
2012-2013 Cleveland Cavaliers Offseason Recap
Draft Picks: Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller
Free Agents: C.J. Miles, Michael Eric, Jon Leuer, Luke Harangody (re-signed and retained)
Trade Acquired: Kelenna Azubuike, Jeremy Pargo, Omri Casspi
Subtractions: Antawn Jamison, Anthony Parker, Semih Erden, Alonzo Gee
2012-2013 Cavaliers Prospective Depth Chart
PG: Kyrie Irving | Jeremy Pargo | Donald Sloan
SG: Dion Waiters | C.J. Miles |Daniel Gibson
SF: Omri Casspi | Kelenna Azubuike | Luke Walton
PF: Tristan Thompson | Jon Leuer | Samardo Samuels | Luke Harangody
C: Anderson Varejao | Tyler Zeller | Michael Eric
Offseason Analysis:
Parting ways with Antawn Jamison and Anthony Parker makes good sense. Jamison is aging like milk and can hope to find his own renaissance elsewhere, and while Parker has been a solid role player for them, he no longer fills a need.
The strategy for additions here seems to be pretty simple: assume that Kyrie Irving is going to build on a very nice rookie campaign and emerge as the new franchise player - a pretty good assumption, I think - and add several useful role players at every position other than Point Guard.
Omri Casspi, Kelenna Azubuike, and Jon Leuer are all excellent pick ups. Casspi and Leuer will do the dirty work, and contribute plenty of garbage points and hustle players. Azubuike has been a very productive, but under appreciated, swingman for several seasons, and he should provide solid perimeter defense, while providing a perimeter threat for Irving.
The Cavs also did well in the draft. Zeller is one of those blue collar guys that I'd welcome on my team anyway, even if his proverbial ceiling isn't all that high. Dion Waiters has plenty of question marks, but he certainly has potential and should prove to be a dynamic backcourt pairing with Irving.
I'm not ready to call this team a lock for the Playoffs. There have been lots of moving parts, and there's the inevitable uncertainty that always accompanies a team that will be relying on young players to carry so much of the weight. But on paper, I like what I see. And if you're a Cavs fan, there's a whole lot to be excited about.
If you're a Pistons fan, look out for the Cavs this year and for years to come. There's a very strong nucleus here for an in-division rival that should be staying together, there is a lot of room for internal development, and there's enough financial flexibility to keep things interesting.
As if he weren't already, Joe Dumars is on notice. Standing pat and relying on internal improvement isn't going to get it done in the 2012-2013 Eastern Conference. Make some moves, or get left in the dust.
P.S. Yes, the depth chart is more than 15 players. Hard to know which of the back-of-the-rotation guys doesn't make it from our vantage point
P.S.S. Thanks to the comment section, we can expect Cleveland to retain Gee.


At the beginning of this year I set out to build myself a HTPC to satisfy my newly emerged want for games and also serve as media playback machine, i.e. Blu Ray, DVD and everything I have on iTunes. Accompanying the PC (yes, it was a PC not a Mac) was a Samsung 40″ TV. Following are my – then anounced and long-in-the-waiting – experiences using this combo for gaming and watching movies – and even reading comics.
About the gaming performance: I had no doubt about that, never! I have carefully chosen components that are considered to be high performance. Following are only a few comments about some of them as all of those parts have been reviewed in great detail by many hardware sites.
The graphics card was one of the great unknown in case of noise. I've read back then that this card has a powerful cooling system that can be throttled without any worry about high temperatures. My experiences paint a different image. In demanding games like Dirt 3 the graphics processor heats up very quickly. There's no other way to counter that but increasing fan speeds. Luckily I found the MSI Afterburner tool which has a nice fan control with custom thresholds based on the temperature. It also seems to work with any recent AMD based video card. This allowes me to keep the card quiet on the desktop and (relatively) cool when making it crunch numbers. Heat dissipation is very game dependent and compared to Dirt 3, for example, Borderlands doesn't present much of a problem.
The wireless keybord has a very big range until connection problems surface, much unlike the mouse. One to two meters, better one, and it'll work. Apart from that I am very content.
SSD is king, that must suffice.
All in all, I am very happy with the PC as a gaming machine!
The impressive thing, compared to a PC monitor, was the size of the image: 40" vs 23" is a very obvious difference. The first look makes your jaw drop but after some time you can see the little annoyances creep up.
Though the screen was a lot bigger it was still too small or my couch was too far away for gaming. Any shooter or RPG loses many of the details of the visuals and content just because of the distance to the screen. Dirt 3 is a little bit of an exception and actually tolerable from the couch. Maybe this was because of the many different bright colors this game uses compared to Diablo 3 or Borderlands. For those games I had to move furniture to sit closer.
Which brings me directly to the next point: Image quality. It isn't even near an average PC monitor. This may very likely be due to the fact I was only willing to spend around 500 € for the TV but the colors are just bad if you're used to an IPS panel. They are by no means vivid and by far too few. To add further insult to injury, the pixels appear huge when sitting at a distance good enough for playing (which is natural once you get closer to any screen, I know). In combination this made it hard to emerse myself in most of the games.
Next up is the response time of the display. I could have lived with that, since it is very dependent on the game, but in combination with the image quality this really left a bad after-taste while playing. Especially in shooters you can see smears on hard edges (e.g. corners of a house) when moving around. Borderlands with its limited color palette showed very ugly artifacts. It was playable after all, but not too appealing.
Last but not least: Illumination uniformity. Dark images show halation in all four corners of the screen. Since I'm not playing Doom 3 all the time (where it's either black or shooting a gun) this is no big deal but it can be seen once in a while. Unfortunately, I have no photo equipment to capture this effect.
When playing games I felt like I was missing out on something. However, I'm pretty happy with the TV being a TV. Watching movies from the couch is very entertaining (compared to the chair in front of a monitor that I was used to all those years) and doesn't show any of the bad characteristics that I experienced during game sessions. Especially Full HD movies look very good! At one point I even read a Spider Man comic on the TV. Nerdy cool! Apart from gaming, the TV does a good job and I actually don't regret buying it, even if it doesn't serve its originally intended purpose any more. It even plays back MKV videos from an USB stick. Only the remote's buttons are crappy. You have to push them hard and need to focus on pushing them straight down, the whole thing, not just one corner. Crappy!
One short note on the optical audio out of the TV. When using it to pass the audio from the HDMI cable to the amp not all of the audio signal was transmitted when playing a DVD or Blu Ray. I noticed that while watching Serenity and finally got very suspicious when, at the end, in that big space fight, there was nothing but utter boredom. Once I connected the optical out of the mainboard to the amp I was blown away by 3D audio effects and all of a sudden that scene and everything else of the movie gathered momentum.
Now, what are the consequences? For one, I moved the hardware from the cool hi-fi like case into a spare standard midi tower and bought myself an Eizo Foris FS2333 BK gaming monitor (review on a renown german LCD monitor review site). And just like that, I am able to see the details that I was missing on the TV. Though Dirt 3 was tolerable it is waaaaay better on the monitor. All of a sudden my driving improved just because I'm able to see the road farther ahead. The image is crisp and clear and the colors are just awesome. There's no beating an IPS panel in that regard. It is also fast enough to enjoy Borderlands or any other fast game without any glitches. I highly recommend that piece of hardware!
That means that I am officially back on playing on a desktop computer, something I tried to avoid but which evidently seems to be the best way for me to celebrate the nerdy art of gaming.
What about the now spare hi-fi case? That'll stay put right on top of the amp and become a true HTPC without gaming capabilities. More on that in a future post. The hardware has already been ordered and shipped, only the assembling still needs to be done.


How To Buy An Air Conditioner - Which?
Air conditioning is now common in offices and shops, but how often do you wish you had air-con in your home?
In the depths of winter, it can be hard to imagine needing an air conditioner. But at the height of summer, a hot, stuffy house can be very uncomfortable. Cooling down your home should help you get a better night's sleep when the outside temperature is high.
Yet buying air con can be bewildering, with words like 'standalone', 'split-unit', 'BTU' and 'refrigerant' being thrown around. Luckily, our guide will help you to choose the best air conditioner for your home.
But before buying, find out the reasons for and against buying an air conditioner, and the alternative ways you can cool down your home. See should I buy an air conditioner?
There are two main types of air conditioner. Standalone models, which can be wheeled around and don't need to be installed, and split-unit models, which are permanently fixed to an outside wall.
Take our interactive quiz to find out which will be better for you.
Also often called portable or single-unit air conditioners, these can be rolled around on wheels and used in any room with a window or outside door.
These need to be installed on one wall. This means that they aren't portable like standalone models, but they tend to be quieter and more efficient than portable models.
How much are you willing to spend on a new air conditioner?
How important is it that your air conditioner is quiet?
More expensive models can double as dehumidifiers, air purifiers or electric heaters.
Some models can be heavy. Make sure your chosen unit isn't too heavy for you to lift comfortably and that the hand-holds are easy to grip.
Needs to be permanently mounted on an outside wall – installation can be tricky, and you may need to hire a professional.
Air conditioners come in various shapes and sizes, but are often described in terms of their BTU (British thermal unit) output. In theory, the higher the BTU claimed, the more efficiently it can cool a room.
As a general rule, 5,000 to 8,000 BTUs is adequate for most living rooms or bedrooms. There's a calculation you can use to work out what BTU is right for you. As a very rough guide, multiply the dimensions (in feet) of the room by five.
So for a room measuring 15x10x8 feet: 15 x 10 x 8 x 5 = an air conditioner of 6,000 BTUs.
If you're concerned about how much energy an air conditioner will use, look out for one with a good energy efficiency ratio (EER). This is the ratio between an air conditioner's BTU and its the power input (in watts).
In general, the higher the EER rating the more efficient the air conditioner.
What extra features should I look out for?
Sleep or night modes reduce noise by running the compressor and fan more slowly.
Dehumidifier mode will give you even greater control, and will allow your air conditioner to be useful all throughout the year, not just in summer. Buying an expensive air conditioner just for dehumidifier mode could work out to be more expensive, and less effective, than buying two separate appliances.
Read our dehumidifier reviews to find out which ones do the best job.
Timer options allow you to set the machine to automatically switch on and off - useful if you want to come home to a cool house or save energy by having the unit switch off once you've fallen asleep. Pick a model with a clock and 24-hour setting. Some come with only countdown or delay timers; these need to be reset daily.
Remote controls let you adjust settings without moving from your seat, but are easy to lose. Look for a machine with a dock to store the remote if you're prone to gremlins hiding your things.
Heat pump mode will allow you to use your air conditioner as an electric heater - particularly useful in winter. Although, just like with a dehumidifier, it could work out better value to buy them separately.
Read our electric heater reviews to find the best.
Air filters will be useful if you live in a built-up area, as it will allow you to purify the air and get rid of pollutants like pollen, smoke and dust.
See our air purifier reviews.
Remove bungs to drain water from portable units at the end of summer, before they are packed away for winter. If the summer has been particularly humid, you may need to drain the unit every few weeks. Water pipes are normally located at the bottom of the machine. Before you buy, check in store that you can bend down and unplug the water pipes easily, as sometimes bungs can be fiddly and difficult to grip.
Clean dust filters regularly on both portable and split models. Before buying, ask yourself whether you'll be able to easily access these parts for cleaning.
Does Which? test air conditioners?
As of 2011, we don't currently test air conditioners. This is because our relatively mild UK climate means there is less demand for air conditioner reviews compared with other appliances.
Due to the increased demand for them, we regularly test electric heaters, air purifiers and dehumidifiers - click on each product to see our reviews.
When we tested air conditioners, we assessed not only how quickly they could cool down a room, but also whether they could keep it at a stable temperature. We also looked at how well-built and easy-to-use each air conditioner was, and how much electricity they took to run.


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Didn't It Rain
Catalog No: SC065
Never has a Songs: Ohia album's process been so integral to its overall feel as is the case with DIDN'T IT RAIN, the band's sixth proper full-length. The album, like the working class South Philadelphia neighborhood in which it was birthed, has a real used goods kinda feel to it. Engineer Edan Cohen employed what some may consider "old-fashioned" recording techniques -- the entire album was recorded live with no overdubs, the full band playing in one room with the players always within arms' reach of one another; singers Jason Molina, Jennie Benford and Jim Krewson (the latter two of Jim & Jennie And The Pinetops) sharing microphones singing live together, sometimes sitting in chairs, sometimes standing. The result is a sound which resembles the warmth and personality of the classic Muscle Shoals Sound recordings of the early- to mid-70s: Willie Nelson's PHASES & STAGES, the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses", and others by Aretha Franklin, Boz Scaggs, Bob Seger, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Wilson Pickett. Inspired by the Mahalia Jackson song of the same name, the title track is a beautiful song about the shifting tides of life and the old cycle of "a lot of shit going down before shit clears up". It's a damn fine place to start an album that seems in no hurry whatsoever to make a universal statement, instead perfectly content to walk its own path toward resolution. And damn if Songs: Ohia principal songwriter Jason Molina hasn't gone and created a record that is even more intensely personal and healing than any of his previous works. Neil Young had his AFTER THE GOLDRUSH, this is Molina's DIDN'T IT RAIN. Indeed, this is the album with which Molina really leaves his mark as a serious songwriter and artist. On 1999's genre-bending Ghost Tropic full-length, Songs: Ohia made it clear that it could make a cohesive album that took its listener on a journey from front to back. Its dislocated feel set a haunting tone, and its largely instrumental and drone-like quality was the process of the Ohia eluding itself and its own tendencies, searching for the underside of its roots freshly yanked. With DIDN'T IT RAIN, Molina & Co. return to the beauty of the song form and offer up a startlingly soulful and introspective song cycle in which Molina -- accepting a comfortable degree of anonymity amongst the other players -- meditates on what it means to feel rooted again (in the city of Chicago, where he's called home for the past three years), sounding more sturdy at his core than ever.
CDEP	$7.99
Hard to Love a Man
Magnolia Electric Co.
CDEP $7.99
2xLP	$17.99
Trials & Errors
2xLP $17.99