Looking through the phone book to find a furniture store? Stop right there, you're already home.

Has Trump seen people holding signs on the internet before? It never turns out well.

North Korea released a smiling picture of Kim Jong-Un and were VERY specific about pointing out the fact that the image was untouched. Obviously the first thing the internet did when they got a hold of the image was to touch it up a bit. The results were glorious.

One year after Creative Commons (CC) hosted an exploratory Open Culture Roundtable, in Lisbon, Portugal, which initiated the Towards a Recommendation on Open Culture (TAROC) global initiative, nearly 50 stakeholders from all continents gathered again for a strategic workshop, in Lisbon in May 2024. In this blog post, we share a snapshot of key highlights.

The post A Quick Look at the CC Strategic Workshop on Open Heritage appeared first on Creative Commons.

In May 2024, CC organized a strategic workshop in Lisbon to develop a roadmap for future action to advance our work towards a UNESCO instrument on open cultural heritage. In this blog post, we share the full report and some of its key highlights.

The post CC strategic workshop reveals big opportunities for open access to cultural heritage appeared first on Creative Commons.

Shopping for clothing is one of my favorite past times — and with all the early Black Friday apparel sales happening now, it's starting to feel like Christmas morning! Apparel and shoes are seeing some of the biggest markdowns with popular brands like Lululemon, Nike, Adidas, Patagonia and more…

The Coast Guard Exchange has the Spider-Man DualSense controller for $49.99. Also the Spiderman Ps5 bundle is $479. No sales tax. Only available for those active duty, retirees, veterans, and their dependents. 

https://shopcgx.com/electronics-en-2/featured-brands-en/sony/ps5-dualsense-wireless-controller-spiderman2-lmtd-ed-new-age-8-1-23.html

https://shopcgx.com/electronics-en-2/featured-brands-en/sony/ps5-disk-spiderman-2-slim-bundle-d-and-h-10-13-23.html

Eneba has $99 Nintendo eShop Gift Card (Digital Delivery) on sale for around $85 when you follow the instructions below.

Eneba also has $50 PlayStation Network Gift Card (Digital Delivery) on sale for around $43 when you follow the instructions below.

Deal Instructions:

• Visit the product page
• Click 'Buy Now' to add the item to cart
• Click on "Got discount code?" Apply discount code USBFPSN
• Proceed to checkout
• Select a payment method: PayPal or Credit Card (a service fee will be applied on this step)
• Price after discount and service fee will be ~$43
  • Note: Price is subject to change by a few cents due to currency exchange rate volatility
• After purchase, redeem the Gift Card code at PlayStation

About:

• Buy a PlayStation Store gift card and redeem for anything on PlayStation Store: games, add-ons, subscriptions and more. Codes can be redeemed on the PlayStation Store via console, any web browser or on the PlayStation App.
• Please note that PlayStation Store digital gift cards are not redeemable at direct.playstation.com

Shop the Crosswave Pet Pro for $50 off. READ MORE...

It’ll go perfect with a tiny house. READ MORE...

There’s no better time to upgrade your sleep setup than Black Friday and Cyber Monday — two of the biggest sale events of the year. As usual, there are tons of great deals on top-rated mattresses, from trusted names like Tempur-Pedic and Mattress Firm to direct-to-consumer favorites like Purple and Naturepedic. We recommend taking advantage of all these sleep brands impressive sales, especially since a majority of them have already started. Yup, weeks ahead of schedule! READ MORE...

Prime Day sees some pretty tempting deals and discounts on science gifts, but is it worth waiting for Black Friday to potentially save even more?

This workshop provides a hands-on introduction to more advanced topics in LaTeX, including using beamer and BibLaTeX. Beamer provides an elegant way to create presentations and posters while taking advantage of the potential of LaTeX. BibLaTeX is a powerful, integrated citation system that is easy to use with LaTeX. Peer consultations and troubleshooting also offered throughout the semester. Visit https://libcal.princeton.edu/appointments/jfz to book an appointment.

Have you ever heard about quantum computing and wanted to learn more about it works? Come to our workshop teaching basics of quantum computing and run code on a real quantum computer! Snacks will be provided.

As part of Dyane Harvey-Salaam's fall 2024 dance course, "The American Experience and Dance Practices of the African Diaspora," guest artist Mickey Davidson gives a lecture/workshop on Authentic Jazz and Swing Dance Practices. Open to University community.

A working group analyzing Nahuatl-language documents of the sixteenth to nineteenth centuries with a concentration on deciphering paleography and considering issues of translation. The workshop will commence with Mesoamerican Manuscripts held in the special collections of the Princeton University Library in support of the Translating Mesoamerica project that will provide increased accessibility and analysis of these archival treasures.

If you’re an avid coffee connoisseur and celebrity-spotter, you’re in for a treat. There are coffee shops globally frequented by stars who enjoy a good cup of joe. Let’s explore 12 coffee shops where you might bump into your favorite celebrity. 1. Alfred Coffee, Los Angeles LA is the home of Hollywood stars, and one ... Read more

The post 12 Coffee Shops Where You Might Just Spot a Celebrity appeared first on Star Two.

Now you are be able to generate self-updating content feeds of your own Shopify store or any other Shopify store you like.

The post New Shopify Feeds Generator Just Released! appeared first on RSSground.com.

After the recent changes at the Shopify platform we had to make some updates to our Shopify Feeds generator.  Shopify has deprecated its private apps. They were not completely removed, they were replaced by custom apps.   Read more about Shopify custom apps  You can still continue using your existing private apps and its credentials with […]

The post Important Changes in Shopify Feeds Generator appeared first on RSSground.com.

It’s no secret that eCommerce is booming. In fact, a recent study by Statista shows that retail e-commerce...

The post WooCommerce Vs Shopify, a 2022 Comparison appeared first on Ignition Media.

His comments came ahead of an assisted dying bill being introduced to Parliament.

Justin Welby has stepped down over a church abuse scandal.

The leader of the world's Anglican communion, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, announced Tuesday he was resigning following a damning report that concluded the Church of England covered up a serial abuse case.

Shopify's surge added fuel to Canada's strong market rally, helping its benchmark index cross 25,000 for the first time.

Home Depot's CFO said investments to combat retail theft are "paying off" but the operating environment is "getting harder and harder."

Implementing Enterprise AI – Online workshop By Ajit Jaokar and Cheuk Ting Ho   Early bird discounted rate $599 USD     Introduction Launched for the first time, jointly delivered by Ajit Jaokar and Cheuk Ting Ho – Implementing Enterprise AI workshop is an online workshop targeting developers and strategists.  The workshop enables you to develop [...]

Coding for #AI and #machinelearning – online course/workshop We are exploring a new way to learning how to code for AI and Machine Learning by applying ideas of  deliberate practise Starting Oct 2018 – the workshop has limited places Please contact info@futuretext.com if you want to sign up for our online workshop (300 USD)   [...]

Belt and Road Is Not a (Completely) Closed Shop Expert comment sysadmin 22 March 2018

Though the infrastructure initiative will continue to be led in many places by Chinese investment, where there are benefits of scale, effectiveness and risk management, outside participation will be welcome.

First announced in 2013, President Xi Jinping’s Belt and Road Initiative promises, at a minimum, to improve infrastructure and connectivity between China and the rest of Eurasia. Any bold plan to finance infrastructure on a large-scale across so many low-income economies deserves a sympathetic ear and a positive reception. But many wonder how large the role can be for non-Chinese players in what is clearly an initiative of the Chinese government.

So far, Chinese state and policy banks account for the overwhelming majority of the financing – and this money then flows to Chinese enterprises, mainly state-owned. One study found that 89% of the work went to Chinese contractors on China-funded projects.

Yet, recently in Paris, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said the Belt and Road was a ‘sunshine initiative’ that was open and for all to benefit from. He declared that there were to be ‘no backroom deals. There is openness and transparency.’ The Belt and Road Initiative will ‘respect international rules’ and ‘will run according to market rules’.

There are some notable instances of Belt and Road projects changing to conform more to international rules as they develop. For example, work on the Belgrade–Budapest high speed rail link originally ran into problems. Contracts were allegedly awarded to Chinese companies without following the EU-mandated competitive procurement processes. Now, the most recent round of contracts is to be awarded by tender.

Such a switch perhaps does not herald the unrestricted ‘market rules’ that Wang speaks of, but it does highlight that China is willing to turn Belt and Road towards openness in certain instances. These will be cases where it clearly brings benefits for China – but also where private sector players can be convinced of good commercial returns. These benefits are most likely to lie in three areas: scale and access, effectiveness and risk management.

Mutual benefits

Firstly, scale and access. Belt and Road can achieve greater scale if additional financing comes in alongside the current Chinese state and policy bank lending. This can come both by working together with multilateral institutions and with private sector institutions. This will in turn require defining projects or structuring financing with attractive risk-return trade-offs. In some cases, this will be feasible – in others not.

Getting bigger also necessitates initiating meaningful Belt and Road activity in more countries. As the Belgrade–Budapest rail experience has shown, approaches vary in terms of competitive tendering requirements and consideration of non-Chinese bidders. An approach that works in, say, Tajikistan, may not be effective in Poland. This is a pragmatic recognition of context that is quite separate from debates on what the ‘right’ approach to these standards should be. Both these elements suggest that a more open Belt and Road will be a larger and more far-reaching one.

Secondly, effectiveness. Despite extensive experience building infrastructure within China, many Chinese companies are much less familiar operating outside of China. Western, Japanese and Korean companies can bring their own experience to the table and help the success of these projects. By doing so, they also put competitive pressure on Chinese companies to improve and upgrade, while providing opportunities to learn. This in turn creates a stronger, more productive Chinese economy.

Beyond physical hardware, the ‘software’ is also critical to success. Again foreign companies have much to contribute. Areas such as maintenance, training, legal and accounting services are all in demand. Indeed, many such British and other companies are already actively engaged in working on projects with Chinese companies to help in these areas.

Finally, risk management. Beyond the usual project management risk of large projects, Belt and Road brings additional challenges. Many countries have weak governance, internal divisions and security issues, all within distinctively different cultures and traditions. Chinese companies with little experience of local conditions will struggle. Going it alone may provide what is an illusion of control, but exposure to social and political dynamics can rebound on China in unexpected ways.

Cooperating with others who have a history of in-country experience is a way to manage these risks. Examples would include British and Chinese cooperation both at company and governmental level in engaging in particular African countries, in partnership with the relevant country government.

Mixed system

Mechanisms that encourage competitive choices and restrain corruption are positive, but mechanisms that slow decision-making to a crawl also prevent countries from getting benefits of infrastructure projects. Conversely, continuing along the current path of Chinese-led investment does have some clear attractions in certain settings, at least to those directly involved. It combines the ability of Chinese policy banks to provide large-scale funding in even high-risk environments with the relevant experience and production capacity of Chinese state-owned businesses. It allows for government-to-government deals, pragmatic negotiations and all-encompassing accords, at times out of the public eye. In many cases, it is hard to make a commercial case for the investments.

But in cases where there is mutual benefit, engagement and will, there will be a role for international partnerships.

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Perspectives 2019-24 – Workshop 2 24 September 2019 — 9:00AM TO 2:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 4 September 2019 Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within the UK strategic and policymaking communities to explore British perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024.

The roundtable took place at Chatham House in London. The report below contains a summary of the discussions.

Read a summary

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Perspectives 2019-20 – Workshop 1 11 September 2019 — 10:00AM TO 2:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 4 September 2019 East-West Center, 1819 L St., NW, Suite 600, Washington, DC 20036, USA

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within the US strategic and policymaking communities to explore American perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024. The roundtable was organized in cooperation with, and was held at, the East-West Center in Washington D.C.

The report below contains a summary of the discussions and an essay by Satu Limaye, Vice President and Director of the East-West Center in Washington, DC.

Read a summary report and essay

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Perspectives to 2024 - Workshop 3 17 October 2019 — 9:30AM TO 2:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 14 October 2019 Institut Francais des Relations Internationales, 27 rue de la Procession, 75740 Paris Cedex 15, France

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within the French strategic and policymaking community to explore French perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024. The roundtable was organized in cooperation with, and was held at, the Institut français des relations internationals in Paris.

The report below contains a summary of the discussions and an essay by Céline Pajon, Research Fellow, Center for Asian Studies, Institut français des relations internationals.

Read a summary and essay

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Outlook to 2024 - Workshop 4 26 November 2019 — 9:30AM TO 12:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 9 January 2020 Gateway House, Stevens Street, Colaba

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within India’s strategic and policymaking communities to explore Indian perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024. The roundtable was organized in cooperation with, and was held at, Gateway House in Mumbai.

The report below contains a summary of the discussions and an essay by the International Security Studies Programme at Gateway House.

Read a summary and essay

The Indo-Pacific: Geostrategic Outlook From Now to 2024 - Workshop 5 18 February 2020 — 12:00PM TO 4:30PM Anonymous (not verified) 17 February 2020 Langafonua Centre

The roundtable brought together stakeholders within Tonga’s strategic and policymaking communities to explore Tongan perceptions of evolving strategic shifts in the Indo-Pacific until 2024. The roundtable took place in Nuku’alofa and was co-hosted by the Royal Oceania Institute in Tonga.

The report below contains a summary of the discussions and an essay by Lady Fane Fakafanua, Director of Operations at the Royal Oceania Institute.

Read a summary and essay

Photo- Roy posted a photo:

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has opted to quit as head of the Church of England after a critical report over his handling of an abuse scandal, it was announced.

The Montreal Canadiens sit near the bottom of the NHL standings, fuelling more speculation about trade targets.

Some 250 volunteers transported more than 2,000 books

Dominic April fell in love with forging after his career in the military came to an end in 2015. Now operating a blacksmith studio near Quebec City, he hopes to help other veterans dealing with PTSD find creativity and purpose.

Schools combine SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD software with 3D scanning and printing to enrich student learning

The Berks LaunchBox in partnership with Penn State Berks will host its free 3D Modeling and Printing Workshop for Manufacturing Companies from 3 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, in Reading, Pennsylvania.

Penn State has updated its procurement processes with the implementation of PSUbuy. The new system replaces Shop OnLion.