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Analysis: Isaiah Stewart delivers, but UW won’t snap losing streak vs. Gonzaga by playing zone defense


The players changed, but the result was still the same when Washington played Gonzaga — an 83-76 defeat. If the Huskies want to avoid a seventh straight loss to the Bulldogs, then maybe they should try new approach the next time they face their in-state rival.




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Scouting report: No. 22 Washington pits zone defense vs. Ball State’s lethal 3-point shooters


The Huskies face Ball State for just the second time in school history. They last met the MAC opponent 35 years ago in a game in which Detlef Schrempf scored 20 points in a win.




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Big businesses like Amazon support tax for King County, but questions about Seattle, suburbs remain


Amazon and several other large Seattle-area corporations, including Alaska Airlines, Costco, Expedia, Microsoft and Starbucks, expressed support Tuesday for the concept behind a Washington House bill that would allow King County to enact a big-business tax.




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‘Tax Amazon’ group, Sawant announce ballot initiative for tax on big businesses


Boosters of a new Seattle tax on large corporations such as Amazon, including City Councilmember Kshama Sawant, have filed a petition to put an initiative on the ballot this year, they said Thursday. They’re aiming for the November ballot and say the tax could raise $300 million a year, though those calculations were made before coronavirus […]




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Arizona plan? 80 games? It doesn’t matter. The real news is that it looks like baseball will return in 2020.


What the baseball season will look like exactly remains to be seen, as a number of scenarios are being discussed. But if you've been yearning for live sports amid the coronavirus pandemic, it looks like you're (eventually) going to get your fix.




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Zoom buys security firm Keybase


NEW YORK (AP) — Zoom Video Communications is buying security firm Keybase in an effort to shore up security for its video meetings. Terms of the deal were undisclosed. Zoom has been working to improve the security of its video meetings after some lapses in privacy and security as Zoom meetings grew more popular during […]




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Zoom buys security firm Keybase


NEW YORK (AP) — Zoom Video Communications is buying security firm Keybase in an effort to shore up security for its video meetings. Terms of the deal were undisclosed. Zoom has been working to improve the security of its video meetings after some lapses in privacy and security as Zoom meetings grew more popular during […]




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Senators want to know if Amazon retaliated against whistle-blowers


In a letter sent to Amazon, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a frequent critic of the e-commerce giant, and the eight other senators asked Amazon to provide more information about its policies for firing employees.




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Pentagon asks to reconsider part of JEDI cloud decision after Amazon protest


The Pentagon has asked a federal court to give it 120 days to “reconsider certain aspects” of a controversial decision to award an important cloud computing contract known as JEDI to Microsoft, according to a court document made public Thursday. Amazon is suing the Defense Department over the decision, which it claims fell in Microsoft’s […]




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Pentagon watchdog, in probe limited by White House, clears Microsoft’s $10 billion cloud-computing win over Amazon


The 317-page report by the inspector general also found that giving the contract to a single company — Microsoft — rather than dividing it among competitors was "consistent with applicable acquisition standards."




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Pentagon: $10B cloud contract that snubbed Amazon was legal


WASHINGTON — The Pentagon’s process for awarding a highly lucrative cloud computing contract to Microsoft instead of Amazon was in line with legal and government purchasing standards, a government watchdog agency said Wednesday. The Defense Department inspector general found no evidence of White House interference in the contract award process. But the report said investigators […]




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With in-person yoga canceled due to the coronavirus, I took a livestreamed class on Zoom. Here’s how it went.


We all live stressful lives right now, and it's important to try and stay fit. Taking yoga on Zoom didn't feel like following a YouTube video. It felt like community.




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What do zombies, puppies and hills have in common? They can all be part of your coronavirus-era fitness routine


So what if your gym is closed? There are lots of different ways to keep your fitness level up. Just look around your neighborhood and incorporate some of these fun little "games" into your workout routine.




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Many businesses may follow Amazon in stretching out work-from-home policies, crimping downtown recovery


Business and government insiders say other companies and organizations are contemplating similarly extended time frames as they consider the new realities of the workplace in the COVID-19 era.




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Baseball fans, players chase their hopes and dreams (and eternal youth) every spring in Arizona


Editor’s note: Larry Stone’s story was reported and written from the early days of this year’s spring training in Arizona. It was sent to press for publication in Pacific NW magazine before Major League Baseball made the decision to cancel the rest of spring training, and delay the start of the regular season in an effort to […]




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The Backstory: Larry Stone has seen it all in 35 years of Arizona spring training — much of it unexpected, and all of it memorable


IT WAS ONE of my first years covering spring training in Arizona, during a stint in the early 1990s as the San Francisco Giants beat writer for the San Francisco Examiner. Every day, after our work was done, Bay Area media members would assemble at a Scottsdale park for a pickup basketball game, spirited affairs […]



  • Pacific NW Magazine

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Idea to end MLB coronavirus shutdown by playing in Arizona is wishful thinking, and dangerous


This possible plan floated by MLB is rife with holes, writes columnist Larry Stone. Is it really wise to be putting so aggressive a timeline on baseball’s return at a time when the full scope of coronavirus’ devastation is still being felt?




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Rev. Jesse Jackson to Amazon: You have the power to lift up our youth, diversify boardroom


Jackson calls on CEO Jeff Bezos to create a board of directors and a workforce that looks more like America.




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Bezos, Musk win contracts for spacecraft to land NASA astronauts on moon


Boeing, typically among NASA's key contractors but whose space program has experienced setbacks and delays, submitted a bid but was not selected.




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Caffeine bought online killed teen. But is Amazon at fault?


COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Logan Stiner was just days from high school graduation when his brother found him unresponsive in their family’s home southwest of Cleveland in May 2014. Stiner, 18, died of cardiac arrhythmia and seizure from acute caffeine toxicity, a coroner ruled. He had more than 70 micrograms of caffeine per milliliter of […]




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Amazon warehouses are safer, but returning workers remain spooked


Sporadic protests continue at Amazon warehouses. The company has fired employees involved in walkouts or organizing in New York and Minnesota for what it says are violations of corporate policy.




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NFL renews Thursday night streaming deal with Amazon


Amazon Prime Video and Twitch also will have exclusive streaming rights to one additional regular-season game in 2020.




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Amazon prepares first earnings report from coronavirus era, as pandemic accelerates retail trends in its favor


The company’s first-quarter earnings report will provide a view of how the pandemic has accelerated trends already working in its favor, and the extent to which coronavirus restrictions on businesses and consumers have boosted Amazon’s sales.




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Amazon has a Europe problem: Unions and regulators are circling


In Germany, unions are pushing Amazon.com to prevent warehouse workers from congregating like bunches of “grapes” before their shifts. In Italy, where a COVID-19 outbreak hit Amazon’s main logistics depot, unions staged an 11-day strike that ended after the company granted employees an additional five-minute break to practice better personal hygiene. And in what amounts […]




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‘The hardest time we’ve ever faced’: Amazon revenue surges, but coronavirus costs may wipe out operating profit


The company's first-quarter sales rose 26% year over year to $75.5 billion. But expenses related to Amazon’s pandemic response weighed on the bottom line in the three-month period ended March 31.




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Amazon will let thousands of Seattle and Bellevue employees work from home until at least October


The extension raises the prospect that one of Seattle’s busiest neighborhoods could be largely deserted for another five months.




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Amazon, Instacart workers launch May Day strike to protest treatment during the coronavirus pandemic


The onset of the coronavirus and the subsequent classification of many of these workers as "essential" have heightened some existing tensions. Workers have accused companies of being slow to provide protective gear and implement precautions, something that may put them in danger.




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House panel wants Bezos to testify in antitrust probe


WASHINGTON (AP) — House lawmakers investigating the market dominance of Big Tech are asking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to testify to address possible misleading statements by the company on its competition practices. In a letter to Bezos on Friday, leaders of the House Judiciary Committee from both parties are holding out the threat of a […]




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Many businesses may follow Amazon in stretching out work-from-home policies, crimping downtown recovery


Business and government insiders say other companies and organizations are contemplating similarly extended time frames as they consider the new realities of the workplace in the COVID-19 era.




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Amazon vice president, a distinguished engineer, resigns to protest firing of employee activists


Tim Bray described the firings as “evidence of a vein of toxicity running through the company culture. I choose neither to serve nor drink that poison.”




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Amazon wins business from reluctant brands after coronavirus closes stores


Before the pandemic, many brands and wholesalers kept Amazon at arm's length. Now, consultants that help brands navigate Amazon's marketplace say the company is attracting a broad range of vendors that sold at physical stores.




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Amazon engineering elites engage in rare public debate over company’s coronavirus safety response, worker treatment


The public back-and-forth about a controversial, high-profile topic is unusual for a company that has lately enforced policies limiting what employees can say publicly without authorization, and for the seniority of those involved.




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Senators want to know if Amazon retaliated against whistle-blowers


In a letter sent to Amazon, Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a frequent critic of the e-commerce giant, and the eight other senators asked Amazon to provide more information about its policies for firing employees.




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‘Loud’ young crane escapes from Woodland Park Zoo, hides out in garage


A white-naped crane that briefly escaped from the Woodland Park Zoo was returned to its open-air exhibit Wednesday afternoon, according to a statement from the zoo. The crane traveled a short distance down North 55th Street around 4 p.m. and entered a sunken garage near Greenwood Avenue North, where animal keepers caught it, the statement […]




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False advertising: They call it the ‘Amazon tax,’ but it’s so much more


The $500 million a year "Amazon tax" before the Seattle City Council would also likely hit some firms in the health sector that are working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.




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Amazon prepares first earnings report from coronavirus era, as pandemic accelerates retail trends in its favor


The company’s first-quarter earnings report will provide a view of how the pandemic has accelerated trends already working in its favor, and the extent to which coronavirus restrictions on businesses and consumers have boosted Amazon’s sales.




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Many businesses may follow Amazon in stretching out work-from-home policies, crimping downtown recovery


Business and government insiders say other companies and organizations are contemplating similarly extended time frames as they consider the new realities of the workplace in the COVID-19 era.




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NFL renews Thursday night streaming deal with Amazon


Amazon Prime Video and Twitch also will have exclusive streaming rights to one additional regular-season game in 2020.




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New on Amazon in May 2020: ‘Rocketman,’ ‘The Goldfinch,’ ‘Upload,’ ‘The Hustle’ and more


The musical retelling of the life of Elton John leads the blast of releases coming to Amazon Prime Video.




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Azarkan: onderzoekers vinden geen grensoverschrijdend gedrag Kuzu

Een onderzoeksbureau heeft geen grensoverschrijdend gedrag vastgesteld bij de vroegere Denk-fractievoorzitter Kuzu. Dat zegt de huidige fractievoorzitter Azarkan na onderzoek door het bureau Integis.

Binnen Denk woedt een machtsstrijd, die voor een deel te maken heeft met de positie van Kuzu. Die stapte in maart op als fractievoorzitter, naar later bleek in verband met de nasleep van berichten over een eerdere buitenechtelijke affaire met een vrouw.

Kuzu beschuldigde partijvoorzitter (en fractiegenoot) Öztürk van een poging tot politieke broedermoord omdat hij verhalen over de affaire naar buiten zou hebben gebracht. De discussie spitste zich erop toe dat Kuzu grensoverschrijdend gedrag zou hebben gepleegd.

Bureau sprak niet met de vrouw

Na het opstappen van Kuzu werd Azarkan fractievoorzitter en die heeft een onderzoek laten instellen. Daarvan zijn nu dus de resultaten naar buiten gekomen. Volgens Azarkan heeft het bureau Integis omgevingsonderzoek gedaan, openbare bronnen geraadpleegd en interviews afgenomen. De vrouw heeft geen aangifte tegen Kuzu gedaan. Volgens Azarkan was de vrouw niet bereid aan het onderzoek mee te werken en "feiten te presenteren om de door haar in de media geuite beschuldigingen te staven."

Azarkan stelt dat er nu duidelijkheid is, en dat de beschuldiging van grensoverschrijdend gedrag niet kan worden gestaafd. Hij vindt dat het partijbestuur onder leiding van voorzitter Öztürk al in 2018 onderzoek had moeten doen. Kuzu zelf zegt zich door de uitkomsten van het onderzoek gesterkt te voelen. Hij benadrukt dat hij de beschuldigingen over grensoverschrijdend gedrag steeds pertinent onwaar heeft genoemd. "Ik ga met alles wat ik in mij heb door met het vertegenwoordigen van onze kiezers", voegt hij eraan toe.

Overigens loopt er ook nog een ander onderzoek naar de gang van zaken. Dat is niet ingesteld door de fractie, maar door het partijbestuur onder leiding van Öztürk. Het bestuur zette Azarkan deze week uit de partij, maar deze is niet van plan zijn werk neer te leggen. Kuzu steunt Azarkan.




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Zorgen over oplopende armoede door corona: 'Alle seinen staan op rood'

Hulporganisaties maken zich zorgen over de oplopende armoede door de coronacrisis. Zij zien de vraag naar hulp, waaronder voedselpakketten, toenemen. Eerder meldde het Nibud al dat een vijfde van de Nederlanders door de coronacrisis een inkomstenterugval ervaart. Het gaat vooral om jongeren, zelfstandigen en flexwerkers.

Veel nieuwe gezichten

Michael is een van die nieuwe werklozen. Hij werkte als uitzendkracht net op Schiphol op de bagageafhandeling. "Mijn contract werd niet verlengd. Door de coronacrisis moesten alle uitzendkrachten eruit. Dus dan ben je werkloos."

Hij maakt gebruik van voedselpakketten die worden uitgedeeld door Trijntje Aarden en haar man. Al 16 jaar deelt het stel in Zoetermeer eten uit aan gezinnen die dat nodig hebben. Sinds 2019 zijn ze een stichting, Stichting Oosterfaantje.

Sinds de uitbraak van de coronacrisis ziet Trijntje veel nieuwe gezichten, vertelt ze:

"Een eerste inventarisatie leert dat de vraag naar non-food, zoals leermiddelen en kleding, licht toeneemt," zegt Teije Brandsma van het armoedefonds, waar 700 organisaties bij zijn aangesloten. "De vraag naar voedsel is sterker gegroeid, vooral door mensen die net buiten de criteria van de voedselbank vallen." Het fonds verwacht komende week met cijfers te komen over de gestegen hulpvraag.

Vooral in de eerste twee weken van de crisis zag directeur Veerle Rooze van Stichting Ido Schuldhulpverlening Lelystad veel meer toestroom. "In de supermarkt was het huismerk door hamsteren uitverkocht en het A-merk te duur, dus klopten mensen die het normaal net redden aan voor voedselhulp. Verder leverden we in die weken noodhulp aan nieuwe gezichten. Bijvoorbeeld mensen die een contractje als schoonmaker hadden dat opgezegd werd toen de lockdown begon."

Nadja Jungmann, lector schulden aan de Hogeschool Utrecht, krijgt van verschillende kanten signalen over toenemende armoede en oplopende schulden. "Hulpverleners die ik spreek maken zich zorgen, vooral over jongvolwassenen en zzp'ers. Bij wijkteams staan alle seinen op rood over toenemende armoede. Dat gaat om mensen die geen eten kunnen betalen, maar er zijn ook zorgen over eenzaamheid en stress."

Het steunpakket van de overheid helpt veel mensen, ziet Jungmann. "Maar het is een pakket op hoofdlijnen, en er zijn altijd mensen die tussen wal en schip vallen. Denk aan de ondernemer met hoge huurlasten die wel een tegemoetkoming krijgt voor zijn personeel, maar z'n eigen salaris inlevert om de vaste lasten te blijven betalen. Of iemand die werkte bij een bedrijf dat failliet is gegaan."

Joke de Kock, manager schuldhulpverlening bij de gemeente Tilburg, verwacht dat de grote stroom richting schuldhulp over een paar maanden begint. "Er zijn nu mensen die terugvallen in hun inkomen en daardoor te maken gaan krijgen met rekeningen die ze niet kunnen betalen, maar het duurt altijd even voordat mensen zich echt bij ons melden", zegt De Kock. "Dat gebeurt meestal pas als ze een paar maanden betalingsachterstand hebben, en ze eerst een maand of drie middelen van de ene naar de andere kant hebben geschoven."

Verkeerde prikkel

Ze hoopt dat mensen vroeg aan de bel trekken. Met woningcorporaties heeft gemeente Tilburg ook een afspraak: als ze de huur missen van iemand die normaal gesproken wel betaalt, gaan de gemeente en de woningcorporatie daar samen achteraan. "Zo proberen we direct contact met hen op te nemen en er snel bij te zijn. Een maand huur missen is namelijk een heel groot probleem."

"Het is aan de ene kant fijn dat deurwaarders nu coulant zijn en dat je uitstel van betaling van je hypotheek kan krijgen, maar dat geeft de verkeerde prikkel", zegt De Kock. "Het moet later toch allemaal terugbetaald worden."




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Stock Alert: Enzo Biochem Shares Jump 28% In Early Trading

Shares of Enzo Biochem Inc. (ENZ) are rising over 28% in pre-market today, after the company announced its Comprehensive COVID-19 Program incorporating its molecular diagnostic virus screening products, detection for immunity through IgG/IgM serological ELISA products, detection of inflammation on Enzo's ELISA platform, and a promising proprietary drug candidate (SK1-I).




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Stock Alert: Horizon Therapeutics Up 9%

Shares of Horizon Therapeutics plc (HZNP) are rising almost 9 percent or $3.29 in Wednesday's morning trade at $40.67 on better-than-expected first-quarter results and upbeat sales outlook for the full year.




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Eurozone Private Sector Registers Record Downturn In April

The euro area private sector experienced a record downturn in April due to the severe disruption caused by the coronavirus, or covid-19, pandemic, final survey results from IHS Markit showed Wednesday. The composite output index slid to a new series low of 13.6 from March's 29.7. The flash score was 13.5. Both manufacturing and services reported record fall in output in April.




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ECB Policymakers Say 'More Determined' To Support Eurozone

European Central Bank Vice-President Luis de Guindos and Governing Council member Gabriel Makhlouf said separately on Thursday that the central bank was more determined to support the euro area economy during crisis periods and the bank stands ready to adjust all tools at its disposal, just days after the top German court ruled that the bank's government debt purchases were in violation of its mandate.




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ZOLA, E.: Masterpiece (The) (Unabridged) (NA0417)

Perhaps the most autobiographical of Zola’s Rougon-Macquart cycle of novels, The Masterpiece is a hard, bleak and raw portrait of unrecognised artistic genius. Claude Lantier, brother to Nana and son of Gervaise, is a struggling painter who dreams of conquering Paris’s art scene with his revolutionary ‘open air’ style of painting. Discouraged and mocked, Claude retreats to the countryside with a young woman from Clermont, with whom he has fallen in love, before returning to Paris, where he continues to experience rejection at every turn. Zola’s depiction of a frustrated artist is said to have drawn heavily on the real-life experiences of Édouard Manet and Paul Cézanne, the latter of whom broke off his friendship with the author upon reading the novel.




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Violin and Cello Recital: Gringolts, Ilya / Kouzov, Dmitry - EISLER, H. / RAVEL, M. / WIDMANN, J. (Duos) (DE3556)




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Zo maak jij van de telefoon een modern marketingkanaal #spon

Online marketeers sturen op conversie data maar vaak ontbreekt hierin een belangrijk kanaal. En dit kanaal is telefonie. Marketeers steken veel geld en energie in het meten en optimaliseren van online campagnes. Zij sturen op KPI’s en ROAS zodat zij precies weten wat elke geïnvesteerde euro oplevert. Maar op het moment dat de telefoon overgaat, tasten veel marketeers in het duister. Dat betekent dat essentiële conversie data ontbreekt bij het optimaliseren van campagnes. Lees verder om erachter te komen hoe je met call tracking je telefonische conversies inzichtelijk krijgt en zo je campagnes kunt optimaliseren op basis van volledige data.




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Zo zorg je ervoor dat je de juiste klantenergie gebruikt

​Welke boeken zijn interessant en wat vinden ervaren marketingprofessionals ervan? NIMA Register Marketeers recenseren de meest uiteenlopende marketing-gerelateerde boeken. Deze keer: ‘De Klant Energieke Organisatie’, door Sonja Stalfoort. Een boek dat de ogen weer eens opent.




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Zo creëer je energieke virtuele workshops die impact maken

Normaal gesproken doen we onze workshops altijd live met een groep van tien tot vijftien deelnemers van verschillende afdelingen van een organisatie. Maar dat ging hem dus niet worden deze keer. Tijd voor een online experiment, vonden we. Dat experiment werd een succes! In deze blog deel ik zeven tips zodat ook jij energieke virtuele sessies en workshops kunt verzorgen.