Monthly Archives: February 2022

Location: Los AngelesDate: Tuesday 1st FebruaryCompany: IndependentRole: Software Engineer and Author

In 2005 Ray Kurzweil introduced the idea of the singularity: a point in the near future when artificial superintelligence surpasses human intelligence. In his book The Singularity is Near, Kurzweil embraced the benefits such a future presented humans: Our sole responsibility is to produce something smarter than we are; any problems beyond that are not ours to solve.

Yet, less than 2 decades later, technologists, futurists, and philosophers are now envisaging potentially catastrophic futures for our species. The conversion from the utopian to a dystopian view of the future has roots in the development of the Fermi paradox, i.e. why, despite high estimates for the existence of extraterrestrial life, is there no clear and obvious evidence for it?

One theory gaining wider acceptance is that there could be a Great Filter: a barrier preventing intelligent colonisation of the universe. Life may be unable to evolve into advanced civilisations through being unable to manage technologies that manifest existential risks. This is evident with existing innovations: nuclear weapons, biotechnology, nanotechnology, poorly designed AI etc.

The risks proliferate when such technology becomes cheap and ubiquitous such that we can all harness great power: it is the democratisation of mass destruction. A range of technologies that can do irreparable harm could be within each individuals grasp, and our society has enough individuals willing to inflict such harm.

So, technology has the potential to destroy us rather than liberate us. How should we mitigate this potential future if it is enabled by continued advances, decentralisation, and increased freedoms?

In this interview, I talk to Software Engineer and Author Vijay Boyapati. We discuss the Fermi paradox and the Great Filter, whether solutions involve centralisation and reducing freedoms, if society is best served by democracy, and the inevitable need for humans to escape the earth.

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Is There Life After Democracy? with Vijay Boyapati - What Bitcoin Did

04 FEB Day of negotiations at Aran for the renewal of the contract of the health sector and according to Nursing Up which just yesterday had proclaimed a national strike for next April 8 things seem to be going well for the nurses.

First of all, Nursing Up reports Arans willingness to give positive feedback to the assignment of functions to health professionals, on the model of what is already happening for medical management. We are talking about assignments that should arrive for professionals, regardless of corporate discretion .

A step that the trade union defines as decisive, since finally, as requested by us since the platform we presented at the beginning of the negotiations, function assignments should be assigned, on the path of what happens for doctors, and which would constitute a concrete recognition, in this case the professionalism and high qualification of nurses and other health professions, and this regardless of the possession of educational qualifications, which instead can be valued differently .

We are facing, how can we deny it, an evolution in this complex negotiation, linked to the indispensable path of valorisation of nurses, which represents one of the absolute leitmotifs of our battles, writes the union in a statement.

Again according to Nursing Up, Aran would have said that it would be willing to provide alternative mechanisms to those hypothesized in the previous draft, which would allow a real career progression for those nurses and other health workers who, inserted in area D, would remain confined at this level, while all the others could, according to the drafts submitted previously, move between the underlying bands .

We remember writes Nursing Up that one of the fundamental reasons that led us to proclaim the state of agitation, is precisely linked to the fact that many professionals in the D area, those of the health professions, according to the ARAN hypothesis, risked being trapped , because not everyone could access area E of the high qualification, finding themselves penalized compared to those, inserted in the areas below, would have had the concrete possibility of accessing the next area .

As for salaries, Nursing Up writes that it was announced orally, but we await the documents that confirm it, an average increase of 102 euros per month, for 13 months, for all employees, with the equalization element weighing about 14 euros, to which then added: a percentage of 0.55 / resources due to the allocations of the budget law 2022 destined for the new contractual systems a percentage of 0.22 / resources due to the allocations of the budget law 2022 destined to the salary for the funds the specific nursing allowance the indemnity for the protection of the sick (for other health professions) the allowance for first aid staff .

The total of all these items, according to Aran and again on the basis of what is reported by Nursing Up, would lead to an average increase, totaling approximately 174 euros per employee.

According to Nursing Up, at this point, however, a reflection is a must, especially due to the singularity of the method used, namely the accumulation, among them, of institutions intended not for the generality of employees but rather for different types of personnel.

What counts for us, beyond mere calculation procedures writes the union is how much more each nurse will receive each month in the paycheck. This is what matters and we reserve the right to ascertain .

Nursing Up then informs that Aran has said it is willing to channel most of the resources of the contract on the basic salary, leaving only 0.22% on the variable one.

In this sense, and in the wake of this opening underlines Nursing Up we asked that, as regards the 0.22% share, the resources should be reviewed, in a discourse of balance and compensation between them, giving greater priority to indemnities linked to positions that cover greater responsibilities and commitment such as, just as an example, the night indemnity (think of the unspeakable 26 cents increase assumed), that of ready availability (just under 1 euro) etc. etc. .

The union then reiterates that in the meeting what had already been requested at the previous session was reiterated, that is to eliminate the hypothesized rule that allows not to pay overtime to those who are assigned an indemnity for certain types of assignments.

We cannot accept the game of who gives us one thing to take away another. Overtime is an important institution for the health professions , concludes the union.

We are certainly facing a significant step forward compared to the recent past. Finally concrete answers to our requests arrive. We can only trust that everything that has been announced to us orally today has a concrete following, and on this basis we are certainly available, of course always that all this actually translates into written norms, capable of sanctioning what we ask, and therefore a suitable contract to lay the foundations for a new history of Italian nurses and health professionals , said the president of the union Antonio De Palma.

04 February 2022 All rights reserved

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Nurses. Brightened on the contract. Nursing Up announces openings of the Aran and there is talk of overal... - D1SoftballNews.com

A gig in Berlin a few years ago showed Moses Sumney, the Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter and artist, the difference between how music is consumed versus fine art. I was in front of an audience eager to see me sing, but I had to compete with the noise of glasses clicking and chatter, he tells Artnet News. When he visited a gallery exhibition the next day, Sumney noticed the utter silence among the crowd. There was total respect and all eyes-and-ears attention on the art, he says. I once again realized I was frustrated with the lack of reverence in the music industry.

Perhaps that is why Sumney has purposefully operated outside that industry, ever since his self-produced breakthrough album Mid-City Island in 2014. An angelic voice and celestial delivery have made the North Carolina-based performer a darling of the independent music scene, and his sharp stage presence and piercing lyrics have caught the attention of headliners like Sufjan Stevens, Beck, and James Blake, with whom he has toured.

Despite his growing popularity as a performer, however, Sumneys ultimate inspiration comes from a devotion to solitude. What I kept returning to in my writing was loneliness and standing outside the club, Sumney says. Singularity is the frame through which I approach life, my own idiosyncratic nature.

Moses Sumney has created several introspective self-portraits for his show at Nicola Vassell gallery.

Fittingly, he has recently found himself veering towards the more solo practice of art-making. Following an immersive sensory installation at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn last fall and a multidisciplinary project at the Perz Art Museum Miami during Art Basel Miami Beach in December, Sumney opens his first solo gallery show this week with Chelsea dealer Nicola Vassell.

The exhibition, Blackalachia (February 3March 5, 2022), includes a 70-minute-long directors cut of the namesake concert film Sumney shot in the Blue Ridge Mountains, an hour outside his home in Asheville, North Carolina. A medley of music and performance, the film features songs from his albums gr and Aromanticism. It fluctuates between moments of unrestrained action, as Sumney dances across lush green landscapes with a full band backing his vocals, and psychedelic introspection, such as scenes shot in a deep indigo, nocturnal filter.

When the film had its premiere at PAMM in December, Sumney also gave a performance; this time, the focus is on his eye as a photographer, with film stills as well as introspective self-portraits on view at the gallery. The freedom to choose not to perform, at least a song or two along with the art, is a newfound pleasure for Sumney. Ive made myself very available as a singer, but here, Ive already made the art and its hanging on the wall, he says.

Sumney was first exposed to the creative potentials of solitude at the age of 10, when his family moved from Southern California, where he was born in 1992, back to Ghana, where he grew up on a goat farm near Accra. He did not have internet access until he was 16, when he started to connect with other teenagers in AOL chat rooms, spending an hour every week at an internet cafe, absorbing celebrity news on MSNs entertainment page. I was on the periphery of American culture while trying to take in whatever I could for solace and connection, he remembers.

Although he returned to California to study creative writing and poetry at the University of California, Los Angeleswhere he also started to write and perform his own musiche moved to Appalachia in 2018, spurred again by his need to escape the crowd. Living in L.A. was too much, with people only talking to each other with an agenda, he says. I needed an environment where my artistry could flourish without the distraction of fame. Living among the birds, trees and the changing light in the mountains kept Sumney grounded to reality and provided the non-negotiable loneliness he was seeking, as well as some occasional material inspiration for Blackalachia. Dirt, body or voice, everything is fair game in art-making, Sumney says. My hope is that the audience has a singular and internally unique experience to the film.

Such an individual experience was also at the core of Sumneys technoechophenomena project at Pioneer Works, which merges physicality with technology. Visitors entered a box one person at a time and, based on their movements, were able to play the room using fluctuating neon lights and different octaves of Sumneys song Me in 20 Years, from his second album gr. There was a humanistic element embedded in the experience because our physicality could guide the computer, he says.

Moses Sumney inside his installation technoechophenomena at Pioneer Works. Photo: Sachyn Mital.

Sumney sees this twofold invitation to wield technology, while being affected by it in turn, as a natural extension of his creative practice. I am interested in the intersection of my vocals and the machine, such as auto-tune or de-gendering, he says, describing his audio experiments as abject weird sounds.

The way Sumney comfortably straddles genres is a sign of the direction contemporary art might be heading, according to PAMMs executive director Franklin Sirmans. Visual artists have become so dependent upon the system of galleries and MFA programs that we forget where creativity comes from sometimes, he says. Moses bucks that trend, and I think he is a harbinger of more to come in that way.

Arthur Lewis, UTA Artist Spaces creative director and an early champion of Sumneys transition to fine art, notes that the artists multidisciplinary approach in crucial to his practice: His focus on visual art and photography gives him the chance to express himself in ways that wouldnt necessarily translate onstage, where he needs to engage with a stage persona who is always on.

Moses Sumney performing at PAMM in December 2021. Photo: Corrado Amenta for Onkei Photography. Courtesy UTA.

And after spending years working around the expected conventions of the music industry, Sumney is now prepared to do the same with the art world. He is also ready for any doubts about his visual art abilities based on preconceptions about his fame in music. Some people will only pay attention because of my name, he says, or others will totally discard the work for the same reason.

He sees Nicola Vassells gallery as a space that suits the intimacy of the work he is now putting out. The fact that it is a commercial gallery also does not bother him. Long ago, I realized that I would not sell, he says, so whenever I do, its a cherry on top.

Moses Sumney: Blackalachia is on view at Nicola Vassell, 138 Tenth Avenue, New York,February 3March 5, 2022.

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Dirt, Body, or Voice, Everything Is Fair Game: The Art Worlds Favorite Musician, Moses Sumney, Is Taking on Visual Art Next - artnet News

The XDR market from 20212028 is the subject of a new and exclusive forecast analysis report. Its nothing more than an in-depth examination of the XDR market, as well as several critical opportunities and growth chances. The primary goal of the XDR market report is to provide key insights into the XDR markets business situation, demand graphs, and various alternative technological advancements around the world. Meanwhile, the study on the global XDR industry examines unique features that are expected to diversify sales even more as the market matures.

The XDR Market research study includes an in-depth industry analysis, forecast data, and conclusions drawn from many sources. The study looks at the most well-known service providers in the XDR business throughout the world. The XDR Market research report includes a SWOT and PESTEL analysis of the industry formation & players, and a brief market assessment. This research study covers market driving forces, threats, competitive borders, and main market margins.

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Because of the XDR markets development potential for 20212028, the study on the XDR market goes through the current position in greater detail. The research calculates the revenue generated by the XDR market to evaluate the size of the XDR business. The study on the global XDR market is complete, and it backs up the preliminary analysis with potential input from many industry specialists. The study on the XDR market depicts the competitive landscape as well as an analysis of production growth in the following years.

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Firstly, the report offers a basic overview of the industry including, definitions, classifications, applications, and industry chain scenario. The XDR industry analysis is provided for the global market including development history, segment analysis, major regional developments, and a thorough competitors evaluation.

Secondly, growth policies and plans are reviewed as well as manufacturing processes and cost structures. This report also discusses supply and consumption figures, import/export data, cost, price, revenue, and gross margins by prime regions such as the U.S. Europe, China, and Japan along with other key regions. Moreover, Global XDR Market proposes market trend analysis, drivers, and challenges by consumer behavior, and various marketing channels.

Global XDR market is segmented based by type, application and region.

Based on Type, the market has been segmented into: by Type (cloud-based, on-premises)

Based on application, the market has been segmented into: Application (large enterprises, SME)

Valuable Points Covered in XDR Research Study are:

COVID-19 Impact Analysis & Post COVID-19 Revenue Opportunities

XDR Industry Insights and Growth Relevancy Mapping

Market Forecast Estimation & Approach

Data mining & efficiency

Interconnectivity & Related markets

XDR Market Ecosystem Map

Market Competition Outlook & Key Statistics

Strategic Analysis for Cost Optimization

XDR Market Dynamics (DROC & PEST Analysis)

Current Market Key Trends

KOL Recommendations & Investment Landscape

Company Competitive Intelligence

Report Covers Impacts of COVID-19 to the market.

The on-going pandemic has overhauled various facets of the market. This research report provides financial impacts and market disturbance on the XDR market. It also includes analysis of the potentially lucrative opportunities and challenges in the foreseeable future. AMR has interviewed various delegates of the industry and got involved in the primary and secondary research to confer the clients with information and strategies to fight against the market challenges amidst and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Table of Content (TOC):

Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview

Chapter 2 Industry Cost Structure and Economic Impact

Chapter 3 Rising Trends and New Technologies with Major key players

Chapter 4 Global XDR Market Analysis, Trends, Growth Factor

Chapter 5 XDR Market Application and Business with Potential Analysis

Chapter 6 Global XDR Market Segment, Type, Application

Chapter 7 Global XDR Market Analysis (by Application, Type, End User)

Chapter 8 Major Key Vendors Analysis of XDR Market

Chapter 9 Development Trend of Analysis

Chapter 10 Conclusion

About Us

Adroit Market Research is an India-based business analytics and consulting company incorporated in 2018. Our target audience is a wide range of corporations, manufacturing companies, product/technology development institutions and industry associations that require understanding of a markets size, key trends, participants and future outlook of an industry. We intend to become our clients knowledge partner and provide them with valuable market insights to help create opportunities that increase their revenues. We follow a code Explore, Learn and Transform. At our core, we are curious people who love to identify and understand industry patterns, create an insightful study around our findings and churn out money-making roadmaps.

Contact Us:

Ryan Johnson

Account Manager Global

3131 McKinney Ave Ste 600, Dallas,

TX75204, U.S.A.

Phone No.: USA: +1 210-667-2421/ +91 9665341414

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XDR Market Huge Growth Opportunities and Trends to 2026 | Sohpos Intercept X Endpoint, McAfee MVISION XDR, VMware Carbon Black Cloud, Mandiant...

Ricardo Rivera doesnt seem to have much respect for boundaries.

Based on his wildly creative and original work with his company Klip Collective, it seems like he could have been one of those kids who would get scolded in grammar school for not staying within the lines in his coloring book, but he doesnt recall that happening.

I did get yelled at for using my dads video camera though, which is ironic he said. I think thats more of an appropriate story.

I used to make stop motion animations, and would record my friends and I, making mock music videos when I was 14.

In his adult life, Rivera is doing groundbreaking work that includes video and sound, but defies classification and dodges accurate description. Klip Collective calls itself an experiential art shop that integrates projection lighting and storytelling to create compelling experiences.

Klip Collective, 'Three Phased Monster', and Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas, 'Arch II, Set II', 1995

When theres no playbook for the work you want to do, you write your own. Rivera didnt study filmmaking in school so what he knows about video, he taught himself, and he is a pioneer of a thing called video projection mapping, having earned a United States patent for his technological breakthroughs in the medium.

Innovation on these projects is par for the course, Rivera said. We always have challenges with what we do because Im always pushing myself and the team to elevate what we do.

The Klip Collectives current exhibition/experience titled Night Forms: dreamloop is happening now at Grounds For Sculpture, and has been extended to April 3, 2022.

Klip Colletive, Visceral Memory, and Masayuki Koorida, Memory, 2011, granite, 88.58 x 49.21 x 49.21 inches, Courtesy of the Artist

There are more than a dozen site-specific works, where at each one, the magic of projection mapping, moving light and a choreographed soundtrack engineered by the Klip Collective, all coalesce with existing art installations.

GFS literature is brave in the futile attempt to precisely describe what awaits one. Night Forms is a unique synthesis of video projection, light and sound as a bridge between architecture, technology and storytelling Sculptures shrouded in the winter landscape become beacons to remembering a long-forgotten ritual.

The digital projection mapping, which creates light patterns that can conform to the shape of any sculpture or object, is designed to create a dialog with sculptures in the collection, offering new perspectives and turning the act of viewing into an immersive event.

Klip Collective, Frog Head Rainbow, and Michelle Post, The Oligarchs, 2014, cast aluminum, 76 inches x 40 feet x 6 feet, Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson AtelierMichael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

In addition, the sound is equally mapped onto each installation by virtue of music and soundscapes written and produced specifically for each piece, by Dan Deacon and Julian Grefe for Klip Collective. And dont be alarmed if while standing entranced by what is in front of you, some of the sounds appear to be coming from behind you. They are.

I mean theres a lot more behind, you know, the creative on this, said Rivera.

He adds that there are always obstacles to overcome in this evolving medium, especially as it is applied to unique settings, whether its the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizone, the NYC Central Park Bethesda Terrace, or right here in New Jersey at Grounds For Sculpture.

Klip Collective, Edge Run, and Bruce Beasley, Torqueri XIII, 2018, stainless steel, 270 x 137 x 141 inches, Courtesy of the ArtistMichael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

This project (GFS) was interesting because one, because of the pandemic, I had a lot more time to think about what the whole piece was going to be.

You know whats interesting for me is to create a series of installations that have some type of common thread thematically that kind of fit together in an interesting way creating a journey for visitors to experience - without using a super literal narrative, but creating some type of thread.

I mean yeah, Im definitely kind of an outside the box type of person.

Tickets are timed entry. All tickets, including Member Tickets, must be reserved in advance. Capacity is limited. Tickets are not available on-site.

Hours: Thursday Sunday, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. now through Feb. 27), 6 to 11 p.m. from March 3-12, and 7-11 p.m. from March 13-April 3.

Open Monday, February 14

See more photos:

Klip Collective, The Glitch, and Bruce Beasley, Dorion, 1986, stainless steel, 1/2, 240 x 360 x 120 inches, Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson Atelier

Klip Collective, 'Three Phased Monster', and Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas, 'Arch II, Set II', 1995Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Klip Collective, Singularity Ring, and Michele Oka Doner, Radiant Disk, 1999, cast bronze, 2/2, 33 1/2 x 75 1/2 x 75 1/2 inches, and Ice Ring, 1992, cast bronze, 3/3, 18 inches x 120 inches diameter, Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson AtelierMichael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Klip Collective, Frog Head Rainbow, and Michelle Post, The Oligarchs, 2014, cast aluminum, 76 inches x 40 feet x 6 feet, Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson AtelierMichael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Klip Collective, Frog Head Rainbow, and Michelle Post, The Oligarchs, 2014, cast aluminum, 76 inches x 40 feet x 6 feet, Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson AtelierMichael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Klip Colletive, Visceral Memory, and Masayuki Koorida, Memory, 2011, granite, 88.58 x 49.21 x 49.21 inches, Courtesy of the ArtistMichael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Klip Collective, The Motherboard, and Carlos Dorrien, The Nine Muses, 1990-1997, granite, 132 x 240 x 360 inches, Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson AtelierMichael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Klip Collective, 'Three Phased Monster', and Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas, 'Arch II, Set II', 1995Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

'Sacred Sum', aluminum, lighting, dimensions variable, Courtesy of the Artist

Klip Collective, Singularity Ring, and Michele Oka Doner, Radiant Disk, 1999, cast bronze, 2/2, 33 1/2 x 75 1/2 x 75 1/2 inches, and Ice Ring, 1992, cast bronze, 3/3, 18 inches x 120 inches diameter, Grounds For Sculpture, Gift of The Seward Johnson AtelierMichael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

Klip Collective, 'Three Phased Monster', and Elizabeth Strong-Cuevas, 'Arch II, Set II', 1995Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

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Michael Mancuso may be reached at mmancuso@njadvancemedia.com

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Light and sound nighttime installation at Grounds for Sculpture is like a trippy dream - NJ.com

Members of a streamlined, 10-person panel tasked with assembling candidates to lead UMass Lowell were encouraged at their first meeting Tuesday to think outside the box and look at potential chancellors with nontraditional backgrounds.

Most committee members, charged with finding the right person to succeed outgoing Chancellor Jacqui Moloney,got an opportunity on Zoom to introduce themselves, hear a rundown of the Open Meeting Law and confidentiality requirements, and receive coaching on public-relations matters.

University of Massachusetts system President Marty Meehan, who served previously as UMass Lowells chancellor, said expectations are high for UMass Lowell, a campus of around 18,000 students and 1,700 full-time faculty and staff, though myriad challenges exist.

Like universities around the country, UMass Lowell is emerging from a global pandemic, Meehan said. It is also facing demographic headwinds that require new thinking about retention, about the enrollment of students, and all the disruption that is posed by technology.

UMass Board of Trustees Chairman Robert Manning urged the committee to consider people from outside traditional backgrounds for the post, as Meehan was when he took over in 2007 after serving 14 years in Congress.

Said Manning: The challenges in the future will be significant, but we need a very dynamic leader. And my only suggestion to all of you is, think outside the box. Marty was not a traditional candidate when we hired him, and look at what he was able to do.

Its no exaggeration to say that UMass Lowell underwent a remarkable transformation during Meehans tenure as chancellor.

As a May 2013 Boston Business Journal profile on Meehan pointed out: Since he joined UMass Lowell as its chancellor in mid-2007, hes presided over a massive expansion of the school, with nearly $600 million in capital projects that have been completed or set into motion representing more than a dozen new construction projects, acquisitions and renovations.

UMass Lowells operating budget rose by more than 50 percent, and its student enrollment grew 40 percent to roughly 16,000 undergraduate and graduate students, since Meehan took over.

The CEO of Boston-based MFS Investment Management, Manning said he believes the Lowell campus draws strength and singularity from its gritty surroundings.

Its a different place than some small, bucolic college, which is great that some of those exist.

But you get these kids, our students, that come there and they get toughened up. And they need that toughness when they go through life, said Manning.

He could have been reading from a page of Meehans life story.

The son of a Lowell Sun newspaper press foreman, the University of Lowell graduate parlayed outstanding careers in both politics and academia.

And what do you need to scale the heights of both pursuits? The ability to raise money.

Known as a prolific fundraiser during his seven terms in Congress, Meehan still had a campaign finance balance of $4 million when he closed the account in June 2016 and transferred those fundsto an education foundation hed formed in 2001.

Thats also the primary requisite for a university president. Leave the academics to the provost and deans. Attracting wealthy donors helps boost endowments and schools profiles.

Moloney, the first woman to lead UMass Lowell, did more than just follow in Meehans footsteps. Having served the previous eight years as executive vice chancellor, she paved her own way by building on that partnership.

But now that link will soon cease.

Search Committee co-Chair Mary Burns said negotiations are underway with a search firm, with the intention of inviting its members to the panels next meeting to discuss a work plan and a position profile.

Their chancellor mission is clear: Find the next Marty Meehan.

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Panels mission: Find the next Marty to lead UML - Lowell Sun

Niklas Adalberths Norrsken Foundation, in the news again barely two months after opening its Norrsken House in Kigali, Rwanda, plans to accommodate thousands of entrepreneurs by next year.

This time, the foundation has teamed up with 30 unicorn founders and a couple of seasoned venture capital and private equity investors to launch a $200 million fund targeted at African startups.

The fund, dubbed the Norrsken22 African Tech Growth Fund, has reached its first close of $110 million per a statement seen by TechCrunch. Its the latest fund launched by Norrsken after closing 125 million impact fund for European startups last March.

Hans Otterling, a partner at Northzone, a U.K.-based early VC firm that led the investment in Adalberths previous company Klarna, is Norrskens founding partner alongside the Klarna co-founder.

Making up the firms investment are the general partners that include Natalie Kolbe, the ex-global head of private equity at Actis, a private equity fund investing in emerging markets; her colleague, Ngetha Waithaka; and Lexi Novitske, the ex-managing partner at Acuity Ventures Platform. Novitske told TechCrunch on a call that the firm is speaking to a few DFIs to reach a final close later this year.

Before Acuity, Novitske was principal at Singularity Investments. Portfolio companies across both firms include API fintechs such as Mono and OnePipe and exited companies like Flutterwave, Paystack and mPharma.

Africa VC funding reached an all-time high in 2021 at over $4 billion more than what startups on the continent raised in the two previous years combined. Growth and late-stage deals such as $100 million-plus rounds from unicorns Andela Flutterwave, Chipper Cash, OPay and Wave and other companies largely propelled this growth. Nevertheless, according to insights from The Big Deal and Briter Bridges, they were relatively few compared to early-stage deals.

SOURCE: Tage Kene-Okafor, who covers startups and investment activities in Nigeria and Africa for TechCrunch.

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$200 Million Fund to Back Growth-Stage Startups in Africa - The Washington Informer