Category Archives: Personal Empowerment

CHICAGO, July 15, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- As consumers continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, a new timely analysis from TransUnion (: TRU) found that many renters could benefit from the practice of rent payment reporting. When rent payments were included in the credit file, consumers experienced an average increase of nearly 60 points to their credit score. The analysis included data through March 2021 and also found that the consumer population who generally has the least access to favorable terms for financial goods and services, the unscorable and subprime consumer cohorts, stand to gain the most with the largest credit score growth.

TransUnions analysis found that with the inclusion of rent payment tradelines in the credit file, approximately 9% of those consumers went from unscorable to scorable with an average credit score of 631 -- placing them in the near prime score band (VantageScore 3.0 range of 601-660). This represents a significant improvement for consumers that would have otherwise been deemed unscorable and highlights the importance of a uniform, universal data reporting format to improve credit visibility.

Consumers that are classified as unscorable or below prime represent half of the renter population, yet the majority of those consumers are not receiving any credit for making those rent payments, which is generally the largest monthly payment they make, said Maitri Johnson, vice president of tenant and employment screening at TransUnion. This places consumers that may already have thin credit files at a disadvantage toward further building their credit history. Wider adoption of rent payment reporting by the rental housing industry into the consumer reporting ecosystem can play an instrumental role in enabling those consumers to better demonstrate their creditworthiness and position them for greater financial success.

The analysis also found that 12% of consumers shifted to a higher score tier when rent payments were added to the credit file. This finding was especially prevalent among subprime consumers (VantageScore 3.0 range of 300-600) who were reclassified as near prime. TransUnions ResidentCredit has also found that 60% of renters may see their credit scores increase as early as the first month of rent payment reporting.

Including rental payments in credit reports can help advance financial inclusion and elevate the credit standing of millions of consumers so they may participate more fully in the American financial system, said Dr. Michael Turner, President of the Policy and Economic Research Council, a centrist think tank based in North Carolina (www.perc.net). The inclusion of this information into the consumer reporting ecosystem is a win for everyone, especially borrowers because they give the credit that they deserve for making payments. This positive payment history can bring millions of credit-invisible persons into the American financial mainstream.

For more information on ResidentCredit, TransUnions rent payment reporting solution, please visit https://www.transunion.com/product/residentcredit.

About TransUnion (: TRU)TransUnion is a global information and insights company that makes trust possible in the modern economy. We do this by providing a comprehensive picture of each person so they can be reliably and safely represented in the marketplace. As a result, businesses and consumers can transact with confidence and achieve great things. We call this Information for Good.

A leading presence in more than 30 countries across five continents, TransUnion provides solutions that help create economic opportunity, great experiences and personal empowerment for hundreds of millions of people.

http://www.transunion.com/business

*VantageScore 3.0 standard risk tiers: Subprime= 300-600; Near Prime= 601-660; Prime= 661-720;Prime Plus= 721-780; Super Prime= 781-850

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Alternative Data Such as Rent Payment Reporting Bridges the Gap for Unscorable Consumers and Increases Financial - GuruFocus.com

The Herald

New York Times Correspondent

JOHANNESBURG. Jacob Zuma did not bring the Guptas to South Africa. His folly is allowing the Guptas to be bigger than the Oppenheimers.:

Atul settled in Johannesburg and sold shoes downtown. Then he started a company Sahara, named after the family hometown importing computer parts and assembling them for sale.

And by chance, he made a personal connection to the ANC that would prove far more consequential.

During a trip home to India, Atul met a South African of Indian origin in New Delhi: Essop Pahad, the right-hand man of Thabo Mbeki, who was then Mr. Mandelas deputy.

In an interview, Pahad recalled that he had ordered some tailor-made Nehru-style shirts. But he had to return to South Africa before they were ready. Atul volunteered to pick them up and personally deliver them to Pahads office in Johannesburg. After that, they ran into each other at functions at the Indian consulate.

He talked about Ajay a lot, Pahad said. Then I said, Who is this Ajay of yours?When Mr. Pahad finally met Ajay, he was immediately impressed. Ajay got the big picture in South Africa, and seemed to understand that there was a place in it for the Guptas.

When Mr. Mandela was released from Robben Island in 1990, Anglo American executives visited him at his home in Soweto. Other businessmen followed, to Mr. Mandelas delight, according to an authorized biography describing how he stayed at the estates of white tycoons and accepted gifts from them.

Mandela was particularly close to Mr. Oppenheimer, who gave him money, said Michael Spicer, a former executive at the company. But nothing was free.

Oppenheimer put together a team of economic advisers for Mandela called the Brenthurst Group named after the Oppenheimers palatial estate in Johannesburg. In meetings, ANC leaders joined the countrys top white businessmen to set the nations post-apartheid economic course, Spicer said.

Soon enough, Mr. Mandela, who had supported nationalizing the economy, endorsed pro-business policies. Some historians argue that the policies contributed to South Africas income inequality, and to an economy still based on cheap black labor.

But after becoming president, Mr. Mbeki moved to dampen the power of white businesses. He created his own group, which met at his residence each month, Pahad said. It included cabinet ministers, top businessmen, rising stars in the ANC and an unknown figure: Ajay Gupta.

Ajay said he enjoyed the meetings. Mbeki sometimes even dropped by for lunch.

Only a few years after settling in South Africa, Ajay had forged links to the highest levels of the ANC, thanks to his friendship with Pahad.

Even as the Guptas thrived off their ties to Mr. Mbekis allies, they were reaching out to his archrival, Zuma, the No 2 in the party.

The two leaders fought bitterly. So Pahad, Mbekis right-hand man, was surprised to learn that the Guptas had cultivated ties with the other side.

They were having some function at their home, and Ajay said to me, Do you mind if we invite Zuma? Mr. Pahad recalled

Money was an unspoken dynamic in the battle between Mr. Mbeki and Mr. Zuma: Who in the A.N.C. had gotten rich since the end of apartheid? And, perhaps more important, who had not?

Mandela and some others including South Africas current president, Cyril Ramaphosa became wealthy, in part through connections to white business leaders.

During Mr. Mbekis tenure, his allies got their chance, often by directing the course of the countrys Black Economic Empowerment policies, which required white businesses to take on black partners.

So when Mr. Zuma became president in 2009, it was his factions turn.

But Mr. Zuma, plagued by personal and political scandals, was distrusted by the white business establishment. And more than a decade after apartheid, many white businesses felt they had done enough to help a sentiment that angered people close to Mr. Zuma.The Oppenheimers had sold their shares in Anglo American and De Beers for billions. The heirs to the fortune Nicky Oppenheimer and his son Jonathan, both passionate aviators opened an ultraluxury private terminal in Johannesburgs main airport in 2014, with fine dining and a gallery with art for sale.

But the Oppenheimers couldnt get permission to handle international flights. Despite countless letters and calls to ANC officials, the Oppenheimers were getting nowhere.

Eventually, they sued the government, accusing the Guptas of using their political influence to stall the business. The brothers, the Oppenheimers said, wanted in on the terminal.

According to court documents, the Guptas sent a message to the Oppenheimers that they had the wrong BEE partner referring to the Black Economic Empowerment programme. If the Oppenheimers chose a partner endorsed by the Guptas, the documents said, their problems would go away.

The last straw was another appointment: In late 2015, Zuma chose an unknown lawmaker considered close to the Guptas as finance minister.

Alarmed, the business establishment and its ANC allies struck back, forcing Zuma to remove the minister after only four days.

Within weeks, a major South African bank cut ties with the Gupta family. The countrys other big banks followed.Everything might have worked out for them had Zumas ex-wife won. But one of her supporters, David Mabuza who had become a kingmaker by diverting government money to finance his political rise flipped his votes at the last minute, handing Ramaphosa a slim victory.

It wasnt the usual handshake on a deal. One hand, white, belonged to Nicholas Oppenheimer, scion of the family that controls much of South Africas gold- and diamond-mining. The other, black, belonged to Cyril Ramaphosa, a prominent foe of the old, white-ruled South Africa and leader of a crippling 1987 miners strike.

The US$900 million deal that the two men signed last month sells a large piece of the Anglo American Corporation, the Oppenheimer flagship that by some estimates accounts for 25 percent of South Africas gross domestic product, to a consortium of blacks led by Ramaphosa.

Both sides got a bargain. Blacks bought a big share of the nations best-known company at 11 percent below market price. Anglo hopes it bought a shield against the potential hostility of a new black government for the decades it supported apartheid and profited from a cruel system using migrant labour.

Anglo announced two years ago that a major subsidiary, the Johnnies Industrial Corporation, often known as Johnnic, was for sale if the right group of blacks could be found. Other buyers made inquiries.

We told them they were wasting their time, an Anglo American spokesman, Michael W Spicer, said. It waited for a black group to assemble. This spring, Ramaphosa became the groups negotiator when he retired as executive secretary of the African National Congress.

Anglo offered the consortium its 48 percent stake in Johnnic, a holding company worth R8.5 billion that owns big stakes in other large companies including South African Breweries, Premier Milling, Omni Media, and Toyota South Africa.Small businesses and investors can also buy in at the R50 price and if they need cash, Anglo will lend them 90 percent at low interest, keeping the shares as security and repaying the loans from dividends and capital appreciation.

The indications are now that we will find the money, Ramaphosa said, borrowing from South African banks, insurers and union pension funds.Ramaphosa said Anglo American had been motivated by both guilt and fear. The companys spokesman, Spicer, was circumspect.

The decision to sell Johnnic was not pure altruism, he said, but we think its enlightened self-interest.The founders of black-empowerment vehicles are often coy about the source of their seed money. It is widely reported, for example, that one group, Thebe Investments, began with US$2 million given to the African National Congress in exile by Scandinavian countries, Japan and others who wanted to help the liberation struggle but not buy guns

Some critics see another side to the movement, contending that corporations are co-opting people close to the Government to make sure no anti-business legislation is passed. The ANC has stopped talking about nationalizing the economy, but South Africa businesses benefit from practices including price-fixing cartels and secret corporate ownership that are illegal in other countries.

A former Anglo executive who heard some of the discussions two years ago that led to the Johnnic deal was blunter, saying co-opting the new Government had been the goal. The executive said the deal was discussed in crude racial terms, with talk of throwing the blacks a bone.

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How Guptas, Oppenheimers infiltrated ANC - The Herald

At Weathervane Playhouse in Akron, it's high time for a Rooster Booster Thank You Fest.

What's that, you may ask? It's a party the theater's board of trustees will throw Aug. 13 to celebrate Weathervane's upcoming reopening and thank all of Weathervane's donors, volunteer and friends for their support during the long pandemic shutdown.

Why a rooster? Because that's the theater's longtime logo: the colorful chanticleer rooster.

The free event, which will be open to the public, will include music byMurphy's Law, food and drink on the Weathervane lawn. The event will be a welcome back for all as Weathervane looks forward to opening its 87th season.

The six-show season, shorter than the theater's typical eight or nine shows, will feature a more spread-out lineup with longer runs. The fun will start again with the long-anticipated musical "Kinky Boots," which Weathervane was just weeks from opening when the pandemic shut down theaters in March2020.

Most of the original cast is coming back to finally mount the show, an Ohio community theater premiere that will run Sept. 30 to Oct. 24. Child actors playing Young Charlie and Young Lola actuallyaged out of theroles they hadmore than a year ago, so thoseparts are among those beingrecast.

In a rarity, the cast will rehearse from day oneon the stage, where the air exchange is the best in the building.

The musical about drag entertainer Lola and shoe factory heir Charlie carries the message that "You change the world when you change your mind."The musical features music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein.

"The message of the show is the reason that we're reopening with it," said Chief Executive Artistic DirectorMelanie Pepe. "It's a message of acceptance, of being proud about who you are, aboutlearning about things you don't understand. And by learning, you will understand why people choose the things they choose, and it's easier to accept when you take the time to learn about people."

The show will feature an audience talkback with local drag queens about what drag performance is as an art form, Pepe said.

Furloughed Weathervane staff members returned to work in early June, most on a part-time basis, and willmoveback to full time in a staggered fashion with the help of a second Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)loan.

The theater box office will open part time starting Monday, the same day that single tickets go on sale for "Kinky Boots."Hours will be 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays.

Single tickets will go on sale Aug. 2 for all other productions in the new season. Normal box office hours will resume Sept. 7. Call 330-836-2626.

Returning subscribers will receive season package informationin the mail in early August and new subscribers can buy packages starting in mid-August. See http://www.weathervaneplayhouse.com for more information.

The full season includes stories that celebrate diversity and uniqueness, Pepe said.All shows will be mainstage productions, rather than having a separate Emerging Artists Series this year.

Next in the lineup is the return of the popular "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" by Andrew Lloyd Webber, which will likely have fewer children's choirs from area schools onstage this year. The show which will open before Thanksgiving this season, running Nov. 16 to Dec. 19.

Next, Weathervane will move ahead with its 11th 8x10 TheatreFest of 10-minute plays Jan. 13 to 23, 2022. For the first time, the event will run for two weekends.

Next, Weathervane will offer a musical it's worked to get the rights for for four years "The Color Purple." It will run four weeks, from Feb. 17 to March 13, 2022.

The show, a musical adaptation of Alice Walker's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, follows downtrodden young Celie as she goes through a personal awakening over the course of 40 years. Weathervanealso will hosta show talkback about empowerment and representation.

"It's a story we've been wanting to tell for a very, very long time," Pepe said. "One of the reasons it's in our season is because it's a story of empowerment."

Next, the comedic whodunit "Clue" will run April 7 to May 1, based on the Paramount film that's based on the Hasbro board game. The show, full of murder and mayhem, made its world premiereat Cleveland Playhouse in February 2020.

"We need to breathe and have a little fun" with this show after the weighty and powerful "The Color Purple," Pepe said.

Weathervane will close its new season with the long-awaited "Newsies," which had been slated for summer 2020. With music by Alan Menken and book by Fierstein, the musicalfollows charismatic New York newsboy Jack Kelly and his band of teen newsies, who strike against unfair work conditions. The show will run for five weeks, June 2 to July 3, 2022.

In other Weathervane updates, theatergoers who will return for the first time in nearly 18 months will see fresh paint and a renovated snack barin the lobby, thanks to donors Tom and Shelley Koutnik;an updated and newly named "Donald M. and Mary E. Jenkins" box office; and a new stage floor, donated by Maureen and Jim Kovach. The exterior also will be freshly painted for the first time in nearly 15 years.

After beinglargely empty for more than a year, Weathervane needed some sprucing up. Students from Archbishop Hoban High School spent three days in late June refreshing the building, organizing and cleaning.

"What they're doing is bringing the theater back to life and they've been extremely hardworking," Pepe said.

Support from grant funders, the city of Akron and donors have been a lifeline, shesaid: "This could have been the end of 86 years of incredible history in Akron and it wasn't, because people chose to give."

Downtown at Dusk kicked off last week at the Akron Art Museum while I was on vacation, featuring trumpeter Curtis Taylor with his jazz quartet. The 37th annual event, back live this summer after going digital last year, continues from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursdays with free concerts through the end of the month in the Bud and Susie Rogers Garden. In case of bad weather, concerts will move inside, with a limited capacity.

The concerts also are streamed live on the museum's Facebook page. Alineup of fan favorites who've performed previously at the event will be featured.

On Thursday, the sextet Sammy DeLeon y su Orquestra will play Latin jazz, led bydrummer DeLeon. July 22 will highlight Timi FUNK, an Akron songstress who blends old-school funk and classic rock with neo-soul. The final show July 29 will feature the blues, jazz and rock of 15 60 75 Numbers Band, which will be playing at Downtown at Dusk for its37th year.

The Akron Symphonic Winds, a 30-piece professional wind band,will play from 4:45 to 6 p.m. July 24 at the Akron Arts Expo at Hardesty Park, 1615 W. Market St. The expo is returning for its 42nd year after last year's hiatus. More than 100 artists will take part in the juried fine arts and craft show from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 24 and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 25.

Other entertainment July 24 will be East of Seattle 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and the Jimiller Band 1 to 2 p.m. Performers July 25will beMichael Eric Schirch 11 a.m. to noon, ETC Heids School of Musical Arts Show Choirs 1 to 2 p.m. and Jeri Sapronetti and Graham Murphy 3:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Arts writer Kerry Clawson may be reached at 330-996-3527 or kclawson@thebeaconjournal.com.

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Weathervane to thank public with Rooster Booster party heading into reopening - Akron Beacon Journal

The coastline of Kerala is currently undergoing a colossal face//lift. Hopefully, this renovation will beckon more tourists and visitors. The recent revitalization of beaches includes greener pastures, coastal highway, tiled walkways, and the walls of the beach beautified by breath-taking paintings that tell the tales of the city. While plans to enhance the potential for coastline tourism proceed apace on one side, the other side shows the stark reality of the livelihood of the fishermen on a standstill. The pandemic exacerbated the already pathetic condition of the marginalised communities. The people engaged in fishing are mostly from the Dheevara, Muslim, and Latin Catholic communities, who are grouped under Other Backward Communities (OBCs), which account for around 10.44 lakh population of Kerala.

The onset of Covid-19 and the sharp decline in marine fish production (4.75 lakh tonnes) since 2019 has had an extremely emasculating effect on them. The people who were formerly praised as superheroes" during the floods swiftly ended up being scorned as the "super spreaders" of Covid-19. It must be remembered that social distancing, sanitizers, and other means of personal protection are a luxury for these backward communities.

Pandemic And Its Cultural Impact

Apart from the socio-economic distress, the pandemic has had a significant impact on the cultural life of these communities. These people share a special relationship with the sea and its environment which they consider to be sacred (Their habit of referring to the 'sea' as "Kadalamma", which means "Mother Sea", shows the maternal attachment of the people with the sea).

The lives of people of the Dheevara community are generally enwrapped by the clouds of superstition and religious dogma. They usually worship "Bhagavati" or "Kali" and attribute bad lucks in their occupation as punishment from the Goddess. Also they perform various rituals to please the Goddess to protect them during their sea sails and to help them when the fish population is on the decline.

But under the present circumstances, their rites and rituals remain restrained within the four corners of their homes. Pandemic-related occupational insecurity have forced the youth to seek employment in other sectors.

The Scars of Socio-Economic Crisis

Although Kerala has high socio-economic indicators, the growth of living standards and access to basic amenities of the fishermen is still very slow. The quantity and quality of ichthyological wealth is a crucial determining factor of the income of the marine folks. As the income from the sources is seasonal, the scope of savings for any precautionary motive is virtually nil.

Further, the disruptive effects of Covid-19 have had very harmful effects upon the fisheries and aquaculture industry. It affected both supply and demand chains in the fisheries sector. Every link of the supply chain fishing, input, processing, transportation, circulation, wholesale, and retail is vulnerable to COVID-19 related restrictions. In this chain connecting buyers and sellers, even the disruption of one link will send a series of chain reactions which will emasculate the entire system. The rise in diesel hike increased the operational cost and further slowdown the supply of inputs like ice, fishing gear, and other equipment. Thus pandemic-related uncertainties may pressure people to slow down spending which will result in the reduction of demand, the decline of price, and the dwindling of the amount of investment available for future production.

The Covid crisis has also affected the personal health and safety of fishermen. As they live in congested and densely populated areas, the health risk and lack of proper drinking water for these individuals are also major concerns. For the primary healthcare facilities, there are only 39 dispensaries across the state. Also, the isolation increased stress and social pressure have further aggravated them.

The recent trawling and social distancing measures have also contributed to worsening the condition of fishermen specifically small-scale fishermen due to their limited participation in the decision-making processes because of their limited organizational capacity. In the wake of Cyclone Tauktae, there were 6 days strict ban on all occupations related to the sea, and the government provided them with social security worth Rs 1200 as compensation. Natural calamities like this are just the extension of hazards that was already happening in the coastal region for a long time. Nutrition and calorie deficits in households of fisherfolks intensified due to the food risk which ends them up completely hanging on rationing and the special food kits of the government.

The brunt of economic fallout disproportionally affects women, 80% of allied workers in fisheries are women in Kerala. They often do not have the same access as men to education, finance, technology, etc... which severely limits their influence on decision-making on matters that have a crucial impact on their lives. Also, the number of women in for the pension for the wife of deceased fisherfolk is increasing. The bleak reality of their childrens lives stands in sharp contrast with the buoyantly bedecked walls of the beach. Meanwhile, the laxity of the union government towards this marginalised community is reflected in the union budget. The Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sambada Yojana (PMMSY) scheme which aims to encourage business investments in the fishing sector doesnt directly address the needs of the current situation.

Possible Countermeasures

Active efforts at all levels to minimize the impact of Covid -19 on the fisherman communities should be immediately taken. Lack of demand among fisherfolks can only be compensated through social security schemes. Strengthening women empowerment initiatives like Society for Assistance to Fisherwomen (SAF) should be promoted to suit the needs of women and should be implemented in ways that would make women more financially independent. As the 13th five-year plan and the United Nations' sustainable development goals lay special emphasis on boosting the blue economy, the socio-economic well-being of the fisherfolk community is the primary area of concern to which we should focus our attention. Investment in the "blue recovery" plans to promote growth and resilience among the fishermen community and to attain "blue sustainability" should be given paramount importance. The distribution of special concessions, allowances, and nutritional security will result in productive labour. Therefore, any sort of developmentary vision towards coastline tourism should go hand in hand with addressing the problems and concerns of the indigenous communities who constitute an indispensable part of it.

(Shravan is pursuing Masters in Economics atJNU, New Delhi and Sivanth is a final year Philosophy (Hons) student from Hindu College, Delhi University)

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How Covid impacted the fisherfolk of Kerala? - Mathrubhumi English

Press Release

Taz Thornton, who is an award-winning business and empowerment coach and author, has joined famous speaker agency Champions Speakers. She is now listed alongside business leaders and celebrities including Richard Branson, Karren Brady and Simon Sinek

Award-winning coach and personal empowerment specialist Taz Thornton has joined the illustrious roster of leading speaker agency Champions Speakers.

The announcement follows hard on the heels of Taz being named the UK's Personal Empowerment Specialist Of The Year in the 2021 Innovation and Excellence Awards.

Champions Speakers was formed in 2003 by father and son team, Matthew and John Hayes. It has grown to become one of the leading providers of keynote, after dinner, motivational, sports and guest speakers with offices in London, Dubai, and the UK. The company's roster runs to the hundreds and includes everyone from agricultural economists to former prime ministers, and from elite sports stars to former MI5 directors.

Through Champions Speakers, anyone can book Taz to talk about personal branding, empowerment, motivation and inspiration, and more, including topics such as: "Whose dreams are you chasing?"; "Future-proof yourself"; "Breaking down, breaking through"; "Your management 'why' is not enough"; and "Unleash your awesome".

"I'm absolutely thrilled to sign to Champions Speakers and to join a roster that represents Tony Robbins, Simon Sinek, Deborah Meaden, Richard Branson and Karren Brady, among others," said Taz.

"I'm looking forward to drawing on my wealth of experience and insights to deliver passionate, authentic, believable content that audiences will be able to connect to and that they will feel is achievable for them."

When it comes to public speaking and coaching, Taz has an impressive CV: she has worked with hundreds of clients across the country, delivered a number of TEDx talks and has extensive experience of delivering motivational and empowerment events. Brands she has worked with as a motivational speaker include Royal Bank of Scotland, Beachbody and She Means Business (Facebook).She regularly receives excellent feedback.

"The 'Pink Power House' of public speaking is Taz Thornton, always engaging on tough topics in business and life," said Linda Reynolds, personal travel agent and member of the Midcounties Co-Operative.

"Taz will hold your attention and give you valuable life lessons and the inspiration to change. I would highly recommend for you to see Taz speak; I have sat through 14 different speakers in the past 28 years of business and she's the only one I have chosen to pay and see more than three times in 12 months."

As well as her most recent award, Taz was named UK's Best Female Coach in 2018, was awarded the One to Watch Speaker Trainer Award (2019), and has also been named one of the Top 50 Female Marketers to Watch along with many other accolades. She has a great deal to offer anyone looking to book a motivational speaker.

"Wow, I discovered this amazing lady at a business show giving an inspirational speech. Taz truly spoke from the heart and connected with everyone within the room. She certainly inspired me and I'm sure will inspire you once you have heard her," said Amy Crowson, business owner.

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Award-winning coach promoted to the "champion's league" of speakers - Journalism.co.uk

In 2021, sincere discourse online becomes subverted very quickly. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the rise of "gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss" memes. A parody of everyone's least favourite motivational adage, "live, laugh, love", it began with a Tumblr post in January (followed in tow by its lesser known counterpart "manipulate, mansplain, malewife"). But what does it actually mean?

AVox piecepublished earlier this year suggested that the meme represents a cultural rebuttal of the girlboss archetype, with the latter two phrases being used more or less in earnest -- in other words, that gaslighting and gatekeeping are inextricable parts of being a girlboss. A Refinery29article, meanwhile, argued that the phrase represents "a counter-meme against the overwhelming pressure to forge ahead, to progress at all costs, to be a cog in a wheel that refuses to stop spinning as if that greed for constant growth and 'progress' didn't land us here in the first place."

I'm not entirely convinced by either explanation. In general, memes tend to be more absurdist than didactic and rarely articulate a singular, coherent point. More than anything, "gaslight, girlboss, gatekeep" is a series of buzzwords strung together at random -- that's why it's funny. Suppose it conveys a weariness with the term girlboss, this also applies to gatekeep and gaslight -- two actually useful concepts which have been reduced to the realm of nonsense by the discourse machine that is the internet (as the Vox piece acknowledged, "Gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss functions as more of an ironic 'yeesh' at how embarrassingly enthusiastic we all were to jump on the buzzword bandwagon.") Let us consider, then, how the internet changes language over time, as told through the history of three annoying buzzwords.

Girlboss was coined in 2014 by Nasty Gal founderSophie Amuroso(her eventual memoir was titled#Girlboss; the same name she gave to her media company) and quickly grew to become a cultural phenomenon. People really did take it seriously for a while, but it's been a long time since the term has been used in an earnest or aspirational way. It's been renounced by just about all of its former adherents, which makes sense when you understand that being plugged into the zeitgeist and an early adopter of cultural trends is a necessary component of being a girlboss in the first place. For the most part, it's now used in mockery, although some erstwhile girlbosses have already begun the hard task of reclaiming the title in a self-deprecating way. In that sense, it could end up being the new "basic": a term with negative connotations which people nonetheless use about themselves with a nudge and a wink (if you look at the #girlboss on Instagram, there is still a fair amount of sincere usage, but this is normie-led and therefore beyond the scope of this article.)

The term girlboss died in large part because all such trends inevitably do, but the animosity it inspired speaks to a growing boredom with representational politics: more and more women became sceptical of the idea that individual success has anything to do with emancipation on a larger scale. A string of high profile controversies among women-led companies, from Nasty Gal to women-only private member's club The Wing (both accused of perpetuating toxic work environments), only confirmed the suspicion that woman capitalists could be just as exploitative and ruthless as their male counterparts. The girlboss became entwined with "white feminism" or "liberal feminism", typified by shallow representational politics and a focus on individual empowerment. This increasingly unfashionable school of feminism has been subject to a number of high-profile critiques over the last five years, as well as being diminished by one too many stocking filler books with titles likeObnoxious Broadsand Insufferable Dames.

Liberal feminism might be more or less as popular as it always has been, but it's certainly unusual to hear the term used in a positive sense. For the people who subscribe to it, it's just "feminism." Despite the marked decline of the girlboss, the corporate ideology from which she sprang is still very much alive today. Consider this viral post about a CEO who arranges her app folders as positive affirmations like "I am productive", "I am educated", and "I am rich". She might as well have added "I girlboss", "I gatekeep", "I gaslight".

Next, we move onto gaslighting. Unlike girlboss, this began as something more than a buzzword. Named after a 1938 Patrick Hamilton play,Gas Light, in which a man attempts to drive his wife insane by altering her perception of reality, it has been in common usage for decades as a term describing a specific type of emotional abuse. Gaslighting is, I think, a real thing, and it's worth having a word to pinpoint this pattern of behaviour -- but it has been afflicted by "concept creep", through which its meaning has expanded to include any number of behaviours. Today it has largely become a fancy way of saying "lying". It has moved from the interpersonal to the public sphere. One of the most famous examples of this tendency was a wildly viralTeen Vogue articleheadlined "Donald Trump Is Gaslighting America". But was he? Or was he simply lying?

It's true that the falsehoods of politicians are sometimes so egregious that gaslighting might feel like a fitting descriptor, but, for the most part, politicians are just guilty of plain old dishonesty. This is a bad enough trait for a public servant to embody; we don't need an inflated term with which to describe it. This process of inflation also makes the word less effective at describing the behaviour to which it originally referred. Certainly, if I were to experience genuine gaslighting in a personal relationship now, I'd be wary of describing it in those terms. Now, it just sounds a bitsilly. It's reached the point of no return, and I suspect there's no going back. RIP gaslighting: killed by a thousand overreaching think pieces.

Gatekeeping is perhaps the least ubiquitous of the three terms in question, but as with gaslighting it refers to something important, or rather a series of important things. In the UK, it's a term that relates tohousingand the practice of local authorities refusing to house homeless people when they have a duty to do so. For trans people, medical gatekeeping means the inability to access the healthcare you need without going through a potentially unsympathetic and obstructive third party. It is a serious form of oppression and one which is mirrored in some forms of medical fatphobia. Less seriously, it's used in relation to an annoying type of behaviour in which people attempt to police who else likes the things they like, with the assumption being that other people's interests are an affectation. The classic example would be storming up to someone in a Nirvana T-shirt and asking them to name three songs, but my personal favourite is when Jeremy Corbyn said he likedUlyssesand someone challenged him to a competitive close reading session.

But like gaslighting, gatekeeping has also fallen victim to concept creep and can now be used to describe any kind of disparaging opinion whatsoever. Expressing any view not stridently in favour of mass culture, for example, risks seeing you branded a gatekeeper. Take the backlashlevelled at poor old Martin Scorsese when he (not inaccurately) compared Marvel films to theme park rides. The director was accused of gatekeeping what is and isn't real cinema, even though it excluded no one. In effect, gaslighting and gatekeeping are both now regularly used to mean "someone saying something I don't like". Language changes and this isn't necessarily a problem, but in this instance, it does risk diminishing the utility of two concepts that once had value. Maybe, in the face of this, we'll have to invent new words to talk about what gatekeeping and gaslighting used to mean before social media got its grubby little hands on them.

As linguist Gretchen McCulloch writes in her book Because Internet:Understanding the New Rules of Language, "creating, sharing, or laughing at a meme is staking a claim to being an insider: I am a member of internet culture, it says, and if you don't get this, then you aren't." Creating memes out of the stuff of sincere discourse is a way of signposting that we are aware of when trends become pass, even if there remains a sizeable contingent of normies who haven't got the memo. Being the first to recognise when something has become a cliche is its own form of cultural capital. But something risks being lost when all forms of language are liable to be reduced to gibberish so quickly. All popular phrases, however valuable or trivial they were to begin with, meet with the same fate: chewed up and spat out by the relentless, devouring, and ultimately quite tedious maw of the internet.

Continued here:

Unpacking what it means to 'gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss' - i-D

Those who have experienced losing a loved one know it is an extremely difficult one to navigate. Many people will turn to various resources to find comfort, with books being one of the most notable places to start. Experts and a community of readers from Book Authority have identified and recommended the best books in the world that can help those dealing with grief.

Little Matches: A Memoir of Grief and Light

An emotionally raw memoir that tells the story of a mothers grief after the loss of her adult child with cystic fibrosis. The book considers the hope of soulful connections that go beyond the boundary of life and death.

Widowish: A Memoir

An uplifting and deeply moving memoir of grieving 'outside of the box' as a woman navigates life after her husbands unexpected death. She finds that she doesnt fit the typical idea of widowhood or meet the expectations of mourning in this modern take on loss.

Loving and Living Your Way Through Grief: A Comprehensive Guide to Reclaiming and Cultivating Joy and Carrying on in the Face of Loss

This book offers help in healing from grief and loss and its pages are filled with insight, wisdom and relatable stories. The book shares everything you need to know to start living again with joy, meaning, and love after loss. It is organised so that the reader can choose a topic from the table of contents relating to the issue that is affecting you the most at that moment.

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Good Grief I'm Healed: Hurt in the World, Healed by the Word

Author Suzanne Grimaud reveals how she healed after losing both her mother and sister in a fatal car accident when she was a teenager. This book is for those who are tired of the trauma, grief, anxiety, panic and fear and just want to start living again.

The Night Lake: A Young Priest Maps the Topography of Grief

This is a raw and intensely affecting memoir by a young priest about the loss of a child, the following grief and aftermath, and the hard-won joy that can follow. It is the story of finding a way forward through a tragedy that sems like it might be beyond surviving.

Pets and the Afterlife 3: Messages from Spirit Dogs

This is the third volume in a series of books by Rob Gutro on pet communications from the afterlife. Through personal stories, mourning pet owners reveal how their dogs gave them signs and messages. In addition, there is a special chapter by a licensed professional on how to cope with grief and spot signs and receive messages on your own.

Good Grief: Embracing life at a time of death

Mother and daughter Anne Mayer Bird and Catherine Mayer were widowed within 41 days of each other on the eve of the Covid pandemic, then forced into lockdown alone. Together they discovered ways to navigate their loss and how to handle the startling questions and challenges that confronted them. The main focus, however, is not on death, but on life and love.

The Language of Loss: Poetry and Prose for Grieving and Celebrating the Love of Your Life

When Barbara Abercrombies husband died, she found the language of condolence irritating, even though it was well intended. She instead yearned for words that acknowledged the reality of death, spoke about the sorrow, loneliness, guilt and anger. This book is one to dip in to and read slowly, a collection of poems and prose to lead you through the phases of grief.

The Irreverent Grief Guide: How to F***ing Survive Months 1-3

The author of this book is a cheerleader for the grief process: "Manage a shower today (badass), skipped the shower and just doused yourself with cologne (your essence is perfection), spontaneous meltdown in a bathroom stall at work (proud of you). Whatever you are feeling is right!"

Embodied Resilience through Yoga: 30 Mindful Essays About Finding Empowerment After Addiction, Trauma, Grief, and Loss

Here you will find 30 personal essays of resilience to help you heal, connect and thrive through yoga, supporting your journey to self-acceptance and empowerment.

Lost Without You: Loving and Losing Tanya

In July 2019, ex-footballer Vinnie Jones tragically lost his wife, Tanya, after her six-year battle with cancer. Her passing was a devastating shock to everyone who knew her - and Vinnie found himself struggling to cope. In this extraordinarily intimate memoir, Vinnie tackles his grief honestly by sharing warm and colourful stories from the 25 years he spent married to Tanya alongside unfiltered accounts of the reality of grief.

Heartbroken: Healing from the Loss of a Spouse

Bestselling author, hospice chaplain, and grief specialist Gary Roe is a well-respected and sought after voice in grief recovery. Gary has walked with hundreds of widows and widowers through this painful valley. From their stories he has composed this warm, practical work that will both touch your heart and comfort your soul.

The Gift of Grief: A Practical Guide on Navigating Grief and Loss

The Gift of Grief is for those who are navigating a loss and are wanting to understand grief itself and how to heal from a variety of losses. The book helps the reader understand death, dying and other everyday life events that can cause us to grieve. This book also helps you to understand the grieving process and addresses the different myths that can impact your personal journey.

Continued here:

Books on grief: The 16 incredible bestsellers to help cope with loss of loved one - Express

How can CISOs make cybersecurity positive, productive, inclusive, and maintain best practices across the enterprise?

Do your staff feel valued and important in their roles? More than 65 percent of employees report they do not feel recognized at work, and 31 percent say theyre engaged but feel my company could do more to improve the employee experience. How can CISOs (who are already busy fighting fires, cloning themselves, and plate juggling) empower their security staff to be productive and empower the wider company while maintaining stringent security standards?

Autonomy in the workplace fosters a more efficient and inspired company culture, however, autonomy and IT security dont traditionally go hand in hand. Individual responsibility, supporting the wider team, does. Finding a persons specialisms and asking them, as the expert, to champion and report on a single element to support their peers within the wider IT security function, is a great way to show confidence and acknowledge and respect the specific value they bring to the organization.

Initially, a team leader does this while a team member is still working within (and reporting to) the support network of the overall security team. Not only does this give individuals responsibility, but it also gives them a specialism (or two) mutually chosen during their most recent staff appraisal and a position of responsibility within the organization, while having the support of their peers. Security team members could, for example, be responsible for (and report on) patching, physical installation, user access controls, working with IT ops to build a shared business continuity/disaster recovery plan, new threats, championing work with HR to educate other company employees on phishing attacks and suspicious activity, security auditing, or one of the hundreds of other areas that busy security teams need to address. Not only is this great for individuals to be able to use their strengths, and interests, but individual task responsibility helps to communicate a clear vision and demonstrates trust. Reporting at regular team meetings gives people a chance to communicate, shine, and/or a chance to ask for help.

One of the most often cited complaints from staff in any function is a lack of communication. Part of this is individual management and one-to-one response and by the nature of communication that means listening to staff concerns and verbally acknowledging/appreciating their efforts (publicly and privately).

A part of this is also accessibility. A closed-door is no help to communication. Leave your office door open and make it known. This may seem trite, but its one of the biggest barriers and biggest complaints of staff with regards to ease of communication. People should be able to access management and expert opinion with minimum fuss, and feeling as though their opinions and ideas are welcome. Staff should know they should never be afraid to ask. Be on Slack, WhatsApp, Teams, or whatever your team uses and be available.

Standup meetings are always great for clarity and improving access to knowledge. Standups are traditionally a part of Scrum methodology but can also be used to promote communication. Short and simple, usually once a day for 15 minutes, these daily morning get-togethers answer three simple questions: What did you do yesterday? What will you do today? Is anything blocking your progress? Each staff member gets a chance to talk, and everyone gets insight into the teams activity meaning they can pitch in and provide ideas and support after the meeting if needed. Also, based on the previous days results, you get to ask if todays plans need to be changed or altered accordingly affording better flexibility and response. Standups let staff be heard, as well as offering teammates the chance to help each other by reacting to problems and removing blocks and impediments.

Last but not least, consciously or subconsciously, people like to be thanked. A simple Good work, Well done or Thank you goes a long way. Never forget how you felt coming up. Whether it was an idea that improved network accessibility or a well-handled report, let your employees know when they are doing a good job. We do it for the money, but we stay for the respect and feeling of ownership. Its rare that people who are appreciated become a willing insider threat or a security risk further down the line.

Having good equipment and investing in software is important to IT security teams. Using people-power as a substitute for investment can be seen, rightly or not, as a lack of security team backing. If teams have to wade through thousands of false positives every morning, or dont have time to do other important work due to playing security-whack-a-mole, what could that say about how your company values and supports the cybersecurity team? IT security personnel are highly sought after and KNOW their value in todays security climate. Investing in cybersecurity tools that save time and money will also free up team members to be more proactive in other areas, such as threat modeling, red team exercises that promote teamwork and raise security knowledge, or acting as champions.

When someone joins your company they should, regardless of department or experience, undergo cybersecurity awareness training. Ideally, this should be led by the IT security part of your company, in person, as opposed to using online courses or a collection of videos. The personal touch MAKES it personal and reaffirms the importance of cybersecurity, giving the user a chance to be a part of the conversation, to ask questions, and to take an active part. Personal, ideally one-to-one training, will be part of their conscious thinking and memory long after theyve forgotten one of the many training videos or emails they had to consume during their induction.

Yearly simulated phishing exercises, password security training, and security best practices refreshers should be a standard training policy across every department. Keeping it unambiguous and relatable makes for a clearer understanding and promotes inclusion.

Teaching within the IT security department itself should be more proactive and of a higher technical standard. Using your specialists and technical champions, consider lunchtime lectures (people will usually share their time in exchange for knowledge and free pizza). A short talk on the importance of the mitigation of zero-day exploits and the use of third-party code, in an informal lunchtime setting with complimentary Pepperoni Passion, makes for team bonding and sweetens the learning experience. This also gives your specialists a chance to shine, allows others to learn about the topic and its value, and for Q&As. Team leaders should be present themselves and take an interest. Theres also a very good chance that HR will foot the bill for this one as they usually have an allocation for such things.

Its worth remembering that the purpose of employee empowerment is to let people feel confident enough to take controlled risks and to make their own decisions, which includes accepting that sometimes mistakes will be made. Theres no point being unduly upset or recriminatory about this, this is a part of the process, and employees dont need to be dragged over the coals if things dont go to plan they need to be supported, and policies and practices need to be developed where weaknesses are exposed.

Cybersecurity is notoriously busy and often reactive, and while there are time-saving and preventative cybersecurity tools that will help, it is possible to empower our IT security staff to be productive and empower the wider company. As managers, we can make people feel valued and important in their roles, using an open approach and the resources at hand while boosting and preserving security standards.

The post How to Empower Employees to be Secure and Productive appeared first on Blog.

*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from Blog authored by Nik Hewitt. Read the original post at: https://www.imperva.com/blog/how-to-empower-employees-to-be-secure-and-productive/

Read more here:

How to Empower Employees to be Secure and Productive - Security Boulevard

A shout out to all the women who have beat their personal adversities and have arisen above them. The New Woman is a book that every woman should definitely read. An anthology of women, the book is an amalgamation of 34 stories of women who have undergone transformation through adversity, spread across five continents. The book will be launched on 24th July under the umbrella of Kaushalya UK- a registered, not-for-profit, community organization working to empower and uplift women.

The founder and CEO of Kaushalya UK, Ritu Sharma is a renowned entrepreneur, an ambassador for empowerment of women. She has been working relentlessly for many years to uplift the status of women in society and empower them towards a better and healthier future.

Talking about the book, she says, Women go through challenges of one form or the other, in general. The learnings women get out of these challenges are phenomenal and if shared, can be of great help and of value to those who need them.

I believe that many women go through similar challenges and still feel that they are the only ones. In our cognitive isolation, we tend to treat these experiences as unique and novel, and that is how gender-based discrimination becomes normalized in our societies. By sharing these stories, we are not only exposing what is done to women on a regular basis, making them believe this is OK, but also creating an awareness that we do not have to keep repeating the narrative. Change is possible! And so is happiness, she further adds.

Showcasing women who have been shattered by the challenges they have faced, the book is based on the concept of Kintsugi- where the Japanese repair broken pottery with powder gold lacquer to highlight imperfections.

The New Woman has various aspects of human life and the dynamics of human relationships are covered. There are stories around fight with mental health issues, domestic abuse, manipulation, drug abuse, and many more. Ritus contributing chapter talks about her feelings and experience around homelessness and is bound to strike a chord.

One of Kaushalya UKs mission statements is to highlight and celebrate the impact that women have made on the people and the world around them. Working with UK-based publishers, they are launching the book on Amazon in hardback and as well as an e-book. It will also be available on various online outlets, including the organizations website http://www.kaushalyauk.com (where you can buy signed copies).

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Empowering women naturally, Ritu envisions that the stories shared in The New Woman would become a medium for other ladies to take their own stand and rise above all challenges. When one person comes in front to share their experiences, many others get the power to stand up and face theirs.

Read the original here:

'The New Woman', an international anthology, shares stories of empowered women to empower women - APN Live

Phase 2 Applications for B.Tech. and MBA Tech. programmes

SVKMs NMIMS Deemed-To-Be-University invites applications from students who could not apply to NMIMS-CET (NMIMS Common Entrance Test). Candidates can now apply through non-NMIMSCET procedure for B.Tech. and MBA Tech. (B.Tech. + MBA Tech.) programmes at the campuses in Mumbai, Shirpur, Navi Mumbai and Indore. Admissions will commence after the conclusion of the NMIMSCET admission process and be based on Class XII marks. Candidates with minimum 50% aggregate marks (45% for Shirpur Campus) in Physics, Chemistry/Vocational Science and Maths will be eligible for admissions to Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Indore Campuses. For details, visit http://www.nmims.edu/non-nmimscet

Versant Automated Language Practice Tests

Pearson recently added Versant English Practice Tests for test-takers who aim to build confidence and want to familiarise themselves with the test format before taking the real exam. The Automated Practice Test aims to help students and professionals in recruitment, training, and advancement in English spoken and written skills. The formats in which Versant Practice Tests will be available includes single skill speaking and writing tests, four skills corporate screening test, and four skills university placement test. For details, visit, http://www.VersantTest.com/prepare

Indian Institute Of Art and Design applications

The Indian Institute of Art and Design (IIAD), in collaboration with Kingston School of Art, London, offers undergraduate programmes in Fashion Design, Fashion Business Management, Communication Design and Interior Architecture and Design. It also offers postgraduate programmes in Fashion Design and Fashion Business Management.

Admissions process: IIAD Entrance Test

Deadline: July 26

Exam date: August 1 (online and offline)

Admission Helpline: +91 98713 83633, +91 11 4138 0000

http://www.iiad.edu.in

Data Science Programme and webinar

NUS Business School, in collaboration with Great Learning, is offering a six-month Data Science Programme for practical decision-making. The programme will be conducted online and includes masterclasses from industry experts. On completion, candidates will get a certificate from NUS Business School.

Great Learning will be hosting an hour-long (12 p.m. onwards), free-of-cost webinar on Careers in Data Science in 2021 on July 16. It will shine the spotlight on the current prevailing trends in the world of Data Science and Data Analytics. The instructor will break down the important concepts to give participants a sense of direction while shaping a career in these lucrative domains. The session aims to touch base in a structured manner to achieve a successful transition in the data science and analytics field. Those interested can register for the webinar by visiting https://www.greatlearning.in/academy/learn-for-free/courses/careers-in-data-science-in-2021

Deadline: July 15

https://bit.ly/3raAgTJ

MBA programmes at Jaipuria Instiute of Management

Jaipuria Institute of Management, Ghaziabad, recently announced admissions to its two-year MBA and the MBA in Business Analytics programme for 2021-2023. Admission process includes a Group Discussion/Personal inteview followed by an aptitude test.

Eligibility: Candidates must have secured at least 50% marks in graduation, in any discipline, from a recognised university/institute. Candidates who are in their final-year of graduation can apply, provided they can furnish the provisional results during the final admission process. Performance in CAT/CMAT/MAT nationalised tests approved by AICTE is considered (Not Mandatory)

Helpline: 0120-4550100, 9958222099, 9958077088

http://www.jaipuria.edu.in/jim

Free online CET/ComedK

Dayananda Sagar Institutions (DSI) recently announced that it will offerg free CET/ComedK classes for students preparing to write the 2021 tests. The initiative aims to provide a platform for students across Karnataka and the nation to learn from the best minds, enabling them to do well in the CET and COMED-K exams and choose a college/university of their choice. Online classes for Physics, Chemistry, Maths, and Biology will be conducted by subject matter experts. To register, visit, http://www.dayanandasagar.edu

MoU signed

School of Branding and Advertising (SOBA), part of SVKMs NMIMS Deemed-to-be University, recently signed a MoU with 120 Media Collective and Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) to promote self-regulation for consumer protection. Under the agreement, 120 Media Collective and ASCI will facilitate live projects for the schools students to help them acquire on-ground experience by working on campaigns, research, ad films, branding exercises, media management, and more. Certificates will be issued to students who complete the required work. Both organisations will also conduct master classes or webinars to enable students to interact with the leadership. Additionally, 120 Media Collective will offer internships to final-year students who have excelled in academics. For details, visit, https://advertising.nmims.edu/

Human infrastructures of Social Support

Venkata Ratnadeep Suri, Faculty at IIIT-Delhi, recently participated in a programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4, conducted as part of the series The Digital Human. The programme, hosted by Aleks Krotoski, talks about ordinary people who have stepped up to save lives during Indias second wave of COVID-19. During his appearance on the podcast, Suri discussed how technology enabled people to form local microcosmic systems to allow those most in need to get the oxygen supply or other vital resources during the crisis. For details, visit, https://www.iiitd.ac.in/

International virtual symposium on women empowerment

The Centre for Women Empowerment at Bharathi Womens College (Autonomous), Chennai, recently organised an international virtual symposium on Women Empowerment: Issues and Challenges. Inaugurating the session, Dr.R.Srinivasan, Member Secretary, Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and Technology said that the TNSCST has a number of schemes for the benefit of women and they can utilise these schemes to empower them in their career. The speakers emphasised on the need to tackle problems in the digital world from a broader perspective. About 600 people joined the conference virtually.

At Toycathon 2021

Team Mighty Warriors Ayush Sankaran, Dhwani Raghuram from Billabong High International School (BHIS) and Jashith Narang from Bombay Scottish School emerged winners of at the AatmaNirbhar Bharat Abhiyan competition at Toycathon 2021. They created an application to learn Indian languages such as Sanskrit, Tamil and Kannada. Nineteen-year-old civil engineering student Athik Mohamed M, from Thiagarajar Polytechnic College, Salem, also showcased his Heritage Race at the same event. With a VR headset, a phone, and the app, the game allows users to view historic monuments in a virtual environment, while cycling indoors. Users on a regular bicycle can follow heritage routes and even listen to soothing music in the background.

Perfect score

The NorthCap University (NCU), Gurugram, recently scored an overall rating of four stars in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Stars Ratings. According to the rating assessment report, NCU has achieved a perfect score of five stars in Teaching, Employability, Academic Development, Online Learning, and Inclusiveness.

Deccans Park Education Scholarships

MLA Udhayanidhi Stalin recently handed over education scholarships from Deccan Park to more than 100 school students in Chepauk-Thiruvallikeni constituency. The beneficiaries were studying in classes VI to XII and from economically backward classes or among those worst affected due to the pandemic.

BITSoM commences academic session

The BITS School of Management (BITSoM) recently commenced its first academic session today for the two-year residential MBA programme with its founding class of 140 students, out of which 35% are women. Students were selected after a rigorous selection process that comprised of academics, CAT/GMAT/GRE scores, extracurricular achievements, and a personal interview. Half the class had work experience of two or more years with top companies such as Amazon, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, Ernst & Young, Morgan Stanley, TCS, and ZS Associates from across more than 20 industries.

Webinar on Entrepreneurship and Innovation

Crimson Education recently conducted a webinar on the Importance of Entrepreneurship and Innovation through the Principles of Design Thinking, specially for high school students in India seeking admission to universities in the U.K. and the U.S. It provided expert tips and exclusive insights on how to impress admission councils at leading universities, to participants and highlighted how building and showcasing entrepreneurial skills helps applications stand out among the pool of applicants.

Microsoft Imagine Cup award

Two Mumbai-based teens, Aasimm Khan and Sidharth Jain, recently won the Imagine Cup Junior AI award, an initiative of Microsoft for developing a non-invasive screening for skin cancer using Artificial Intelligence. They represented OMOTEC (On My Own Technology), a city-based educational and innovation centre, under the banner Team GForce to showcase their research in developing a non-invasive pressure mapping method to screen skin cancer and enable early detection. The team won the award in the AI for Humanitarian Action category for detecting Genital Skin Cancer.

KLEEE-2021 Results and 100 Crores in Merit Scholarships

KL Deemed-to-be University recently announced the results of KL Engineering Entrance Exam 2021 (KLEEE-2021) conducted in a remote proctored mode. The exam was conducted for admission in Engineering courses in its Vijayawada and Hyderabad campuses. The counselling will be conducted simultaneously at both campuses from July 11-29. Scholarships through exemptions in fees will be provided based on the merit ranks of students attending the counselling. Exam results, counselling schedule, and courses offered will be available at http://www.kluniversity.in

CFP Certification in India

Financial Planning Standards Board Ltd. (FPSB Ltd.) recently announced the launch of its FPSB Integrated Financial Planning Course, which integrates global and local content and includes financial plan assessment and mentorship components. On completion, candidates will pass the CFP exam and meet additional initial certification requirements. The course will be delivered through FPSB Ltd.s online learning platform. For details, visit, https://www.fpsb.org/

Space station for multiple satellites

Lovely Professional University (LPU) announced the establishment of Professional Space Station for Multiple Satellite Tracking and Telemetry on its campus. The station will function under LPUs Centre for Space Research and will not only act as a resource for LPU and its researchers, but also be a virtual lab for other educational institutions in India and neighbouring countries. It will allow students and researchers to communicate with the International Space Stations as well as receive data from nano satellites and other spacecraft. The centre will carry out awareness programmes related to space research and remote sensing, with the support of Punjab Remote Sensing Centre. It also offers an Internet-to-orbit gateway mission control centre, for public use.

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News from the world of Education: July 13, 2021 - The Hindu