There are symbols all around us that we take for granted, like the lightning strike icon, which indicates that something is high voltage. Or a little campfire to indicate that something is flammable. Those icons are pretty obvious, but there are others that aren't so straightforward. Like, why do a triangle and a stick in a circle indicate "peace"? Where does the smiley face actually come from? Or the power symbol? We sent out the 99PI team to dig into the backstory behind some of those images you see every day.

Ubiquitous Icons: Peace, Power, and Happiness

There have been over 200,000 deaths as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. All have been tragic, but there are two people in particular we’ve lost due to COVID that were part of the world of architecture and design that we want to honor with a couple of stories today. First, we are mourning the loss of architect Michael McKinnell. Along with Gerhard Kallman, McKinnell designed the unforgettable Boston City Hall, completed in 1968. They won the commission for Boston City Hall after submitting their brutalist, heroic monument in a contest when Michael McKinnell was just 26 years old. It was always a controversial structure, much of the public found it ugly and too unconventional, but architects and critics tend to love it. This is the often the case with Brutalism in general and that is the subject of our first story starring Boston City Hall.

Another voice who is gone too early was Michael Sorkin. Sorkin was a designer and the Village Voice architecture critic in the 80s. He brought a totally new kind of approach to writing about buildings, one that focused on people and politics. We spoke with design critic at Curbed, Alexandra Lange, about Sorkin's work, and Roman Mars reads excerpts from one of his pieces called Two Hundred and Fifty Things an Architect Should Know.

The Smell of Concrete After Rain

1. Multiemployer Pension Reform Update

Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), Chairmen of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee and the Senate Finance Committee, respectively, published a white paper on November 20 with their initial proposals for solving the crisis and challenges facing the multiemployer pension system. This document is the first proposal of weight coming from Republican Senate leaders but is not a legislative text, or a declared bill. The white paper is intended to begin a more in-depth discussion on potential fixes and should be understood as the starting point of negotiations.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA will submit comments and continue working with Members of Congress and meeting with congressional leaders and staff on this matter before final legislation is introduced to make sure the industry’s needs are met. While the white paper includes composite plan design and other beneficial aspects, there are revisions that should ultimately be made. To that end, NECA will focus its advocacy on the following topics:

• Maintaining Responsible Employer Premiums
• Limiting the Damages of Withdrawal Liability
• Passing Innovative Composite Plan Design

As this is the initial proposal in a multifaceted negotiation, we continue to urge restraint from our membership. Your government affairs team will tirelessly work on your behalf to represent your companies and our industry to insure we achieve a positive result.

More information can be found here

2. 2020 Legislative Conference Dates Announced

The NECA 2020 National Legislative Conference will be held April 27-30, 2020 in Washington, DC.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA looks forward to welcoming our contractors to the nation’s capital for another year of advocating for our industry.

3. Take Action on Nuclear Powers America Act

Tell Congress to support the bipartisan Nuclear Powers America Act (H.R. 2314/S. 1134). This legislation will help NECA contractors by extending the ITC to include nuclear work by creating a 30 percent tax credit for refueling costs and qualified nuclear power plant capital expenditures for each taxable year through 2023. Thereafter, the credit rate would be reduced until it reached 10 percent in 2026. Nuclear power accounts for 20% of the nation’s electrical supply, produces more than 60% of the emissions-free generation in America, supporting 475,000 jobs.

NECA’s Look Ahead: Rep. Darin LaHood (R-Ill.) introduced the NECA-supported bipartisan Nuclear Powers America Act (H.R.2314 / S.1134). NECA has long advocated for a diverse portfolio of energy sources especially, clean and renewable energy sources such as nuclear power.

This week in government affairs: NECA opposes bill to raise top tax rate for pass-throughs, NECA member testifies before the house small business committee and NECA Wins in NDAA.

NECA's legislative top three for the week of January 17, 2020

Amy Walter, National Editor of the Cook Political Report and former Political Director of ABC News, will be returning to speak at the NECA 2020 National Legislative Conference.

1. Hearing Held to Reauthorize the National Apprenticeship Act

On Wednesday, March 4, 2020, the Higher Education and Workforce investment Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss reauthorizing the National Apprenticeship Act. The National Apprenticeship Act, originally passed in 1937, will be amended to expand the apprenticeship system to include broader forms of apprenticeship programs. This discussion is centered around how to modernize the Act and bring apprenticeships into the 21^st century.  

NECA’s Look Ahead: Preserving these valued apprenticeship programs is a priority. NECA continues to work closely with legislators while this bill is being shaped.

2. NLRB Chairman and General Counsel to Testify Regarding Funding     

Next week, the Chairman and General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board are scheduled to testify before the House Appropriations committee. This hearing is anticipated to be contentious with lawmakers inquiring as to the reasons behind the Trump Administration’s request to lower the board’s funding by 10%. At the same time, the NLRB’s regional offices are plagued with under-employment and the board itself is dogged with hearings and legal challenges over ethical conflicts of interest.

NECA’s Look Ahead: While historically the National Labor Relations Board has been a contentious and often politicized place, this hearing is expected to highlight the new level of dysfunction that now riddles the Board. NECA believes that lawmakers should continue to fully fund the NLRB and encourage their leadership to expedite the hiring of their regional offices.

3. Congress Passes Coronavirus Funding Bill

On Wednesday, March 4, 2020, Congress passed a NECA-supported bill, H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act.

NECA’s Look Ahead: This bill addresses the critical funding issues surrounding the U.S. response to the Coronavirus outbreak. The bill includes the following:

• $4 billion to make diagnostic tests more broadly available

• $2.2 billion for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a robust response, including:

• $1 billion exclusively for state and local response efforts
• $300 million for CDC’s Infectious Diseases Rapid Response Reserve Fund
• $20 million to administer disaster assistance loans for small businesses impacted by the virus.
• $1.25 billion for the State Department and (USAID)
• $264 million to evacuate Americans and maintain consular operations overseas

1. NECA Helps Secure Construction Industry Exemption in Final IRAP Rule

On March 10, 2020, the Department of Labor released the final rule of the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAP) regulation. The final rule contains a permanent construction industry exemption, thereby protecting our industry from participation in IRAPs. NECA released a statement thanking the Administration for recognizing that the construction industry has longstanding expertise in the creation and execution of apprenticeships.

NECA’s Look Ahead: NECA strongly advocated for the construction industry’s exemption, with thousands of NECA contractors sending comments to the Department of Labor. By securing this exemption, the long-established, gold standard apprenticeship model that NECA Contractors utilize will remain intact and not be subjected to these parallel programs which will operate with less scrutiny and limited educational requirements.

2. The House Introduces Legislation to Address COVID-19 Outbreak

Washington D.C., like the rest of the nation and world, is responding to the outbreak of the COVID-19 (Coronavirus). On the evening of March 11, President Trump addressed the nation live from the  Oval Office. On Capitol Hill, negotiators continue to work to find a compromise between competing coronavirus response bills.

NECA’s Look Ahead: In response to the crisis, the Senate plans to cancel a previously scheduled recess week. The House will gavel out today and will return to Washington D.C. on March 23, 2020 to finish the negotiations on a final response package. NECA CEO, David Long, released the following statement in response to the legislative and regulatory negotiations: “ NECA government affairs remains fully engaged with Members of Congress, the Department of Labor, and OSHA on how to best handle the COVID-19 outbreak with safety being a top concern for our contractors and their employees. We continue to monitor legislation coming out of Congress to address the economic impact of this outbreak and will inform our contractors on how to best work with the new regulations when they are finalized.”

3. NLRB Chairman Testifies Regarding Funding      

On March 11, 2020, the House Committee on Appropriations held a hearing on the National Labor Relations Board Budget Request for FY 2021. Testifying on behalf of the NLRB was the Honorable John Ring, Chairman of the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB budget request and justification documents can be found here.

NECA’s Look Ahead: The NLRB’s FY 2021 budget request funds their mission to protect the rights of employees, unions, and employers under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). NECA believes that lawmakers should continue to fully fund the NLRB and encourage their leadership to expedite the hiring of their regional offices.

On March 26, 2020, the Senate passed “Phase III” of the Coronavirus Response Package, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act in a 96-0 vote.

1. Congress Passes Legislation to Increase Funding for PPP

On April 23, 2020, the House passed, in a 388 to 5 vote, the Senate Amendment to H.R. 266 – Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act. This legislation reauthorizes the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was passed in the Senate by unanimous consent on April 21, 2020. NECA advocated for additional funding and are confident that this amendment will continue to help NECA contractors keep their employees on payroll during this crisis.

NECA’s Look Ahead: The NECA-supported bill is expected to be signed into law by the President immediately. A detailed section by section summary can be found here. NECA has also compiled some FAQs on this loan program. NECA is continuing to work with congressional leaders on upcoming Phases of COVID-19 response bills. A major Phase IV bill is expected sometime in May.

2. NECA Weighs in on Main Street Lending Program

A group of congressional allies sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Vice Chairman for Supervision of Federal Reserve Board of Governors, Randal Quarles, requesting the inclusion of S corporations, LLCs, and partnerships in utilizing the Main Street lending facilities announced by Treasury and the Federal Reserve. 

NECA’s Look Ahead: The letter was organized in response to a coalition letter, which NECA supported, to Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Texas) on the issue. NECA will update its members once we have received a formal response from the Department of the Treasury.

3. Register Today for the Upcoming Government Affairs Webinar

On May 5, 2020 at 2PM ET, NECA’s Government Affairs team will brief participants on NECA’s requests for Congress in the Phase IV coronavirus response legislation, then participants can take action and send a letter to their Member of Congress requesting help for the electrical construction industry to remain viable during this crisis. Participants will also hear messages from key Members of Congress on the current legislative response to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Register Today! 

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Who We Are: At Visual Concepts, we believe great games are made by diverse and empowered teams with a shared passion for play. As one of the world’s top game development studios, we have shipped over 100 mullti-sku titles to critical acclaim and commercial success. Our teams are independent and entrepreneurial. Our studios in Agoura Hills, Novato, Orange County, Budapest, Shanghai, and Seoul are committed to artistry and technical innovation, offering top candidates the opportunity to learn and grow with some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry.  What We Need:  Do you prize efficiency, productivity, and the satisfaction that comes from helping a team do their best work? Do you have organizational ability combined with technical experience, to plan, track and deliver ambitious new game systems and development technology? Are you a collaborative leader and great communicator who thrives on delivering results? If so, wow, do we want to talk to you!Our Agoura Hills studio is looking for a Technical Producer to work with our awesome engineering team to help organize, focus, prioritize and track the host of new features and technical investments we’re creating for the WWE 2K franchise. In the role of Technical Producer, you’ll drive initiatives to improve our technology, tools efficiency, graphics and gameplay systems, to help make the next iteration of WWE 2K the best ever.  What You Will Do: Own high-priority initiatives to deliver amazing new features to our players Work with a team of producers and senior engineers to prioritize and plan technical investments to constantly improve gameplay systems, rendering, tools and development operations Provide management, organization and feedback to engineers across the team Decompose long term efforts into incremental steps, planning and communicating road maps to the team Drive alignment, resolve ambiguity, and clarify technical strategy to maximize your impact Collaborate with team members across the US and Canada insure the impact and interoperability of your features Who We Think Will Be A Great Fit: Four or more years of game production, dev or program management experience One or more shipped games with significant scope of ownership Experience setting clear goals, planning and delivering features with cross functional teams and multiple competing requirements Outstanding project management capabilities, documentation, tracking and transparency Attention to detail and completeness, ability to see around corners, anticipate issues Familiarity with development tooling, Perforce, build systems, integrated test Organized, excellent communication skills, passion for games, collaborative demeanor Preferred Qualifications: Engineering background Project management training in Scrum or other agile framework Experience in Jira or other project management software Platform certification and technical requirement experience Background in online, graphics, physics and/or game engine

Who We Are: At Visual Concepts, we believe great games are made by diverse and empowered teams with a shared passion for play. As one of the world’s top game development studios, we have shipped over 100 mullti-sku titles to critical acclaim and commercial success. Our teams are independent and entrepreneurial. Our studios in Agoura Hills, Novato, Orange County, Budapest, Shanghai, and Seoul are committed to artistry and technical innovation, offering top candidates the opportunity to learn and grow with some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry.  What We Need: Do you live and breathe combat design? Do you decode games into strikes, blocks, reversals, range, damage and combos the moment you pick up the controller? Do you love designing archetypes, inventing amazing signature moves and infusing combat with personality and spectacle? If so, we’d love to have you join us to help deliver amazing experiences for our players. Our Agoura Hills studio is looking for a Senior Combat Designer for the next iteration of the WWE 2K franchise. In this role, you’ll help define core combat philosophy as we translate the amazing spectacle of the WWE into the arsenal of moves our players will take into the ring. You’ll script movement trees, architecting advantage and vulnerability into range, combinations, setups, baits and throws. You’ll dream up signatures and spectacular finishers, differentiate archetypes, and balance a massive roster of Superstars to help deliver accessible, deep, spectacular combat. You’ll work in a creative environment with a diverse team of designers, artists and engineers, touching everything from combat to camera to the emotion and spectacle of one of the greatest shows on Earth. What You Will Do: Develop a combat vision integrating intuitive control, kinetic move sets, meaningful differentiation and strategic depth Work with design, animation and engineering teams to conceive, implement and polish character vs. character combat Play and reference both classics and contemporaries to build on what works while driving new innovations in combat design Design and implement systems for combat depth, strategy and spectacle Identify and document tools and systems that make creating character vs. character combat more efficient Who We Think Will Be A Great Fit: 4 or more years of game design experience, 2 or more in a combat designer role Experience implementing and tuning animation and timing windows for attacks, blocks, branching actions, hit reactions and other related combat actions Experience scripting combat in LUA or similar framework Experience conceiving and differentiating characters, developing signature moves, and balancing asymmetrical fighter types Experience working across disciplines, including animation, art, VFX, audio and engineering to produce a great result Outstanding written and verbal communication and collaboration skills Advanced Qualifications: Experience and love of combat driven by character stats and role-playing elements Experience designing and improving gameplay editing tools Direct experience and understanding of key distinctions of wrestling games Programming/technical experience

Who We Are: At Visual Concepts, we believe great games are made by diverse and empowered teams with a shared passion for play. As one of the world’s top game development studios, we have shipped over 100 multi-sku titles to critical acclaim and commercial success. Our teams are independent and entrepreneurial. Our studios in Agoura Hills, Novato, Orange County, Budapest, Shanghai, and Seoul are committed to artistry and technical innovation, offering top candidates the opportunity to learn and grow with some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry.  What We Need: Do you prize efficiency, productivity, and the satisfaction that comes from helping a team do their best work? Do you have organizational ability combined with a passion for solving technical, artistic and design challenges?  Are you a collaborative leader and great communicator who thrives on delivering results? If so, wow, do we want to talk to you! Our Agoura Hills studio is looking for a Producer to work with our team to help organize, focus, prioritize and track a host of new features and best-in-class visuals that we’re creating for the WWE 2K franchise. In the role of Producer, you’ll drive initiatives to improve our gameplay, visuals, technology, and game features to help make the next iteration of WWE 2K the best ever.  What You Will Do: Work with a team of artists, engineers and designers to prioritize, plan and deliver amazing new features to our players Work across partner teams to share vision, resolve dependencies, and ensure on-time delivery of feature inputs and requirements Decompose long term efforts into incremental steps, planning and communicating road maps and risks to all stakeholders Drive alignment, resolve ambiguity, and clarify technical and design strategy to maximize your impact Collaborate with team members across the US and Canada to ensure the impact and quality of your features Who We Think Will Be A Great Fit: Four or more years of game production experience One or more shipped games with significant scope of ownership Experience setting clear goals, planning and delivering features with cross functional teams and multiple competing requirements Outstanding project management capabilities, documentation, tracking and transparency Attention to detail and completeness, ability to see around corners, anticipate issues Familiarity with development tooling, Perforce, build systems, integrated test Organized, excellent communication skills, passion for games, collaborative demeanor Preferred Qualifications: Background in Character or Character Tech Art Project management training in Scrum or other agile framework Experience in Jira or other project management software

    Who We Are: Visual Concepts is one of the world’s top game development studios with a flat, entrepreneurial, and non-corporate work environment. We have a proven track record having shipped over 100 multi-SKU titles to great critical acclaim. Our studio in Foothill Ranch, CA is committed to gaming and technical innovation and offers top candidates the opportunity to learn and grow with some of the smartest and most creative minds in the industry. What We Need: We are seeking a Senior Systems Designer to join our development efforts on an exciting new game! Within this role, you’ll be focused on creating, maintaining, and balancing engaging gameplay systems. You’ll work with engineers, artists, and other designers to build innovative mechanics and economies that form the backbone of our new project. What You Will Do: Document, build, implement, bug-fix and “own” your ideas, overseeing them from concept through to final release Design, write, and prototype new systems and some of the meta-game such as player progression, character creation, game balance, economies, and other related systems Evangelize core gameplay features to the rest of the team and help develop best practices Collaborate with game and world designers, gameplay engineers, artists, and animators to implement, tune and balance gameplay systems Prototype and pitch your own design ideas to the team Analyze, validate, and incorporate feedback from the team, as well as from external user testing, as needed Who We Think Will Be A Great Fit: 5+ years’ experience within the video game industry Shipped at least 1 AAA game within a Game Designer role Experience in system design for console or online games, such as player progression and advancement, social mechanics, rewards, economy, or customization/in-game editors Experience with scripting (proprietary or third party)  Strong understanding of development processes, workflows, and tools Experience working in-engine, either prototyping or implementing your ideas Comfortable with a development that is playtest-driven and focused on iteration and polish Ability to find new opportunities for improvements and additions within a game Ability to work in a team and collaborate with engineers, artists, and other designers Good communication and presentation skills Self-motivated and proactive What Will Help You Shine: Experience working with analytical data sets for balancing and fine-tuning  Experience with Unreal Engine 4 (UE4) and working knowledge of UE4’s Blueprint system Experience with programming (C++, Python)

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Robert V. Willeford, Jr., CPA, Esq., Director + State and Local Tax at Anders, was published in the Summer 2019 edition of the St. Louis Dental ARCH magazine. Robert discusses what the consumer use tax is and how it impacts… Read More

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Senior health care consultant Merella Schandl, MHA, CPMSM, CPCS is speaking at the Missouri Society of Certified Public Accountants (MOCPA) Healthcare Industry Conference on Thursday, October 17. The day-long conference will dive into how legislation, consumerism and value-based care are… Read More

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I am a firm believer in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey. If you've not read this book, it is worth the time. I mention this because my focus at BA Insight is around Covey's second habit, which is, "Begin with the end in mind." Seems simple, right? Well it is, but it's also quite rare. When approaching any enterprise search project, at any phase, I always try to come back to this idea. What is success? When are we done? What does finished look like? These are all different ways of saying, "Make sure you have goals!"

The data, information, and analytics economy runs on well-curated, structured data. No matter your industry?having good curated data and content is critical. It's increasingly important as more data and content are generated. Intelligent tools to sift through content are more robust and at the same time, more "needy." That means modern technology platforms, systems, and even content consumers require well-structured data and content to perform well. As most artificial intelligence (AI) practitioners state?"nothing starts without good data."

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The Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently issued final regulations around the increased gift and estate tax exclusion amounts in effect from 2018-2025. The final regs confirm that individuals who take advantage of the increased gift and… Read More

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NECA 2020 Safety Professionals Conference Postponed Until October aconstanza Thu, 04/30/2020 - 21:27

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