Daily Archives: May 1, 2021

Retired SEAL Jocko Willink surprises guard members, tells them to relish adversity – Stars and Stripes

Posted: May 1, 2021 at 6:01 am

A security forces airman was guarding an air base in Pennsylvania when his idol, former Navy SEAL and podcaster John Gretton Jocko Willink rolled up to the gate and asked to enter.

Airman 1st Class William Guilfoyle, who prepared for basic training and pushed through technical school with the help of Willinks podcasts, was thrilled to see the retired naval officer this month at Biddle Air National Guard Base in Horsham, Pa.

I was just blown away to be able to meet him and shake his hand, said Guilfoyle, a native of Susquehanna, Pa.

Willink made the impromptu visit April 19 after some Pennsylvania Army National Guard soldiers ran into him making a promotional video, the Pennsylvania Air National Guard said in a statement this week. The soldiers from the 28th Infantry Division invited him to give a speech to some 275 mobilized guard members temporarily living on the base on state orders.

When Willink and his team showed up at the gate, Guilfyole stayed frosty, the statement said. He and Tech. Sgt. Anthony Williams, both with the 111th Security Forces Squadron, checked the visitors identification, searched their vehicle, gave an operational security briefing and escorted them to the designated area.

In a three-minute video of the talk with the soldiers, posted to Willinks social media accounts, a soldier off-screen describes a scenario thats not all that great.

Foods not great, non-ideal sleeping conditions, maybe the shower trailers broke down, the unidentified man said. All that starts adding up.

The crowd laughs and Willink grins before putting their plight in historical perspective.

The worst possible day that you have on this base isnt 15 minutes of the pain that the guys felt at the Chosin Reservoir at Normandy, at Gettysburg, he said. Whenever I face anything thats challenging, whenever anything sucks, I like it. Its going to make me tougher.

The military uses the suckfest of boot camp and challenging schools and experiences to build bonds between troops until they ultimately arrive in combat, which sucks the worst of all but makes units even tighter, Willink explained.

In Iraq, where he commanded SEAL Team 3s Task Unit Bruiser 15 years ago, his sailors became very close with the Armys 1st Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, headed by then-Col. Ron Clark, now a major general and chief of staff of Indo-Pacific Command.

The citation for Willinks Silver Star earned during that deployment praises his leadership, vision and courage under fire. He spearheaded missions and led forces in high-intensity and bloody urban warfare, it says.

During his speech, Willink credited the bonds developed through shared adversity as directly contributing to their successes.

So, when something sucks? Good, he said. Good! Its going to make me tougher and its going to make us stronger.

By Thursday, the video had garnered some 673,000 views on Instagram.

Meanwhile, the security forces rookie Guilfoyle received praise from his leadership for keeping his cool around his idol.

We could not be prouder of our security forces squadron, said the wings Chief Master Sgt. Robert Ferguson.

garland.chad@stripes.comTwitter: @chadgarland

Pennsylvania Air National Guard Tech Sgt. Anthony Williams poses with John Gretton ''Jocko'' Willink, a retired Navy SEAL officer at Biddle Air National Guard Base, Pa., April 19, 2021. Williams was on duty when Willink paid an impromptu visit to the base.ANTHONY WILLIAMS/U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD

article continues below

Read more:

Retired SEAL Jocko Willink surprises guard members, tells them to relish adversity - Stars and Stripes

Posted in Sealand | Comments Off on Retired SEAL Jocko Willink surprises guard members, tells them to relish adversity – Stars and Stripes

Big cat sighting hoax exposed as creature prowling city park revealed to be Goshi – Chester Zoo’s black jaguar – LeaderLive

Posted: at 6:01 am

A REPORTED sighting of a big cat roaming a Chester park has been exposed as a hoax - with the creature in question revealed to be Chester Zoo's black jaguar.

This week, Puma Watch North Wales shared a report submitted to them by Richard and Philip.

They claimed to have taken a photo of a large black cat roaming Chesters Grosvenor Park.

However, member of Puma Watch used "open-source journalism techniques" to discover that the big cat was Goshi, who is safely housed in his enclosure at Chester Zoo.

Screenshot of the report of a panther sighting. Image: Puma Watch North Wales

Tony Jones, founder of Puma Watch North Wales, said: "Today, thanks to the efforts of the Puma Watch community, we are able to confirm their report is a hoax. Using open-source journalism techniques, we have successfully matched the location of their photo with the jaguar enclosure at nearby Chester Zoo enabling us to eliminate their report from our ongoing investigations."

"This is the second time weve been able to conclusively "debunk" reports of a big cat in recent months. In February, we received multiple sightings, including a video, of a creature prowling fields near Trelogan.

"Within days, we tracked down the owner of an incredibly large pet cat living nearby, and were able to confirm that the big cat caught on video was actually Sheldon, described as the biggest softy ever. His owner was forced to buy a dog cage to take him to the vets as he cant fit in a cat carrier.

"However, the witnesses reporting sightings of Sheldon genuinely (and understandably) believed they could have encountered a big cat. Unfortunately on this occasion, it seems that Richard and Philip intentionally staged a hoax encounter though they were quickly figured out by the Puma Watch community."

The hoax comes after a series of sightings in Chester, including one where a big cat was caught on camera in Chester Meadows, just metres from Grosvenor Park.

Tony added: On Friday 16th April, Alan Standing spotted what could have been a puma near Blacon, at a location well under a mile from four other recent sightings. Just along the canal to the North, a large, black animal with a very long tail was spotted twice within a week, around the abandoned Old Oaks Golf Course and the Countess of Chester Country Park."

He added: "The sightings followed a 4ft-long cat with a great big tail being spotted twice in one night in fields bordering Blacon, behind Sealand Road Asda.

"Big cat sightings are now so commonplace in Chester they have been immortalised in the Lego Chester display within Chester Market. Just last week, a member of the public reported an encounter with a growing and snarling creature in Huntingtons Caldy Valley Nature Park, while in December, a big cat was caught on camera prowling Chester Meadows."

See original here:

Big cat sighting hoax exposed as creature prowling city park revealed to be Goshi - Chester Zoo's black jaguar - LeaderLive

Posted in Sealand | Comments Off on Big cat sighting hoax exposed as creature prowling city park revealed to be Goshi – Chester Zoo’s black jaguar – LeaderLive

10 Top-Notch Small Kitchen Appliances on Sale that Make Perfect Mothers Day Gifts – Thrillist

Posted: at 6:01 am

We independently source all of the awesome products and experiences that we feature on Thrillist. If you buy or book from the links on our site, we may receive an affiliate commission which in turn supports our work.

Still looking for the ideal Mothers Day gift? Same here! Lucky for us, Sur la Table is having a sale on small kitchen appliances. Whether youre working with a big or small kitchen, compact appliances are always convenient, and allow you to maximize your countertop and/or cabinet space without fussing with too much clutter.

To make it even easier for you to pick the perfect one, we highlighted some of our favorite dealsfrom coffee and soup makers to a super-useful vacuum sealer and even Vitamix blender thats currently under $300. Keep scrolling to find the gift that best suits the kitchen gadget-obsessed moms in your life.

See the article here:

10 Top-Notch Small Kitchen Appliances on Sale that Make Perfect Mothers Day Gifts - Thrillist

Posted in Sealand | Comments Off on 10 Top-Notch Small Kitchen Appliances on Sale that Make Perfect Mothers Day Gifts – Thrillist

2021 May Municipal Elections: Election integrity starts at the local level. We have to get it right here. – KAMR – MyHighPlains.com

Posted: at 6:01 am

AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) The 2021 May Municipal Elections are now less than 24 hours away, and our elections integrity is something local officials take very seriously.

Potter County Elections Administrator, Melynn Huntley, stated, Election integrity starts at the local level. We have to get it right here. Huntley has worked hard to do just that for the past eight years.

Election integrity to me means that when you vote your vote, that is what is tabulated. But election integrity also means that one person votes one time, and that the only people that vote in the votes, or tabulator, are people who are registered voters who are legally entitled to vote, explained Huntley.

As for Randall County Elections Administrator, Shannon Lackey, the term election integrity means, I follow the law, the Texas Election Code down to the letter.

Lackey additionally shared, Something I think everyone needs to know is our election equipment is never connected to the internet for any reason. That is Texas law.

Precautions like this are only the tip of the iceberg for the security measures that take place for every election.

We go to great lengths, before the machines ever leave here. They are sealed with a numbered seal, and the media is locked inside there. We log that. We know exactly what it looked like when it left here. It gets to the election judge, they have to verify it, then when it comes back to us election night, we verify it a third time to make sure that that hasnt been tampered with anywhere along the way. And then everything- the media is read, everything is done right here in this office, explained Lackey.

Additionally, ballot checks and balances are a must.

Huntley stated, When you vote, you check in on one of the poll paths, and where- theres a number there that were going to grab, and that number needs to correspond to the number of people who voted. So those numbers have to match.

Following the 2020 November election, Huntley said that they have received a specific question multiple times. She continued, And that is, I want to be able to see that my vote that you counted is exactly as I voted it, and no, we cannot do that at this point. That is not part of the system. The Potter County Elections Administrator later stated, We tell people that if when you review your choices on the screen, and you watch your review is what you wanted it to vote and you say yes, this is exactly what I want, you push Yes and then you push, yes, cast my ballot, but it will count that way But we do have secret ballot in this country.

Lackey shared that everyone who works with her has had to undergo a background check.

In Potter County, there will be 16 polling sites open.

In Randall County, there will be 11 polling sites open.

More from MyHighPlains.com:

Link:

2021 May Municipal Elections: Election integrity starts at the local level. We have to get it right here. - KAMR - MyHighPlains.com

Posted in Sealand | Comments Off on 2021 May Municipal Elections: Election integrity starts at the local level. We have to get it right here. – KAMR – MyHighPlains.com

Rules of the club – Lexology

Posted: at 6:01 am

A dispute between InterDigital and Xiaomi highlighted the delicate balance between confidentiality and fair opportunity in SEP disputes, say Ranjan Narula and Suvarna Pandey of RNA Technology and IP Attorneys.

The objective of forming a Confidentiality Club during patent or trade secret litigation matters has become a standard protocol to keep the business-sensitive documents/information confidential to the parties involved in the litigation. The idea is to limit access to documents to a specific set of people bound by the obligation to maintain confidentiality.

The provision of the Confidentiality Club, introduced by the Delhi High Court Act 1966 through amendments in 2018 in its practice rules for the lawsuits where the Delhi High Court is the court of the first instance, is defined as follows: 17. Confidentiality Clubwhen parties to a commercial suit wish to rely on documents/information that is commercially or otherwise confidential in nature, the court may constitute a Confidentiality Club so as to allow limited access to such documents/information.

In doing so, the court may set up a structure/protocol for the establishment and functioning of such club, as it may deem appropriate. An illustrative structure/protocol of the Confidentiality Club is provided in Annexure F. The court may appropriately mould the structure/protocol of the club, based upon the facts and circumstances of each case.

The rules state that each party shall nominate not more than three advocates, who are not, and have not been, in-house lawyers of either party, and not more than two external experts, who shall constitute the Confidentiality Club.

The post discusses the decision of a single judge of the Delhi High Court in an standard-essential patent (SEP) infringement suit between InterDigital Technology (plaintiff) and Xiaomi (defendant) (CS [COMM]-295/2020 and IA No. 6441, 2020).

In summary, the parties did not disagree on forming the Confidentiality Club but its structure. InterDigital has proposed a two-tier club classifying documents and their access as follows:

Outer tier: documents are accessible to the advocates for both sides, experts appointed by them, as well as representatives of both parties and denoted as confidential information.

Inner tier: documents accessible only to the advocates for both sides and experts appointed by them who would not be in-house counsel and denoted as legal eyes only (LEO) confidential information.

Xiaomi objected to the classification of inner tier documents. Xiaomi contended that it would result in its officials, personnel, and employees being denied access to documents comprising third-party comparable patent licence agreements. Further, these documents are necessary for them to examine the basis on which royalty rates have been worked out and whether they are comparable.

The court dealt with the issue of whether comparable patent licence agreements could be justifiably included in an inner tier of confidential documents, ie, kept away from the eyes of the defendant, as well as all its officers and employees.

Court ruling

The court noted the following: the defendants would have to be made privy to the licence agreements with other licensees. Without knowing the identity of the licensee, the particulars of the licence agreement, or its covenants, it defeats comprehension as to how the defendants can be expected to make any submission regarding whether the rate at which such licence has been granted is, or is not, fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory (FRAND).

The determination of whether licensing rates set by the SEP owner are FRAND requires assessment of licence agreements with other licensees, considering the licensees identity and the scope of the licence. This assessment cannot be carried out solely by advocates and external experts to the exclusion of party representatives.

Civil litigation generally requires each party to be aware of the other partys case that it is supposed to counter, and no surprises should be permitted in this regard, especially in litigation as complex as this, involving fixation of FRAND rates and determination of the issue of whether Xiaomi is, or is not, infringing the SEPs of InterDigital.

The court opined that it is a prime necessity that the officials of Xiaomi, which is conversant with its activities, and who can decide on the rate at which Xiaomi can take a licence for the exploitation of the SEPs from InterDigital, are kept abreast of all aspects of the case set up by InterDigital. A prime element for the determination of FRAND rates would be the allegedly comparable licence agreements proposed by InterDigital.

InterDigital argued that access to documents marked and designated as LEO confidential information, third-party licence agreements in particular, contain sensitive commercial information. They are strictly restricted not to disclose such information.

If such information is placed in the hands of other parties such as the defendants and if it is misused or further disclosed there-after, it could cause such grave prejudice to the commercial interests of the plaintiffs, as well as the third-party entities, who in many instances are competitors to the defendants, said the court.

In the case that such confidential and sensitive information is disclosed to the defendants, or is disclosed to other third parties thereafter, it will cause grave prejudice not just to the plaintiffs, but their third-party licensees as well, since it will be very difficult for the plaintiffs to be able to negotiate future licence agreements with licensees who cannot be assured that the confidentiality obligations with respect to such negotiations can be complied with.

In such a situation, any order from this Honble Court passed later cannot reverse the damage.

Single tier

While rejecting this argument, the court held: First, that litigation is not a one-way street and, second, that InterDigital has invited Xiaomi into the arena, and not vice versa. The court concluded Xiaomi is not unwilling to take licences from InterDigital, and determination of licence fees would require Xiaomi, its officers and employees to determine whether rates being offered are FRAND.

The court thus rejected InterDigitals wishes for the creation of a two-tier Confidentiality Club, with inner tier documents being shown only to advocates (who are not in-house counsel) and external experts nominated by Xiaomi.

The court directed to constitute the single-tier Confidentiality Club in the following terms:

The case emphatically lays down that the business interest of a party cannot prevail over fair opportunity and natural justice. Further, the court is required to balance the interest of the parties and cannot place one on a higher pedestal than the other.

See the original post here:

Rules of the club - Lexology

Posted in Sealand | Comments Off on Rules of the club – Lexology

Here Are Some of the Rejected Arlington Logo Designs – ARLnow

Posted: at 6:01 am

Not everybody is a fan of the five finalists for the new Arlington County logo.

There seems to be a LOT of dissatisfaction with the new county logos, one reader said, in an email to ARLnow.

Locals are being asked to weigh in on the proposed logo designs by May 26, ahead of County Board consideration in June. But a plurality seem to be calling for more choices.

In an unscientific ARLnow poll this week, about 46% of more than 3,000 respondents said the county should go back to the drawing board. The most popular choice the fifth logo above, on the far right-hand side was the preference of 24% of respondents.

The dissatisfaction is more stark on some social media channels.

Ive noticed that the five new Arlington County logos that residents have been asked to vote on are being universally panned on both Nextdoor and Facebook, another ARLnow reader said in an email. In fact, I dont think Ive seen a single positive comment out of scores. My Nextdoor group in North Arlington had more than 25 comments and not a single one positive.

Sure hope the County is listening, the reader added. Time for them to go back to the drawing board.

Perhaps its not necessary to solicit new designs. As pointed out by a local resident on Twitter, the original call for design ideas from the county yielded dozens of notable submissions that were ultimately rejected.

The new logo is needed in order to do away with the illustration of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lees plantation house a prominent Arlington landmark in the current logo, but the call for logo ideas in February specifically asked submitters to think about the images, symbols and feelings unique to Arlington and shared by people across neighborhoods.

The finalists seem to be more abstract in nature than many of the discarded designs that include the shapes of specific landmarks, buildings or geographical borders, however.

Part of that may be a function of the requirement for a logo that works in numerous visual settings and contexts. The new logo should look good in black and white and in color, and when it is printed on something as small as a pen and as large as a billboard, the county said in February.

Asked this morning whether the five finalists may be revisited and other logos considered, given the reaction so far, Arlington County spokeswoman Jennifer K. Smith said only that the county is seeking more feedback.

Engaging and involving the community is central to the process of developing a new logo and that process is ongoing, Smith told ARLnow. We want as many people as possible to weigh in on the final design options. The Logo Review Panel will use the voting results to offer a recommendation to the Arlington County Board in June. To date, well over 9,000 people have voted on the new logo and were looking for many more.

Smith said a robust community process led to the five current logo finalists.

A 14-member Logo Review Panel was appointed by the County Manager in late January of this year, following a communitywide call for applications, she explained. This is a diverse group representing different ages, ethnicities/races, neighborhoods, and backgrounds. Community members also were asked to submit their ideas and concepts over a series of week earlier this year and we received about 250. Then, over the last several months, the Logo Review Panel has worked hard to further define the considerations as well as further develop the ideas submitted by the community, in collaboration with a design firm.

The current county seal and logo which both feature a representation of Lees Arlington House were first adopted in 1983 and 2004, respectively.

The logo panels charge, from its first meeting: Replace existing logo and County seal with new logo as soon as practicable.

Read the original here:

Here Are Some of the Rejected Arlington Logo Designs - ARLnow

Posted in Sealand | Comments Off on Here Are Some of the Rejected Arlington Logo Designs – ARLnow

Progress made, some yet to be made, as pandemic continues in the Central Valley – YourCentralValley.com

Posted: at 5:59 am

FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KSEE) Fresno County faced some of the most challenging weeks in the pandemic at the end of January when it had a 15% positivity rate and a case rate of about 65 daily cases per 100,000 people. Three months later and the positivity rate is down to 2.5%.

The valley was hard hit by COVID-19. For about the first 100 days or something of this year, we had some of the highest rates of COVID infection, hospitalizations, percent positive in California. Us and LA, Kaiser Infectious Disease Physician Dr. Dee Lacy said.

Around 100,000 people in the U.S. have completed their vaccine series, and the vaccine is proving to be effective in California. The state has one the lowest case rates in the country.

In Fresno County, along with its declining positivity rate, its case rate is at 4.9 new daily cases per 100,000 people.

Vaccines and testing are playing a role for the reduction in the rate of transmission in the county.

We were able to test over 24,000 people and vaccinate over 20,000so far, and over 80% of our patients are non-Caucasian communities of color, said Dr. Kenny Banh, the director of the UCSF Mobile HeaL COVID-19 Equity Project.

But as more sectors open up in the state, Central Valley counties still face challenges. Among them, vaccine hesitancy.

Banh said their efforts have shifted to reaching those who are unsure on whether to get the vaccine or not and those who may not have easy access.

Now we have to make sure were getting that group of people who are hesitant, on the fence, or they mean to, but they lack transportation, they lack the means to do it, theyre busy with work, Banh said.

But still, there are those who dont want it at all.

UC Merced Professor of Health Psychology Martin Hagger said reasons for that include younger people thinking they are less vulnerable and the politicization of the virus.

Theres also these concerns about peoples political orientations and how they impact their decision-making around the coronavirus and the mitigation behavior. So that applies to vaccines just as it applies to mask-wearing, social distancing, and so forth, Hagger said.

As case rates decline in the state and more sectors open up, health experts still raise concerns over variants circulating in the U.S.

And Hagger said theres a risk of complacency as more sectors open up.

As case loads drop, things open up, that drives the perception, beliefs in people that were out of it, that were home free, Hagger said.

According to the state, around 52% of Fresno Countys 16 years and older population is vaccinated with at least one dose.

Its time. If you were waiting to see how is this gonna play out, have enough people gotten the vaccine. Its time, youre no longer the leading edge, you can get the vaccine, Lacy said.

Originally posted here:

Progress made, some yet to be made, as pandemic continues in the Central Valley - YourCentralValley.com

Posted in Progress | Comments Off on Progress made, some yet to be made, as pandemic continues in the Central Valley – YourCentralValley.com

Not Just iPhones, Apple Is Making Solid Progress in Another Key Market in India – Motley Fool

Posted: at 5:59 am

Indian customers have been warming up to Apple's (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhones over the past year thanks to an improved pricing strategy and the company's efforts toward speeding up the availability of its devices produced in-country for sale in that country.

Apple's smartphone market share in India doubled in 2020 on the back of such moves. However, this isn't the only area where Apple is making progress in the world's second-most populous country. Apple's personal computers (PCs) are also flying off the shelves in India, and the company has stepped up its game to take a bigger chunk out of this fast-growing market.

Image source: Getty Images.

According to data from IDC, MacBook sales in India jumped 24.4% in 2020. This is impressive, as overall PC sales in India slumped 6.4% last year. Notebooks, however, were the bright spot with shipments hitting 7.9 million units during the year, jumping 34% over the previous year (after adjusting for a government-sponsored deal in 2019 that inflated sales that year).

IDC's research also reveals that notebook sales spiked sharply in India in the final quarter of 2020, jumping 62% year over year and accounting for more than 75% of total PC shipments. Apple has been a big beneficiary of this trend of fast-growing notebook sales in India. Indian newspaper Business Standard reports that Apple sold MacBooks and iMacs worth 4,000 crore (approximately $533 million at the current exchange rate) in India last year. The company's share of India's PC market increased to 3% in 2020.

IDC credits the growing demand for high-end notebooks for the surge in Apple's sales, driven by an increase in the number of people working or learning from home. The good news for Apple is that the robust demand environment seems to have spilled over into 2021. The availability of MacBooks powered by the M1 chip reportedly remains restricted on account of high demand and tight supply.

I wouldn't be surprised to see this sales momentum continue for the remainder of the year and beyond, thanks to both near-term and long-term catalysts.

Notebook demand in India could soar once again in 2021. An executive at HP India predicts that notebook sales in the country could jump in the double digits this year, while IDC also has a similar view. These forecasts don't seem surprising given that major parts of India are already under some form of lockdown due to a rapid rise in the number of coronavirus cases.

The second wave of the pandemic has sent the country's healthcare infrastructure reeling as daily new cases are increasing at an alarming pace. As a result, major employers in the country are sticking to a work-from-home modelto keep their operations running during such difficult times.

More importantly, the remote work model is expected to stay in India. This is evident from an estimated 57% increase in sales of work-from-home-related furniture in the country being projected over the next five years. Similarly, Technavio expects the online education market in India to clock a compound annual growth rate of 20% through 2025.

These catalysts can lead to sustained growth in laptop and notebook sales in India, and Apple is setting itself up to take advantage of this opportunity by giving that market a higher priority. The company's new product range, including the iMac, will be available for sale in India from April 30, just like in other markets such as the U.S., the U.K., Japan, and China. India used to be a low-priority market for Apple, with the company's products hitting the country's shores much later than their international launch.

Additionally, Apple is resorting to a smart pricing strategy for its PC lineup in India. The entry-level iMac has been pricedat 119,900 Indian rupees (around $1,600). That's impressive considering that the same price would have fetchedIndian consumers a 21.5-inch iMac a couple of years ago.

So, don't be surprised to see Apple sustain its impressive momentum in India's PC market. Investors would do well to take note of the same as the market is expectedto pull in $7 billion in revenue this year (desktops and notebooks combined) and looks set to become bigger in the future. Apple is already generating nice sales over there, as last year's estimates tell us. Its new and improved products could help Apple push the bar higher, giving this tech stock a nice shot in the arm over the long run.

This article represents the opinion of the writer, who may disagree with the official recommendation position of a Motley Fool premium advisory service. Were motley! Questioning an investing thesis -- even one of our own -- helps us all think critically about investing and make decisions that help us become smarter, happier, and richer.

See the rest here:

Not Just iPhones, Apple Is Making Solid Progress in Another Key Market in India - Motley Fool

Posted in Progress | Comments Off on Not Just iPhones, Apple Is Making Solid Progress in Another Key Market in India – Motley Fool

Progress made toward construction of new schools in northeastern Baltimore County – WBAL TV Baltimore

Posted: at 5:59 am

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Baltimore County appears to be on schedule with plans to help ease school overcrowding, especially in the northeastern part of the county.Work crews are clearing land on Rossville Boulevard at Gum Springs Road to make way for the start of construction of a new elementary school. The county is about to build a $50 million elementary school complex that is set to open for students and staff members by next summer."There's tremendous progress," said Pete Dixit, the school district's executive director of school facilities, management and strategic planning. "There's tremendous growth in the eastern and northeastern part of the county, and we expect a deficit of seats -- around 1,000 seats."Students at nearby Perry Hall Middle School have been learning in portable classrooms for some time now. The Rossville Boulevard elementary school project is expected to go a long way toward dealing with overcrowding throughout eastern Baltimore County."Councilwoman (Cathy) Bevins and I working, with the county executive, have been pushing for new schools in this area. We are very excited that now as we come out of this pandemic, we are starting to move on some of these projects," said Baltimore County Councilman David Marks, R-District 5.And it hasn't gone unnoticed in the community."I drove by it this morning and talked to a parent and a 2-year-old who can't wait. The 2-year-old will likely go to that school," Baltimore County Board of Education Vice President Julie Henn said.Besides the new elementary school, Baltimore County is set to build a $100 million middle school on county-owned property on King Avenue, and there's also a new northeast high school on the drawing board to build nearby.

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Baltimore County appears to be on schedule with plans to help ease school overcrowding, especially in the northeastern part of the county.

Work crews are clearing land on Rossville Boulevard at Gum Springs Road to make way for the start of construction of a new elementary school. The county is about to build a $50 million elementary school complex that is set to open for students and staff members by next summer.

"There's tremendous progress," said Pete Dixit, the school district's executive director of school facilities, management and strategic planning. "There's tremendous growth in the eastern and northeastern part of the county, and we expect a deficit of seats -- around 1,000 seats."

Students at nearby Perry Hall Middle School have been learning in portable classrooms for some time now. The Rossville Boulevard elementary school project is expected to go a long way toward dealing with overcrowding throughout eastern Baltimore County.

"Councilwoman (Cathy) Bevins and I working, with the county executive, have been pushing for new schools in this area. We are very excited that now as we come out of this pandemic, we are starting to move on some of these projects," said Baltimore County Councilman David Marks, R-District 5.

And it hasn't gone unnoticed in the community.

"I drove by it this morning and talked to a parent and a 2-year-old who can't wait. The 2-year-old will likely go to that school," Baltimore County Board of Education Vice President Julie Henn said.

Besides the new elementary school, Baltimore County is set to build a $100 million middle school on county-owned property on King Avenue, and there's also a new northeast high school on the drawing board to build nearby.

See more here:

Progress made toward construction of new schools in northeastern Baltimore County - WBAL TV Baltimore

Posted in Progress | Comments Off on Progress made toward construction of new schools in northeastern Baltimore County – WBAL TV Baltimore

Building on a year of open data: progress and promise – Microsoft On the Issues – Microsoft

Posted: at 5:59 am

One year ago, Microsoft launched an Open Data Campaign to help close the data divide between those countries and companies that have the data they need to innovate and those that do not. We learned quickly that this continued divide risks leaving some people behind, without the ability to put data to work and without the ability to generate economic wealth and opportunity more broadly.

To address the challenges of tomorrow, we need to make it easier to open, share and collaborate around data today. Thats why were sharing 10 key lessons from the first year of our campaign to help other organizations of all sizes unlock the power of data.

Before I dive into the lessons, I want to share an update on the progress weve made toward our goals, as well as our focus areas for the year ahead.

Weve made steady progress toward closing the data divide, but we still have a long way to go. The data divide persists and continues to threaten the democratization of data but we also see a lot of reason for hope and optimism. Microsoft President Brad Smith and I recently discussed the challenges, what weve learned since the campaign launched and our ambitions going forward. I encourage you to watch our conversation, where we also heard from thought leaders who are advancing the cause of open data.

YouTube Video

Click here to load media

Learning by doing

The biggest takeaway from our work this past year and the one thing I hope any reader of this post will take away is that data collaboration is a spectrum. From the presence (or absence) of data to how open that data is to the trust level of the collaboration participants, these factors may necessarily lead to different configurations and different goals, but they can all lead to more open data and innovative insights and discoveries.

Here are a few other lessons we have learned over the last year:

To get started, we suggest that emerging data collaborations make use of the wealth of existing resources. When embarking on data collaborations, we leveraged many of the definitions, toolkits and guides from leading organizations in this space. As examples, resources such as the Open Data Institutes Data Ethics Canvas are extremely useful as a framework to develop ethical guidance. Additionally, The GovLabs Open Data Policy Lab and Executive Course on Data Stewardship, both supported by Microsoft, highlight important case studies, governance considerations and frameworks when sharing data. If you want to learn more about the exciting work our partners are doing, check out the latest posts from the Open Data Institute and GovLab.

Moving forward

Using these lessons learned and building on the progress weve made alongside our partners, we plan to spend the next year focused on the practical aspects of data sharing and making the process easier.

Scaling data stewardship

One key insight we gained this past year is the strong interest and need for guidance when it comes to data stewardship. Many organizations want to do more around open data and data sharing, but when it comes to the practical aspects of how to do it, they often dont know where to start. Building on the success of this years Data Stewardship Executive Course, the Open Data Policy Lab is today publishing its course materials so that organizations everywhere can use these resources to guide their data reuse strategies.

Additionally, the Open Data Policy Lab will focus on scaling data stewardship guidance for the public and private sectors. To help address these needs, a new Data Stewardship Academy will be designed for a much broader reach. Second, the Open Data Policy Lab will develop an Open Cities initiative to build community and share insights among cities that are opening and using data to innovate and drive change. The Open Data Policy Lab will also continue to drive new research on open data and data reuse, including a closer look at the value of open data.

Fostering new data collaborations

Well continue to identify and help launch data collaborations to address societal issues focused on sustainability, health, and equity and inclusion.

To help address climate challenges, together with the Open Data Institute, we are committed to launching and supporting three data collaborations to address climate change. These three data collaborations will each focus on one of the six priority areas that we identified in the report, Accelerating Progress on Tackling the Climate Crisis Through Data Collaboration.

Additionally, in partnership with the Open Data Institute, well be announcing an open call for a new Peer Learning Network for data collaborations to participate and learn from each other. Another focus area with the Open Data Institute is to build momentum through case studies across sectors that highlight the value of opening and sharing data that would otherwise not be realized.

Growing data analyst skills and data literacy

We also want to help connect those who currently work with data or would like to explore a career in data analysis with related, in-demand skills, in partnership with the Microsoft skills initiative. This work includes sharing opportunities to obtain Microsoft Certifications on data and AI fundamentals and courses for data analysts.

Making data sharing easier

We must make data sharing easier through scalable tools and technologies. Technologies, such as differential privacy, made more accessible through the first-ever open source differential privacy platform, SmartNoise, are critical to preserving privacy when sharing data. Additionally, continuing work on legal and licensing tools such as the Open Use of Data Agreement (O-UDA) and Computational Use of Data Agreement (C-UDA), both initiated by Microsoft in 2019 and now stewarded by the Linux Foundation will encourage and simplify broader data sharing. We will continue to focus on development of these frameworks, resources and technologies that make data sharing more accessible and achievable.

Advancing policy discussions

A robust data reuse regime necessitates good governance frameworks. Increasingly, policymakers are taking measures to improve existing open data initiatives and are exploring data governance mechanisms.

To fully realize the benefits of data, policymakers must work with industry, academia and civil society to develop incentives, infrastructure and mechanisms to responsibly share public and private sector data within and across organizational and national boundaries that are in line with the rule of law and safeguard human rights, while allowing for effective data re-use for innovation. In addition to properly maintained and funded national open data programs, data governance frameworks create trust in the integrity of the data sharing ecosystem by ensuring that the benefits of data are equitably shared and by providing adequate safeguards to protect cybersecurity, human rights and privacy.

At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and organization on the planet to achieve more. Closing the data divide wont happen overnight, but if we continue to build a bold, diverse movement committed to this work, we know the impact will benefit future generations in pursuit of a safer, healthier world.

Tags: broadband access, COVID-19, Open Data, Open Data Campaign, SmartNoise, sustainability

Go here to see the original:

Building on a year of open data: progress and promise - Microsoft On the Issues - Microsoft

Posted in Progress | Comments Off on Building on a year of open data: progress and promise – Microsoft On the Issues – Microsoft