text:
Business Manchester
Home Uncategorised Research revelas how direct flights between The North and Beijing are delivering...
Research revelas how direct flights between The North and Beijing are delivering a significant 'China Dividend' the the region
Philip Ghayour
Consul General Dr. Sun Dali
Almost exactly two years since President Xi Jinping visited the North and announced the UK's first direct flight to China outside of London, research released today reveals that the connection is delivering a significant economic reward, or 'China Dividend', to the Northern Powerhouse.
The study by the economic consultancy Steer Davies Gleeve is the most comprehensive analysis ever undertaken into the economic and social impact of a brand new direct, long haul route between two countries. It has revealed that in its first year of operation the Manchester-Beijing air route, operated by Hainan Airlines, has driven a significant increase in exports, inward investment, and international student numbers into the North.
In addition, the direct flights have delivered a substantial increase in the number of inbound tourists to the North, with many lured by the region's natural and historic attractions, luxury shopping sites and Premier League football teams.
Already worth hundreds of millions of pounds a year to the North, this "China Dividend" is predicted by researchers to grow substantially in the years ahead as the profile of the region increases further in Asia and as civic and business ties between the North and China are strengthened further.
The report, called 'The China Dividend: One Year On', is being launched as a Ministerial delegation from the UK Government heads to Shanghai to promote trade and investment opportunities in the Northern Powerhouse.
Led by Trade Minister Baroness Fairhead and Northern Powerhouse Minister Jake Berry, the group will meet with prospective investors and trading partners at the China International Industry Fair, where the impact study will also be presented.
The report found that in its first year of operation, the Hainan Airlines route delivered the following benefits:
Passenger numbers
The route has carried 90,000 passengers between Manchester and Beijing, 15% higher than anticipated and delivering an increase in frequency that has seen the service fly daily between the two cities.
The total number of passengers travelling from Manchester Airport's catchment area to Beijing (either directly or indirectly in both directions) has risen by 20,415 (+38% uplift) to 74,055 since the introduction of the route. This means the opening of the direct route has stimulated an estimated 28,838 net additional passengers travelling directly between Manchester and Beijing.
The value of goods exported by businesses across the North from Manchester Airport to China has increased by 265% to nearly £200m every month.
The pipeline of inward investment projects is increasing. Inquiries from China to Manchester property and investment agents have doubled, with the current pipeline potentially capable of creating 850 new jobs in the City Region; a similar picture is likely in the other cities of the North.
Department for International Trade data demonstrates that the Northern Powerhouse is experiencing a marked uplift in inward investment projects (a 24% increase in 2015/16 over the previous year), and in 2016 accounted for 25% of total UK exports to China (£12.7bn for the UK as a whole, £3.1bn for the Northern Powerhouse).
There has been a 54% increase in Chinese investments in property in Manchester in 2016, compared to a year earlier.
The number of Chinese students enrolling at the University of Manchester is double the rate of other universities in the UK.
Since the beginning of the route, Chinese tourists contribution to the region's visitor economy has doubled to £138.68m p.a, with a further contribution of £626m anticipated over the next five years
Chinese tour operators such as Nanhu are now incorporating Northern cities and attractions as a core component of their UK leisure tour programme.
Based on the range and scale of benefits realised in just 12 months, the report recommends that securing further direct links to China and other key growth markets should sit at the heart of strategies to drive Northern prosperity and rebalance the UK economy.
The report goes on to conclude that its findings strengthen the case for large-scale investment in infrastructure projects like Northern Powerhouse Rail, which would dramatically improve journey times between the North's major towns and cities and Manchester Airport, and in turn help attract new long haul air services.
Another key finding of the study is that the Manchester-Beijing route is increasingly being viewed as not just an entry point to the North for the Chinese visitors, but the country as a whole, indicating Manchester Airport could have a critical role to play in strengthening the UK-China relationship in years to come, especially as other airports are at full capacity.
Jake Berry MP, Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, said: "In just one year the Hainan route has brought such significant rewards to the Northern Powerhouse that I feel there is a real appetite in exploring launching airline routes from Manchester to other regions in China.
"As we head to Shanghai we will look to build on the flourishing commercial relationship that the UK and China have established, bringing with us Northern businesses which demonstrate the strengths and opportunities in the region."
Lord Jim O'Neill, the economist who coined the BRICs phrase to describe the high growth markets of Brazil, Russia, India and China and a driving force behind work to reinvigorate the Northern economy, has written the foreword for the report.
He said: "This is the first time that anyone has been able to pin-point so accurately the benefits of long haul connectivity between two countries and this fascinating report shows that the upside is far wider than one may think.
"It helps to boost skills and knowledge and strengthen civic ties, as well as grow the economy in more obvious ways, such as through export volumes, inward investment and tourism.
"China remains a bigger economy than the other BRIC nations in aggregate and even at a growth rate of six to seven per cent, it will create the equivalent of another India before the decade is out.
"At the earliest opportunity further direct connectivity is needed in order for the UK to realise its ambition of China becoming one of its top three trading partners, This report makes clear why that is the case and should be essential reading for policy makers.
"There is an opportunity immediately before us to do something about this. In particular, we need to make sure that all the key road and rail links function seamlessly to connect the airport to the key centres of population density around the rest of the North."
Sun Dali, Consul General of the People's Republic of China for the North of England, said:
"The direct flight between Manchester and Beijing started at the right time and continues to increase and develop cooperation between the North of England and China. The direct route is a perfect example of the 'One Belt One Road' and Northern Powerhouse policies interconnecting.
"After one year of this flight, we have seen continued growth in trade and communication between China and the North of the UK and I hope that inter-communication between the UK and China continues to encourage more cooperation between China and the North of England, and hope that more Chinese people come here to set up businesses, study, travel, and have first-hand experiences in this unique and charming part of the world."
Charlie Cornish, CEO of Manchester Airports Group and Chair of the Manchester China Forum, said: "This is the clearest evidence yet of how important international connectivity is to the growth ambitions of the North and UK as a whole.
"Manchester Airport is committed to playing an active role in creating a vibrant and globally competitive Northern Powerhouse.
"We are demonstrating that through our £1bn investment to transform the airport, which will help attract more long haul services like the Hainan Airlines route to Beijing.
"One of the more important findings in this report is the significant amount of demand this route has stimulated for travel both to and from the UK and coupled with the right support from Government further direct long haul routes between the Northern Powerhouse and the world will ensure that the region can reach its full potential."
Ryan Zhang, UK General Manager for Hainan Airlines, said: "We have been extremely pleased with the Manchester-Beijing route, which has been one of the most successful we have launched in recent years.
"It has massively surpassed our predictions and expectations, which prompted us to making it daily over the summer months.
"Manchester has proved to be an extremely popular destination for our Chinese customers, whether they be students, business travellers or people visiting friends and family based in the North of England or wider UK.
"We look forward to continuing to grow the route out of Manchester in the coming years and are delighted it has had such a positive impact on the region."
Rhys Whalley, Executive Director of the Manchester China Forum, said: "Securing a direct air route was a top priority for the Forum when it launched back in 2013 and this study represented a unique opportunity to demonstrate exactly why that was the case by capturing the wide range of social and economic benefits brought about by by direct connectivity.
"The scale of impact in the first year alone clearly illustrates just how significant having strong links with high growth markets can be and why Government should be throwing its weight behind further improving connectivity between the North and China."
The study comes on the back of a separate study produced for Transport for the North's International Connectivity Commission, which concluded that enhanced direct access to markets like China was vital if the North was to achieve "transformational" growth in the years ahead.
John Cridland, Chair of Transport for the North, said:"The Independent International Connectivity Commission highlighted key opportunities to ensure the North is connected on the global stage, making it easier for businesses to access international markets. The Manchester-Beijing route, which supports collaboration between the China 'One Belt, One Road project and the Northern Powerhouse, is a fantastic example of the economic value of direct access to markets and the North's ability to sustain such links."
Previous articleBroadstone Group acquires Mitchell Consulting and 2020 Trustees
Next articleLoganair welcomes passengers into its clan through competitive loyalty scheme
Events, PR, and Marketing Manager at The Samuel James Group, Philip has a degree in Journalism from the University of Salford and holds an MSc in Marketing from Lancaster University, Philip has also worked at BBC Radio Lancashire, Clitheroe Football Club and Accrington Stanley Football Club.
Peel L&P buildings, including properties in Greater Manchester, become the first in the UK to achieve net zero carbon status
Next wave of Greater Manchester firms sign up to Made Smarter
Trafford Leisure invests £30,000 into Gymnastics and Trampolining
Cube3 set to reach new heights with client win
Philip Ghayour - 23rd February 2018
Salford Cruise1st wins prestigious CLIA Travel Agent of the Year Award
Philip Ghayour - 14th January 2019
TickX announces first Chief Marketing Officer
Philip Ghayour - 11th May 2018
50 up for GC Business Finance in busy month of deals
The biggest business event in the North of England.
March 17 @ 10:00 am - March 18 @ 4:00 pm
Manchester1304
Greater Manchester721
Appointments211
CSR127
Uncategorised58
Subscribe to the Business Manchester
Keep up to date with good news business stories from Manchester.
Got a business related story? Please send it to us with an image or video to editor@businessmanchester.co.uk
If you wish, you can contact us using any of the methods below.
Eastway Business Village,
Unit 6-7,
Oliver's Place,
PR2 9WT
Email: editor@businessmanchester.co.uk
© The Samuel James Group | Website Maintenance by Code Galaxy


TOTAL TIME: 69:15 min, 47:47 min.
REMARKS: Bootleg. Tracks 1 - 20 recorded live at the Scandinavium, Gothenburg, Sweden, February 7th, 1981. Tracks 21 - 22 recorded at ????? 198?, track 23 recorded from WMMS radio, Cleveland, OH, 10/15/80.


Holi is the time for fun and feasting. Here are some recipes for Holi, which will make your Holi all the more interesting.
Holi, also known as the 'Spring Festival', is one of the most fun-filled and entertaining festivals celebrated in India. Essentially commemorated by the Hindu community, this festival is observed with great enthusiasm in the country. Many legends are associated with this divine festival. This 'Festival of Colors' happens once in a year and is marked by the throwing of color powders and color liquids on each other by the people celebrating this wonderful festival. Like all festivals in India, Holi too has its own traditional recipes, which are prepared on this occasion as part of the celebration. Indeed, the delicacies prepared on this special occasion add to the delight and excitement.
Numerous delectable dishes are prepared during this amazing festival. Holi recipes are a blend of Maharashtrian, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Gujarathi and many other cuisines. Items such as gujhia, cashew burfi, kheer, basundi, malpua, and kesar chawal, are some of the favorite lip-smacking sweets enjoyed during this festival. The shakkarpara, another sweet dish, is an easy crispy sweet dish prepared from flour, wheat, milk, sugar, oil, salt and ghee. Apart from sweets, there are various delicious snack items prepared too. Snacks such as khasta dal kachori, dahi bara, mathi, papri chaat, onion bhajia, aloo chaat and vegetable pakora are delightful savories prepared on Holi. Various delicious drinks are also made on this wonderful occasion and some of them including thandai and jal jeera are exceptional recipes served to all those participating in the festival. The bhang-ke-vade is a drink made specifically for this event and is drunk in small quantities due to its intoxicating effects. Some of the other mouth-watering dishes prepared during the festival include awadhi dum aloo, methi mathri, masala mathri, palak bhajia and so on. Dried fruits and fresh fruits are also served in addition to the other recipes.


LusciousJane . CrisHoney. LatinMuscleAnal. Tatits.
BELAXevelyn78BreathOfLifelucyEvans1 .LosAngelJuliaCrushSofiaNovaNASTYdiamondBOY .DuoFoxxxxMiaEvaKerrylikeKadianeSharonLust1 .AngelaTiggyLovelyXBBWCuteAmerigo4UMSbigdickQUEENxx .AngelaTiggyBELAXAkiraLeoneTiffanyCuteYoung .twolatinshot121VipBunnyNIGTHINGALENadineLovesYou .GeeeSpotNationNASTYdiamondBOYAkiraLeoneNIGTHINGALE .ScarlettaxxxxKindJuliaBELAXEthanCostner .HotBustySexxxCuteAmerigo4UKadianeAnneBellekiss .ashlyprettyhotLonnellaElegantCassandraKindJulia .blackCOCKholeHOTMiaEvaKerrylikeScarlettaxxxxSamantaK .
Erika787LilyBigTitsSianSunriseganeshxxx .JonStephanKadianePetiteKarinaNikiBenzz .TatitsNudeSebastiansexyGRACIA69MarvelousSienna .SammyDICKAlina228NASTYdiamondBOYMelissaSexyLips .LilyBigTitsAngelaSLUTAngelaTiggyTatits .SamantaKAyakaMisoraMarcheloLatinSerray .magnatsubtoyDavidAndreasEthanTyler .twolatinshot121SianSunriseEdithFlowerwildguy111 .LilyBigTitsPrettyLorenHotttCandyDuoFoxxxx .LinaGreatKinsleyMayoBreathOfLifeganeshxxx .MSbigdickQUEENxxAyakaMisoraScarlettaxxxxElegantCassandra .


ownCloud is an open-source, universal file access platform that is self-hosted on your servers. You can link your ownCloud instance to your OSF project or component to see files stored there alongside files stored on OSF Storage or other storage providers.
Files added to ownCloud will be accessible via OSF; likewise, files added to ownCloud via OSF will be accessible on your ownCloud instance.
The ownCloud add-on allows you to connect external content to OSF. This connection does not store or back up this content on OSF. To back up your content to OSF Storage, consider registering your project.
In the list of add-ons, click the Enable link next to ownCloud.
The ownCloud terms will appear.
Find ownCloud in the "Configure Add-ons" section, then click the Connect Account link.
The "Connect an ownCloud Account" modal will appear.
Enter your host URL, username, and password into the respective fields, then click Save.
Your ownCloud folders will be imported into your project.
Your ownCloud folder will be connected to your project.


I see two different descriptions of blue here. Are they the same or different colours?
Different, I THINK only the 06 came in thunder blue, it's darker.
Lovely colour Michael. Happy Australia Day.
2006 Candy Thunder Blue and she's still running STRONG!


The Met in NYC has an amazing guitar exhibit (until July 4, 2011).
You can also play all 10 notes at once: hold down keys 1-0. You'll notice a nice 'bug' if you hold.
If you start off using your left hand for 'qe' and your right for 'ti' you'll find you can move through the progression easily.
(Oh, and turn off quickfind in Firefox or use another browser, annoying as hell).
It's amazing how far the logos have evolved. I used to work with the original doodler of the logos and I always thought his work was great, but the dedicated doodle team lead by Ryan and under Marissa's wing have made them 10x better. Designing logos that engage the audience is brilliant. Kudos to the new doodle team.
Nice. I thought this was a fun little distraction. I'm glad they keep their past logo art available.
Nice job! I love that song.
So that you get a nice 5-1 ending.
Doesn't every sequence of numbers sound fairly tonal on the Les Paul logo though, since it's restricted to diatonic pitches?
Pi actually reminds me a bit of "Nimrod" from Elgar's Enigma variations. The opening is only one note off, and then many of the later sequences in pi have the same large jumps that Nimrod does.
It doesn't seem to make any sound on FireFox 4 and IE9.
Just a hint, on Chrome it's using Flash to play sound.
It's strange but it does not work on Chrome but is fine on Safari for me- I have Flash turned off on both.
It works on my FF4 ... Yeah it is using flash.
Do you have flash blocked?
So google doesn't tell me...but who or what is Les Paul?
? Clicking on the logo takes you to the results page for the query "Les Paul", the 1st result is Wikipedia, which, if you read it, should answer your question..
I only got two results: one for the logo, and one for the list of logos.
Then you did it wrong--Les Paul has 66,900,000 results for a Google search. He's world famous.
The world's only lesbian man.


The music video for Korn's new single, "Rotting In Vain," posits that the seminal nü-metal band might have been summoned into this earthly realm via a drug-fueled fever dream. In the Dean Karr-directed clip, Tommy Flanagan—who played the perpetually unintelligible and loyal motorcycle club soldier Chibs on Sons Of Anarchy—sits down at some sort of Victorian-era huffing machine. Breathing deeply of its vapors has the immediate effect of violently producing the aging band members inside his run-down hovel. On the whole, this all seems moderately plausible.
The Serenity Of Suffering is scheduled for release on October 21.


text:
Hon Kim Hames MB BS JP MLA
Former Minister for Health; Tourism
Midland hospital treats more than 40,000 patients
New Midland hospital meets high level of patient demand
Activity set to increase with the Critical Care Unit operating at full capacity
More than 40,000 patients have been treated by St John of God Midland Public Hospital since it opened its doors to the public on November 24, 2015.
Health Minister Kim Hames said the $360.2 million hospital was meeting a high level of patient demand, with more than 17,500 people presenting and receiving medical care at the emergency department.
"The St John of God Midland Public Hospital is meeting the growing demand for high-quality services in the growing eastern metropolitan region and is ramping up to full operations from next month," Dr Hames said.
"Intensive care physicians are now servicing the 12-bed Critical Care Unit, enabling the hospital to undertake additional higher acuity and complex clinical services than previously available in the area."
The Minister said since opening, more than 355 babies had been born at the hospital which also conducted about 2,527 surgical procedures.
Services provided at the new Midland hospital include emergency, paediatrics, coronary care, cancer care, aged care, rehabilitation, general surgery, sub-specialty surgery, general medicine, gynaecology, maternity, orthopaedics, mental health, stroke care and outpatient clinics.
"The hospital has also received great feedback about the chemotherapy unit, which is a service that was not previously available locally," Dr Hames said.
"I am very pleased the St John of God Midland Public Hospital has achieved such good results in its first quarter. It is on track to manage an anticipated 60,000 emergency presentations, 102,000 outpatients and 29,000 inpatients in its first full year."
The hospital is part of the Bigger Picture - Health $7 billion hospital building and refurbishment program. It is jointly funded by State and Australian governments and operated by St John of God Health Care under a public private partnership.
The 307-bed St John of God Midland Public Hospital opened on November 24, 2015
Construction of the hospital started in 2012 and was completed on time and on budget in June 2015
For more information, visit http://getthebiggerpicture.health.wa.gov.au

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Fighting Fantasy, the world famous interactive gamebook series returns for its 30th Anniversary! Ian Livingstone and Tin Man Games present Blood of the Zombies on Android!!
"Insane megalomaniac Gingrich Yurr is preparing to unleash an army of monstrous zombies upon the world. He must be stopped and his undead horde defeated. In this life-or-death adventure the decisions YOU make will decide the fate of the world. Can YOU survive or will YOU become a zombie too?"
Blood of the Zombies is a digital Fighting Fantasy gamebook, an interactive adventure in which YOU are the hero! You can only win through by choosing the correct path, finding equipment, avoiding traps and surviving combat.
All new death endings, written by Ian Livingstone. Not available in the print book!
Kevin Crossley's amazing illustrations colorised for the app, making full use of the high-resolution retina displays.
Alternate artwork to unlock by Fighting Fantasy favourite, Martin McKenna.
An animated Greg Staples cover – the zombie comes to life!
Realistic physics based dice rolling. Shake your Android device!
Tin Man Games have signed a licensing deal to release the Fighting Fantasy series on Android, so expect to see more of your favourite adventure gamebooks coming over the next few years.


text:
Student Spotlight: Tiffany Torres
Where are you from? I was born in Brooklyn, New York. I moved to Jacksonville when I was 7.
What is your major? My major is graphic design. I have always been very interested in the arts and working with software like Photoshop and Illustrator.
What are your plans after you graduate? I plan to work as a graphic designer for a company specializing in web design and illustration.
What is your favorite spot on campus? My favorite spot on campus is the Bamboo Garden near Peace Plaza. I love the peaceful scenery and the shade is perfect on a sunny day.
How did you get involved with the Environmental Center? I transferred from St. Johns River State College to the University of North Florida. After arriving, I looked into job opportunities at UNF and came across the Environmental Center. Aside from graphic design, I am also very passionate about the environment, so it was a perfect fit!
What is your job title and what do you do at the Environmental Center? I am the graphic designer for the Environmental Center. I create posters and other graphics for events throughout the year.
What are your hobbies? I love to listen to music and practice digital painting through Adobe Photoshop and Clip Studio Paint. I am currently vice president of CMND+N, a graphic design club open to all majors who are interested in learning more about new media design.
What makes you passionate about the environment? I am passionate about the environment because of the wildlife that depend on a healthy environment. Many animals are becoming endangered species, and it is important for us to prevent harm to the environment we all depend on.
Who is your hero and why? Hayao Miyazaki is my hero. He is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator and manga artist. Many of his films contain themes on environmental issues like pollution and the importance of humans preserving the earth from harmful activities.
Now Accepting Applications for the ELP
Attention all students! Do you have a passion for the environment? Would you like to get engaged with community partners and leaders? If so, we are now accepting applications for project leaders in the Environmental Leadership Program (ELP). The deadline to submit an application is Monday, Feb. 13. Click here to download the application.
The ELP is focused on identifying students who are passionate about the environment, who want to implement a community project that creates long-term solutions to environmental issues, and who want to develop their leadership skills. Through the ELP, student project leaders gain "real-world, hands-on" experience through working with community partners and leaders, UNF faculty and the ELP project coordinator, in creating and implementing their project.
If you have any questions, please contact ELP Coordinator Maria Mark.
ELP Update - Recent Honoree and Board Appointment
Renee Hutchins was the recipient of UNF's Osprey Community Engagement Medallion. The Center for Community-Based Learning recognizes graduating students each semester who greatly excel in engagement and service to their community. Students awarded the Osprey Community Engagement Medallion demonstrate excellence and exhibit personal development, intellectual growth and positive community impact resulting from their community engagement experiences.
Renee's leadership project, Beyond the Trail: Park Discover Series, was a great example that incorporated all the components required to be a medallion recipient. We are very proud to have one of project leaders recognized with the other outstanding recipients. Congrats, Renee!
Project Leader Renne Hutchins is the second from the right
Kevin O'Halloran was recently selected to join the Northeast Florida Regional U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) board as the emerging professionals representative. The intent is to recruit young professionals who are interested in sustainable communities and green building practices. Kevin has also joined the Springfield Preservation and Revitalization (SPAR) staff as their outreach coordinator. He overseas events in historic Springfield, grant writing and community outreach. Keep up the great work, Kevin!
Learn more about our project leaders.
2017 Seed Grant Recipients
The Environmental Center is excited to announce the recipients of the 2017 Seed Grants. As recipients, faculty are awarded grants of up to $6,000 for research projects related to the environment. Additionally, recipients are recognized as Environmental Center fellows for a term of two years. Seed Grants are available to faculty from any college and encourage interdisciplinary research.
Spartina alterniflora Floating Nurseries: Growing Plants to Reduce Pond Nutrient Loading and Enhance Coastal Shoreline Restoration
Dr. Kelly Smith, Department of Biology
Kenneth Rainer, Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve
Nicole Llinas, Biology Undergraduate Research Assistant
Retention ponds are ubiquitous in the Southeast and play a key role in allowing stormwater to re-enter the groundwater supply; however, these ponds are sources of nutrients that can lead to nuisance algae blooms in recipient waterways. We propose using floating mats planted with Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) to achieve two goals: 1) Reduce nutrient levels in retention ponds through uptake by plant roots and 2) harvest mature and healthy plants for control of sediment erosion and as habitat for coastal organisms. Read full abstract.
Correlating Bottlenose Dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) Strandings to Cyanobacterial and Cyanotoxin Exposure in the St. Johns River, Jacksonville
Dr. Quincy Gibson, Department of Biology
Amber Brown, Biology Graduate Research Assistant
Recent necropsy reports have documented a large number of unexplained deaths among bottlenose dolphins in the St. Johns River, Jacksonville. Moreover, a number of these deaths occurred in low salinity areas of the river that are strong deviations from the residential population's known home range. These findings indicate that dolphins are traveling farther upstream into the freshwater, suggesting possible exposure to native toxin producing cyanobacterial blooms. Read full abstract.
Learn more about Environmental Center Seed Grants.
Hunger Dinner and Food Recovery Program
Partners: Environmental Center, UNF Health Promotion, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics and Chartwells
When: Monday, Jan. 30, from 7-9 p.m.
Where: UNF Student Ballrooms
Cost: Free, but please bring a nonperishable food donation of canned vegetables and beans
Food insecurity and undernourishment is a real problem affecting more than 790 million people worldwide (The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2015, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations). This is not just an international problem. A 2014 report by Feeding Northeast Florida and Feeding America showed that an estimated 322,300 people in Northeast Florida had to rely on food pantries and meal service programs to feed themselves and their families.
In an effort to address food insecurity, Project Leader Courtney Hogan recently launched a campus club focused on making a difference locally. The new club called "Food Fighters: Student-Powered Hunger Relief," will focus on educating UNF students about food insecurity and food waste, while also striving to make a positive impact in Northeast Florida.
On Monday, Jan. 30, the club will be hosting a Hunger Dinner to launch a food recovery program, where student volunteers will collect unused food from dining facilities on campus and then serve that food to the community through organizations such as Northeast Florida AIDS Network. At the Hunger Dinner, attendees will discuss the extent of hunger in our world, and even within our very own Jacksonville community, while sharing a meal. Admission is free; however, we request that you bring a nonperishable food donation of canned vegetables and beans to help supplement the meals that will be served through the food recovery program. We hope to see you there!
Learn more about Food Fighters by visiting their Facebook page.
Student Coalition Update
The Environmental Center Student Coalition is for students who have a passion for adventure, nature and conservation. This club enables them to volunteer, participate and plan environmental-based events. Participation in the coalition provides like-minded students with the opportunity to contribute to campus sustainability and gain leadership experience.
If you are interested in participating in the Environmental Center Student Coalition, join us for monthly meetings in the upcoming semester. Meeting dates:
Jan 24, at 8 p.m. in Student Union, Building 58W, Room 3805
Feb. 21, at 8 p.m. in Student Union, Building 58W, Room 3804
March 14, at 8 p.m. in Student Union, Building 58W, Room 3804
April 11, at 8 p.m. in Student Union, Building 58W, Room 3804
Keep up to date by joining their Facebook group!
Outdoor Nation Update and Upcoming Events
Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend Adventure
Holiday weekend, Jan. 14-16
The UNF Outdoor Nation Ambassador has organized an amazing trip for 16 UNF students over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. The students will visit the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, then head north to Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Over the weekend students will enjoy hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and skiing and snow tubing at Ober Gatlinburg.
Preserve Adventure Fest
Thursday, Feb. 9
Come "fall in love with nature" in the Sawmill Slough Preserve during the second Preserve Adventure Fest. Relax with fellow Ospreys in the Preserve while enjoying hot cocoa, an outdoor movie and zip lining over Lake Oneida courtesy of Eco Adventure. More information to come soon!
National Park Service Day at Kingsley Plantation
Friday and Saturday, March 3-4
Mark your calendars for this unique National Park experience at Kingsley Plantation, which includes a day of service, camping on Big Talbot Island and paddling through the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve. There will be multiple service projects at Kingsley Plantation, including building a kayak rack and tending to the park's native plant garden. Volunteers will be given a free meal and a free night of camping. This opportunity will be limited to a small number of students, and registration will be made available soon.
The last event of the semester will take place in April in celebration of Earth Day. More details will be announced in the next Outdoor Nation update, so stay tuned!
For more information, contact Project Leader Nikki Adams.
The Climate is Changing. Are You? A Panel Discussion on Climate Change
Sponsors: Jax Makerspace
When: Saturday, Jan. 14, from 3-5:30 p.m.
Where: Jacksonville Public Library Main Branch
Want ways to address climate change in your community? Wondering how global warming has already begun to affect the First Coast region? Frustrated with living in a state and country whose leadership denies this urgent issue? Come be a part of this empowering discussion with panelists from the UNF Environmental Center, UNF Department of Political Science, National Park Service and St. Johns Riverkeeper. Read more.
Screening of "Racing Extinction"
Sponsors: USGBC North Florida and UNF Environmental Center
When: Tuesday, Jan. 17, at 6 p.m.
Where: Jacksonville Museum of Science and History (MOSH)
Cost: $10 adults, $7 students
Join USGBC North Florida for another installment of the Green Carpet Film Series. In "Racing Extinction," a team of artists and activists expose the the hidden world of extinction with never-before-seen images that will change the way we see the planet. Read more.
Hop Into Frog Monitoring
Sponsors: Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens and Northeast Florida FrogWatch USA Chapter
When: Saturday, Jan. 21, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Where: Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens Education Campus Auditorium
Want to learn more about monitoring our local frog and toad populations? Want to learn how you can contribute to their conservation through citizen science? Attend this free training to get involved. Light lunch will be provided. You must RSVP to volunteer@jacksonvillezoo.org.
Timucuan Science and History Symposium
Sponsors: National Park Service and Timucuan Parks Foundation
When: Friday, Jan. 27
Where: Ribault Club
Cost: $10 students, $25 early bird registration
Connect with and create the next generation of park scientists, historians and researchers at the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve Science Symposium. It will be a place to connect with natural and cultural researchers, community residents and National Park Service personnel. The Symposium will be an amazing opportunity to share, listen and connect. For more details and registration, please visit their website.
Crosby Saturday Bird Walk and Work Day
Sponsor: Duval Audubon Society
When: Saturday, Jan. 28, from 8 a.m. to noon
Where: Crosby Sanctuary
Every fourth Saturday the Duval Audubon Society meets at Crosby Sanctuary for birding and work projects in the sanctuary. Please bring work gloves and wear closed-toe shoes. If possible, also please bring loppers, scissor style hedge clippers and other trail maintenance-type tools you may have available. Read more.
Hanna Park Bird Walk
When: Sunday, Jan. 29, at 8 a.m.
Where: Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park
Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park is a city park that consists of a 1.5-mile public beach and 447 acres of mature coastal hammock, which is increasingly rare to find along Florida's heavily developed coast. Visitors can catch a glimpse of a variety of birds. Read more.
Learn about more upcoming events.
Tips and Trips
Monthly article detailing tips for environmentally conscious lifestyles and trips to the parks and preserves of Northeast Florida.
Did you know that the United States produces approximately 250 million tons of trash annually? The adoption of zero waste living is being used to combat this issue. Zero waste is simply a principle of waste management that states nothing should be thrown into landfills.
You can go beyond traditional recycling efforts by adding a few more "Rs" to the classic three, "reduce, reuse, recycle", and adopting a few zero waste resolutions this year. Refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle, rot and reform. Refuse what you do not need. Reduce and reuse what you are already consuming. Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce or reuse. Then rot the rest by composting.
Try refusing plastic bags at the grocery store. Reduce your carbon footprint by utilizing alternative forms of transportation on your daily compute by biking, long boarding, riding the bus or carpooling. Buy things second hand as a unique way to reuse what has already been produced. By resolving to kick some bad habits and adopt some good ones, you are reforming your life and influencing those around you. Wishing you a happy and healthy 2017!
UNF Environmental Center | University of North Florida | Privacy | Unsubscribe


A special Insight report in the weekend paper is about the future of a baby born in Australia this year. Here's what caught my eye.
I'd argue that flexibility and adaptability are important right now.
Also in the weekend paper, is an opinion piece by Garry Lyon, a former professional Australian Rules Football player.
This talk of the need for flexibility, or agility as it's sometimes called, adaptability and improvisation are all very well, but how do we develop these capacities?
We all improvise – life is an improvisation, as it comes with no user's manual. We seem to be happy to improvise the small parts of our lives – or maybe it's that we simply don't recognize that we're improvising. Yet when it comes to our work, improvisation is seen as something akin to recklessness.
It is possible though to learn to improvise more and to bring this to all of the facets of our lives. Even those in the most controlled professions can improvise within constraints. Improvisation is not a synonym of anarchy or chaos. It exists within boundaries.
In many ways I'm not surprised when a group of capable, talented, professional people, when asked if they improvise, shake their heads. "I'm not an improviser," they declare. "It's not for me." Jazz musicians, and comedy improvisors are probably what come to people's minds when asked if they improvise. They probably think of improvisation as something performers do on a stage in front of an audience. Any wonder that most of us would say no to that.
Even these 'professional' improvisors practice relentlessly to build their capacity to improvise.
When watching a group of people improvising on the stage, here's what I see: a high-performing team, seamlessly working with each other, each with a specific, if changeable, function, working towards the successful completion of a specified task, sometimes making mistakes that might give them pause, but rarely stop them in their tracks.
Sound familiar? In its various forms, this is how teamwork is often described to me in businesses and organisations. It's how people wished their teams were.
Taking a group of people for an away day or two or even three or more, or suggesting they attend a training course to learn how to improve their teamwork is ludicrous.
Would you send a child to a camp to learn how to play the piano, expecting that when they return from a few days away they would be transformed into a pianist? Would you take yourself to a retreat to learn new habits expecting to be a changed person on your return?
You might return with a new perspective, new information, insights and inspiration. You might even return with a set of skills to practice and hone and develop.
We never learn anything new without practice. I've already written about this here.
Building our capacities to be flexible, to be more comfortable with uncertainty, to trust our abilities to adapt, and to see the possibilities around us, don't always come easily as we struggle to shed the legacy of an era of order, control and predictability. We need to be exposed to being flexible and adaptable, we need to learn the foundations of improvising, and we need to practice.
Just as a footballer will practice in the gym to build strength, and run to build stamina, we need to train to be more spontaneous. If we want to be more flexible and adaptable and able to respond when we don't know what to do, we need to practice so as those skills become second nature.
These ideas fascinate and excite me. And I'm looking for others who are share an interest in how to develop our capacities to thrive in an uncertain future. I don't think there's any easy answers, no magic bullets, no next 'big thing'. But I do believe there's lots of new territory to explore, new skills to learn, ideas to share and connections to make. If you are also fascinated by these ideas, you might be interested in this.
I've always said that an 'amygdala hijack' is a great name for a cocktail. I'm not sure what would be in such a cocktail except that in my mind's eye it's red, so I guess cranberry juice would be a good start. A real amygdala hijack is a serious thing though – it's when our primitive brain takes over and the amygdala 'hijacks' the higher functioning of the brain. It literally (through some process I really don't understand) flicks a switch, so to speak, that means we lose our capacity to consider anything other than fright (deer caught in the headlights) or flight (just get out of there as quickly as possible).
I had what felt like a slow-onset amygdala hijack recently while facilitating and it's been an interesting experience to reflect on. I'm also re-reading (by chance) Mindsight by Dan Siegel. He talks about how it's possible to change the wiring and architecture of our brains, and how mindsight gives us the capacity for insight and empathy – two things I really lacked last week.
After getting some space (literally) away from the group and spending time outside, having some laughs and some tears, some exercise and some sleep, and some time alone, my brain is functioning again, the right and left hemispheres are integrated, the prefrontal cortex is back in business and the synapses are firing away. Empathy and creativity are back. (Phew!) I can now see with a clarity that's a bit scary in comparison to the fog I was operating in. It felt like mentally crawling through molasses. I knew I had to move, but every movement felt laboured. I was operating on auto-pilot, and a pretty timid one at that. Fair to say, that's not my usual style.
I fell into the trap of trying to think my way out. My body was telling me something else. I could feel the tension throughout my body, but mostly in my gut. People kept engaging with me at a cognitive level and I would try and respond similarly. Now I can see that what I really needed, and wanted, was a hug – human connection at a very basic level to calm down my amygdala and give my brain time to recover and start functioning again.
Writing this, I feel completely different. Optimistic, brave, creative. I no longer feel frustrated, angry, trapped, afraid. I feel like me again.
Facilitation is harder than it looks. Great facilitation is barely visible at all, yet takes an enormous amount of effort, mainly around what not to do. It's always easier, whether facilitating, or doing anything else, to take along everything, to do more, to say a bit more. It's easier to keep adding, adding, adding. Take a few extra clothes on that trip, add a few more slides to that presentation, talk for a bit longer. It's harder – much harder – to stop. To stop doing and to start being.
I've been reminded to reconnect with myself, and to allow time and space for that to happen. I've also been reminded that others probably need this too.
Dave Pollard has an excellent post on resilience. Resilience is a bit of a catch phrase at the moment, and yes, guilty as charged, your honour. I've been pedalling the resilience story for a while now – individual, community, organisational, family.
As Dave says, resilience is about 'springing back', and embedded in that is the expectation that things will somehow, eventually get back to 'normal'. We now know that there is no 'normal'.
I'm particularly taken by his research that reveals that we need to adapt, and improvise. It's so obvious when it's presented this way, yet I've been blinded by the lure of resilience that I've neglected alternatives.
Great stuff. I've saved Dave's post for further reference.
I love sharing stories with fellow facilitators. In this podcast, Geoff Brown and I chat with Nicole Hunter about her experiences with rural communities following the Grampians bush fires a few years ago. Go here to listen.
Anyone reading this blog over the last couple of weeks will notice a pre-occupation, of sorts, with facilitation and disaster response. This is borne partly out of the need to share what I know and believe regarding what facilitators can bring and partly due to frustration. Frustration that the authorities responsible for recovery following Victoria's bush fires, and the media, commentators, and experts – seem to be oblivious to the important part that facilitation can play in helping communities rebuild.
Gil's experiences of disaster responses – good and bad. What happened when 26,000 people were killed in Columbia.
Why it's important for people to participate in their own future.
Training facilitators in psycho-social recovery: personal (psycho) grieving processes and building community (social) resilience.
An aid mentality compared with a facilitative approach to disaster response.
Role of Community Fireguard in building resilient communities.
The power of participating and dialoguing instead of being 'talked at' by an expert.
Secondary crisis – not dealing appropriately with the loss and turning to 'escape' behaviours.
The problem of staying in the aid mode for too long and building dependency. The ladder of participation.
When is the right time for facilitation after a disaster?


Stand out in 🏊♂ search results.
Tell your friends, "Here's my new site! Type this into your phone: 🏊♂.fm"
Forward 🏊♂ to your existing site / podcast / social media / Instagram / Twitter / Facebook / Etsy / Shopify!
Point your phone's camera at the screen to transfer 🏊♂!


text:
Questions of Third Cinema, edited by Jim Pines and Paul Willemen
A collection of transcribed essays presented during the three-day conference organized by Jim Pines, Paul Willemen, and June Givanni as part of the 40th anniversary of the Edinburgh International Film Festival in 1986, Questions of Third Cinema examines the evolution, application, relevance, and continued challenges of Third Cinema in its manifestation, not only from the perspective of its critical origins in Latin America and its diverse incarnations in the native cinemas of African and Asian countries relegated to third world status, but also in its representations of the Other within the film (sub)culture of developed nations, acting in opposition to the imperialist, bourgeois ideals of a dominant 'first cinema' as well as the abstraction – and egoism – of a consciously cerebral 'second cinema'. A cinematic call to arms taken from Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino's seminal article, Towards a Third Cinema, Third Cinema's identification lies in its aesthetic of unfinished research that is deeply rooted within the reality and history of a dominated society, transcending class divisions to collectively express a culture's inherent problems of representation, translation, mediation, and intervention.
In this respect, Third Cinema functions, not only as a simple reflection of 'alternative history' from an abrogated culture, but also as a chronicle – and indictment – of this process of systematic erasure. In the essay, The Third Cinema Question: Notes and Reflections, Paul Willemen cites this prevailing sense of indigenous culture and intrinsic activism (especially from the perspective of a dysfunctional, hybridized culture caused by colonial imposition) that characterize the films of Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Ousmane Sembene, and Ritwik Ghatak as cornerstones of Third Cinema's cross-cultural imperative:
Each of them refused to oppose a simplistic notion of national identity or of cultural authenticity to the values of colonial or imperial predators. Instead, they started from a recognition of the many-layeredness of their own cultural-historical formations, with each layer being shaped by complex connections between intra- and inter-national forces and traditions. In this way, the three cited filmmakers exemplify a way of inhabiting one's culture which is neither myopically nationalist no evasively cosmopolitan. Their film work is not particularly exemplary in the sense of displaying stylistically innovative devices to be imitated by others who wish to avoid appearing outdated. On the contrary, it is their way of inhabiting their cultures, their grasp of the relations between the cultural and the social, which founded the search for a cinematic discourse able to convey their sense of a 'diagnostic understanding' (to borrow a happy phrase from Raymond Williams) of the situation in which they work and to which their work is primarily addressed.
In essence, if a dominated society is to remain relevant, its identity cannot solely be rooted in imitation, but rather, reconstituted as a confluence of both native and assimilated cultures that cannot be inhabited by a simple process of translation. This fundamental problem forms the essential question in Trinh T. Minh-ha's essay, Outside In Inside Out, examining the implicitly imposed limitations on native filmmakers that, by extrapolation, endows a certain omniscience – and consequently, omnipotence – on the part of Euro-American filmmakers to serve as figurative, anointed interpreters of other cultures. For Trinh, this paradigm not only reflects the imbalance of power between Insider and Outsider, but also implicitly reinforces mutually exclusive, binary modes of representation:
That a white person makes a film on the Goba of the Zambezi or on the Tasaday in the Philippine rain forest seems hardly surprising to anyone, but that a Third World member makes a film on other Third World peoples never fails to appear questionable to many …The marriage is not consumable, for the pair is no longer 'outside-inside' (objective versus subjective), but something between 'inside-inside' (subjective in what is already designated as subjective) and 'outside-outside' (objective in what is already claimed as objective) …Any attempts at blurring the dividing line between outsider and insider would justifiably provoke anxiety, if not anger. Territorial rights are not being respected here.
Homi K. Bhabha similarly examines the fallacy of cultural (mis)identification with the Other in the essay, The Commitment to Theory, suggesting instead that the goal of Third Cinema is to facilitate cultural negotiation rather than negation through the co-occupation of what the author defines as Third Space, the "split space of enunciation [that] may open the way to conceptualizing an international culture, based not on exoticism or multiculturalism of the diversity of cultures, but on the inscription and articulation of culture's hybridity".
Teshome H. Gabriel further explores the idea of Third Cinema as other history in the essay, Third Cinema as Guardian of Popular Memory: Towards a Third Aesthetics, illustrating its genesis in folkloric tradition, in essence, a medium for conveying history through popular – though not necessarily "official" – memory:
Another form of Third Cinema narrative – the autobiographical narrative – illustrates this point. Here I do not mean autobiography in its usual Western sense of a narrative by and about a single subject. Rather, I am speaking of a multi-generational and trans-individual autobiography where the collective subject is the focus. A critical scrutiny of this extended sense of autobiography (perhaps hetero-biography) is more of an expression of shared experience; it is a mark of solidarity with people's lives and struggles.
This symbiotic relationship between Third Cinema and its cultural rooting is also reflected in Charles Burnett's essay, Inner City Blues, who argues that the integrity of filmmaking can only be preserved through personal investment within – and by – the community rather than in the bankrolling (and artistic compromises) of commercial studios:
The commercial film is largely responsible for affecting how one views the world. It reduced the world to one dimension, rendering taboos to superstition, concentrated on the ugly, creating a passion for violence and reflecting racial stereotypes, instilling self-hate, creating confusion rather than offering clarity: to sum it up, it was demoralizing. It took years for commercial films to help condition society on how it should respond to reality. In the later films that strove for a reality, the element of redemption disappeared, and as a consequence, the need for a moral position was no longer relevant. There was no longer a crossroads for us to face and to offer meaning to our transgressions.
…Any other art form celebrates life, the beautiful, the ideal, and has a progressive effect, except American cinema – The situation is such that one is always asked to compromise one's integrity, and if the socially oriented film is finally made, its showing will generally be limited and the very ones that it is made for and about will probably never see it. To make filmmaking viable you need the support of the community; you have to become part of its agenda, an aspect of its survival.
The moral trauma and violence of cultural imperialism is eloquently articulated in Haile Gerima's impassioned essay, Triangular Cinema, Breaking Toys, and Dinknesh vs. Lucy. Contrasting the lavish construction of Hollywood films (and manufactured film stars) to the artisanal quality of Third World cinema, Gerima rejects the temptation to imitate the Hollywood model, citing Hegel's comment that "the most important act a child can engage in is the breaking of his/her toys" as a metaphor for the unattainable pursuit of false idols. Moreover, with the increasing international popularity of Third World cinema, Gerima insightfully cautions against its unwitting distortion as a cultural reinforcement of stereotypes and exotization.
While we should be pleased with the growing interest shown by the progressive, international community in our cinema movement, we need to be concerned with the distribution and exhibition aspects of our creative outputs. We need to restore dignity to and for our films, we have to fight against the free exhibition of our culture. We must receive economic as well as political return for our labor, as part and parcel of our struggle for legitimate cinema. This will prevent the tendency to relegate our culture to the world of the exotic…
In the coming years, Third World cinema has a two-pronged responsibility: 1) to be an active catalyst in instigating the revolutionary uplifting of the masses of Third World from the gutter to the level of equal partnership – the birthright of all human beings – and to struggle to bring about the total removal of the above- and below-the-line distinctions of existence; and 2) to be a catalyst, directly or indirectly, in demystifying the superiority of the developed countries. This demystification can only take place through the decoding of the deemed superiority of the West. This will create some form of parity that will contribute to a better climate and democratic existence for all human beings. In other words, our cultural contribution to the West will be to bring them a little bit down to the human orbit.
© Acquarello 2008. All rights reserved.
Author: acquarello on December 26, 2017
Categories: Film Related Reading
Tags: Film Theory, Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Ousmane Sembene, Ritwik Ghatak, Trinh T. Minh-ha
Poetics of Cinema 2 by Raúl Ruiz «» Radical Juxtaposition: The Films of Yvonne Rainer by Shelley Green
Suspended Lives, Revenant Images. On Harun Farocki's Film Respite by Sylvie Lindeperg
Split Screen: Belgian Cinema and Cultural Identity by Philip Mosley
Shohei Imamura (Cinematheque Ontario Monographs, No. 1), edited by James Quandt
Russian Critics on the Cinema of Glasnost, edited by Michael Brashinsky and Andrew Horton
Rows and Rows of Fences – Ritwik Ghatak on Cinema by Ritwik Ghatak
Reframing Japanese Cinema: Authorship, Genre, History, edited by Arthur Nolletti Jr. and David Desser
Refiguring Spain: Cinema/Media/Representation, edited by Marsha Kinder
Radical Juxtaposition: The Films of Yvonne Rainer by Shelley Green
Poetics of Cinema 2 by Raúl Ruiz
Author: acquarello
Patterns of Time: Mizoguchi and the 1930s by Donald Kirihara


text:
Startups Portfolio
StartLife Accelerate
F&A Next Summit
Startup Visa
Student Startups
Accelerating agrifoodtech startups shaping a sustainable food system
Viroteq Attracts Funding To Build Smart Stacking and Packaging Robot Software
14 October 2020 Archief, NewsAlumni, funding, ViroteqBram van Beek
Efficiently stack packages and objects of different sizes? With the intelligent on-the-fly mixed palletizer software that can make robots deal with flexible situations in a smarter way, this becomes a breeze. Viroteq makes grateful and efficient use of the latest machine vision and deep-learning techniques. Thanks to a fund managed by Horizon Flevoland, the company can now develop a prototype.
"Many stacking and packaging processes within the logistics industry are still performed by people, while this is physically very demanding and monotonous work. By using robots with our software in a smarter and more flexible way, we can automate these processes while at the same time improving the efficiency of the stack, "explains Evert van Galen, co-founder and CEO of Viroteq.
StartLife and Horizon Flevoland
"We are delighted to be able to fund this promising initiative and provide the company with the money for a working prototype. The target? Conquer the market, "said Inge Verschuur, investment manager at regional development company Horizon Flevoland. The fund is committed to enabling entrepreneurs to grow and at the same time to realize social challenges.
Horizon Flevoland is not the only investor. StartLife also believes in the company. Within the StartLife Accelerate Fall 2020 program , Viroteq developed a "proof of principle"; an experiment aimed at determining whether the invented technology actually works and is feasible. In this program Food & Agritech startups learn what is crucial in validating their business, how to attract financiers and grow their business. In addition, the program provides seed capital, business support and access to leading companies and investors.
Efficient packing
Viroteq wants to sell their software as a licensing model, but also focuses (in collaboration with partners) on the sale of total systems. In the future, the company will not only focus on stacking crates and packages, but also on efficient packaging of the food products in these crates and packages.
Flevoland has a strong logistics sector. For example, the logistics hotspot Almere-Lelystad-Zeewolde finished third this year on the list of top logistics locations in the Netherlands. 'The logistics sector in Flevoland offers us many opportunities and growth opportunities', says Evert van Galen of Viroteq.
TMI Proof of Concept Fund Flevoland
Viroteq receives funding from the TMI Proof of Concept Fund Flevoland (POC Fund). This fund is managed by Horizon Flevoland and provides financing to innovative SMEs with growth ambitions that wish to invest in the development of new products or services and are in the so-called proof-of-concept phase. € 13.3 million has been made available for this by a program from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) of the European Union, the province of Flevoland and the national government.
p.s. You can also follow StartLife on Linkedin, Twitter or stay up to date with the latest news about and for agrifoodtech startups, scale-ups and more via the StartLife newsletter.


Move aside Pumpkin Spice Latte, Mulled Coffee has arrived!
Dark as the night and warm as the hearth, Mulled Coffee is sure to be your next holiday hit. With the joy and frenzy that the holidays bring, this heartwarming recipe serves as a bridge between the two extremes of the upcoming season. It's highly recommended this pleasant libation be shared in good company.
Mulled Coffee is comprised of ingredients already in your pantry.
Simply measure the spices and combine into a pot.
Add orange peels and water, then stir to combine.
Bring the syrup to a gentle boil, and reduce until thickened.
In the meantime, make your favorite full-bodied coffee.
Add the syrup to your coffee, and enjoy!
Makes just over 1 cup of syrup. Keeps fresh for 2-3 weeks in a tightly sealed bottle or jar. You can make the syrup ahead of time.
Your favorite coffee brewed with your favorite method. I used the Festivity Blend made using a Hario V60. I recommend any sweet, full bodied coffee.
Peel half of an orange. I used a paring knife, but a vegetable peeler should work as well. Try to avoid peeling off too much of the bitter white pith that lies beneath the peel. Add orange peel, cinnamon sticks, spices, and sugar to a small pot. Add water. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat while stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 10-15 minutes and thicken syrup. Once syrup is thickened, remove pot from heat and let cool. Strain the syrup with a fine-meshed strainer and transfer into a well-sealed bottle or jar.
Brew coffee. View our brew guides here. Rinse your serving carafe or drinking mug with hot water. Pour Spiced Simple Syrup into your carafe or mug to taste. Add your coffee and give it a good stir. Enjoy as is or with creamer. Feel the warmth of winter cheer spreading in your heart and enjoy!


text:
Of the many challenges Facebook faces its intrinsic parasitism is the biggest
19 March 2019 @ 13:01
Facebook has recently bemoaned the decline in US local news sources, but a major reason for this has been the collapse in media advertising revenues.
Two companies are largely responsible for this decline: Google and Facebook. As digital replaced analogue as the primary way of consuming media, advertising moved to the main online content aggregators, specifically its dominant search engine and its dominant social media service. Not only did this suck revenue away from traditional media, it forced many media to resort to low-quality 'clickbait' journalism in order to drive the volumes of traffic its remaining advertisers increasingly demanded.
By definition aggregators don't produce their own content and are entirely reliant on a steady flow of third party to keep its users active and the revenues it makes on the back of their searching and sharing flowing. This model is, therefore, intrinsically parasitic and comes with the major problem that parasites eventually kill their hosts.
Facebook has belatedly recognised this dilemma and launched a new initiative called 'Today In' late last year, that was designed to bring greater attention to local stuff on the site. On top of that it also said it would throw millions of dollars at local news earlier this year. Despite this, however, Facebook yesterday was moved to lament the existence of 'news deserts' in the US and is contributing to research to find out what is the cause of them. Some people seem to think that's somewhat redundant.
There are, of course, plenty of other threats to Facebook's business model. The Cambridge Analytica scandal raised profound concerns around the use of all this personal data we're sharing with Facebook. Meanwhile its role in a wide range of high-profile events ranging from elections to terrorist atrocities have put it under enormous pressure to curate and censor its content much more quickly and thoroughly than it currently does.
The parasitic business model is also at the core of a lot of this. In many ways Facebook operates like a very large media organisation, as it makes money by serving ads against traffic to content on its side. But since it doesn't produce that content it is currently treated as a platform rather than a publisher, with a consequent freedom from direct responsibility for what it presents to its users.
It's becoming increasingly clear that websites designed to host user-generated content are neither platforms nor publishers, but something in between. Politicians and regulators are increasingly calling for new rules and laws to address this paradox and it seems highly probable that these will both threaten revenues and significantly increase overheads for these companies.
So great are these challenges to Facebook that the company is already publicly contemplating a fundamental shift in its business model, with more controlled, private sharing as its new focus. This coincides with a its core revenues base, US Facebook users, clearly peaking, as you can see in the following slides from Facebook's recent quarterly earnings presentation.
While user engagement has peaked in the US, Facebook still derives a disproportionate amount of revenue from that market thanks to its much higher ARPU there. But there is growing evidence that this may be increasingly coming from Instagram rather than the core Facebook product and mobile now accounts for nearly all of its revenues. All this points to the distinct possibility of Facebook, as we know it, being unrecognisable a decade from now as the legacy platform undergoes a managed decline.
Which brings us back to the parasitism issue. Facebook's long term strategy seems to be to completely exhaust its current host while at the same time cultivating a new one. It's hard to view all this hand-wringing about traditional media as anything more than a pretence at seeking a symbiotic relationship with it while it bleeds it dry. Independent journalist Tim Pool, as ever, has an instructive take on the broader situation.
Tags: Facebook, media, social media
New year, same old calls for digital censorship
Facebook is being sued for £2.3 billion for 'exploiting users'
UK orders Facebook to sell Giphy
Microsoft and Facebook get cozy over workplace collaboration


text:
TicketGoose
DigitalVillage
IndiaTEAM
Bio Speaker
3 min read Media
Chasing a golden goose in the bus transport sector
Entrepreneurship (2) Media (35) Leadership (0) Digital Marketing (0) Artificial Inteligence (0)
Today's Most Read
டிக்கெட் புக்கிங்… பயணத்தைச் சுலபமாக்கிய ஆன்லைன் தளங்கள்! கார்த்தி ஈஸ்வரமூர்த்தி – 'தள்ளுபடிகளை விட, சிறந்த சேவையே வாடிக்கையாளர்களைக் கவரும்' Book before you board – Indian Express TicketGoose.com to raise more funds TicketGoose.Com launches app to book bus tickets on the go
https://karthieaswaramoorthy.com/media/chasing-a-golden-goose-in-the-bus-transport-sector
Published in DtNext on Dec 30,2016
Aiming to disrupt the bus ticketing and transport market with a slew of value added services and differentiating features, Ticketgoose.com, an end to end bus ticketing portal and aggregator, based out of Chennai, is now making its presence felt in a big way in the state.
Chennai:
The company, founded in 2007, has partnered with close to 2,700 bus operators, with 20,000 buses operating as part of their fleet. With as many as five lakh active users and 7,000 agents who use the portal for booking tickets, Ticketgoose.com is now planning to expand its business through various modes.
Karthi Easwaramoorthy, President and Co-founder of Ticketgoose.com says, "The Indian travel industry is growing at the rate of 30 per cent year on year and bus transport services, are a big part of that growth. This year, we have been concentrating more on our bottom line than our top line – by qualitative filtering of our bus operators, rationalising our B2B partners, attracting new customers through innovative e-commerce solutions and products."
Focussing on value-added services, the company has now tied up with bus operators in Tamil Nadu, such as Madurai Radha Travels and Hebron Transport to offer passengers travel options in a Smart Bus. Karthi tells us, "As part of a pilot project, we have equipped a few buses from these operators traversing the Chennai to Bengaluru, Madurai and Coimbatore routes with a Smart Box facility. The system allows passengers to access high quality entertainment, content and high bandwidth Wi-Fi services on one's smartphone or tablet itself. It eliminates the need for installing seat-mounted personal screens or a generic single screen inside the bus. We will also be introducing an app shortly, so that Ticketgoose customers can log onto the Smart Box as soon as they enter the bus."
The company is also in discussion with a start-up, assessing the feasibility of developing a bio-toilet solution that can be incorporated into buses. Karthi says, "One of the biggest reasons why buses are only the second most-preferred modes of transportation in India is due to the lack of toilets or even properly maintained restrooms on the highways. It will take the concentrated efforts of both the government and private parties to build the latter. However, we can certainly look into the former aspect and see if it's a workable solution to install a toilet in a bus, considering the space constraints and other factors."
Diversification is also on the cards for the ticketing aggregator as it is now eyeing the office crowds keen on weekend getaways. "We are now coming up with a new product called Get Together and Get Away (G&G) targeting the millennials – from the age group of 20 to 35. Our product will be similar to that of end to end travel/tour operators, the only difference being our focus on short trips and treks. A lot of corporates have shown a keen interest in this product now." Talking numbers, Karthi says that company expects to do a turnover of Rs 80 crore this financial year. In the next six months, the portal also plans on adding another 300 bus operators to its network in the East and North Indian sectors. "By mid-2017, we are hopeful of securing a funding worth $10 million, and we are in talks with angel investors for the same," he signs off.
Karthi Eeswaramoorthy
Karthi Easwaramoorthy is the Co-Founder and the CEO of TicketGoose.com, an online bus ticketing E Commerce Company. The company was built from scratch by raising 5m USD investments from the investors who were in America. He successfully built this e-
Copyright © 2018, Inc. All rights reserved.


The world of the Polish countryside seen through the eyes of children. Jasio has travelled with his parents to Mołtajny, which lies almost in the very centre of Europe. His parents are making a film there. They all stay with a family with three children. "We have love, we have children, the house is so-so, all we need for happiness is a bit of regular work," says their host. Then he adds: "Maybe the children will be more fortunate..." Later, the family from Mołtajny return the favour by making a trip to the capital.


Jimbaran, Bali based artist Ed Narrow was born on 15 November 1970, in Gyor, Hungary. Since childhood, he has always loved art. "I have respected originality and so I call my own artwork "szukrealism" after my surname" (Norbert Szuk). His idol is Salvador Dali, his ideas and creativity fascinate Ed. He also greatly admires the colors and shapes in the work of Andy Warhol. Goya's and Velazquez's artistic genius and sensitivity overwhelm him. That is why ideas, impressions and emotions have equal value in Ed's work. His art is primarily influenced by Japanese pop-art, anime and manga pictures, plus the magical forms and figures of the Far East, such as the Indonesian wayang figures, his images promote the harmony of the Far-Eastern world.


text:
Cabela's MWC Lake Oahe Tournament And Cabela's Regional Walleye Championship Heating Up
Strutts Win Cabela's MWC Lake Oahe Qualifier
Cabela's MWC Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan Tournament Right Around The Corner
Filed under MWC News
–Presented by Zippo
July 16, 2012—MINNETONKA, MN—Last August, two solid baskets lifted Joe and John Giuliani to victory against more than 120 anglers from eight states and one Canadian province competing in the Cabela's Masters Walleye Circuit's East Division season finale on the St. Mary's River.
In doing so, the brothers earned $11,250 for first place, plus another $2,500 in Sponsor Contingencies and Big Fish Pot earnings. And we're headed back again next month to see who tops the field this time around! The team-format tournament is open to all anglers regardless of club or sponsor affiliation; join us August 24-26th as we visit the legendary St. Mary's River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.
A full field of 200 boats would yield more than $100,000 in cash payouts. Plus, sponsor contingencies from Cabela's, Ranger Boats, Lowrance, Berkley, Okuma, U2/The Oxygenator and the Big Fish Pot add thousands more to the total. To top it off, weigh-ins and on-the-water action will be filmed for national airing on the NBC Sports Television Network as part of the Cabela's MWC TV series.
Via the Circuit's parent company, North American Media Group, tournament coverage also extends to North American Fisherman magazine—which serves more than 3 million readers, including 500,000 members of the North American Fishing Club—as well as 79,000 Fishing Club Facebook fans and a host of other media outlets. "This is a great chance to show the world the great fishing, community support and fantastic anglers the Sault Ste. Marie area has to offer," MWC Director Dan Johnson adds.
The public is invited to the weigh-ins, which will be held at William Gregory Park in Sault Ste. Marie, starting at 3 p.m. (EST) daily. Plus, children 12 and under can enjoy a Youth & Family Fishing Clinic, held immediately after the Day One weigh-in. The Cabela's MWC, National Professional Anglers Association, Pure Fishing and Zippo Outdoor Brands will present the clinic awarding the first 50 youths free rod and reel combos, and offer fishing lessons with the anglers. One lucky family also will win a Zippo Family Camping Pack valued at more than $100.
Walleyes were winners as well. The Cabela's MWC will donate $15 per boat to walleye conservation, for its efforts to protect and enhance the local fishery. Since 1984, the Circuit and its sister trail, the Cabela's North American Bass Circuit, have donated more than $300,000 to fisheries-enhancement projects in states where its tournaments are held.
This is set to be the eighth of nine Cabela's MWC qualifying tournaments in 2012. Open to diehard anglers regardless of club or sponsor affiliation, the remaining schedule for 2012 includes Lake Oahe at Pierre, South Dakota, July 28-29; the St. Mary's River at Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, August 24-26; and Cass Lake, Minnesota, out of Stony Point Resort, Sept. 14-16.
The Cabela's MWC registration costs $650 per tournament per two-person team, and remains open through the Sunday prior to each event. Payouts are based on the number of teams fishing each event. Overall in 2011, the Circuit paid back more than 120 percent of entry fees in cash payouts, team of the year awards, sponsor contingencies and winnings in the no-entry-fee Cabela's MWC World Walleye Championship. To register or for details,visit www.masterswalleyecircuit.com, or email events@masterswalleyecircuit.com.