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4 hot topics in hr
Talent strategy
Ever feel like we're living in a science fiction novel? With all the talk of AI, automation and machine learning, it can be easy to forget about the human side of work. But as we consider hot topics in HR, technological developments are only part of the picture. Most company leaders and employees are still focused on the human Talent that powers their organizations. In fact, according to our recent Workplace Intelligence Report, Talent-related issues rank as two of the top three business concerns.
Our current knowledge-based workplaces are fueled by creativity, productivity and engagement. But these qualities require constant care and attention. Since 2010, labor productivity has been lower than at any previous time, according to the US Department of Labor. And 85% of employees around the world are not engaged or actively disengaged from their jobs.
What are these HR current issues and what implications do they have for Talent professionals? Here are four hot topics in HR.
1. Attracting and Retaining Top Talent
Attracting and retaining top Talent is not a new topic, but it remains one of the current issues in human resources management. There are a number of factors contributing to concerns about attracting and retaining Talent, including sustained record-low global unemployment, a widening skills gap and steadily declining average tenure. In 2018, the average tenure across all demographics was 4.2 years. However, this could be as low as one year on average for younger workers.
A significant percentage of respondents to the Greenhouse Workplace Intelligence Report – 57% – say employee retention is a meaningful metric for their employer. More than 50% of survey takers on both the employee and employer sides report that employees can easily transition into other departments to gain experience, sending a strong signal that internal mobility is gaining traction as a retention tactic. Yet despite this focus on retention, many companies are falling short when it comes to basic recruiting practices. Only 39% of Workplace Intelligence Report respondents have received interview training, and the process used to guide them to a hiring decision is mostly unstructured. Interview guides are used only 40% of the time, and there is little structure or consistency to the questions being asked or the way interviewer feedback is captured. Nearly 20% of survey respondents claim that hiring is completely unstructured in their companies. This is a major area of opportunity since companies can experience 300x revenue growth when they have excellent recruiting practices.
2. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I;)
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DE&I;) continues to be a trending topic in HR. Companies feel increasing pressure and motivation to change their hiring, compensation and promotion practices to be more equitable and inclusive. According to the Workplace Intelligence Report, diversity is driving action for 43% of respondents, pay equality for 42% of respondents, gender equality for 31% of respondents and inclusion for 29%.
A number of inclusive hiring practices have gained popularity recently. The "Ban the box" movement, for example, advocates removing the box from applications where candidates indicate if they have a criminal record. This movement has already resulted in 33 states, the District of Columbia, and 150 cities and counties banning the box. Similarly, many companies are now dropping college degree requirements to be more inclusive of candidates from non-traditional backgrounds. Fueled by both internal decisions and external factors like state legislation, many employers no longer ask candidates about their current salary since that may put them in an unfair position when it comes to future compensation. We can expect these types of inclusive practices to gain momentum in the coming months and years.
3. Employer Brand and Connection to Meaning
Employer brand has been a hot topic in HR ever since sites like LinkedIn and Glassdoor bridged the information gap between employers and job seekers. But there's a slight twist here – employers now feel pressure to connect their brand to a deeper meaning or purpose. Consumers are increasingly values-driven and employees are no different. The authors of the Deloitte 2019 Human Capital Trends Report put it this way:
… the concept of employee experience falls short in that it fails to capture the need for meaning in work that people are looking for. We see an opportunity for employers to refresh and expand the concept of "employee experience" to address the "human experience" at work – building on an understanding of worker aspirations to connect work back to the impact it has on not only the organization, but society as a whole.
We also see this trend reflected in the Workplace Intelligence Report: 61% of respondents agree or strongly agree that it's important to find meaning in their work beyond the contribution made to their employer. This is not unique to one particular age group – all generations in the workforce want a sense of purpose in their daily employment. It's now the responsibility of companies to communicate the purpose and meaning of work in their organization to prospective candidates and current employees.
4. Aligning Talent and Business
There's a clear divide between traditional HR departments and the new People teams. While traditional HR focuses on ensuring compliance and decreasing liability for the organization, the main objective of People teams is to maximize the value of employees. These new People teams are more than a service organization – they have the ability to drive business results.
But aligning Talent and Business functions doesn't happen automatically – it takes effort, intention and a willingness to change. In order to speak the language of executives and be considered strategic contributors to the business, Talent professionals now recognize the importance of using data and metrics to measure their success and identify areas for improvement. Luckily, taking a data-driven approach to Talent has never been easier, thanks to reporting and analytics functions in HR software. Talent professionals can now easily track their recruiting team's performance, their onboarding effectiveness, the likelihood of employee turnover and much more. Learn more about some of the latest HR technology in The 5 Modern HR Innovations Improving the Employee Lifecycle.
While this brief venture into hot topics in HR demonstrates just how much is changing, it also affirms that many of the areas we've been focusing on over the past few years aren't going anywhere. No matter how much technology transforms our workplaces, HR will always revolve around the humans powering our organizations.
Want to join the conversation? See all of our upcoming webinars and virtual events to stay current on the most relevant topics in hiring.
Melissa Suzuno
is a freelance writer and former Content Marketing Manager at Greenhouse. Melissa previously built out the content marketing programs at Parklet (an onboarding and employee experience solution) and AfterCollege (a job search resource for recent grads), so she's made it a bit of a habit to help people get excited about and invested in their work. Find Melissa on Twitter and LinkedIn.
https://greenhouse-production.herokuapp.com/blog/hot-topics-in-hr


On October 22, 2008, the 10471 was removed from our pricing system because it was used with a retired product, the MetData1. This cable connected a MetData1 Weather Station with a user-supplied external battery. It had a 10-ft length.


Everybody likes a good bit of music. But you, you love it. In fact, you love it so much there isn't a speaker in existence that has a volume knob that can go high enough. As much as it may get you pumped, those speakers can be the reason you never hear music again. At least, it can damage your ears making it difficult to hear properly. For this reason alone, it's important to wear earplugs during a rock concert, but let's a bit of background information first.
Your ear is a complex organ. Sound waves travel down your canal to the eardrum, and the eardrum vibrates. Those vibrations are sent further down the ear to the cochlea, on which tiny hair-like structures turn those vibrations into signals your brain can understand. If any part of this process is damaged, you might not hear your favorite band ever again.
The number one cause of hearing damage is age. The number two cause of hearing damage is noise damage. This is usually caused by sudden, loud noises, but can also be prolonged exposure to noises that are too loud.
You'll know you should be using ear plugs if you have to yell to be heard. In a rock concert, unless you're way at the back, yelling doesn't even come close to the overpowering sound of those amps, so it's always best to use earplugs.
Even the band on stage uses earplugs during the show. Most musicians know how important it is to use earplugs during a show that loud, and they aren't even facing the brunt of the sound. The best earplugs will fit to the shape of your ear, preventing any damaging noise from getting in. Lower quality earplugs will muffle the sound of things, but high quality, professional earplugs will make the sound have a quality of just being turned down a bit.
Wearing earplugs doesn't make you immune to the effects of hearing damage, it just prolongs the amount of time your ears can withstand the noise. Professional earplugs can extend the amount of time your ears can withstand a loud noise from four minutes to two hours, but it's still not forever.
Take good care of your ears and you can be sure you'll still be rocking out to the latest Metallica album when you're sixty, provided they're still around!


Shredding lends a textured feel to FRAME Denim skinny jeans. 5-pocket styling. Single-button closure and zip fly.
This is a very nice and flattering jeans! Just a little thin though. I am usually a size 26 (in J Brand, Current, Frame, Citizen), but I bought a size 25 for this style, I wanted something tighter, it is quite stretchy.
I have been looking at these jeans for weeks, and finally decided to get them and I'm not disappointed, these look amazing on very slimming and true to size. Very happy with my purchase, thanks again Shopbop!
These are my favourite jeans and my second pair! I had to get a second because I wore the first ones too much! They are very flattering despite being white jeans and they're great quality. I am 5'7 and I ordered size 25 and they are the perfect fit!
I bought this in my regular denim size and also the black one size down to compare fits. Surprisingly, both fits perfectly. The black does feel slightly more fitted but not uncomfortably so. There Is a fair amount of stretch in this jeans that makes it conform to your shape and stretches out where it is needed. The material is soft, light and non restrictive. The rips are very on trend. They are cleverly placed and can be subtle or decorative depending on your movements, which sets it apart from most regular plain jeans.
Love love love these. Unlike normal white jeans these don't make you look fat. LOVE them, wish I could wear them to work even! Can't wait for it to be warmer again so I can wear them some more!
I'm 5"5 & an Aus size 10. After trying on a pair of the Frame Skinnies in the Columbia Road wash & being a size 28, I thought these would fit the same but they are a much thinner, stretchier denim & more of a legging fit. The 28 still fits but I could definitely have taken my normal Jean size of 27. Great distressing & super comfy.
I bough a black pair in a store and loved them, so I ordered a white pair as well. They fit perfectly and look fantastic. I would recommend these to anyone that likes jeans with a little stretch in them.
I took days to decide what size to order in these - I am size 26 in Rag and Bone and J Brand - but I was tempted to order a size smaller - these have just arrived in size 26 and they fit extremely well so glad I ordered my usual size - lots of stretch and not see through can not wait to wear!!
I WANT THE BLACK NOW!!!
THIS IS MY FIRST PAIR OF FRAME DENIM AND WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE BUZZ WAS ABOUT AND ORDERED A PAIR. ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW!! THESE JEANS ARE EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE AND PERFECT AMOUNT OF STRETCH. I ORDERED A SIZE 29 AND THEY FIT PERFECT ... I HAVE YET TO WEAR THEM TO SEE IF THEY STRETCH OUT BUT BASED ON OTHER REVIEWS, I AM CONFIDENT THAT THE JEANS WILL BE FINE. I NOW WANT THE BLACK PAIR. MY ONLY REGRET IS WAITING SO LONG TO ORDER A PAIR!!
It was my first Frame denim and I absolutely love it. It's very comfortable and stretchy but flattering. I usually wear 26 for J brand, AG jean and but I got this in 27 because I want more comfortable fit. If you want just fit, order your usual size.


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Laughlin è un census-designated place (CDP) degli Stati Uniti, situato nella Contea di Clark nello stato del Nevada. Nel censimento del 2000 la popolazione era di 7.076 abitanti. Sorge lungo il fiume Colorado, il quale la separa da Bullhead City, in Arizona. Laughlin prende il nome da Don Laughlin un nativo che nel 1964 costruì quello che poi sarebbe diventato il Riverside Resort, offrendo pasti in formula "a volontà" a poco meno di un dollaro, slot machines e tavoli da gioco, diventando nel tempo il terzo più visitato casinò della zona.
Nell'aprile 2002 una rissa fra due gang rivali provenienti dalla California ebbe luogo nelle cittadina dove combatterono poco meno di 100 affiliati alle bande provocando morti e feriti.

Geografia fisica
Secondo i rilevamenti dell'United States Census Bureau, la località di Laughlin si estende su una superficie di 231,8 km², dei quali 228,2 km² sono occupati da terre, e 3,6 km² dalle acque.

Popolazione
Secondo il censimento del 2000, a Laughlin vivevano 7 076 persone, ed erano presenti 1.995 gruppi familiari. La densità di popolazione era di 37 ab./km². Nel territorio comunale si trovavano 4 127 unità edificate. Per quanto riguarda la composizione etnica degli abitanti, l'89,06% era bianco, il 2,81% era afroamericano, lo 0,62% era nativo, il 2,29% era asiatico e lo 0,18% proveniva dall'Oceano Pacifico. Il 2,74% della popolazione apparteneva ad altre razze e il 2,29% a più di una. La popolazione di ogni razza ispanica corrispondeva al 10,56% degli abitanti.

Per quanto riguarda la suddivisione della popolazione in fasce d'età, il 18,3% era al di sotto dei 18, il 6,1% fra i 18 e i 24, il 23,3% fra i 25 e i 44, il 33,6% fra i 45 e i 64, mentre infine il 18,6% era al di sopra dei 65 anni di età. L'età media della popolazione era di 46 anni. Per ogni 100 donne residenti vivevano 97,7 maschi.

Altri progetti

Collegamenti esterni

Census-designated place del Nevada
Comuni non incorporati del Nevada

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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COVID-19 cases rising in the metro following holiday season
by: Shannon O'Brien
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — COVID-19 infections are again rising quickly in the metro after the holiday season and medical experts believe it is going to get worse.
This significant increase in COVID-19 infections is what medical experts have been warning about. The numbers are alarming and disappointing for those who have worked so hard to try and fight this virus.
Last week, the number of infections at KU Hospital was going down, but in the last few days the number of COVID-19 infections has jumped up.
"We have 70 acute infections right now with 28 in the ICU. Fifteen of those on the vent, so a pretty high proportion on the vent," said KU Infectious Disease Doctor Dana Hawkinson.
Biden addresses COVID bill, holiday pandemic precautions
Hawkinson began seeing the spike while working on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, which are approximately 10 days after Christmas.
"We did see a patient who was at a Christmas gathering with a bunch of family, probably 15 to 20 people. Everybody felt fine, but a couple days later somebody got COVID, and so now this patient is in the hospital because of that gathering," Hawkinson said.
There's been a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases at Truman Medical Center, too.
"We may just be starting to see the beginning of the surge," said Executive Chief Clinical Officer Dr. Mark Steele.
Missouri eclipses 400,000 reported COVID-19 cases
Monday, there were 57 COVID-19 patients in the hospital at Truman, 11 of them in ICU, and 5 on ventilators.
"That number 57 is one of our highest numbers of patients that we've had to date," said Steele. "Also our testing site today is very, very busy."
The Jackson County Health Department's testing site was also very busy Monday.
"It is frustrating to see people not following the recommendations, but that's what we're left with," said Amanda Mason, Jackson County Health Department Quality Manager.
Mason said Jackson County Health Department's tracing shows the spike is a reflection of holiday gatherings, and the department has five testing sites set up this week. A constant line of people came through the Lee's Summit site Monday.
New mother and public servant loses battle with COVID-19 just days after giving birth
Alana Deckert and her husband live with her parents, who came down with the virus. The couple tested negative on New Year's Eve, but have since come down with symptoms and so they tested again.
"I've been running like a 99-point-something fever for the past several days," said Deckert. "I've been having headaches and muscle weakness. I nearly fell down the stairs while we are trying to pack up Christmas stuff. It's sucked."
Medical experts and public health officials expect the increase in COVID-19 to grow as time passes and gets a couple weeks out from New Year's. They believe the surge is by no means done and will get worse, so now is the time to take COVID-19 precautions very seriously.
Kansas to use genetic testing to find any cases of new coronavirus strain
More Tracking Coronavirus Stories
FORT WAYNE, Ind. – A dramatic drop in the number of flu cases this flu season is stunning doctors. The dip is an indirect result of the COVID pandemic.
From Sept. 29 to Dec. 28 2019, the CDC reported more than 65,000 cases of influenza across the U.S. During the same period in the 2020 flu season, the agency reported 1,016 cases.
Husband and wife duo, both doctors, working together to fight COVID-19 at NKC Hospital
by Regan Porter / Jan 20, 2021
KANSAS CITY NORTH, Mo. — Two doctors at a local hospital are navigating this pandemic as a married couple. As you can imagine, it has supportive perks, but also serious challenges.
The dynamic duo at North Kansas City Hospital comes face to face with equipment and a disease they've never seen before. They've also been forced to have difficult conversations with family about both being on the frontlines.
Douglas County releases details for first COVID-19 vaccine clinic under Phase 2
by Makenzie Koch / Jan 20, 2021
Editor's note: After about 30 minutes, all current appointment times for the Jan. 29 clinic were filled. Douglas County leaders will make an announcement when more times are available -- if they receive additional doses for that clinic. Read more below about how to get notified for future vaccine clinics.
LAWRENCE, Kan. -- Douglas County leaders have released plans to start vaccinating hundreds of residents now that Kansas is entering Phase 2 of its COVID-19 vaccine plan.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


It's one of a dog lover's nightmares. You're driving down the road and spot a dog lying in the street after it was hit by a car. Act quickly and you could save the dog's life. But you need to approach this rescue so as not to excite the dog and get yourself bitten. Here is what you need to know to help this unfortunate four-legged victim.
Step out of your car and observe the dog from a distance. Call an emergency vet and describe the situation. This will let the vet get their emergency room and staff ready to receive the animal. They may have some advice for approaching and transporting the dog to their clinic.
The dog will likely be in pain and afraid. They may also be in shock, especially if there are open wounds and bleeding. The dog's instincts may make it strike out at anyone trying to get near it. Your initial goal is to keep the animal calm while you secure its muzzle so it can't bite you.
Hold a cloth against any open and bleeding wounds to stop the flow of blood. Continue to speak to the dog while stroking its head gently and waiting for the bleeding to stop. A severe loss of blood can be more traumatic to the dog's health than a broken bone.
Look for signs of a fracture, such as a deformed limb or bone fragments coming through the skin. Any fractures need to be secured before transporting the animal so they will be comfortable. Don't try to reposition a broken limb yourself. Find a way to keep it from moving while you get the animal to the emergency animal hospital.
Getting the injured dog into your car and to the vet is easier if they are secured onto something so they can't move. If you didn't use a large flat surface as mentioned above, then find something the dog can lay on. Wrap a towel, sheet, belt or other long piece of material around the dog and flat surface. Lift the dog on the rigid surface and place it in the back seat of your car. Cover the dog with a blanket, jacket or other material to keep it warm during the car ride.
As you drive the injured animal to the vet, call the clinic to let them know you're on the way. Describe to them any details about the dog's condition that you couldn't see when you first called them.
Getting an injured dog to a vet quickly will reduce the risk of shock from blood loss, further damage to the fractured bones, or complications from internal bleeding. You may be the best hope for the dog's chances of surviving the accident.


Pastor Bishop Harvey Beavers Jr.
1. I am committed to show love, understanding and patience to all of God's people.
2. I am an ambassador for the God of Israel and must help to spread His Word of how He desires us to live an abundant, loving, healthy and blessed life.
3. I must be cognizant of the fact that the words that I speak and the actions that I take, whether positive or negative, reflect on the church and its members, as well as myself.
4. I must be willing to forgive others just as the God of Israel has forgiven me.
5. I must contribute financially to the church in order for the church to be of help to its members and the community.
6. I will praise the God of Israel at all times; His praise will continuously be in my mouth and my life will be a reflection of His praise.
"Praise" To extol or exalt; worship.


Addressing an audience of Telugus in the United States last fortnight, the Minister for Information Technology and Panchayat Raj, Government of Telangana, K.T. Rama Rao, deployed an interesting metaphor to describe the status of Hyderabad and the state of play between the newly created States of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Mr. Rama Rao, the son of Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR), said the bifurcation of the united state of Andhra Pradesh was like a divorce between an incompatible couple. The custody of the coveted child, Hyderabad, has been given to Telangana, while the new Andhra Pradesh has been given visiting rights.
The divorce metaphor can be extended further. Telangana is indeed the mother of Hyderabad, but Coastal Andhra cannot claim the status of being the biological father. Rather, that status should go to the erstwhile State of Hyderabad. However, coastal Andhra can claim to be the second husband that in fact invested in the education and professional growth of the child and, like all such stepfathers, would like to be given some credit for it. The mother may have been given the child's custody, but whatever her differences with the father, because of which the divorce in fact came to be, she should concede that the father too played a role in the child's growth, and so may be deserving of more than mere visiting rights.
Spending time in Hyderabad, in the run-up to the first anniversary of the formation of the two new States, I am struck by the fundamental change in mood from a year ago. Last summer, Telangana was gripped by a wave of excitement and enthusiasm, while Coastal Andhra sunk into deep despair and anger. The mood in metropolitan Hyderabad was marked by a mix of hope and anxiety. One year on, the most striking feature of the city's mood is its utter normality. Life goes on.
However, both Chief Ministers have a problem. In Telangana, KCR's problem is similar to that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi — to meet the unrealistically high expectations generated among enthusiastic voters. In Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu has a different problem. He has had to lift the spirits of a sullen and deeply dispirited people who view the erstwhile State's bifurcation as betrayal.
While KCR tries to deal with unrealistic expectations by promoting fancy ideas of real estate development that may threaten Hyderabad's green spaces, Mr. Naidu has sought to engineer enthusiasm for the new State by inducting Singapore as a partner in the building of a modern capital, Amaravathi, and urging his people to "Look East" and join the Asian growth miracle.
The real problem for both Chief Ministers has been the terms on which the Union government settled their divorce. An octogenarian civil servant who lived through the erstwhile State's formation, was involved in the trifurcation of the old Hyderabad state and has a deep understanding of the developmental challenges facing both States, is critical of the manner in which the Congress Party leadership and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government handled the State's bifurcation. "The reorganisation of States across India after Independence and the subsequent creation of Andhra Pradesh was undertaken with far greater care and competence than the State's dissolution this time," he says.
It is the callousness of the bifurcation process more than the bifurcation itself that has sunk the fortunes of the Congress in both States. Indeed, the bifurcation of other States, like Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh was handled more competently because the government of the day was not seeking immediate political benefit from it, the way the Congress Party tried to in Telangana.
While normal life has not been rudely disturbed in Hyderabad, despite initial concern about the sectarian rhetoric that accompanied bifurcation, governmental systems have been in disarray and slow to settle down. The contrast between the normality of life of most people and the confusion that marks the functioning of both State governments draws attention to the incompetence of those who drafted the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014, writing it more like an election manifesto than an amendment to the Constitution.
In the event, Telugus across their administrative divide voted the Congress out of power. In Andhra Pradesh, the Congress, decimated in last May's elections, has been unable to revive itself. While prepared for this reaction in coastal Andhra, the Congress was not prepared for the disdain that the Telangana voter showed it. The new State gave the entire credit for its formation to KCR and his Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), denying the Congress the fruits of its duplicity in dealing with the Telugus.
While politicians will play their games, the people of both States would like to see the economy regain momentum. For this to happen, both Chief Ministers should be less obsessed with building/rebuilding their respective State capitals, suppress their individual egos and focus on their State's overall development. Erstwhile Andhra Pradesh was debilitated by the fact that it had only one major urban centre, Hyderabad, around which most business activity was centred. Bifurcation should be used as an opportunity to develop other urban centres in both States like Visakhapatnam, Rajahmundry, Tirupati and Kurnool, in Andhra Pradesh, and Warangal, Karimnagar and Nizamabad in Telangana.
The construction of a six-lane Hyderabad-Warangal highway and high-speed rail connectivity between Hyderabad and the ports of Andhra Pradesh can facilitate the industrialisation of the "Ruhr of Deccan" — Telangana's eastern districts — and the growth of Warangal and Karimnagar as new urban centres. While TRS leaders are presently seeking to reassure investors about the future of Hyderabad, having unnerved many with their rhetoric in the past, the focus of the Telangana leadership has to be on the overall development of the State and not just of Hyderabad. On the other hand, Mr. Naidu should not be seen as neglecting the Rayalaseema region in his enthusiasm to build a new metropolis across the Krishna.
Mr. Rama Rao was reassuring in his remarks in California when he celebrated the success of several "non-Telangana" Hyderabadis in the U.S. and invited them to invest in Telangana. He specifically named Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Sanjiv Sidhu and the grandson of a very distinguished Hyderabadi and an early supporter of Telangana, the late Dr. G.S. Melkote. While Nadella's family hails from coastal Andhra, Sidhu is the son of a scientist who worked in Hyderabad and the Melkote's are Kannadigas settled for generations in Hyderabad, like so many other communities from across the subcontinent. Hyderabad owes its social, cultural and entrepreneurial richness to its cosmopolitan nature. Inviting the Nadellas, the Sidhus and the Melkotes to help build Telangana is a good message to give. But, returning to the divorce metaphor, it should be recognised that many non-Telangana Hyderabadis are not seeking just visiting rights but also residency rights.
If Hyderabad retains its cosmopolitan nature, investors will continue to flock to it and the city's globalisation and development will continue, benefitting Telangana as a whole. However, before the two States can hope to see a brighter future for themselves, overcoming the agony and ecstasy of bifurcation, the two State governments have to get their administrative act together and settle down to normal functioning.
The political leadership of both States should liberate themselves from narrow caste, communal and identity politics and must focus squarely on development and the creation of new opportunities so that both States can regain their growth momentum. It remains to be seen whether Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will mimic the example of Maharashtra and Gujarat — both of which prospered after their separation — or that of Bihar and Jharkhand — neither of which have really gained from their separation.
In the end, a mea culpa ! I was not in favour of the State's bifurcation for two reasons. First, I never saw Statehood as a solution to the genuine problems of the economic backwardness of Telangana. Second, I was worried for the future of my home city of Hyderabad. (I elaborated on both themes in my Waheeduddin Khan Memorial Lecture, "The Local and Global in Hyderabad's Development", Centre for Economic & Social Studies, Hyderabad, October 2007.) The jury is still out on my first proposition and it is for Telangana's new government to prove me wrong. But I feel reassured that my worries for Hyderabad have been laid to rest. This great city of the Deccan retains its openness, warmth and charm.


to undertake the long-term investments necessary for natural resource extraction, suggesting that transparency contributes to economic growth, job creation and higher incomes. On both counts, he was almost certainly correct. Corruption in Afghanistan: Recent Patterns and Trends. Because such a large share of the Afghan budget is spent on security, the Government also gets technical support from the nato military command to help review military contracts. It never has it wasnt needed. The application of citation analysis is specific to the subject area or category of the journals editorial content.
But the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Projects (occrp) research indicates that this 1 billion was the tip of the iceberg, in a country where many more billions of dollars in black money appear to have flowed through a flawed banking system with the help. The units are able to move unhindered across borders and traverse the legal world like ghosts who disappear as quickly as these so-called special purpose vehicles can be shut down. Principles of Corporate Governance. But there is hardly a country in the region from the former Yugoslavia to Russia and beyond where Cyprus-based companies were not involved in huge, rigged privatisation scandals. Governments requiring offshore companies operating in a country to identify their true beneficial ownership would also greatly reduce the space in which criminals can work and increase the costs they incur. By 2003, the United Nations Convention against Corruption (uncac) now ratified by 178 countries outlined a solid framework of anti- corruption laws (unodc 2015). Paul Simon wrote about this a long time ago in The Sound of Silence: Fool, said I, you do not know. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (oecd) Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions can be invoked in this effort (oecd 1997). This persistence is not a matter of chance. 9.5 Corruption, procurement and reform There is no quick fix to end this type of systemic corruption.


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Latino Dallas Police Union Calls for Removal of Chief U. Renee Hall
Other police unions refuse to join call for chief's replacement
By Ken Kalthoff	• Published June 12, 2019 • Updated on June 13, 2019 at 2:32 pm
A Dallas police union Wednesday called for the removal of Police Chief U. Renee Hall after a survey of members gave her an 83% 'no confidence' vote.
National Latino Law Enforcement Organization Dallas Chapter President George Aranda said Hall is 'incompetent and over her head.'
"We need to go in a new direction before this summer really takes into play. We need a new crime fighter here," Aranda said.
He cited numerous complaints about Hall's leadership, including the demotion of experienced rivals who initially competed for Hall's job, the recent rise in violent crime and disbanding the vice unit for about a year.
Aranda said 18 members of the vice unit were never charged with wrongdoing.
"Their careers were ruined. They were called criminals. Their files were secretly sent to the DA's office," Aranda said.
Aranda also said the current spike in murder and other crime has not received sufficient action.
"She fails to listen to our rank and file. She doesn't want to take any advice from the organizations. We're the pulse of the police department," Aranda said.
The Black Police Association of Greater Dallas President Terrance Hopkins said his members have made no request to remove Hall.
"I think her leadership is exactly where it needs to be," Hopkins said.
He supported Hall's handling of questions about conduct of the Vice Unit and demotion of some commanders who were in place when she arrived.
"Dallas has always been known as a top heavy command staff department, so some of those things had to be done," Hopkins said.
The Black Police Association leader said Hall can't be blamed for problems that preceded her, like the shortage of manpower.
The leader of the largest police union, the Dallas Police Association, refused to go along with the NLLEO leader's call for Hall's replacement. But DPA President Mike Mata issued a statement saying the new Mayor and City Council should review Hall's performance.
"The DPA believes that all Dallas Officers should be held accountable by their job performance. Chief Hall will be graded by her results on how she has lowered crime and protected the citizens of Dallas. If she fails to do those critical things, I believe the City Council will take appropriate steps to get a leader in Dallas that can," Mata's statement said.
A group of community activists with the Next Generation Action Network held a press conference at Police Headquarters Wednesday afternoon to support the chief and denounce the NLLEO.
"Police union's don't tell the citizens and the taxpayers who can be their top cop," NextGen leader Dominique Alexander said.
NextGen member Earnest Walker said Hall has supported reforms in the police department and she deserves support in return.
"Chief Hall has been open to working with the community. I believe it's an attack and a racist attack," Walker said.
Aranda said his union is evenly split among Latino, black and white members and his concerns have nothing to do with race.
Dallas City Manager T.C. Broadnax, who hires and fires the police chief, issued the following statement Wednesday:
"I am confident that Chief Hall and the dedicated officers of the Dallas Police Department are focused and committed to ensuring that the safety of our residents is a top priority.
Chief Hall's strategic approach to restructuring DPD has helped maximize resources and align the department to be more responsive to the needs of our community. Through her leadership, Chief Hall has worked to improve efficiencies within the department, provide high quality service to every Dallas resident, enhance the department's community engagement and outreach efforts, and address crime more proactively.
As I have previously shared, Chief Hall has my continued support, and I have full confidence in her ability to continue leading the department."
DallasMAYORDallas Police DepartmentleaderCity Council


text:
To this blog, that is.
Commenting on my previous post about yet another monstrous increase in ministers' salaries, a reader wrote:
"You can debate, go on and on.... Does it make an inch of difference what will happen?
Many of us wish for a more equitable society... possibly a consequence of years of reciting the national pledge.
That is but a wish and unless your 'fair'y appears and grants your wish, time spent wishing is time wasted.
Focus on things that are within your circle of influence. This will hopefully expand the range of choices available."
Yes, I do grow a little tired. In a sense - I give up. I need a change. So does this blog.
I am going to adopt a new thematic focus. This blog is usually devoted to analysing social trends, current affairs and the latest ways the government is messing things up. However, from now on, I will be much more practical.
I will be blogging my thoughts on about how the average Singaporean can survive, and thrive, and manoeuvre his way into a better life for himself - taking into account social trends, current affairs and the latest ways the government is messing things up.
In other words, I am going to write about what the average Singaporean can do, within his own circle of influence.
I haven't figured out all the details yet, but you get the general sense of where I'm going. Hope we all have fun. Look forward to all your comments on my future posts, as usual.
Sweet Talking
I was on holiday late last week, with no Internet access. When I came back, I learned that the PAP ministers had raised their salaries again.
Well, this was no surprise. Months ago, SM Goh had already dropped hints that the salary increase was on its way. So now, their salaries are not only the world's highest ministerial salaries, but the world's highest ministerial salaries by far.
Eat your heart out, George Bush.
I still haven't caught up with all the details. I've just been quickly browsing articles via the Intelligent Singaporean on this matter. MM Lee's age is showing - he spouts little bits of strange nonsense like this:
"Low salaries will draw in the hypocrites who sweet talk their way into power in the name of public service, but once in charge will show their true colour, and ruin the country."
This is an illogical statement. One may just as well assert: "High salaries will draw in the hypocrites who sweet talk their way into power in the name of public services ...". Surely high salaries have greater ability than low salaries to attract hypocrites.
In fact, both statements are untrue. In Singapore, most ministers do not need to "sweet-talk their way into power in the name of public service". They just need to be picked by MM Lee, to be minister. That's the tough part. The easy part is getting into Parliament - that's usually done by election walkover.
Anyway, I wonder how the founding fathers of Singapore, like Goh Keng Swee or S Rajaratnam, would feel about MM Lee's remark. Really insulted, I guess.
Back in those days, ministerial salaries were low, far lower than now. There was no such thing as pegging ministers' salaries to the absolute top earners in the private sector. But were Goh and Rajaratnam really "hypocrites who sweet-talked their way into power in the name of public service"?
Globalisation At Work
Just started work at my new organisation (a bank). I learned something quite interesting during the orientation programme.
The HR department has a special service to help foreign employees in Singapore process their PR applications. However, that HR service has been outsourced to the global processing centre in Mumbai.
In other words, the administrative work of getting PR status for foreign employees in Singapore is now being handled by people in India.
We learn a few interesting things here. Firstly, this bank employs so many foreigners in Singapore that it's worth the trouble of setting up special support and administrative services for them.
Secondly, so many of the foreign employees end up applying for PR status that the HR department finds it cost-efficient to set up a special service to help them do it.
Thirdly, outsourcing has become so extensive that even such a highly local process as PR applications in Singapore has been outsourced to India. In other words, the bank does not hire any secretary, clerk or admin officer in Singapore to do the necessary paperwork. It's cheaper to get someone in India to do it.
Just A Little Cartoon
... to go with my recent post.
The Hungry Island
In early February, the Singapore government announced its plans to eventually support and sustain 6.5 million people on our little island. Right now we're already the 2nd most crowded country in the world.
Blogger Alex Au (aka Yawning Bread) was not too concerned about this. In his analysis, he considered three broad areas - housing, transport and leisure. Alex gave examples of how it could or would be possible to create adequate space in Singapore for 6.5 million people. For example, build taller flats; build more train lines; build more linkways between buildings; build taller shopping centres and cineplexes.
All his suggestions share one common element - build. Perhaps that's what has recently terrified Indonesia. Construction requires concrete, and concrete requires sand, and Singapore has little of its own. So we must get what we need from our neighbours.
According to the Times article below, in 1965 Singapore was 581 sq km (224 sq miles); but by 2007, it had grown to 650 sq km and also plans to acquire another 100 sq km in the next 30 years. Furthermore it is not merely that our surface area is expanding; we are also building underground (eg more and more MRT lines) and upwards (taller and taller buildings) and all these activities require natural resources.
When we see things in this light, we may begin to realise that Indonesia may have genuine environmental concerns about Singapore grabbing its sand. Sometimes we may be overly inclined to think of Singapore as the poor whipping boy of its big, nasty neighbours. We might also see the recent sand ban as Singapore's latest whipping. But if you were Indonesia, wouldn't it be legitimate for you to be a little concerned about your vanishing islands?
TIMES March 17, 2007
Singapore accused of land grab as islands disappear by boatload
Richard Lloyd Parry, Asia Editor
With more than 17,000 islands — from the jungly expanses of Borneo and Sumatra to unnamed rocks jutting out of the sea — you may think that Indonesia would not mind if a few of them went missing. But the huge South-East Asian nation has become caught up in a furious dispute with Singapore, its tiny neighbour, which is accused of literally making off with its territory.
Indonesia has banned the export of sand and imposed strict controls on shipments of gravel, after fears that its islands were being loaded on to ships and carried away to Singapore. In its thirst for building materials and landfill to reclaim new territory from the sea, Indonesians allege, Singapore has been stealing the land beneath their feet.
The dispute reached a climax this week after 24 tugs and barges, carrying granite chips, were intercepted by the Indonesian authorities as they sailed home to Singapore. Jakarta announced that future exports would be allowed only if the granite could be certified as environmentally friendly.
Since Indonesia announced its ban on sand in February, the price of a cubic metre of it has increased more than seven times, from S$6.5 (£2.18) to S$50. The Indonesian Navy has mobilised 18 ships to intercept gravel pirates and sand bandits.
"Some of these islands are reduced to islets, and could even disappear below the surface," Hendropriyono, Indonesia's former intelligence chief, has said. "This could theoretically lead to a cartographic zero-sum game in which Singapore's gain could be at Indonesia's territorial loss."
Relations between Singapore and its neighbours have been tense since the city state became independent from Malaysia in 1965, and disagreements often arise over natural resources. The Singaporean achievement was to create an affluent, highly educated society in a swampy, jungly, malarial island with a population of 4.5 million people at the tip of the Malaysian peninsula.
Singapore's reliance on its neighbours gives them powerful leverage over it — in the past Malaysia, with whom relations are particularly prickly, has threatened to cut off water supplies across the Straits of Johor. But the sand sanctions are equally threatening.
After years of stagnation, Singapore is undergoing a construction boom, with an increased demand for sand for the manufacture of concrete. The island also has long-term plans to ease its overcrowding by reclaiming land from the sea.
At independence, Singapore was 581 sq km (224 sq miles); now it is 650 sq km and plans to acquire another 100 sq km in the next 30 years. It gets through 1.5 billion cubic metres (2 billion cubic yards) of dredged silica a year — 333 cubic metres for each man, woman and child. The Government has been forced to draw on its strategic sand reserve, which Singapore hoards as other nations keep stocks of oil and food.
There may be more to Indonesia's position than a sudden rush of environmental conscientiousness. If Indonesia really does lose islands, it also risks losing the rights to the ocean surrounding them. "The Convention on the Law of the Sea dictates that national territory is traced according to the coastal base line, and if islands near Singapore disappear, then the base line is pulled closer to the mainland," says Mr Hendropriyono. "As it now stands, Singapore is only 20 kilometres from Nipah island, which has been especially eroded by the loss of sand."
One for Mr Wang's Files
Not much to say about this topic that I haven't already said before. I'm just preserving the excerpt below, from a STAR article, for my own records:
NS Rumblings on the Rise
By Seah Chiang Nee
...... With Singaporeans facing growing competition from foreign workers, however, national service has become a strain when bosses pass them over in favour of permanent residents (PRs) because of their "cumbersome" reservist duties.
Singaporean employers who have gone through it are generally more ready to employ reservists, but foreign companies often feel no such responsibility.
They often turn away locals who are still doing reservist duty, preferring to hire foreigners or PRs, who are free of the obligation.
An average of 30,000 foreigners (2006: 57,000) and PRs are accepted every year, and they are not required to serve military service.
This anomaly is causing rumblings among NS men who feel – quite rightly – that the system reduces their ability to compete in the workplace.
Recently, a fresh Singaporean 26-year-old graduate related his interview at a foreign-owned fabrication plant here.
The first question the Taiwanese manager asked him was: "I see you are a Singaporean. Do you need to go back to serve NS every year?"
When he replied that he had to report back for in-camp training every year, the manager reacted negatively, observing that reservists who failed fitness tests would need to train until they passed.
He also mentioned frequent absence of employees who had to attend occasional military meetings, which disrupted workflow.
"If every Singaporean needs to do all this, then I'd rather not hire you all then. Every year you all have to take long periods of absence for NS and no work is done," he added.
The Singaporean didn't get the job.
"Singaporean males are going to suffer from this influx of foreign talents. We don't have an even ground to compete on!" he complained.
The government appealed to employers not to discriminate against reservists, but it in many cases, it has fallen on deaf ears.
The logic of appeals borders on the absurd, remarked a blogger.
"Why should a business entity which has to earn a profit for shareholders support an obligation imposed on Singaporean males?"
Muslims don't drink alcohol. Hindus don't eat beef. However, in Singapore, they don't try to prohibit non-Muslims or non-Hindus from consuming alcohol or beef. Why?
Because the freedom of religion exists in Singapore. The first aspect of this freedom is that each of us is free to practise our own faith. The second aspect, which follows logically, is that we shouldn't impose our own faith on others.
Just as we worship the gods of our own choice, so too should others be permitted to worship the gods of their own choice. Similarly if you choose not to drink alcohol or not to eat pork, that's fine - but you shouldn't stop others from doing so. Especially if they don't share your religion.
Mutual respect and tolerance is the basic principle on which an inter-religious society like Singapore can hold itself together, in relative harmony.
Recently I learned from Yawning Bread's blog that the National Council of Churches of Singapore is seeking to criminalise lesbianism. I find this disturbing. I sense a potential threat to the freedom of religion in Singapore.
If church leaders merely stood up in their own churches and preached to their own congregations "It is wrong to be lesbian", I would not feel so disturbed. For those who believed such a statement, I would feel a little sorry, but it is ultimately their own church. Within their own church, they should have the freedom to do what they like, as long as they don't impose their beliefs on others.
But now the NCCS is advocating the criminalisation of lesbianism in Singapore. The NCCS considers lesbianism to be "abhorrent and deviant", and wants to make it an offence for any lesbian, to be lesbian. They want such a law to apply to all female Singaporeans, whether they are Christians or not.
That is disturbing. Very disturbing.
On Life, Work & Study
ST March 15, 2007
Kids, it's your life, so plan for it
Kai-Alexander Schlevogt
OPEN houses showcase not only the host but also his guests. University fairs therefore are a crystal ball on the nation's future.
Two student archetypes dominate: the specialist and the existentialist. Members of the first category know exactly what they want. Without taking note of anything else, these youngsters dash to the business faculty's booth. They ask the delighted officer to admit them to a BBA in accountancy and extra courses in derivatives.
In contrast, the existentialist, clueless about his future, wanders around until some staff member grabs him. To appear less awkward, he mumbles a supposedly intelligent question, such as: 'What exactly is business?'
Both approaches to career planning are problematic in view of the national objective to raise innovativeness and job satisfaction. They lead either to premature closure or endless drifting. It is therefore imperative for students to take corrective measures at an early stage. They need to be supported by those who have a stake in their future, including parents, politicians and educators.
Students should start with the end and reason backwards to what needs to be done now. They need to plan their lives, not only their careers.
An effective approach is to write an imaginary newspaper article to be published on their 100th birthday, outlining their legacy. Instead of striving for specific titles ('I want to become prime minister'), they should develop a broad and noble purpose that makes them feel passionate and will outlast them. On their life journey, they need to step back often and assess their progress.
Even with broad aspirations in place, students should strike a balance between specialisation and openness. If they choose the wrong slot at an early stage, job satisfaction will plummet.
I recommend building a portfolio of options. When some roads to the destination become blocked, there will be alternative routes. So even if a student is passionate about accounting, he may consider studying other subjects first and specialise later.
Such flexibility contrasts with the early pragmatism of many Asian parents. They want their children to become bankers because of the high earning potential.
Oh, what a coincidence. It so happens that Mr Wang is just about to become an investment banker. This is quite a big change for Mr Wang. For the first time in his career, Mr Wang will not be working as a lawyer.
Yet the change is not as big as it may appear. You see, Mr Wang is currently an investment banking lawyer. So now he's going to cross over the legal side, into the business side. From investment banking lawyer, to investment banker. There will be many new things to learn, but it won't be completely alien territory.
Kai-Alexander, in his article, talks about building a portfolio of options. In my opinion, this is good advice. Keeping your options open is a good strategy because the future is constantly in flux. Ideally you should position yourself such that the possibility of taking alternative routes stays open to you.
My best single piece of advice for young Singaporeans is that you must never stop learning. It sounds cliched and you've heard it many times before, but it's true.
Personally, I review and update my resume every six months, even when I have no intention of changing jobs at all. I do this to check on my learning progress. If after any six-month period I have nothing new to add into my resume, then I know I am in danger of stagnating.
Bear in mind most people spend the greatest part of their life working. How terrible must it feel to drag yourself to work every day, longing for the evening when you can pursue hobbies with great enthusiasm? It is far better to use one's energies on the job. Money will not pour in by itself if you do not work for it.
Second, students should think about how they can rise above the noise level by acquiring distinctive competencies. Take a consulting firm like McKinsey & Co, the ultimate dream for many graduates. Every year, thousands of students with similar academic qualifications apply, but only a few are chosen.
Recruiters look for what is truly special about an applicant's life story. The educational system rewards examination performance, but students need to step out of this narrow box to succeed in life.
How about founding a pioneering company while studying? Why not learn at least five world languages? These objectives seem a tall order given academic pressures. But smart multi-tasking can help to alleviate the workload.
For example, more students should study and work abroad. Instead of defaulting to the United States, they may want to consider Europe, which is winning the soft power contest and offers more diversity. By going abroad, they can pick up a foreign language as easily as an infant acquires his mother tongue.
The key point here is "acquiring distinctive competencies". I've seen the resumes, and I know the track records, of some young outstanding Singaporeans. Indeed it's not just about grades - it's also about the distinctive competencies.
The problem with the strategy of "acquiring distinctive competencies" is that in the context of prevailiing Singapore culture, it may degenerate into a "pick the best CCA" strategy - for example, the one that looks most pleasing on a scholarship application form.
The word "distinctive" is likely to be forgotten, in the drive to "acquire distinctive competencies". One example is how large numbers of Singaporean parents used to (or still do) foist piano lessons on their children. This is fine, if the children happen to have an interest in music. It is not fine if the children have no such interest or aptitude, and hate having to take their piano exams. It just becomes a shameful waste of time and effort.
People start to develop truly distinctive competencies when they are permitted to be individuals, and to pursue their own interests. See my earlier post, about respecting your own unique strengths.
US Soldier States the Bleeding Obvious
An article from TODAY.
US soldier takes potshots at SAF
Mindef responds to criticism over inexperienced scholars, soft soldiers, status of Malays
Monday • March 12, 2007
Loh Chee Kong
cheekong@mediacorp.com.sg
ARE Singapore's top military commanders too young and inexperienced?
Are they fast-tracked to the upper echelons because of their scholar credentials, while more experienced non-scholars or "farmers" — as they have been unceremoniously labelled — toil in vain?
Are soldiers here soft because of the emphasis on safety during training at the expense of realism?
And do officers lack professionalism and commitment because mandatory retirement at 45 means many see their time in uniform "as a stepping stone" to a second career in politics or business.
These questions, and several others, are the subject of a critique of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) published in United States-based journal Armed Forces & Society. The quarterly circulates some 2000 copies worldwide.
I can't help laughing. It's so funny, the way these questions are being asked - as if everyone didn't already know the answers.
Regarding Question 4, I was just accosted by an ex-SAF major two months ago who wanted to sell me insurance. I ended up giving him some advice on how to structure his own investments.
The article, which has made its rounds in Singapore and created a stir among the uniformed ranks, was written by an American soldier Sean Walsh, who was stationed at the United States Embassy in Singapore for several weeks in 2004, during his summer break from the US Military Academy.
In the article, The Roar of the Lion City, the writer also claimed that women have been held back from holding high posts in the SAF, and that there is a policy to keep Malays out of sensitive areas.
Despite his criticism of the SAF, Mr Walsh, who graduated from the US Army Ranger School, concluded his article by saying "there can be no doubt that the SAF is the most competent, well-equipped and best trained force in the whole of South-east Asia" — a claim the SAF itself has not made.
He also admitted that the SAF was "more than capable" of defending Singapore's borders, conducting peacekeeping missions and dealing with asymmetric threats in the wake of 911. It possessed a "world-class" special operations force which would not require outside assistance, he noted.
So, why the paradoxical praise and criticism of the SAF?
Umm, because the angmo was being fair, reasonable and truthful?
But once again, let's not get confused. The man wasn't actually saying anything new. For many years, Jane's Defence has consistently held the view that the SAF is the top military force in South-east Asia.
I wonder if this is even surprising. Singapore is the richest country in South-east Asia; it spends the most money on defence, and it is the only country with conscription.
(Malaysia doesn't count. They started only in December 2003, and only called up 85,000 youths, out of the roughly 450,000 youths born in 1986).
Mr Walsh, who is deployed in Germany, could not be contacted, but in his article he pointed to the age of SAF's top commanders — such as Brigadier-General Desmond Quek, who was 39 when he was promoted to the post of Army Chief — and concluded that "youth naturally corresponds to inexperience" and this "casts obvious doubts on their ability to lead in a conflict against battle-hardened troops".
However, responding to queries from Today, Col Benedict Lim, director of public affairs at the Ministry of Defence (Mindef), said: "The SAF does not seek out wars but will not flinch from putting its soldiers into harm's way to fulfil its primary mission of protecting the vital interests of our country."
He also pointed out that the SAF carries out about 70 exercises annually with other countries' armed forces, some of which have considerable combat experience, and has been praised for its professionalism. The SAF has also carried out humanitarian missions, for example during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans.
Defence analyst Dr Alvin Chew told Today that the debate centred on Singapore's defence policy, which is based on diplomacy and deterrence. As such, the relative youthfulness of SAF officers, who are groomed in building bilateral or multi-lateral relationships with foreign militaries, was not a major drawback.
Watch the next few valiant attempts to defend the status quo:
Also, given that fighting a war is not the Republic's most pressing concern, defence analyst Dr Bernard Loo said that early retirement meant that the SAF's best and brightest could be deployed for "broader or higher national purposes — whether it is in running the economy, or running the Government".
Where the SAF's best and brightest will no doubt do a great job, since they have highly relevant experience. After all, operating a submarine is exactly the same as managing a bank or running a statutory board.
Hahahaaa.
I skip to the next interesting part, about the Malays in the military.
Perhaps the most controversial claim by the US soldier was that "official discrimination against the Malay population remains an open secret" and those of the race are "systematically kept out" of sensitive areas.
I don't see why this is a "controversial" claim. It isn't even an "open secret" - it's not a secret at all. If I recall correctly, years ago, Lee Kuan Yew himself had publicly spoken about this matter; I'll try to dig that up. The rationale is that there are concerns about where the allegiance of Malay SAF men would lie, in the event of any conflict with our Muslim neighbours.
Whether you agree or disagree with the policy, is a different question from whether the policy exists. I think it is quite clear that the policy exists (or had existed). However, the extent and degree to which it has been implemented may have changed. During my time, it was rather obvious that a disproportionately high percentage of Malays were sent to the Singapore Civil Defence Force, and not to the SAF at all.
Notice that Col Lim, as quoted below, also refers to "the challenges of building ethnic and religious harmony in Singapore" and says that "integration in the SAF would proceed in tandem with nation-building".
Mr Walsh claims that this has two major consequences: It "limits the involvement of the ethnic group most inclined to join the military" and it feeds the "perception of a second-class status among Malays, a fact which terrorist recruiters have taken advantage of before, and they may do so again" — referring to the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI) members arrested in Singapore for plotting terrorist attacks.
Addressing this charge, Col Lim said: "The writer's prescription for ethnic integration in the SAF seriously underestimates the challenges of building ethnic and religious harmony in Singapore.
"Singapore has made much progress in ethnic and religious integration. Singapore does not gloss over the fact that there is yet more to be done and addresses these challenges directly and openly."
Stressing that integration in the SAF would proceed in tandem with nation-building, Col Lim added that there are a good number of Malay SAF officers, some with higher degrees, whose studies were sponsored by the SAF, and whether a Malay SAF officer makes it to a higher appointment depends solely on merit.
In fact, Malay officers have risen through the ranks and held senior appointments.
"We have Malay pilots, commandos and air defence personnel. Those who have shown the potential to take on higher appointments in the SAF are given every opportunity to do so. Malay officers in the SAF hold key appointments such as Commanding Officer," said Col Lim.
"In fact, the proportion of eligible Malays selected for specialist and officer training is similar to the proportion for eligible non-Malays."
Personally, I have always felt that the discrimination issue is not such a big deal. The simple reason is that the Singapore Armed Forces is a conscript army. The vast majority of people in the SAF are not there by choice. They are forced to be there.
Most NSmen just want to serve their time and get out, in the least painful way possible. If the colour of your skin excludes you from the "siong" (tough) vocations in the SAF, then this is not necessarily a bad thing. Personally (and I stress that this is my personal view), if I were Malay, I would be quite pleased if there were an official policy that kept me out of places like Hendon Camp, or Guards or Singapore Combat Engineers.
Also, remember this - SAF officers have 10 extra years of reservist duties! I'd rather not, thank you very much.
Just came across an Albert Einstein quote in a book yesterday. Thought I'd share:
"Everybody is a genius. But, if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will spend its whole life believing that it is stupid."
I post this, because it makes a neat point about the preceding post (see below).
So remember folks, you're not stupid just because you weren't good at what Singapore judges you by. That applies to your Chinese Language grade too.
Psychometrics at Work
How interesting.
Business Times - 05 Mar 2007
Psychometrics picking up steam among firms
Some use the tests to ensure candidates fit their corporate culture
By OH BOON PING
FEW local organisations now use psychometric tests to recruit staff - but that could change.
'I believe it will slowly pick up among smaller firms,' says GMP Group chief executive Annie Yap. 'Plus, firms are trying to cut down on the number of wrong hires, which can be quite costly. A psychometric test can help reduce that.'
Similarly, Alex Lee, general manager of SHL Group, which administers psychometric tests, says Singapore companies that have expanded overseas have grown more aware of psychometric techniques.
The tests are said to measure a candidate's suitability for a job by assessing their personality traits and other qualities. Some companies use the tests to ensure candidates fit their corporate culture and have the aptitude to succeed.
According to both consultants, the tests are generally used by bigger companies like multinationals, which adopt a scientific approach to recruitment.
'These big corporations often look for certain personality traits and emotional quotient, besides educational qualifications and experience,' says Ms Yap.
GMP says the tests can pick up traits such as leadership qualities, which are crucial for strategic roles. The company has been using psychometrics tests for the past decade and found them a useful supplement to interviews and other screening. Other organisations known to have used psychometrics for recruitment include the civil service and big names like DHL International.
I previously took one of these psychometric tests. My then-employer did not use these tests to screen potential hires. Instead the tests were used to identify the strengths of all senior managers and all high-potential employees.
The test we took was the Gallup Strengthsfinder. I really like the underlying philosophy of this system. Its whole idea is to focus on the person's strengths, and not his weaknesses.
Gallup's extensive research on highly successful people had led to the following conclusion. Highly successful people do not become highly successful by overcoming their natural weaknesses. Instead they become highly successful by developing their natural strengths.
For example, Beethoven was successful not because he was good in sports, but because he was great in music. Maradona was successful not because he was good in music, but because he was great in sports.
Going by Gallup's philosophy, what should we do if we had a young Beethoven and a young Maradona today? We should encourage the Beethoven to pursue music, and the Maradona to pursue sports. Sounds rather obvious, actually.
However, in Singapore, the problem is that we would penalise both Beethoven and Maradona, for being bad in Chinese. Next, we would send them into NS to be riflemen. After that, we would make them study life sciences, to support the government's latest economic drive.
Anyway, back to Gallup. For organisations, the correct strategy is firstly to identify the natural strengths of their key employees. Secondly, you encourage them to be aware of their strengths and develop them. Thirdly, you move them into positions, roles and projects where they have maximum opportunities to use their natural strengths.
I still remember my psychometric results. My top five themes were Intellection, Achiever, Strategic, Ideation and Learner. In brief, I think deep; deliver results; strategise well; produce creative ideas; and absorb new concepts like a sponge. My psychologist remarked that these are ideal traits for a future CEO in a dynamic, innovation-driven industry. Heheh.
Every individual has different strengths. For example if your top five themes were Command, Discipline, Strategic, Responsibility and Competition, you would have the natural makings of a great military leader. (War would be the ultimate competitive situation).
Why The Arts Cannot Flourish in Singapore
ST Feb 28, 2007
Nude art? Not in public area
By Adeline Chia
AN ART gallery has been told it cannot display a 4m-high painting of a nude woman in the public atrium of a government building.
SooBin Art Gallery had wanted to showcase the US$60,000 (S$91,500) oil painting in the atrium of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (Mica) building in Hill Street. It is part of an exhibition in the gallery, located in the building's ground floor.
But Mica said that the work can be displayed only in such a way that the public does not have ready access to it.
A Mica spokesman said the painting was not banned. But, as the building's landlord, it had to comply with the Media Development Authority's guidelines.
The guidelines state that nude or erotic artworks 'should not be displayed in venues which are easily accessible to general audiences, including children and youths'. She added that the atrium was a public area and display materials 'should not offend general standards of taste and decency'.
The painting was on display briefly last night during the opening reception for invited guests. But later, it was turned to face the wall. SooBin will show it to interested buyers.
The painting shows a model, covered in soap suds against a black backdrop, with a parrot flying over her head.
It is the centrepiece of a month-long exhibition by Beijing artist Chen Xi, 38. There are four other nudes among the 29 works on show in the gallery.
The artist told The Straits Times last night: 'The painting celebrates independence and freedom. It is a wholesome message that carries no sexual connotations.'
Gallery owner Chua Soo Bin, 76, said he cannot display the work in his shop as the ceiling is too low, and is disappointed the authorities would not give permission. But Mr T.J. Lim, 60, a photographer who was passing by, said: 'Older people may be uncomfortable with it as this is a woman without clothes. It might not be good for children passing by as it may affect their studies.'
That last bit - "it may affect their studies" - is really hilarious. Okay, folks, get ready, Mr Wang is now going to affect your studies. Enjoy:
Hey Look! ST Journalist Criticising the PAP
Why PAP MPs should go beyond cheerleading
By DEPUTY POLITICAL EDITOR, Chua Mui Hoong
WHAT is the role of a People's Action Party MP in a PAP-dominated Parliament?
The question came to mind yesterday, as yet another PAP MP rose to his or her feet to sing the praises of this Budget and this Government, for the second day running.
Mr Wee Siew Kim called Budget 2007 generous and forward-looking. Dr Fatimah Lateef declared that nowhere else in the world would anyone find a Budget so full of 'love' and 'compassion'.
Is the PAP MP's role to be a cheerleader for the Government? Maybe part of his role is to spout and defend the rhetoric of the excellence of the PAP government. This, after all, is a democracy with competitive political parties vying for votes.
But too much self-praise by the PAP is off-putting, even if Budget 2007 has won deserved accolades, even from non-partisan observers, for boldness and generosity.


text:
LPN to BSN Programs in Louisiana
LPN to BSN
There are 8 nursing schools in Louisiana that provide LPN to BSN program. We gathered some key information about each school to help you learn more about the schools' characteristics and the programs they provide.
Where applicable we also list weighted average NCLEX pass rate of the students who attended the schools in the last 3 years.
Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University
RN: 89.00%
Our Lady of the Lake College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana is a private college. The college was founded in 1923 as a school of nursing and is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church. In 1998, the college received the authority to offer baccalaureate degrees. Master's degrees were offered starting in 2005, while doctoral degrees were offered starting in 2015. In 2016, the college was ...
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans
Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans is a public institution in New Orleans, Louisiana with both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The university has an open admission/open enrollment policy with a minimum of a high school diploma or GED. It is also home to six different schools, including a School of Nursing. The university has a very low student to faculty ...
McNeese State University
Nicholls State University
Northwestern State University of Louisiana
Natchitoches, LA
Southeastern Louisiana University (SLU) is a public institution in Hammond, Louisiana. It was founded in 1925 and classes were originally taught in Hammond High School. The campus was eventually moved to the north side of the city in 1928 and was renamed Southeastern Louisiana University. After achieving university status, the university received its current name in 1970. SLU now enrolls over ...
University of Holy Cross
University of Louisiana at Monroe
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text:
The Westminster Palace...
The Westminster Palace competitions
in Images of the army
The Palace of Westminster competition was significant in the history of British battle painting. French battle painting was very much in the minds of British painters and critics during the period of the Westminster project. The three painters, Sir William Allan, Thomas Sidney Cooper and Edward Armitage, are considered individually, since their career patterns and choice of pictoral sources indicate the range of practitioners of the battle painting genre in the early 1840s. The reviews of their pictures suggest that the Westminster Hall competition should be considered in the context of the continuing dispute about the existence and nature of the 'English school'. The only battle picture to win a premium in the Westminster Hall competition was perceived by many critics to belong to the tradition of history painting.
Images of the army
The military in British art, 1815-1914
Editor: J.W.M. Hichberger
Art, Architecture and Visual Culture
army art; battle painting; Britain's moral superiority; contemporary military history; English art; engraving; French military art; hero-worship; military art; military themes; photography; political history; public attitudes; ruling-class ideologies; Waterloo battle
Series: Studies in Imperialism
Author: Tania Anne Woloshyn


International friendlies – Follow the Football match between Belarus and Hungary live with Eurosport. The match starts at 18:00 on 6 June 2018. Our live coverage lets you follow all the key moments as they happen.


Few investors know that Aura Energy ASX:AEE one of Australia's listed micro-caps (Mkt cap ~ $6m AUD) owns one of the world's largest undeveloped uranium assets in a uranium mining friendly precinct.
Investment Comment: A re-rating of AEE is expected as key technical and permitting milestones at Reguibat are achieved – Scoping Study expected June '14, and potentially a feasibility study 2H15, coinciding with an anticipated turnaround in the uranium price. We have a 12 month target price of $0.14/share ($27m). Mauritania is supportive of foreign investment, particularly in the extractive industries (oil, gas and minerals) and is attracting significant mining investment. The enormous Häggån project represents a free option – it is well positioned to deliver considerable value longer term as its scale and low cost position have potential to make it a world class uranium project. Click here for the full (free) pdf. report.


text:
"""
Copyright 2017 ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Systems Science

author: Paola Petrelli <paola.petrelli@utas.edu.au>

Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
You may obtain a copy of the License at

    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0

Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
limitations under the License.
"""

from __future__ import print_function, absolute_import

import argparse
import sys
from siphon.catalog import TDSCatalog
from siphon.ncss import NCSS
from MFQuery.MF.helpers import *
import MFQuery.MF.MF as MF
from MFQuery.MF.ncss_subset import ncss_subset
# import the dictionaries describing the metadata associated with the directory structure and the experiment
from MFQuery.data import wath_meta

def parse_input():
    """
    :return: parsed input
    """
    parser = argparse.ArgumentParser(description=r''' Query the Weather@Home collection
             on the TPAC mediaflux server, matching the constraints
             passed as arguments.
             The script prints a summary of the search results, then gives an option to choose between
             the following outputs:
             -- the opendap urls of the search results in a file
             -- the netcdf subset service urls of the search results in a file
             -- donwload the simulations to the current directory
             -- a python list with the simulations opendap urls (if used in interactive mode)
             The arguments year, sst and ..  can be repeated, for
            example to select two sst-model:
            -m HadGEM2-ES MMM          NB (MMM is the MultiModel Mean)
            At least one experiment/year should be passed all other arguments are optional.
            The script returns all the ensembles satifying the constraints
            [year1 OR year2 OR ..] AND [GHG True] AND [sst-model1 OR sst-model2 OR ...]
            AND [ALL-forcing]
            If a constraint isn't specified for one of the fields automatically all values
            for that field will be selected.
               ''', formatter_class=argparse.RawTextHelpFormatter)
    parser.add_argument('-y', '--year', type=str, nargs="*", help='Year indicating experiment', required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-s', '--sst', type=str, nargs="*", help='CMIP5 model used to calculate delta-sst' +
                                                                 ' Can be "None"', required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-f', '--forcing', type=str, help='NAT or ALL forcing', required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-m', '--meta', type=str, nargs="*",
                        help='''generic metadata argument: -m/--meta argument-name argument value
                        for a full list of available metadata use the -pm flag''', required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-d', '--download', help='download files returned by query', action='store_true',
                        required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-p', '--download_path', type=str, help='Define local path where to download files,' +
                                                                'if not defined will use current path', required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-o', '--opendap', help='print thredds opendap urls for files returned by query',
                        action='store_true', required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-n', '--ncss', help='print thredds netcdf subset service urls for files returned by query',
                        action='store_true', required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-v', '--variable', type=str, nargs="*", help='variable', required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-k', '--output_kind', type=str, nargs="*", help='pcl, pdl or pel', required=False)
    parser.add_argument('-pm', '--print_meta', help='print metadata documents and exit', required=False,
                        action='store_true')
    #parser.add_argument('-a', '--admin', action='store_true', help='running script as admin', required=False)
    args = parser.parse_args()
    print(args)
    if not args.print_meta and args.year is None:
        parser.error('Argument year  -y/--year is required to query the data')
    else:
        return vars(args)

def assign_constraints():
    """
    :return: kwargs: query arguments
    :return: outargs: output arguments
    """
    kwargs = parse_input()
    print(kwargs)
    # if print_meta option True print metadata definitions and exit
    if kwargs.pop('print_meta'):
        print_meta(wath_meta)
        sys.exit()
    #admin = kwargs.pop("admin")
    out_args, kwargs = output_args(kwargs)
    # build separate boolean arguments from meta option
    extra_args = meta_arguments(kwargs.pop("meta"), wath_meta)
    kwargs.update(extra_args)
    # if sst and year have only one value convert list to string
    for k in ['sst', 'year']:
        if len(kwargs[k]) == 1:
            kwargs[k] = kwargs[k][0]
        # copy remaining arguments and eliminate the ones which are empty or None
    for k, v in list(kwargs.items()):
        if v is None or v == []:
            kwargs.pop(k)
    return kwargs, out_args

def output_args(kwargs):
    """
     :param kwargs: input parameters
     :return: args: dictionary of arguments related to output format
     :return: kwargs: dictionary of remaining arguments relating to query
    """
    args = {'opendap': kwargs.pop("opendap"), 'ncss': kwargs.pop("ncss"), 'variable': kwargs.pop("variable"),
            'output_kind': kwargs.pop("output_kind"), 'download': kwargs.pop("download"),
            'download_path': kwargs.pop("download_path")}
    return args, kwargs

def build_query(kwargs):
    """
     :param kwargs: input arguments for query
     :return: string defining query
    """
    print(kwargs)
    query = '''asset.query :where "namespace>='/WatH-Test/model_output2/' and '''
    # define MF metadata namespace containing metadata documents
    namespace = "weather_at_home"
    for k, v in kwargs.items():
        meta_doc = wath_meta[k][2]
        if type(v) == str:
            query += namespace + ":" + meta_doc + "/" + k + "='" + v + "' and "
        elif type(v) == bool:
            query += namespace + ":" + meta_doc + "/" + k + "=" + str(v) + " and "
        elif type(v) == list:
            query += "("
            for value in v:
                query += \
                    namespace + ":" + meta_doc + "/" + k + "='" + value + "' or "
            query = query[:-4] + ") and "
            # xpath(weather_at_home:drs_meta/volunteer)
    # return query without last for characters so we don't return the last "and "
    print(query)
    return query[:-4] + '"'

# def build_action(out_args):
#    ''' build action to perform on results returned by query '''
#    opendap_urls = ''' :action get-distinct-values :xpath -ename url string.format('https://thredds.com.au%s?',''' +
#                   '''replace(xvalue('namespace'),'/WatH-Test/model_output2','')) '''
#    download_urls = ''' :action get-distinct-values :xpath -ename '''
#    count = ''' :action count '''

def process_output():
    """
    :return:
    """
    pass
    return

def main():
    """
     main program
    """
    global tds, xml_suf
    # parse input arguments
    query_args, out_args = assign_constraints()
    print(out_args)
    # thredds root url
    tds = 'http://144.6.229.249/thredds/catalog/'
    html_suf = '/catalog.html'
    xml_suf = '/catalog.xml'
    ncss_suf = '/dataset.html'
    # establish session
    session = MF.connect()
    # build query and then call MF.query to execute
    squery = build_query(query_args)
    # saction = ""
    # saction = 'count'
    saction = '''get-distinct-values :xpath -ename url''' + \
              ''' "replace(xvalue('namespace'),'/WatH-Test/model_output2/','')"'''
    output = session.query(squery, action=saction)
    # do something with result!
    #lname_dict = {'pcl': '/global_monthly_mean_diagnostic_',
    #              'pdl': '/regional_daily_mean_diagnostic_',
    #              'pel': '/regional_monthly_mean_diagnostic_'}
    if out_args['opendap'] or out_args['ncss']:
        tds_urls = []
        odap_urls = []
        ncss_urls = []
        if out_args['output_kind']:
            tds_tail = [ html_suf + "?dataset=WathA/#_" + x + ".ncml"
                         for x in out_args['output_kind']]
            odap_tail = ["/#_" + x + ".ncml.html" for x in out_args['output_kind']]
        else:
            tds_tail = [html_suf]
        # dataset = tds_connect()
        for path in session.response(output,saction):
            umid = path.split("/")[-1]
            root = tds + 'WatHA/' + path
            tds_urls.extend([ root + y.replace("#",path + "/" + umid) for y in tds_tail])
            odap_urls.extend([root.replace("catalog","dodsC") + y.replace("#",umid) for y in odap_tail])
            ncss_urls.extend([root.replace("catalog", "ncss") + y.replace("#", umid)[:-5] + ncss_suf for y in odap_tail])
            # http://144.6.229.249/thredds/dodsC/WatHA/2013/NAT/HadGEM2-ES/dir00001/n783/n783.pel.ncml.html
            # http://144.6.229.249/thredds/catalog/WatHA/2013/NAT/HadGEM2-ES/dir00001/n783/catalog.html?
            # dataset=WathA/2013/NAT/HadGEM2-ES/dir00001/n783/n783_pel.ncml
            # http://144.6.229.249/thredds/ncss/WatHA/2013/NAT/HadGEM2-ES/dir00001/n783/n783_pcl.ncml/dataset.html
    print(tds_urls)
    print(odap_urls)
    print(ncss_urls)
    # add subset ncss option if variables are passed and ncss is true and odap option if variables are passed and odap true
    print( ncss_subset(tds))

if __name__ == "__main__":
    main()

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Florida's ethics commission says Gillum may have broken law
Updated: 1:56 PM EST Jan 25, 2019
Florida's ethics commission says there is probable cause that former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum violated the state's ethics law.The commission voted Friday in a closed-door meeting to proceed with charges against Gillum. Gillum is accused of accepting gifts from lobbyists and vendors during his time as Tallahassee's mayor. Gillum narrowly lost the governor's race to Ron DeSantis last year.Gillum attorney Barry Richard asserts that his client followed the law. He says Gillum would contest the ethics charges before an administrative judge.A Tallahassee businessman filed a complaint against Gillum that alleged he did not pay for expenses related to trips to Costa Rica and New York City. The state's ethics investigation was separate but overlapped with an ongoing FBI investigation into city government.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. —
Florida's ethics commission says there is probable cause that former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Andrew Gillum violated the state's ethics law.
The commission voted Friday in a closed-door meeting to proceed with charges against Gillum. Gillum is accused of accepting gifts from lobbyists and vendors during his time as Tallahassee's mayor. Gillum narrowly lost the governor's race to Ron DeSantis last year.
Gillum attorney Barry Richard asserts that his client followed the law. He says Gillum would contest the ethics charges before an administrative judge.
A Tallahassee businessman filed a complaint against Gillum that alleged he did not pay for expenses related to trips to Costa Rica and New York City. The state's ethics investigation was separate but overlapped with an ongoing FBI investigation into city government.


Charging Station - A simple charging "dock" where you'll sit the Navigator remote on when not using it charges the device. This can be plugged into the USB port of your computer (separately from the USB receiver) or plug the USB cord into the AC Charger.
USB Cable – One 6-foot USB 2.0 cable is packaged with the Navigator to connect between the charging station and either the AC Charger or the computer.
I should mention here that I think it was a great decision to keep the charging station separate from the USB receiver. I say this because sometimes it really makes sense to have the charging station close to the couch – instead of close to the computer.
The GlideTV Navigator remote is fairly small at 3.5 inches wide (both ways) and a depth of about 1 inch in the center. It weighs a very light 3.2 ounces and is curved to form an curved form factor that fits your hand quite nicely. It's designed with a glossy-black, hard plastic look that seems very solid.
The concept is to hold this device in your hand and use your thumb to control everything. At the center-top of the device is the clickable 2" X 1.25" touchpad that will remind you of the touchpad on your laptop.
First, there are eight "directional" buttons that surround the touchpad. These buttons serve as both directional buttons as well as multi-function buttons to do things like close-application, escape, backspace, mouse clicks, channel-up/down, live TV etc. Learning these different purposes of the same keys does take some getting used to and makes the learning curve a bit more difficult – especially for the other family members of the house.
On the four corners of the device you'll find a search button to the far-right and a power button to the far left. On the upper section is a "GlideTV" button that opens up the custom GlideTV UI, a volume mute toggle button, a volume-down and volume-up button. On the lower section is a play/pause/stop toggle button, a skip-left button and skip-right button.
Beyond those main buttons you'll find a designated GlideTV button that fires up their custom software, a power button (it controls the PC power), volume control, search button (opens up GlideTV's search which can be designated to Hulu, Google, etc) and media player controls (play, pause, etc). The 8 surrounding buttons each do something different in their respective applications, so a little trial and error will help you figure that out.
So fewer buttons than a typical remote control means they've attempted to simplify the inputs right? So what common remote control buttons are missing?
And if you're a full-fledged HTPC user you know there are many other buttons you might want. The GlideTV Navigator is "keeping it simple" when it comes to hard-buttons on the device, but it does get a bit more complicated when you want to do something beyond the ordinary. For example, lets say you want to switch applications such as going from iTunes to MediaCenter (like function-tab on a standard keyboard) in this case you must remember to hit the function key (the directional key on the south-west region of the touchpad. You get the idea – nearly every function is covered but it requires that you learn which combination of buttons do what function.
Absolute Mode – here the touchpad is meant to be a "representation" of your computer or TV display. Touching a portion of the touchpad is like "pointing" to a place on your screen: Tap the top-right of your touchpad and you "place" the cursor on the top-right of your screen and so forth.
The GlideTV Navigator uses 2.4GHz wireless RF and according to GlideTV will work up to 30ft in an open space. I tested mostly within 10-15 feet although I did push it to 20 feet and still had no problems with responsiveness.
I didn't do a complete testing of the battery life, but did keep the GlideTV Navigator away from the charging cradle for multiple days at a time without charging and it seemed to hold its charge well. The GlideTV goes into standby mode after approximately 10 seconds of inactivity and it automatically powers off after about an hour.
It fits nicely into the charging cradle and I never had a problem with the charging contacts not meeting (and therefore not charging) like I have with multiple Logitech Harmony 880 remotes.
Setup was very easy. Charge the remote fully the first time, connect the USB receiver into the computer you'll be remote controlling and then select the operating system you'll be using – its set as Windows out of the box but you can easily change it to Mac or PS3 with a switch in profiles.
After that, you'll need to determine if you want the touchpad to be in Absolute mode or Relative Mode. Absolute Mode places the mouse cursor in correspondence with where you place your finger on the touch pad. So if you touch the top left corner of the touch pad the mouse will appear there. Personally, I prefer Relative Mode since this is more analogous to my laptop and as I discovered much easier to use out of the box.
My remote seemed to lose it's connection with the USB receiver one time during testing. Fixing it was a simple re-pairing process described on their website. Because of this stumble I delayed the review to be sure it wouldn't be a recurring problem. I'm happy to report that this seemed to be an anomaly as it hasn't happened again since and I've been testing it for many weeks.
You really don't even have to be a HTPC user to enjoy the GlideTV Navigator. That's because they include a nice, downloadable GlideTV user interface software that makes it easy to navigate your favorite websites and applications. It also makes web searches relatively easy as well. To execute the GlideTV UI you simply press the "GlideTV" button at the top of the remote.
Applications – All of your favorite, installed media applications should automatically appear on this menu item. For me I see MediaCenter, Firefox, Skype, SageTV, XBMC etc.
Search the Internet – A great web-search app designed with the 10-foot interface in mind. When you select this an on-screen keyboard appears for you to "type" your search using the GlideTV Navigator. Obviously, without a keyboard this isn't as easy as typing the letters, but you can "hunt-&-peck" with the mouse on the virtual keyboard and it uses predictive input so that it tries to complete the word based on what you've typed so far. This works pretty well actually.
Settings – this is where you can change many of the settings for the UI app.
If you've ever used a remote control that has a touchpad on it you likely know that the touchpad is often the weak-link in remotes of this kind. I've found the Logitech DiNovo Mini touchpad to be somewhat unresponsive at times and this GlideTV touchpad is just about perfect in comparison.
Attractive Design – it's sleek looking and in my opinion, fits in nicely in the livingroom or anywhere you have a TV or computer setup. You're likely to get asked the question "what is that?" from visitors so prepare for that.
Fits nicely in your hand – it's definitely a change from what your used to, but it's almost natural to use this as a mouse as it just fits perfectly in your hand.
Range is very good. I was able to test to 20 feet from the receiver with no problem.
Works as a super-powered mouse that works from the couch – that alone is a very nice feature for those wanting to control their computer from across the room.
Learning curve – for my household the learning curve was pretty steep. Basic navigation for things such as up, down, right, left, play etc all were no-brainers, but when the user needs to go-back a screen or stop playback instead of pause it required a little explanation and retraining. Not a deal-stopper by any means but the ability to use all of the remotes functionality requires someone willing to take the time to learn the functions. I recommend you do read the manual for this one – you'll miss out if you don't.
If you go in thinking this device is going to be like your Logitech Harmony or even a Microsoft MediaCenter remote you might be disappointed. If you understand the GlideTV Navigator's purpose is to help you easily navigate your HTPC by melding a little remote control & a little computer mouse into a single device you're going to love this device. In a very simple way, the GlideTV Navigator makes browsing the web and the many web apps as easy as possible with a single 10-foot interface. And it does a good job at controlling your Home Theater PC as well.
It takes some adjustment and it's likely not for everyone, but I see this remote as a great solution for many who are looking for a better way to control their HTPC with the myriad of new web-centric applications available today.
The GlideTV Navigator is available for purchase at the GlideTV Website or at Amazon (affiliate) – both for $149 plus shipping. Thanks to the folks at GlideTV for providing the review unit!