New Delhi: The Vice President of India, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has said that ethical and responsible leadership was the need of the hour. He said that understanding the ground realities, interaction with common people and observing the changing aspirations of the youth were very important for people aspiring to be in public life.
Shri Naidu was interacting with students from Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership promoted by Thane in Maharashtra based Rambhau Mhalgi Prabodhini (RMP), here today, and stressed upon the need for students perusing a career in public life to acquire a decent understanding of the role and responsibility of every institution and their importance in functioning of a democracy that has more than 130 crore population with different set of aspirations.
The Vice President said that a clean government, Clear Vision and Committed Leadership was needed to transform the lives of people. He urged up on Universities, colleges and institutions such as the Indian Institute of Democratic Leadership inculcate such qualities in students from their school days.
Shri Naidu said that said that making students understand the functioning of democratic republic and introducing them to Parliamentary system was also needed.
Shri Naidu said that an aware citizenry, a vibrant and responsible civil society, a robust institutional framework and responsive bureaucracy was crucial in India's efforts towards making it free from hunger, free of atrocities, free of inequalities and discrimination based on cast, gender and religion.
The Vice President stressed upon the need to strengthen systems that incorporate technology into our governance systems to ensure hassle free service to the last man living in the remotest part of the country. He wanted the youth to embrace technology, innovation to find solutions to new challenges emerging in modern world.
Shri Naidu asked the youth to have a democratic mind that is receptive to new ideas and tolerant to others views. Respecting the mandate of the people was important for democracy to succeed. One must learn to respect it, he added.
The Member of Parliament (RS), Dr. Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and other dignitaries were present on the occasion.


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An investigation of multi-objective hyper-heuristics for multi-objective optimisation
Maashi, Mashael (2014) An investigation of multi-objective hyper-heuristics for multi-objective optimisation. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.
In this thesis, we investigate and develop a number of online learning selection choice function based hyper-heuristic methodologies that attempt to solve multi-objective unconstrained optimisation problems. For the first time, we introduce an online learning selection choice function based hyperheuristic framework for multi-objective optimisation. Our multi-objective hyper-heuristic controls and combines the strengths of three well-known multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (NSGAII, SPEA2, and MOGA), which are utilised as the low level heuristics. A choice function selection heuristic acts as a high level strategy which adaptively ranks the performance of those low-level heuristics according to feedback received during the search process, deciding which one to call at each decision point. Four performance measurements are integrated into a ranking scheme which acts as a feedback learning mechanism to provide knowledge of the problem domain to the high level strategy. To the best of our knowledge, for the first time, this thesis investigates the influence of the move acceptance component of selection hyper-heuristics for multi-objective optimisation. Three multi-objective choice function based hyper-heuristics, combined with different move acceptance strategies including All-Moves as a deterministic move acceptance and the Great Deluge Algorithm (GDA) and Late Acceptance (LA) as a nondeterministic move acceptance function.
GDA and LA require a change in the value of a single objective at each step and so a well-known hypervolume metric, referred to as D metric, is proposed for their applicability to the multi-objective optimisation problems. D metric is used as a way of comparing two non-dominated sets with respect to the objective space. The performance of the proposed multi-objective selection choice function based hyper-heuristics is evaluated on the Walking Fish Group (WFG) test suite which is a common benchmark for multi-objective optimisation. Additionally, the proposed approaches are applied to the vehicle crashworthiness design problem, in order to test its effectiveness on a realworld multi-objective problem. The results of both benchmark test problems demonstrate the capability and potential of the multi-objective hyper-heuristic approaches in solving continuous multi-objective optimisation problems. The multi-objective choice function Great Deluge Hyper-Heuristic (HHMO_CF_GDA) turns out to be the best choice for solving these types of problems.
Kendall, G.
Ozcan, E.
Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA 75 Electronic computers. Computer science
UK Campuses > Faculty of Science > School of Computer Science

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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P.NEXT consulted and assisted Novitech in the development and submission of their bid on the European tender: "Provision of consultancy services and assistance regarding specific aspects of information technology".
As a result the EU Commission has awarded Novitech PLC the contract for the services worth app. 1 million euro.
P.NEXT develops the new webpage for "moved".
Moved specializes in the purchase of used office furniture, facilitates in vacating office buildings and provides facility management for businesses moving their offices.
P.NEXT develops and integrates the OSTEOnline Patients Management Portal. This product is a brand new initiative of the crossuite group to modernize the way doctors and their group practises in general administer their patients. Additionally patient records are kept and administered securely online by P.NEXT hosting services.
More information about the OSTEOnline portal you can find on the OSTEOnline Webpage.
P.NEXT launches their new branch office: CROSSuite.com . A developer and supplier of online patient management systems for specific targeted groups of Healthcare Practisioners. Truly the most flexible solution on the market today.
More information about CROSSuite.com you can find on the CROSSuite Webpage.
P.NEXT develops the new company website and webshop of ED Office Furniture.
- Product Catalogue including [Automated] Similar and Linked products.
The website is accessible on the following link: ED Office Furniture.


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Create More Effective Informal Learning Using SharePoint
Collaboration portals like SharePoint are powerful tools for supporting informal learning in the workplace. But like all tools, the end value depends on how well it has been implemented, configured, designed, and managed to support the needs of the user community.
Think about it this way: Let's say that today you found a shiny red Ferrari in your driveway—your very own race car! Imagine your excitement! As you briefly check it out, you're amazed by the powerful engine. You jump in to take it for a spin, and you quickly realize that you don't know how to harness the power effectively.
You've got an amazing car, but if you don't have the proper preparation and training, its capabilities are wasted on you.
Similarly, SharePoint's capabilities make it a great tool to support informal learning in your workplace. But to enable effective informal learning and achieve the adoption and usage rates desired, your project team must prepare properly for the project.
This means carefully determining and documenting the goals and outcomes you want the project to achieve, and learning about SharePoint's (or any portal's) features and functions. It requires defining the success criteria and metrics that will help you monitor your progress.
Finally, it means paying attention to the user community from the start, including how they will use the system to search for and add content, collaborate with others, and learn. Here are three techniques to help you build a foundation for collaboration and content management project success.
1) Capture User Requirements to Avoid 'Mental Model Mismatch'
The first place to start is with the user community. Good instructional designers and performance consultants know this, and that is why they should be included on the collaborative portal team.
Unfortunately, the following scenario is not uncommon: SharePoint project is announced, and IT immediately develops a prototype portal based on SharePoint's "out-of-the-box" functionality and features. This rarely matches the user community's requirements or generates much excitement for the collaborative portal.
A portal developed without the right kind of input from the user community usually falls flat. Similar to the proverbial comparison of apples to oranges; we call this "mental model mismatch."
Here's what it means to you: As the project begins, the user community immediately begins envisioning how they might work with SharePoint to manage their content, share information and announcements, collaborate with team members, and search for nuggets of knowledge stored in the system. They unconsciously develop a mental model for how they will interact with the system. This model is based on the work they do, the outcomes they produce, the information they use, and the knowledge to which they wish they had better access.
On the other hand, IT may have in mind how SharePoint will operate from a technical perspective, based on its standard features and functions. The portal IT develops probably won't meet the needs of the user community for the:
management of content and knowledge
ability to build a collaborative work place
ability to support informal learning.
Consequently, a "mental model mismatch" occurs, inhibiting excitement, creating disenchantment, and eventually, negatively impacting system usage.
To improve project success, conduct an analysis of the user community—how they approach work, how they perform work, and how they learn. This helps ensure that developers understand the outcomes they produce, the key work processes they perform to produce outcomes, and the information and knowledge they need for optimal work products.
Next, analyze the requirements gathered to consolidate them across performers, and document the user requirements and functional priorities. After interviewing several performers and documenting requirements, your team may discover that 80 percent of needs can be met by standard SharePoint web features, but a few custom web tools and automated work flows are required to meet that other 20 percent of needs.
This enables the client to make decisions about the project and to phase project activities appropriately, while better meeting the needs of the user community.
2) Use the People-Process-Portal Model
After the user requirements are known and integrated with the technical requirements, begin portal design. As the design phase begins, use the People-Process-Portal model to keep your team people-focused and to determine the best ways to realize requirements through site branding, layout and design, content organization, and navigation.
An agile approach to portal design helps developers create quick, iterative prototypes that they can show to stakeholders to obtain feedback and deepen their understanding of the client's needs. To achieve effective branding and design, organization and layout, structure and search, and learning support, consider the following:
People: Who is going to access the portal? Who and what kind of expertise is being sought? What outcomes will the expected user community produce? What types of content is usually created in the course of doing their jobs? What types of experts will they need to connect with? Will they have previous experience with content management or SharePoint? What kind of training and/or job aids will be required?
Processes: What processes and workflows drive daily work? Which processes slow us down? What processes actually don't help us at all? Which workflows can and should be automated? What processes should be changed or eliminated?
Portal: What type of branding and design will build a sense of community? Do the organizational processes suggest any specific content organization? How should the information and content be organized to enable good access? What dynamic information will be displayed (e.g., announcements, calendars, newsfeeds, stock prices)? What key words will best fit the users' mental model for searching for specific content and artifacts and filling knowledge gaps?
3) Make It Personal—Pass the WIIFM Test
The third technique is to make the collaborative portal personal. Be sure users can answer the "What's in it for me?" question. An organization's ability to enhance the learning of its members depends on the willingness of the members to connect, respond to requests, and consistently share new documents and other forms of knowledge.
The collaborative portal project team, together with the organization's leadership, can do several things to encourage appropriate participation, use, and sharing: motivate users to connect, motivate users to respond and share, and build a culture of collaboration.
Motivation to Connect. According to Woody Allen, "Ninety percent of life is just showing up." While we think there is more to it than that, it certainly is a start. You can't share expertise and knowledge until you "show up" on the collaborative portal. One way to encourage the user community to do so is motivate them to create personal sites, such as the My Site feature in SharePoint. Your My Site serves as a point of contact for other users in your organization to find information about you, your skills and interests, and even what you are working on. Each person's My Site provides:
–A central location for them to view and manage all of their documents, tasks, content, links, calendar, colleagues, tasks, and other personal information
–A way for other users to learn about them and their areas of expertise, current projects, and colleague relationships.
My Site pages enable each person to present content and documents to other people, create their own workspaces, provide information about themselves to other people, and learn about the status of their colleagues. This makes your collaborative portal or content management system much more personal and motivates people to participate.
Motivation to Respond and Share. Informal learning through collaborative portals won't happen on its own. The key to portal usage and adoption is quality content and knowledgeable experts. Without this, the portal will quickly get a bad reputation for having nothing of value.
So how do you get the right types of content and the access to the right experts? One key to success is to motivate experts and recognized leaders to participate. Ensure that experts in critical content areas create "My Sites," listing areas of specialization, and uploading content to the portal. Make a global request to experts in specific areas, asking them to set up their site and participate.
Ask managers to cover the request in their next team meeting to improve the likelihood of compliance. Informal motivators also work, such as contests. For example, one organization held a drawing for prizes from names that were entered after people completed their My Site pages or submitted content to be included.
In addition to posting information for sharing, experts must be motivated to respond to requests for information from the organizational community. For example, one global high-tech client has included responding to information requests on job descriptions for their technical staff positions.
Experts in other organizations may not need additional motivation, finding personal satisfaction in sharing their tips and techniques with individuals and project teams. Every culture is different—find out what works in yours to motivate response and encourage sharing.
Build a Culture of Collaboration. "Build it and they will come" is a great movie quote, but won't win any change management awards. Pay attention to your culture when encouraging and leading collaboration. Command-and-control cultures, especially, will require more overt leadership over a longer term in order to achieve true content management and collaboration.
Some leaders think that a broadcast email is sufficient to get people to embrace collaboration and content management. But in fact, it requires much more than that. Popular techniques to improve an organization's level of collaboration include:
assess organizational change readiness and plan ways to remove barriers to collaboration in your culture
hold town hall sessions to communicate why the portal is being developed, why it is important to your strategy and competitiveness, and how people are expected to use it
conduct webinars demonstrating how to complete a My Site
encourage leaders to 'walk the talk' and participate collaboratively in SharePoint to model the behaviors they want others to do
deliver virtual or classroom training on SharePoint functionality, including how to upload documents, how to tag documents with searchable key words, how to search for content, and how to connect with an expert through his/her My Site page
assign a job role in each business unit to keep the portal well organized, to retire old content, and monitor usage and adoption
include collaboration and thought leadership in job descriptions, hiring profiles, performance management tools, and competency models
use metrics to monitor adoption levels, usage, and satisfaction with information found, to identify opportunities to increase participation and continually improve.
Collaborative portals and content management systems have become a critical tool to support the learning process, while also enabling easier collaboration and communication. But don't let your collaboration and content management system resemble the fancy race car that no one is prepared to drive. In this article we have described three techniques to facilitate collaboration and informal learning through collaborative portals. These techniques will help ensure that you get the organizational value and ROI you need from these informal learning tools.
First, capture user requirements to avoid a mental model mismatch, and to make it more likely that the user community will use and adopt the system.
Second, apply the People-Process-Portal design model to ensure that the portal design reflects the organization and supports the people who will use it to collaborate, search, reuse, share, and learn.
Third, make it personal to pass the "what's in it for me?" test. Encourage users and leaders to actively participate, connect with others, share expertise, and respond.
Don't let informal learning be an afterthought in your organization. Plan for it, support it with well-designed tools, motivate participation, and involve learning and performance specialists in its design and management.
Dr. Karen McGraw is the founder and Principal Consultant for Cognitive Technologies www.cognitive-technologies.com. She leads strategic consulting and performance improvement engagements for both commercial and government clients. Dennis Mankin is the founder and Managing Partner of Platinum Performance Partners www.platinumperformancepartners.com. Mr. Mankin has an extensive professional background, including 25 years in senior management and consultative positions working in business consulting, executive coaching, sales, and Human Performance Improvement (HPI). He was certified by ISPI and Dr. Joe Harless as a CPT in August 2003 and he is a project manager and facilitator of HPI processes worldwide.
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Create More Effective Informal Learning Using SharePoint, informal learning, learning, learning in sharepoint, sharepoint, sharepoint in informal learning, sharepoint in learning
How to Build Executive Alliances
Chief Learning Officer Bob Bennett joined FedEx Express in 1979 and has worked in myriad areas of the company. This offered him a comprehensive view of its operations and services, but 10 years ago his insight nearly got him fired. He said it was the best thing that ever happened to him.
A native New Yorker, Bennett received his bachelor's and master's degrees in industrial engineering from Cornell University. He earned his MBA from Bernard Baruch College at the City University of New York. When he became a senior engineer at FedEx, Bennett moved his office space from the company's headquarters to the closest station — where package pickup and delivery take place.
His project was setting the time for FedEx morning delivery. The other three senior engineers stayed in Memphis, but Bennett knew his project couldn't be completed without working alongside the operating staff.
"Moving created a reputation for me, a reputation of caring," he said. "This led to instant credibility in the field among operations and helped facilitate the implementation of ideas I may have in the future. It opened the door for the rest of my career."
Before long Bennett was promoted to vice president of planning and engineering in Latin America. At this time — 10 years ago — he was asked to help the company's board restructure FedEx, an invitation he credits to his move to that packaging station years before.
FedEx had grown since it began operations in 1973, and so had its individual organizations. "In my mind, while this had optimized the various organizations — internal departments — it may not have optimized the overall business; all we had was optimized silos. Truly successful companies realize the impact the entire infrastructure has on the bottom line and overall organization's health. At FedEx it's a comprehensive look at the people, service and profit side of the business."
Bennett and nine other individuals dissected the company's structure, role and responsibilities across all divisions to see where there was duplicate work or service gaps. The intent was to improve the company's profit margin and employees' ability to provide better services and more offerings to customers.
"Rather than leaving incumbents in positions, it was more important to have the right skills in the right positions," he said. "After the company was reorganized I was convinced I had strategically fired myself."
The initiative moved employees across the company into positions that were the best match for their skills regardless of their titles. A draft ensued. Every vice president would either get a call from human resources to discuss the procedure when exiting the company or from the senior leader in his or her division, congratulating the individual on keeping his or her position within FedEx.
When Bennett came home at 9 p.m. one evening, he was shocked to receive a call from Larry Brown, senior vice president of HR for FedEx.
"'Bob, this is Larry,'" Bennett said. "My first reaction was to turn to my wife and whisper, 'Holy mackerel, I'm getting fired.' His next line was, 'I hear you're a problem solver, I hear you make things happen. I want you in the HR organization.'"
That was Bennett's introduction to learning and development, where he said his ability to influence business strategy was welcomed with open arms.
"Getting a seat at the table has to do not with what you do today, but what you've done over the long term," he said. "The whole concept of earning a seat at the table is building and earning the respect of your internal customers. For me it was about an adherence to FedEx's people-service-profit philosophy from day one, staying up to speed on the business needs and providing solutions on the front end. It was focusing on the company goals and objectives. It was making sure I was providing more than just my salary back to the company, that I was always providing value as well."
Be a Translator
Bennett attends other divisions' department meetings regularly. He is involved at the C-suite level, but finds it equally important to spend time at stations, as much time as he did in 1979. "I cannot be expected to provide them knowledge on how to help run their business if I don't know what their business is," he said.
Similarly, Michael S. Hamilton, chief learning and development officer for the Americas at Ernst & Young, said he believes it is the CLO's role to be a bridge between the company's learning and development resources and operators. Acknowledging this idea is part of the recipe to please internal and external customers, and Hamilton may have a point. Ernst & Young is the only company to be on Fortune's "Best Places to Work" list 14 years in a row.
"Our inventory — what we sell — is our people," he said. "The better our people are, the easier it is to serve the needs of our clients. We invest in our people like other companies invest in their products and services."
Previously a managing partner for Ernst & Young, Hamilton was asked to join the HR team because of his success managing his audit staff. "I joke today that I'm a translator," he said. "The operators, the people who run the business, aren't always sure what learning and development executives have to offer as solutions to their business needs. The learning and development executives don't always understand the business challenges from an operator's perspective. Knowing the talents of our learning and development team and having been one of those operators has made me a great intermediary."
Ernst & Young conducts an annual global people survey of employees in every service line across the business. Last year Ernst & Young studied the linkages between the survey conducted in 2009 with 2009 and 2010 financial, operational and brand measures for all organizational units. Hamilton and other business leaders were hoping to learn how people practices align with business results and what people factors most enhance the company's performance and brand, including learning and development.
Ultimately he observed that more payoff comes from being "best-in-class" at engaging employees when compared to external benchmarks. For example, the year after the 2009 survey, best-in-class performers in engagement saw retention rates 11 points higher than those below the local norm. In fiscal year 2010, revenue per person was 24 percent higher in units that were best-in-class in engagement compared to others who were above average.
"Specifically looking at learning and development, we found that in business units where people see the opportunity to build their skills, we generally see higher profitability and stronger brand favorability," he said.
In Ernst & Young's 2011 survey, when employees were asked if they believe they have adequate access to meaningful experiences that help them grow and develop, 80 percent responded favorably, which was 15 points higher than the external norm.
According to Hamilton, these are the scores the CEO wants to see. This is what gets the board invested in learning and development.
Focus on Customer Needs
Bonnie Fetch at Caterpillar, who was recruited to serve as president of Caterpillar University after running manufacturing and engineering operations for a small drive-train system within the company, said delivering metrics consistently to the CEO and fellow executive team members is key to remaining relevant.
Fetch provides monthly updates on Caterpillar University to the CEO, Douglas R. Oberhelman, and writes a separate report for the CFO. Once per quarter she delivers an update on leadership development programs to the entire C-suite.
"We will need to develop as many as 17,000 leaders between now and 2020 to accommodate growth and retirements," Fetch said. "Now more than ever before, it is important to focus on building current leaders and to ensure we are developing leaders who will join the company or get promoted into leadership roles."
Oberhelman is championing leadership development by talking internally to the organization about the need to develop leaders, and focuses on Fetch's reports when talking to Wall Street. Specifically, he homes in on the company's leadership assessment, a 360 feedback tool that measures leaders' use of competencies, leadership styles and the nature of the work climate they create — direct reports, peers and direct supervisors participate in the assessment.
Fetch measures the percentage of leaders who create a high-performing work climate and the percentage who use a broad repertoire of styles. Each individual gets an assessment report that is subsequently used for developing and coaching.
"Learning leaders like to spend a lot of time on how many butts are in seats, how the learners feel about learning and what the ROI of the program is," she said. "While I think that's a fine indicator for learning, these don't always translate to business numbers. For example, our ROI for leadership development is somewhere in the 700 percent range. That sort of number doesn't make sense to the rest of the business world. When I mention 700 percent ROI to the C-suite, the conversation derails immediately. Business metrics are the ultimate measure of success; sometimes the metrics CLOs focus on are too learning specific."
Eileen Walsh, audit partner in charge of KPMG Business School, agrees with Fetch. She said to have a seat at the table, learning leaders need to thoroughly understand and be able to articulate the company's business and strategy. They must be intimately familiar with the company's market position and industry, its challenges and opportunities, and skills and competencies professionals need to operate effectively within that industry and marketplace.
"Your credibility with the rest of leadership relies on your ability to effectively interpret data and use it to provide training that helps your professionals perform at the highest level," she said. "Effectiveness is driven by people. Hiring, developing, supporting and retaining the best people is essential to providing quality service."
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: alliance, alliances, executive, executive alliances, How to Build Executive Alliances
The Exit Interview: An Engagement Tool?
Organizations employ a variety of methods to measure and track employee engagement, but probably none as surprising as this: In a recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) and Globoforce, an employee-recognition-services firm, 65 percent of firms reported using exit interviews as one of the ways they measure engagement.
"It's like closing the barn after the horse is already out," said Kevin Kruse, author of We: How to Increase Performance and Profits Through Full Engagement, in reaction to the finding.
"It's after the fact, and engagement is something that happens when they're employed," added Jim Harter, chief scientist of workplace management and well-being at performance management firm Gallup.
Even Derek Irvine, vice president of client strategy and consulting with Globoforce, was taken aback by exit interviews' prominence as part of the engagement measurement process.
The bottom line, all three said, is that the exit interview is not the best place to have a comprehensive engagement conversation with an employee. Some even questioned the validity of an exit interview altogether.
Yet the three did agree, after some thought, that if an exit interview is going to be used to track engagement, there are some instances where the data could be used to help firms add value.
Harter said the exit interview might become a principal engagement measurement tool if a firm is experiencing a rash of employee defections. "If you're bleeding, you've got to get the stitches out and fix it if you've got a deep cut," he said.
In this case, the exit interview becomes especially important, since HR managers need to figure out what to change in the short term to boost retention and get a gauge on engagement.
"Maybe they've lost some of their best performers," Harter said. "[The exit interview] is more of a short-term fix from my perspective: 'Let's understand what we need to do differently right now.'"
Exit interviews can also bring forth surprising candor on engagement-related subjects from departing employees, Kruse said.
"Even if you get seven out of 10 leaving that are just going to give you the party line, maybe three are going to give you good data," Kruse said.
It's best to conduct anonymous surveys following an employee's departure from a company maybe three or six months after they've left.
"Broadly speaking, you could learn something in an exit interview that could inform you about how to improve benefits, culture or improve a bad boss … and then those things could lead to improved engagement," Kruse said.
Globoforce's Irvine agreed: "You do catch an employee at a very particular time in their relationship with the company where there is a very candid and frank discussion."
That said, employers shouldn't count on employee candor too often during exit interviews — because many are afraid of being brutally honest.
"It helps the company," Kruse said, referring to employees' candor during the exit interview. "It doesn't help them."
Frank Kalman is an associate editor of Talent Management magazine. Reprinted from Talent Management Magazine
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: engagement, engagement tool, exit interview, exit interviews, interviews, The Exit Interview: An Engagement Tool?
Selling Skeptics on New Learning Technologies
"What we find cool, others find intimidating. What we find useful, others find threatening. What we find magical, others find scary. And the very benefits we tout are sometimes exactly what others fear."
I help moderate the weekly #lrnchat Twitter discussions (Thursdays, 8:30 – 10 pm ET), and while I'm not much of a TV watcher, I admit on occasion to running Grey's Anatomy in the background. A recent episode included a storyline about a woman's second surgery to repair a botched first one. The surgical resident came out to talk to the patient's husband, who thought his wife was in surgery for a major but not extraordinary repair.
The resident began to gush about the surgery and said, "They're putting her heart back in [husband looks shocked]… They had to take her heart out to repair the valve, but they're putting it back in now. It's good."
The resident thought this was just the coolest, most awesome-est thing ever, to be able to take out a human heart – on the spur of the moment – to fix it.
The husband did not find this cool or awesome in the least.
Shooting ourselves in the foot
I see this
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happen all the time with people trying to gain support for implementing new learning approaches and technologies, and I am sure I am often guilty of it myself. What we find cool, others find intimidating. What we find useful, others find threatening. What we find magical, others find scary. And the very benefits we tout are sometimes exactly what others fear
(Figure 1 is a historical fantasy, but accurate).
Figure 1: Bell invents the telephone.
So in our enthusiasm I worry that we are often shooting ourselves in the foot and generating the very resistance we're trying to avoid. So, what to do to sell ideas?
Find examples that show value
I have an entire presentation that is nothing but screenshots of the use of social tools and mobile apps to support performance, from Apps for the Army to YouTube videos designed to offer emergency medical services staff just-in-time information on procedures.
The challenge: for every great example, there are 10,000 more instances of kittens riding Roombas and babies biting each other's fingers. For every great instance of using virtual classroom technology for engaging, interactive training, there are 1,000 more bad, sales-pitch-y online seminars.
Our challenge is to find those good examples, relevant to our work, and get them in front of those we seek to influence.
Rentokil L&D Manager Shannon Tipton, in a conference presentation on influencing leaders, talks throughout about her success with the "chip, chip, chip" approach. Do not expect to generate change in a one-shot meeting. Chip away at resistance. Chip away at the bad examples. Chip away at individuals and their objections one at a time. Bring the idea up again on Tuesday, and again on Friday.
Look for opportunities to demonstrate a small idea, and people amenable to listening.
Stop Talking
I can't tell you the number of times I have heard someone – people from L&D, no less – try to "explain" Twitter, or the advantages of storyboarding, or use of a new navigation plan.
Stop talking; start showing.
Become fluent with examples, mockups, and demos. What the competition is doing. What the competition is not doing. Watch for opportunities to fit a solution to a real problem: my own example, for instance, in introducing Google Docs to my boss at the moment of need by just setting one up in response to her real problem, without convening committees or offering lectures (http://www.learningsolutionsmag.com/articles/830/).
Find Small Wins
The lust for
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"enterprise solutions" can make us slow. Look for opportunities to conduct small pilots. Recognize small wins, then document and share them. Find pockets where there is a greater likelihood of acceptance.
Find the Right People
The network administrator is not the person who sets policy for your organization. Find that person's boss, or someone else who has influence over those who create the barriers and silos. Identify ambassadors who can help carry your message elsewhere.
Get Clear About What You Really Need
I see people contact IT and say things like, "I want to do Facebook" or, "We should buy a Webinar product" with no supporting information. That's not going to get you past any obstacles. Instead, try "We have a large community of graduates from our leadership academy, and I need to find a way to help them stay connected after they finish the course… " or, "I need a virtual tool that provides good breakout room capability, so people can work in private groups on the sales roleplays without flying them in."
These are better ways to begin more productive conversations.
Get Clear on the Business Case
I find people have a hard time articulating business need or desired result. "Because it's cool" is not a reason, and "because we can" is not a strategy. What problem will it solve? Will you sell more product? Will employees in the call center be able to calm angry customers more quickly? Will we be able to keep customers from getting angry in the first place? Will we lower the rework rate? Will we decrease the time spent looking for information by 34 percent?
It's no secret that I love new technologies, but I need to be careful not to be just the geek girl wandering around with a tool in search of a problem.
Finally: Stop cajoling
Finally: Stop cajoling and complaining and dragging. Figure out a space in which you can act, and JUST DO IT already.
Dr. Jane Bozarth is the E-learning Coordinator for the state of North Carolina. She is the author of ELearning Solutions on a Shoestring; Better than Bullet Points: Creating Engaging Elearning with PowerPoint; From Analysis to Evaluation: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Trainers; and Social Media for Trainers.Reprinted from Learning Solutions
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: learning, learning technologies, new learning technologies, Selling Skeptics on New Learning Technologies, skeptic, skepticism, skeptics, technologies
Rules for Retirement: Plan Fees Have Companies Scrambling to Comply
Despite the dizzying array of new fee rules that 401(k) plan administrators and companies providing services to those plans must implement this year, Debbie Hoover says her small manufacturing company is ready for them.
Hoover, director of human resources for Los Angeles-based industrial paint maker Ellis Paint, says that although she initially was overwhelmed by the new wave of regulations, her retirement plan administrator, Fidelity Investments, coached her on the changes and new responsibilities.
Ellis, with 150 employees, decided that Fidelity would do the detail work and would later explain it to its plan participants.
"I was concerned about how we were going to do this when the regulations first went through," Hoover says about the double dose of rules governing fees charged to retirement plans like 401(k)s. The regulations, which were issued by the Labor Department in several phases, all must be implemented this year. "As a small company, having Fidelity handle it seemed to be the most efficient way to do this."
The rules are the Labor Department's two-step way of making sure that plan sponsors such as Ellis Paint know how much providers like record keepers, money managers and plan administrators are charging to service 401(k) plans. Another regulation, which was finalized in October 2010 but goes into effect this summer, requires plan sponsors to tell participants about these fees and how they affect their account balances.
Even though the first regulation
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has providers like Fidelity doing a lot of work, companies shoulder a lot of responsibilities too. Experts say larger plans are ready for the change, but many midsize and small companies are trying to establish deadlines for information and the actions they should to take once it's assembled.
"The challenge for many plans is following the process," says David Wray, president of the Plan Sponsor Council of America, formerly the Profit Sharing/401k Council of America. "That means going through and making sure [plan sponsors] can assemble all the information so it can be benchmarked."
The requirements can be confusing, says Sam Henson, senior ERISA counsel for Lockton Retirement Services in Kansas City, Missouri. To help plan sponsors through the process, Lockton created a checklist to make sure plan sponsors are reaching the right service providers before deadlines for information hit.
"Lots of plan sponsors are scrambling to make sure they are doing this," Henson says. "The intent of the rule is great. The [Department of Labor] wants to make sure plan sponsors are getting what they are paying for, but in order to get there, the DOL has put a tremendous burden on them."
Plan sponsors should be contacting all service providers that charge the plan at least $1,000 or more annually. By May 1, plan sponsors had to figure out whether fees are reasonable, Henson says. If providers haven't given the information by July 1, plan sponsors should issue a written request. If providers haven't complied by Nov. 1, plan sponsors should notify the Labor Department.
Plan sponsors need the provider fee information so they can give participants data on fees. This regulation comes in two waves: the first requiring plan sponsors to give participants plan and investment information due Aug. 30, and the second delivering quarterly information on fees and services to participants' individual accounts, due Nov. 14.
The key to the process is documentation, experts agree. It's important the plan sponsor have a paper trail to show the Labor Department, Henson says.
"You've got to have a really detailed file to show you tried to comply with the rules to the best of your ability," Henson says. "That's the way the DOL does everything."
The penalty for not complying is draconian, says Marcia Wagner, owner of Boston-based Wagner Law Group. If a provider doesn't give the plan sponsor the necessary information, or if fees are found unreasonable, the plan sponsor must fire the provider.
Plan sponsors ignoring these outcomes could be sued by participants and the Labor Department as well as face a 15 percent excise tax and other penalties, she says.
"You don't want to mess with this law," Wagner says. "The Labor Department isn't playing around with this."
Patty Kujawa is a freelance writer based in Milwaukee. Reprinted from Workforce Management
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: companies scrambling to comply, retirement, retirement plan, retirement planning, retirement plans, Rules for Retirement plan fees


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Covid-19: The right treatment for India's solar sector with comorbidities
This article talks about the areas the government needs to address both immediately and in the long run to help the ailing solar industry in the country.
April 2, 2020 Subrahmanyam Pulipaka, Chief Executive Officer, National Solar Energy Federation of India
Image: Pixabay / Public Domain
India's solar sector faces a significantly large brunt of coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic much like patients with existing comorbidities. The sector is already suffering from issues like payment delays, change-in-law payments, power purchase agreement (PPA) renegotiations, safeguard duty and lack of clarity over goods and services tax (GST). Covid-19 outbreak further threatens project execution schedules.
Covid-19 has become pandemic within no time and has put a halt to all construction activities and import of modules, inverters, spares and raw materials from China. Solar projects with domestic modules also stand to get impacted as India imports a significant part of wafer, cell, and other raw material for modules from China.
The challenges are exacerbated with labour leaving the sites, states asking for shutdowns and social distancing, preventive measures on sites against spread, vehicle entry restrictions at state boundaries, forex fluctuations, etc.
In order to steer through these difficult times, coercive action is required from the government to protect the solar sector. This article talks about the areas the government needs to address both immediately and in the long run to help the ailing solar industry in the country.
At the time of publishing this article, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) has already clarified about categorising electricity as essential service, extending commissioning dates and non-charging of penalties at ports, all of which are timely and welcome moves.
Payment dues (including Change-in-law). For the last two years there has been sever financial crunch across the renewable energy sector, which is a capital-intensive industry where availability of liquidity is important. Tariff payments to the tune of around US$ 2 billion (over Rs 12,000 crore) are pending with utilities. This doesn't include the change-in-law compensations for GST and safeguard duty, dues for which alone constitute another Rs 2000 crore.
Further payment delays can drive non-performing assets (NPAs) in solar firms. In order to help wind and solar developers maintain business continuity, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) should direct the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) and NTPC to consider making immediate payments to them.
At State level, governments should consider giving the Discoms a capital injection to pay power generating companies. Further, to improve liquidity, they should also direct Discoms to pay safeguard duty/GST dues to all RE generators.
Forecasting & Deviation Settlement Mechanism. Forecasting and Scheduling activities depend on a lot of allied activities for delivering accurate forecasts. Under the current lockdown, the allied activities are either completely shut or will be working with skeletal systems that are impacting the overall forecast quality.
Regional load despatch centres (RLDCs) and state load despatch centres (SLDCs) should consider suspending penalties on generators arising out of implementation of the Forecasting and Scheduling Regulations during the lockdown period.
Billing and invoicing. Another disguised issue related to liquidity is billing and invoicing.
There are two parts to invoicing: Joint meter reading (JMR) and invoicing. First, JMR is taken and then the generator raises a physical invoice on the basis of quantum of energy in JMR.
In Covid-19 times when almost all routine operations throughout the country have critically suffered (some have come to a complete standstill owing to the national lockdown), it would be very difficult to provide physical copies of invoices even as JMR under the current situation would not be possible.
In order to safeguard the financial viability of the projects and the renewable industry at large, a simple mechanism for JMR can be followed based on the timeline of commissioning.
Proposed JMR mechanism for projects based on their commissioning time
Image: NSEFI
In cases where JMR is not possible for any reason, including lack of availability of manpower, the quantum of energy for which invoicing should be done, can be assessed as follow:
For projects that were commissioned more than 12 months ago, the quantum of energy consumed can be the same as in the invoice of the same month in the previous year.
For projects commissioned within the last 12 months, the quantum of energy consumed can be the average of the quantum of energy as per invoices issued so far.
For new projects, the quantum of energy can be self-certified by the generator.
When the situation returns to normal, any deviation could be reconciled between the procurer and the generator after conducting JMRs.
Open access banking. Many developers also supply power directly to various industries under open access/third party/captive mode. The capacity under such arrangement is in the range of 7000 MW. During the ongoing lockdown across the country, various industries, malls etc are either shut down or operating at minimal loads. However, solar and wind power plants continue to inject power in the grid and there is a possibility that the industries are not in a position to off-take the power. Under such scenario, the power injected by solar and wind developers must be banked in the grid which can be utilised by industries later on when the situation normalises.
All states should allow banking of such power with relaxation of banking norms—the banking deadline could be extended by another 6 months which should benefit all the group captive and open access customers.
Extending validity of compliances and licenses
Many businesses might be approaching the expiry of various licenses, approvals, no-objection certificates (NOCs) and clearances. These approvals/licenses range from inspection related approvals under various Labor Acts, Change of Land Use License, Factories Act License, Shops & Establishment Act License, among others—processing which requires massive paperwork, administrative support, time and payment of annual fee.
It would be wise for the government to come out with guidelines for all government departments whereby they enhance validity of licenses, approvals and NoCs up to September 2020 without any requirement of renewal applications or payment of associated statutory fees.
ALMM and safeguard duty
As per MNRE notification dated 02.01.2019, all the module and cells manufacturers were required to apply and get enlisted with the Approved List of Models and Manufacturers (ALMM) before March 31, 2020.
Additionally, DGTR notification dated 03.03.2020 has indicated initiation of review investigation into continued imposition of safeguard duty on imports of "solar Cells whether or not assembled in modules or panels" into India.
Keeping in view the ongoing crisis, the government should consider extending the ALMM enlistment date by one year, i.e., until March 31, 2021. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies (DGTR) should also consider suspending the review investigation at least until June 2020.
Moratorium on loans and avoiding NPA status
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) should grant a moratorium on interest payments. Additionally, these payments could be deferred from a monthly cadence to half yearly cadence for the next 12 months to enable some time for the industry to get their business operations on track and avoid becoming NPAs under the current RBI guidelines.
Considering the Covid-19 scenario, the government should extend the timeline for the payment of debt service from 90 days to a minimum of 180 days. This will automatically provide additional working capital for businesses. Further, rating agencies should be advised not to downgrade ratings because of this extension. CIBIL should also remain intact.
Covid -19 Bridge Loan
As Covid-19 can impact short-term liquidity due to receivable position, the RBI can instruct public-sector banks or other financial institutions to come up with a plausible Covid-19 bridge loan facility to meet these short-term requirements. This loan tenure can be 1-2 years with a moratorium of 6 months. Banks should refrain from rejecting/non-disbursing loans in anticipation of project delays due to the ongoing condition.
Additionally, RBI should consider opening a window with relaxed external commercial borrowing (ECB) restrictions w.r.t end use and minimum tenor so that companies can borrow from any markets as the domestic debt markets are struggling and the Rupee is depreciating. The ECB caps should also be relaxed as overall yield curves are severally distorted.
Apart from this, the Finance Ministry can also look into removal of Dividend Distribution Tax and leverage caps on INVIT for renewable projects so that a new set of investors which are yield focused could be tapped.
The views expressed in this article are solely of the author and in no way reflect that of NSEFI
The views and opinions expressed in this article are the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect those held by pv magazine.
Pingback: Ministry moves to fend off predatory moves for Covid-weakened solar businesses – SOLARINERTIA


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Culture | How corporate bosses think
Conventionally
Mar 15th 2001 |
THE MIND OF THE CEO.
By Jeffrey Garten.
Basic Books; 320 pages; $26.
Allen Lane, The Penguin Press; £20
THE idea is full of promise. Jeffrey Garten, dean of the Yale School of Management and a former undersecretary for international trade, sets out to chat one-to-one with 40 of the world's most distinguished chief executives. Among them are Jack Welch of GE, Jorma Ollila of Nokia, Andy Grove of Intel and Jürgen Schrempp of DaimlerChrysler, executives whose decisions touch the lives of millions. Based on his interviews, the dean then writes a book called "The Mind of the CEO".
The high promise, though, is unfulfilled. These men's (and two women's) minds appear disappointingly vague. They speak in the bland language of strategy. Their quotes are interchangeable. One of them says, "Consumers are going to want choices that make sense to them." Another says, "The next big evolutionary step of 'going global' now has to be 'going local'." If you think you've heard it all before it's because (unless management literature is entirely fresh to you) you have (see article).
There may, however, be a deeper truth here. Perhaps the mind of the CEO today is so conditioned not to say anything that might inadvertently move a market (or break some regulators' rules) that it reverts to the safety of stale regurgitation. Mr Garten might have expected interesting answers. For instance, he asked every interviewee, "What most keeps you awake at night?" Instead of replying, "Fear of failure" or "That bloody analyst at Salomon Brothers", the majority of responses, apparently, "reflected a fear of a major disruption—rarely precisely defined—in the process of globalisation." Surely these men are made of sterner stuff.
An inquisitive journalist or a close observer of human nature might have extracted more. The reader cannot help but rue the lost opportunities. Mr Garten interviews Douglas Daft, the man who sorted out Coca-Cola after its famously botched choice of successor to an earlier CEO who died prematurely. Mr Daft is not asked about what Coca-Cola has done to ensure that a CEO's premature death never again leads to such disaster. Instead, Mr Daft's most vivid insight is that Coke "must remember we do not do business in markets; we do business in societies."
Therein lies a hint as to what this book is really about. For it soon becomes apparent that Mr Garten's real aim is not to get inside the minds of his CEOs, but to plead for them to take a more "proactive stance" on the world stage. "CEOs", he says, "ought to be out front in proposing ways to shore up social safety nets around the globe." The book is less about what is actually in the minds of CEOs, and more about what Mr Garten believes ought to be there.
Among the book's most quoted bosses are William Clay Ford of the car company and Roger Enrico of PepsiCo. And not without reason. For they say things like (in Mr Enrico's case): "We have to care about the distribution of wealth because the fact of the matter is if there's a shrinking middle class, that's not a good thing." And in the case of Mr Ford: "Consumers want a safer, cleaner, more equitable world, and they'll buy from companies that display those CHARACTERISTICS." These men have moved closer than others to that broader stage that Mr Garten believes they ought to occupy.
But how realistic is it to expect them to go that far? Mr Ford's remarks were made before Ford acknowledged that some Firestone tyres on its vehicles were blowing out and killing people. That compelled Mr Ford to face the fact that consumers want companies above all to make their products safe. Only then (if ever) do they want them to be bothered with the safety of the rest of the planet.
Among other things, Mr Garten would like American companies to promote American culture abroad. The invisible hand of Adam Smith, he claims, will not "carry the American message—beyond its pop incarnation—to the poorer regions of the world." The experiences abroad of McDonald's, Nike and Coke suggest overwhelmingly, however, that CEOs who want to maximise their companies' value will be well advised to minimise their cultural promotion and focus solely on the qualities of their products. Mr Garten is oddly insistent, despite this, that American CEOs should pursue a broader agenda on the global stage even if they are regarded in some quarters as imperialists.
The best quote in this book comes not from one of the 40 interviewees but from Ralph Waldo Emerson. "An institution", Emerson once said, "is the lengthened shadow of one man." The shadows in this book are far too faint to withstand much lengthening.
This article appeared in the Culture section of the print edition under the headline "Conventionally"
Culture March 17th 2001
Wonderful Will
The past and future of Thalidomide
Auden's passion
Trading with evil
No other way
Playing with politics
From the March 17th 2001 edition


With cooler temperatures I resumed my daily run in the park near the office. It's about three miles around the park on the dirt path, with a smaller concrete path below. I've been running, or rather walking mostly, for more than a year, and have come to see a lot of the same people exercising. Bike riding through in the morning on the way to work I run across the morning walkers, who are out with their dogs and/or friends and enjoying the start of a new day. Biking through the park in the evening on the way home, there are soccer moms killing time, and horribly annoying cyclists who think they're riding in the Tour De France and own the pathway. Then there are the mid-day joggers, such as myself. Nobody's really happy, we're all red-faced and huffing in the mid-day sun, with looks of disgust and pain on our faces. The nooners are there just to get our exercise out of the way. There are no smiles, nods, or small-talk as we pass each other. There is only the desperate look of determination to get it over with.
When I first started jogging around the park last year, I came across a relatively young man, perhaps early 40's, who was struggling at one of the workout stations surrounding the path. He was slowly working on doing sit-ups, and I thought he looked a little weak for such a young man. Then he got up and began walking, and it was obvious he was recovering from a stroke. He tediously drug his leg along behind the rest of his body, his arm hanging limply at his side. I had circled the park and was on my way back in the time it had taken him to drag himself to the next exercise station, where he was forcing himself to clutch the bar in front of him while he stretched. I watched him slowly get a little stronger each week, but haven't seen him this summer, since I've mainly been riding my bike for exercise.
But I saw him again today. And I barely recognized him. He still has a slight limp, and if you look closely you can tell one arm hangs lower than the other, but aside from being a little slow, you would never know he was the same broken man from a year ago. He jogged slowly from station to station, and even though I passed him on the trail, my little 30-minute jog seemed insignificant compared to the great lengths that stranger has gone to for his own health.
I stepped up my pace slightly to assuage my guilty feelings of my inadequate workout, and was feeling pretty righteous again as I rounded the corner at the far end of the park. The exercise station there is one that's used for upper body workouts, including a pull-up bar. I once made a goal of being able to do one chin-up, and actually exceeded it by doing two pull-ups, and I remembered my glory days fondly as I approached the station. After all, nor many 40-something-year-olds could even do one pull-up. Or so I thought. An older man, another regular I had seen circling the park for exercise, planted himself beneath the bar. What was left of his hair was gray, making me believe he was nearing 60. He reached up and grabbed the bar with both hands, and almost effortlessly, pulled himself up above the bar. Wow, I was impressed. Then he did it again. And again. And again. Twelve pull-ups he did, without shaking arms or struggling with his legs to kick himself up and over.
He finished and caught me watching him. I applauded and gave him a thumbs up, and he smiled big and took off walking to the next station. Although my muscles thanked me for the meager workout, I didn't feel as good as I had hoped after my jog, but am determined to run a little faster, do at least five sit ups and attempt the pull-up thing again tomorrow.


When using heat to increase circulation to an area of the body, moist heat is more beneficial than dry. Moist heat application can be accomplished by a warm bath / shower, hot moist towel or moist heating pad. If you have a dry heating pad, either wrap the pad securely in a plastic baggy, and cover the baggy with a small damp towel or apply a hot moist towel to the skin, followed by a layer of plastic and finally the heating pad on top. Turn the heating pad on and this will produce moist heat.
Heat relaxes the muscles, but can cause or aggravate inflammation. Ice reduces the inflammation, but can cause muscles to tighten; therefore, the process of alternating moist heat and ice is sometimes beneficial.
If increasing circulation to the area in question is the primary goal than hot packs should be used intermittently, and cold applications avoided unless being applied by a trained hydrotherapist.
Pediatrics, November 6, 2006 – University of Utah biologists invented a chemical-free, hairdryer-like device – the LouseBuster – and conducted a study showing it eradicates head lice infestations on children by exterminating the eggs or "nits" and killing enough lice to prevent them from reproducing.
The study "shows our invention has considerable promise for curing head lice," says Dale Clayton, a University of Utah biology professor who led the research and co-invented the machine.
The LouseBuster now is in early stages of commercial development by a University of Utah spinoff company, Larada Sciences, for which Clayton is chief scientific officer. Patents are pending on the LouseBuster technology, which Clayton hopes will be on the market within two years for use in schools and clinics.
Using a hot water bottle at your feet can hasten the onset of sleep. See the link between Insomnia and Clothing Habits.
Ice packs or heating pads – whichever technique helps to decrease the pain – may help you to better manage the pain of costochondritis.
In many cases, applying hot compresses to the eyelid on a frequent basis for several days will make the lump disappear. The more often you apply the compresses, the better the chance of reducing the lump without further treatment.
A warm bath with Epsom salts and/or heating pad two to three times per day for 20 to 30 minutes or longer, can help. In sciatica, for moderate pain along the sciatic nerve, heat and/or ice packs may be helpful. It is usually recommended to use ice in the acute phase of pain, and later heat and ice may be alternated as symptoms begin to subside.
Apply warm, moist compresses for 20 minutes 4 times a day to encourage circulation and resolution. This will sometimes promote spontaneous drainage of the abscess which is important since the primary treatment of abscesses is to drain them. Take showers instead of baths (baths can spread infection) and keep the boil covered with a clean bandage.
Soothing relief may be obtained by applying warm soaked tea bags to the area. This can be done by placing the tea bags on menstrual pads to hold them in place or you can take a sitz bath in which tea bags have been soaked.
Urologist Herbert Sperling has warned that heated car seats, which are increasingly popular among those who live in cold climates, may cause male infertility. Reduced sperm growth, slow sperm and misshapen sperm were all more common among drivers who spend long periods on the heated seats.


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Category: Toxins
Triclosan is everywhere, read labels!
The time has come to wash our hands of triclosan and other unnecessary antimicrobial chemicals for good.
Triclosan and other antimicrobials, added to many soaps and other everyday products – and found in the bodies of more than three-fourths of Americans – likely harm people's health and the environment, while providing no benefit to consumers, said more than 200 scientists and medical professionals in a consensus statement published today.
The statement in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Environmental Health Perspectives, coauthored by EWG, recommends an end to the indiscriminate and widespread use of triclosan, triclocarban and other antimicrobial chemicals in cosmetics and consumer products.
Triclosan in people
*You will also be subscribed to receive emails from EWG including environmental tips, action alerts, promotions to support our work and more. You may opt-out at any time.
Triclosan, a powerful pesticide registered with the Environmental Protection Agency, may cause changes in the human hormone system, harming reproduction and development. Recent studies also show that higher triclosan levels in people are linked to increased sensitivity to allergens.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has detected triclosan in the bodies of more than 75 percent of Americans tested. In a study of teenage girls, EWG found triclosan in urine samples collected from all 20 subjects. This widespread exposure is likely due to the chemical's ubiquitous use in cosmetics and consumer products.
EWG and the scientists who signed the statement believe antimicrobials should only be used if adequate testing shows that they are safe and they have been proven effective for particular uses. Scientists are concerned that widespread use of antimicrobials in consumer products could contribute to growing antibiotic resistance and make the vital medical uses of antimicrobials ineffective.
Where is triclosan found?
A 2008 EWG investigation found that the EPA had approved 20 triclosan mixtures from 11 manufacturers for use in products as diverse as undergarments and building materials. Encouragingly, our review last month of current EPA files found that many triclosan registrations have either been voluntarily cancelled, cancelled for certain applications or have pending cancellation requests from the manufacturers themselves. Although the market has shifted, EWG identified numerous manufacturers and EPA-approved uses that allow triclosan to remain in a staggering assortment of products.
EWG's Skin Deep® Cosmetics Database shows that triclosan can be found in:
More at….
https://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2017/06/triclosan-not-safe-not-effective?fbclid=IwAR18tt3kvUv9YrT9NH0dN3wgkUXIaYzuRDb6QmQsgINPU4um-qtmXhb2cB8&utm_campaign=Social+Traffic&utm_content=1526572273&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook#.WsJzAZPwZcA
Carcinogens in childrens cosmetics …
Hundreds of Kids' Cosmetics Products May Contain Hidden Carcinogen
More than 200 personal care products marketed to children and babies may contain 1,4-dioxane, a common contaminant that is a likely carcinogen.
More than 8,000 personal care products in EWG's Skin Deep® cosmetics database include ingredients produced through ethoxylation, including polyethylene, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and ceteareth. Of those, more than 200 are marketed to children and infants, EWG found.
Although 1,4-dioxane is not intentionally added to personal care products, ethoxylated chemicals can contaminate personal care products with trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane. Some companies voluntarily remove or reduce 1,4-dioxane from these products through a process called vacuum stripping. Currently, the Food and Drug Administration has no rules that require companies to do so.
The Environmental Protection Agency has classified 1,4-dioxane as a likely human carcinogen and it is listed in California's registry of chemicals known to cause cancer. In laboratory studies, animals who drank water with 1,4-dioxane developed tumors in the liver, nasal cavity, and the peritoneal and mammary glands. Short-term exposure to relatively high amounts of 1,4-dioxane is particularly damaging to the liver and kidneys.
Because manufacturers don't have to disclose the presence of 1,4-dioxane on product labels, there's no way for consumers to know if their personal care or other household products harbor the hidden carcinogen. Among the products marketed for use on children and babies that may contain 1,4-dioxane are popular sunscreens, toothpastes, bubble baths and shampoos.
Bipartisan legislation introduced by Sens. Diane Feinstein, D-Calif., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, would give the FDA the power to review dangerous chemicals like 1, 4-dioxane. The bill would also require personal care companies to alert the agency when their products injure consumers, and would give the FDA the power to recall dangerous products.
https://www.ewg.org/enviroblog/2017/07/hundreds-kids-cosmetics-products-may-contain-hidden-carcinogen?utm_campaign=Social+Traffic&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_content=1516299038#.WsZsjMWsbDf
Posted on January 20, 2018 May 14, 2019
Eating detergent!!
THIS is the difference between a industrial detergent and a homemade one. Mine, you CAN eat without ending up in the hospital, well it doesn't taste super but it wont kill you cause its: soap, crystal soda and table salt!
From: http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/heres-how-many-people-have-called-a-poison-helpline-after-eating-delicious-tide-pods-in-2018/
Take A Guess At How Many People Have Called A Poison Helpline After Eating "Delicious" Tide Pods In 2018
Back to the Future depicts 2015 as a time where flying cars and hoverboards exist. Now it's 2018 and we're warning people not to eat detergent because it can literally kill you. The "tide pods are food" meme has taken off in a big, dangerous way. People, mainly teenagers, are regularly uploading videos of themselves eating the detergent to Youtube under the title "Tide Pod Challenge". Tide and Youtube are desperately struggling to stop people from doing it. People are even reviewing them on Amazon as if they're food, giving them five stars and calling them "delicious".
"I've been using these for years as a flavor enhancer for my water," another reviewer wrote.
"The only issue is that they have a hard time dissolving in my Yeti cup, so I've started extracting the liquid goo with a needle and then squirting it into my water. A couple shakes and it's all mixed in. The flavor is incredible and curbs my appetite for the entire day! Since I've been drinking these I've lost about 75 pounds. I go through 5 or 6 pods a day though, and it gets a little pricey, but totally worth it."
So far, so amusing. But surely no-one is really eating these, are they? What's the real scale of the problem? Well, it turns out, it's much bigger than is ideal. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC) has put out a warning, after receiving a high volume of calls since the beginning of 2018.
"During the past five years, poison control centers have received well over 50,000 calls relating to liquid laundry packet exposures," the AAPCC said in a statement.
"While unintentional misuse by children five and under accounted for the majority of these calls, a recent trend among teenagers ingesting the packets – and uploading videos to various internet platforms including video-sharing websites, social media, and vlogging platforms – has caused significant concern among poison control centers.
"According to AAPCC data, in 2016 and 2017, poison control centers handled 39 and 53 cases of intentional exposures, respectively, among 13 to 19-year-olds. In the first 15 days of 2018 alone, centers have already handled 39 such intentional cases among the same age demographic. Ingestion accounted for 91 percent of these reported exposures."
You read that right – 9 out of 10 times calls to a poison helpline for ingesting detergent are from people who are doing it as a joke.
Youtube themselves are finally taking action too, announcing that they'll be removing any videos of the Tide Pod Challenge. "YouTube's Community Guidelines prohibit content that's intended to encourage dangerous activities that have an inherent risk of physical harm," the Internet giant said, according to The Guardian. "We work to quickly remove flagged videos that violate our policies." Help Youtube out, people. Stop eating things that are only meant to be ingested by a goddamn washing machine.
http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/this-is-what-could-happen-to-you-if-you-try-the-tide-pod-challenge/
Scary facts about fabric softeners …
Using fabric softeners sounds like a no-brainer. These common laundry products promise soft, fresh-smelling clothes, free of static and wrinkles, along with less stretching, fading and pilling.But in-wash fabric softeners and heat-activated dryer sheets pack a powerful combination of chemicals that can harm your health, damage the environment and pollute the air, both inside and outside your home. EWG recommends skipping fabric softeners entirely. Here are the worst chemicals to watch for in your laundry basket – and what to use instead.
Continue reading "Scary facts about fabric softeners …"
Pesticides NOT needed to feed the world
Article by the Independent:
The idea that pesticides are necessary to feed the world's fast-growing population is "inaccurate and misleading", a UN report has warned.
The document, which is expected to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council this week, strongly denounced the "aggressive promotion" of pesticides by the industry as experts found the chemicals had "catastrophic impacts on the environment, human health and society as a whole".
The authors of the report said the impact of pesticides on human health, access to food and the environment have been exacerbated by corporations' "systematic denial", "aggressive, unethical marketing tactics" and by having "obstructed reforms and paralysed global pesticide restrictions globally".
Continue reading "Pesticides NOT needed to feed the world"


Sony has unveiled plans to squeeze every possible penny out the Spider-Man franchise.
The announcement came during a conference call with Sony shareholders.
Marvel and Sony recently struck a deal to share the character within the Marvel cinematic universe.
According to Sony creative chair Edward Octobourn, the Spider-Man universe is full of film potential due to the comic's tendency to feature Spider-Men from alternative universes.
The plan is to release a new Spider-Man film every two months for four years, with an overarching film connecting all the films at the end.
Octobourn said the films would use not only popular alternative Spider-Men, such as the ultimate universe Spider-Man, Spider-Ham, and Spider-Gwyn, but would borrow from internet meme versions Libertarian Spider-Man and 60's Spider-Man.
Follow Stubhill News for all the latest Spidey-news.


When you are ready to take a break from skiing, book the snowmobiling adventure of a lifetime with Vail Valley Tours. Featuring unforgettable 2- and 3-hour tours, you will experience miles of groomed trails through the back country.
Have you visited Vail Valley Tours? Be the first to tell others about it!


Looks like the river is going to get some hight this week.
The Missouri River will rise another foot and a half this week as US core of engineer's step up releases from the Garrison Dam. The increases are due to snowpack melt and rainfall runoff.
This is probably a normal occurrence around these parts but 12.5 feet where the river will rise to is pretty high. People living around the river should be encouraged to listen to national weather service updates just In case we get a torrential storm that might make the river rise higher and cause flooding.
This has to be the cons of having a beautiful house on the river, I've been in those situations in other cities where you come home and the water is up to your door, people passing by your house on canoes. Trust me, Hurricane Sandy wasn't fun.
Hopefully, we don't have to deal with that type of situation.
Here's more on this story from The Grand Forks Herald.


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What Was The Rococo Art Movement?
Rococo was an 18th Century art movement originating from France, said to be more graceful and ornate than the earlier Baroque art is succeeded.
Antoine Watteau's "Feast of Love".
Rococo was an 18th Century art movement originating from France. Its works were said to be more graceful and ornate than those of the earlier Baroque movement. Rococo style developed as an alternative to the highly restrictive Baroque Style and celebrated sophistication, elegance and, asymmetrical and ornamental designs. The style was first adopted in interior design and quickly spread into other artistic disciplines such as sculpting, painting, architecture, music, and many more. The Rococo Art Movement is discussed below.
5. Overview of the Style -
The Rococo Style used a lighter and more elegant approach to interior design than its predecessors. The style was characterized by elaborate curved forms, mostly made to resemble letters 'S' and 'C' asymmetry. Rococo art subsequently inspired numerous painters to produce work that was both sumptuous and light. The style was particularly embraced by the French aristocracy and spread to other European countries, chiefly Germany and Austria. In decorations, the style manifested itself in gold plaster work, organic patterns, intricate moldings, and gilding. Rococo furniture was characterized by sinuous silhouettes and was gilded in velour, leather or brocade. Rococo furniture was highly tasteful and elegant and boasted sophistication in their upholstery. Rococo style shied away from the religious and political themes celebrated by the Baroque Style and embraced love, eroticism, sensuality, leisure and lush landscapes. Rococo Painters largely used light colors and pastels.
4. History and Development -
Before the style's emergence, the dominant style under reign of Louis XIV in France was the Baroque style. The Palace of Versailles had been notably ornamented and designed in the Baroque style. After the end of his reign, his successors moved from Versailles and adopted a more lighter approach to interior design. The word Rococo was adopted from the French word rocaille, and it refers to the shell-covered rock work employed in decorating artificial grottoes. Architects such as Nicolas Pineau popularized the art in France and by the 1730s the style had spread to the sculpting and painting disciplines. The style adopted asymmetry, light colors, and oriental designs and was championed by French artists such as Antoine Watteau and Jean Berain. Outside of France, the style was soon embraced in Germany and Austria, and then spread into Italy and England.
3. Notable Artists and their Works -
One of the most famous Rococo painters was Antoine Watteau. Watteau created a new kind of painting category known as amorous festival paintings. These portrayed the aristocracy engaged in different leisure activities in the countryside. The Rococo painter Francois Boucher depicted religious themes in one of his most renowned works, 'Saint Peter Attempting to Walk on Water.' He also produced other brilliant works such as 'Portrait of Madame Pompadour' and 'Nude on a Sofa.' Rococo design was honed by practitioners such as Germain Boffrand, who was responsible for the salons of the Hotel de Soubise in Paris.
2. Decline and Subsequent Successive Movements -
Critics of the up-and-coming revolutionary era in France such as Voltaire sparked the art movement's decline beginning in the 1760s. The Rococo style was criticized for its superficiality and ornamental excesses. The decline of the art coincided with the rise of the more serious Neoclassicism. Neoclassicism was championed by the successive Napoleonic governments, and overrode Rococo's past dominance.
1. Legacy -
Several majestic landmarks in Europe today still attest to the elegance of Rococo art. Some of these landmarks include the Czapski Palace in Warsaw, Poland, Saint Andrew's Church in Kiev, Ukraine, and Zwinger in Dresden, Germany. Rococo heavily popularized the use of portraits. Rococo painters depicted scenes of romantic love and even eroticism and promoted secularism in a mainly religious Europe. Currently, we still have Rococo furniture sold at premium prices across different parts of the world.
Rococo was an 18th Century art movement originating from France, said to be more graceful and ornate than the earlier Baroque art is succeeded. Rococo style developed as an alternative to the highly restrictive Baroque Style and celebrated sophistication, elegance and, asymmetrical and ornamental designs. The style was first adopted in interior design and quickly spread into other artistic disciplines such as sculpting, painting, architecture, music, and many more.
This page was last updated on April 25, 2017.
What Was The Baroque Art Movement?
The Nationalist Movement In India And The Role Of Mahatma Gandhi And Non-Violence
Art Movements in History - Realism Art
Anti-Apartheid Movement - Leaders, Activists, And Notable Supporters
Art Movements in History - Neoclassical Art


Use our size guide to help you determine what size unit you should rent.
You can reserve online or by phone up to 30 days in advance.
Search for the right storage location. Vista Storage of Green is conveniently located in Green, Ohio just south of SR619. We are less than two miles from I77.
Select the size storage unit you need and reserve it. If you're not sure how big a unit to reserve, use our size guide or call us at (330) 699-6880 to speak to a store manager who will take an inventory of your items and recommend the correct size.
It's like a hotel – you don't need a reservation, but it's better if you have one. With a reservation, you'll be sure the unit size you want is reserved for you, and it will save you time on move-in day. You can reserve online or by phone up to 30 days in advance.
You can rent in person in our office or you can call us at (330) 699-6880 to reserve by telephone. If our office is not open at the time you would like to move in, we can move you in remotely over the phone.
A drive-up unit has a roll-up door and its own loading area. Just drive up to it and load your belongings in or out. These units don't have any extra doors or hallways to navigate, so it's easy to move things in and out.
Yes! We have outdoor storage for vehicles as well as indoor storage for smaller vehicles.
You can purchase a new, sealed lock at our office; each lock sold at our office comes with two keys. No one else has a key to that lock – just you. You can also bring your own lock, if you prefer.
Do you have trucks available to rent for moving?
Yes. We have a large selection of Uhaul moving trucks, vans and trailers to help you with your move. Please be sure to make a reservation for a moving truck prior to your arrival in order to insure we have the type of vehicle you need for your move.
You will have access to your unit 7 days a week, 365 days a year, through the remote entry security system.
During access hours, you can use your gate code to access your storage unit. During office hours, one of our Store Managers will be available to provide in-person customer service (like answering questions, selling supplies, accepting rental payment, etc).
If I rent a storage unit from you, can my spouse, friend or business associates have access, too?
When you rent from us you can allow access for other people you specify (or restrict access only to yourself). Simply designate an access code for them and the desired person will be granted access. You will also need to provide them with a key to the lock on your unit.
If I forget my access code, what do I do?
Call our Store Manager for assistance during regular business hours.
Our leases are month-to-month agreements – no long-term lease is required. However, if you know you are going to be renting for an extended period be sure to ask one of our Store Managers about long-term lease incentives.
The move-out process is easy: just let us know that you're leaving and empty your storage unit. After you have moved out, we will inspect your unit to make sure it is clean and empty and will close out your account that day.
You are responsible for the items that you store with us and insurance for your stored belongings is available for purchase from us, but is not required. You may be covered under an existing insurance policy. Be sure to check with your insurance agent to verify that your items are protected.
For those without insurance coverage, or if you're looking for a little more protection, affordable storage protection is available through Vista Storage. The Vista Storage Protection Plan requires no deductible, and is available in various levels of coverage, starting at only $6 per month.
Yes. You can sign up for auto pay in our office or over the phone at the time of move-in or any time during your stay. We'll automatically deduct your monthly charges from a credit card, debit card, or bank account. No bills, no checks to mail, no late fees.
What if I'm late in making my payment?
We bill monthly and all payments are due on the 1st of the month. However, we provide a 5-day grace period before charging a late fee of $15 on the 6th of the month. If you don't pay by the 15th there is an additional $25 late fee assessed to your account. To avoid the possibility of late fees, we recommend customers sign up for auto pay, so that their payments are automatically taken from a bank account or credit card each month.
If I don't rent storage, can I still purchase moving and packing supplies?
Yes. Anyone can purchase moving supplies at our office during regular business hours.


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Uber costa rica
China orders ride-hailing service Didi off app stores
The Tico Times - July 5, 2021
Didi arrived in Costa Rica in November 2019 as a competitor to Uber and traditional taxis.
Popular digital services taxed 13% VAT in Costa Rica as of October 1
Alejandro Zúñiga - September 4, 2020
Dozens of international digital platforms will be subject to a 13% value-added tax (VAT) in Costa Rica beginning October 1.
Essential groceries, some tourist services more expensive in Costa Rica as of July 1
Nearly 200 products included in Costa Rica's canasta básica, a grouping of essential goods, are more expensive as of July 1.
Popular digital services taxed 13% VAT in Costa Rica as of August 1
Alejandro Zúñiga - June 13, 2020
Dozens of international digital platforms will be subject to a 13% value-added tax (VAT) in Costa Rica beginning August 1.
Uber announces end of services in Colombia
The Tico Times - January 12, 2020
Uber has thrown in the towel in Colombia.
Uber competitor DiDi launches in Costa Rica
Alejandro Zúñiga - November 19, 2019
DiDi arrives in a Costa Rica that has yet to properly regulate ride-hailing platforms.
Costa Rica proposes new bill to regulate and tax Uber
Alejandro Zúñiga - September 12, 2019
The Economic Affairs Committee of the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday introduced a new bill that seeks to regulate ride-sharing platforms such as Uber.
President Alvarado agrees: Time for 'balanced regulation' of Uber in Costa Rica
Taxi drivers' discontent about Uber in Costa Rica has persisted since the platform was first introduced here in August 2015.
Costa Rican taxi drivers strike (again) against Uber
The Tico Times - May 8, 2019
Alajuela — As Uber drivers in the United States and around the world went on strike Wednesday to object against the platform's wages and working...
Uber: Proposed law a start, but 'far from a proposal that encourages innovation'
Alejandro Zúñiga - January 23, 2019
Uber argued that proposed annual and per-vehicle fees would impact those who partner with the ride-hailing service as a part-time job.
A Snake in the House? Help
Costa Rica's Westin Reserva Conchal renovates facilities
Director Gustavo Cosenza Talks About Costa Rica's New Science Fiction Film: Orbita Prima
Travel Journals Day 11 – Rainy Season in Costa Rica


Maybe it's just the Australian accent, but I could listen to Hailey Bartholomew talk about gratitude all day long.
It's no secret that I have a personal affinity for thankfulness, so it shouldn't be surprising that Hailey's moving talk from TEDxQUT prompted me to send her a note (literally before she was done talking) to ask her for an interview.
A number of years ago Hailey found herself depressed and unfulfilled with her life. In an attempt to find happiness she chose to meet with a nun who recommended that she spend 10 minutes at the end of every day writing down the things she was grateful for. This would be the first domino to fall toward Hailey launching a project in which she took a single polaroid of something she was thankful for every day for a year, a journey which changed everything for her.
I hope that listening to Hailey's honest and vulnerable account of how purposeful gratitude led her out of an incredibly difficult time in her life, enriched her relationship with her husband, and forever changed how she looks at the world around her will inspire and challenge you to consider the incredible power in taking the time to notice the many things in your life worth being thankful for.


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Q: Can JaVers return a count of filtered entries? JaVers is a great library. I wonder, though, whether it offers a way of determining the number of results that would be returned by a JQL query.
This would be extremely helpful in our use case, which would be to:
1) Use JaVers' skip() and limit() functions to return just a page of requested data.
2) Determine and return additional pagination-related data, such as whether the returned page is the last one and how many pages exist in the system (which depends on the user specified page size... along with the maximum number of possible results in the system - which I'm unsure of how best to retrieve).
I realize that we can simply load all results returned by JaVers' findChanges method into memory to get the full count. Is there a more efficient alternative, though?
Kind thanks,
Ben

A: There is no count() in JQL. It could be added in the future but the performance gain is not obvious.
In many cases, database count() queries are not significantly faster than select queries.
What could be saved, are network and application's CPU resources used for fetching snapshots from DB and JSON parsing.
Some tests should be created to estimate the performance gain comparing count(*) queries vs findChanges() queries.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
import * as NessieActions from "@app/actions/nessie/nessie";
import { COMMIT_TYPE, NESSIE_REF_PREFIX } from "@app/constants/nessie";
import { cloneDeep } from "lodash";
import { initialState } from "./nessie";
import { NessieRootState } from "@app/types/nessie";

export function getNessieRequestActions() {
  return Object.keys(NessieActions)
    .filter((cur) => cur.includes("_REQUEST"))
    .map((entry) => (NessieActions as any)[entry]);
}

//Copy current browsing context to reference picker state
export function initializeRefState(state: NessieRootState) {
  return Object.keys(state)
    .filter((key) => !key.startsWith(NESSIE_REF_PREFIX))
    .reduce((acc, cur) => {
      acc[`${NESSIE_REF_PREFIX}${cur}`] = cloneDeep(state[cur]);
      return acc;
    }, {} as NessieRootState);
}

// Takes in references stored in dataset (e.g. from review/preview/new_untitled/new_untitled_sql_and_run/transformAndRun)
// Outputs NessieRootState with updated references (intitializes the nessie ref picker to dataset values)
export function initializeDatasetRefs(
  state: NessieRootState,
  references: NessieActions.DatasetReference
) {
  if (!references) return {};

  return Object.keys(references).reduce(
    (acc: NessieRootState, cur: string) => {
      const key = `${NESSIE_REF_PREFIX}${cur}`;
      if (!acc[key]) acc[key] = { ...initialState };
      const ref = references[cur];
      //@ts-ignore
      acc[key] =
        ref.type === COMMIT_TYPE
          ? {
              ...acc[key],
              hash: ref.value,
            }
          : {
              ...acc[key],
              reference: {
                type: ref.type,
                name: ref.value,
              },
            };
      return acc;
    },
    { ...state }
  );
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


Esports startup ReadyUp raised $2M in a seed round led by Boost VC.
The company also launched the closed beta of its team management and recruitment platform.
Team management tools represent a niche but growing market within the esports industry.
Esports management platform startup ReadyUp has completed a $2M seed round led by blockchain accelerator Boost VC. The round also included participation from Fenwick & West, Smith & Crown, and several undisclosed individual investors.
Interest and demand for player scouting and team management tools is on the rise.
ReadyUp was founded in 2017 by longtime esports veteran Jonathan "Fatal1ty" Wendel and former head of strategic development for Tapjoy, Roderick Alemania. Its digital platform is designed for player recruitment and team management. Users will be entered into a database which teams can search when looking to sign new players. The platform, which is currently in a closed beta phase, includes team management tools, and will launch a marketplace where users can monetize content and offer individual coaching in 2019.
Where ReadyUp can differentiate itself is in its player marketplace and recruitment tools.
Where ReadyUp can differentiate itself is in its player marketplace and recruitment tools. While these services are available through other platforms, ReadyUp's platform can offer a direct path from aspiring competitor to contracted pro—a path missing most esports today. Traditional sports in the U.S., for example, have a clear trajectory from youth leagues to high school, then to college and eventually the professional league.
Esports lacks this structure today, with players relying on building a network of contacts with professional teams or hoping to be discovered while playing alone online. ReadyUp's player ranking system gives players a goal to work towards, and teams a central place from which to recruit motivated and talented players.


text:
Przypisy

Bibliografia

 Julián Sosa: Condecoraciones militares y civiles de España. Legislación, anotada y concordada, de todas las Órdenes. T. I-II-III. Madryt, 1913-1915
 José Velasco Dueñas: Colección de cruces y medallas de distinción de España. Madryt, 1843
 Aristide Michel Perrot: Collection historique des ordres de chevalerie civils et militaires. Paryż, 1820, s. 77-103

Listy odznaczeń według państw

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia