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When the Global Survival is at Stake
Posted on February 2, 2019 by Claudia Scandol
Esmeralda Altmeyer
In early December I had the opportunity to join the World Climate Conference that took part in Katowice, Poland. The COP24 (Conference of Parties) is the annual worlds highest-level decision making body on climate change, organized by UNFCCC, the United Nations organisation on climate change. COP24 in Katowice was especially crucial as it was the last chance for world leaders to agree on a joint common rulebook for the implementation of the Paris Agreement before it will go into effect in 2020. Therefore the most daunting question of COP was the "How?" How will the targets set in the Paris Agreement be reached? Special importance held the recently published IPCC report on climate change, outlining the urgency of action to reduce carbon emissions and putting more pressure on all parties.
We arrived to the venue on Monday morning and were overwhelmed: A giant space filled with 30,000 participants and an incredible buzz of energy in the air. This was further strengthened when we attended the first meeting of the official observer youth constituency YOUNGO that YEL is also part of and that would organise incredible events, powerful protests and demanding interventions throughout the next week.
With an abundance of high-level segments and side events to choose from, each of us was full-time busy learning and exploring. I decided to focus on the topics gender and Talanoa dialogue. Talanoa is a special form of dialogue that aims to build empathy and trust to solve conflicts and was introduced to climate negotiations by the presidency of Fiji during COP23. UNFCCC had made gender the main topic of a full day to highlight the increased vulnerability of women during climate change as well as push for women's participation in the negotiations.
As a student of international relations I was particularly excited to listen to the speech of Antonio Guterres (UN Secretary General) during the opening of the Talanoa Dialogue – and I was not let down. Guterres stressed that "Katowice must be the dawn of a new determination to reach the Paris Agreement. We clearly have the knowhow and the ability to reach the 1.5 degree target.(…) What we need is the political will. A failure of this conference would be suicidal." His call for action and strong commitment to climate justice set the tone for the Talanoa dialogue that would follow the next days at around 20 roundtables behind closed doors.
Equally powerful was the national statement of Vanuatu. Small Island states usually don't play a big role in the UN. However, when it comes to climate change they are the ones who have the most at stake as they face the imminent threat of losing their complete state territory. A strong risk that called for strong words by Minister of Foreign Affairs Ralph Regenvanu: "Whether you welcome or note or shamelessly ignore (the IPCC report), it is a fail of humanity.(…) 16% of my countries GDP was swept away by a cyclone within hours. If Vanuatu one of the least developed countries can move to 100% renewable energy by 2030, what stops others?"
Myself being a German citizen I was delighted to hear that Germany and the EU joined Vanuatu and other small island states in forming the "High Ambition Coalition" to push negotiations forward. Thanks to the efforts of other German youth delegates I had the opportunity to meet the German Minister of Environment Svenja Schulze and discuss the coalition, national climate policies and the role of youth with her on Friday. And a few days earlier, me and the other YEL delegates had already joined a youth meeting with Talieh Wörgebauer from the EU delegation to demand more ambitious climate policies of the EU and a greater inclusion of European youth.
When negotiations started stalling on Friday, the Women and Gender constituency invited youth organizations to join their powerful protest in the main hall, calling for a strong commitment to reach the 1.5 degree with a just transition on the way. This being the last of many protests and actions during COP, it unleashed great energy and made it to many international media outlets, including Germanys biggest TV news show "Tagesschau".
I am incredibly thankful to have had the chance to participate in COP24 and experience the strong spirit and unity of climate defenders across the world. That world leaders have been listening to the stories and voices of youth throughout the COP gives me strength to continue being an agent of change at home.
The Role of Youth: Young Professionals, COP24 and Climate Change.
I am Carmen Huidobro and, thanks to the Young European Leadership (YEL) organisation, I was able to attend the first week of COP24 as media delegate. The "observer" status allowed me not only to fulfil my delegate role by attending open meetings, side-events and interviewing several stakeholders, but also to see with my own eyes and reflect on what such an event is like. As an environmental policy master student, being able to experience the real-life version of what is being taught in the classroom and academic readings was an incredible lesson.
The main focus of my interviews was to investigate the role of youth and their participation in COP24 and Climate Change leadership. As a YEL delegate, my colleague Karishma and I were also looking to empower and inspire future young leaders, so asking different key stakeholders about their thoughts and organisational activities sounded quite appropriate. From NGOs and government parties to youth groups, the different answers surprised us quite a bit.
All professionals we interviewed recognised the importance of youth towards efforts to tackle Climate Change, and how these future generations were more aware than ever about the climate crisis and the need to increase ambition and action. They talked about various strategies for Climate Change communication and youth engagement among universities, schools, and even young professionals. These professionals acknowledge that future generations will be in their positions someday, and enabling knowledge sharing and participation is key in strategies for Climate Change.
For instance, we interviewed some of these young voices to get to know the insights of the other side. From YOUNGO (United Nations youth group) to Young Reporters of the Environment and other groups formed by students and young professionals, we asked how they see the role of youth, our role, in COP24 and Climate Change. They all agreed on how new generations are more aware of Climate Change issues, and how they are interested in demanding action and mobilising towards change. You could sense that spirit across the venue, with groups of young people taking part of the side-events, attending the meetings, writing articles and interviews, even pushing political leaders and demanding action through different protests and sittings. It was definitely inspirational to see youth interacting with the current leaders, highlighting our demands and getting to know the COP24 negotiating process to communicate it to the rest of youth throughout the world. The presence of youth at COP24 is key to inspire and gather these voices, and transmit the message to the respective audience in every country.
Nevertheless, they all agreed in something else. Besides the presence of youth through the venue and the "young and future generations" day, it was definitely hard to see as many young professionals and students as you would expect in the side events, or represented in the discussions. In my experience, and from the other young people we asked, none of the side events took into account the role of youth in their topic discussions. Not even the work we will need to be part of and in charge of during the near future. Unfortunately, youth do not get a real chance to intervene and negotiate, or to transfer demands and thoughts in the final documents. Nonetheless, some voices were listened to indeed. For example, the teen Swedish activist, Greta Thunberg, was the real youth star and inspiration of COP24. As she claimed in one of her speeches: "we have not come here to beg world leaders to care (…) we have come here to let to you know that change is coming, whether you like it or not. Real power belongs to people". And that includes us!
As youth and young professionals, we have more power than we might realise. According to the IPCC scientist, we have 12 years to act towards lowering emissions and innovative solutions to manage the global temperature raise. And we will be pursuing our careers during that time, careers and actions that can solve the challenge. We can be an inspiration to others, help to communicate the actions that can tackle Climate Change, giving a message of hope. That is why it so important to include youth and future generations to the climate discussion, to share the innovations with them, to include us into the negotiations. We have a role to play, and a word to say! Let's keep inspiring each other, and working hard, because together, we can change the world.
Discussing Youth Issues at the Y20 in Córdoba, Argentina
Posted on September 18, 2018 by Claudia Scandol
By Luisa de Simone
¡Hola! My name is Luisa De Simone and I was the EU Head Delegate to the Y20 Argentina 2018. From the 13th to the 18th of August 2018, Mark Coles and I had the honour of representing the European Union at the Y20 Summit in Córdoba, Argentina. As mentioned by Mark in his blog post, the Youth20 is one of the seven engagement groups of the G20, aiming at connecting young delegates and professionals from different countries with the world leaders. It is a unique opportunity for youth to influence the policy debate, offering concrete solutions and recommendations to tackle the most pressing societal and economic challenges.
After a week-long summit – that felt like a month-long due to an agenda full of events and endless opportunities to engage in lively discussions around the future of work, the issue of sustainability, the skills and education essential for the 21st century and the needs of entrepreneurs and self-employed individuals – now that I am back to Europe, there are three thoughts I would like to share with you.
As you might expect, the Y20 is all about youth. It is a genuine platform for young people to share their knowledge and showcase their talents. It was indeed a great opportunity for me to learn from incredible individuals creating tangible impact in their communities. To say it in the words of Ilona Dougherty, one of the keynote speakers, 'young people's brains are "wired for innovation"'. And certainly many young delegates and special guests proved it right.
If you fancy getting involved in the Y20, get prepared for a lot of talking. I very much enjoyed being one of the speakers invited to discuss about the future of work – and the future of workers, most importantly – questioning the paradigms and predicting the future alongside other distinguished guests from the private sector and international development. In the same way, a lot of talking on gender, social entrepreneurship, social protection, sustainability – just to mention some of the topics debated – was involved in the negotiations that led to the final policy recommendations. And let me guess… Even more talking will be required for the promotion of the final communique, keeping the delegates busy for the rest of the year.
Moreover, the summit is a genuine opportunity for finding a good dose of inspiration. Spending a week with a group of young people – most of them in their early twenties – meaningfully engaged to create a better world, is like a breath of fresh air. I believe that a sparkling combination of energy, alfajores (☺), curiosity and willingness to take on new challenges was the secret ingredient of this gathering and what made it very special.
Finally, I would invite you to learn more about Young European Leadership (YEL), the organisation that made this experience possible and that is effortlessly providing opportunities to empower young individuals from Europe and beyond. Will you be the next delegate? Check the website and do not miss your chance!
Shaking the Present… Y20 2018 Argentina
By Mark Coles
Hello! My name's Mark Coles and along with Luisa De Simone I was lucky enough to be selected as YEL's delegate for Y20 (Youth 20) summit in Cordoba, Argentina. I've been a long a long way, both metaphorically and physically…13,000km in fact, but having recently returned I was asked to share a few words on what has been a unique experience.
Rather than bore you senseless with chapter and verse, I thought it a good idea to outline what we got up to and some of my reflections now a little time has time elapsed. The Y20 is one of seven streams into the G20 group nations (the others with a focus on women, business, science, civil society, academia and labour) for which each country can put their own spin on the event when blessed with the presidency.
Our Argentine hosts were no different and wanted to give us a flavour of not only Argentina, but create a legacy through a suite of scalable social action projects that would 'picked up' and rolled out around the world by anyone wishing to do so. We also created a more 'traditional' communique that were lucky enough to take to Brussels to present to the G20 Sherpa team, and three other European Commission departments and visit community projects in Cordoba and La Perla, a concentration camp when there was Junta (military) rule in the late 1970's.
The policy areas (Education, Entrepreneurship, Future of Work, Sustainability) we worked on were extremely broad and with such a vast array of talent attending the summit in the form of official delegates and special guests (we had everything from lawyers and PhD's to social project leaders) had much lively debate on what our communique should include. Lesson One- compromise is key when there is a broad spectrum of views.
I could write a blog about each area, but rather than that, the three key themes and messages that jumped out for me from the week that we are passionate about is the step-change to sustainability, a levelling of inequalities, and inclusion of marginalised persons.
I'd argue the world is at a junction where there is an imperative need for the benefits of growth, technology and interconnectivityto be equally distributed. Not only between nations but also between societal groups within them- for too long the benefits have been shared amongst the few and the message is that this needs to change.
It was also evident we felt there needs to be more empathy in policy making…how can you balance this off against actionable delivery to retain legitimacy and public support? How can legalese become more empathetic? How can we change mindsets so issues are thought about through a broader lens rather than pure trade-offs or costs?
'Social entrepreneurship' was a phrase I heard banded around and I hope in a nice way it becomes obsolete. all entrepreneurship will have an inherent element of 'social'. Companies and brands will have an existential crisis if they do not espouse this with the young global consumer of today.
The future of work is something that will affect us all and seems to be a sleeping giant problem- disruption to working conditions, equality and fairness create unrest … more companies and governments need to be engaged looking at the solutions.
George Bernard Shaw said all good ideas start as blasphemy and I think this is a license the youth at any point have … we are starting from no entrenched position, competition and national advantage still have a role and should be encouraged, but how can we shake the cart, do things differently, more equitably for a better outcome for all?
Everyone loves a video right? So if you like to find our more, one has been widely shared!
"This is the starting point for the European awareness of our own role in the world." – Federica Mogherini
Posted on July 3, 2018 by Claudia Scandol
by Frederik Kussé
The first role for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the EU was created by the Treaty of Amsterdam, which came into effect in 1999, and was expanded with the Treaty of Lisbon a decade later. After almost 20 years of joint foreign affairs at a European level, what has been the result and what are the next steps? How can the European Union profile itself as an actor on the world stage?
The annual European Business Summit brings together European lawmakers, business leaders, think tanks and young adults to debate on Europe's most challenging issues. As a delegate of Young European Leadership, I had the privilege to participate in the high-level discussion between Federica Mogherini, Vice President of the EU Commission and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, and Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister of Foreign Affairs, as they shared their views on this important topic on the 24th of May 2018 in the Egmont Palace in Brussels.
In varietate concordia?
Mr. Reynders reminded the audience that it is not enough to preach our European values, we need to live by them ourselves as well. With rising populism and attacks on the rule of law in multiple EU member states, the world is looking at a divided Europe. To tackle these internal divisions Mr. Reynders proposed a rule of law peer review mechanism as currently already exists for the EU budget. He believes it will allow a "real open discussion at the political level on the situation in the different member states" and that it is a "non-discriminatory process". It is true that the EU has procedures in place to thoroughly assess the compliance of candidate countries with the fundamental values of the EU, but that there is no robust system to do the same thing for member states. At present, the only real mechanisms are the Commission's Rule of Law Framework, the Council's Rule of Law Dialogue, the infringement procedures under Articles 258-260 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU (TFEU) and the 'big stick': Article 7 of the Treaty on the European Union (TEU) when an infringement of Article 2 (the fundamental values of the EU) has been observed. The critical reader should nevertheless note that the instalment of a voluntary peer review mechanism could hide the ambition to evolve to a more permanent review mechanism. Such a mechanism would in practice require a revision of the EU treaties, of which the chances of success are at present – under the unanimity rule – questionable at best.
What about Jerusalem then? There were rumours that some member states were present during the inauguration of the American embassy in Jerusalem. Ms. Mogherini denied that representatives of EU member states were present during the opening ceremony. She reiterated that the EU position on Jerusalem is consolidated and confirmed by all member states, as is the case with all foreign policy issues. She stated that a lack of unity is not the problem of the European foreign policy, but that "Europeans do not always realise that the only way to achieve national priorities in many foreign policy fields", including migration, "is through the European Union".
Pacta sunt servanda
"A made deal needs to be honoured, otherwise we lose our credibility", Mogherini said, "we need to make sure that we can protect the deal and our economic interests." But can we protect the Iran deal and why should we? First of all, Mogherini affirmed that the deal is working, referring to the certifications made by the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency. Secondly, she reminded everyone that the Iran deal is not a bi- or multilateral agreement, but a UN Security Council resolution. "Technically, the President of the United States has announced the decision to stop implementing a UN Security Council resolution." Thirdly, she stressed the importance of the Iran deal as a stepping stone for future negotiations with Iran on other issues, such as Syria or Yemen. Mr. Reynders also expressed his pessimism about the chances of a nuclear non-proliferation agreement with North-Korea if it turns out to be impossible to implement the agreement with Iran. He added that: "in the Middle East, it will be impossible to organise a new dialogue without the US, but with the US alone it will also be impossible." Therefore, he believed that the European Union should take part with "its own view and its own voice".
Shada Islam, Director of Europe and Geopolitics at Friends of Europe and leader of the debate, asked how we can protect our economic interests with the United States threatening to impose sanctions on European businesses who are dealing with Iran. During the conversation, Ms. Mogherini said that it is vital that "we protect the economic investments we encouraged when we signed the deal, because that is our part of the implementation" and going even further stating that there is "an economic interest for Europe to be there". Which instruments do we have then? Both interviewees responded by talking about the possible measures for SME's (small and medium-sized enterprises) and that they were studying the potential role for the banking sector, in particular the European Central Bank (ECB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Ms. Mogherini also spoke about the importance of a legislative shield for companies doing business with Iran, mentioning the 'blocking statute' that was introduced to prevent European businesses in Cuba from complying with US sanctions. A member of the audience later addressed the elephant in the room with his question about the fate of multinationals doing business in the region as well as in the US. This is especially critical considering the European banking system is very exposed to the American one and most investment channels use the US dollar. Both interviewees admitted that this was a difficult and complicated problem, with Mr. Reynders proposing to organise channels that use the euro instead. One can argue however that their answer with 'studies' and 'possible solutions' demonstrates the lack of effective measures to currently be taken by the EU, which is anything but reassuring for Europe's biggest companies.
At the time of writing the United States has already imposed tariffs on imports of steel and aluminium. After a G7 meeting that only deepened the divide between the US and its allies, tariffs on automobiles seem to be back on the US President's desk. With a trade war looming over Europe and the weakened position of several multilateral organisations, including the World Trade Organization (WTO), what can the EU do? Mr. Reynders responded by saying that if it is not possible to "begin a real positive agenda with the US to restart some of the negotiations in different fields", the EU needs to react by taking countermeasures. He continued that "if we have a lack of capacity to discuss with the US, we need to go further with others". With the recently approved Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the trading agreements with Japan, Singapore, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand being prepared, the EU is doing exactly that. Ms. Mogherini also told the anecdote about the complaints she received when she visited the American Congress. They were wondering why the lobsters from Maine, a US state neighbouring Canada, did not have the same access to the European market as the Canadian lobsters. She responded by saying that this is because the EU has a trade agreement with Canada and that there is an "economic benefit in having a trade agreement with the European Union". Finally, she expressed her hopes that this realisation will also soon surface in the US.
Let me conclude this article by agreeing with a statement from Ms. Islam that the EU needs to move from reaction to proaction. As Ms. Mogherini said: "This is the starting point for the European awareness of our own role in the world." These are challenging but interesting times and we need to show the political will to live up to our own expectations. I would therefore like to end with a quote from the famous speech Sir Winston Churchill made in Zurich in 1946: "We must build a kind of United States of Europe. In this way only will hundreds of millions of toilers be able to regain the simple joys and hopes which make life worth living. The process is simple. All that is needed is the resolve of hundreds of millions of men and women to do right instead of wrong."
Frederik has always believed in an international and multidisciplinary approach. Currently studying Control Engineering and Automation at the University of Ghent, he takes part in multiple projects at home and abroad to diversify his skills. As an avid European, he considers going on Erasmus to Germany as one of the best decisions I have ever made.
Brussels, Brexit and the Future of Television Channels
Posted on June 28, 2018 by Claudia Scandol
By Philip Frey
On June 23rd 2016, the world experienced a major earthquake. Not a seismic event, but among many, a political and economic earthquake. The aftershocks of Brexit are still been felt, with the departure date of the United Kingdom from the European Union less than a year away. Everyone involved and influenced by this earthquake has put a big red cross on this date, March 29th 2019, which is the date of the divorce between the UK and the EU. Try to imagine all the commitments the UK has made to the EU, such as implementing more than 100,000 pages of legislation and billions of euros worth of contributions to the EU. After this date, these 100,000 pages of legislation will in theory be null in the UK, the EU will delete or cross off the UK from all these pages and the UK will no longer be obliged to contribute to the EU budget, except for their already promised commitments. However, negotiations between the EU and the UK to limit the impact for each party have been ongoing since 2016. However, the British Chancellor Philip Hammond seemed to be quite optimistic about settling a good deal off with the EU at the closing ceremony at the European Business Summit. As he said: "Even though we are leaving EU, we are still Europeans". He did also mention that the UK will not leave Eurovision, which is broadcasted to the entire Europe, plus Australia!
Try also to imagine the cultural influence the UK has in the different Member States. From movies, music, sports and others. Who has not watched the tv programmes: "Top Gear", "Mr. Bean", "The X Factor or "Britain's Got Talent"? Others have maybe watched a Premier League football game. So why are these programmes and sport transmissions important to address at the European Business Summit? As the name of the summit suggests, there is a lot of business in the UK TV industry and the TV industry in the EU. For each programme, there are rights connected to either the producer, the distributor or transmitter of those programmes. Among the 100.000 pages EU legislation, some of them are protecting and granting certain rights to right holders of these programmes. This is where the big business is placed within. Country of origin, a term used in regard to the single market in order to clarify which member state legislation applies to which service provider. For example, a business based and established in the UK offers TV programmes to Germany will be governed by the laws in the UK. The Single Market gives access to all the markets in the EU member states. The country of origin has in this regard been a good business for the broadcasting industry in the UK, such as taxation wise.
What does Brexit has to do with anything?
Brexit has the consequence that these channels will not be able to operate across EU member states anymore. Brexit can in this situation pose problems for cross-border broadcasters, who are based in the UK. Broadcasters who wish to continue operating in the EU will need to have their editorial decisions and at least a significant part of their workforce in an EU member state. This means that they would have to either move their headquarters to a EU member state, create a hub in a member state or licence their rights out to third parties.
Whether or not the popular British television programmes will have an impact on the Brexit negotiations, there is a clear sense of unease among the UK's production and creative industry. The main question still remains. Would the EU decide to impose tariffs on UK film and TV productions in order to promote and boost its own production? Today, there are more than 4,600 TV channels established in the main EU markets. The UK is the largest exporter, with more than 1,400 established TV channels of which 1,000 are exported to the EU and other countries.
Some of the concerns addressed at the meeting were, whether the high skilled editors, technicians and experienced crew members in one of the world's largest production hubs, would be willing to move to the EU or whether they would stay after Brexit. There is no doubt that the EU would struggle to compete with the UK, if they were to stay there after Brexit, since it takes many years to train specialized workers within the film and TV production. However, the market can open for competition in the EU and who knows, maybe in 5-10 years we will have a similar popular German version of James Bond or a Swedish version of "Sweden's got Talent". On the other hand, the restriction on the free movement of workers can limit the amount of non-UK talented and skilled workers to seek a job within the film and tv production industry. I had the chance to ask one of the speakers, a spokesperson from the British Chamber of Commerce to the EU, about the fact that more than 600 non-British channels are licenced by the UK communications regulator Ofcom and then broadcasted freely to all the member states of the EU, which is a £5 billion a year business. The question I asked was, what would happen if these foreign channels had to find another "country of origin" in one of the other EU member states? The answer was clear: the UK will remain to be the biggest production and broadcasting hub in Europe. I also asked whether the option of licencing would result in higher prices for the end consumer. I received a firm answer: "I don't see the end users will be affected".
It is possible that a London-based international broadcaster will have to get new broadcasting licences within the EU. It is far from clear just how large such a presence will be and how big the Brexit impact will be. Philip Hammond's optimistic attitude towards the ongoing negotiations can hardly justify a positive impact on the UK based broadcasters and tv and film production industry in the UK.
Philip is a recent law graduate from Paris with a specialization in International Business Law, combined with a Business programme at INSEAD Business School. He is currently working as a Blue Book Trainee at the European Commission in their Legal Service.
How to digitise EU industry?
By Maxi Pethö-Schramm
The European Commission (EC) has estimated that digital innovation will increase the annual European industrial output by €110 bn. So far, Europe has on average only reached 12% of its digitisation potential, ranging from 10% in Germany to 18% in the UK. Europe is underperforming relative to the US, which has reached 18% of digitisation potential. The European digital frontier, represented by the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector is only 60% as digitised as the US frontier.
In April 2016 the EC launched its Digitising European Industry (DEI) initiative, with the intent of reinforcing EU's competitiveness by embracing digital innovation across all European industry. The Commission and Member States are investing €50bn by 2020 on digitization strategies. Yet, a further push from both EU policy makers and businesses is needed to fully tap into the potential of digitisation and keep up with the pace of the digital transformation.
During the roundtable at the EBS, Katarzyna Jakimowicz, Associate Director at the Lisbon Council for Economic Competitiveness and Social Renewal, Antti Peltomäki, Deputy Director General at DG Grow, Sandeep Simon, Utilities Segment Head Europe at TATA Consultancy Services, Eva Maydell, MEP, and Bruno Basalisco, Head of Digital Economy service at Copenhagen Economics, discussed obstacles and recommendations for action with moderator Julia Fioretti, Correspondent for Reuters News Agency.
Enabling Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs)
At the beginning of the discussion, Mr. Simon noted that technology has become so democratized that it is in principle available to all companies. However, in reality only 16% of SMEs in the EU are highly digitised, compared to 42% of large companies. The fast developments in digital technology make it difficult for SMEs to adopt and integrate them into their processes. Ms. Jakimowicz added that very simple, for instance cloud-based, solutions are available to SMEs. Yet there are big challenges even with adoption of these simple solutions – in 2017, only 36% of enterprises of the EU28 used business software for information sharing. Both Mr. Simon and Ms. Jakimowicz agreed that businesses need to understand the urgency to digitise which often starts with a mindset change of business leaders. Under the DEI initiative, Digital Innovation Hubs have been designed as tools to support in particular SMEs in their digital transformation. Acting as a one-stop-shop, they provide a series of support services and access to knowledge, methods and software, technology platforms, prototyping solutions and testing facilities.
Promoting Investment
Mr. Peltomäki expressed concern over the private sector investment gap in the EU compared to countries like China or Korea. Bruno Basalisco added that industry expenditure on computers accounts only for 1.3% in Europe compared to >2% in the US, Japan and Korea. From a venture capitalist point of view, there may not be enough good companies in Europe to invest in. Ms. Jakimowicz explained that some VCs perceive the European market as saturated due to available bank funding from institutions like the European investment bank. However, banks as investors are less focussed on R&D and innovation than VCs. To secure sufficient investment, Eva Maydell highlights that the EU needs to mobilise capital around Europe by pushing ahead with the capital markets union (CMU). The CMU aims to complement bank financing with deep and developed capital markets, unlock the capital around Europe, and to establish a genuine single market for capital. An action plan for CMU was launched in 2015 as part of the Investment Plan for Europe, however, implementation is delayed. The Investment Plan for Europe, the so-called Juncker Plan, has three broader objectives: (i) to remove obstacles to investment; (ii) to provide visibility and technical assistance to investment projects; and (iii) to make smarter use of financial resources.
Closing the Skills Gap
Ms. Maydell opened this section with reference to a statistic that Europe needs another 750,000 ICT practitioners in 2020 to match the investments in technology and resulting demand for e-skills. According to Bruno Basalisco only 15% of manual workers compared to 47% of non-manual workers have sufficient digital skills. As of 2017, 88% of workplaces have not taken any action to tackle the lack of digital skills of their employees. High costs seem to be the main barrier encountered when undertaking actions to deal with digital skills gaps. Mr. Basalisco explains that investing in knowledge capital can be risky for businesses and difficult to quantify in business cases. Ms. Maydell stressed that Europe must be at the forefront of the upskilling revolution to keep businesses operating on the continent. The focus should not only be on digital skills but also on other skills like learning to learn, being adaptable and creative. To this end, more data related to skills and an upgrade of Europe's educational models are needed. According to Ms. Maydell, 60% of European teachers feel unprepared to teach the skills businesses need, especially soft skills. Traineeships and integrating trainings for communication or management as part of any course, starting already in high school, may be part of the solution. However, education is still a very conservative system, requiring strong political vision and leadership and a difficult policy conversation. Mr. Basalisco added, that complementary ways such as "using digital to teach digital" are needed due to pace of transformation. Mr. Peltomäki briefly mentioned the New Skills Agenda for Europe, which was adopted by the Commission on 2016 and launched 10 actions to make the right training, skills and support available to people in the EU. Those actions include the Digital Skills and Job Coalition as well as the Blueprint for Sectoral Cooperation on Skills. The former was launched to support co-operations among education, employment and industry stakeholders while the latter addresses skills intelligence and skills shortage in specific economic sectors.
Shaping Social Perception
Society and individuals need to be prepared to fully embrace digital transformation. Even though consumers benefit from digitisation, many will need to face challenges as workers at the same time. The adoption of robotics have raised wide-spread employment concerns. In fact, robotics have, however, attracted production back to Europe, reducing total employment cost while creating new jobs. Germany and Sweden are the forerunners of use of robotics in Europe, while maintaining one of the lowest unemployment figures in the Union. Ms. Maydell suggests that most citizens are resistant to change and while there won't be less jobs, all jobs will be different and require digital skills. Hence policy makers need to address worries of citizens in an honest public debate – with skills, not jobs at the core. Ms. Jakimowicz concluded that it is important for policy makers and media to create a positive narrative.
Maxi Pethö-Schramm was a YEL delegate to the 2018 European Business Summit. Maxi currently works as a Consultant at McKinsey & Company and holds a degree in Management from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Views are her own.
How Can Business Support Refugees?
By Rustam Baratov
The global number of refugees continues to rise, and the role of the private sector is therefore inevitable to support the long-term sustainable integration of refugees. Almost one-third of all refugees are moving outside of Africa, and Europe — countries, such as Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, respectively 3.5 million registered by the government of Turkey, and 2 million registered by UNHCR in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, was mentioned by Gideon Maltz from Tent Foundation.
In the Panel Discussion at the European Business Summit with speakers, such as Tent Foundation, Starbucks, Microsoft, and the European Commission — It was discussed that solely financial commitment from the private sector is not sustainable, however utilizing the core competences of the same stakeholders, and the long-term commitment, such as 'providing training of new skills, services and community engagement can help to build impact collaboratively. Alice Vermaele, Senior Manager for Global Social Impact at Starbucks, highlights the commitment the company has made to hire 10,000 refugees by 2020 [that have legal authorization to work in the country].
For example, Tent Foundation says that business has a critical role to play in solving the refugee crisis and helping everyone for a better sustainable integration — Gideon Maltz mentioned three key initiatives to support the public sector:
Impact Investment: Where companies invest directly in refugee entrepreneurs, refugee-owned SMEs, social enterprises, and organizations that hire and source from refugees.
Service Delivery: Where businesses reach refugees directly and engage refugees by meeting the needs of refugee communities.
Hiring & Supply Chains: Working directly with suppliers to create employability opportunities for refugees, and sourcing from refugee-owned businesses.
Source: https://www.tent.org/
What is the role of the business?
It is important to think that the particular role of the businesses is long-term economic integration, and it is critical to elaborate that business can support refugees everywhere, including low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, taking full advantage of core-competencies of private ventures is important to support the public funds, and immediate humanitarian aid.
What is the role in hiring?
"The reality is that 99% of our jobs are in retail." says Alice Vermaelen from Starbucks, and there are so many different ways of supporting the refugee crisis. For Starbucks it is through hiring and providing learning opportunities by partnering with nonprofit organizations that provide services to refugees in the US, Canada, and Europe.
Learning from others and talking to other businesses and organizations, such as Tent Foundation and the European Commission is one of the steps we can follow to work collaboratively together and share mutual success.
How can we help NGOs to become more productive?
"Microsoft has commited to create a future that works for everyone" published by Frederic Lardinois from TechCrunch (19 Jan 2016), and launched Microsoft Philanthropies in 2015 to empower people and communities. Mentioned by the speaker from Microsoft, "Satya Nadella made a public pledge to donate $1 billion worth in cloud computing resources to nonprofit organizations and research centers tackling the most crucial social issues."
"Work closely with nonprofits that are dealing with refugees and offer them for free software that would improve productivity."
How can we develop skills to help refugees integrate in the society?
Look further than emergency relief, and support those who had a business or an idea, says Emma Ursich, Global Head of Corporate Identity & the Human Safety Net Foundation from Generali Group — "This is also connected to what we do everyday in advising SMEs, and we try to package this all together to create an ecosystem." For example, Generali is focused on entrepreneurship, and innovation.
Why does this matter, integration?
"The European Commission has been working on integration of people as a result of a large influx of refugees in 2016." — 'Philanthropy is great [..] says Antoine Savary, Deputy Head of Unit, DG Home at the European Commission, but there is also a business case: (1) Ageing in Europe, and (2) the shortage of skills, for example, IT, and Health Care.
"Not investing in integration would be a waste of potential resources in the economy."
Initiatives, such as Employers together for integration launched on 23 May 2017 at the second meeting of the European Dialogue on Skills and Migration by the European Commission provides employers with the opportunity to learn how they can support refugees and integration into the labour market. Additionally, partnerships with social and economic partners (Brussels, 20 December 2017) are important and were highlighted by speakers, such as Marianne Thyssen, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs, Skills and Labour Mobility.
Learn more on how you can join and sign up to the Commissioner's initiative here.
European Business Summit is one of the most far-reaching and influential debating and networking platforms in Europe, held annually at the Egmont Palace, Brussels. It attracts over 2,000 participants and 250 high-level speakers, such as Federica Mogherini, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Cecilia Malmström, EU Commissioner for Trade, Chiara Tomasi, Public Policy and Government Relations Analyst at Google, and Didier Reynders, Deputy Prime Minister & Minister of Foreign Affairs & European Affairs.
Rustam is a recent graduate with a Bachelor's degree in Business Management from Belgium and France, who currently works at a Silicon Valley tech company from San Francisco. He shares a vast interest in international relations and entrepreneurship. He has always taken a more unconventional approach in travelling, sharing his experiences and participating at international conferences by contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) between Asia and Europe.
Creativity at the Heart of Businesses: a Key to Success?
By Clara Bütow
What role does creativity play for business innovation, profits and talent management? I had the pleasure to attend a session called Creativity at the Heart of Business: a Key to Success? at the European Business Summit in Brussels. The panel discussion on creativity brought together leaders from corporate, entrepreneurial and artistic fields and was moderated by Bartholomeus-Henri Van de Velde, the conductor of the Charlemagne Orchestra for EU. The four experts debating the topic were Javier Echarri, the CEO of EBN Innovation Network, Zeldah Schrama, consultant at Connect Africa Group, Frederique Paccagnella, the director of Excel Careers and the Angela Mortimer Group as well as the CEO and founder of Bundl, Thomas Van Halewyck.
Creativity can be a way to create innovations, but usually only leads to business success when incorporated in focused strategic approaches. Innovation on the other hand starts with a market need and the development of a product-market fit, so Thomas van Halewyck, who builds startups for corporations. A disruption can only take place whenever such innovation is scalable across the whole market, he added. Thus, business must focus on the market need and economic indicators when assessing the feasibility, validity and scalability of creative ideas to select those that best can represent a potential disruption. Frederique Paccagnella agreed that innovation at all cost can be no guarantee for success, as "innovation and creativity, if not linked to efficiency, will not go anywhere".
The panel seemed very decided on the fact that we do not lack great ideas for innovation. Javier Echarri pointed out that what is really needed is not creativity, but rather execution and support for entrepreneurs as well as entrepreneurs who lead change within their own organization. Zeldah Schrama stressed the need for corporations to go step by step towards more innovative processes and products instead of breaking down all their walls to "become Google from one day to another". Especially more traditional and larger companies can struggle in the incorporation of processes and organizational structures that allow more creativity and innovation; thus it is important to acknowledge the specific culture of each organization when thinking about modernizing. Van Halewyck described, that there are two main ways to make your company more innovative: either by trainings such as hackathons or design thinking initiatives that trigger innovative skills of employees; or by supporting the few already entrepreneurial and innovative talents in the company to pursue their ideas and innovate the company from within. Such initiatives will automatically inspire the rest of the company and create spill-over effects for all employees, ultimately updating the corporate culture, so van Halewyck. Schrama added that besides the importance to give space for free thought and ideas, focus is important to focus employee creativity in the right direction.
Creativity has a very big human component and cannot be detached from both the inherent personalities of employees as well as the way employees are treated and encouraged inside the organization. Drawing an analogy to the orchestra, the moderator and conductor of Charlemagne Orchestra showed that whilst the core of the organisation will follow rules and work almost automatically, a "grey zone" of more independent and creative people is necessary and enriching for the whole organisation. Those people at the boundaries of following and independence bring a different mind-set as well as inspiration to the core of the organisation and should not attempt to be pushed out of the grey zone by assimilation. As in the orchestra, managers must listen to each individual, take their strength and creative capacities into account – only then can harmony and excellent performance be achieved by the orchestra as a whole. Human resource expert Paccagnella suggested that creativity is something deeply embedded in a person's character and depending on the creativeness of each person different management practices may be required. Not every employee wants to have an environment that encourages or emphasises creative thinking, therefore it is extremely important to match the right people with the right job. This means taking into account personality traits, preferences and characteristics rather than forcing everyone to be more or less creative. Only placing the right individuals in a job that represents their skills, mindset and values will maximize the outcomes of the corporation.
Speaking of values, the experts touched upon one final topic that combines talent management, culture and creativity: How can companies use their innovations to drive social purpose and values? As we have seen in many of the discussions at this year's European Business Summit, responsible and sustainable business, that contributes rather than takes from society and the planet, is a rising topic for global leaders. Not only governments and regulations, but also customers and even the competitive environment is now demanding more from companies than mere profit generation. "How can startups better use their innovative thinking to solve real challenges of society", Echarri asked while pointing at increasing support and interest in such hybrid initiatives. Schuma added that while Western startups such as Tinder and Deliveroo address entertainment and comfort, a much higher percentage of companies created in emerging markets respond to an actual social or structural need of society. She linked this trend to the rapid innovation growth in Africa and its leading position in the mobile money sector as well as great competitiveness in agritech and fintech.
As Schuma said, "we cannot divorce creativity from innovation". Should we then, as members of government or people in business, use the creative approach to solve some of the biggest global challenges and obtain leadership in a changing world?
Clara is an hard-working student in both business and international relations at IE Business School, with a passion for sustainability and social impact. As founder of Impact Revolution and the Traveling Trash Tour, co-founder of the first European B Impact Team, she takes forward solutions how individuals, entrepreneurs and businesses can change the world for the better.
Mainstreaming Sustainability: Dream or Reality?
By Xènia Greenhalgh
Consistent themes running throughout the European Business Summit 2018 of digitalisation, artificial intelligence, Sustainable Development Goals and the circular economy, all culminated in a roundtable on the second day of the event – "Mainstreaming sustainability in the public and private sector: What role for innovation?" This question is perhaps the most important in a series necessary for building an environmentally responsible world, and it was enlightening to witness its exploration by an international and multidisciplinary panel of experts.
It is evident in the Juncker Plan, the EU Plastics Strategy, and other recent shifts in public policy that governments on national and supranational scales are taking seriously their role in mainstreaming sustainability. However, what has traditionally been more difficult is incentivising this paradigm shift in private actors. Despite Richard White, VP Procurement & Sustainability Europe for the world's largest brewer – AB InBev, having expressed heart-warming idealism about prioritising change for his children, and the company's steadfast belief in "the right thing to do," corporate incentive is found at the bottom of a balance sheet – profit.
This pragmatism has seen inspirational innovation in AB InBev's operations and wider supply chain – "seed to sip." Not only have they begun to do away with a linear value chain, commercialising new products produced from waste in the beer brewing process, but also set targets and expectations for their suppliers according to a set of ambitious sustainability goals for 2025. White insisted, "If a supplier doesn't have the same ambition as us for sustainability, we will take our business elsewhere."
White also emphasised the importance of Public-Private Partnerships – especially with regards to investments into innovation, and technological development, which he calls key factors for mainstreaming sustainability. Innovations have the potential to make circular business models more efficient with resources and create opportunities for new products, and are therefore essential for mainstreaming sustainability.
Simona Bonafé, Member of the European Parliament and architect of its circular economy transition, also emphasised efficient resource use, stating that sustainable industrial policy is, "Important for the environment, but also for the competitiveness." Private actors have a more significant role than funding research into innovative solutions, as governments and policy makers are responsible for fostering sustainable business environments by regulating practices, setting targets and preventative measures, providing a forward-looking legal framework that is clear for investors, and ultimately driving change. Even so, Signe Ratso, Deputy Director General of RTD Research at the European Commission, warned, "Regulation should promote innovation, rather than curbing it," as she alluded to an example of prescribing technologies, and limiting waste production which otherwise could be used to create new products to be incorporated into an innovative circular business model.
This statement applies not only to the description of this brand of policies' role, but more widely the role of innovation in mainstreaming sustainability in private and public spheres. In the diverse ecosystem of actors, innovation's definition needs to be broadened past technologies, and include that of governance, markets, and more. Nevertheless, critical technologies like IoT and Big Data will be fundamental for sustainable transitions, and their development is the responsibility of every level of society. "Businesses do not exist in a vacuum," as said by Céline Charveriat, the executive director of the Institute for Environmental Policy, and collaboration between NGOs, governments, and companies alike will be essential. Moreover, as Ms Charveriat accurately described, "consumption, again, does not fall from the sky," and in order for bottom-up behavioural change, as in the example of Tobacco, "unbiased, quality information" must be made available to the consumer about sustainability.
Ultimately, private and public actors are equally responsible and instrumental in driving the rate and direction of sustainable change in Europe. Innovation in markets, governance, and technologies will be essential to incentivise investment into the transition, and regulators at national and European levels will be responsible for shaping the environment to foster it. The panel made an inspiring and convincingly multifaceted case for mainstreaming sustainability as a paradigm. However, greater practical change is what will pull Europe out of the rabbit hole and into a sustainable future.
Xenia is passionated and dedicated student in international relations and she hopes to, one day, enter a political career in multilateral institutions for the pursuit of international peace and prosperity. This trajectory is largely inspired by her colorful background as a South African with Zimbabwean and Spanish parents.
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Instagram is a need social media sharing site giving you the ability to modify photos and add different color effects to them. However, with a great tool comes great responsibility and there are always those that over use a feature. Why blur a picture so bad you can't even make out 90% of what the picture is about. For that I issue an Instagram facepalm.


text:
Dehydroepiandrosterone exerts antiglucocorticoid action on human preadipocyte proliferation, differentiation, and glucose uptake.
McNelis JC., Manolopoulos KN., Gathercole LL., Bujalska IJ., Stewart PM., Tomlinson JW., Arlt W.
Glucocorticoids increase adipocyte proliferation and differentiation, a process underpinned by the local reactivation of inactive cortisone to active cortisol within adipocytes catalyzed by 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β-HSD1). The adrenal sex steroid precursor dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) has been shown to inhibit 11β-HSD1 in murine adipocytes; however, rodent adrenals do not produce DHEA physiologically. Here, we aimed to determine the effects and underlying mechanisms of the potential antiglucocorticoid action of DHEA and its sulfate ester DHEAS in human preadipocytes. Utilizing a human subcutaneous preadipocyte cell line, Chub-S7, we examined the metabolism and effects of DHEA in human adipocytes, including adipocyte proliferation, differentiation, 11β-HSD1 expression, and activity and glucose uptake. DHEA, but not DHEAS, significantly inhibited preadipocyte proliferation via cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase independent of sex steroid and glucocorticoid receptor activation. 11β-HSD1 oxoreductase activity in differentiated adipocytes was inhibited by DHEA. DHEA coincubated with cortisone significantly inhibited preadipocyte differentiation, which was assessed by the expression of markers of early (LPL) and terminal (G3PDH) adipocyte differentiation. Coincubation with cortisol, negating the requirement for 11β-HSD1 oxoreductase activity, diminished the inhibitory effect of DHEA. Further consistent with glucocorticoid-opposing effects of DHEA, insulin-independent glucose uptake was significantly enhanced by DHEA treatment. DHEA increases basal glucose uptake and inhibits human preadipocyte proliferation and differentiation, thereby exerting an antiglucocorticoid action. DHEA inhibition of the amplification of glucocorticoid action mediated by 11β-HSD1 contributes to the inhibitory effect of DHEA on human preadipocyte differentiation.
10.1152/ajpendo.00314.2012
Am J Physiol Endocrinol Metab
E1134 - E1144
11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1, dehydroepiandrosterone, human adipogenesis, insulin sensitivity, 11-beta-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Type 1, Adipocytes, Adipogenesis, Cell Differentiation, Cell Proliferation, Cells, Cultured, Colorimetry, DNA Primers, Dehydroepiandrosterone, Glucocorticoids, Glucose, Humans, RNA, Messenger, Thymidine

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


"Uncork a couple bottles of wine and allow the games start! Almost everything can be made into a match. A number of the games could be played with over one person, or you also 're ready to commence a championship with players taking turns. Standard party games are still enjoyable.
In case the theme demands a particular dress code, mention it. As soon as you've chosen a topic for a potluck celebration, decorate your home to reflect the subject of the celebration. When you locate the template that you want to utilize, double-click it. You may detect free templates with professional designs via a fast search or you'll have the ability to elect to your templates currently stored within Microsoft Word.
A birthday celebration might be the most frequently encountered celebration all over the world. Also indicate it's a birthday celebration. Organizing a birthday celebration, particularly for an adult could be tough!
There are lots of little matters you are able to tuck at the envelope to offer you a nice surprise to your family . First understand that card you desire to choose from under. A half-fold card could possibly be used to make invitations and greeting cards for almost any occasion. In the finish of the invitation, it's likewise important to maintain a slot to get an RSVP for the guest could confirm whether they are in reality coming to the dinner party and clear various other doubts they have in their mind about the celebration.
You're ready to mix and match the ideas, or generate several your own. There are a few ideas and a few samples. It's possible to also add your own creative invitation ideas or some birthday quotations to the invitations to improve the whole appeal.
There are lots and a lot of printable games on the internet. For instance, you might say, In order to ensure to have a seat, please tell us that you're going to be there. No matter the kind of celebration that you're hosting, be it a formal or informal one, you can find specific things that must be shared to the invites. Everybody will be receiving gifts for the birthday boy. The distinguishing facet of a potluck celebration is that there's an element of shock within them, because the guests harbor 'no idea what they could get to drink or eat. You are able to also have several surprise components for your customers.
Now although you might have purchased a fantastic present for him, you desire to make it a point to get him an adorable card too. In case his birthday is only a few weeks off, await the day and give your gift with a card that says Happy Birthday Dad in your own special way. A birthday is just special once you have friends and family around to celebrate the evening with. Birthdays are among the very awaited times for each and every individual.
If most of your visitors aren't acquainted with one another, it can be tough to have them mingle and enjoy the celebration. Always mention a number or an email ID that they may use if they should return to you for additional particulars. Also make sure you notify your guest about the number of unique people that you've invited, so that they've got an idea about how much food for you. Guests dress as figures to coincide with the topic.
Whilst the celebration is occurring, you need to keep a watch out for the food and games. A potluck celebration is a somewhat casual affair and also you don't require any fancy celebration invitations. When you're organizing a potluck celebration, there are a couple things you have to bear in mind to create the celebration more memorable and enjoyable. It's very important to be certain the celebration isn't intruding on a different patient's area. In case it's a casual celebration, it's going to be very great to earn a few inventive wordings. For me it's a pricey celebration. A 50th birthday celebration ought to be entertaining, not expensive.
Wording for invitation does not have to be somewhat stiff and appropriate, since it's merely an enjoyable get together. It's possible to alter the wording based upon your requirement. The wording for formal parties should be formal and it's likewise important to spell out the date and time, instead of just writing them in the form of numbers.
You will find methods to celebrate exceptional events without having to spend money. If it's a pool party, your invitation can seem casual and colorful at the exact moment. It's easy to make your own birthday invitations, you simply need to unleash that imaginative person within you.


text:
This marks the second movie to be based on India's action against terror camps, after actor Vivek Oberoi's production 'Balakot: The True Story'.
1576226567_NZ4uZh_New_Project.jpg
Sanjay Leela Bhansali is all set to co-produce a film based on the 2019 Balakot Air Strikes in collaboration with Bhushan Kumar.
Mahaveer Jain and Pragya Kapoor are also among the producers while 'Kedarnath' director Abhishek Kapoor will helm the film based on the airstrikes conducted by India on terror camps in Pakistan in February. "A story that celebrates the accomplishments of the Indian Air Force," is how the makers have described the film.
"IT'S OFFICIAL... Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Bhushan Kumar, Mahaveer Jain, and Pragya Kapoor to make a film on 2019 Balakot Airstrike... Directed by Abhishek Kapoor" tweeted film critic Adarsh along with a banner.
The film will be a cinematic portrayal of the airstrikes that the Indian air force executed against terrorist camps in Pakistan, days after a terror attack on CRPF convoy in Jammu Kashmir's Pulwama claimed the lives of over 40 paramilitary personnel.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali Co-produce 2019 Balakot Airstrikes Abhishek Kapoor


text:
HIV stigma includes negative attitudes and beliefs about people with HIV. It is the prejudice that comes with labeling an individual as part of a group that is believed to be socially unacceptable. HIV discrimination is the act of treating people with HIV differently than those without HIV.
Stigma and epidemics of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), notably HIV, have long been intertwined in the United States and countries around the globe. Stigma refers to the social devaluation of people who are different, whether due to conditions that do not affect the majority of a population (e.g., homosexuality, HIV/AIDS, mental illness), or more ordinary conditions that affect many or all in a population (e.g., demographic features tied to age, race/ethnicity, gender). Stigma, in its varying forms, serves to fuel the propagation of STDs, notably within marginalized and stigmatized communities.
Talking Points: The Resource Guide for Facilitating Stigma Conversations
View Toolkit
Addressing Stigma in Healthcare Facilities: A "Secret Shopper" Intervention
Health Equity Initiative Distance-Based Curriculum
Science over Stigma: The Public Health Case Against HCV Treatment Sobriety Restrictions
Recommendations for Health Departments to Address Health Inequities during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Science vs. Stigma: U.S. Food & Drug Administration Blood Donation Policy during COVID-19
The Time is Now: 2019 – 2020 Chair's Challenge Update
Achieving Health Equity to End the Epidemics: Ending Stigma and Discrimination


text:
namespace Google.Cloud.Channel.V1.Snippets
{
    // [START cloudchannel_v1_generated_CloudChannelService_UnregisterSubscriber_async]
    using Google.Cloud.Channel.V1;
    using System.Threading.Tasks;

    public sealed partial class GeneratedCloudChannelServiceClientSnippets
    {
        /// <summary>Snippet for UnregisterSubscriberAsync</summary>
        /// <remarks>
        /// This snippet has been automatically generated for illustrative purposes only.
        /// It may require modifications to work in your environment.
        /// </remarks>
        public async Task UnregisterSubscriberRequestObjectAsync()
        {
            // Create client
            CloudChannelServiceClient cloudChannelServiceClient = await CloudChannelServiceClient.CreateAsync();
            // Initialize request argument(s)
            UnregisterSubscriberRequest request = new UnregisterSubscriberRequest
            {
                Account = "",
                ServiceAccount = "",
            };
            // Make the request
            UnregisterSubscriberResponse response = await cloudChannelServiceClient.UnregisterSubscriberAsync(request);
        }
    }
    // [END cloudchannel_v1_generated_CloudChannelService_UnregisterSubscriber_async]
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Biswa Kalyan Rath Biography
(Stand-up Comedian, YouTuber)
Birthday: December 27, 1990 (Capricorn)
Born In: Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India
Biswa Kalyan Rath is an Indian stand-up comedian & YouTuber. Stand-up comedy is the hot new thing in the Indian entertainment landscape and stand-up comedians are sprouting everywhere nowadays, but a select few have been able to capture the audience's fancy so far and Biswa Kalyan Rath is one of them. His claim to fame is from the hilarious take on reviewing Bollywood movies with fellow stand-up comic, Kanan Gill. Together with Kanan, Biswa made Pretentious Movie Reviews a cult YouTube destination for Bollywood movie buffs from all over the world. Since then he has moved on to other endeavors like his own YouTube channel and collaborating with other online streaming platforms to promote his own brand of comedy. He has his own YouTube channel since 2008, but he started adding regular videos only in 2015, basically after he became a known name from Pretentious Movie reviews. He is active in Twitter, punching out crazy one-liners and has his presence on Facebook as well.
https://www.youtube.com/user/yokalyanyo
http://www.hindustantimes.com/art-and-culture/most-serious-ever-comedian-biswa-on-life-before-pretentious-movie-reviews/story-TO8gdMz2cVEHNnRK892uoN.html
https://www.quirkybyte.com/blog/2016/01/08/4-rising-indian-comedians/2/
Stand-up Comedians #311
Film & Theater Personalities #15023
Zakir Khan
Gursimran Khamba
Tanmay Bhat
Aditi Mittal
Indian Celebrities Born In December
Nick Name: Biswa
Stand-up Comedians Indian Men
education: IIT Kharagpur, West Bengal
Indian People
Indian Stand-up Comedians
Indian Film & Theater Personalities
Capricorn Men
Biswa Kalyan Rath was born to in a middle class Oriya family in Bhubaneshwar. He spent his childhood, moving all over the state from cities to towns to villages as his father was a State Bank of India employee who kept getting transferred to new locations every two years. He studied in various schools in Odisha, a fact that he later used as an inspiration for his comedic materials.
After completing school, Biswa moved to Vishakhapatnam, to prepare for the IIT entrance exam in one of the coaching centers in the city. He eventually cracked IIT-JEE and enrolled in IIT Kharagpur. He graduated from IIT Kharagpur with a degree in Biotechnology.
After his graduation, Biswa wanted to work in a creative field and started working as a graphic designer in Bangalore. He then moved on to a software role for Oracle in the same city.
How Fame found Biswa
During his time working in Bangalore he developed an interest in stand-up comedy while attending a writer's workshop. Biswa started attending various comedy shows around the city and gradually gathered the courage to take part in open mic events for stand-up comedy. For the next couple of years he worked on his content and practiced his people skill in various events around Bangalore which already had a pretty decent stand-up comedy scene. It was in one such event where he met his future partner in the field, Kanan Gill, and the rest as they say is history. They decided to come together, work on something unique, and they settled on doing extremely funny takes on 80's and 90's stereotypical Bollywood movies.
The first episode of Pretentious Movie Reviews was put up on Kanan's channel on April 15, 2014 and it centered on the Hrithik, Kareena, Abhishek Starrer 'Main Prem Ki DiwaniHoon'. It was just two dudes, taking up one bad movie after another and dissecting its various aspects with hilariously funny commentary. Their rants were often interspersed with specific scenes from the movie, helping them dig their point deeper. They titled each video with specific 'Best (Something) Ever' taglines that highlighted the core humorous element that they were going for. It worked, and it worked big time. The Pretentious Movie Reviews episodes went viral over YouTube and were shared and re-shared across various other social media platforms as well.
Each installment of Pretentious Movie Reviews have so far garnered more than 2 million views each and the one with the highest views is the one they did for 'Prem Agan' with close to 3.5 million plus views. Other movies that he did 'Pretentious Reviews' of are Disco Dancer, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and Rudraksh.
Post his fame, Biswa has hardly made any more Pretentious Movie Review episodes, concentrating more on his own stand-up comedy career. He went on his first solo tour in September 2015. It was called 'Biswa In Your Face' and he toured metro cities like Bangalore, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad and Kolkata. He has also collaborated with stand-up comedy giant 'All India Bakchod' or AIB on several of their endeavors.
Biswa's USP
Biswa's sense of humor is a very wry one and it has to be said that it is not everybody's cup of tea. He has the looks of a perfectly geeky software engineer, complete with thick specks and that quintessential lanky frame. His looks afford him an uniquely serious persona that comes in handy as a ready prop when he is cracking the audience up with hilarious jokes while he is as straight-faced as ever. His delivery is simple, straightforward and he does not really make use of the pregnant pauses that are so well-known among stand-up comedians. The simplicity of his personality reflects beautifully in his brand of stand-up comedy and that in particularly has endeared him to the audience. Biswa is the only renowned comedian to have hailed from the state of Odisha and through his content he gives to the audiences a rare glimpse into the lives of a common Oriya man.
He also finds himself socially responsible, as he often delivers poignant pieces on contemporary and relevant social issues like depression and youth suicide. After a youth suicide story in Mumbai broke out, Biswa took to Facebook and shared his own battle with depression for nine long years and enumerated eight points that he has taken away from those years of personal struggle. He is aware of the fact that he is currently a youth icon and is not afraid to use his perch to do his bit for them.
He has been signed on to this comedic venture by Only Much Louder (OML) along with 14 other premiere stand-up comedians in India and is being featured exclusively in Amazon Prime Videos across 200 countries worldwide. Biswa's segment has been named 'Biswa Mast Admi' and he is solely responsible for the content exhibited in his episodes.
Although for the time being Pretentious Movie Reviews are on hold, both Biswa and Kanan have promised YouTube viewers that they might be back with one quite soon.
Follow Biswa Kalyan Rath On:
Biswa Kalyan Rath Bio As PDF
- Biswa Kalyan Rath Biography
- https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/biswa-kalyan-rath-32793.php
(Indian)
Varun Grover
Stephen Rannazzisi
21st Century | Celebrity Names With Letter B | Male Celebrity Names With Letter B | 21st Century Film & Theater Personalities


Starting from November 1st, Rampoldi's cuisine concept gets doubled. In addition to the refined à la carte proposals for dinners and gourmet lunches, now a new option becomes available if you wish to enjoy a noon rich in flavour and fulfilment.
Every foundamental point of chef Antonio Salvatore's cuisine can be found in the "light" culinary menu that has just been introduced: the melange of mediterranean tradition and contemporaneity, the excellence of our ingredients and how recognisable they are, the attention to seasons and aesthetics in the composition of each dish.
Furthermore if you love a good service, the formal but pleasantly relaxed atmosphere of our restaurant will conquer you, just a stone's throw away from the Place du Casino.
The new déjeuner offer allows you to choose between two different combinations.
Whatever the occasion that brings you to Monte Carlo, whether it is a business lunch, a vacation or simply the sheer desire of savouring the Monegasque distinctiveness, book now your reservation to discover our dejeunier menu.


text:
LaMonte M. Fowler
an indie author writing to stay sane
A Lesson for the Living
Solitary – A Novella
Solitary 2
The Watchers of Ur: Cradle
The Watchers of Ur: Offspring
Interpreting the 2nd Amendment
This essay was originally published in Parade Magazine on January 14, 1990 on page 4. I believe it to be the clearest, most cogent, and historically accurate interpretation of the 2nd Amendment from an originalist point of view. And the author had the added benefit of being a person of substantial authority on matters of Constitutional interpretation. It was written by the Honorable Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the United States (1969-86).
The Right To Bear Arms
A distinguished citizen takes a stand on one of the most controversial issues in the nation
By Warren E. Burger, Chief Justice of the United States (1969-86)
Our metropolitan centers, and some suburban communities of America, are setting new records for homicides by handguns. Many of our large centers have up to 10 times the murder rate of all of Western Europe. In 1988, there were 9000 handgun murders in America. Last year, Washington, D.C., alone had more than 400 homicides — setting a new record for our capital.
The Constitution of the United States, in its Second Amendment, guarantees a "right of the people to keep and bear arms." However, the meaning of this clause cannot be understood except by looking to the purpose, the setting and the objectives of the draftsmen. The first 10 amendments — the Bill of Rights — were not drafted at Philadelphia in 1787; that document came two years later than the Constitution. Most of the states already had bills of rights, but the Constitution might not have been ratified in 1788 if the states had not had assurances that a national Bill of Rights would soon be added.
People of that day were apprehensive about the new "monster" national government presented to them, and this helps explain the language and purpose of the Second Amendment. A few lines after the First Amendment's guarantees — against "establishment of religion," "free exercise" of religion, free speech and free press — came a guarantee that grew out of the deep-seated fear of a "national" or "standing" army. The same First Congress that approved the right to keep and bear arms also limited the national army to 840 men; Congress in the Second Amendment then provided:
In the 1789 debate in Congress on James Madison's proposed Bill of Rights, Elbridge Gerry argued that a state militia was necessary:
"to prevent the establishment of a standing army, the bane of liberty … Whenever governments mean to invade the rights and liberties of the people, they always attempt to destroy the militia in order to raise and army upon their ruins."
We see that the need for a state militia was the predicate of the "right" guaranteed; in short, it was declared "necessary" in order to have a state military force to protect the security of the state. That Second Amendment clause must be read as though the word "because" was the opening word of the guarantee. Today, of course, the "state militia" serves a very different purpose. A huge national defense establishment has taken over the role of the militia of 200 years ago.
Some have exploited these ancient concerns, blurring sporting guns — rifles, shotguns and even machine pistols — with all firearms, including what are now called "Saturday night specials." There is, of course, a great difference between sporting guns and handguns. Some regulation of handguns has long been accepted as imperative; laws relating to "concealed weapons" are common. That we may be "over-regulated" in some areas of life has never held us back from more regulation of automobiles, airplanes, motorboats and "concealed weapons."
Let's look at the history.
First, many of the 3.5 million people living in the 13 original Colonies depended on wild game for food, and a good many of them required firearms for their defense from marauding Indians — and later from the French and English. Underlying all these needs was an important concept that each able-bodied man in each of the 133 independent states had to help or defend his state.
The early opposition to the idea of national or standing armies was maintained under the Articles of Confederation; that confederation had no standing army and wanted none. The state militia — essentially a part-time citizen army, as in Switzerland today — was the only kind of "army" they wanted. From the time of the Declaration of Independence through the victory at Yorktown in 1781, George Washington, as the commander-in-chief of these volunteer-militia armies, had to depend upon the states to send those volunteers.
When a company of New Jersey militia volunteers reported for duty to Washington at Valley Forge, the men initially declined to take an oath to "the United States," maintaining, "Our country is New Jersey." Massachusetts Bay men, Virginians and others felt the same way. To the American of the 18th century, his state was his country, and his freedom was defended by his militia.
The victory at Yorktown — and the ratification of the Bill of Rights a decade later — did not change people's attitudes about a national army. They had lived for years under the notion that each state would maintain its own military establishment, and the seaboard states had their own navies as well. These people, and their fathers and grandfathers before them, remembered how monarchs had used standing armies to oppress their ancestors in Europe. Americans wanted no part of this. A state militia, like a rifle and powder horn, was as much a part of life as the automobile is today; pistols were largely for officers, aristocrats — and dueling.
Against this background, it was not surprising that the provision concerning firearms emerged in very simple terms with the significant predicate — basing the right on the necessity for a "well regulated militia," a state army.
In the two centuries since then — with two world wars and some lesser ones — it has become clear, sadly, that we have no choice but to maintain a standing national army while still maintaining a "militia" by way of the National Guard, which can be swiftly integrated into the national defense forces.
Americans also have a right to defend their homes, and we need not challenge that. Nor does anyone seriously question that the Constitution protects the right of hunters to own and keep sporting guns for hunting game any more than anyone would challenge the right to own and keep fishing rods and other equipment for fishing — or to own automobiles. To "keep and bear arms" for hunting today is essentially a recreational activity and not an imperative of survival, as it was 200 years ago; "Saturday night specials" and machine guns are not recreational weapons and surely are as much in need of regulation as motor vehicles.
Americans should ask themselves a few questions. The Constitution does not mention automobiles or motorboats, but the right to keep and own an automobile is beyond question; equally beyond question is the power of the state to regulate the purchase or the transfer of such a vehicle and the right to license the vehicle and the driver with reasonable standards. In some places, even a bicycle must be registered, as must some household dogs.
If we are to stop this mindless homicidal carnage, is it unreasonable:
to provide that, to acquire a firearm, an application be made reciting age, residence, employment and any prior criminal convictions?
to required that this application lie on the table for 10 days (absent a showing for urgent need) before the license would be issued?
that the transfer of a firearm be made essentially [similar] as with that of a motor vehicle?
to have a "ballistic fingerprint" of the firearm made by the manufacturer and filed with the license record so that, if a bullet is found in a victim's body, law enforcement might be helped in finding the culprit?
These are the kind of questions the American people must answer if we are to preserve the "domestic tranquillity" promised in the Constitution.
Author of the bestselling novel series THE WATCHERS OF UR, and the novella series SOLITARY. Essayist writing about the intersection of religion and politics.
4 thoughts on "Interpreting the 2nd Amendment"
Steven Layman
I'm sure the Justice would be shocked to see the state of gun/ammo ownership today.
I am not against guns of any kind. I understand there are collectors, that may have a desire for military style weapons Hunters are out there and have some pretty sophisticated weapons these days. Its all good. Got no problems with it.
But, these in depth background checks must happen or this craziness will go on forever.
How sad that those wise words were not heeded.
matthinds25
Thanks for sharing. This is an important conversation to have after Las Vegas:
Interpreting the 2nd Amendment By a Former Supreme Court Justice – ElephantTail
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text:
Intra-active Boundaries: An investigation into the dynamic interrelationship between the human body and the environment using painterly media
Woo, C 2013 , 'Intra-active Boundaries: An investigation into the dynamic interrelationship between the human body and the environment using painterly media', Research Master thesis, University of Tasmania.
Whole-Woo-_thes...pdf | Download (22MB)
Intra-active boundaries: An investigation into the dynamic interrelationship between the
human body and the environment using painterly media.
To acknowledge 'I am this body'…is not to lock up awareness within the density of a
closed and bounded object, for as we shall see, the boundaries of a living body are
open and indeterminate; more like membranes than barriers, they define a surface of
metamorphosis and exchange.
David Abram, 1996, The Spell of the Sensuous, Vintage Books, New York, p.46.
The MFA research addresses the problem of how to aesthetically visualize the interconnection
between the human body and the environment through a series of experimental paintings and
mixed media. Traditional pictorial approaches, grounded in art world conventions and Cartesian
philosophy, tend to portray the human body and landscape as static spaces disconnected from
each other. As such, they focus on the representation of discrete spaces/objects rather than the
experience of the processes involved between them. There is a vast gap between these
traditional concepts and the contemporary redefinition of the nexus between the human and
non-human environment suggested by recent philosophical re-conceptualisations of Maurice
Merleau-Ponty, Gilles Deleuze, Felix Guattari and Michel Serres. This interconnected space
was foreshadowed in the philosophy of Merleau-Ponty, who proposed that the perception of
reality emerges through the interaction of the body within the world, rather than as the
exchange between static objects in a world of empty space, as formulated by Réne Descartes.
This redefinition portrays the relationship of the human self and the non-human world as
inextricably one. As Deleuze and Guattari state, "there is no such thing as either man or nature
now, only a process that produces the one within the other". More significantly Serres, in his
ecological philosophy, directs us to the materiality of the human and the natural as intra-active,
defining each other through their mutual interactions, both occupying the same biospheric
terrain, the biological sphere that makes life possible on the planet.
The experimental paintings at the heart of the MFA research investigate the way in which we
can re-experience human and environmental phenomena, such as bodies and landscapes, in a
way that questions conventional assumptions of their separateness. In order to do so, the
research first examines the development of landscape art in the West as a reflection of changing
human and environmental relations, through the work of selected artists, including JMW Turner
and Olafur Eliasson, who have sought to respond to this changing dynamic by exploring the
human form as part of an environment implicit with the human body. The research also
examines the work of other artists, such as Juul Kraijer and Berlinde de Bruyckere, whose work
involves the integration of aspects of the non-human within the human, predicated on an intention to explore the human condition as opposed to the relationship of the human with the
natural world.
The research tests the hypothesis, foreshadowed in recent philosophy, that an aesthetic reformulation
of the figure/landscape is needed to better understand the human/environmental
interrelationship, via a series of experimental paintings where aspects of the body are fused
with aspects of the environment to create an integrated spatial concept that makes visible their
interconnection. Framed within an ecological aesthetic that explores the network of relations
between human and environmental processes, the research undertakes this interconnection in
three ways:
1. Using common intercellular processes – where the intrinsic properties of the raw
materials, and their physical interactions used within the painterly techniques, are
analogous to the mutual biological processes of interchange between the body and the
environment; the forms exist in an ambiguous space inside or outside the body.
2. Integrating sites of the body with geographic sites – fusing specific organs within the
body, such as parts of the eye, heart and lungs, with geophysical sites, such as salt lakes,
geological strata, plant communities, such that they can be read as one or the other, or
both, simultaneously.
3. Creating a terrain that fuses the human and the non-human – amalgamating features of
the human and non-human to visualize a new form of topography that embodies a
reciprocal biospheric space, a new mutual terrain that cannot be interpreted as separate
entities.
These reformulations of processes, forms and imagery, use an integrated spatial concept that
embodies an immersive mode of experience. It is immersive in the sense that it prompts
recognition of reality as an enveloping interaction occurring between the inside and the outside
of the body, between the haptic self and the dynamic exterior world. What this encourages is an
aesthetic position where the human self is no longer considered separate from the outside world
but rather entangled within it, and vice versa. In this way both are intra-active with each other,
defining each other through their interactions.
Woo, C
intra-acive, boundaries, environment, human body, painting
Copyright the Author


Telstra has announced partnering with "major water utilities" on its Digital Water Metering Internet of Things (IoT) solution, which it said will prevent water wastage and reduce water consumption by providing insights to better manage usage.
This will reduce operating costs for water utilities and decrease water bills for consumers, Telstra said, with the telco having trialled its water IoT solution with multiple companies for the past year.
"Whether it's leakage prevention with smart water meters or environmental monitoring to keep our oceans clean and estuaries safe from contaminants, water utilities across the country are using IoT technology to better track, monitor, and conserve water," the company said at the Telstra Vantage 2018 conference in Melbourne on Wednesday.
Telstra's narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) network now covers more than 3.5 million square kilometres, it said, with its Digital Water Metering solution operating across this to provide battery life of 12 to 15 years.
Telstra had launched its NB-IoT network in January during CES 2018, with current COO and incoming CFO Robyn Denholm at the time saying the NB-IoT network will provide connectivity for IoT devices with smaller packets of data being sent, such as sensors in the mining, agricultural, transport, logistics, manufacturing, and industrial IoT industries.
Telstra's Cat M1 IoT network, launched in August 2017, covers 3 million square kilometres, executive director of Network and Infrastructure Engineering Channa Seneviratne said last month.
"We're using both protocols," Denholm told ZDNet in January.
"The two cover sort of different use cases; the Cat-M1 is more devices that are on the move that need hundreds of kilobits per second, whereas the NB-IoT are very small packets of information."
Across its IoT suite, Telstra in August also unveiled its new set of IoT tracking solutions, with a consumer-focused Telstra Locator product and an enterprise-focused Track and Monitor solution.
The telco said Telstra Locator, which will launch as a subscription-based service for post-paid customers later this year, will help customers find lost valuables.
Three locator tags are launching for this option: A Bluetooth tag for small items like keys and purses; a rechargeable Wi-Fi tag with four to six weeks of battery life using the more than 1 million Telstra Air hotspots for items such as pets, bikes, and bags; and a "premium" LTE tag utilising the telco's Cat M1 IoT network for higher-value assets for small businesses, which will launch early next year.
Customers can then use the Telstra Locator App to find their tagged items, an app which head of Innovation and Strategy for Consumer and Small Business Michele Garra said was developed in-house.
Track and Monitor, meanwhile, will launch in October and allow businesses to trace and manage assets. While Telstra wouldn't be drawn on the pricing, it did say the solution would "enable low-cost, large-volume asset tracking, whether across multiple warehouses or retail sites or while in transit".


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China Fashion Gala 2018 is presented by China Institute and Yue-Sai Kan China Beauty Charity Fund. It will take place on Friday, May 4 at The Plaza Hotel in New York City. The event features a cocktail reception, dinner, awards ceremony, haute couture fashion show by Grace Chen, and an auction.
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Recruited by the Demons in 1956, Cook was signed immediately after the conclusion of a practice match where he had dominated at centre half-forward.
Early in the season he returned to play for Yallourn and was best on ground, earning him his first start with the VFL senior side a week later.
Cook struggled to play regular games across three premiership seasons before being cleared to Warrnambool for 1959.
His real first name was David.
"Official" date of birth may not be correct. Is listed as being 19-years-old in the 1956 newspapers. Name spelt Cooke in some sources.