The Nth Power To Perform Late-Night Shows After Chick Corea & John McLaughlin In NYC
As part of Chick Corea‘s birthday residency, the jazz and fusion maestro is joining forces with John McLaughlin at the Blue Note on December 9 & 10 to bring together the two most iconic groups, Return to Forever and Mahavishnu Orchestra. The super band will feature Victor Wooten on bass and Lenny White on drums.These historical performances will be absolutely legendary, and the night is now officially getting better. Both nights, The Nth Power will close the stage with a late night performance, starting at 12:30am. We’re delighted to be presenting these exciting performances!The two-night stand inevitably opens up room for the quintet to expand their catalogue and jam-out behind some of their biggest influences. Tickets to Friday’s show are currently available here, and Saturday’s show here for $20.
The biggest source of climate uncertainty is white and fluffy. How clouds will respond to global warming is the largest source of uncertainty in climate change predictions. In the past, discussion about cloud forecasts were only about the weather, and today there is strong chance that it could be about Cloud computing and business agility.Up in the clouds, we go. A whole new meaning of ‘The Cloud’ has entered our language. When most of us wake up in the morning, we check our mobile phones (normally next to our beds) for the weather forecast, and we see what our friends are up to on Facebook or Twitter. If you’ve ever wondered where those pictures uploaded to on Facebook or Twitter, the answer leads us to a relatively new direction—the Cloud. From a business perspective, the reality is that if you’re not in the Cloud, you’re in for stormy weather, so there is wisdom in getting your head out of the clouds and putting some of your business into it.Dell Technologies’ recent Digital Transformation Index found that more than half (52%) of the 4,000 business leaders surveyed have already experienced significant disruption to their organizations because of digital technologies. Strikingly, nearly the same amount (48%) can’t predict what their industry will look like in just three years’ time. The pressure is clearly on for organizations to become more efficient and readily adopt and carve competitive advantages from emerging technologies. To improve performance and capitalize on digital innovations, they need to adopt more agile, cloud operating models. It’s my belief that 2018 will be a tipping point for how organizations choose and apply cloud technologies, and these are my top predictions.Cloud Frameworks Incorporating Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Will Become the New StandardI’m no meteorologist, but in 2018, I predict more balanced clouds. More organizations will become multi-cloud and many will adopt hybrid clouds, enabling them to opportunistically place workloads in the right environment based on cost, performance, and governance policy. Looking at their mix of public and private cloud options, IT leaders will need to develop a decision framework and policies for when to use which cloud. These policies should not only factor the technical merits and limitations of the cloud platforms, but also the requirements and costs of each workload. For example, an overall cloud policy might specify that long-running production workloads will remain in an on-premises private cloud, along with workloads tied to data sets located on-premises in a non-cloud environment. Conversely, transient workloads (workloads with significant outbound traffic) or workloads requiring geographic dispersion could be targeted for public cloud. The choice of which public cloud is then defined in a multi-cloud policy. To further delineate, on-premises cloud instances may be paired with off-premises counterparts, such as a VMware Ready System paired with VMware Cloud on AWS, or Dell EMC Cloud for Microsoft Azure Stack paired with Microsoft Azure. Certain high-value workloads, like SAP, may target a purpose-built cloud like Virtustream. One thing is for sure, organizations will need to consider cloud decision frameworks to maximize efficiency and cost.Virtual Machines and Containers Will Both Be EssentialI see organizations driving toward digital transformation by embracing both virtual machines and containers. In past years, many organizations that developed their own software stack to running them on virtual machines, based on their well-understood usage and implementation. Now that concepts such as 12-factor applications and micro-services have become mainstream, containers are a natural fit for developing and running these applications. Sure, they may still be run inside of virtual machines, but the benefits of a container-based environment generally outweigh the challenges of building out an environment. Pivotal Cloud Foundry (PCF) is an example of a Platform-as-a-Service product that simplifies the development and deployment of modern, cloud-native applications. PCF enables organizations to consume container technologies simply while addressing complex lifecycle management tasks. Solutions like the Dell EMC Pivotal Ready System make it easy to get this up and running and include guidance for complex design considerations, like high availability, disaster recovery, networking and security.Software-Defined Will Be the Preferred Technology for On-Premises Private CloudThis 2018 forecast should not come as a surprise. The software-defined data center (SDDC) has been a generally accepted concept for years, made up of several software-based technologies, such as virtualization, software-defined networking, and software-defined storage. Despite this, the technology is still considered new. IT professionals have built their careers on well-known products and technologies, and anytime a new technology is introduced to the market, it takes time for it to be accepted. It first needs to be proven as a viable option for production workloads before professionals are willing to bet their career – and their livelihood – on what could benefit their organization. Though just as virtualization became the obvious choice for most workloads previously hosted on dedicated bare-metal servers, IT professionals have come to realize that software-defined networking and storage can also be adopted as modern alternatives to their traditional counterparts.This year, I expect software-defined will take the lead as the preferred technology for on-premises production private cloud. Purpose-built storage arrays will still have a place in the data center, being used primarily for high-value workloads, those with very large data sets, and in places where software-defined storage doesn’t make sense. Software-defined networking can’t replace the physical switch in the data center, but it can certainly make life easier for IT admins with simplified routing, network micro-segmentation, and integration with cloud management software. The objection of complexity to implement and maintain the SDDC will be overcome by turnkey private cloud solutions like Dell EMC’s VMware Ready System. Built on Dell EMC VxRack SDDC hyper-converged infrastructure, it leverages the capabilities of VMware’s Cloud Foundation to maintain the lifecycle of the software-defined components using automation and simplifying adoption of these technologies in an on-premises private cloud. Simplified lifecycle management, coupled with delivery on pre-built infrastructure in a fully validated and tested solution, eliminates the challenges of realizing a private cloud built on a fully software-defined infrastructure.Cloud-Driven Digital TransformationWith a multi-cloud operating model in place, organizations are well equipped to realize cost synergies, improve performance, and accomplish their digital business initiatives. Of course, in order to achieve digital transformation, companies must evolve more than just their technology. Establishing an organizational culture that’s conducive to and embraces innovation is the first step. Expanding across clouds necessitates the destruction of silos and heightened levels of collaboration to derive actionable data insights. No matter where you are on your multi-cloud or digital journey, Dell EMC is here to help to simplify the process.The speed of technological innovation today is unprecedented—and only increasing. Regardless of industry, those who embrace it are best positioned to be digital leaders and change the world for the better!Read more about Dell Technologies’ 2018 predictions for the next era of technology here.
Australia’s largest solar-plus-storage project begins commercial operation FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享PV Tech:Australia’s largest solar-plus-storage project has come online in Victoria with Tesla batteries, proving that existing PV projects can be successfully retrofitted with battery storage.The 25MW/50MWh battery is co-located and integrated with the 60MW Gannawarra Solar Farm, near Kerang, in the Northwest of Victoria. The battery is now owned by Edify Energy and its partner Wirsol, who developed the project.Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio, who visited the project, said: “Big batteries help to stabilise our power grid and provide much-needed backup power – which is vital to maintaining a reliable and affordable energy supply for Victoria.”The Andrews Labor Government has invested AU$25 million (US$17.25 million) into two big batteries in North Western Victoria – the Gannawarra Energy Storage System and the Ballarat Energy Storage System – help integrate new renewable energy into the Victorian grid and alleviate stress points in the electricity network.The Australian Renewable Energy Agency also provided AU$25 million to co-fund these projects, with close to AU$20 million investment from private equity.This is Tesla’s second biggest battery in Australia and among the largest of its kind in the world. It can power 16,000 households for two hours during peak demand.More: Australia’s largest solar-plus-storage project comes online
Investors pressure Samsung over potential investment in Vietnam coal-fired power project FacebookTwitterLinkedInEmailPrint分享Bloomberg:Activist climate investors warned Samsung C&T Corp. over its potential involvement in a new coal power plant in Southeast Asia amid mounting global pressure to halt use of the dirtiest fossil fuel.Investment arms of Legal & General Group Plc, the U.K.’s biggest manager of corporate pension schemes, Norway’s KLP Kapitalforvaltning AS and Helsinki-based Nordea Bank Abp, have urged the South Korean company not to participate in the construction of the controversial plant in Vietnam, which it’s currently considering.The project “poses significant reputational and climate related risks,” said Meryam Omi, the head of sustainable investing at Legal & General Investment Management Ltd. “We have asked the company to commit to no involvement in construction of new coal plants and will continue to engage with them on this matter.”While the shareholders own just a tiny fraction of the de facto holding company of the Samsung empire, such public pressure is an increasingly common tactic by funds to put fossil fuel-engaged companies under the spotlight amid the global push against climate change.The funds are focused on Samsung’s potential role in constructing the Vung Ang 2 project, which may come after state-run utility Korea Electric Power Corp. finalizes an impending investment in the venture.The scrutiny comes as global investors are increasingly voicing concerns over the risks associated with South Korea’s overseas coal financing. BlackRock Inc., the world’s top asset manager, has urged Korea Electric to provide clear strategic rationale for its investment in several coal projects, including Vung Ang 2. Domestic pressure is also growing after the country unveiled a $35 billion plan to boost low-carbon power sources and foster green industries.[Heesu Lee]More: Samsung C&T targeted by activists over Vietnam coal project
By Dialogo May 17, 2012 On May 15, the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) urged the countries of the region to ratify an Arms Trade Treaty that the UN has been promoting since 2006, aimed at eradicating illegal trafficking, the organization announced in a statement. Parlacen called on the states of the Central American Integration System (SICA) to back the UN initiative this July and thereby counter the proliferation of illegal arms in the region. The parliamentary deputies of the Central American forum, headquartered in Guatemala, said that each year, “more than one million weapons are illegally trafficked in the region, leading to around 20,000 people becoming their victims.” “Along these lines, it is important that the states of the region adhere to and ratify those international instruments that tend toward the eradication of arms trafficking, something that has a direct impact on peace-building and democratic security,” the parliament recommended. According to Parlacen, the UN has urged the formulation of the treaty since 2006, and already in 2009, it created a committee to promote and debate the regulation of the international arms trade. “Latin America and the Caribbean have participated in these efforts, which will culminate in the final negotiation of the instrument in July 2012, in which Central America and the Dominican Republic should participate with joint positions,” the parliament emphasized. The statement will be sent to foreign ministries, legislatures, the UN, and the SICA general secretariat. Parlacen is composed of permanent representatives from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic, as well as observers from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Taiwan, and Venezuela. Costa Rica is not part of this forum, although it is a member of SICA.
By Dialogo November 12, 2012 Dismantling clandestine radios Important interceptions BOGOTÁ, Colombia – It’s no longer just guns and landmines: The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) has added Facebook, Twitter and blogs to its arsenal. Given the Colombian terrorist group’s actions include ideological propaganda, the Internet is its best and cheapest weapon, according to Alfredo Rangel, director of Colombia’s Security and Democracy Foundation. “This has clearly become an aspect of Colombia’s internal conflict,” he said. “The FARC has adapted and is using information technologies to convey its messages.” In September, FARC leader Timoleón Jiménez, “Timochenko,” opened a Twitter account that lists his location as the “Mountains of Colombia.” His account has more than 7,000 followers, while the FARC’s Twitter account has 15,860. When the FARC kidnapped French journalist Roméo Langlois in late April, the terrorist group relied on Twitter to provide updates about his health and subsequent release. The FARC also used Twitter to provide details regarding the release of 10 police and military hostages, which occurred in early April. “The use of Twitter has become a vehicle for announcing the release of hostages. Its website evokes the memory of their fallen ‘heroes’ and the FARC constantly posts messages about liberating Colombia from the [alleged] oppression it is currently enduring,” Rangel said. The Colombian government will invest about US$2.8 million in technology in 2013 that will allow it to identify the origin of the guerrilla group’s digital communications in an effort to combat the FARC online. “The important thing is the government understands the FARC’s ability to adapt in this area requires officials to fight terrorism in the media as well,” said Jhoan Guevara, a specialist in political science and communications at Javeriana University, in Bogotá. Though the FARC and the Colombian government are engaged in peace talks, President Juan Manuel Santos said he won’t suspend military operations against the terrorist group, as fighting the FARC has been a priority since he took office in 2010. “The FARC is at a numerical and technological disadvantage,” Santos said recently. “One way or another, these terrorist groups are going to disappear. We would prefer that they turn in their weapons and surrender, but if they want to keep fighting, we’ll keep on improving our infrastructure. We’ll add more officers and buy everything we need to combat the FARC from every possible angle.” By monitoring the FARC’s communications, the government has dealt major blows to the terrorist group. For example, FARC commander Raúl Reyes died in a military operation in 2008 that started with security forces’ tracing his satellite phone to learn his specific location. Intercepted communications also revealed the FARC’s plans to assassinate Santos in August. “In the war against terrorism, we have to cover all of the angles and that’s why we have people who work around the clock to monitor the FARC’s communications, analyze them and then attack weaknesses,” said Sergio Jaramillo, a senior national security adviser and one of the creators of the National Intelligence Directorate (DNI), the institution charged with waging the digital battle against the FARC. Diana Carolina Montoya, a political scientist at the University of Rosario, said the FARC is losing the armed and ideological battles. “When you read the articles of war published on the FARC’s website, the thing that upsets public opinion is that it presents itself as attacking and harassing the military forces of Colombia. But at no point does the FARC show remorse for the actions taken against civil society,” she said. “For the FARC, the concept of collateral damage doesn’t exist. The FARC uses these means of communications solely to meet its needs.” The FARC traditionally uses clandestine radio stations to transmit its message throughout Colombia’s rural areas. “We believe that there is at least one radio station in each region of the country. In the Caribbean, Pacific, Amazon, Andean and Orinoco regions, the FARC has at least one station to specifically reach those areas,” said Ariel Ávila, a researcher with Corporación Nuevo Arco Iris, an NGO that analyzes conflict between the state and the terrorist group. Colombia’s security forces regularly dismantle the FARC’s clandestine radio stations. On Aug. 25, Colombian Army soldiers raided a FARC radio station in the rural area of Cubarral in the department of Meta. During the operation, they seized power regulators, a console, high-powered batteries, communications cables, a scanner and other equipment used to transmit radio signals. The station covered municipalities including La Uribe, La Macarena, Vista Hermosa, Granada, San José del Guaviare and Mapiripán in the department of Meta, and the Sumapaz region in the department of Cundinamarca, according to the Colombian Army’s 13th Brigade. The army reported in November 2011 the deactivation of the Cubarral-based “Voice of the Resistance” radio station. The FARC operated the radio station in the region for more than 15 years, mainly for political indoctrination and to boost guerrillas’ morale.
Sign up for our COVID-19 newsletter to stay up-to-date on the latest coronavirus news throughout New York A 48-year-old Queens woman was killed and her 15-year-old daughter was injured when they were hit by a car while crossing a road in Manhasset on Tuesday evening.Nassau County police said Jin Lin and the teen were crossing Northern Boulevard when they were hit by a westbound Hyundai Elantra west of Copley Road shortly after 7 p.m.Jin was taken to North Well Hospital in Manhasset where she was pronounced dead. Her daughter was taken to a hospital, where she was treated for her injuries.Homicide Squad detectives impounded the vehicle but the 76-year-old driver was not charged.
continue reading » Among the many outcomes that may result from credit unions investing in CUSOs, Passageways’ recent evolution adds “international corporate incubator” to that list.The partnership between the employee intranet and board portal developer and Purdue Federal Credit Union ended earlier this year, when $1.1 billion Passageways converted its business structure to a C corporation, opened an office in London and completed a buyback of the credit union’s $100,000 initial investment. With dividends and the final payoff of that sale agreement, Purdue FCU earned $2.24 million, or about 22 times its original investment, over 14 years, says Brian Musser, SVP/CFO of the $1.2 billion W. Lafayette, Ind., credit union.The partnership began in 2003 after the concept for Passageways’ employee intranet won two Purdue University students, Paroon Chadha and Christopher Beltran, a business plan competition—and a suggestion from a professor to pitch the idea to the local credit union.“Purdue Federal Credit Union needed a product like that, and they liked it, but they said, ‘We can’t buy a product from two students unless you guys want to form a company,’” says Chadha, who now serves as Passageways CEO. ShareShareSharePrintMailGooglePinterestDiggRedditStumbleuponDeliciousBufferTumblr
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In York, Governor Wolf Addresses Pennsylvania’s Opioid Epidemic Press Release, Substance Use Disorder York, PA – Governor Tom Wolf was joined by Representative Kevin Schreiber, as well as local officials, law enforcement, and health care professionals, at a roundtable in York city today to discuss local and statewide efforts to lead the nation in combating the opioid abuse and heroin use epidemic in Pennsylvania.In an effort to confront this epidemic collaboratively, Governor Wolf is conducting roundtables statewide to discuss the initiatives of his administration, the state legislature, county agencies, treatment centers, hospitals, and medical schools. The Wolf Administration is eager to engage in these local conversations in order to listen to local officials about the challenges that they are facing.“Fighting Pennsylvania’s opioid and heroin epidemic is a top priority for my administration,” said Governor Wolf. “These roundtables are an opportunity to work collaboratively with the General Assembly and community leaders to ensure Pennsylvania leads the nation in the fight to combat the opioid abuse and heroin use crisis.”Governor Wolf was joined by a number of other state and local leaders at the event at Martin Library location of the York County Library System. Attendees included PA Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel, York County Coroner Pam Gay, District Attorney Thomas Kearney, Senior Deputy Prosecutor David Sunday, and members of the York County Heroin Task Force.“The problem with heroin and its associated crime are growing in York County and across Pennsylvania,” Schreiber said. “I applaud Governor Wolf for being a leader on this issue by hosting roundtables across the state. He is hearing directly from those on the ground fighting back this epidemic, what is working and what is not so that he can put the full resources of our Commonwealth towards solutions. If we all work together, at the local and state levels, I am hopeful that we can combat the heroin epidemic.”“York County has been a leader in many ways over the last two years in trying to address the prescription drug and heroin epidemic,” said Senator Wagner. “Two years ago, Chief Deputy Prosecutor Dave Sunday from the District Attorney’s Office and Coroner Pam Gay founded the York County Heroin Task Force, which I have served on from the beginning. Since then, this multifaceted group has accomplished a great deal, particularly with educating the community. But there are roadblocks preventing more people from getting the treatment they need, so I am glad the governor and his administration have chosen to come to York to hear the concerns we all have.”The Wolf Administration hopes that these discussions are just the beginning of a larger conversation with both Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate as well as local officials, law enforcement, emergency responders, and health care professionals.“I look forward to continue working collaboratively with the General Assembly and community leaders to ensure Pennsylvania leads the nation in the fight to combat the opioid abuse and heroin use epidemic,” said Governor Wolf. “The magnitude of the addiction and overdose death epidemic in Pennsylvania is shocking: at least seven Pennsylvanians die every day from a drug overdose. With nearly 2,500 overdose deaths in Pennsylvania in 2014 and estimates that the 2015 total will be higher, a collaborative effort on the federal, state, and local levels is crucial in combating this crisis.”Some of the administration’s initiatives in the fight against heroin include: signing a statewide standing order for naloxone, making it possible for all Pennsylvanians to access this life-saving drug; equipping the Pennsylvania State Police with naloxone so that those troopers who are first on the scene of an overdose can have another tool on-hand during these emergencies; partnering with Adapt Pharma to make Narcan available to public high schools across the state at no cost; developing the ABC-MAP prescription drug monitoring program to detect and prevent prescription fraud and abuse, which contribute to addiction; and appointing a director for the state’s Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP) Office, who will work to ensure that the PDMP meets its goal of assisting healthcare professionals in identifying patients that would benefit from treatment.In an effort to curtail drug addiction and curb the supply of excess drugs that can be used illicitly, the Department of Health is leading an effort to build upon the opioid prescribing guidelines already created, including specialty specific guidelines for emergency department providers, dentists, obstetricians and gynecologists, and pharmacists. These guidelines give healthcare providers direction for safe and effective pain relief practices, with greater emphasis on non-opioid therapies and greater caution to prevent addiction and diversion. In addition, the DOH recently joined dozens of healthcare organizations, medical experts, and consumer advocacy groups in signing petitions requesting changes to federal pain management requirements that are believed to foster dangerous prescribing practices.The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs is developing the “warm hand-off” process “warm hand-off” process, whereby overdose survivors would be taken directly from the emergency department to a licensed drug treatment provider, as well as Pennsylvania’s Prescription Drug Take-Back Program. This program helps communities properly dispose of unused prescriptions at any of the 400+ police station locations across Pennsylvania. To date, approximately 40,000 pounds of prescription drugs have been taken back and destroyed.Governor Wolf’s decision to expand Medicaid eligibility in Pennsylvania under the Affordable Care Act has greatly increased access to treatment services for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians.Finally, Governor Wolf’s proposed 2016-17 budget provides more than $34 million to treat more than 11,250 new individuals with substance use disorder. The Department of Human Services will provide 25 new Opioid Use Disorder Centers of Excellence for individuals with substance use disorder, providing medication-assisted treatment and appropriate wraparound services, such as cognitive-based therapies. After this first phase of implementation, there will be a push for 25 more facilities that would have the capacity to treat 22,500 individuals total.# # # SHARE Email Facebook Twitter
May 12, 2016