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Surviving a Stalled Economy: Strategies for Families
Sometimes hard times yield great ideas.
No matter where you fall on the hardship scale, you're likely puzzling over how to make ends meet – how to hold onto music or sports lessons for the kids, save for college and preserve your retirement fund. Not to mention how to find more spending money for family fun.
We asked financial experts and parents how to survive a stalled economy. And they provided some enlightening strategies – doable ideas that can make a difference. Whether you're coping with long-term joblessness or a strained bank account, here's where to start:
It sounds obvious, but many people have no idea where their money goes. "They think they do but they don't keep real close track of it," says Jennifer Lane, a certified financial planner, and co-author of personal finance books, including The Everything Guide to Personal Finance in Your 40s and 50s (Adams Media, 2010) and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Protecting your 401(k) and IRA (Alpha, 2009)."People don't realize how much money they spend on stuff that they don't really care about."
Start tracking what you spend in a month and identify where you can cut back. Lane recommends a free online tool at Mint.com – an account aggregator where you link your credit cards, checking accounts, etc. It copies your transactions, puts them into categories and provides easy-to-understand summaries, graphs and pie charts on what you spend your money on.
"Don't worry about what you've spent money on in the past. You just need to track it going forward," Lane says. "You think buying cups of coffee cost, say, $800 a year, but you don't realize the gas you use to get that coffee, the dinner supplies you might decide to buy on the way back. It really adds up."
Overhaul Fixed Expenses First
When cutting back, most people think of day-to-day expenses for things like groceries, gas, eating out, etc. But family finance guru Ellie Kay says the first place to look is your fixed expenses – auto, home and health insurance, the mortgage and seasonal utility costs.
Kay, author of several finance books, including The 60-Minute Money Workout, is also a mother who boasts of wiping out $40,000 in consumer debt in two and a half years as a new wife and stepmom to two children supported by only her husband's military income. Today – five additional children later – Kay's family has paid cash for cars, furnished two homes, vacationed, created a retirement nest egg and sent six kids to college loan-free. (The seventh is still in high school.)
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Her advice? Review your fixed expenses every January. She offers these strategies for seeking reduced costs:
• Comparison shop. Get a quote from another insurer. Statistically speaking, people who switch their auto insurance coverage can save an average of $400 a year (sometimes by bundling it with home insurance, for example), Kay says. But don't necessarily switch if you get a lower quote. Call your current carrier, tell them what you can save with another insurer and ask what they can do to keep your business. Usually, they'll work with you to more closely match the competition.
• Taken a driver's training course? Send your insurer the certificate. It can save you 10 to 15 percent in insurance costs.
• If you have a soldier or veteran in your immediate family, you qualify for USAA, the military's insurance provider. USAA offers some of the best rates out there for auto and homeowner's insurance, Kay says. If your spouse, parent or in-law is or was in the military, your family qualifies.
• Re-evaluate your homeowner or rental policy. "Most of the time your insurance is rolled into your mortgage payment," Kay says. "You get it in the mail and assume your bank is paying it, so you ignore it." Call your insurance provider, tell them you think you're paying too much and ask for help with your premiums.
• Consider what is being insured. "You should insure the replacement value of the home, not the dirt [the property around it]," Kay says. So if you bought the house and land for $300,000, don't insure the lot.
• Visit ehealthinsurance.com online. Compare different carriers' quotes and packages and tailor one to fit your needs.
• Update your insurance to reflect your family's specific health needs. If you're not having any more kids, drop maternity coverage; if two of your three kids have asthma, put them on your working spouse's group insurance plan. Then put the healthy child and yourself on an individual plan. "That's a lot cheaper in most cases," Kay says.
• Try to attach a health savings account (HSA) to your policy. These are accounts where you deposit funds in advance for doctors' appointments, medicine, etc. Then you use the HSA card to pay for those expenses over the year. You can roll any funds you haven't spent into future years.
• Compare coverage and quotes online. Again, take differing quotes and packages to your current carrier and ask if they can close the price and coverage gap. Just don't cancel an existing policy until the new one has taken effect. Life insurance may require a physical exam and review of medical records, which can take several weeks.
Mortgage and Car Loans
• Consider refinancing your home when mortgage rates are low. Refinance when rates drop a full point, keep the length of your loan the same period or less, and be sure no penalties are associated with refinancing. The same goes for refinancing your car. Visit BankRate.com online to find brokerages with the best refinancing rates and policies.
Tell your provider you think you're paying too much and ask for help. Some companies offer a home energy assessment – which identifies inefficient appliances or places where heat escapes – either online for free or through a home visit for a flat fee (like $50). "It's worth it," Kay says. "Every year, we have them come out and assess and [upon fixing the problem] we save twice as much."
Then Tackle Your Daily Expenses
When it comes to routine living expenses, "It's no longer enough to buy something on sale," Kay says. So look for items on sale that you also have a coupon or rebate offer for. "Layer on the savings."
Groceries, Clothing, Personal Care Products
• Look for announcements about sales and special deals on Facebook or Twitter and wesites of your grocer, drugstore, home goods or clothing retailer.
• Visit savings sites like Couponmom.com. Combine a store coupon with a manufacturer's coupon.
• Look for unusual deals. As companies expand their department stores to include groceries, for instance, special coupons or grocery cards may offer a bigger discount if you shop there.
• Visit fuelcostcalculator.com, a website sponsored by AAA, to calculate what it will cost to drive to various destinations. Download apps from gaspricewatch.com, fuelmeup.com or gasbuddy.com for locations of the cheapest gas prices.
• Clean out your trunk. Sports equipment and other heavy items weigh down your vehicle and decrease your mileage.
• Pace your driving. Jack-rabbit starts and stops, and low air pressure in your tires will cost you in fuel efficiency. Plan your trips during off hours; you'll save on gas if you encounter less traffic.
• Make your teens pay for driving that isn't necessary – visiting friends, driving to Six Flags, etc. "Teens will always take the longest route," Kay muses. "They love to drive. Some parents charge their teens a flat rate to drive – maybe it's, 'You pay for half of every tank of gas.'"
Be Selective with Childhood Expenses
When it comes to extracurricular activities for the kids – piano lessons, Scout dues, sports fees – many parents don't want to say no. But with seven kids, Kay and her husband had to adopt a "do one thing well philosophy."
"It's not an inalienable right for your child to be doing two sports, music lessons, etc.," Kay says. "Have them pick one thing and work on it; do it well."
What about pleas for top-brand sneakers or jeans? "Don't say no to kids when they want those; tell them you'll pay for them, but not for the brand," Kay says. "Look for a reasonable price for a pair of jeans or sneakers and tell your kids you'll pay that amount but they'll have to pay the extra, say, $50 that comes with a top brand name." This teaches your kids to compare the cost of brands to lower-cost, good-quality items. "They'll start to think, 'Wow, do I really want to pay that much when it'll go out of style or I have to babysit three kids for three hours just to raise money for it?" Kay says.
Don't Forget Your Savings Account
Despite dire warnings from financial experts, we continue to be a nation that doesn't save. What's the average amount you should be setting aside for emergencies, potential joblessness or expensive needs? "It's really as much as you possibly can," says financial planner Jennifer Lane. "Ideally, you should be saving 20 percent of your pay over your entire lifetime."
When your kids are young and daycare costs hit $1,000 a month, saving that much might be impossible. "But realize that when they come out of daycare, the money you were spending then can become savings," Lane says.
Plan for the Big Expenses
A bad economy can derail efforts to save for huge expenses like college tuition or retirement. Your best strategy? Plan ahead together, and stick to that plan, Lane says.
"You may not be needing to own your own home or invest in the 401(k) fully right now," she says. "Sit down and do a plan – 'We're going to take the next six years until child number three is in second grade and not put anything into the 401(k) except for one spouse's company match.' That's OK, because if you're paying a lot for daycare right now, you can start investing that money when the kids are out of daycare and you'll catch up."
The prospect of paying for college for seven kids forced Kay's family into a team strategy. "We paid a portion of college expenses for the kids. But the kids' job was to get the scholarships, do work-study programs, score high enough in high school [on standardized tests like Advanced Placement] to get credit for courses in college."
Look for alternative funds for college, too, Kay says, pointing to rewards programs such as UPromise.com, where a percentage of your or a benefactor's shopping, dining out and other expenses go into a child's college fund.
And If You're Still Without a Job?
Try to maintain a busy weekly routine, Lane says. Cobble together part-time jobs, consulting and volunteer work. Consider returning to school if special tuition programs are available for the long-term unemployed. Launch a home-based business, working with the Small Business Administration to set something up.
"We're going to see a lot of people starting their own businesses from all of this," Kay says. "They'll be working harder because they're working for themselves. They could very well look back and see this bad economy as a blessing rather than a curse."
Don't Sacrifice Fun!
Use some of the savings from reduced fixed and daily expenses to pay for eating out, visiting attractions or traveling, but also look for deals on the entertainment itself.
Among family finance expert Ellie Kay's favorites: the daily deals offered by Groupon.com, LivingSocial.com and other websites; TravelZoo.com for discounted tickets to area attractions; and Restaurant.com for gift certificates to local eateries. Frequent the Facebook and Twitter websites of your favorite restaurants, movie theaters, etc., for more special deals.
By Deirdre Wilson


Competition gives us the opportunity to test ourknowledge and skills and to prove to ourselves that we can do it! Perhaps this will be a great springboardin your career of makeup – up artist.
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Massachusetts Special Primary Election
The primary results are in for the 5th district special election. Former Congressman Ed Markey (D) was elected to the Senate in June to fill the remainder of John Kerry's (D) term after he resigned to be Secretary of State, setting off a special election for Markey's House seat. On the Democratic side, the race was tight, but State Sen. Katherine Clark (D), who was leading the polls at the end of the race, won the nomination. Attorney Frank Addivinola (R) is the Republican nominee. Turnout for the election was low, as expected. Massachusetts has had its share of elections this year, with a Senate special election earlier in 2013 and several local town elections. The 5th district is solidly blue and the competitive race was the Democratic primary. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Clark is expected to easily win the general election on December 10th.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Steve Fox, a Wisconsin transplant circa 2004, has spent his career committed to socially progressive and uplifting organizations working towards a more equitable and just society. His jobs have ranged from fundraising and communications, to program management, direct service implementation and everything in between. After 15 years working in education and youth development, Steve decided to re-direct his skill set to support what he considers to be the most pressing challenge of his lifetime: climate change.
Steve has a BA in English from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. After briefly flirting with the idea of law school, Steve set sail for the wild west. He spends most of his time folding his kids' laundry, washing dishes, telling jokes, playing sports and enjoying life. Steve is also fond of writing in the third person, and is looking forward to seeing you at an upcoming Climate One event where he hopes you will make a charitable contribution. In case you were wondering, the Director of Advancement is code for fundraising director. Steve thanks you for your generosity.


Everyone knows that outside of basketball, Steph Curry's other passion is golf.
Frequently golfing with some of the biggest stars and celebrities, Curry spends much of his offseason on the golf course, playing against the likes of Barack Obama, Ray Allen, and his own father, Dell.
For Curry even that wasn't enough. He is taking his talents and golfing prowess to Hollywood where the two-time league MVP is set to produce and star in his very own mini golf reality TV show called Holey Moley. The trending show will also feature television personality Jeani Mai, comedian Rob Riggle, as well as sports broadcaster Joe Tessitore.
Stephen Curry has joined LeBron James and Kevin Durant as NBA players who are executive producers. ABC has picked up a 10-episode mini-golf competition produced by Stephen Curry called "Holey Moley," a 10-episode mini-golf competition with Curry, Rob Riggle, & Joe Tessitore.
"ABC announced today the network pickup of new extreme miniature golf competition series, "Holey Moley." The first- of-its-kind, 10-episode mini-golf competition will showcase self-proclaimed mini-golf lovers from around the country as they compete head-to-head through an unparalleled, epic obstacle golf course. NBA superstar Stephen Curry will serve as executive producer, resident golf pro of the "Holey Moley" course and appear in every episode. Rounding out the on-camera talent is color commentator Rob Riggle, play-by-play commentator Joe Tessitore and sideline correspondent Jeanie Mai.


Over 75 years after the government first commissioned posters to showcase the country's most stunning natural features under the banner: "See America," The Creative Action Network (CAN) has set out to do it again by launching a new version of See America, a crowdsourced art campaign, enlisting artists from all 50 states to create a collection of artwork celebrating our national parks and other treasured sites.
With the centennial anniversary of the National Park Service approaching in 2016 and the continued threat of budget cuts today, Creative Action Network put out a call to its community of artists and designers around the world to create a new collection of See America posters for a new generation. The posters will highlight natural, cultural and historic sites across the country depicting our shared history and encouraging individuals to reconnect with these places. CAN has partnered with the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA), who stepped up to sponsor and support See America.
This new collection of See America posters will be on display in a special exhibition at the Department of Interior Museum in DC. The exhibition is scheduled to run from July 28 through October 18, 2014. For more click here.
Creative Action Network (CAN) is a marketplace of original, visual, meaningful artwork, harnessing creative talents for good. CAN campaigns are crowdsourced and open for anyone to contribute their own design through the Creative Action Network. See America is not a contest, but rather a campaign to showcase our most precious American sites, and all designs are available for sale as posters, tote bags, and more at seeamericaproject.com. 40% of all proceeds go directly to the artists involved.
Since 1919, the nonpartisan National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) has been the leading voice of the American people in the fight to safeguard our National Park System. NPCA and its 800,000 members and supporters work together to protect the National Park System and preserve our nation's natural, historical, and cultural heritage for generations to come. For more information, visit www.npca.org.


Watercolor crimson peonies flowers set of 12 files. Flowers on a transparent background. Floral botanical flower. Aquarelle paper splash shapes isolated drawing. Ideal material for DIY, wedding invitations, greeting cards, quotes, blogs, posters and more.


As a duty free port, customs procedures are much more relaxed. By using the appropriate import-export customs declaration forms, good can be cleared more speedily and without hassle.
Being small, it can provide dedicated and specialised logistics arrangements for speedier handling. There is usually zero waiting time for berthing and cargo discharging (weather permitting). Also, all facilities are located next to each other thus saving much time, movements and handling costs.
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After several weeks of study, we are coming to the end of this historic survey through our Advent Movement! We pray that you've learned many lessons from the experiences of our faithful pioneers. In today's study, we shall conclude with the developments of the Madison School. Please click here, to review any of our past lessons. Maranatha!
Sister White wanted Brother Magan to go with her to Nashville and find an attorney, and get the articles of incorporation drawn up; because she said that school was to be organized and operated in a different way from our other schools. She told Brother Sutherland that she wanted him to go to Battle Creek and see if he could raise the money to buy it.
Sutherland went north to see his aunt, Mrs. Druillard – "Mother D," as she was called. She had been for a number of years a missionary over in Africa with her husband. She was at this time the treasurer at Berrien Springs College. She was a very fine financier, a woman of unusual ability.
Sutherland told Mother D that if she couldn't help them, he would have to go see someone else; because they had to get it. She told him she would go down and look it over with him. With that, Sutherland and his aunt got on the train. They were met by Sister White and Brother Magan.
So, they went out and looked at it. Mother D helped them. Sister White told Mother D, "Nelly, you think your work is about done. But if you will come here and unite with these boys and help them get this work started, the Lord will lengthen your days, and bless you in it." Mother D did, and she lived for many years after that. She was one of the pillars at Madison.
Well, in October of 1904, they took possession of the place. The four pillars of that work were Sutherland and Magan, Mrs. Druillard, and Bessie DeGraw. Sutherland was the president. Magan was the dean. Bessie DeGraw was the dean of girls, but she wasn't above gathering the eggs and carrying the butter to town to sell, for their butter and eggs were their main source of support during those early days while they were laying the foundation.
I have heard the interesting story about how Miss DeGraw would gather up the butter and eggs and drive into town to Nashville about 10 miles away with a horse and buggy. She had a linen duster that she wore to try to keep the dust off her clothes. She would go in the back doors of the hotels and restaurants to deliver butter and eggs. She would then take off the duster and go around to the front door and make the collections at the business offices.
Thus, in October of 1904 was laid the foundation of a little institution which had the long and high-sounding name of The Nashville Agricultural and Normal Institute. It is worth noting that it was incorporated as an institute. It is worth noting that the words agricultural and normal are in it. None of that was by chance; it was all by planning.
In the little leaflet Series B, # 11 of Special Testimonies entitled "The Madison School", on page 5, Sister White is writing even before the place has been purchased; and telling the story to Elder Daniels, the president of the General Conference, and describing this place. You can see how it was on her heart. It is interesting that the letter was written on the boat before Sutherland and Magan had even looked at the place.
Sister White later wrote an article in 1904 telling about this work. Although it was not owned by the Conference, nor controlled by the Conference, nevertheless the prophet saw fit to tell our people about it, and encourage them to have a part in it with their means and support. It is a wonderful summary of the plan for that school. One reason I read it is because Sister White said that other schools like it should be established, and still others.
There was the plan. Agriculture was to figure heavy in it. They were to be self-supporting schools, with agriculture as a foundation. Notice some of the subjects that were given emphasis: Bible study, physiology, and the history of our message. I want to ask you, are you getting instructions in any of these lines? There is nothing that inspires like following inspiration.
The facility's acres were broad and extensive, but it had a small faculty and student body. If you had looked at it in those early days, you would have said, "A school? Well, where is the school? Where is the library? Where is the chapel? Where is the administration building? Where are the classrooms? Where are the dormitories?" And in each case, the answer would have made you either frown or smile, depending upon your reaction.
"The class of education given at the Madison school is such as will be accounted a treasure of great value by those who take up missionary work in foreign fields. If many more in other schools were receiving a similar training, we as a people would be a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men.
I pause to ask, wouldn't you think that with a statement like that people who were doing such a work would keep on doing such a work until it accomplished bringing an end to sin and sorrow all over this world? Wouldn't you think so? Ah, but human nature is a most strange and interesting thing.
There are lessons to learn in the development of that work. We are looking at it in 1908, as inspiration described it. It was a simple work, a humble work. It was unaccredited, unrecognized. It was not organized according to the curricula of the universities and colleges. Oh, no. It was much more simple and much more practical.
What did she call it? The cause of God. And wouldn't you think, with commendations of that kind, and endorsement of that kind, and sponsorship of that kind, that everybody would have swung into line to encourage and support that type of work? One might think so. Sister White was a member of that board – the only institutional board she was ever a member of. But with that kind of appeal coming from the prophet of God, nevertheless, there was opposition, some open, some private. There was opposition all the way along. Would you like to know why?
Was there opposition? Did the prophet of God take cognizance of it? Oh, yes.
There are four things I want you to notice in that paragraph. One is: in its organization and management Madison was not placed under the control of the conference. It wasn't owned by the conference. It wasn't owned or controlled by the conference. The second thing I want you to notice is: that is why they had the opposition they did. The third thing is: Sister White said there were reasons why it was not to be owned and controlled by the conference. The fourth thing is: those reasons had not been duly considered.
I want to encourage every one of you to study into the reasons why. You need to know for yourself why that school was to be owned and controlled as it was, not as some other schools. You will find the reasons set forth in the three tracts, Series B, #11, the little four-page leaflet, "An Appeal for the Madison School", and this most interesting document, "Words of Encouragement to Self-Supporting Workers".
These are the words which Sister White spoke when she came to the little school five years after it was started, and spoke at the first convention of self-supporting workers in the south held at Madison in April of 1909. Read them for yourself. As you read them notice that, just as back in Battle Creek years before, Sister White had tried so much to get the medical missionary workers and the evangelistic workers united, so in this work in the south she was seeking to get and keep the self-supporting work and the conference work close together in thinking and in spirit, but one not to be denominated by the other.
She was seeking to lead them to a true demonstration of the unity for which Jesus prayed in John 17. And as you read these three documents, pray that God will anoint your eyes and hearts that you may see and carry out the vision which God gave back there over a century ago… Dear friends, it is yet to be fulfilled in all its fullness.
Our Father, we thank Thee for the trail of the vision. Grant us eyes to see, minds to understand, hearts to appreciate, and feet to travel in the path. We pray for Jesus' sake. Amen.
We'll see you and your invited guest next week, as we review some of the points that have been highlighted over the past several weeks of our Advent Movement Survey.


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by Jamie O'Neill on September 9, 2021
Keeping the Wheels Turning
Sam Sheppard works as a food courier for Deliveroo and Uber Eats in Glasgow and this is his story.
It was one of those glorious sunny evenings, I was on my way down Maryhill Road up near the station, having just dropped off a steaming paper bag of fish suppers, when the clapping started. At first just isolated sounds off in the distance somewhere, then building into a surround sound experience – folk leaning out of their windows banging pots and pans, shouts drifting on the wind from the Wyndford high flats, car horns blaring in all directions. The city caught in a moment of collective euphoria, a brief holiday from staring into screens to instead look outwards, make eye contact with neighbours and strangers alike. I added to the din with the shrill dinging of my bell, amplified as I cycled under the canal. Clap for the NHS. Clap for Carers. Occasionally, clap for Key Workers which, according to some, included me.
I felt entirely undeserving of the title, or even ashamed to be able to continue my life almost as normal. While others were out there saving lives, out of a job and running down their savings, or dodging the cops to take a second jog of the day, I was enjoying the evening sun, swooping through empty streets, to delivery gifts to the hungry public. wearing my branded uniform, my key worker suit, as protection against judgement.
Food couriers, especially those of us on bikes, have become a symbol, bodies onto which societies fears and fantasies of the future are projected: poster boys (and we are mostly boys, or at least young men) of the gig economy; the glorious pinnacle of the age of convenience; the final merging of the proletariat and the entrepreneurial class; or the helpless victims of the new economy, depending on who you ask and how hungry they are.
(A brief side note on the demographic composition of the workforce – while we're mostly young men, and often 'outsiders' in the cities in which we work, many of us can often be split into two very different groups – on the one hand university students/graduates/dropouts, mostly white and often middle class and of British or EU origin (the group which, despite entering my mid-thirties, I clearly belong to). On the other hand, migrants from the global south. I do wonder how much of the, often condescending, sympathy on display on the pages of the Guardian etc. is due to parental fear that their educated middle class children should be reduced would work a dangerous job alongside the migrant youth of the global south.)
As we kept working while much of the population, and with it the traffic, came to a halt during the first lockdown, our public visibility was further exaggerated. For some the ability to have prepared food delivered straight to the front door was a genuine godsend. We'd be out there risking infection so those who needed to shield, or protect family members, didn't have to. But even in this regard we were the high-vis adorned tip of the iceberg, the public-facing element of a whole chain of production, from fields to factories to kitchens, which brought you your bubble tea, falafel wrap, or Waitrose groceries. While we were out in the fresh air, easily able to keep our distance, often enjoying cycling through unusually quiet streets, the chefs were cramped inside poorly ventilated kitchens performing repetitive, regimented, work.
Not only do we receive the face-to-face gratitude of the customer (a welcome social interaction in the isolating lockdown days), and possibly a tip, but now we were acknowledged as 'key workers', the saviours of pre-prepared food, where the rest of the supply chain was largely forgotten about in their factories, and warehouses, and kitchens and counters.
"You must be busy these days" my neighbour would say as we passed in the lobby. This was a common assumption, and perhaps held true in certain cases, but what I experienced in Glasgow was more complicated. From the perspective of a courier, Deliveroo functions like a market. Not a free-market mind you (as if such as thing has ever existed), but a market who's parameters are constantly tweaked from above by the platform owner. We are paid for each completed delivery. The rate fluctuates, with 'boosts' offered during busy hours, and a base rate which wanders up and down (mostly down), all adjusted for the distance of the delivery. If we were paid by hour, it would be in the platforms interest to ensure they employed as few of us they could get away with, and that we completed as many deliveries as possible per hour. The way it stands, they really couldn't care less how many deliveries we complete an hour (so long as individual deliveries don't take too long), and want as many of us logged on as possible. That 'surplus army' of workers, hanging around on street corners or idling their cars means there's always somebody ready to collect that next order. And, most importantly, the platforms don't have to pay them for this time.
How 'busy' we are, and how much we are able to earn, is therefore not just based on how many orders are being placed, but the orders placed divided by the number of workers available for work. In busy times, when demand (for deliveries) exceeds supply (of workers), we get, more or less, back-to-back orders. This is where the boosts come in – Deliveroo needs to incentivise more workers to log on in such times, so they increase our pay.
On a rainy weekend evening, for example, with a "1.4 boost" in place (1.4 x regular pay), it's not uncommon to make in excess of £20 an hour. On a sunny Tuesday afternoon however, you might struggle to get one order an hour, at the base pay rate which (depending on distance) could be as low as £2.80.
Back to the spring of 2020, there may have been an increase in orders, but it was quickly followed by a greater increase in those available for work. This included those who were on furlough, or fired, from other jobs, but also those who were working from home and just wanted an excuse to get out of the house (away from the family) for a few hours in the evening. Some of these already had unused accounts on the platform taking up memory on their phones, others were new hires, the platforms having seen opportunity in the disruption of the job market and gone on big hiring benders. Suddenly, our regular evening boosts vanished, and unfamiliar faces appeared, wearing the latest generation of courier boxes.
While any potential bottleneck created by a lack of couriers was avoided by saturating the market with new hires and out-of-retirement couriers, the disruption of business-as-usual created new bottlenecks. With the closure of many restaurants (including the early-on closure of McDonalds! A staple for all UberEats workers), other restaurants saw an increase in delivery throughput. To compound this, many were already running skeleton staff. Ideally, the app should 'know' when food will be ready for collection, and not send a courier until that point. Reality is, as always, more complicated. App-based deliveries are, rather than cleanly integrated into the labour process of restaurants, most often tacked on top as another job for the front-of-house to coordinate, with little special accommodation made except a space behind the counter to hold the tablet through which orders arrive.
The upshot is, when restaurants are busy, we end up having to wait for food to be prepared. Like waiting to be allocated an order, this is dead-time when it comes to our earnings. In many ways it is psychologically worse, since it feels so pointless – in the 20 minutes you might spend waiting, unpaid, outside of Mozzas (one of several particularly bad establishments) for a pizza to be prepared you could have completed another order, and be five pounds richer/less skint.
You can't fault the staff for seeing us as just another stress to add to an already stressful job. Showing up sweaty, clogging doorways with our oversized backpacks, shouting muffled order numbers through face masks, we neither require the courtesy of customers, nor the esprit de corps of the colleagues. I always have a massive amount of respect for the majority of front-of-house staff who, regardless of the unnecessarily antagonistic relationship our respective employers put us in, treat us with patience and compassion.
There are plenty of potential remedies to this. We are allowed to 'reject' orders which are taking too long, so if the restaurant can let us know the food will be a while, we can normally leave it to another courier and try to catch another order. Otherwise, the platforms themselves could tweak the incentives – pay couriers a bit for their time, and charge the restaurant an equivalent fee for the delays. The former would rely on good communication between the kitchen and the front of house, which doesn't always happen, whether due to the obstinance, or relative collective power, of the kitchen staff, or simply poor management. The latter solution would seem in keeping with the incentive-based modus operandi of the platforms, but I can only imagine the relative weight given to the respective interests of 'delivery partners' and 'restaurant partners' prevents it. The platform economy, "multi-sided markets" in business school speak, are all about such juggling of incentives between different parties.
Regardless of root causes, or hypothetical solutions, an interesting side effect of this misalignment of incentives is that it brings couriers together, united by proximity and shared frustration. Especially during the first lockdown, where, even for those of us working in public spaces, social interactions were reduced, this was a time for chatting, sharing cigarettes and anecdotes, asking about families, aspirations, earnings, gripes, and a space opens up for building those tentative bonds of solidarity, of collective identity.
But here comes the irony. What is the solution in such situation? From experience and common sense, an effective strike is difficult, to say the least, with such a fluid and transient workforce (and would just give scabs an opportunity to increase their earnings!), and most of us have the decency not to take our frustration out on the poor bugger behind the counter. So what else can we do? One aspect of control afforded to couriers is to choose which orders to accept (this has been cited in court as justification for our classification as self-employed). In our little huddle outside of the restaurant we pledge to each other that we will never accept orders from this restaurant again. An informal collective boycott! Assuming there are enough orders elsewhere, we can get by without Mozzas, or Absurd Bird. And, in doing so, we deny ourselves those rare spaces in which we conspire. A busy worker doesn't have time to plot, and when you're paid by the job you want to be busy!
The mechanism of control, "The Algorithm", is the marketplace itself, the aggregate of the self-activity of atomised workers, mediated by a (probably very simple) bit of decision making code. So long they are individualised, attempts at resistance simply feed it, optimise it, and attempts to collectivise those struggles tend to undermine themselves. Deliveroo can't explicitly encourage us to jump red lights, or take that shortcut across the pavement, but if we chose to take the initiative, and the risk, then all the better for them.
I've been working as a food courier for a few years now. I started as a stop-gap measure between bailing on a PhD and re-establishing myself as a web developer, but never stopped. I like 'freedom' of the job, choosing when to work, which jobs to take, never having to deal with a boss. Even while I fully acknowledge this 'freedom' is there to serve my masters and not me, and the construction of an entrepreneurial consciousness is an assault on the collective consciousness that arises through waged work, I weigh up my options, and this is where I chose to be. Even on the most miserable evenings I've never envied the chefs, shut away in their steamy kitchens, or the front of house staff having to hold that customer service smile for hours on end for streams of customers (or couriers!). I'm sure there are desk jobs I'm sure I could qualify for, and see an increase in my earnings, but I feel claustrophobic just thinking about it. And a return to software, perhaps even the other side of the platform economy? The idea of spending 40+ hours a week bashing away at a keyboard with feigned enthusiasm for a project, and a boss, that I despise is nauseating.
I told myself from the beginning that if (or when) my average earnings dropped below around £12 an hour I'd find a 'proper job'. This finally happened a little while into the lockdown when we were dealt another blow – students, a good chunk of our customer base, started to leave the city – If your going to be stuck your bedroom, staring at a screen, then you may as well do it your parents home, and replace those solitary, cold, soggy, KFCs, with family dinners. Combined with the lack of summer tourists and saturation of workers, our workload dropped further, and, thanks to market forces having no sense of justice, the base pay rate had another slice shaved off it.
Thankfully, just as it looked like the dream was over, and I'd have to get a 'proper job', Rishi Sunak came to save the day, or at least further delay the inevitable. Being fortunate to have a few years tax returns behind me, I applied for the self-employed grant from the government, equivalent to 80% of the previous years earnings in three month chunks. For many of my colleagues, for various reasons, this wasn't an option, and I was happy to take a while off and leave the jobs to them. Live off the state for a while. For the first time in years I got out my running shoes, and even went on the odd bike ride just for fun! While the endorphin rush, and the fresh air, was welcome, I couldn't help but think "I could be getting paid for this."
Photo credit: Sam Sheppard
Filed Under: Your Stories Tagged With: coronavirus, courier, covid, covid-19, deliveroo, glasgow, key workers, precarious work, trade unions, uber eats, workers stories


text:
Investor's Corner
Elon Musk's net worth falls below $200 billion amid TSLA's recent slump
Tesla shares have recently hit 11-month lows, and with it, CEO Elon Musk's net worth has dropped below $200 billion. Musk has lost about $77.6 billion of his net worth year-to-date.
Musk's wealth is in no small part tied to his ownership of electric vehicle maker Tesla, which he leads. Tesla stock has been under immense pressure as of late, with shares dropping about 40% since the start of the year. Musk's net worth has taken a substantial hit as a result.
As per the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, Elon Musk's net worth stands at $193 billion as of May 25, 2022. This means that Musk had seen $77.6 billion of his wealth sheared off since the start of the year.
Musk is still the world's richest person by net worth, however. His closest rival, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is currently listed with a net worth of $128 billion. Similar to Musk, Bezos' net worth has also taken a significant hit this year, dropping by $64.6 billion.
Musk and his fellow multibillionaires have seen their net worths shrink this year. Overall, the world's 50 wealthiest people, which include Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg, have lost an aggregate of half a trillion dollars in wealth since the beginning of the year.
Sentiments from analysts regarding Tesla stock seem to be improving, at least to a point. In a recent set of posts on Twitter, for example, Wedbush analyst Dan Ives stated that he believes TSLA stock is now way oversold, and the overhang from Musk's Twitter acquisition attempt is getting overdone.
"On Tesla my view we are getting to 2018 days and stock way oversold here. Street already baking in missing 2Q deliveries by a country mile due to zero Covid China issues. Twitter overhang getting way overdone here. Risk off market-Tesla poster child for sell-off along with Apple," Ives wrote.
Don't hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.
Tesla (TSLA) stock way oversold, Twitter overhang way overdone: Wedbush analyst
Tesla invited to build battery facility in Indonesia's giant 30k-hectare industrial area


text:
Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation of Environmental Pollutants
Recent Advances and Challenges, 1st Edition
By Vineet Kumar, Gaurav Saxena
Available for pre-order. Item will ship after 25th May 2020
Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation of Environmental Pollutants: Recent Advances and Challenges provides comprehensive information on the principals and practical knowledge of microbe-assisted phytoremediation of organic and inorganic pollutants for environmental safety. This book describes the physiological, biochemical, microbiological, and molecular basis of microbe-assisted phytoremediation and contains many relevant topics to fill the gaps in developing understanding of microbe-assisted phytoremediation of environmental pollutants.
The book provides state-of-the-art knowledge on fundamental, practical, and purposeful utilization of plant-associated bacteria (plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and endophytes) and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi for the plant growth promotion and enhanced phytoremediation of environmental pollutants in the contaminated matrix.
Provides state-of-the-art overview of microbe-assisted phytoremediation
Emphasizes the roles of PGPR, endophytes, and mycorrhizal fungi in assisted phytoremediation
Elucidates biochemical and molecular mechanisms of microbe-assisted phytoremediation
Details field studies and success stories of microbe-assisted phytoremediation
Explores advances, challenges, and future directions in microbe-assisted phytoremediation
The book serves as a valuable resource for Researchers, Ecotoxicologists, Environmental Scientists and Engineers, Environmental Microbiologists and Biotechnologists, Environmental Health and Risk Scientists, Environmental Science Managers and Administrators, Remediation Practitioners, Environmental Policy Makers and Students at Postgraduate and Doctoral level in the relevant field, who wish to work on microbe-assisted phytoremediation of pollutants for environmental safety and sustainability.
Preface. Acknowledgements. Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation: A Promising technology for Remediation of Environmental Pollutants. Plant-Microbe Partnership: Multipurpose Benefits and Role in Assisting Phytoremediation. Plant-Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria-Assisted Phytoremediation of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants. Endophyte-Assisted Phytoremediation of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants. Diazotrophs-Assisted Phytoremediation of Heavy Metals. Phosphate-Solubilizing Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation of Heavy Metal. Phytoaugmentation: An Emerging and Sustainable Approach for Remediation of Contaminants in Wastewater through Augmenting Phytoremediation Technology. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi-Assisted Phytoremediation of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants. Genetically Engineered Plant-Associated Microbes in Assisted Phytoremediation of Organic and Inorganic Pollutants. Success Stories of Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation. Emerging Issues and Challenges in Microbe-Assisted Phytoremediation. Conclusions and Future Prospects. References. Index.
Vineet Kumar currently works at School of Environmental Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, Delhi, India. He received his B.Sc. (2008) in Biology and Chemistry from Meerut College, Meerut and M.Sc. (2010) in Microbiology from Ch. Charan Singh University, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh (UP), India. At the same university, he also earned M.Phil. (2011) in Microbiology. Afterward, he joined the Department of Environmental Microbiology in 2012 at Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (A Central) University (BBAU), Lucknow, UP, India, where he completed his doctoral work (2018) in the field of Environmental Microbiology (specializing in Bioremediation and Metagenomics of Distillery Waste). Due to his outstanding academic contribution during Ph.D., he has received a merit certificate by Vice-Chancellor of BBAU. His research focused on understanding the role and mechanism of rhizospheric bacterial communities to assist metal uptake by wetland plants and assessment of bioaugmentation and biostimulation approaches for bioremediation of hazardous industrial waste. He has published 08 research articles in high impact peer-reviewed journals published from Springer Nature, Elsevier and Frontiers Media. He has also authored/co-authored 04 conferences proceeding articles, 25 book chapters and 05 magazine articles on different aspects of bioremediation and phytoremediation of industrial waste pollutants. He is the editor of three books, Phytoremediation of Environmental Pollutants (CRC Press, USA), Bioremediation for Environmental Sustainability: (Vol-I) Toxicity, Mechanisms of Contaminants Degradation, Detoxification and Challenges (Elsevier, USA), Bioremediation for Environmental Sustainability: (Vol-II) Approaches to Tackle Pollution for Cleaner and Greener Society (Elsevier, The Netherlands), New Trends In Removal Of Heavy Metals From Industrial Wastewater (Elsevier, USA), and author of one (01) book, Recent Advances in Distillery Waste Management for Environmental Safety (CRC Press, USA). He has been presented several papers relevant to his research areas in national and international con¬ferences. He is an active member of various scientific societies including; The Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI), The Biotech Research Society (BRSI), India and Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), India. He is Secretary General of the Society for Green Environment, Delhi, India. He can be reached at [email protected]; [email protected]
Gaurav Saxena has been an Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Department of Microbiology, School of Life and Allied Sciences (SLAS) and a member of Proctorial Board at Baba Farid Institute of Technology (BFIT), Dehradun (UK) India since 2019. He was born in 1989 and completed schooling from Government Schools at Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh (UP) India. Dr. Saxena received his B.Sc. (2010) in Industrial Microbiology, Zoology, Botany and Chemistry from Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal (Central) University (HNBGU), Srinagar (Garhwal), Uttarakhand (UK), India. He received his M.Sc. (2013) in Environmental Microbiology from the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar (Central) University, Lucknow (UP) India, where his interest in environmental issues began with work on environmental remediation using microorganisms. At the same university, Dr. Saxena earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Microbiology specializing in Microbial Bioremediation and Metagenomics Research. He is an active young researcher in the area of Environmental Microbiology, Environmental Toxicology, Bio/Phytoremediation, Metagenomics, and Biological Wastewater Treatment. Currently, Dr. Saxena is engaged in developing eco-friendly treatment solutions for hazardous industrial effluents. He has been qualified (2016) National Eligibility Test (NET) and received Junior Research Fellowship (JRF) of Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India (GOI), India. His research work has been also recognized in social media. He is the editor of five (05) books, Bioremediation for Environmental Sustainability: Toxicity, Mechanisms of Contaminants Degradation, Detoxification and Challenges (Elsevier, USA), Bioremediation for Environmental Sustainability: Approaches to Tackle Pollution for Cleaner and Greener Society (Elsevier, The Netherlands), "Bioremediation of Industrial Pollutants (Write and Print Publication, India), Bioremediation of Industrial Waste for Environmental Safety: Industrial Waste and Its Management (Springer Nature, Singapore), and Bioremediation of Industrial Waste for Environmental Safety: Biological Agents and Methods for Industrial Waste Management (Springer Nature, Singapore). Dr. Saxena's academic contributions includes scientific papers (12), book reviews (03), conference papers (03), book chapters (26), popular science articles (11), weblished articles (04), and news paper article (01) in high impact national and international journals (Springer Nature, Elsevier and International Water Association (IWA), conference proceedings, books (Springer Nature, Taylor & Francis and Elsevier), science magazines, websites, and news paper, respectively. He is a member of the Association of Microbiologists of India (AMI), Indian Science Congress Association (ISCA), American Chemical Society (ACS) USA, and British Ecological Society (BES), London, UK. He is a nature-lover and has keen interest in environmental protection. He can be reached at [email protected]
Ecology - Environment Studies
Environmental & Ecological Toxicology
Natural Hazards & Risk
SCI013090
SCIENCE / Chemistry / Toxicology
SCIENCE / Environmental Science
SCIENCE / Life Sciences / Biology / Microbiology
SCIENCE / Life Sciences / General
TEC010000
TECHNOLOGY & ENGINEERING / Environmental / General


text:
var Promise = require('bluebird');
var unlink = Promise.promisify(require('fs').unlink);
var util = require('util');
var _ = require('underscore');

var serviceLocator = require('../../service-locator');
var AbstractJob = require('./abstract');

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  AudioroomRecordingJob.super_.apply(this, arguments);
}

util.inherits(AudioroomRecordingJob, AbstractJob);

AudioroomRecordingJob.getPlugin = function() {
  return 'janus.plugin.cm.audioroom';
};

AudioroomRecordingJob.getEvent = function() {
  return 'archive-finished';
};

AudioroomRecordingJob.prototype._run = function() {
  var self = this;
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  var channelUid = this._jobData.uid;
  var wavFile = this._jobData.audio;

  return this._tmpFilename('mp3')
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        .then(function() {
          return serviceLocator.get('cm-application').importMediaStreamArchive(channelUid, mp3File, context)
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            serviceLocator.get('logger').error('Removing wave file failed', context.clone().extend({exception: error}));
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AudioroomRecordingJob.prototype._audioConvert = function(wavFile, mp3File) {
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};

AudioroomRecordingJob.prototype.getContext = function() {
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  context.extend({janus: {channelId: this._jobData.uid, jobData: this._jobData}});
  return context;
};

module.exports = AudioroomRecordingJob;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This is to inform all the students of Rizvi College of Engineering that regular lecture and practicals for the even semester will commence from 8th January 2015. All the students are requested to remain present in the college from 8:30 a.m. onwards.
The students are also informed that a Meeting will be conducted by the Principal of Rizvi College of Engineering in the Auditorium from 12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m. on 8th January 2015.
All lectures and practicals will be resumed post the meeting, therefore the students are requested to goto their respective classrooms or laboratories after the meeting is over.


I have seen several blogs and forum entries elsewhere state that because NTFS volumes do not support linux ownership or permissions, they cannot be used for anonymous ftp upload through the vsftpd program.
In this example, I have an external NTFS Gigabyte drive that I called "Store01". This volume contains a directory called "/ftp". Anonymous ftp clients should be able to upload to what is seen thru FTP as "/ftp/pub", and I want these files to actually show up in /ftp on my external NTFS drive.
Notice /var/ftp is owned by root:root, and therefore cannot be written to by vsftpd. This is a requirement of vsftpd for a ROOT anonymous directory, that the anonymous root directory not be writable. So, /var/ftp is what I'm going to use as the anonymous root directory.
But /var/ftp/pub is writeable by vsftpd. It appears to anonymous users as a "pub" directory on the FTP site where they can write files.
Now an anonymous user can upload into the "pub" directory, on the anonymous FTP site. Files uploaded there will appear in /ftp on my NTFS volume.


The sound is new wave indie art pop – think the lopsided funkiness of Shame or Unknown Mortal Orchestra, with a sprinkling of Imagine Dragons and Everything Everything's sparkling pop. Imagine the dirt and grit of PiL imbued in the neon 80s glow of ABC, combined with a heart-on-sleeve emotional honesty that reflects their love of Frank Ocean and Prince.
Soda Can is a spiky art pop anthem, reflecting on the world of shrinks and neurosis, a whirlwind of emotions, angular riffs and crunching guitars offset by soaring, passionate vocals and pop melodies swathed in tension and vulnerability. Performed live in one take, this is raw and full of feeling, with elements that reference post punk, new wave and even new romanticism but combine them into something fresh and previously unheard.
You can hear this polished arrangement being turned on its' head with angular riffs and old school synthesizer, with moments of a girl choir and Hammond organ interjecting in places, the drums and bass are all recorded live to a 24-track analogue tape deck. Performed with no edits you experience a retro raw feel, as mishaps are purposefully left in, adding an authentic and organic depth.
Their recent single 'Will to Survive' has been picking-up interest with writers from Gigwise, GigSlutz, GIITTV, Amazing Radio and Gary Crowley, who is a massive fan. Early supporters include Tom Robinson who invited them to perform a live session on BBC 6Music, as well supporting Primal Scream and Adam Ant ahead of their first release.
The band have been together for just 18 months and it is no surprise that their live shows kick up a storm, as Cole's booming vocals lend a heart on sleeve honesty, absorbing everything from Wiley to The Clash, Red Hot Chilli Peppers to Frank Ocean. Catch them at their next show, Thursday February 14th at Birthdays.


Avaya Holdings Corp. is launching a Device-as-a-Service (DaaS) offering.
While the communications company isn't giving customers and partners access to all of its devices under the DaaS model, it is giving them access to the "Vantage" portfolio, as well as the Essential Experience series of J100 phones, and the Avaya B179, B189, and B109 conferencing devices. The Avaya Desktop Experience includes agnostic capabilities, meaning the aforementioned devices can be deployed on Avaya or non-Avaya UC platforms.
In a Dec.11 blog post, Steve Brock, director of Avaya Desktop Experience marketing, said UCaaS service providers can now deliver a unique desktop phone ownership experience to their customers, such as single monthly billing and managed services. The launch of Avaya's DaaS offering is the final phase of their latest plan to bring smart devices technology to the employee desktop.
"The first phase is conducting extensive research to better understand the needs of today's business communicators," Brock wrote, referring to the 2018 State of the Desktop Report.
The second phase was to create a new, platform-agnostic portfolio of devices, followed by phase three, the launch of Device Enrollment Services in January 2018.
Avaya says customers can contract with terms of one, three or five years, with longer terms offering lower monthly prices, and customers can upgrade at any time to more advanced devices without being penalized.
Greg Pelton, vice-president of collaboration and devices for Avaya, said customers and partners have been asking for a DaaS offering.
"It brings a new level of simplicity to UC as a Service (UCaaS) where customers can now enjoy the best cloud service and latest cloud devices, all on one monthly bill," he said.
The DaaS offering will rollout to other countries, including Canada, early 2019, but is currently available in the U.S. today.


text:
Global Capital Summit: AI Trends and Investments in 2017
AI Trends and Investments in 2017 Moderator: John Mannes, Writer, TechCrunch Speakers: Adam Goldberg, Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners Scott Frederick, Partner, NEA Prakash Nanduri, Co-Founder & CEO, Paxata Chris Nicholson, Co-Founder, Skymind
DropShot Capital: Algorithmic Strategies without Human Bias
DropShot is an algorithmic private investment company specializing in machine learning and artificial intelligence. We believe that the investment process should be as scientific as possible and not influenced by human bias. Our goal is create products for our investors that are: 1) Purely Quantitative 2) Liquid 3) Transparent DropShot's partners have extensive experience building and deploying large scale machine learning solutions. Our systems are constantly sourcing, evaluating, and integrating new alpha sources into our investment decisions, from trading universe selection, to strategy development, to live trading portfolio management and execution. It's our mission to continuously improve our processes and outcomes for our clients.
2,239 views no comments
Virtual Sales Agents – CC Capital Group
Human capital vs. artificial intelligence – let the battle begin | Jack Romero | TEDxDIT
Jack Romero is a go-getter with a strong determination for success. Having arrived to UK with no more than 90 pounds in his pockets, his tired less devotion enabled him to secure a pilot's license and start an international airline from scratch at Heathrow Airport, London. This achievement got him the prestigious Queen's Award for Business Enterprise in 2004. The Airline has been sold for 30 million pounds and is a true testament to the power of believing in oneself. Furthermore, Jack has developed a number of successful businesses and is a lecturer at universities for air transport management and international business development. He now shares his motivational story to audiences around the world. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx Jack Romero is a go-getter with a strong determination for success. Having arrived to UK with no more than 90 pounds in his pockets, his tired less devotion enabled him to secure a pilot's license and start an international airline from scratch at Heathrow Airport, London. This achievement got him the prestigious Queen's Award for Business Enterprise in 2004. The Airline has been sold for 30 million pounds and is a true testament to the power of believing in oneself. Furthermore, Jack has developed a number of successful businesses and is a lecturer at universities for air transport management and international business development. He now shares his motivational story to audiences around [More]
Can A.I. Become More Human? // Gary Marcus, Geometric Intelligence (Hosted by FirstMark Capital)
Gary Marcus, CEO at Geometric Intelligence, presented at FirstMark's Data Driven NYC on January 19, 2016. Marcus' talk focused on ways A.I. is stuck. Geometric Intelligence is redefining the boundaries of machine learning through innovative, patent-pending techniques that learn more efficiently from less data. Data Driven NYC is a monthly event covering Big Data and data-driven products and startups, hosted by Matt Turck, partner at FirstMark. FirstMark is an early stage venture capital firm based in New York City. Find out more about Data Driven NYC at http://datadrivennyc.com and FirstMark Capital at http://firstmarkcap.com.


text:
Working Towards Something Special
Exciting mare Working From Home earned a possible start in the feature Wangoom Handicap at Warrnambool during the May Racing Carnival with an impressive victory at Moonee Valley.
Having taken plenty of benefit out of her first up run at Flemington, the daughter of Time Thief was taken straight to the front by jockey Linda Meech and from there never gave her rivals a chance racing away to win comfortably by more than a length.
Trainer Daniel Bowman said the lightly-raced four-year-old, who was now won three of her six starts, would have her next start at Caulfield on April 14.
"She's a really progressive mare and if she can win in Saturday class at Caulfield then she'll deserve a chance at Stakes level," Bowman said.
"She's only had six starts and she's yet to race anything fast enough that she's had the chance to take a sit but I think she's far from one dimensional."
Working From Home is one of a number of lightly-raced, progressive gallopers in the stable another of which is the son of Melbourne Cup runner-up She's Archie, Manhattan Arch.
Despite being beaten a nose by talented older galloper Jesta Dreama at Ballarat in his latest start, Bowman said he was far from disappointed in his horse's effort and said he would press on to the $300,000 VOBIS 3YO Sires over 1600m at Caulfield on April 21.
"He's still learning his craft and isn't quite sure how to put a race away at this stage of his career," he said.
"There was a significant gap back to third in the race and some pretty handy horses behind him.
"He's going to only improve with more racing and maturity and his breeding suggests he has the scope to get over further in time."
Working From Home and Manhattan Arch's performances added to a terrific run of form for Daniel Bowman Racing in 2017 and the future for both horses and the rest of the emerging stable looks very bright.
As part of his focus on maximising returns to owners and ensuring the most enjoyable racing experience possible, Daniel has recently purchased four outstanding yearlings at the Melbourne Premier Yearling Sale.
Limited shares remain available in the four horses which will be on show at the Daniel Bowman Racing Yearling Open Day, which will be held from 11am at the Bellarine Peninsula Agistment Park (252 Coatsworth Rd, Portarlington).
Whether you are interested in purchasing a share in one of the yearlings, have an interest in potentially becoming an owner in the future or simply want to come down and have a look, all are welcome and lunch will be provided.
To RSVP your attendance contact admin@djbowmanracing.com or 0400 533 139.


Prodrive Racing Australia will be working on finding more from its Falcons at The Chase, with Mark Winterbottom and Chaz Mostert highlighting the corner as a problem area at Mount Panorama.
While Mostert qualified third in today's ARMOR ALL Top 10 Shootout, Winterbottom was 10th after aborting his lap and running off at The Chase, the corner after the high-speed straight surrounded by sand traps.
The defending Supercars champion – who won the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 in 2013 – was the big loser in today's shootout, dropping from a qualifying position of seventh to 10th after his one lap dash went awry.
"The Chase has been a bit of a trouble spot for me this weekend," Winterbottom said.
"We made a slight change going into the shootout and you only have one lap to see if it's fixed it or not so you try and go in and yeah, just grabbed the front tyre.
Teammate Mostert was happy with the car after securing third place, but flagged the same corner as the spot he may have lost out on securing Pole Position.
The 2014 Bathurst winner was just one-tenth off Whincup's time in his lap – an experience he loved, particularly after crashing out early in qualifying last year.
"I gave it everything on my lap – I wobbled a little bit down in The Chase there, that could've been where we could've maybe got it.
Both are pleased with their new co-driver combinations, Mostert pairing with Steve Owen (who drove with Frosty last year) while Winterbottom races with Dean Canto (with David Reynolds in 2015).
Winterbottom believes Canto is his secret weapon, and was not fazed by his incident at Sandown.
"Our big strength is Dean. He's doing an awesome job," Winterbottom said.
"We'll just keep trying to find it and tune it up; even throughout the day we'll keep trying to tune it."


text:
Q: WordPress: Why doesn't custom field checkbox appear in the template, but only its label and instruction I created a custom field group with two fields one of which is a checkbox. The checkbox doesn't appear, but its label and the instruction for the checkbox, so I cannot click the actual checkbox. I don't seem to have missed any setting for the checkbox while creating it.

A: You need to add a choice for the  checkbox to show.  Add something like:
yes : Yes

into the Choices textarea then save the field set.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


While two arraignments related to the Rhoden massacre are expected on Thursday, the other four likely won't happen until after Thanksgiving.
WAVERLY - Arraignments for the Wagner family on aggravated murder charges aren't expected until the week after Thanksgiving while the court sorts out the logistics.
Pike County Prosecutor Rob Junk said the court was working on Wednesday to line up counsel qualified in capital cases to appoint for the arraignments of Angela Wagner, 48, her husband George "Billy" Wagner, 47, and their two sons, George Wagner IV, 27, and Edward "Jake" Wagner, 26.
All four are facing eight counts each of aggravated murder and several other felony charges related to the April 2016 murders of eight members of the Rhoden family. Junk, who expects the arraignments to be scheduled on different days, intends to ask Pike County Common Pleas Judge Randy Deering to hold them without bond.
Other logistics include getting the foursome back to Pike County since they are incarcerated in Ross, Franklin, and Delaware counties to keep them separated. Billy Wagner is in a Kentucky jail, and his arraignment could be scheduled even later depending on how long it takes to extradite him from Kentucky where he was arrested on Tuesday. Once he is returned to Ohio, Pike County Sheriff Charlie Reader said he will be jailed in Butler County.
Two other family members - Angela Wagner's mother Rita Newcomb and Billy Wagner's mother Fredericka Wagner - are expected to be arraigned at 2 p.m. Thursday on felony charges of obstructing justice and perjury. The charges relate to allegations the two forged custody documents for their great-granddaughter whose mother, Hanna Rhoden, was among those killed in April 2016.
The child's father Jake Wagner, his brother, and parents are accused of methodically planning the execution of Hanna Rhoden and her parents Christopher Rhoden Sr., 40, and Dana Manley Rhoden, 37, and brothers Christopher Rhoden Jr., 16, and Clarence "Frankie" Rhoden, 20.
April 7, 2019, 10:21 p.m.


SBCC rushed for 197 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday night in a 45-0 season-opening shutout of Compton at Tartar Stadium. It was the second straight shutout for the Vaqueros, who blanked L.A. Valley 14-0 in last year's finale.
Compton turned the ball over five times in the first half (three fumbles, two interceptions) and the Vaqueros scored 31 points on those turnovers. They started four of their five scoring drives inside the 13-yard line (13, 3, 10 and 12-yard lines).
Will Bayonne ran 14 times for 73 yards and two TDs as the Vaqueros built a 33-0 halftime lead. The third and fourth quarters were shortened to 10-minute periods.
"Our offensive line played very well," said sophomore quarterback Gerald Hickson, who was 4-8 passing for 49 yards and a touchdown in his 1½ quarters of playing time. "They were on the Compton side on nearly every play. We have great depth at running back and three guys had great nights."
Bayonne, a 5-9, 215-pounder from West Palm Beach, Fla., led the runners with 91 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries. Ashkan Allen, a sophomore from San Marcos High, picked up 79 yards on 14 tries, including touchdown runs of 8 and 28 yards in the fourth quarter.
Clifton Taylor, a freshman from Chicago, added 66 yards and a TD on 12 attempts.
The Vaqueros have a superior offense line with Ramon Lazarit and Nathan Beveridge at the tackles, Sage Sobrado and Taylor Ludwig at guards and Jake Tourtillotte at center.
Daniel Ekstrum forced Tartar quarterback Mustafa Muhammad to fumble on Compton's first possession and Chase Elliott recovered at the Tartar 13. Bayonne ran for 9 and 4 yards, making it 7-0.
Compton turned it over on the very next play with a mishandled handoff that Jordan Francis pounced on at the 3. Taylor took a pitch to the right and ran over a defender at the 1 on a 3-yard TD burst. Martin Ahlstroem booted the PAT for a 14-0 lead with 5:53 to go in the first quarter.
The Vaqueros held the Tartars to minus 41 rushing yards, thanks to five sacks. SBCC dominated in first downs (20-2) and total yards (266-58).
"It's a win and we're always grateful for wins," said SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos. "There's still plenty to work on. There were plenty of good things on offense, defense and the kicking game but there's a lot of things we still have to shore up.
"We were a little bit conservative today and didn't try to run the score up. We ran the ball well and threw when we needed to."
Compton committed 14 penalties for 97 yards and the Vaqueros had just three for 15 yards.
Ekstrum played well on the defensive line and Cory Margo had two of his team's five sacks. Nakota Shepard-Creer made a leaping interception of a long pass at his own 45 late in the first quarter. The Vaqueros put together a 10-play, 55-yard march that culminated in a 17-yard lob pass from Hickson to tight end Tommy Quinn and stretched the lead to 21-0.
Three plays later, the Tartars made a bad snap from their 23 and SBCC's Mark Herrera recovered at the 10-yard line. After a penalty moved the ball to the 5, Bayonne scooted in for his second TD and a 28-0 advantage with 10:08 to go in the first half.
Two plays later, Patrick Dill intercepted an ill-advised flip pass by Julius Jones, who was trying to avoid a sack. The Vaqueros took over on the Compton 12 and four plays later, Ahlstroem kicked a 20-yard field goal. SBCC got a safety and a 33-0 lead when Jones lost his balance and touched the ball to the ground in the end zone.
Compton scored a touchdown on the first play of the third quarter but it was erased by a penalty. Terry Brady beat his defender and caught a Muhammad pass at the Vaquero 45, then cruised into the end zone for an apparent 74-yard score. Several Tartar subs ran onto the field during the play, however, and they were hit with a sideline interference penalty for 15 yards. That moved the ball back to the SBCC 44 and Compton got down to the 20, where a field-goal attempt went straight into the linemen.
Allen's last TD capped a 72-yard, 11-play drive. Taylor ran six times for 30 yards. On first and 10 from the 28, Allen broke free up the left side, bounced off a few tacklers and made a spin move at the 5 on his way to the Vaqueros' sixth touchdown with 48.9 seconds to play.
Santa Barbara will host San Bernardino Valley in its home opener on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Wolverines outlasted Santa Ana 41-38 in their opener.


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Fayette LaunchBox is a no-cost business accelerator designed to help regional entrepreneurs and University affiliates develop their ideas into commercially viable products and services.
Image: Penn State Fayette
Students win first-annual Fayette LaunchBox Shark Tank Competition
LEMONT FURNACE, Pa. — Three students of Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus were awarded prizes for participation in the first-annual Fayette LaunchBox Shark Tank Competition on April 20.
The competition, which was open to Penn State Fayette affiliates as well as community members, required each entrant to present a brief elevator pitch for a proposed product or service.
Noah House, Carlie Durst and Andrew D'arrigo were awarded $2000, $1000 and $500, respectively, to fund future entrepreneurial ventures. The prizes were funded by a grant from Invent Penn State.
The Shark Tank Competition, modeled after the popular television program on ABC, was developed by Rachel Kaplan, assistant teaching professor of corporate communication, and Barbara Koffler, director of outreach and continuing education.
"A pitch competition forces entrepreneurs to succinctly answer questions involving who their target market is and how they plan to become profitable," said Kaplan.
Kaplan and Koffler co-direct the Fayette LaunchBox program and served as judges for the competition, along with Bob Shark, director of Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, and Charles Patrick, chancellor and chief academic officer of Penn State Fayette.
House, a Mount Pleasant, Pennsylvania, resident, graduated in May 2021 with a bachelor of arts degree in corporate communication.
"My business idea is an app that everyone can use to learn the game of golf from their phones," he said. "The app features video swing tips, golf terms and etiquette, access to your local courses' webpages, and updates on the PGA Tour."
House's mobile app would cost users under a dollar for basic functionality, with the option to subscribe to an annual membership for $9.99. High school and college students would receive a 50% discount.
"I developed this idea because I've always wanted more people to have access to learning the game of golf and getting outside and playing it," said House. "I thought a golf app targeted towards beginners was the best way to develop this idea for a business."
House plans to use his prize money to further develop his app and establish a viable business.
Fayette LaunchBox is a no-cost business accelerator designed to help regional entrepreneurs and University affiliates develop their ideas into commercially viable products and services. The facility is a joint venture between Penn State and the Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, under the Invent Penn State program, which encompasses 20 similar accommodations across the commonwealth.
To learn more, visit https://fayette.psu.edu/launchbox. To request information about Fayette LaunchBox, email [email protected] or call 724-437-7913.
Shannon Sankey
Noah House, Corporate Communication '21, was awarded first place and $2000 for his idea to develop an app for new golfers.
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