If you spend any time working with specifiers, end-users, designers and contractors who are involved with EIFS, you’ll find out right away that the environmental friendliness (“eco-friendliness”) of EIFS is a hot topic.

CBC Flooring’s Indelval Rubber Flooring is recognized globally for its exceptional quality and environmental benefits, due to its high natural rubber content and proprietary high pressure vulcanization process.

Metallika from Surfaces brings “the beauty of pure aluminum, transformed in sophisticated patterns and color combinations with stone and glass.”

Tile Redinow offers Redi Trench, an incredibly exciting marriage of design and function for the commercial construction sector, in particular for the hospitality industry.

PBOT leaders say they’ve already addressed many of the auditor’s recommendations. They also say the scale of Portland’s traffic violence crisis is too big for just one bureau to address. by Taylor Griggs

The Portland Bureau of Transportation (PBOT) adopted its Vision Zero Action Plan in December 2016, with the goal of eliminating traffic crash deaths and injuries in the city. But in recent years, Portland has seen its highest numbers of traffic injuries and fatalities in decades. Pedestrians have faced a heightened risk of traffic violence in recent years, and parts of Portland with higher low-income populations and communities of color are also disproportionately impacted. 

The daylight between PBOT’s stated Vision Zero goals and the increase in recent traffic crash deaths prompted scrutiny from the Portland Auditor’s Office. A new report from the Auditor’s Office, released Wednesday, says PBOT “partially completed” safety projects identified in its Vision Zero plan, but notes the bureau doesn’t adequately evaluate the outcomes of the safety projects it completes. 

The Auditor’s Office recommends PBOT create a plan to evaluate its projects “to determine which get the desired outcomes and where Vision Zero efforts are most needed.” The office also asks the bureau to install promised speed cameras to help with traffic safety enforcement and recommends PBOT “revisit its equity methodology to ensure it accounts for smaller scale improvements that could have positive equity impacts.” 

“These efforts to collect data, analyze, evaluate, and carefully track which safety projects have the most desired outcomes could help move toward Vision Zero’s goal of zero fatal and serious injury traffic crashes,” the audit report states. 

The audit report highlights concerns about the Vision Zero program that many transportation and safe streets activists have raised for years—though the Auditor’s Office didn’t issue as harsh an indictment of PBOT as some critics may want. Earlier this year, when PBOT leaders presented their 2023 Vision Zero report to City Council, some Portland advocates didn’t mince words about their thoughts on the city’s implementation of the program. 

“There is no question that Portland's Vision Zero Program has been an abject failure,” Sarah Risser, a local transportation safety activist, wrote in public testimony to City Council in April. “Given its abysmal track record, it is reasonable to conclude that it will continue to be a failure.”

The Portland Auditor’s Office didn’t mark PBOT’s Vision Zero plan as a failure in its report, and PBOT leaders ultimately agreed with its recommendations, some of which the bureau says it has already implemented on its own. 

PBOT, too, acknowledges that larger structural changes are needed to save lives on the streets. Bureau leaders say they will continue working on their Vision Zero plans, but they hope the city government transition will break down silos and encourage more involvement in solving the problem of traffic violence on Portland’s streets. 

The year PBOT adopted the Vision Zero plan, 42 people died in traffic crashes on Portland’s streets. In 2019, when the bureau updated the plan to emphasize transportation system safety and focus more on actions within PBOT’s control, 48 people were the victims of traffic violence. In the last three years, more than 60 people have died in traffic crashes in Portland each year, with 69 fatalities in 2023. 

When PBOT leaders presented the 2023 Vision Zero report to City Council earlier this year, they acknowledged the rise in traffic fatalities since the program was adopted. But they said the program is successful in areas PBOT has been able to invest in, and said the bureau’s budget woes have curtailed its progress. The audit report suggests PBOT could get more out of the projects it does complete by improving its evaluation processes, which have historically been lacking. 

“Without systemic evaluation of safety outcomes, the Bureau is missing the opportunity to create more alignment between the work they do on safety projects and the overall goal of Vision Zero,” the report states. “A more systematic approach would allow trends to be identified and analyzed to better understand the outcomes of completed projects, and which may need to be altered or dropped. As traffic deaths continue to increase it is vital that the Bureau consistently evaluate completed safety projects so they can see which are working best at shifting the trend towards the intended goal of zero traffic deaths and serious injuries.” 

The second major recommendation the audit report suggests is that PBOT “do more to enforce speed limits” by following through on its promise to install more speed cameras throughout the city. Despite research showing the effectiveness of enforcement cameras as a way to reduce speeds and increase traffic safety—without involving the police—PBOT has been slow to install them. The bureau has blamed its camera vendor for the lag in speed camera implementation, but says it now has 37 cameras in operation or construction, and current contracted cameras will be online early next year. (By March 2023, PBOT had only installed nine cameras in the prior eight years.) 

The report also states despite PBOT’s attempt to prioritize and fund safety projects equitably—based on both crash data and neighborhood demographics—it may be missing “smaller safety projects with possible equitable outcomes” if they aren’t located on high-crash corridors. The Auditor’s Office recommends PBOT use more qualitative data to determine the projects it carries out. 

In response to the auditor’s recommendations, Public Works Service Area Deputy City Administrator Priya Dhanapal and PBOT Director Millicent Williams said while they “largely agree with the recommendations in the audit,” it’s a bit outdated. Last year, PBOT issued a Vision Zero Action Plan update for 2024 and 2025, which addresses many of the issues outlined in the audit report. 

“Our current Vision Zero Action Plan includes priorities directly tied to evaluation, delivery of the camera program and speed management as well as equity objectives,” Dhanapal and Williams wrote. “The audit was conducted on work and commitments outlined 3-5 years ago and work that took place during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

Dhanapal and Williams also said PBOT needs help from other city bureaus to solve the crisis of traffic violence. 

“Eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries in Portland is possible [and] PBOT can lead the way,” Dhanapal and Williams wrote in a letter responding to the auditor’s report. “However, Portland will not reach Vision Zero with street design alone…. A societal commitment to meet basic human needs and implement strategies to change current conditions are necessary to reach many of our shared goals, including Vision Zero. These changes require leadership, investment, and commitment from partners beyond PBOT.”

PBOT leaders say they hope that collaboration and commitment will be easier due to the upcoming changes in Portland’s government. 

“Eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries is a City commitment and goal, but as a City we have focused the discussion on what PBOT does to change streets,” Dhanapal and Williams wrote. “We believe the City transition provides an opportunity to reengage City bureaus in Portland’s Vision Zero commitment and integrate the Safe System approach to traffic safety as a comprehensive prevention strategy to save lives.” 

A witch, an artist, and two mental health
professionals on how to face the New Year. by HR Smith

The days are short, the rain is acting like someone put out a casting call for a vertical river, and odds are high that you will soon be eating starchy food with people who will be asking you what it is, exactly, that you’ve been doing with your life.

One way of dealing with this long dark night of the soul is to lean into it. What are you doing, exactly? What’s working? What isn’t working? Once the holiday presents are gotten and the festivities are over, what would you like to start doing, what would you like to stop doing, and how? 

These questions are big enough that entire categories of human philosophy and endeavor have been dedicated to answering them. To keep things simple, the Mercury decided to ask representatives of three of them: the arts, psychology, and witchcraft. 

Being miserable is, by definition, not a fun experience. But it can be a very useful signal that it’s time to try something else. “I’m pathologically incapable of doing a job I don’t like,” says Sarah “Shay” Mirk, graphic novelist, former Mercury reporter, and creator of many projects—most recently Crucial Comix, a small press that publishes narrative nonfiction comics and offers classes on comics-making. ”If a project is filling me with dread and I hate doing it, that’s a sign that I should either get out and have somebody else do it, or just be like, never again.” 

Once you’ve accepted that you need to get out of something, it’s a good strategy to frame it as moving towards something good rather than getting the hell away from something bad, says Marie Soller, a psychiatrist and director of OHSU’s resident and faculty wellness program. In general, you’re more likely to trust a decision and follow through with it if you can, say, visualize yourself taking that time you spent trying to make a relationship work, and dedicating it to putting on ridiculous outfits and going out with friends instead.

Some sadness is going to be part of the deal. Feel free to lean into big rainy season feelings. “Anything that’s new has to start from something that has ended,” says Annette Smith, a licensed professional counselor whose practice focuses on people going through major life transitions. A lot of people can get really stuck in the transition phase following a big change when things stop feeling exciting and start to feel weird. Giving yourself time to grieve, says Smith, can help get through that. 

Therapy is a tool that’s useful for the nuts and bolts of life, says Michelle Tea, writer and author of Modern Magic: Stories, Rituals, and Spells for Contemporary Witches. “I love therapy, and therapy can be so helpful—to be witnessed and validated and get outside eyes on patterns and things that you can’t see.” Tea recommends witchcraft as a therapy supplement. “It’s more esoteric. If you’ve had a rough therapy session, it can feel very grounding to just remind yourself that you’re also a little animal on this earth, connected to the larger forces.” 

The world is full of long, witchy tradition, but Tea recommends a punk, DIY approach instead of trying to be fussy and precise—think of something that feels like an ending and do it. “Rituals that have a lot of tradition can be really powerful, because they have all that compounded energy of so many people taking this action,” says Tea. “But I also feel like those rituals were just started by a regular person like you.”

“It’s very easy to be, like, ‘I’m excited about this’,” says Shay Mirk. “One way that I try to actually get stuff done is by making projects collaborative. If I’m responsible to somebody else, I’m way more likely to do something.” 

Annette Smith agrees that trying something new is easier when you aren’t trying to do it in isolation—and recommends you have a variety of people in your life who can support you and who you can be accountable to. This can be tough, she adds. But don’t do it, and you wind up dumping on one or two people.

Marie Soller recommends drawing a classic pro/con quadrant—basically, a big plus sign with the pros and cons of each side of a decision—when you’re making a decision, and then focusing on the “pros” of the decision you choose. Keeping a list of your five most important values can also be a useful tool, Soller says. When you hit a rough patch, you can, for example, return to it so that present-self can see that past-self wrote down “adventure” as a value, and that is definitely what you’re having.

“I like to write down my intentions,” says Tea, sounding very therapist-like. “Whether you’re letting go of something, or whether you’re beginning something.” From there, you can seal it up and leave it somewhere that you’ll see it and be reminded. “Your bedside table is great, because it is a place that you see all the time. I feel like sleep is a really magical time when we’re processing things on a deeper level of subconscious.”

The joke about New Year’s resolutions is that nobody keeps them, says Tea. But there’s something to moments like these. “I feel like you can sort of channel that collective energy of optimism and fresh start and get a little jump on something that you’re wanting to change,” Tea adds. The more “woo” aspects of a whole new year are only an asset under these circumstances. “For me, magic is that we don’t know what we are, we don’t know what this planet is, we don’t know anything,” adds Tea. “Staying in touch with that mystery is actually quite grounding and also liberating.”

President-elect Trump announced he intends to nominate Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz as attorney general, putting a fierce critic of federal law enforcement in charge of the Justice Department.

January 9, 2015 This week Charlie Baker was sworn in as the 72nd governor of Massachusetts, with promises of bipartisanship and a renewed economic growth agenda for the Commonwealth’s urban communities. Later in the show we remember Senator Edward Brooke who died last week at the age of 95. Panelists:
- Callie Crossley, Host, Under The Radar with Callie Crossley, WGBH News
- Phillip Martin, Senior Reporter, WGBH News
- Darnell Williams, President and CEO, Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts
- Judge Joyce London Alexander Ford, formerly US District Court, Massachusetts
- Robert Fortes, Founder and President, The Fortes Group

Massachusetts Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, center, acknowledges applause after taking the oath of office, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2015, in the House Chamber of the Statehouse, in Boston. Mass. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

A Democratic member of the U.S. Congress is doubling down as he faces calls to resign after expressing concern about trans-identified male athletes competing in female sports. 

The election is over, but conversations surrounding the outcome are sure to continue for weeks to come. With Thanksgiving right around the corner, knowing how to engage with friends and family members with differing political views may help keep tempers at bay - and relationships intact. Virginia Tech expert Todd Schenk shared his advice for how to keep the peace.

[Politics] :
President Yoon Suk Yeol is set to depart Thursday for an eight-day, five-night trip to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) summit in Peru and the Group of 20(G-20) summit in Brazil. The presidential office said Thursday that President Yoon will hold a trilateral summit with U.S. President Joe ...

[more...]

[Politics] :
The Supreme Court has upheld a suspended prison term for former Rep. Youn Mee-hyang, who was convicted of embezzling donations to an advocacy group for South Korean victims of sexual slavery during World War II. On Thursday the top court upheld the 18-month sentence, suspended for three years, after ...

[more...]

[Politics] :
President Yoon Suk Yeol has departed for South America to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation(APEC) and Group of 20(G-20) forums. Ruling People Power Party leader Han Dong-hoon and floor leader Choo Kyung-ho, and presidential chief of staff Chung Jin-suk saw Yoon off when he boarded the ...

[more...]

[Politics] :
The ruling People Power Party has decided to take steps to ensure that the National Assembly recommends candidates for the post of special inspector to look at allegations against members of the president’s family. The ruling camp adopted the party policy during a general meeting for its lawmakers on ...

[more...]

Jerry "The King" Lawler with Jim Ross.; Credit: WWE

Jim Ross is the most famous pro wrestling play-by play commentator of all time. He's a native Californian, but grew up in Oklahoma and took his trademark drawl into doing commentary. He's worked in wrestling for more than 40 years, calling matches on shows seen by millions of people around the world.

This weekend, he's in the Bay Area for Wrestlemania weekend (the first Wrestlemania in Northern California, and the first in California in 10 years). Ross no longer commentates for WWE, but he's still a storyteller, online and in person. He hosts regular live storytelling shows with stories from his decades-long career and a bit of comedy, along with a live guest, and he also has a huge online presence including a podcast that went to number one in sports its first week out.

Ross has been watching wrestling since he was a kid.

"My dad wasn't a big fan of it. He missed the point. The point is not whether it's real or if it's staged. The point is, are you entertained by it, or not? And I was," Ross said.

He's been at ringside for numerous historic matches, helping the wrestlers to tell their stories ever since he got his first job in wrestling out of college at 22.

"The greater the star, the easier it is to tell their story," Ross said. "Those participants make music. They make different kinds of music, and the announcers, the broadcasters, have to be able to provide the adequate lyric to the competitors' music."

Ross's voice is so powerful that it's become a meme online to pair his voice with another dramatic footage, from sports and beyond — you can even find it paired with dramatic moments from shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones." Ross says that the first time he saw someone do that was with a hit by Michigan running back Jadaveon Clowney, a video which went viral and sparked others to do likewise.

The JR Treatment

"I get sent these memes all the time. 'Hey JR, check this one out.' Or people will say, somebody will make a great dunk at an NBA game, and somebody will say 'I can't wait to see this get the JR treatment.' And now there are major sports websites that will send out a tweet, 'Here's a great play from Sunday's 49er-Charger game that's got the JR treatment.' So now it's got a name. 'The JR Treatment.'"

Those viral videos have even helped him land new commentating roles since leaving WWE. He did a call of a fight between NASCAR drivers for the Daytona 500 for a special pre-show video, and it's led to him having opportunities in traditional sports.

"It's been done in boxing, and MMA. Believe it or not, I've gotten feelers that we're entertaining now from a variety of combat sports entities that actually heard what my call would sound like doing their product," Ross said. "It had my tone, had my inflection, had my level of enthusiasm."

Ross also played a huge role behind the scenes, working as WWE's executive vice president of talent and signing future stars like the Rock, Mick Foley and more. He says that Mick Foley's match against the Undertaker in 1998's Hell in a Cell match was his most memorable to call.

"I have people walk up to me and start quoting my commentary when Undertaker threw Foley off the Hell in a Cell, this massive cage with a roof on it, that was about 17 feet high from the roof to the floor," Ross said. "It looked like no human being, quite honestly, could survive that fall. You don't practice falls like that in wrestling school."

Ross has managed to stay relevant with the help of a popular podcast and 1.3 million followers on Twitter, where he regularly dispenses his thoughts on wrestling and beyond. He started doing that podcast after being lobbied to do it by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and continues to try new things.

"I was very reluctant to engage in social media, and primarily because we sometimes get set in our ways, especially the older we get," Ross said. "But change, for any of us, in any walk of life, whether it's your diet, it's your relationships, the way you approach your job, or any changes that you need to affect, whether it's on doctor's orders, your significant other's suggestions — change is not always a negative thing. So I got on Twitter, and then Twitter connected me to so many people."

While some may feel that pro wrestling, given its predetermined results, doesn't need real athletes, Ross disagrees and says there are plenty of reasons to want real athletes.

"They're competitive. They don't want to be on the second team. They want to be in the game. And they've been in that mindset since some of them were in little league, or Pop Warner football, or elementary school wrestling, or whatever it may be."

He says they also understand how to be coached and how to play well with others, as well as handling the bumps and bruises that come with the territory and the difficult travel schedule.

"I don't know that anybody in any entity, unless you're the most well-traveled comedian or entertainer, has that. Because the thing about pro wrestling is it doesn't have an off-season, so you don't get a chance to really go recharge your batteries. You've got to maintain that competitive edge to survive."

Ross says there's one match he wishes he had another shot at calling: Ric Flair's retirement match against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 24 in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl. While Ross has traditionally been a play-by-play commentator, that night he was assigned to be a color commentator, which gave him some different challenges.

"I thought I had great stories to tell because of my relationship with Ric — I've known him for 25 years — and I didn't think that I contributed as much to that match from an emotional standpoint as I could. I was obligated to get in soundbites and get in, get out," Ross said. "That's the biggest match at the biggest stage, and I love both those guys, and I really wanted to be extra special that night, and I just don't know in my heart that we got there."

He says California has its own wrestling legacy to be proud of. The California Wrestlemania match that Ross says he'll always remember: Bret Hart versus Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 12 in Anaheim, where two now wrestling legends wrestled for more than an hour.

He also thinks the economics of Wrestlemania make a lot of sense for whichever city hosts it, thanks to the travelers it draws in from around the world. Cities now bid to try to bring in Wrestlemania, Ross says. With Los Angeles gearing up to build a new stadium, Ross has a Wrestlemania prediction for that stadium.

"I will bet you money — I will bet you some of my barbecue sauce — if L.A. builds a stadium, that Wrestlemania will be one of the first non-football events in that stadium. And they will sell it out. They'll fill every seat. And it'll be great for the city, and the businesses of Los Angeles.

Ross says that what made him a great broadcaster is the same thing that can make someone a success in wrestling or anywhere else — most importantly, don't talk down to your audience.

"You have to be a fan of the genre, or a fan of the game, and you have to be willing to prepare and be ready for your broadcast," Ross said. "You have to be willing to tell the story that the average fan — not the hardcore fan, but the average, casual fan can understand and relate to. ... You know, we're storytellers, and some people are just natural-born storytellers."

Ross plans to continue telling stories for the foreseeable future, on stage, online, calling matches in the legit sports world and wherever else his life takes him. He's even gotten into acting — you can see him in the new film "What Now."

"I think retirement is overblown. How many days can you go fishing? How many rounds of golf can you play?" Ross said. "I had the idea when I left WWE after 21 years, I'm going to reinvent myself. I'm not going to become a trivia answer. ... I don't think you're going to read anywhere, anytime soon, that Jim Ross has finally retired — until you read my eulogy."

Listen to the audio for the full hour-long interview with Jim Ross, talking his career past, present and future — along with the origins of his signature barbecue sauce.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Donations fill up the entryway to a Goodwill Southern California Donation Center in Pasadena during the first week of 2020.; Credit: Carla Javier/KPCC

Now that the holiday season is winding down, thrift shops run by Goodwill, the Salvation Army, and other organizations are tallying up the annual flood of December donations. 

"It's always been a tradition that our donors donate between Christmas and New Year's ... and the last couple days of the year, they donate even more," Goodwill Southern California director of logistics Tinna Bauer explained. "Some do it for tax purposes, and some ... when they if they receive new items for Christmas, they clean out the old."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

AB 2293 bans drivers from using their personal policies and mandates that drivers have to be covered from the moment they turn on their app and look for customers.; Credit: Photo by Daniel X. O'Neil via Flickr Creative Commons

Amid all the talk about cutting-edge technology, much of Uber and Lyft’s success actually owes to that fact the ride-sharing companies have been able to exploit a basic loophole: The companies foist the cost of insurance on their drivers, but the drivers' insurance companies don’t know they are underwriting cars for hire, and even if drivers wanted to be honest and get a policy that would cover ride-sharing, they couldn’t, because no such policy exists.

AB-2293, introduced by Assemblywoman Susan Bonilla (D-Concord) and signed into law Wednesday by Governor Jerry Brown, tries to close the loophole by paving the way for insurance companies to offer hybrid personal/commercial policies by next summer.

Uber once derided the bill as a backroom deal between insurance companies and trial lawyers.

"The bill does nothing to enhance safety, yet compromises the transportation choices and entrepreneurial opportunities Uber offers Californians," the company wrote in a June blog post that encouraged customers to contact their representatives opposing the bill.

However, the company backed down and supported the legislation when Bonilla insurance requirements were lowered.

AB 2293 also specifically bans drivers from using their personal policies and mandates drivers have to be covered from the moment they turn on their app and look for customers, which is a response to the tragic accident on New Year's Eve in San Francisco when an UberX driver hit and killed a six year old child.

Uber argued that because the driver was waiting for a fare he wasn't working for the company at the time, so he wasn't covered by the company's insurance.

Designed for low-impact blending, Ross Vertical Blenders feature a conical vessel and a slow-turning screw that can thoroughly agitate a wide variety of materials including powders, granules, pellets, slurries and pastes. 

Ross introduces a new line of Model 42C Cylindrical Ribbon Blenders designed to mix dry powders, wet granulations and paste-like materials with densities up to 100 lb/cu.ft. 

Hauppauge, NY, December 16, 2013 – Ross manufactures Ribbon Blenders used in the process industries for rapid, thorough and dust-free blending of powders, granules, pellets and other bulk solids. 

The company started with a 100-year-old family cookie recipe, passed down through generations.

Manufacturers are reducing costs of systems to remain competitive with other energy sources.

From absorbents and apparel to eye, foot, hand, fall protection and more, ASSE Safety 2015 attendees reviewed innovative products and services June 7-9 at ISHN's booth in Dallas's Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center. The votes have been counted and the winners are below...

While U.S. companies contend with a shortage of EHS professionals and skilled laborers, a global look at current and expected hiring reveals a complex picture. According to ManpowerGroup's first-quarter 2013 Manpower Employment Outlook Survey, the majority of employers in the global labor market are less confident about adding staff than they were at the start of 2012, suggesting a more difficult time ahead for job seekers in some countries.

State of the EHS Nation- Exclusive results from ISHN’s 28^th annual White Paper Reader Survey.

State of the EHS Nation- Exclusive results from ISHN’s 28^th annual White Paper Reader Survey.

Young women and girls in Kazakhstan share their stories of trafficking, exploitation and violence and how connection and compassion is helping them to raise their voices and show leadership.

Hampton Inn & Suites Atlanta Airport Hotel (North I-85) provides affordable accommodations to guests attending the Atlanta Camping and RV Show at Atlanta Expo Center South from January 25-27, 2013.

Accident lawyers in Atlanta, McAleer Law, know defensive winter driving is important, even in this city. The weather may be favorable most of the time, but snow and ice are not complete strangers, and practicing proper driving techniques is advised.

Meeting will be held in Naples, FL, March 12-13, 2013.

The COP29 Summit in Baku has approved the key rules that would govern trade in carbon credits. A UN-backed global carbon market is likely to begin next year or so. Despite the BASIC grouping’s demand that discussions on ‘climate change-related, trade-restrictive unilateral measures’ like Europe's CBAM should be included in the main agenda, it was decided that CBAM would be discussed informally.

Dan Perry: The world was hugely interested in the U.S. presidential election -- and everywhere people are wondering what the return of Donald Trump will mean in geopolitics. But is America interested in the world?

San Francisco-based IT company, Zendesk, is expanding its operations in Melbourne to take advantage of Victoria’s strong information technology skills base. “Our head of product and engineering says Melbourne is the best place for us to hire right now because of the combination of expectations, talent and production,” said Mikkel Svane, co-founder and chief executive of US-based Zendesk.

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 7:00pm
Location: Earl V. Moore Building
Organized By: School of Music, Theatre & Dance

The Departments of Chamber Music and Piano present this Belgian piano/violin duo in a master class, coaching U-M students on the performance of piano chamber music.

GUEST ARTIST BIOS

One of the leading Belgian violinists, JOLENTE De MAEYER, has brought her virtuosity and passionate interpretations to diverse global audiences. She is recognized as an exceptionally gifted artist, reflected in the numerous awards and effusive reviews she has received for both her live performances and recordings.

Prizewinner of several international competitions in Portugal (Cardona Competition), Russia (Liana Issakadze Competition) and London (Benjamin Britten Competition), the international career of Jolente started with a successful participation at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels. Performances with all major Belgian orchestras and concert tours in Europe and the United States followed. She made her debut in Florida, Vermont, California, Washington DC and Canada in 2017. This was followed by an extensive tour in South Africa. Future engagements include concert tours in Europe, Canada, United States and China.

Her recordings include concerti by Saint-Saëns and Vieuxtemps with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Liège with Christian Arming, awarded an ‘Editors Choice’ from Diapason, and the CD *Kreutzer Sonata* with duo partner Nikolaas Kende, awarded a ‘Gold Label’ from Klassiek Centraal.

After an invitation from Yehudi Menuhin when she was 14 years old, Jolente studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School near London. She continued her studies in London, Berlin and Waterloo where she graduated in the class of Augustin Dumay in 2013.

Since 2018 Jolente is professor violin at the Conservatory of Tilburg, the Netherlands and since 2021 also at the Royal Conservatory of Antwerp. Jolente has given masterclasses in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Texas and California.


“Poet in every inch of his fingers” - *Le Progres*

NIKOLAAS KENDE has been praised for his poetic playing and honest, passionate musicality. Critics have honored his sensitive and visionary musicianship and his flawless skills always serving the music. Both as soloist and chamber musician he is a highly demanded pianist on international concert stages.

A winner of several competitions, including the Cantabile, EPTA, Vriendenkrans Concertgebouw Amsterdam and Tenuto competitions, Nikolaas started performing in all major halls in Belgium and the Netherlands. Highlights included the performances of the piano concertos by Brahms, Beethoven, Chopin, Schumann and Bartok with Brussels Philharmonic, Antwerp Symphony Orchestra, National Radio Orchestra Romania, among others.

After a concert at the Festival de Dansa y Musica Granada in 2019 *Ideal* wrote: "This promising pianist caresses the keyboard, expressive with colors and tender with the melody and all the degrees of affection that typify the romantic soul."

Besides being a regular guest at the Festival of Flanders, he has also performed at festivals in Italy (Ravello, Rome, Bari), France (Menton, Montpellier, Vexin), Portugal (Coimbra), Germany (Görlitz, Munich, Bad Berleburg) , Austria (Salzburg), Ireland (Westport), UK (Cotswolds), Czech Republic (Prague), Spain (Zaragoza, Madrid).

Nikolaas made his debut in America in 2009 with the 1st piano concerto of Brahms. This debut was well received in the press, “One could almost imagine a young Brahms at the keyboard doing precisely the same thing: more intent on communicating his piece than dazzling listeners with his performance.” Since then he has returned to America annually and has toured in Texas (Houston, Austin, San Antonio), California (San Francisco, Fresno, LA) and Vermont, Florida, California, Texas, Washington DC and New York. In 2019 amongst others his debut for the 'Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts' in Chicago. He also performed in the Netherlands Antilles, Canada and South Africa, where several tours followed.

In 2018 he made his debut in China with recitals in Bejijng, Harbin, Chongqing and Chengdu. Concerts in Shanghai, Xi'An, Yangzhou and Guangzhou followed in 2019. Also for the next seasons, concerts are planned in North America, Canada, South Africa and China.

As a chamber music partner he was a member of the Narziss und Goldmund trio and the Rubens Ensemble. His duo with violinist Jolente De Maeyer, which exists for almost 20 years, is often praised in the press for its exceptional synergy and harmony. The duo's debut CD *Kreutzer Sonata* was released by Warner and won a Golden Label from Klassiek Centraal for best chamber music album of 2016. De Standaard wrote about this: "You want to listen to this captivating recital album again immediately after the last track." In 2020 their next CD *Remains* was released by Evil Penguin Records.

Nikolaas studied in Antwerp with his parents, Heidi Hendrickx and Levente Kende, in Amsterdam with Jan Wijn and in Munich and Fiesole with Elisso Virsaladze. In addition he studied with such artists as Murray Perahia, Aldo Ciccolini and Radu Lupu.

In 2015, Nikolaas was appointed professor of piano at the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp. He has given masterclasses in Belgium, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Texas, California and China.

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 12:00pm
Location: Weiser Hall
Organized By: Center for Japanese Studies

Please note: This lecture will be held in person in room 1010 Weiser Hall and virtually via Zoom. This webinar is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Once you've registered, the joining information will be sent to your email. Register for the Zoom webinar at: https://myumi.ch/RmN4G

The Korean scholar-bureaucrats (yangban) have been drawing public attention among Japanese intellectuals since the beginning of the 20th century. This lecture reviews how Japanese magazines represented yangban, tracing how their image changed from the evil noblemen that kept Korean society stagnant to the graceful embodiers of vanishing authentic Korean culture. Both these images, and even the transition from one to the other, were driven by a Japanese version of orientalism.

Shimpei Cole Ota is a sociocultural anthropologist trained both in Seoul National University (ABD, 2003) and Osaka University (Ph.D., 2007). His basic question focuses on what brings drastic changes to societies and cultures, especially before and after modernization, liberalization, and globalization in South Korea and Korean America.

This lecture is made possible with the generous support of the U.S. Department of Education Title VI grant.

If there is anything we can do to make this event accessible to you, please contact us at umcjs@umich.edu. Please be aware that advance notice is necessary as some accommodations may require more time for the university to arrange.

Event Begins: Thursday, November 14, 2024 8:30am
Location: Arbor Lakes Dome
Organized By: Sessions @ Michigan

Register today for the 2024 Hacks with Friends (HWF) — a hack event sponsored by the U-M Office of the VPIT-CIO. All IT and technology professionals and advocates from across U-M's four campuses are invited to break away from their everyday activities and have some fun doing what they do best in a friendly competition. The 2024 Hacks with Friends (HWF) will take place on November 14 & 15 at Arbor Lakes.  

NOTE: Registering after November 6 does not guarantee that meals will be available for you. You will need to find lunch on your own.

LEGENDS OF THE MANDAN LIMITED EDITION PRINT by Ken Riley is a(n) Limited Edition. The Edition is Limited to Limited to 250 pcs

11/17/2024 - 11:30 AM - Venue: Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center

11/16/2024 - 11:30 AM - Venue: Nature and Wildlife Discovery Center

As the end of 2014 draws near, Canadean forecasts the top trends which will influence consumer behaviour in 2015, and provides an insight into how manufacturers and marketers can target these evolving consumer needs to drive sales over the next year.

Today's consumers are much more likely to focus on changing their snacking habits in order to achieve weight loss success.

In their latest Global Beverage Packaging Market report, market research firm TechNavio (technavio.com) estimates that the beverage packaging industry will have a compounded annual growth rate of 4.11% globally over the next four years.

The US CPI report yesterday here provided some reason for a push and pull in markets but ultimately, the dollar settled higher as it continues its post-election momentum. It's tough to fight that especially with dollar bulls also seeking out key technical breaks on the charts. And the greenback is once again keeping a little firmer today:

EUR/USD is holding at its lowest levels this year after the break below the April low of 1.0601 overnight. Meanwhile, USD/JPY had a brief brush against 156.00 earlier as it eyes further gains alongside an uptick in Treasury yields.

Elsewhere, GBP/USD is closing in on its August low of 1.2665 while USD/CAD is up to its highest levels since 2020 in a push above 1.4000. It's all about the dollar as it rampages on in the post-election period.

Looking to the session ahead, there isn't anything on the agenda in Europe to shake up that sentiment. All eyes will once again fall on more US data later in the day to perhaps add to the mix. Otherwise, the euphoria from Trump trades is still very much permeating across broader markets with Bitcoin also hoping to firmly clear $90,000 since yesterday.

0800 GMT - Spain October final CPI figures1000 GMT - Eurozone Q3 GDP second estimate1000 GMT - Eurozone September industrial production

That's all for the session ahead. I wish you all the best of days to come and good luck with your trading! Stay safe out there.

Equal access to justice for women and men was the focus of an OSCE-supported forum on 9 June 2016 in Kyiv, which brought together over 80 representatives of the national justice system, legislative and executive authorities, the Ombudsman Office, regional and international organizations and NGOs.

The OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine organized the forum jointly with USAID’s Fair Justice project and the National Judicial Institute of Canada.

The participants discussed common barriers to access of women and men to justice, such as discriminatory laws, social and cultural patterns, gender bias in the justice system and lack of financial and other resources, and outlined the measures needed to gather gender- disaggregated statistical data in the judiciary. They also exchanged experiences and presented good practices for promoting equal access of women and men to justice and enhancing networking and partnerships among judiciary and civil society, and developed recommendations for improving gender mainstreaming in judicial reform.

During the forum, the OSCE Project Co-ordinator presented its new publication ‘Gender in Justice’, which provides recommendations for judges and lawyers on the implementation of gender equality in their work. The publication is based on the findings of a survey conducted among 400 judges and lawyers designed to uncover existing behavioural prejudices in their professional environment.

The event was organized as part of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator’s project on  safeguarding human rights through courts, implemented with financial support from the Government of Canada. 

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The Dniester River delta, located on the territories of both Ukraine and Moldova, is a powerful, complex and fragile ecosystem with invaluable biodiversity. However, it poses a risk of extreme flooding as well as water scarcity for people.

“Following days of extremely heavy rains in July 2008, a severe flood hit the Dniester River area with devastating consequences for thousands of households and infrastructure in both Ukraine and Moldova,” says Viktoriya Boyko, Head of the Hydrological Forecasts Department of the Ukrainian Hydro-meteorological Centre.“It led to human casualties and huge economic damage in both countries. It was devastating.”

Boyko noted that in a changing climate, floods on the Dniester are expected to become more frequent and more intense. “It is critical that in the future, the disastrous consequences of floods be mitigated.”

[node id="246436" preset="medium" align="left" description="A dry section of the Zastoyniy channel before ecosystem restoration activities were started. (Lower Dniester National Nature Park/Volodymyr Gubanov)"]

Flooding threats

In the past, mainly structural solutions such as the construction of dams were used to mitigate flood risk. Those measures had high financial and environmental costs, and could lead to catastrophe in case of failure.

Today, new ecosystem-based approaches can mitigate floods by spreading water away from populated areas, and by slowing the flood’s volume and speed. “Ecosystem-based approaches to mitigating the risks of floods and water deficits have huge untapped potential for application in the Dniester river basin,” says Alexei Andreev, Head of the BIOTICA Ecological Society. “There is a clear need to learn more about their use,”

[node id="246446" preset="medium" align="right" description="Channel Zastoyniy after it was cleaned from silt and vegetation in April 2016. Small islands created along the channel for birds and other animals to use as shelter during flooding. (Lower Dniester National Nature Park/Nikolay Stepanok)"]

OSCE engagement

In spring 2016, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities (OCEEA) with the support of the OSCE Project Co-ordinator in Ukraine, and funding from the Austrian Development Cooperation, the European Union’s Instrument for Stability and the Government of Switzerland, conducted a pilot restoration project of a small watercourse connecting the Dniester floodplain and the main course of the Dniester delta in the Lower Dniester National Nature Park.

Leonid Kalashnyk, OCEEA Environmental Programme Officer, says that the restoration included clearing silt and vegetation from the Zastoyniy Channel, forming islets for birds and other animals along the channel. “We created a small shallow reservoir, and moved three cables that had crossed the channel and obstructed the water flow.”

Vladimir Gubanov, the park’s deputy science director, says that the restoration has certainly had a positive impact on biodiversity conservation including fish resources, flood mitigation and fire risk reduction. “Results will be further monitored and used for restoration activities in the Dniester delta.”

[node id="246451" preset="medium" align="right" description="A Great White Pelican flock flying above the Zastoyniy channel. (Lower Dniester National Nature Park/Nikolay Stepanok)"]

Co-operation saves lives

Even though these restoration activities are conducted in Ukraine, the effect is also felt across the border in Moldova. “The results of, and lessons learned from these restoration activities have also been shared with experts and relevant authorities in Moldova. This will contribute to the joint efforts undertaken by Moldova and Ukraine, including environmental NGOs from each country, to address the risks of flooding and drought in the Dniester Basin,” says Andreev.

Gubanov says that the improvement of fish nurseries in Ukraine increases fish populations in Moldova and supports animal migration within both countries. “Our experience within the project could be applied in the Moldovan part of the Lower Dniester. We are ready to share the know-how.”

“The project’s long-term effects aim at increasing trans-boundary co-operation by sharing knowledge and expertise among regional and international stakeholders in the Lower Dniester area, notes Kalashnyk. “The pilot project in the Lower Dniester Delta is an important step towards restoring the ecosystem thereby reducing the risk of catastrophic flooding. Prevention is key.”

“During Soviet times we tried to control nature, rather than mitigate the effects of this natural phenomenon on people,” says Gubanov. “Now, we are working on correcting these mistakes and we seem to be on the right path.”

These flood mitigation activities are part of a multi-year effort under the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC), which has also included facilitating the signing of the Dniester Basin bilateral Treaty, developing and endorsing a trans-boundary Strategic Framework of Adaptation to Climate Change in the Dniester River Basin, and implementing a range of monitoring and flood mitigation measures in the basin.

The OSCE, UNDP, UNEP, UNECE AND REC have joined forces in the ENVSEC Initiative to help transform environmental risks into opportunities for co-operation in Central Asia, Eastern Europe, the South Caucasus and South Eastern Europe.

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SARAJEVO, 30 June 2016 - The Special Representative of the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office on Gender Issues Ambassador Melanne Verveer is to visit the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) from 1 to 4 July 2016, where she will meet with officials and activists and discuss the status of women in the country.

In Sarajevo and Zenica, Verveer will meet with the BiH Ministers of Human Rights and Refugees, Security and Defence, as well as representatives of the Gender Equality Committee of the BiH Parliamentary Assembly, State Gender Equality Agency, Entity Gender Centers, international organizations and civil society.

“Gender equality remains high on the agenda of Germany's 2016 OSCE Chairmanship and I am pleased that the OSCE Mission to BiH already has extensive co-operation with the governmental and non-governmental sector in BiH on promoting gender equality,” said Verveer. “I am very hopeful that during my visit we will get concrete proposals on how the OSCE can further assist BiH officials in achieving full respect for human rights and by that, women’s rights in BiH.”

Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH Ambassador Jonathan Moore said: “This is not the first visit of Ambassador Verveer to BiH, but the first in her capacity as the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Gender Issues. We are looking forward to faciliting her visit and continuing our efforts to support women’s political, social and economic empowerment in BiH.”

Ambassador Verveer spent four years working with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to co-ordinate foreign policy issues and activities relating to the political, economic and social advancement of women. In 2009, the President of the United States Barack Obama nominated Verveer to be the first ever U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues at the Department of State, and appointed her to serve as U.S. Representative to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

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OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 26 July 2016 – Some 25 athletes and sport trainers today discussed gender-based violence at an OSCE-supported roundtable discussion attended by a world amateur boxing champion (1986) and former member of parliament, Orzubek Nazarov.

At the event organized by the Ensan-Diamond NGO with support of the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, participants discussed how violent behaviour at training venues might impact social relationships further in life. Gender equality, gender-based stereotypes and promoting positive images of masculinity without resorting to violence, were among the main topics of the discussion.

“Preventing gender based-violence and promoting gender equality is at the centre of OSCE human rights commitments and comprehensive approach to security,” said Anete Erdmane, OSCE Human Dimension Officer at the Osh Field Office. “The initiative aims at supporting Kyrgyzstan in achieving positive change through dialogue and engagement with men.”

Jamilya Kaparova, director of Ensan-Diamond, said: “The nature of sports training and overall culture of masculinity can contribute to an increased aggression among athletes. Such behaviour can result in gender-based violence and negatively affect family and community members. To reach out to this important audience and promote positive role models, we have invited Mr. Nazarov who has been an outspoken advocate for gender equality.”

The roundtable discussion follows a similar event which also took place in Osh in November 2015.

The initiative was held in line with the OSCE’s efforts to assist Kyrgyzstan in implementing its National Action Plan for 2015-2017 on gender equality. The National Action Plan foresees developing a culture of aversion to gender discrimination and violence against women and men at all levels of society.

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The first activities of an action plan to create a more gender-sensitive national parliament in Montenegro were drafted during a workshop in Podgorica on 18-19 April 2016 organized by the OSCE Mission to Montenegro in co-operation with the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR).

The event gathered 18 participants, including members of parliament and representatives of the parliamentary service, institutions and civil society, who, led by experts, drafted the first activities of the action plan. The plan covers six key areas: leadership and commitment, gender-balanced representation, gender-sensitive legislation and policy, parliamentary services and infrastructure, gender awareness in parliamentary culture, and parliament as a promoter of gender equality. Participants set the end of the year as the goal for finalizing and putting the plan up for adoption for the new convocation of the Parliament for the first quarter of 2017.

“The on-going gender mainstreaming of the Montenegrin Parliament is a significant step forward in translating our written pledges into actual reality,” said Dan Redford, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro. “In particular, I am delighted to hear that the development of a roadmap and subsequent drafting of their action plan have been initiated by the parliament. This has to be the clearest indicator that its implementation has great chances of success and becoming ‘mainstream’ in the truest sense of the word.”

Nada Drobnjak, Chair of the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality highlighted the fact that the drafting of this important document and its subsequent adoption will make the Montenegrin Parliament a leader and pioneer in the region, and beyond.

In 2015, the Mission and ODIHR, in co-operation with the Committee for Gender Equality developed a roadmap towards a gender-sensitive parliament which served as the basis for the development of the action plan. The development and the adoption of the action plan is one of the measures initiated and included in the action plan for strengthening the legislative and oversight role of Montenegrin Parliament. 

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