Event Begins: Thursday, November 21, 2024 6:00pm
Location: Weiser 455
Organized By: Sessions @ Michigan

The Fulbright Student Association warmly invites you to our Friendsgiving Dinner! Join us for a night of great food, lively conversations, and exciting prizes. Let’s celebrate, connect, and enjoy a festive evening together!

Direct Energy Home Services announced it will be the exclusive HVAC contractor for Alberta Home Services providing its customers with repair and replacement of HVAC equipment. Alberta Home Services announced it will be the exclusive duct cleaning contractor for Direct Energy Home Services.

The OSCE Presence in Albania on 24 March 2016 launched a series of workshops for the Albanian border and migration police with the aim of raising their capacity to respond to the challenges of irregular migration, particularly in light of the increased migrant flows through the Western Balkans.

The first of the workshops, which are being organized in close partnership with the Directorate of the Albanian State Police and the General Directorate of Border and Migration, took place in Korça, where 20 border and migration police were trained on measures to be taken to cope with the situation.

The subjects were based on trends as identified by Frontex and EUROPOL, and included migrant routes, the pre-screening of migrants, profiling of possible terrorist fighters, and the detection of criminal offences. The workshop was conducted by experts from the Albanian Europol National Unit and the Albanian Border and Migration Police.

The OSCE Presence, together with its Albanian partners, will organize similar workshops in the coming days with the border and migration police in Gjirokastra and in Shkodra. 

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• OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Steinmeier visits Albania, reiterates support for Albanian institutions and its citizens
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A group of eight women politicians from all registered political parties in Tajikistan, including a member of parliament, paid a visit to Albania from 2 to 8 April 2016 to strengthen inter-regional co-operation and share experiences on empowering women in political life. The visit was jointly organized by the OSCE Office in Tajikistan and the OSCE Presence in Albania.

"One of the main goals of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan is to promote gender equality and to further support Tajik women leaders, as well as to create new opportunities for learning, exchange of experience and networking for women at all levels of political and public life,” said  Markus Mueller, Head of the OSCE Office in Tajikistan “This jointly organized high-level working visit will help women politicians and parliamentarians from both countries to learn from each other’s experiences, to grow stronger and reach their full potential."

The delegation met with the Speaker of Albania’s Assembly, representatives of the Alliance of Women Members of Parliament, three women members of the Albanian government, the Chair of the Central Election Commission, women mayors of Roskovec and Patos, and members of the National Platform of Women – an informal voluntary network of around 500 women from political parties and civil society established by the OSCE Presence.

On 6 April, they participated in the launch of the second edition of the “Empowering women in politics” brochure – a collection of interviews with successful women politicians in Albania published by the Presence.

Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania,  Florian Raunig, said: "In the OSCE we believe passionately in the importance of women's participation in political and public life, and we will continue to work at all levels - from national legislation to grass root activism - to promote it. I would encourage women politicians to co-operate and compromise across party lines."

This is the second time the OSCE field operations in Tajikistan and Albania co-operate on supporting women’s advancement in the political life in Tajikistan. In December 2015, the Office in co-ordination with the Presence organized a roundtable in Dushanbe aimed at empowering Tajik women politicians. 

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• OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Steinmeier visits Albania, reiterates support for Albanian institutions and its citizens

TIRANA, 9 May 2016 - The OSCE Presence in Albania today launched a sports-based youth development programme in co-operation with Tirana Rugby Club, with the aim of promoting teamwork, sport ethics, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging among youth, helping them understand that there are always positive alternatives to anti-social behaviour and criminality.

The Presence’s youth development programme will build on the Tirana Rugby Club’s success, helping to increase participation of youth in rugby and promoting both the cross-community and cross-border aspects of sport, bringing together young people from across Albania and the region for training events and tournaments.

Currently there are very few opportunities for youth to take part in interactive activities such as sports outside schools. Tirana Rugby Club, on the other hand, has engaged with youth, including the most vulnerable such as unemployed and/or school dropouts in its activities. Despite funding challenges, the Club has supported events where teams from Albania and the region compete regularly.

“While the development of rugby as a sport in Albania is relatively new, the interest and commitment of so many in such a short period of time, is not,” said Head of the OSCE Presence Florian Raunig. “As a result, building one team has led to creating a second one. Therefore today we present both Tirana Rugby Club and the Ilirians Rugby Club, wearing their new club colours.”

The sports kits were provided by the OSCE Presence and will be on show over the next few months, as these two teams meet in Korça, Elbasan and Durrës to play a series of exhibition games, which will increase the visibility of and interest in the sport.

The Presence will support local authorities, including police, social services and the regional education directorate, to directly involve youth in the activities. The activities will be planned and co-ordinated to allow young women and girls to be equally involved.

Albanian Rugby Development Officer Adam Vernon said: “We thank the OSCE Presence for its support and are excited about the opportunity this initiative has afforded us. We have many positive examples of youth engagement outcomes in Albania and hope that we can further encourage the development of the sport in many local communities over the next few months. The future of the sport in Albania is bright. We will wear our new kit with pride, in support of the game we all love.”

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TIRANA, 13 May 2016 – Challenges, good practices and needs in the fight against trafficking in human beings were the focus of a regional meeting of National Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinators from South-Eastern Europe hosted on Thursday by the OSCE Presence in Albania and the Albanian National Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinator, together with the International Centre for Migration Policy Development.

National Anti-Trafficking Co-ordinators from across South-Eastern Europe as well as the UK Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, met in Tirana to exchange views and good practices on national efforts to fight human trafficking. They paid special attention to the problem of unaccompanied minors in this region, with a view to increasing regional co-operation on the identification, assistance and referral of child victims and potential victims of trafficking.

“We must further enhance international co-ordination in addressing human trafficking, especially child trafficking,” stated Florian Raunig, the Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania. “The migration flows that have affected most of the countries represented in this meeting today show the urgency of our efforts. The transnational nature of the trafficking phenomenon can only be effectively addressed in a co-ordinated manner, based on joint planning and joint action.”

Participants stressed the need for harmonizing definitions, procedures and protocols to ensure adequate identification and protection of unaccompanied minors, highlighting the importance of adapting these procedures to potential migration flows. Strengthening the role of legal guardians and improving an early warning system that allows front-line officers to identify complex forms of human trafficking and labour exploitation, were other suggestions made by the Co-ordinators.

The Presence continues to work closely with the Albanian authorities to strengthen the multi-agency approach to identify and protect victims of all forms of trafficking.

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ELBASAN, Albania, 17 May 2016 – The OSCE Presence in Albania, with support from the German government, yesterday in Elbasan hosted a performance of a play reflecting on Albania’s totalitarian past.

The play, “They enter without knocking”, centres on a couple waiting for the police to come to their door to take them to prison - or worse - for reasons unknown. A packed audience of around 300 people watched the performance, which evoked the atmosphere of fear and constant surveillance that reigned under the former totalitarian regime.

“Although it is never easy to talk about a painful past, society needs to engage in a conversation about the crimes of the past, and art is one way of stimulating such dialogue, because it speaks to us on so many levels,” said Ambassador Florian Raunig, Head of the OSCE Presence. “This should be entirely an Albanian process; we are only providing the framework for this dialogue to take place.”

The OSCE Presence and the German Embassy launched the project to foster a national dialogue on Albania’s totalitarian past a year ago. Under the “We start talking” motto, the Presence has so far facilitated discussions among high school students, a series of TV debates hosted by the public broadcaster and a nationwide survey about the public's knowledge, perceptions and expectations for dialogue regarding the totalitarian past in Albania.

“They enter without knocking” was previously staged in Shkodra, as part of the project, and will be performed another three times in different cities around Albania over the course of this year.  

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SHKODRA, Albania, 25 May 2016 – The OSCE Presence in Albania, USAID and the Austrian Development Co-operation launched a new phase of the ‘Justice without delays’ initiative today in Shkodra, Albania, with the aim of increasing the efficiency of court proceedings by reducing unnecessary hold ups.

Judges and support staff, with guidance from the Presence, USAID and local partners, will analyse the root causes for delays in their court and commit to improved planning and administration of cases by strengthening co-operation with trial participants, including state institutions. This will give the courts the benefit of active case management techniques and provide citizens with better access to justice.

“The courts have made remarkable progress in reducing the number of hearings and the overall length of trial proceedings, with no changes to legislation and no additional budgetary resources,” emphasized Florian Raunig, Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania. “This achievement not only benefited court users in those districts, but has become an important step toward improving the quality of justice throughout Albania. It shows the clear potential for all Albanians to have efficient justice in all first instance courts throughout the country.”

Ambassador Johann Sattler of Austria stated that, “the nationwide roll-out of the ‘Justice without delays’ project ultimately aims to increase citizen’s trust in the judiciary.”

The initiative is implemented by the OSCE Presence and USAID’s Project Justice for All, with funding from the Austrian Development Co-operation. It was developed by the Presence and USAID after a study conducted by the Presence showed that almost half of the sessions in Albanian courts were non-productive – no argument was put forward, no documents circulated, no evidence taken and no requests made.

‘Justice without delays’ first started as a pilot project in Kruja court in February 2014, and was quickly embraced by courts in Korça, Puka and Tropoja. Building on the programme’s success in these four initial courts, and with the strong support of the High Council of Justice and the Ministry of Justice, over the next three years the ‘Justice without delays’ initiative will be extended successively to all 18 district courts in Albania.

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An exhibition of paintings, photographs, installations, poetry and writing by students of the Petro Nini Luarasi High School in Tirana on the theme of domestic violence, was unveiled by the students and the OSCE Presence in Albania on 24 May 2016 in the capital.

The exhibition, held under the slogan #MosHesht (Don’t be silent), builds on a campaign against domestic violence first launched by the OSCE Presence in Tirana four years ago, and extended to other cities such as Korça, Elbasan and Gjirokastra, to bring together the  police, civil society, citizens and youth, to discuss and react to this phenomenon.

A higher number of domestic violence cases has been reported to the police since the start of the campaign, indicating increased public awareness of the problem and trust in the authorities. According to statistics, on average 15 women die every year as a result of domestic violence; domestic violence accounts for about 60% of the reported crimes against persons in Albania.

“Civic engagement is more than just identifying issues of public concern. It is about citizens working to address them in a constructive manner. It is about action,” said Deputy Head of the OSCE Presence Robert Wilton at the launch of the exhibition. “You took on the slogan of the campaign #MosHesht. You reacted through your paintings, pictures and poetry and sent a strong message to your fellow students, to us and to the society. This is a brilliant example of the kind of citizen engagement needed for a democracy to thrive.”

General Director of the Albanian State Police, Haki Çako, commended the students saying that through the exhibition they help raise the awareness of the problems that domestic violence victims face. He said that trust in the police is an important part of the overall solution.

The event is as part of the OSCE Presence in Albania’s ongoing campaign on countering domestic violence. The Presence has also extensively worked in raising the capacities of the Albanian State Police on addressing this problem through various training programmes.

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OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Tirana on 14 June 2016, where he expressed the OSCE’s commitment to a long-term partnership and support for Albania’s institutions and its citizens.

“The Presence is doing good work and has our full support,” said Steinmeier. He also thanked the Presence for the good co-operation with the Albanian authorities.

Steinmeier met the Acting Head of the OSCE Presence in Albania, Robert Wilton.

Wilton thanked Steinmeier for the German OSCE Chairmanship’s leadership in regional co-operation, dialogue, youth and tackling transnational threats. “There is still essential OSCE work to be done together with our partners in Albania to achieve our common vision for collective security, fully-functioning democracy and the respect for fundamental human rights. The OSCE Presence and Albania are moving forwards together.”

During his visit Steinmeier met Prime Minister Edi Rama, Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati, and opposition Democratic Party Chair Lulzim Basha. He also had a meeting with students of the Tirana University.

The OSCE Presence works very closely with partner institutions in Albania, to support activities in a variety of areas including border management, more efficient courtrooms, modern and internationally-compatible policing, and a stronger relationship between active citizens and their democratic institutions.

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The OSCE Presence in Albania held a ceremony on 22 June 2016 to award winners of a national essay competition for high school and university students called Young People Say NO to Corruption.

The three main winners, equally awarded, were Albion Bylykbashi from the Tirana Polytechnic University, as well as Arjeta Zenelaj and Keti Gjipali from Tirana University. Their essays have been chosen as the best among more than 100 entries and their prize is an opportunity to participate in Transparency International’s Summer School on Corruption in July 2016. Seven runners-up were also awarded and will take part in a study tour to visit institutions involved in the fight against corruption in Albania and experience first-hand their work and the way they co-operate with each other to fight corruption.

Attending the event were Acting Head of OSCE Presence in Albania, Robert Wilton, and National Anticorruption Co-ordinator, Minister for Local Government Issues Bledi Çuçi.

Wilton said that the Albanian authorities cannot win the fight against corruption on their own: “They need the energy and passion of young, dedicated people to make big changes in mentality and practice that are necessary to stamp out corruption.”

Çuçi said that in order to win the battle against corruption, the healthy parts of the society should find each other and heal the parts affected by corruption. He said, he was impressed by the level of discussions in a series of OSCE-organized awareness-raising lectures on anti-corruption in high schools and public universities across the country that preceded the essay competition.

The essay competition and anti-corruption lectures were part of a wider OSCE project supporting anti-corruption measures in Albania. This effort is funded by the Italian Development Cooperation, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Italian National School of Public Administration.

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TIRANA, 22 July 2016 – The OSCE Presence in Albania welcomes the Assembly’s adoption today of the set of constitutional amendments aimed at reforming the justice sector. We commend the Assembly for this fundamental achievement, which was supported tangibly by many international experts and diplomats.

It is an important milestone, paving the way for the implementation of a meaningful justice reform. The amendments adopted today must now be cascaded down through the primary and secondary legislation, the procedures and policies of the entire judicial system. Reform is not genuine until it is felt by Albanian citizens in their daily lives, across the country.

The manner in which the reform package is implemented is essential for the sustainability and the success of the reform process. Sustainability and success also depend on a change in attitudes: establishing a culture of responsibility and accountability, countering impunity and consolidating respect for the rule of law at all levels of society. 

The OSCE Presence has been a committed contributor and partner of the reform process so far and stands ready to continue its active support at all levels.

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A team captain to start the season, David Long Jr. was demoted from his starting post two weeks ago and has now been waived. The Dolphins made room to claim tight end Jack Stoll off waivers.

El padre de aventuras gráficas míticas como Maniac Mansion o Monkey Island estuvo en Gamelab hablando sobre los buenos tiempos y sobre su nueva aventura gráfica 'old school', Thimbleweed Park.

Stephen Colbert spent the majority of his opening monologue on Wednesday night’s “Late Show” talking about President-elect Donald Trump’s Cabinet choices so far, including Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida as attorney general and Tulsi Gabbard as director of national intelligence. “Almost eight years ago, we all saw [Trump] saunter down those Capitol steps, put his […]

Mr. Pigeons has again demonstrated his artistic evolution with his latest album, 'Ivory,' showcases underscored by themes of love, hope, and self-reflection. The album 'Ivory' navigates the complexities of vulnerability…

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=42105869

As strange and unnerving as they've ever been.

Did they do Sabbath better than Sabbath?

Dirk Verbeuren and Sylvain Demercastel, out here doing good in the world

The Nuggets will likely be hard-pressed to acquire a rotation-worthy big man before the trade deadline.

Yes, Coors Field is the most extreme offensive ballpark in the majors, but it's not primarily about the home runs given up in LoDo.

Badfinger is proud to unveil the forthcoming release of their long-lost album 'Head First' scheduled for 2024

Německému kancléři Olafu Scholzovi selhala zdržovací taktika. Po rozpadu vlády počítal s vypsáním předčasných voleb v březnu příštího roku. S tímto plánem narazil, volby proběhnou už 23. února. Opoziční favorit na kancléře Friedrich Merz prosazuje silnější podporu Ukrajiny. 

Elon Musk proměnil sociální síť X ve svoji osobní zbraň a využil ji způsobem, jejž málokdo očekával.  Zatímco si příznivci Demokratické strany stěžovali na pravicovou propagandu, Musk se věnoval sázkařským trhům.

The doubleheader begins on ESPN at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, March 27 when Aaron Judge and the Yankees host Christian Yelich and the Milwaukee Brewers, who won the National League Central in 2024.

Will progress in artificial intelligence continue to accelerate, or have we already hit a plateau? Computer scientist Jennifer Golbeck interrogates some of the most high-profile claims about the promises and pitfalls of AI, cutting through the hype to clarify what's worth getting excited about — and what isn't.

A 47-year-old man in southern Alberta is facing human trafficking charges among other offences dating back two decades.

Penn State University has launched a University-wide partnership with the U.S. Department of Defense’s SkillBridge program, offering active-duty service members internships across various departments to help them transition to civilian careers.

J Hope is as excited about BTS bandmate Jin’s debut solo album releases as BTS ARMY and K-pop idol himself.In a recent Weverse Live on Tuesday, November 12, J Hope, whose real name is Jung Ho-seok, updated his whereabouts to the curious fans while teasing new projects in the pipeline and...

Gwen Stefani set to release fourth solo album on FridayLegendary musician Gwen Stefani looks back at the making of the breakthrough album of her solo career Love.Angel.Music.Baby., as she marks 20 years of releasing it.Discussing the album, the popstar said, "At that point, things were unhinged,...

Former MLB star catcher Jonathan Lucroy opened up on "OutKick the Morning" about his refusal to kneel during the national anthem in 2020.

WASHINGTON — Tesla said on Wednesday (Nov 13) it was recalling 2,400 Cybertruck pickups in the US because a faulty part could lead to a loss of power and increase the risk of a crash, in its sixth callback of Cybertrucks this year. A fault in the driver inverter in Cybertrucks manufactured through July 30 could cause the vehicle to stop producing torque when the driver uses the accelerator pedal, resulting in a loss of propulsion and increasing the risk of a crash, Tesla said in a filing with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Tesla will replace the recalled drive inverter with one equipped with a functioning component. The automaker said it was aware of five warranty claims tied to the issue but knew of no crashes or injuries. Beginning around Dec 9, Tesla will replace the recalled drive inverter with a new component. Tesla said it has been using the updated component in production since July 30. Last month, the EV maker said it was recalling more than 27,000 Cybertrucks due to delayed rear-view camera images that could impair driver visibility and increase crash risks.

A number of events, including multiple concerts by Olivia Rodrigo and Coldplay, lifted Melbourne hotel performance in October, according to preliminary data from CoStar. CoStar is a leading provider of online real estate marketplaces, information, and analytics in the property markets.

Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has worked hard to fully overcome the Achilles injury that ended his 2023 season prematurely.

А вот это неиллюзорно шедевр
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP4Cct_1di8
Steve Brenner - Signals (1985) [full album]
https://stevebrenner.bandcamp.com/album/s-i-g-n-a-l-s

Типа имитация Tangerine Dream синхронного периода,
но сильно лучше, чем все, что они сделали после 1984,
причем записано (в домашней студии, насколько я понимаю)
на порядок чище и яснее, чем TD писали, со всеми их сотнями
тысяч долларов, вбуханных в аппаратуру.

Я долго тыкался в биографию автора, пытаясь выяснить,
1985 это не мистификация ли, так и не понял. В принципе,
что сейчас подобной ретрофутуристической музыки пишут
очень много, с реверансами в сторону 1970-х и 1980-х,
лепят на альбом фальшивую датировку, и выкладывают на ютюб,
зарабатывая миллионы прослушиваний.

Вообще Ютюб разрушил централизованную систему музыкальной
критики и прессы, раньше люди шли читать про группы в
Питчфорк или Wire, и покупали альбом, а сейчас тыкают
в рекоммендации Ютюба. Это породило с десяток новых жанров,
свободных от кураторства музкритика, с изобретенной
(и часто целиком фальсифицированной) историей. Походу
появилась масса "групп", датированных на 30-40 лет
раньше, чем на самом деле, и зачастую сгенерированных
через AI, с имитацией всякого ретро; наиболее смешной
образчик вот, с ним-то все яснее ясного

https://bannedvinyl.bandcamp.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcDeZWIF1kY
https://www.youtube.com/@bannedvinyl

но вообще имитаций-мистификаций на ютюбе появилось
очень много, спасибо AI, и в основном оно весьма трудно распознается.

В любом случае, "Signals" Бреннера, безотносительно
к его аутентичности, совершенно прекрасен; особенно
если вы послушали весь доступный Танжерин Дрим и
желаете еще.

Привет

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Justin Welby behaved like a politician and in some ways has faced the downfall of one, writes religion editor Aleem Maqbool.

Spring Training is imminent, Opening Day is within sight and the big league season isn't complete for fans without a subscription to MLB.TV. The most comprehensive streaming service in professional sports is now available for the 2019 season.

On this opening week of Spring Training, all 30 Major League teams have one thing in common: optimism. Here's an optimism cheat sheet for each of them.