Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

Cafe Nine celebrated the start of summer with an evening of rebirths, as Virginian cellist and composer Wes Swing returned for his second performance this year flush with new music, a novel appreciation for synthesizers, and an album fizzing with a message of revival.

Swing is a splatter-painter in the music industry, concocting musical palettes that mix classical with pop, indie with folk, as part of an emerging trend in the field of strings. His stylings infuse classical instruments with the splendors of modernity.

Its kind of like indie-classical meets dream pop, Swing said of his music, though cautioning, weve struggled a lot with genre.

At Cafe Nine Wednesday night, Swing showcased hits off his new album, And The Heart, released earlier this month on June 2. It brimmed with lyrical and melodic confidence. He offered a form of musiccello indie folk popthat you wont find many other places.

He began the concert bathed in shadows and dim red and green spotlights, resting his cello companion across his body as he plucked a tune of tranquility and called out soothing lyrics from the first single off his new album, Mirrors. Eyes closed, rocking gently from side-to-side, Swing transformed the space around him as he invited the audience to enter a musical dreamscape.

Tinges of sadness and hope, optimism and resilience, spanned the evenings set list, as Swing presented songs like And the Heart, The Next Life, and Missing Winter off his freshly released album. Accompanied by a bass and a violin, he paired the new set with a favorite from his first album, Instrumental 1 and a clever cover of Bjorks Unravel.

The new album comes six long years after the release of his first album, Through a Fogged Glass, in 2011, and tells a fierce tale of personal empowerment and loss of identity.

The formation of Swings second album occurred after the artist struggled with a hiatus from music. Combating a wrist injury that conflicted with his cello playing and a weighty spell of depression, Wes Swing at one time found himself disengaged with his musical calling.

I had a lot of difficulty before I wrote the music, Swing said. I was living in San Francisco, quit music basically, and was dealing with depression I just wasnt productive at all. It was when I started to feel better, that the music came out.

Swing crafted And the Heart in 2014 and 2015. He conjured up Mirrors while flying on a plane, a peculiar setting that inspired Swing with the emotions it brought out in him.

I was feeling like myself, he revealed. I was feeling confident and happy, and it had been a long time since I had those feelings so deeply.

As his friendliness with music reformed, another partnership opened up in Swings life. Swing teamed up with old friend and guitar champion Paul Curreri, who led production for And the Heart. Curreri had suffered a recent wrist and throat injury that halted his performing career, forcing him to consider production instead.

It was kind of an interesting thing, Swing recalls. He and I had the same wrist and throat injury at the same time. He cant play anymore. This album for both us was coming back to music. In a way, redefining who we are as musicians.

Swing is gearing up to release a music video for Mirrors with a dance he choreographed himself, and continues to compose songs hes hoping to record early next year.

I feel more comfortable in my own skin, he said, and I know what I want more in recording and life.

See the rest here:

Cellist On The Rise - New Haven Independent

The event featured a combination of training sessions on leadership skills, proven business strategies and personal empowerment exercises. The CEO Warrior training system has a unique approach, inspired by Mike's straightforward style and martial arts training, to help business owners create mental focus, strategic thinking, resiliency, respect and a warrior spirit to take their own businesses to the next level. Business owners participated in personal empowerment activities such as fire walking, fight training, and board breaking exercises.

"The goal with these personal empowerment activities is to shift mindsets, to help business owners realize how limiting their beliefs are," Agugliaro said. "This discovery surprises most people when they learn that they are unconsciously placing limitations on themselves."

Guest speakers at last week's event were marketing experts Brian Kurtz and Dean Jackson. Kurtz has been a serial direct marketer for over 35 years. During his career, he was responsible for the mailing of close to 2 billion pieces of direct mail and the distribution of millions of impressions and promotions on a wide variety of offline and online media. Jackson fell in love with marketing as a young boy when he first realized that selling on commission was way easier than renting himself out by the hour for a regular job. Both Kurtz and Jackson shared some of their most innovative marketing strategies that helped multi-million dollar companies become successful.

The next major CEO Warrior event for business owners is the Warrior Fast Track Academy, September 19-22. Registration is limited to 30 attendees, so interested business owners are encouraged to book their spots soon.

CEO Warrior works with business owners across the U.S., Australia and New Zealand, creating a global movement in the home services industry. The company helps tradesmen grow their businesses and have the lifestyle they want from the business they have.

To find out more about CEO Warrior, visit https://CEOWARRIOR.com.

About CEO WarriorCEO Warrior is a business consulting, training, and mentoring firm, providing tested and proven methods to defeat the roadblocks that prevent small to mid-sized businesses from achieving their ultimate success. CEO Warrior teaches business owners how to achieve wealth, freedom and market domination by using the tools and skills Mike Agugliaro, founder of CEO Warrior, used to build his home service business into a $32 million-plus business in 10 years. The Warrior system uses a unique approach to training, inspired by Mike's straightforward style and martial arts training to create mental focus, strategic thinking, resiliency, respect and warrior spirit to take business owners to the next level. CEO Warrior targets the specific areas each business needs to address, eliminate, enhance or add in order to reach their business goals and attain what every business owner want in the end: financial independence. For more information about CEO Warrior, visit CEOWARRIOR.com.

Media Contact: Heather Ripley Ripley PR 865-977-1973 hripley@ripleypr.com

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/business-owners-gathered-for-ceo-warrior-circle-event-in-new-training-facility-300478075.html

SOURCE CEO Warrior

Top 20 HVAC Marketing Strategies to Grow Your Business

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Business Owners Gathered for CEO Warrior Circle Event in new Training Facility - PR Newswire (press release)

Published Jun 22, 2017 at 12:03 pm (Updated Jun 22, 2017 at 10:29 pm)

The Bermy Bouncers (Photograph supplied)

The Bermy Bounce Backs (Photograph supplied)

Bermudas national youth jump rope team is gearing up to compete on the global stage next month.

The Bermy Bouncers will take part in the World Jump Rope Championships in Orlando, Florida, from July 2-9, before heading to Seattle for an invitational jump rope and gymnastics camp.

In Orlando, the youth team, comprising girls and boys aged 9 to 15, will be joined by an adult competitive team, the Bermy Bounce Backs, with both teams competing in power-based speed and freestyle events. The Bermy Bounce Backs are aged 19 to 50 and over, and are led by former Bermy Bouncer Sophia Richmond.

The Bermy Bouncers are run as an arm of the Bermuda Heart Foundations Jump 2B Fit active outreach programme, which aims to produce youth ambassadors for the island who are passionate about jump rope, physical activity, civic engagement and personal empowerment.

A press release said: Our jumpers train three times a week for 2 to three hours, comprising a mix of strength, conditioning and endurance training, as well as working to enhance their single rope, double Dutch, speed and freestyle jump skills.

Although the sport may be a new one, and not one widely recognised, the hard work and dedication put forth by these Bermudian youth is something that should be highly recognised. Our team takes what other athletes use as a conditioning tool and makes a sport of it. Jump rope is one of the most physically challenging sports there is and these youth and adults are planning to represent our island proudly.

Watch the Jump 2B Fit 2016 documentary here. The Jump 2B Fit programme is also on Facebook.

Read more here:

Bermy Bouncers to compete overseas | The Royal Gazette:Bermuda ... - Royal Gazette

By Dr. Bill Lipsky

Whether they believed he was a creative spirit, a colorful nonconformist, or a kooky eccentric, everyone thought Chester Alan Arthur III, known to everyone as Gavin, was memorable, a true only in San Francisco personality. The grandson and namesake of the twenty-first president of the United States, he was well known as both a sexologist and an astrologer. Openly bisexual, he published The Circle of Sex in 1962, where he explained that sexuality was a circle with twelve orientations, each corresponding to a sign of the zodiac.

Arthur was a lifelong activist, deeply involved with both the Beat Generation and the early gay rights movement. He also became an influential leader of the Haight-Ashbury counterculture, where he was part of the discussions to bring together different groups of the Bay Areas counter-culture simply to experience being with each other. Using astrology, Arthur set the date for the first Human Be-In for January 14, 1967, in Golden Gate Park.

Some 30,000 celebrants attended. Many identified as hippies. They heard Allen Ginsberg, Timothy Learywho famously told them to turn on, tune in, drop outLenore Kandel, Gary Snyder, and others speak about some of the basic tenets of the counterculture: personal empowerment, communal living, higher consciousness (achievable with the help of psychedelic drugs), and radical political awareness. Others simply enjoyed the days good vibrations and groovy sounds.

The event made the Citys hippie scene world famous and led first to the Easter Vacation Onslaught and then to the transformative Summer of Love. Young middle-class Americans from all over the country tripped to San Francisco, with or without a flower in their hair, leaving the comfort of their parents homes or the conforming drabness of their dormitories for a Neverland where there would be free love, free pot, free food and a free place to sleep.

Once in San Francisco, they traded in their button-down shirts and their sorority sweaters for tie-dyed shirts and fringed jackets. Khaki pants gave way to frayed bell bottoms, and granny dresses replaced pleated skirts. In their rebellion against conformity, everyone wore beads. At its center, Haight-Ashbury quickly became both a mecca and a tourist attraction.

Among the head shops and psychedelic clothing stores of a neighborhood that embraced self-discovery, personal freedom, an if it feels good, do it attitude, sexual liberation, and free love, the newly arrived found an established, vibrant LGBT community. It flourished even before the Summer of Love, at least back into the 1950s, and had created a lively main street for itself.

During the decade of the Summer of Love, Margaret Forster and Charlotte Coleman opened The Golden Cask at 1725 Haight in 1962, a bar and restaurant popular with both gay men and lesbians. My Place #4 opened at 1784 Haight in 1963. The next year, Rikki Streicher opened Mauds around the corner at 937 Cole, at the former site of The Study, also a bar. Early customers included singer Janis Joplin and activists Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon.

At the time Mauds opened, California law forbade women from being bartenders in clubs they did not own, so the honor of pouring drinks in the early years went to men from nearby gay establishments. Because many lesbians lived in the Haight, Mauds became a popular, then a legendary watering hole for a generation of women, a place where they could meet, find each other, discover community, gossip, hug. When it closed in 1989, it was the longest surviving lesbian bar in the country.

1965 was a banner year for the Haights expanding LGBT community. The Golden Elephant opened at 530 Haight, while The Nite Lite opened a block away at 668 Haight. Blighs Bounty, which became the neighborhood bar most popular with black men, opened nearby at 782 Haight. Less than a block from Mauds, there was Bradleys Corner at 900 Cole; popular with both men and women, it featured spaghetti dinner for 69 cents on Tuesdays.

There was more to come. In 1966, The Lucky Club opened at 1801 Haight, and in 1967, the year of the Summer of Love, Nick ODemus established Taste of Leather 545 Ashbury, the first gay-owned leather business in the Bay Area. Dozens of other bars, clubs, restaurants, and shops tied to the burgeoning counterculture movement went into business during the next 10 years.

1967 brought both setbacks and good news for the LGBT community. On March 7, CBS broadcast The Homosexuals. The first such television documentary seen by a national audience, it was described as the single most destructive hour of antigay propaganda in our nations history. The Episcopal Diocese of California that year, however, urged the state to abolish the laws regulating private sexual behavior.

By the end of the Summer of Love, an estimated 100,000 people journeyed to San Francisco, hoping to join, or at least behold, the Citys counterculture. On October 6, the Diggers, a neighborhood group of activists and performers, held a funeral service for Hippie, devoted son of Mass Media, to indicate that the tremendous cultural experiment, which was the Haight-Ashbury, had ended. It had, they felt, been co-opted, sanitized and commercialized out of existence.

The LGBT community, however, survived the invasion. Gavin Arthur, who died in 1972, surely would have been gladdened by how LGBT culture and community endured in the Haight for another decade and now prosper throughout todays San Francisco.

Bill Lipsky, Ph.D., author of Gay and Lesbian San Francisco (2006), is a member of the Rainbow Honor Walk board of directors.

Read this article:

Gavin Arthur and the Summer of Love - San Francisco Bay Times

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The highly contentious and arguably irresponsible comments from Alibaba founder Jack Ma around AI and its likelihood of creating a third World War will have done little to inspire confidence in those that harbour fears around the subject of intelligent machines.

For some, the two words placed together spark a sense of dread, trepidation or even fear. For others, it represents the beginning of an exciting new digital world with untold benefits and opportunities.

Unfortunately, however, its often the former,which seems to seep more into peoples consciousness.

Its perhaps then of little surprise that in recent survey by the British Science Association (BSA) that 36% of respondents believe that AI will eventually takeover or destroy humanity.

A history of scaremongering

Its not difficult to see why. For years now, the subject of AI has largely experienced a love-hate relationship with the media and entertainment industry. This is largely thanks to sensationalist headlines and storytelling, which more-often-than-not represent AI in a negative light.

It doesnt take long discussing the subject of AI before all the usual suspects get a mention; 2001 A Space Odyssey (1968), Blade Runner (1982), The Terminator (1984), iRobot(2004), Ex Machina (2011) et al. A generation of largely damning representations falling under the horror genre.

Little evidence to back-up Robophobia Its also worth noting that, whilst fears exist around AI, there is actually very little real life evidence to back up such anxieties of AI, in particular with robotics.

In fact, robots are technically responsible for only two deaths in the past 30 years neither of which were directly associated with machine intelligence.

Robert Williams, a worker at a Ford Motor Company factory in Flat Rock, Michigan, holds his place in history as the first person, after accidentally being hit by an industrial robot arm on January 25, 1979. The family successfully sued for $15 million.

The second was Kenji Urada, a maintenance engineer at a Kawasaki Heavy Industries plant, who was killed in 1981 while working on a broken robot. The report stated he failed to turnit off completely, resulting in the robot pushing him into a grinding machine with its hydraulicarm. Ouch!

Real concerns

But its not just the Hollywood writers sending fears into humanity.The subject of autonomous weapons being developed in the military to do harm against humans, and super-computers being built to surpass the abilities to that of the human brain is one, which is causing much debate in the AI community.

Tesla Motors and SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk (pictured) has been particularly vocal of his concerns, describing AI as potentially the biggest threat to humanity, even once describing the potential threat as more dangerous than nuclear bombs.

Such are his concerns, Musk recently donated $10 million to the Future of Life Institute (FoLI) as part of a global research programme to ensure AI remains beneficial to humanity, and not run the risk of getting out of control.

I think we should be very careful about artificial intelligence, says Musk. If I had to guess at what our biggest existential threat is, its probably that. So, we need to be very careful. Im increasingly inclined to think that there should be some regulatory oversight, maybe at the national and international level, just to make sure that we dont do something very foolish.

The rise of powerful AI will be either the best or the worst thing ever to happen to humanity. We do not know which. Stephen Hawking

Professor Stephen Hawking is another high profile person to express his anxieties around the importance of ensuring AI is governed appropriately.

The rise of powerful AI will be either the best or the worst thing ever to happen to humanity. We do not know which, said Hawking during the opening of a new AI lab at Cambridge University in 2016.

A report from Forrester stated: Getting more sophisticated isnt the same as being able to understand, and computers arent going to take over the world because theyve started out thinking humans or developed evil intentions. But the fear of machines unleashing a major destructive event isnt as misplaced as it may seem, and Skynet-type scenarios [Terminator] could conceivably evolve if humans misjudge the extent to which they should trust software to make appropriate decisions.

The greater the degree of unpredictability in an AI-powered system, the greater the likelihood that unforeseen negative outcomes will occur. Thats why humans and their ability to reason will remain an essential part of the equation for the foreseeable future, possibly forever.

American physicist Michio Kaku added: No one knows when a robot will approach human intelligence, but I suspect it will be late in the 21st century. Will they be dangerous? Possibly. So, I suggest we put a chip in their brain to shut them off if they have murderous thoughts.

It seems probable that once the machine thinking method had started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers. Alan Turing

So,,is AI really all about robots that are one day being hell-bent on destroying mankind? Of course its not at least not for a while yet anyway.

Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI), is the term to look out for when thinking of AI as something you can compare to what youve read in a book or seen on the big screen.

The general definition of ASI is a level of intelligencesuperior to any level of human intelligence and will (potentially), if allowed, be in complete control of its own decision making.

This form of AI is something which has been discussed by some of the worlds leading tech companies and world leaders as potentially having a detrimental impact on the human-race if, not governed correctly.

The idea of ASI is not new and has been discussed (loosely) since the definition of AI was first coined back in 1956.

Alan Turing, the godfather of AI, famously stated: It seems probable that once the machine thinking method had started, it would not take long to outstrip our feeble powers They would be able to converse with each other to sharpen their wits. At some stage therefore, we should have to expect the machines to take control.

But when will this happen? Again, there is no concrete answer. Oxford University professor, philosopher and author Nick Bostrom, wrote in his latest book, Superintelligence, that, based on several expert surveys, this level of human level intelligence could arrive between 2075 and 2090. Other reports suggest much later or even not at all.

Perhaps for now, its best to leave that one for the kids to worry about.

Industry is taking action

These concerns are not being ignored by the tech industry and measures are being taken.

In September of last year (2016) , US tech giants Microsoft, Facebook, Amazon, Google and IBM joined forces to ensure the opportunities and benefits of artificial intelligence are maximized in society and fears around safety are addressed.

The move saw the creation of a new non-profit organisation called Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society.

The main purpose is to collaborate on ways to advance public understanding of AI and its benefits, to research and publish best practices on the challenges and opportunities within the field and to tackle any ethical concerns over trustworthiness, reliability and robustness of the technology.

A vital voice Over the past five years, weve seen tremendous advances in the deployment of AI and cognitive computing technologies, ranging from useful consumer apps to transforming some of the worlds most complex industries, including healthcare, financial services, commerce and the Internet of Things, commented IBM AI Ethics Researcher Francesca Rossi.

This partnership will provide consumer and industrial users of cognitive systems a vital voice in the advancement of the defining technology of this century one that will foster collaboration between people and machines to solve some of the worlds most enduring problems in a way that is both trustworthy and beneficial.

Historic collaboration Microsoft research managing director Eric Horvitz, described the deal as a historic collaboration, and claimed early discussions already held, have already proved valuable.

Were excited about this historic collaboration on AI and its influences on people and society, said Horvitz. We see great value ahead with harnessing AI advances in numerous areas, including health, education, transportation, public welfare, and personal empowerment.

This partnership will ensure were including the best and the brightest in this space in the conversation to improve customer trust and benefit society.

Ralph Herbrich, Amazon Director

Were extremely pleased with how early discussions among colleagues blossomed into a promising long-term collaboration. Beyond folks in industry, were thrilled to have other stakeholders at the table, including colleagues in ethics, law, policy, and the public at large. We look forward to working arm-in-arm on best practices and on such important topics as ethics, privacy, transparency, bias, inclusiveness, and safety.

Exciting opportunities Amazon Director of Machine Learning Science and Core Machine Learning Ralf Herbrich, said he was excited about the opportunities the partnership will provide by bringing together the industrys leading personnel for the first time in such an environment.

Were in a golden age of Machine Learning and AI. As a scientific community, we are still a long way from being able to do things the way humans do things, but were solving unbelievably complex problems every day and making incredibly rapid progress.

This partnership will ensure were including the best and the brightest in this space in the conversation to improve customer trust and benefit society. We are excited to work together in this partnership with thought leaders from both industry and academia.

Huge step DeepMind/Google Co-Founder and Head of Applied AI Mustafa Suleyman (pictured), described the partnerships as a huge step forward for the industry.

Google and DeepMind strongly support an open, collaborative process for developing AI. This group is a huge step forward, breaking down barriers for AI teams to share best practices, research ways to maximize societal benefits, and tackle ethical concerns.

See more here:

Will Artificial Intelligence really become a threat to humanity? - Access Ai

Collaboration will aim to enable refugees to send and receive funds digitally

Mastercard and Western Union have teamed up to help refugees around the world access goods, services and financial services within refugee settlements.

Paybefore, Banking Technologys sister publication, reports that the partnership will explore ways to use a digital model to serve the more than 65 million people around the world currently displaced from their homes due to political conflict and natural disasters.

The collaboration will aim to enable refugees, their host communities and donors to send and receive funds digitally, creating more transparency and long-term empowerment of refugees, according to Mastercard and Western Union.

Over the past year, the firms studied a pair of settlement camps in northwestern Kenya to examine the needs, challenges and opportunities for refugees and their host communities. The findings led to the development of Smart Communities: Using Digital Technology to Create Sustainable Refugee Economies, a blueprint designed to serve refugees by combining digital access to remittances, banking, education, health care and other basic needs in way that is unified and trackable.

The model emphasises digital solutions including the delivery of mobile money, digital vouchers and prepaid cards, notes Maureen Sigliano, head of customer relationship management, Western Union. The goal is to drive personal empowerment, stimulate growth and promote social cohesion among the worlds refugee populations, while driving better governance and transparency, she says.

Both Mastercard and Western Union are founding members of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a coalition of more than 70 companies committed to addressing the global refugee crisis.

The private sector is uniquely positioned to bring greater innovation and ingenuity to this crisis, says Gideon Maltz, executive director of Tent. The Mastercard-Western Union initiative reflects the contributions that companies can make when they identify problems, collaborate with each other, and work tirelessly to find and fund scalable solutions to fix them, adds Maltz.

Yesterday (21 June), Banking Technology reported that the Mastercard Foundation Fund for Rural Prosperity (FRP) launched a new competition to find financial products and services that improve the lives of poor people in rural areas of Africa.

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Mastercard and Western Union designing digital solutions for refugees - Banking Technology

Loosely based on the real-life TV show Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, which aired from 1986 to 1990, Liz Flahive and Carly Menschs fictionalized Netflix series GLOW exhumes the dusty spandex, mile-high hairdos, and Bon Jovi anthems for campy and contemplative fun.

Set in mid-1980s Los Angeles, GLOW tells the story of 12 struggling actors who are chosen to star in an all-female wrestling show. But first, they must learn how to wrestle! Marc Maron plays the series cynical writer/director Sam Sylvia, who reluctantly participates in the project between snorts of coke. His leading Gorgeous Ladies are the volcanic protagonist Debbie, aka Liberty Bell (Betty Gilpin), and Ruth, aka Zoya the Destroyer (Alison Brie), who once wronged Debbie outside of the ring and is now trying to accept her position as the leagues heel.

Though GLOW often centers on this rivalry, its driven by the other wrestlers internal conflicts. In one key scene the shows young producer, Bash (Chris Lowell)whos got the oily charm of Rob Lowes character in Waynes Worldinsists that wrestling is about type. Youre a sexy party girl, youre an Arab, gesticulating at Arthie, aka the Terrorist (Sunita Mani). She immediately corrects him: You mean stereotype.

These Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling are mostly actors who reached for the moon and landed in space junk. They wanted Hollywood, but got a ramshackle warehouse in the San Fernando Valley. They wanted real parts, but got roles thatre completely reductive. When they complain, Sylvia encourages the women to wrestle with these stereotypes for personal empowerment. But its not like they have a choicethey have to surrender something for success. And theyre all too familiar with this double standard: Its almost always a man telling you your ass is too fat at the same time hes trying to grope it, Ruth says in the second episode.

Be patient with GLOWthe series takes a few episodes to warm up. Once it does, youll find a refreshing mix of wit, drama, and body slams, all dressed up in the gaudy glamor of the 1980s.

Go here to see the original:

GLOW Chop-Drops Stereotypes - Film/TV - The Stranger - TheStranger.com

Mastercard and Western Union have teamed up to help refugees around the world access goods, services and financial services within refugee settlements. Announced on June 20World Refugee Daythe partnership will explore ways to use a digital model to serve the more than 65 million people around the world currently displaced from their homes due to political conflict and natural disasters.

The collaboration will aim to enable refugees, their host communities and donors to send and receive funds digitally, creating more transparency and long-term empowerment of refugees, according to Mastercard and Western Union.

Over the past year, the firms studied a pair of settlement camps in northwestern Kenya to examine the needs, challenges and opportunities for refugees and their host communities. The findings led to the development of Smart Communities: Using Digital Technology to Create Sustainable Refugee Economies, a blueprint designed to serve refugees by combining digital access to remittances, banking, education, health care and other basic needs in way that is unified and trackable.

The model emphasizes digital solutions including the delivery of mobile money, digital vouchers and prepaid cards, noted Maureen Sigliano, head of customer relationship management, Western Union. The goal is to drive personal empowerment, stimulate growth and promote social cohesion among the worlds refugee populations, while driving better governance and transparency, she said.

Both Mastercard and Western Union are founding members of the Tent Partnership for Refugees, a coalition of more than 70 companies committed to addressing the global refugee crisis. In 2016, Mastercard was named Pay Awards Change Agent of the Year for its Mastercard Aid Network, an end-to-end solution that streamlines humanitarian aid distribution by using debit cards preloaded with credits for physical goods such as food and medicine. Mastercard later expanded the aid network by combining it with the networks money transfer and prepaid capabilities to offer other forms of aid, including digital cash and vouchers.

The private sector is uniquely positioned to bring greater innovation and ingenuity to this crisis, said Gideon Maltz, executive director of Tent. The Mastercard-Western Union initiative reflects the contributions that companies can make when they identify problems, collaborate with each other, and work tirelessly to find and fund scalable solutions to fix them, added Maltz.

Related stories:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 21st, 2017 at 2:13 pm and is filed under

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Mastercard, Western Union Designing Digital Solutions for Refugees - Paybefore

To close the gender gap at work, we need to seriously improve the opportunities available to women who return from taking a career break to have children.

Thats according to Professor Julie Cogin, Director of the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM) and Deputy Dean of UNSW Business School, and someone who personally saw her career transformed when she had children in the 1990s. She was able to pursue a flexible consulting career while they were young, after a former employer had supported her through her postgraduate studies.

Julies passionate about the role education can play in a career comeback for parents who take a break. To help, the AGSM is now offering 10 sponsorships to mums and dads whore looking for a professional pathway to get an edge on returning to the workforce following a career break as well as a professional network and personal empowerment.

Julies particularly concerned about the workforce participation gap between mothers and fathers of young children, with 60 percent of women with children under the age of five working part-time, compared with 10 percent of men with children the same age. Women aged 25 44 are more than two and a half times as likely as their male counter parts to be out of the labour workforce.

Such gaps continue to follow women throughout their careers, on top of the motherhood penalty which sees womens wages fall by 4% for every child they have, compared with the eight per cent average wage increase men experience when they become fathers.

The financial impact of a career break is often significant, impacting future employment, wages, superannuation contributions and financial security, says Julie.

Despite this, and the bias that still unfortunately faces many women looking to return to the workforce, Julie notes there are plenty of supporting organisations and programs that aim to help.

When planning a re-entry I would target organisations that have a proven commitment to women, especially those that have programs in place to attract and retain women as well activities to accelerate womens careers. Take a look at the composition of the executive team and board, if relevant as this provides some evidence of commitment. Some companies may even be recognised as an employer of choice for women. Indeed, Julies own research in the area has found that the key attributes affecting the take-up and positive outcomes of family-friendly work practices often stem from the collective characteristics of a firms senior leadership team. So it pays to get familiar with the values such teams actually support.

Below, Julie shares advice on what women can do to prepare for their own career comeback.

Get clarity. The first step is to consider your ambitions and exactly what you want to do the jobs you want, and your plan for getting it. While some women may lack some confidence at this point, especially if theyve taken a number of years out of the workforce, Julie says the best path forward is to uncover your goals and needs first and to avoid being indecisive on your career aspirations when applying for roles.

Do a skills audit. Once youve got clarity on your next move, take a look at the skills youll need. Consider the skills you had before taking a career break, as well as the skills youve gained since becoming a parent. Now consider what skills are necessary for the roles youre looking to access. Are their gaps in your knowledge base? Have you invested in developing skills that will help you in the workforce? Do you need a knowledge refresh, or to top up on the existing skills that you have? Consider again the role your network can play, particularly in getting advice from mentors or coaches.

Address the gaps. This is the action phase of your career comeback, and its where you explore options for addressing any gaps in your skills set. This may involve short courses, attending conferences and seminars, or again working to expand your network. From there, address your resume and start applying for the positions youre interested in.

Dont assume people are making assumptions. While some unconscious bias still affects parents whore returning to the workforce, dont assume employers are making assumptions about you. Dont assume that a flexible position isnt available, even in a senior leadership position. Dont assume a potential employer is wondering how youre going to manage a new workload with kids at home. And dont assume, especially if youve taken a long break, that your profession or industry has advanced beyond your ability to catch up.

Build your network. Draw on your network for ideas, advice and even to put in a good word with their own contacts. Julie suggests finding parents whore in a similar situation like-minded individuals who can appreciate the life change youve recently had, and can offer support on making the move back in the workforce. Bring mentors and/or coaches into your network.

Womens Agenda has partnered with AGSM on promoting their call out to parents on a career break to apply for one of ten AGSM Career Comeback Sponsorships on offer. These sponsorships cover a number of short courses with the university, as well as some travel and childcare expenses.

Read the rest here:

Banishing the 'motherhood penalty': How to make a successful career comeback - Women's Agenda

(Independent) US: 16 Jun 2017 UK: 16 Jun 2017

Midnight North is set to release Under the Lights on June 16, and their third studio album finds the band continuing to develop their rootsy Americana rock sound with the musical soul and infectious harmonies theyve become known for. The San Francisco Bay Area band has been spreading its wings over the past couple years, venturing from the comfortable nest of their traditional Sunday night gigs at Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael for some genuine touring that has helped develop both their musical prowess and songwriting. The results show on the new album, indicating a band that is slowly but surely growing into its prime.

Formed around the talents of female singer/guitarist/keyboardist Elliott Peck and singer/guitarist Grahame Lesh (son of Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh), Midnight North presents a sonic dichotomy between the country-flavored tunes that Peck seems to favor and the more rock-oriented sound that Lesh leans toward. But these worlds arent so far apart, as evidenced by how the bands stellar vocal harmonies work so well in both contexts. Multi-talented keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Alex Jordan is a factor here as well, another regular in the Terrapin Crossroads scene whos ready and able to fill the shoes of Bob Weir, Jerry Garcia, or Brent Mydland on any given night. Bassist Connor OSullivan rounds out the core lineup (another multi-instrumentalist who contributes some mandolin on occasion), while the band is currently still seeking a permanent drummer.

The blend between their rock side and their country/folk side is actually what makes Midnight North a relatively unique band, with a sound thats sort of like a cross between the classic rock of the late 60s/early 70s with the Johnny Cash & June Carter show from the same era. Peck even namedrops Johnny & June specifically in the albums lead single, The Highway Song. Its an uptempo, country-tinged gem where Peck shines singing about meeting up on the road to work on some music.

The groups sonic polarity is clearly illustrated when comparing The Highway Song with the second single, the title track that also kicks off the album with an electrifying charge. Those who favor Midnight Norths more rocking side will dig the high-energy rocker thats had some of the bands local fans wondering whether it was an original tune or an obscure classic rock gem that Lesh had unearthed (as bands at Terrapin often do). Under the Lights sounds like it could have come from the Almost Famous soundtrack of 70s classic rock, yet it has a fresh 21st-century vibrancy. The song shows Lesh growing into his own as a songwriter devoted to the rock n roll life.

That devotion to the rock lifestyle and the sacrifices it entails with life on the road and in the spotlight is a running theme on the album. Playing a Poor Hand Well finds the group building on the foundation of previous endearing fan favorites like Stayin Single Drinkin Doubles with Peck delivering a bluesy country rock vocal about making the best of things. Theres also some timely horn arrangements here that recall the Band (whom Midnight North have covered frequently). The horns are employed to add some upbeat accents to the celebratory Everyday as well, with Lesh singing about miracles on the road. Back to California fits in this theme too, a mid-tempo Lesh number where he blends the longing of being away from home with the catharsis of returning to the Golden State.

Midnight North cracks the code on Roamin, a dynamic, syncopated rocker with a bluesy undercurrent where the three vocalists harmonize together on the choruses after divvying up the verses. The bands multi-dimensional harmonies are on full display here, conjuring a rich sound that takes full advantage of their talents. Echoes is a bluesy rocker in a similar vein, with Leshs soulful verses again boosted by Pecks harmonies on the chorus about following ones dreams and facing your fears only when ready. Tunes like these bring to mind comparisons with the Tedeschi Trucks Band, another blues rock oriented group with deep connections in the jam rock scene. Midnight North doesnt have a virtuoso instrumentalist like Derek Trucks, but Pecks range is in Susan Tedeschis ballpark, so its fitting that theyve slipped a dynamite cover of TTBs Midnight in Harlem into their live repertoire (could a bluegrassy re-arrangement of Judas Priests Living After Midnight be next?)

Peck is hard to pigeonhole as she takes a bluesier turn herself on Headline from Kentucky, then switches gears for an upbeat country sound of personal empowerment on One Night Stand. Theres also a more solemn country vibe on Green County, where she relates a breakup that occurs by phone because shes not coming home. Jordan contributes a melodic acoustic-oriented number with Little Black Dog that finds the band having fun with the three-part harmonies.

Could Midnight North be more of a musical force if they focused on their rock side? Quite possibly. But theyve made the artistic decision to deal from a more diverse deck, and its the blend with the country/folk side that makes them stand out from the pack as a band with deep roots in American popular music.

Greg M. Schwartz has covered music and pop culture for PopMatters since 2006. He focuses on events coverage with a preference for guitar-driven rock 'n' roll, but has eclectic tastes for the golden age of sound that is the 21st century music scene. He has a soft spot for music with a socially conscious flavor and is also an award-winning investigative reporter. Follow him on Twitter at @gms111, where he's always looking for tips on new bands or under the radar news items.

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Under the Lights - PopMatters