Last week, I mentioned in this space that I had run out of words, so there were several big pictures of critters instead. I also mentioned that you didnt have to worry, because I had ordered some words on Amazon. That was kind of a joke.

Should have known better. Little did I know, but you can indeed order words on Amazon. Which, truth be told, is not surprising. You can find everything on Amazon. I suppose its kind of like the Sears catalog from way, way back in the day. (Kids: if you dont know about the Sears catalog, ask your grandparents.)

I found a Big Box of Word Chunks educational board game on Amazon. Seemed appropriate for a journalist. And it only cost $22.86.

Meanwhile...

Have you ever had a butterfly land on you? Twice. Until Labor Day, Im pretty sure that I had not experienced such a thing. Not even once.

Way back in the day, a praying mantis landed on me. They are kind of scary looking bugs. Dont remember how old I was, but the critter was scary. Still remember it.

The butterfly landed on me while I was taking a quick walk at one of the places in Union County which I visit on a regular basis. I think the butterfly, which was quite colorful, may be called a painted lady, but Im not for sure.

Turns out that having a butterfly land on you may be a bit of a spiritual experience, in a good sort of way, which would be much nicer than having a praying mantis land on you when you are a little kid.

A little bit of research online turned up fascinating tidbits about what might be happening when a butterfly lands on you:

...in some cases when a butterfly lands on you, it is a sign from your loved one in Spirit. A validation that their soul lives on...

...a butterfly landing on you can be a sign that your unconscious mind approves of something, probably related to personal development or service...

...it could very well be an angel sending you a message...

...you have a special connection with this creature, and it could be a sign that a butterfly is your animal spirit.

Ill be pondering these messages for a while...

Meanwhile...

I know you folks might be getting tired of hearing about our pandemic dates. But, I kind of figure these little adventures are part of the history of the pandemic. These dates have given us a chance to see and do something sort of normal during a time which is anything but normal.

We went on a date on Labor Day. Once again motored to the Trail of Tears State Forest and wandered around in a creek bed as the sun was quickly setting late on a summer day. We worked in another date last Sunday evening after dinner.

Sometimes, we get to see critters. On Labor Day, we saw a couple of frogs, including the one in the photograph which accompanies this column.

We also saw a raccoon, much more up close and personal than I would have expected on such an excursion. I could hear some rustling in the undergrowth along the creek bed, just a foot or two away.

At first, I could hear the noise, but could not see its source. Next thing I know, a raccoon meanders into sight. The critter didnt seem a bit concerned about us at all. It just kind of strolled up the creek bed.

In addition to frogs and a raccoon, weve seen lots of white-tailed deer during our pandemic dates. I think weve seen about 14 or 16 white-tails, including several fawns, during our most recent adventures.

Our dates may not seem like much, but, like I said, they offer opportunities to do something normal, and maybe even safe.

By the way...we didnt have any butterflies land on us...the frogs didnt either. Might have been an even more interesting story if the raccoon had landed on one of us...

Meanwhile...

Were going to finish up this week with a happy birthday message to my sweetheart. If you are a friend, you can tell her happy birthday, too. Today is the big day.

The rest is here:
A butterfly...a couple of frogs...and a raccoon.... - Annanews

Despite not holding events in 2020, the Bay State Games selection committee is still honoring athletes based on past participation in the Games and other athletic achievements. It selects an Athlete of the Year in four categories. The 2020 selections for Athlete of the Year are as follows: Female Athlete 18 & younger: Teagan Dymek (Osterville); Male Athlete 18 & younger: Reese Stevenson (Harvard); Female Athlete 19 & older: Ildiko Szekely (Beverly); and Male Athlete 19 & older: Seth Trahan (Sturbridge).

Beverlys Ildiko Szekely has competed in Bay State Games Masters Swimming since 2014, winning gold every year in the 200-meter butterfly. She holds the Bay State Games record in Women 35-49 200-meter butterfly.

As a member of New England Masters, Szekely has achieved many national and international accomplishments, highlighted by winning gold in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly at the 2014 World Masters Swimming Championships in Montreal, Canada. She has also won several U.S. Masters Swimming National titles, and currently holds the U.S. Masters Swimming National record in the 400-meter freestyle relay.

Her swimming resume includes 10 individual and three All-American honors, and 59 Top 10 swims. Prior to becoming an accomplished Masters swimmer, Ildiko swam at Michigan State University, where she was a team captain and an Academic All-Big-10. She held program records in the 100-yard and 200-yard butterfly and 400-yard IM, all of which she still ranks in the Top 10 in program history.

Ildiko is currently the Connors Family Learning Center Assistant Director at Boston College.

The Bay State Games Athlete of the Year program was established to recognize individuals that excel above and beyond their athletic participation in the Bay State Games. Individuals are chosen based on overall achievements, involvement in the Bay State Games, involvement in their community, effort, sportsmanship, overcoming adversity and attitude on and off the athletic field of endeavor. The selection committee reviews nominations submitted by coaches, commissioners, parents, volunteers and other players.

Individuals chosen as Bay State Games Athlete of the Year have also been submitted for recognition as the National State Games Athlete of the Year. If chosen as the National State Games Athlete of the Year, recipients will be recognized at the National Congress of State Games annual symposium. National Athlete of the Year winners will be notified in October.

For more information on the Bay State Games Athlete of the Year program and past winners, go to http://protect-us.mimecast.com/s/GFyZC31rZ2hm6nNpjfgwxx8?domain=baystategames.org.

The Massachusetts Amateur Sports Foundation (MASF), an independent, non-profit organizer of the Bay State Summer and Winter Games, provides Olympic-style athletic competitions and developmental programs for amateur athletes of all ages. Founded in 1981, the MASF operates statewide and year-round to promote personal development, education, physical fitness, teamwork, sportsmanship and mutual respect. From a modest beginning of four sports and 300 athletes, the Games have grown to include over 30 summer and winter sports. The MASF is a member of the National Congress of State Games, comprised of over 35 states nationwide.

The rest is here:
Beverlys Ildiko Szekely chosen as a Bay State Games 2020 Athlete of the Year recipient - Wicked Local Beverly

GREEN RIVER Emmalee Skinner started her senior year at Green River High School as the Distinguished Young Woman of Wyoming for the Class of 2021.

The honor isnt just for her, though. Its also for her classmates, her community, and people throughout her state.

Emmalee was named the Distinguished Young Woman of Wyoming after winning a statewide virtual contest conducted via video submissions and Zoom meetings during the summer.

Finishing in first place doesnt just mean scholarship money and recognition for Emmalee it means she has a job to do for the benefit of others.

Now and throughout the coming year, she will serve as a role model and spread the Distinguished Young Womens national outreach message of Be Your Best Self. The outreach program is designed to encourage self esteem and excellence in young people through its five principles: be healthy, be involved, be studious, be ambitious, and be responsible. She will also represent the state at various public events.

Emmalee is already passing on the Be Your Best Self lesson through example by working hard to achieve great things and encouraging others to do the same.

It is a full time job.

In addition to her studies, Emmalee is a member of the National Honor Society, competes in high school tennis, performs in the color guard for the marching band, and works at Arctic Circle. She plans to participate in theater as well just as she has in years past.

During the Distinguished Young Women contest, Emmalee earned extra points based on the difficulty of the courses shes taken in high school. This semester, shes enrolled in AP calculus her most difficult class.

So that has been a challenge, especially trying to recall all the math learned after not using it for months, Emmalee said. But after getting back into the swing of things, its been getting a lot easier. Other than that, the year hasnt been too difficult.

Emmalee decided her senior year would include competing on the tennis team for the first time. The experience has been great, according to Emmalee. She is learning a lot, the team is very supportive, and everyone gets along great, she said.

My partner and I are both new but we are having a great time and even won all our games against Rock Springs!

Emmalee is grateful to be able to attend school again. She has always loved learning new things, and she missed the social interaction when schools were closed in March.

I have enjoyed being with other students again and seeing people being excited to be back, Emmalee said. Usually, energy is low and people arent wanting to be at school, but the energy shifted after being away for five months. People seemed to really want to be back.

COMPETITION

Emmalee was familiar with the Distinguished Young Women contest because her mom and sister had both previously competed. Emmalee said the contest helps women obtain a higher education by awarding scholarships that can be used at any college.

Competing took a lot of time and work, but was an incredible experience, Emmalee said. She enjoyed meeting other top high school students and getting a glimpse into their lives, even if they had to connect virtually.

Seven Wyoming high school senior girls competed to represent the state as the Distinguished Young Woman of Wyoming for 2021. The statewide scholarship program was conducted virtually through Zoom and video submissions the week of July 27 with the finals and awards announcement on Aug 1.

Participants were evaluated in the categories of scholastics, 25%; interview, 25%; talent, 20%; fitness, 15%; and self-expression, 15%.

Emmalee finished in the top two in four of the five categories. She received a $3,000 scholarship for winning and $150 scholarships each for finishing in the top two in four categories for a total of $3,600 in cash scholarships.

For the talent portion, Emmalee choreographed her own 90-second dance to the song You Will Be Found from the Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen. She especially enjoyed the talent contest because it gave her the opportunity to challenge and express herself in a new way. It was a difficult yet rewarding achievement. She also choreographed her own routine for the fitness contest.

In the self expression category, contestants were asked how they intended to implement the Cowboy Code of Conduct, including such directives as keeping promises, in their lives. Each had 24 hours to come up with a 30-second answer.

Emmalee decided to give judges a concrete example to show how she was already implementing the code. She said just the night before, she took the time to help a neighbor even though she was busy and needed to prepare for the competition. She also told them that she intended to take notes and set reminders in order to help in her quest to fulfill the Cowboy Code.

THE FUTURE

Emmalee looks forward to getting the Be Your Best Self message out in the days ahead and publicizing the Distinguished Young Women contest so that more young women will participate.

In February or March of 2021, Emmalee needs to make a presentation to her community about the Distinguished Young Women Program and the Be Your Best Self message.

She also plans to go on to compete in the Distinguished Young Women national finals June 24-26, 2021 in Mobile, Alabama. Emmalee and the 50 other representatives from across the U.S will participate in personal development activities and community service projects before competing to become the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2021. Emmalee said she is excited to go and meet so many other incredible young women from around the country.

Emmalee wants to work as a dental hygienist. She has not yet decided where she will attend college to pursue that goal. She is the daughter of Bradlee and Melissa Skinner.

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Founded in 1958, Distinguished Young Women is a free program that encourages participants to reach their full individual potential. Its mission is to empower young women by providing more than $1 billion in scholarship opportunities and developing their self confidence to prepare them for success after high school.

Kentuckys Elif Ozyurekoglu was named the Distinguished Young Woman of America for 2020 and received more than $33,000 in cash scholarships to be applied toward her college education. For more information on Distinguished Young Women of Wyoming, contact Sarah Robles at wyoming@distinguishedyw.org.

See the rest here:
An award that benefits others | Local News | rocketminer.com - Daily Rocket Miner

On Tuesday, Sept. 15, Marys Mercy Center celebrated the grand opening of Marys Village, San Bernardinos first transitional home for men, filling a need for the areas homeless that went unanswered for many years.

Marys Village is the first of four phases in the vision of Father Mike Barry, president of Marys Mercy Center, to provide housing and services to lift men out of homelessness.

Its successful completion was the collaborate effort of San Manuel Band of Mission Indians, San Bernardino County, city of San Bernardino, Crestwood Communities and Southern California Edison. These partnerships made the $8.5 million project a reality with 100 percent private funding.

San Manuel invested $7.3 million in the project and Edison invested heavily to give Marys Village state-of-the-art utilities and appliances while making it a test bed for all-electric and net-zero energy efficiency in residential development. Crestwood developed and constructed the village.

The buildings were furnished with funding from Dignity Health.

San Manuel Band of Mission Indians Chairman Ken Ramirez shared that the Tribes partnerships with the Marys Mercy Center and Loma Linda University Hosptial extend 100-year-old partnerships that began with the local Catholic and Seventh-Day Adventist churches offering services and support to the Tribe when it had very little and often went without basic needs.

This is still our homeland and it is up to us to make sure it is growing, sustainable and healthy, Ramirez said.

Marys Village

The village provides transitional housing and programs to lift men out of homelessness and into self-sufficient living in four buildings, a total of 30,000 square feet.

The four buildings are able to house up to 80 men and are designed for staged personal development. Each of the buildings includes communal living spaces including kitchens and dinning rooms. Two buildings include dorm rooms with several beds per room. When men first enter Marys Village they will live in these buildings. As they progress through educational and case management programs, vocational training and get jobs they will move into the other two buildings one in which two men can share a room and the other with private rooms.

We knew where the need was because for years our phones have been ringing with people asking for services for the men, but we had nowhere to put them, said Terry Kent, Marys Mercy Center boardman and vice president of operations for Crestwood Communities, referring to the services offered for women and children at Marys Mercy Centers Veronicas Home of Mercy.

While we focused in the past on the women and children the men went without, said Ramirez. It has finally come full circle.

According to Kent, Marys Village was designed to be a home and not feel like an institution. There is plenty of space in and surrounding the buildings.

The village is made up of single story buildings in response to concerns from neighboring residents who did not want a three-story building towering over their neighborhood. This also saved on the considerable costs associated with constructing, maintaining and safety inspecting elevators.

Kent pointed out that, as a totally private endeavor, Marys Village is able to provide transitional housing and services for the homeless much more efficiently than government-funded efforts. Marys Village provides housing for the homeless at a cost of approximately $85,000 per unit while a recent audit reported that Los Angeles city-funded housing projects cost an average of $350,000 per unit, with some projects reaching nearly $750,000 per unit.

Major cost savings came in the avoidance of red tape and other time consuming processes associated with government funding as well as the opportune purchase of the 10 acres on which the center is built. It was purchased at a bargain in public auction during a market downturn.

Moving in

According to Kent, the center is scheduled to move in its first two residents on Wednesday, Sept. 23.

Due to coronavirus concerns, the center has created a plan to gradually move in residents working up to 25 percent capacity over a three-month period. Additional phases will be planned and initiated as appropriate for the developing pandemic.

The next phases

With phase 1 complete and ready for tenants, Father Barry and the other Marys Village partners are poised to begin the next two phases of the mens center.

Phase 2, the construction of eight duplexes on 2.89 acres, is scheduled to break ground within the first quarter of 2021. It will provide housing for 16 men as they advance out of the dormitory-style living of the early stages of Mary Centers 12-to-24-month program.

Phase 2 is projected to cost $2.5 million, with $1.8 million funded by San Manuel.

The third phase, scheduled to begin in 2022, will build a neighborhood of 16 affordable single-family homes for rent by men transitioning into self-sufficient living. This phase is projected to cost $4.5 million.

When complete phases 2 and 3 will provide housing for 16 additional men each.

Continue reading here:
First transitional home for men opens in San Bernardino - Highland Community News

ABOUT THE TEAM Department: Corporate TECH / Collaboration Services

Reports to: Lead of Collaboration ApplicationsIT

Team Size: 6

Role description: IT-Consultant Collaboration Applications

Recruiter: Abdul Tafadar Email:abdul.tafadar@zalando.de

As an IT-Consultant in Collaboration Applications you will be mainly responsible for the technical support and operations of our companies collaboration software. You are in close contact with our Service Provider, Product Managers and Employees, to constantly support and improve the product and its attached services.

The Team also takes care of our SaaS Collaboration Application Suite. So administration and development in this area will also come up to you. As well as the development of individual integrations to automate processes and improve our Collaboration Suite.

You will be working in an agile team within Collaboration Applications based in Berlin.

WHERE YOUR EXPERTISE IS NEEDED

PERKS AT WORK

ABOUT ZALANDO Zalando is Europe's leading online platform for fashion, connecting customers, brands and partners across 17 markets. We drive digital solutions for fashion, logistics, advertising and research, bringing head-to-toe fashion to more than 23 million active customers through diverse skill-sets, interests and languages our teams choose to use.

Original post:
IT Consultant Collaboration Applications job with Zalando | 146681 - The Business of Fashion

The coronavirus outbreak has shined a spotlight on the often overlooked underbelly of Indias city of dreams the slums and other informal settlements where about 49% of its population resides. This population, accounting to around 46 lakh people, lives in slums that occupy barely 7.5% of the citys area according to Slum Rehabilitation Authoritys city survey data.

Dharavi, one of Asias largest slums, was a Covid-19 hotspot a few weeks ago but has under 100 active cases currently. While the number of infections seems to be in control at the moment the risk of spread continues to remain high within these neighbourhoods where unusually high population densities up to 350 families per hectare against the city average of 38 as per the 2011 Census. Poor drinking water and sanitation facilities mean that social distancing is virtually impossible.

So what is the future of slums in a post-Covid-19 world? Can we formalise the informal?

Cities are envisaged as the hub of economic, social and technological advancements and opportunities, which brings in an incessant flow of migrants to them. This urban pull is driven by the perception that the expanse of the material infrastructure of a city narrates the improved quality of social life that one may attain on relocating from smaller towns or rural areas.

However, widening gaps between growing city populations and physical and social infrastructure required to accommodate them is leading to a lopsided pattern of urban development accompanied by an increasing number of urban poor.

For instance, while Mumbai grew spectacularly as an urban centre in the years following Indias independence, the geographical constraints of the island city have caused serious problems today. With a premium attached to limited land and space, land and building prices have skyrocketed.

This pushes incoming migrants, who make up the majority of the citys population, to seek housing within low-cost, poorly designed shanties and tenements in informal settlements with extremely poor living conditions.

If one looks at the chronological framework of government policies implemented to alleviate the plight of people living in slums, a model of clearing the encroachments and rehousing slum dwellers in subsidized rental housing can be observed.

The Subsidised Housing Programme of 1952 was the first nationwide programme that provided subsidies and introduced loan schemes for economically weaker sections of the society to purchase land for the construction of houses.

The archaic Slum Clearance Scheme introduced in 1956 targeted the removal of sprawls and slums to clean the city but failed owing to shortage of resources to build and maintain housing stock for the relocated occupants. In 1970, the Housing and Urban Development Corporation was created as the governments nodal agency for the promotion of sustainable habitat development by providing home loans to lower-income groups with longer repayment periods.

With the initiation of more novel programs such as the Bombay Urban Development Programme of 1984 and the Prime Ministers Grant Program conceived in 1985, there was a shift in the policy paradigm from slum demolition to slum up-gradation.

In the 1970s and 80s, through various acts and programmes and with aid from The World Bank, the government assured the provision of basic services such as water, public toilets, electricity, pathways, street furniture, conservancy, primary healthcare and educational facilities. During this time, the leasehold tenure of land was also transferred to the cooperative housing societies of slum dwellers.

With the admission of private sector players, however, lured by the assurance of floor space index and transferable development rights incentives in 1995s Slum Rehabilitation Scheme, the needs of slum dwellers were shelved to prioritise profits to builders and developers.

The rehabilitation scheme facilitates the redevelopment of slums through the concept of land-sharing where the open sale of housing units in the market allows the cross-subsidising of free units for the slum dwellers. However, the full authority and discretion on decisions concerning the quality of construction lied in the hands of private developers, which turned this scheme into a crooked and ineffective mission.

Driven by profit margins, developers use up to 75% of the available land to build units that they can sell, while forcing the existing slum dwellers into the remaining 25%, transforming horizontal slums to vertical ones in the name of high-rise development. About 3.4 lakh families have been rehabilitated already registered slum dwellers, sometimes multiple families who lived within single tenements, have been allotted one flat each in newly constructed buildings, which tower to as high as twenty floors.

Within these matchboxes in the sky, occupant discomfort and health issues are rife.

These issues are aggravated by the poor quality of housing units, an abrupt shift to vertical living, cramped living spaces, lack of daylight, thermal discomfort on upper floors, high levels of noise pollution and inadequate fresh air exchange and ventilation. This leads to poor indoor air quality.

These buildings also neglect how life on the street is inherently tied to the socio-economic fabric of informal settlements. The lack of recreational and community spaces restricts occupants from engaging in community or livelihood activities that were an integral part of their life in the slums. Instead, the close proximity of adjacent high-rise buildings results in open spaces being treated as garbage dumps, resulting in public health challenges.

This incompatibility between low income and the high cost of living in the city, as well as the dissatisfaction with the new rehabilitation buildings, forces distressed residents to move back to slums or to look for new squatter settlements. This, ultimately, fails to solve the humanitarian crisis of informality and merely accomplishes the capitalist objective of increasing density and optimising land resources.

So are there better alternatives? How can slums be redeveloped in a manner that ensures affordability, inclusivity in decision making, improved quality of life and socio-economic wellbeing of the community?

Self-development of slum communities, a process where slum occupants take on the mantle of redevelopment themselves supported by the expertise of appropriate professionals might provide a solution.

The communities are aimed at accelerating the entire process of redevelopment with the self-intent of the community. With the association of residents as stakeholders in the process, a transparent and inclusive design process could be enabled that directly and efficiently addresses the needs and concerns of the residents, fulfilling their expectations of better living conditions.

Such a proposal could be easily incorporated within city development plans by transferring the development rights of land parcels marked as slums to the association of the current inhabitants of that neighbourhood. Permissible FSI will need to be reduced to ensure that vertical slums do not take form again. Instead, the government could discontinue levying the charges that it does to reduce project costs significantly.

This would allow residents to fund the construction through personal loans along with liquid capital raised by the sale of new units from the development. The loans could be repaid with monthly EMI instalments with appropriate subsidies, which would be far lower than the unusually high rents that occupants pay for remarkably low square footage.

It is important to understand that the vision of a slum-free city needs to be viewed through the lens of inclusive development. Elimination and clearance of slums has to be substituted for up-gradation of living conditions, provision of access to basic services, and participation of the current slum dwellers in policy conception.

Only with a multi-faceted approach to redevelopment that incorporates economic, environmental and cultural sustainability, could we conceive self-contained sustainable communities of the future.

Rahul Kadri is a Partner and Principal Architect at Mumbai-based IMK Architects.

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The vision of slum-free Indian cities needs to be viewed through the lens of inclusive development - Scroll.in

Bill Hand |Sun Journal

After many delays, Realize U 252 has announced it will open its doors in October.

The name U 252 reflects, first, the belief that drug and alcohol addicts can achieve long-term healing and self-realization. The 252 reflects the telephone area code region over which it aims to reach out.

The residential home its exact location is currently kept secret is set up to house a dozen men who are in early recovery from their addictions, but who arent ready yet for independent living,according to interim program director Garret Biss.

Biss has been involved with the organization serving both as president and on the board since its origin.

About three years ago we all sat down with a vision to bring something to Craven County, he said. We were planning to open last fall.

While a house was found and prepared, however, the organization wound up spending the year fundraising and building community support.

The COVID-19 pandemic slowed down its development this year, but Biss said he feels safe in stating the home will open sometime in October, and that the organization is accepting applications for both residents and for the employees who will care for them. While he is serving as program director himself, Biss intends to step down as soon as a permanent director is hired.

Well have a house manager living onsite and a program director (on staff), he said, while a case manager will be contracted to assist with the residents.

Residents will live at the property, working with the manager and coach while receiving the help they need from community resources such as counseling, vocational training and personal development organizations. They will also be expected to take part in one of the 12-step addiction programs offered in the area.

There will be no counseling in the residence, he said, But there will be self-help groups and personal life skills training onsite.

I envision a world where all people, especially those in recovery, are inspired to believe in themselves, to look within for wisdom, empowerment and compassion; a world where all people achieve their highest potential and fulfill their dreams by connecting with and serving others, he said.

While residents will mostly come in as a follow-up to shorter, 28- to 90-day detox programs, he said that RU 252 will also be available to any families in crisis or need to help them find the resources they need to help their loved ones.

At first, Biss said, six residents will be selected, until the pandemic situation changes to allow more than 50 percent capacity. Then another six will be brought in.

Residents will sign a contract that outlines the conditions for remaining at the home.

The group is also in talks with the District Attorneys office.

Weve started some conversation with the courts, he said. Our hope is that it can be used as a diversion program or transitional program for people to use as they come out of incarceration, or as a diversion from incarceration.

Applications and information on job positions can be found at the organizations website at http://www.RealizeU252.org, by contacting Biss by email at director@RealizeU252.org

View post:
Realize U 252 set to open long term addiction recovery home - New Bern Sun Journal

Ultima Collectionis delighted to announce the appointment of Thierry Pecorella as General Manager of Ultima Courchevel,the Collections newest 5-star alpine resort. Thierry Pecorella has recently joined the Ultima Collection team and will manage the preparations of the Grand Opening of the resort on Saturday 12th December 2020 and launch the new 2020/2021 ski season. The management at Ultima Collection is thrilled to welcome this new talent within a dedicated, exceptional and ultra-dynamic team that has successfully developed the young and cutting-edge luxury hospitality brand. Thierry will be the lead of the grand launch of this new ultra-luxury resort comprising 13 sumptuous chalets complemented by an array of exceptional beauty and wellness amenities in the most sought-after winter destination in the French Alps.

Biography As a French-Italian hotelier from the French Riviera of Nice, Thierry is married with twochildren. He has spent 27 years working for prestigious Le Mridien and Radisson Blu hospitality brands where he has forged remarkable experience in high-end hospitality in France and Italy. Originally, he discovered his passion for the industry when working at the reception of a private 4-star hotel in Nice to finance his studies. He has remained in the industry since then and has developed his sales and management skills during his first 11 years in Juan les Pins (France), Milan and Lake Garda (Italy). Following this, he took over General Management and Operations roles in hotels in Nice, Aix les Bains, Toulouse and Lyon. Before joining Ultima Collection, he managed the reopening of Tour Crayon in Lyon, an iconic hotel that had closed for threeyears for refurbishment, and the conversion of a prestigious 5-star hotel with a starred gastronomic restaurant in the Cour des Loges collection. Thierry is now joining Ultima Collection, bringing his exceptional experience in the opening and the management of luxury hotels and restaurants to finalise the building work, recruit and train the new team as well as launch Ultima Courchevel, the latest property in the collection in one of the most prestigious skiing destinations in the world.

As for his style and personality, Thierry thinks that nothing great in the World has been accomplished without passion, a quote from Friedrich Hegel that defines his state of mind and vision of the hospitality industry. His career was built over time thanks to opportunities coming up from hisprofessional and human meets with other devoted hospitality professionals. On the managerial and personal development sides he states: I consider myself as a mentor, I think that self-motivation and performance recognition are essential in every organisation and in particular in the hospitality sector. His motto is my staff make the whole difference: they do not just deliver whats expected but also the unexpected. It shows how Thierry emphasises on human and personal dimensions in his management style, as well as his high expectations to offer exceptional service to the discerning clientele of Ultima Collection.

On a personal side, Thierry is fond of mountains and downhill skiing which he has been practising since his childhood in the Southern Alps when he used to live in the Nice region. He feels a natural bond to this region: the specific affection I have for the Savoie region dates back to my adolescence when I started practising my passion for downhill skiing for the first time at Avoriaz in the Portes du Soleil skiing area. He is also deeply inspired by the Aiguille du Midi peak facing the majestic and awe-inspiring Mont Blanc, a real source of meditation and inspiration for Thierry.

See original here:
Ultima Collection announces appointment of Thierry Pecorella as GM of new Ultima Courchevel - Premier Construction Magazine

So how can we make the most of our basic security processes, and where can we concentrate our efforts to ensure our budgets go further?

Looking at attack surfaces

One area that is the easiest to overlook is security hygiene. This covers tasks like vulnerability scanning, configuration compliance and patching programs. By paying attention to security hygiene and Attack Surface Management, it is possible to remove many of the biggest risks that could affect your enterprise and the dividends are huge across the organisation.

While starting an effective Attack Surface Management program is typically not all that complex, keeping it running over time is a challenge. For example, an asset inventory should be the base for all decisions made around security priorities. However, while asset management has existed for years, getting this inventory process right is still difficult for many enterprises.

Without having asset data readily available, it's easy for incidents to quickly spiral into serious problems, as the real scope is not easily addressed. A lack of accurate and complete asset management data essentially creates blind spots that aren't seen until an issue has already manifested.

So why is this so difficult to get right? A lack of interest and internal politics can make security hygiene a struggle to get right. Internally, emphasis is often on the new, and as a result many teams can find themselves chasing that new and shiny thing to the detriment of what currently exists. There is always the next big thing in security and it's easy to get distracted by what is at the cutting edge.

Conversely, keeping the lights on is not valued as highly. This can be because running these kinds of programs is hard and often thankless, or gets pushed into the category of being too hard and therefore ignored.

For security teams, being the ones to implement new technologies is often seen as a reward for effective work. These projects can be great on CVs and for personal development. However, the cost for these new standalone solutions is usually very high and the return isn't nearly as effective as improving existing Attack Surface Management programs. We have to reset our internal team values so that efficient maintenance and hygiene is valued as highly as new deployments, so that both areas receive the attention and support they deserve.

Investing in existing and mature Attack Surface Management programs can deliver substantial dividends in driving down risk. More importantly, this can link into other IT team initiatives such as software development, so that these good habits are applied earlier in other company processes too. This can stop problems getting into production, where they are more expensive to fix. For those worried about not having new implementation projects on their CVs, the lure of working on agile development and DevOps projects should be an attractive substitute too.

Improving security training effectiveness

The second area where enterprises can improve their return on investment is around training. For many companies, the budget for developing their own security staff and security awareness training for the rest of the organisation is the same pot of money.

Unfortunately, this can often be one of the first budget items to be cut. These programs can be seen as low value and low return, when actually they can deliver some of the highest value to the organisation. However, these projects often need more thought around psychology in order to deliver good results.

Combining both areas together into a security champions program is an effective way to improve both security team skills and company awareness. For some IT security leaders, these kinds of programs are seen as software developer issues that are out of scope. However, with most enterprises running large developer teams and DevOps projects, it's critical that we bridge the gap and drive security as early in the cycle as we can.

Under-allocation of training and awareness can leave your organisation unprepared to react and respond to events that could be potentially avoided or mitigated much earlier. By embedding security into development, and by providing support for secure coding as standard, you can reduce rework cost, while also removing security as a barrier to innovation and fast releases. Finding and developing champions within other teams not only helps security be more effective, it helps collaboration over time too.

Taking a proactive approach to securitys image

As CISOs, we are all aware that security can be perceived as the department that stops others working as quickly and efficiently as they can. In reality, security can stop those teams from running headlong into unnecessary risks. However, getting involved earlier around good hygiene and security awareness can provide the best approach to improving the image of security internally.

The issues that seem to still linger and provide the largest problem areas are often not all that complex to address, yet it seems as though we lose interest in them when they aren't new or cant be resolved quickly. It's a problem of focus and just doing the work, setting expectations appropriately, and constantly driving towards achieving a higher maturity state for the programs that we need to invest in.

Author: Ben Carr, Chief Information Security Officer, Qualys

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Back to basics: Improving your security processes and budgeting - TEISS

The Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) is undertaking the Vrededorp/Pageview Revitalisation Projects and Programme on behalf of the City of Johannesburg over three years from 2020 to 2022.

Located north-west of the Johannesburg CBD in Region F, the suburbs of Pageview and Vrededorp were historically referred to as Fietas.

The JDA has appointed a consultancy team of architects/urban designers (IYER), heritage architect specialists (Library Special Projects) and community participation consultants (Sticky Situations) to design projects and programmes that rejuvenate the public environments in these neighbourhoods to encourage and foster a sense of community.

The project is part of both the Inner City rejuvenation and upgrade initiative as well as the Empire Perth Strategic Area Framework. It is founded on the fundamental principles of liveable cities, which are centred on creating well-functioning urban systems that can contribute to the physical, social, mental well-being and personal development of its inhabitants.

The precinct is broadly defined by 1st Street in the north, Solomon Street, and Ring Road/Subway Street in the east, Queens Road in the south and Krause Street in the west. The physical projects may include the cleaning, repair and upgrading of existing services and include paving, kerbing, resurfacing, landscaping, provision of street furniture, upgrading of street lighting, upgrading of parks and heritage projects. The exact nature of implementation will be determined through an extensive public participation and co-production process.

The JDA invites interested and affected stakeholders of Vrededorp and Pageview (those who live, work, or have a vested interest in these neighbourhoods) to collaborate with them in reviewing some of the initiatives that have occurred in the neighbourhood over the past two decades and take a fresh look at some possible public space upgrades and programmes that could contribute to supporting and improving current infrastructure and development programmes within the area.

A series of focus groups have and are being held with stakeholders in the area across various sectors including heritage/histories, homelessness, recycling, community, NGOs, health and education, faith and economic development.

On Saturday, 19 September 2020, from 1pm to 3pm, and Wednesday, 23 September 2020, from 4pm to 5.30pm, a pop-up, where stakeholders can pop in and share their challenges, opportunities and ideas for the neighbourhood, will take place. Interested participants can find the team on the Open Space on 23rd Street, Pageview.

These focus group process will be followed by a 'World Cafe'-style engagement allowing for stakeholders to come discuss ideas that emerge from the focus groups, and for the purpose of broader reporting and idea consolidation.

The focus groups and World Caf series will be conducted using digital platforms, via Zoom and Microsoft Teams, as well as Covid-19-safe protocols in the face-to-face engagements (for those that may not have access to digital platforms). If you have not been contacted yet, then get involved and have your say by getting in touch with the project team using the details below.

This process will culminate in the co-design and co-development of a working plan which sets out the prioritised projects and programmes to be implemented as well as a broad framework for how the revitalisation process should proceed, said Cllr Lawrence Khoza, MMC for Development Planning.

Several public platforms are available alongside the above mentioned interactions to facilitate broader inputs and comments including:

a dedicated CoJ Facebook Page (www.facebook.com/VrededorpPageview), and

a WhatsApp group (message 064 941 6647 to join)

These public platforms will feature key information on the project, key decisions taken, forthcoming engagement opportunities as well as contact details, should stakeholders wish to get hold of the project team.

Ultimately, the project will be guided by the voices of the community, both present and past, in the hope that elements of the design brief respond to the dynamic and diverse nature and needs of the present population who call the area home, and also acknowledge historical communities who once inhabited the area affectionately known as Fietas, said Cllr Khoza.

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Residents encouraged to participate in the Vrededorp/Pageview makeover - Joburg