Essential Reading! Get my 3rd book: Eat Their Lunch “The first ever playbook for B2B salespeople on how to win clients and customers who are already being serviced by your competition.” Buy Now There will be very few who will follow the idea in this post. Most will ignore the directive I recommend here, doing exactly the opposite, believing it both wiser and more efficient. Those who read it with an understanding of how things are shaking out in business will profit for practicing what follows.Pulled by the PolesThe business world is being pulled in two directions:The most potent forces in the history of commerce are driving people and companies to become ever more transactional, removing friction—especially the friction that naturally occurs wherever you find Homo sapiens engaged in any activity, including commercial relationships. The gravitational pull here is difficult to avoid, as technology has allowed for ever more clever software to do work that not long ago belonged to human beings.We might call this strategy “super-transactional,” marked mostly by lower prices and a reduction in human interactions.There is another strategy pulling people and companies in an entirely different direction, and increasing friction one might describe as “caring” to create a different level of value. Unlike its polar opposite, there is no drive to lower prices or automate client or customer interactions. Instead, there is increased communication, increased advice, and a process that lends itself to important decisions. It requires more time, more energy, and more caring.You might call this approach “super-relational,” in that a large part of the value is created by and through human interactions.Communicating Your StrategyBecause I am a bibliophile of the first order, I like Amazon.com. Their algorithm is exceptionally adept at showing me books I am certain to love—and buy. The 1,600+ books I have purchased from them is a large enough data set to predict what I will buy. Sometimes I buy books from Amazon.com, and other times I buy the hardcover book from my local Barnes & Noble, the Book Loft in German Village, or a local book store in any of the many cities I visit each year (my favorite place to spend time and shop).Amazon only communicates with me over email. I don’t know anyone who works there, and no one who works for them knows me. Our relationship is super-transactional.When you allow email to be your primary form of communication with your prospects and clients, you have chosen a medium that, as useful—and useless—as it is, is more transactional than other choices. Your prospecting email is less effective than a phone call because it is an inferior form of communication for meaningful conversations and outcomes. It is more valuable as a follow up to conversations had in more effective mediums.When you communicate face to face, video face to video face, or by phone, you are choosing a much richer form of communication. You can hear more of what is communicated, and if you can see the person with whom you are speaking to, you see more of what is communicated. This is true even when your subconscious mind is receiving the communication your conscious mind cannot pick up.If you treat people like they are a transaction, they are likely to reciprocate in kind.Make Your ChoiceIf you want to create a preference to work with you and your company, you are not likely going to develop any partiality to choose you by sending an email, and sending an automated chain of emails is almost sure to have the opposite effect. When everyone has chosen a communication method only because it is efficient, differentiation cannot be found in doing the same.You can choose to show up. You can also decide to pick up the phone, avoiding email when it is the wrong medium for the outcome you are pursuing. You can get from behind the screens that dominate so much of our lives and engage in more effective forms of communication, the kind that gives you a competitive advantage.If you are not a commodity, it is foolish to behave like one.
Security stepped up in Panchkula ahead of Gurmeet Ram Rahim trial
Security has been stepped up around the Panchkula District Courts complex ahead of the hearing in two separate murder cases against the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda chief, Gurmeet Ram Rahim, scheduled for Friday. The police said on Friday that Haryana police personnel and paramilitary staff had been deployed in and around the Panchkula district courts complex to ensure law and order, where the hearing will be held at the special Central Bureau of India (CBI) court.Sufficient number of police and paramilitary staff has been positioned, Haryana DGP B.S. Sandhu said. Gurmeet Ram Rahim, who has been sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on two counts of rape of female followers, is the main accused in the murder case of a Dera member Ranjit Singh. It is alleged that Ranjit was shot dead at the behest of Gurmeet Ram Rahim in 2002.In the other case, Gurmeet Ram Rahim is facing charges in the case of the murder of journalist Ram Chander Chhatrapati, who was also allegedly killed in 2002, again at the behest of the Dera chief. A senior police official said the Dera chief is unlikely to be physically present for the hearing and he is lodged at Sunaria Jail near Rohtak. The hearing would take place through video conferencing. Haryana witnessed deadly violence by Dera Sacha Sauda followers after Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh was convicted in the rape cases by the special CBI court on August 25, which left 41 people dead and injured over 250 people.
Japanese firm official shot at
The human resource department head of Japanese company Mitsuba Sical India, engaged in manufactures automobile parts, was shot at by two men here on Thursday morning. The police have arrested a relative of one of the company’s employees who was sacked three months ago.Dinesh Kumar Sharma, 50, was on his way to his office in Pathreri village when two men on a motorcycle opened fire at him from the rear window of his car at Bilaspur Chowk. Continued to drive“The assailants targeted his [Mr. Dinesh’s] head but the car jumped over a speed breaker and the bullet missed the target, hitting his back instead. He, however, continued to drive till the company’s gate, where he passed out due to excessive bleeding. The company’s staff then took him to a private hospital in Manesar,” said Mr. Dinesh’s father Rati Ram Sharma, a retired district health education officer. Mr. Dinesh was operated upon and is stable.Mr. Sharma claimed that the two men continued to chase his son till the company’s gate and to Panchgaon Chowk while he was being taken to hospital. While one of the assailants wore a helmet, the other had covered his face with a muffler. Eyewitnesses claimed that the assailants fired four rounds.The family has named company’s former employee Joginder, and his relatives Daya Chand Master and Kishan in the FIR. The family suspect that more people could be involved in the attack.Joginder, a resident of neighbouring Rathiwas village, worked as an apprentice in the company and was sacked three months ago along with other workers. Death threatsBut he had been mounting pressure on Mr. Dinesh to reinstate him and had also given death threats. “When my son got the death threats three months ago, he registered an FIR in the Bilaspur police station. He was provided security but was withdrawn later,” said Mr. Sharma.He claimed that Daya Chand had met Mr. Dinesh on Wednesday at Bilaspur Chowk and threatened him with dire consequences if he did not reinstate Joginder.“He called my son again over the phone in the evening and threatened to kill him. But my son did not take it seriously,” said Mr. Sharma. The police have arrested Daya Chand in this connection.Mr. Dinesh, a resident of Sector-43 in Gurugram, has been working with the company for the past eight years.
Left demand Lokpal Bill draft before all party meet
Left parties on Sunday asked the Government to give them a draft of the Lokpal Bill before convening any all party meeting on the issue.”It is not only the issue of whether the Prime Minister should be brought under the purview of Lokpal. There are many other aspects of the bill which we would like to study,” CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat told PTI.”As far as the Left parties are concerned, we would like the government to give us a draft of the bill. Only if we can study such a draft, will we be able to give our opinion and an all party meeting can be fruitful,” Karat said.Karat has spoken to the leaders of other Left parties who were also of the opinion that the Government should first come out with a draft of the bill before holding any discussion.Yesterday, CPI national secretary D Raja had also said the entire proposed legislation should be distributed to the parties for a proper debate.”They should give us the entire draft bill, the one they are going to bring to Parliament. How can a proper discussion take place without it?”, Raja had said.”… This is not the way to consult political parties since the government is saying that they will discuss only one issue, whether to include Prime Minister (in the ambit of Lokpal) or not,” he had said.- With PTI inputsFor more news on India, click here.For more news on Business, click here.For more news on Movies, click here.For more news on Sports, click here.advertisement
Michael Qualls eager to do better after spectacular NorthPort debut
“He had it going especially down the stretch. He was getting a lot of free throws as well, he always was able to do that. I’ve played against him my whole life, that’s one of my close friends,” he said.“We played in Team USA, Kevin Durant, LeBron James skills academy through high school. We both played for a split second with the Thunder in the NBA and also on the G-League. I know him a lot. I knew that he was out here already, when my agent told me I was gonna be here in the Philippines, he was one of the first people that I reached out to.”Qualls vowed he still has more to show.“I think I’ll be better next game, it just feels good to get my feet in the water or whatever, learn how PBA basketball really is so I can adapt better for next game.”ADVERTISEMENT Qualls was nothing short of brilliant in his PBA debut, delivering a tireless effort of 40 points and 18 rebounds and more importantly, powering NorthPort past Wells and the mighty Beermen for a crucial win.“I’m just glad we can get the win. That’s all I wanted to do, come out here and get a win. I was speaking with the owners, that’s what they wanted out of me, be aggressive and make it happen,” said Qualls, who still seemed fit to go another full quarter even after playing a frenetic pace for over 44 minutes.FEATURED STORIESSPORTSGreatest ever?SPORTSFormer PBA import Anthony Grundy passes away at 40SPORTSSan Miguel suspends Santos, Nabong, Tubid indefinitely after ‘tussle’ in practiceThe 25-year-old Qualls went toe-to-toe with Wells, who finished with 56 points, eight rebounds and nine assists.Matching up against Wells is nothing new to Qualls as the two go a long way back. DTI creates Marahuyo, a luxe Filipino fashion brand for global buyers Matteo Guidicelli had saved up for Sarah G’s ring since 2014? Sports Related Videospowered by AdSparcRead Next This jewelry designer is also an architect Canadian vaping study details danger from ‘popcorn lung’ chemical LATEST STORIES View comments Don’t miss out on the latest news and information. 
Trending Articles PLAY LIST 00:50Trending Articles00:59Sports venues to be ready in time for SEA Games01:27Filipino athletes get grand send-off ahead of SEA Games02:11Makabayan bloc defends protesting workers, tells Año to ‘shut up’03:07PH billiards team upbeat about gold medal chances in SEA Games01:38‘Bato’ to be ‘most effective’ CHR head? It’s for public to decide – Gascon02:07Aquino to Filipinos: Stand up vs abuses before you suffer De Lima’s ordeal01:28Ex-President Noynoy Aquino admits contracting pneumonia00:45Aquino agrees with Drilon on SEA games ‘kaldero’ spending issue Becoming his own man Duterte calls himself, Go, Cayetano ‘the brightest stars’ in PH politics Someone from the Philippines could win a $208 million jackpot this week! China confirmed as 2021 Club World Cup host, slots to be settled Ethel Booba on SEA Games cauldron: ‘Sulit kung corrupt ang panggatong’ New import Michael Qualls. PBA IMAGESMANILA, Philippines—San Miguel Beer guard Dez Wells has already established himself as one of the best imports in the 2019 PBA Governors’ Cup along with TNT’s KJ McDaniels.After Wednesday night, NorthPort may want to enter the conversation as well after unleashing its new reinforcement in Michael Qualls.ADVERTISEMENT MOST READ
Mohali Test: Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja to India’s rescue after England fightback
Half-centuries by Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravichandran Ashwin kept India on course for a first innings lead after England made a spirited comeback on day two of the third Test on Sunday.Having bowled out England for 283 earlier in the morning, India looked in charge at 148/2 at tea before Adil Rashid’s double strike jolted the hosts who lost three wickets in 19 balls to slump to 156/5. (SCORECARD)Ashwin enhanced his new-found batting reputation with an unbeaten 57 while all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja was batting on 31 at stumps with India trailing by 12 runs.Paceman Mohammed Shami claimed the last two English wickets earlier in the morning as the tourists added 15 runs to their overnight score before being dismissed for 283. (DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS)Murali Vijay walked out with Parthiv Patel, his third opening partner of the series, to lead India’s reply and it turned out to be an eventful yet brief stay for the right-hander.Vijay survived an obstructing-the-field appeal, was dropped by Jos Buttler and the batsman eventually walked off, nicking a harmless Ben Stokes delivery even though umpire Chris Gaffaney did not spot the nick.Patel, by contrast, looked determined to make the most of his chance return to the Indian side after eight years in the wilderness.The diminutive 31-year-old, replacing injured regular wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha, smacked six boundaries in his 42 before Adil Rashid dismissed him leg-before.Pujara and Kohli then joined forces to frustrate the tourists with the steady accumulation of 75 runs for the third wicket.Dropped on 35 by Jonny Bairstow, Pujara went on to make 51 before falling to a Rashid long-hop and his dismissal sparked off a middle order collapse.advertisementRashid, in his next over, trapped the scoreless Ajinkya Rahane leg-before with a googly and Karun Nair’s test debut was soured after his almighty mix-up with Kohli.Buttler was outstanding at backward point, diving to stop the ball and then throwing down the stumps to send back Nair for four.Kohli showed tremendous restraint for major part of his knock, especially as England attacked him with a heavily-packed off-side, but he eventually fell to a soft dismissal, edging Stokes behind the wicket. Kohli’s 62 included nine boundaries.Ashwin hit eight boundaries in his unbeaten knock, having raised 67 runs with Jadeja for the seventh wicket.
2015 Canada Games Week One Concludes on High Note
“Week one provided many exciting moments for our team,” said Mark Smith, Chef de Mission for Team Nova Scotia. “From strong finishes in freestyle ski and ski cross to multiple overtime games in ringette against the top provinces in Canada, and a bronze-medal winning performance by gymnast Stephen Clouter, week one has been a success.” Team Nova Scotia athletes showed great spirit and provincial pride. Ringette goalie Ashley Maynard summed up the week nicely by saying, “It was an honour to represent Nova Scotia because everyone is so supportive of Nova Scotia. Nothing feels better than representing your home province.” Complete results from the Games are available at http://cg2015.gems.pro . The 2015 Canada Winter Games are taking place in Prince George, B.C, Feb. 13-March 1 and feature more than 2,400 athletes competing in 19 sports. Team Nova Scotia has more than 300 athletes, coaches, managers and mission staff. The Canada Games are held every two years, alternating between summer and winter. They are key in developing Canada’s young athletes producing the next generation of national, international and Olympic champions. As week one of the Canada Games concludes, Team Nova Scotia’s athletes are preparing to either head home, or arrive for week two, the final week of competition. Week one ended on a high note with impressive performances in ski cross, a sport Team Nova Scotia has not competed in before, a bronze medal, and personal bests for many athletes. On day six, Stephen Clouter of Lawrencetown in Halifax Regional Municipality, won Team Nova Scotia’s first medal of the 2015 Canada Winter Games, a bronze in gymnastics in the horizontal bar event. “There was some really tough competition at this Canada Games,” said Mr. Clouter. “Having my teammates, coaches, parents and fans behind me was a big motivation. Coming out with a bronze medal on the horizontal bars is one of the greatest accomplishments in my gymnastics career.” Mr. Clouter also placed fourth in parallel bars, missing a bronze medal by 0.2 of a point. “Winning a first medal is an exciting milestone for Team Nova Scotia. I’m sure Stephen will be an inspiration to all his team mates as they pursue their own competitions,” said Premier Stephen McNeil. “I am incredibly proud of all the athletes and, on behalf of all Nova Scotians, we say congratulations to those who have competed so far, and good luck to those who have yet to compete.” Some other notable finishes include: Evan Ross and Connor Keefe, both of Halifax, 6th and 8th respectively in men’s alpine ski cross Emma Stevens of Hilden, Colchester Co., fourth in the freestyle ski big air female event Para-alpine skier Brenda MacDonald-Lona, of Granville Ferry, Annapolis Co., fourth in the alpine para-ski slalom event Morgan Redmond, Windsor, fifth in archery recurve individual female. Team Nova Scotia was also fifth in mixed team archery compound Cole Harbour’s Cooper Emin was sixth in the men’s long-track speedskating 5,000 metres 
More migrants jump from rescue ship off Italian island
Milan: More migrants jumped off the Spanish humanitarian rescue ship Open Arms Tuesday in a desperate bid to reach shore, tantalizingly near after 19 days blocked on board in deteriorating conditions by Italy’s refusal to open its ports. Open Arms described the situation on board as “out of control” and “desperate.” After one migrant jumped ship earlier in the day and was rescued by the Italian coast guard, nine more launched themselves into the sea wearing orange life vests. Also Read – Saudi Crown Prince ‘snubbed’ Pak PM, recalled jet from US A reporter with the Spanish public broadcaster TVE reporting from the NGO boat said that the earlier jumper refused to return to the Open Arms ship, and was brought to the Italian island of Lampedusa instead, apparently triggering the reaction of the nine who followed his lead. The reporter said that those jumping were “desperate and going mad” after 19 days trapped on board. Open Arms said that the Italian coast guard managed to rescue all nine of the later group, but it was not immediately clear if they would also be taken to land. Also Read – Record number of 35 candidates in fray for SL Presidential polls Live video showed people wearing life vests floating in the sea, some in groups some individually, with a coast guard vessel nearby and rubber dinghies trying to reach them. Open Arms confirmed that the first man who jumped, a Syrian national, was brought to Lampedusa. The group described the situation on board as “desperate,” saying that a man threw himself into the water, trying to reach land that was in plain view, while at the same moment a woman suffered a panic attack. The NGO’s spokeswoman, Laura Lanuza, said she heard from Open Arms crew members that “those who remain aboard are threatening with jumping as well.” The Open Arms captain previously informed Italian authorities that the crew of 17 can no longer control the situation on board, as frustrated migrants resort to fighting. Italy’s hard-line interior minister has refused port access to the ship, even though six other European countries have agreed to take the passengers.
Cancelling cap and trade will result in 3 billion in lost revenue
TORONTO – The cancellation of the cap-and-trade system will cost $3 billion in lost revenue over the next four fiscal years, Ontario’s fiscal watchdog said Tuesday, warning the decision would push the provincial budget further into the red.Financial Accountability Officer Peter Weltman said the loss of revenue from cap and trade will be greater than the savings the government will achieve by cancelling spending associated with the program.The new Progressive Conservative government revised the deficit to $15 billion last month, up from $11.7 billion predicted by the province’s auditor general.Weltman could not immediately say what the province’s deficit would be after factoring in the loss of revenue from cap and trade, but added that his office would provide an update on Ontario’s deficit later in the fall.“The challenge doesn’t change,” he said. “The deficit number becomes bigger.”The FAO also estimated that in the long run, the cap-and-trade system would have cost Ontario families less than the federal carbon tax. The federal government has indicated it plans to return the money raised by the tax directly to residents in the provinces opposed to the plan.Under cap and trade, the typical Ontario household would pay $312 annually in additional costs by 2022, said the FAO, compared to $648 under the federal system by the same year.Premier Doug Ford campaigned on a pledge to cancel cap and trade during the spring election and has vowed to take Ottawa to court over its decision to impose a carbon tax.The province has introduced legislation to repeal the system, which was introduced by the previous Liberal government and puts caps on the amount of pollution companies in certain industries can emit. If they exceed those limits, they must buy allowances at auction or from other companies that come in under their limits.Environment Minister Rod Phillips said the government is keeping a promise it made to Ontarians during the election.“We said that we would cut this tax. We cut this tax,” he said.NDP energy and climate change critic Peter Tabuns said cancelling cap and trade will hurt the environment and the lost revenue will have large implications for the province’s books.“The direct result of Ford’s favour to big polluters will be $3 billion in costs piled onto the backs of the people of Ontario,” he said in a statement.Green party Leader Mike Schreiner said the FAO’s review shows Ford’s cancellation of cap and trade is a “$3 billion boondoggle” that will send the province deeper into a fiscal hole.“Premier Ford is putting politics and ideology over evidence, and it comes with a $3 billion price tag that the Conservatives are not being honest about,” he said in a statement. “The FAO report reveals the real financial consequences of Ford’s ‘cut first; think later’ approach to governing. He rushed to cancel cap-and-trade to make good on an ill-conceived campaign slogan. Now we are learning about the financial consequences.”Keith Stewart, senior energy strategist with Greenpeace Canada, said the FAO’s report provides an “honest accounting” of the Ford government’s decision to cut cap and trade.“Rather than spending another $30 million on a lawsuit to try to block federal action on climate change, the premier should focus on how he can create good, green jobs that position Ontario to thrive in the new low-carbon economy,” he said.
Patrick Dempsey Partners With CrowdMed To Help Solve Difficult Medical Cases
CrowdMed, an online crowdsourced medical diagnosis platform that helps solve even the world’s most difficult medical cases, has announced that actor Patrick Dempsey has made an investment in the company.Almost one in 10 Americans – and 350 million people globally – are affected by the approximately 7,000 different types of rare or difficult-to-diagnose medical conditions. With this investment, Dempsey is working with CrowdMed to help expand the platform and give an additional resource to those facing undiagnosed illnesses.“CrowdMed was designed to help people in need who have nowhere to turn, no options and no answers, which is the same reason I founded The Patrick Dempsey Cancer Center for Hope and Healing,” said Dempsey. “After meeting with several Silicon Valley healthcare startups, I was immediately drawn to CrowdMed’s mission of helping those who have run out of alternatives. I remember being overwhelmed when my mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer almost a decade ago, and I know how challenging it can be trying to make the best medical decisions for oneself or a loved one. The patients who are turning to CrowdMed can’t even begin to think about treatment options because they haven’t been able to find an accurate medical diagnosis yet – but hopefully we can change that.”CrowdMed allows patients to anonymously post their real-world, difficult-to-solve medical cases online, including information about their symptoms, health history, diagnostic test results and more. The company then shares the case with its community of thousands of medical experts and fellow patients, dozens of whom collaborate on solving the case online using the company’s patented prediction market technology. The patient is then encouraged to discuss the community’s diagnostic suggestions with their physician.Dempsey’s investment will support CrowdMed’s mission of harnessing the wisdom of crowds to help solve even the world’s most difficult medical cases online, enabling further development and marketing of the company’s technology. Key product features include a Cash Reward system to incentivize the company’s Medical Detective community, and a “solutions” feature that supports the collection of actionable next steps for patients to discuss with their physician, including treatment ideas, diagnostic tests and dietary or lifestyle changes.Find out more about CrowdMed here.
Feel cut off Loss of Greyhound bus service leaves few options in
Mohammed Idriss says the small city of Brooks in southern Alberta will get more isolated when Greyhound bus service ends across Western Canada in the fall.Greyhound has announced it will end all its routes in the West, save for one between Vancouver and Seattle, at the end of October.Brooks, with a population of about 14,450 is on the Trans-Canada Highway, but it’s 190 kilometres to Calgary toward the west and 110 kilometres to Medicine Hat in the east.“We already feel cut off to a degree because of the availability of some services in the big city only,” said Idriss, manager of Brooks and County Immigration Services.A large population of newcomers to Canada work in Brooks, about 90 per cent of them at a beef-processing facility owned by JBS Canada.Idriss estimates about 1,000 people moved to the community to work and many find getting out of town difficult.“There are people who have vehicles, but are not that comfortable going into a big city with their own vehicle, and they would just prefer taking public transportation,” he said.“I can’t give a good estimate of how big the impact will be, but we’re going to hear more once people start realizing there is no service any more.”Brooks Mayor Barry Morishita is disappointed with Greyhound’s decision.“I was on a Greyhound last night coming back from Calgary. It’s funny I was on one the day the news came out.“It’s going to have an impact on a number of people.”The loss of Greyhound is also a concern to Canada’s largest reserve. The sprawling Blood Indian Reserve in southwestern Alberta is home to 12,500 residents.Band spokesman Rick Tailfeathers said service has been going downhill since Greyhound stopped service to Fort Macleod, just 30 kilometres away.He said only about half of the band’s members own cars.“The good thing about (Greyhound) was people could afford a bus ticket,” he said. “Now people are going to have to find another way to travel.”In the north, bus service is relied on by many Indigenous people who travel to bigger cities for medical care.“It is already well documented that our citizens have to ride the bus for hours, some longer than 14 hours, in order to see a doctor. How will they get access to adequate health care now?” said Grand Chief Arlen Dumas of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs.There were previous Greyhound cuts, such as in 2012, when the bus company stopped operating on a number of roads including Highway 2 in Manitoba.Rick Chrest, the mayor of Brandon, Man., said it’s a blow for people who don’t own vehicles because there is no rail service in many areas and access to passenger airlines is limited.Chrest is hopeful smaller private operators will step in, but that didn’t happen after the 2012 cuts.“This will take away yet another option for public transportation that certainly many people rely on,” Chrest said.“We might be hopeful that some other aspect of the private sector may start stepping up and filling the void.”Chrest pointed to a private firm that offers a shuttle bus that carries Brandon residents two hours east to the airport in Winnipeg. Brandon has an airport, but the only major scheduled service is a daily WestJet run to Calgary.Bus charter companies, which transport sports teams, might also find a niche in regular scheduled service, he suggested.Ontario-based Kasper Transportation, which provides service to Northwest Ontario and Manitoba, announced expansion plans Tuesday.In a Facebook post, it said it will be offering service from Winnipeg to Thunder Bay, Ont., Thompson, Man., Regina, Saskatoon and Prince Albert, Sask., starting Oct. 31 — the day Greyhound shuts down its western operation.Greyhound currently services small communities across the sparsely populated Prairies. There are 46 stops alone during the 19-hour run from Winnipeg to Calgary — places such as MacGregor, Man., Sintaluta, Sask. and Bassano, Alta.— Follow @BillGraveland and @stevelambertwpg on TwitterNote to readers: This is a corrected story. An earlier version misspelled the community of Sintaluta
After Spectacular Goal for Genoa, Adel Taarabt Hopes to Re-Join Moroccan…
Rabat – After long-range efforts to regain his football skills, Moroccan international midfielder Adel Taarabt scored a fabulous goal on Wednesday for his Italian team, Genoa, in a Serie A game against Napoli.Despite their loss, Genoa showed great skill in terms of defense, especially in the second half of the match. The 28-year-old Moroccan opened the game with the stunning strike in fourth minute of the match. Ten minutes later, the opponent’s forward and midfielder Dries Mertens scored an equalizer.Napoli’s second goal came at the 30-minute mark, again by Mertens. Ervin Zukanovic, Genoa’s defender, scored a goal in his own net, giving the opponent a 3-1 lead. However, Armado Izzo trimmed the deficit to one point, when he scored a goal for his team in the 60 minute of the match. In a post-match interview with beIN Sports, Taarabt expressed his happiness in Moroccan Arabic to score his goal against “one of the best teams in the world after Barcelona or Real Madrid.”The footballer said that he played two games against Wednesday’s opponent. “I scored two goals against them so far. I am happy. […] We hoped for more in order to achieve more points. Unfortunately, we could not, but I am happy that I have scored against them.”The footballer expressed hope over his future, explaining that he was working hard to get back in shape after gaining weight during a two-year absence. “I worked for more than three months to get back to my level. I am happy and Inshallah [God willing] I have to keep going like this.”After being asked by the beIN Sports reporter about if he was expecting an invitation from Morocco’s football coach Herve Renard to participate in the upcoming World Cup Qualifier game against Ivory Coast, the footballer answered the question with sparkling eyes. “I did well with Genoa to be able to re-join the Moroccan team.”“The Moroccan squad played good matches. There is still a solo match to be qualified for the World Cup and I hope to be invited by Herve.”The midfielder added that he “needs to keep working on himself like now. I am now more grown up, and I hope we can make it to the World Cup.” Taarabt concluded his message by wishing to receive a call from Renard “in order to travel to Ivory Coast and achieve a good result.”
A look at key players in the Dakota Access pipeline fight
BISMARCK, N.D. – The Dakota Access pipeline, a $3.8 billion, four-state project designed to carry oil from North Dakota to Illinois, has become a rallying point for American Indian tribes and others determined to block it. Here’s a look at the key players connected with the protest, which began in April, heated up during the summer and boiled over in October with some 400 arrests.___THE PIPELINE COMPANYEnergy Transfer Partners, or ETP, is a Fortune 500 oil and natural gas company based in Dallas. It is the main owner of the pipeline, along with Sunoco Logistics Partners and Phillips 66.Launched in 1995, the company now has about 71,000 miles of natural gas and crude oil pipeline. The Dakota Access project would add 1,200 more miles, and ETP has long had a goal of finishing it by the end of 2016. The company warned in court documents that a delay in construction would cost it $1.4 billion in lost revenue in the first year.In August, the company announced it had sold nearly 37 per cent of the project to Enbridge Energy Partners, the company that developed the Keystone XL pipeline, and Marathon Petroleum Corp. in a deal worth $2 billion.___THE TRIBAL CHAIRMANDave Archambault II leads the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, whose reservation on the North Dakota-South Dakota border sits close to the pipeline’s path. The laconic 45-year-old, whose tribe helped build a lawsuit against ETP and the federal government, has been sued by ETP for interfering with the pipeline and been arrested.Archambault has spoken for years about concerns among the leaders of North Dakota’s five American Indian reservations about increasing “environmental incidents” in the state’s western oil patch. He travelled to Switzerland to plead the tribe’s case to the United Nations and urged President Barack Obama to step in.After a federal judge declined to grant the Standing Rock tribe an injunction against the pipeline, three federal agencies ordered a halt to construction on Army Corps of Engineers-owned land while the permitting process was reviewed.___THE PROTESTERSMembers of more than 200 tribes from across North America have come to the tribe’s encampment at the confluence of the Missouri and Cannonball rivers since August, the tribe says. Crowd estimates at the protest site have varied from a few hundred to several thousand depending on the day — enough for tribal officials to call it one of the largest gatherings of Native Americans in a century or more.They say the pipeline threatens water sources and will disturb sacred sites and artifacts, and there is a broader concern about tribal sovereignty and rights.Many of the protesters are demonstrating peacefully and urging others to do the same. Others have been more militant. More than 140 people were arrested recently when law enforcement moved in to evict an encampment that had been set up on pipeline property.___THE SHERIFFThe main face of law enforcement has been Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier, who previously was a captain with the state highway patrol, a part-time police officer, a corrections officer and a soldier.His department has been accused by protesters of being sympathetic to the pipeline’s workers and private security. Though deputies were not at a violent Sept. 3 clash between protesters and private security guards on private land, Kirchmeier said in a news release that the guards were “ambushed and assaulted” by protesters. The tribe says the protesters were being provoked.Kirchmeier has frequently cited the burden of the long-lasting protest on his small department. Morton County has had help from state troopers and National Guard members and, more recently, from sheriff’s departments travelling in from several states to help out.___PRIVATE SECURITYClashes between private security and protesters have been an issue, particularly during the Sept. 3 confrontation. Both security guards and protesters reported injuries.Tribal officials say about 30 protesters were pepper-sprayed and some bitten by dogs.The sheriff’s department said last week that their investigation concluded that the guards with dogs were not licensed to do security work in North Dakota. They sent the results of their investigation to prosecutors for consideration of misdemeanour charges.___THE GOVERNORWhen the Dakota Access pipeline was announced, North Dakota Gov. Jack Dalrymple had just urged industry and government officials to build more pipelines to keep pace with the state’s oil production, which is second only to oil production in Texas.Aside from appearing at some briefings, Dalrymple has been mostly out of public view during the long process. The governor did send 100 National Guard members to help law enforcement.___THE FEDERAL JUDGEThe Standing Rock Sioux’s lawsuit against the pipeline revolves around challenging the Army Corps’ process for permitting water crossings. In September, U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington declined the tribe’s request for an injunction as it pursues an appeal.Boasberg, an Obama appointee in 2010, said the Corps documented dozens of its attempts to engage with Standing Rock officials to identify historical resources at Lake Oahe and other places covered by the permit, despite the tribe’s claims to the contrary. He said the tribe did not show it will suffer any harm that the court has the authority to prevent.The tribe’s appeal is pending with the U.S. Court of Appeals. A look at key players in the Dakota Access pipeline fight by James MacPherson, The Associated Press Posted Nov 1, 2016 6:30 am MDT Last Updated Nov 1, 2016 at 7:20 am MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email
Football Verlon Reed keeping career alive in Indoor Football League
The first ever fan run professional football team the Salt Lake Screaming Eagles fall in season opener to Nebraska Danger 78-47. Credit: Courtesy of Salt Lake Screaming EaglesOn Feb. 16, former Ohio State Buckeyes and current Salt Lake Screaming Eagles quarterback Verlon Reed dropped back to pass and hit wide receiver Derwyn Lauderdale in the end zone for a touchdown. Hundreds of the 8,191 fans in attendance gleefully stormed the field. But this wasn’t the end of the game. In fact, the Screaming Eagles weren’t even leading. It was the first touchdown in the history of the Salt Lake City franchise, an expansion team in the Indoor Football League.“That kind of surprised me, I wasn’t expecting that at all,” said Reed, a former OSU wide receiver and Findlay quarterback. “To be honest, it kind of threw everybody off. It felt like the game was already over.”Neither Reed nor his coaches called the touchdown-scoring play. The Screaming Eagles, marketed as the first “fan”-chise, allow their fans to vote on which play to call. Fans can download the team’s app and select one of four options.“The coach has the iPad that he’s looking at and he’ll see what play has the higher percentage and then he’ll let me know through my earpiece,” Reed said. “I’ll relay it to the team with the wristband.”Fans also picked the team’s name, uniform, warm-up music and three players on the roster. Additionally, the team decided to put each player’s Twitter handle on the back of their jerseys.Reed is in the middle of resurrecting his football career, which started promising for a local kid who dreamed of being a Buckeye then moving on to the NFL. A first-team All-Ohio quarterback as a high school senior, Reed entered OSU in autumn of 2010 listed as an athlete and began practicing with the receivers.“The most difficult thing I had to do was to get used to playing the technique at the receiver position, because that’s where they changed me,” Reed said.Reed redshirted his first season in college but thrived early in his redshirt freshman season amid turmoil following the resignation of then-coach Jim Tressel. He caught nine passes for 132 yards in the first five games, ranking him second on the team in each category.But his season was cut short after suffering a torn ACL late in a game against Michigan State. By the time he fully recovered, OSU had hired Urban Meyer as its head coach. Reed’s playing time dwindled and he only had a single catch in the season opener. “Me and the head man just didn’t agree on a lot of different things,” Reed said. “Everywhere I go, the story is (that) I didn’t get along with my teammates, or it was because of the guys they were bringing in. Hearing that, it’s definitely incorrect, but they get the chance to tell their side of the story more than I do.”He planned to transfer during the 2012 season, but spoke to Meyer who convinced him to stay with OSU the rest of the season.“When I went to go talk to him, I started getting more reps, started getting back into it,” Reed said. “It just died down from there. So I just, we just figured it’s time for both sides to move on.”Reed transferred to the University of Findlay in January 2013 after taking visits to Ohio Dominican, Ashland and Saginaw Valley State. He had barely heard of the university, but Findlay was the only school to offer him the chance to play quarterback.“I told myself if I got that opportunity again, I’m going to take it,” Reed said.After playing receiver for three years, Reed needed time to work off the rust and re-learn his mechanics. But once he felt comfortable at the position, he took over.Findlay offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Troy Rothenbuhler remembers the first time he slightly adjusted the offensive scheme and Reed took the ball 80 yards for a touchdown.“Shoot, the first time we ran it, he was gone,” Rothenbuhler said. “I mean, it was two steps in and he was off and running. At that point, nobody was catching him because he didn’t even have to make a move.”Reed led the Oilers to an 8-3 record his junior season and a 5-6 record as a senior. In his final season, he threw for a school record 2,712 yards and picked up 634 yards on the ground.“I know his Ohio State experience didn’t go as well as he wanted it. I think his Findlay experience was much more than he initially thought it could be,” Rothenbuhler said.In May, after graduating, Reed participated in a tryout with the Detroit Lions. Before joining the Screaming Eagles, he hadn’t played much football.“I play a little flag football just to stay in some kind of football shape to stay with it, but other than that, this is my first professional league team,” Reed said, referring to the Screaming Eagles.The Screaming Eagles called him a few months before the season began on Feb. 16 to express interest. Reed attended a camp before the team offered him a contract.“It was the only thing that was feasible enough for me to actually give a serious look at,” Reed said. “I got a call from a team in Germany in Europe. But I don’t really know their situation as far as money-wise.”He said he won’t feed a family at this level of football. He plans to pick up a part-time job.“I’m going to get one just because I want to make extra money. You’re not going to take care and feed your whole family with the check that you get here,” Reed said.Reed said he hopes to use this opportunity as a stepping stone.“This is definitely for me just to kind of bump my career to the highest level possible, hopefully the CFL or NFL,” Reed said. “I’ve got the skill and talent, I just need the right set of eyes to get their eyes on me, the right person to believe in me and I’m going to make them a believer.”He said this is the lowest point in his career, but he won’t stop anytime soon in his quest to play professionally.“Sometimes, I’ve felt like I didn’t love it any more,” Reed said. “But, at the end of the day, I still feel that fire in my heart and I’ve got that desire. Until that leaves me, I won’t stop playing football.”
Heartwarming moment dog is saved by Tube staff and passengers after falling
Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings. Passengers and staff at Elephant and Castle Tube station come to the rescue of a King Charles Spaniel on Thursday who had fallen down a gap next to a train.
GuySuCo SPU in spat over Estate Lounge Bar while workers await
Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)RelatedSetting up LBI Lounge in the face of reduced earnings, joblessness a cynical move- RamDecember 20, 2018In “Business”EYEWITNESS: It’s only money…September 20, 2018In “EYEWITNESS”Despite concerns raised SPU continuing its work, $30B to be released- HarmonMay 24, 2018In “Business” Less than two weeks since receiving its new Chairman, the Guyana Sugar Corporation (GuySuCo) and the Special Purpose Unit (SPU) are at and stand off over the conversion of the La Bonne Intention (LBI) staff club into a sports bar.This launch comes amid protest from many workers who are still owed half of their severance payments after being terminated in late 2017.Task with divestment by NICIL, the SPU is attempting to make the entities more attractive to investors with Government having secured a $30B bond to this end with $17B available under the first tranche.According to information surfacing on Friday, the GuySuCo-SPU clash was in full effect when the sugar corporation blocked what was set to be the official launch of a sports bar at GuySuCo’s LBI headquarters.SPU reportedly transformed GuySuCo’s staff club into the Estate Lounge but the sugar entity’s notice on Friday said that the launch was postponed until further notice.The Sugar company’s Public Relations Officer Audreyanna Thomas in fact told the local press that the revamped sports bar was forced upon them and was outside GuySuCo’s principles and values. She also noted that it wasn’t their priority and that they are not getting money for capital investments.Thomas adds that GuySuCo had even advised against the transformed staff club.It was reported in other sections of the media that patrons were already using the facility while a few sugar workers told this publication that they would have preferred if the powers that be ensure that their receive their full severance payment after half was paid out earlier this year.
DCU is one of the top 50 young universities in the world
DUBLIN CITY UNIVERSITY has been named in a top 50 under 50 poll.The Glasnevin university is the only Irish institution on the QS Top 50 Under 50, which was created to highlight the achievements of younger institutions which may be placed at a disadvantage when competing with longer-established universities in the normal rankings.Professor Brian MacCraith, President of DCU, said that the inclusion of the university at number 44 was recognition of the work at the college.“DCU’s inclusion, for the third year running, in the QS Top 50 Under 50, is a welcome recognition globally of DCU as a young, innovative university leading the way in delivering a first-class education for its students and spearheading research with real societal impact.“Despite difficult funding circumstances, DCU continues to hold its own on the international stage, thanks to the commitment and quality of its academic and research staff.”The list was topped by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. Read: English, Irish, Maths… Politics: The Leaving Cert to get a new subjectRead: Priests tell Ruairí Quinn to stop undermining religion in schools
Dragon Age Origins unplayable for days due to EA DRM issues
If you’ve been wondering why Dragon Age: Origins hasn’t been working for you over the past few days, or if you just purchased the game and wondered why you can’t play it, now we know why: a combination of technical and DRM-related issues on EA’s authentication servers rendered the game unplayable for many gamers starting on Friday, all through the weekend, and were only resolved late last night.The story began on Friday morning, when players who ran the game were rewarded with an error that read “DLC not authorized,” indicating the game’s DRM had decided the player, even if they had bought the game, wasn’t permitted to play it. As with most issues, especially PC ones, many self-supporting and competent players would immediately take to the Internet, Google their error message, and start digging around for other people who experienced the same issue to find out how they fixed it.AdChoices广告Unfortunately, in this case doing that would have led you down a rabbit hole of reinstallations, registry tweaks, hacks, driver updates, permissions changes, and other system changes that – had the issue not been entirely on EA’s side – may have actually helped, but in this case would have been useless. Jon Stokes over at Ars Technica detailed his lengthy weekend experience troubleshooting DA:O, starting on Friday and culminating with an admission on Monday – three days after the issue began — from EA. In the game’s official forums EA admitted that they’ve identified that the error is on their side, and has something to do with the way their installed DRM authorizes the DLC content for play. They still have no idea what originally caused it, even though it’s reportedly resolved.As of today, EA and Bioware are still investigating the problem, but the general sentiment in the forums is that the developers could have alerted the user community in a more transparent and open way that the issue was server-side. That way players didn’t have to jump through hoops to try and get the game working. Some players even reported that their chats with EA customer support resulted in scripted attempts to resolve the issue (like having the player re-install the game, update drivers, and try some other workarounds) before admitting to the customer that the issue was server-side all along.Read more at Ars TechnicaAlan’s OpinionAdmittedly, there’s little EA could have done to deter the natural tendency for most people to try to help themselves by searching the Web before engaging their customer support for help. Although, this is symptomatic of the perception that customer support for many things, games included, is ineffective and the player would have better luck on their own.Even so, EA could have been more forthcoming acknowledging that there was an issue and that they were looking into it. Preferably sooner than three days after the issue began. It’s difficult to believe that EA or Bioware weren’t aware that there was a problem for that length of time. Stokes also points out that there’s some blame to lay at the feet of EA and Bioware’s chosen DRM scheme: the game has to re-authorize the DLC every time the game starts, instead of just once, like many other titles. This means that if the Windows service on the player’s side isn’t running, or there’s any issue on the Bioware server side, the game is unplayable.Even if you take the DRM scheme as acceptable, it would in turn mean that EA and Bioware should take a more proactive approach towards managing the community and alerting them to issues that would affect their play. In this case, it appears that everyone: gamers, community members, and even EA customer support to some extent, were in the dark about this issue until it was long past its boiling point. The game is playable now and the issue is fixed, but how long gamers remember this issue and whether it’ll inform their future buying decisions is anyone’s guess.
Google Glass Explorer units shipping specs and APIs revealed
Google is finally ready to ship Glass to people who signed up early for the developer program. At the same time the company revealed quite a bit of information about Glass and the ecosystem that will grow around it. As was no doubt planned by Google, by the time Glass hits retail shelves this new product line will be far from beta.The Glass Explorers program was setup at Google I/O 2012 to allow those who were serious about trying out Glass to sign up. It allowed a select few to put their hands in to be among the first to use and experience the hardware, outside of the Google employees that have been testing the hardware internally. Google has announced that those first 2000 Glass Explorers are having their headsets prepped for shipping. The units are being released in waves as they roll off the production line.Along with the announcement of hardware, Google revealed the MyGlass companion app in the Play Store, as well as public access Glassware APIs that will govern software on Glass. The reveal last night offered a pretty clear glimpse at what we can expect from Glass moving forward, including the rules that govern the Glass Explorers program.We now know for sure that the Glass Explorers version of this product has a 5MP camera, which is capable of recording video at 720p. This variant of Glass has 16GB of onboard storage, but the user only has access to 12GB of the storage. Audio is only available to the user through bone conduction, such that people standing next right next to you in a quiet room would struggle to hear you interact with Glass. The battery is listed as capable of lasting “one full day” with no listing of the actual battery size or what their unit of measurement means in hours, as it is fairly unlikely the hardware will last 24 hours on a single charge. This all lines up neatly with early reports to Geek.com that the hardware in Glass was similar to Google’s Galaxy Nexus in terms of specs.The first rule of Glass Explorers isn’t that you can’t talk about Glass Explorers, rather that you can’t sell or otherwise trade away your Glass unit. If you get Glass from the Explorers program, it’s yours to keep forever. It’s a pretty bad idea to try and buy or sell one of the Glass Explorer units, especially using a public service like eBay. In fact, the Terms of Service in the MyGlass app very specifically state that if you try and part with your Glass unit, Google reserves the right to deactivate the unit entirely and strip you of any warranty or support that would otherwise be made available to you. This is a recurring theme with the Glass ToS, that Google has the right to reach into your glass unit at any time and do as they please.Outside of the ToS, the MyGlass app doesn’t do much unless you’re connected to a Glass unit. The app is designed to behave as a software point to feed information to your Glass unit, including a new Share to Glass button that becomes available in your Share function on your Android phone. MyGlass is given access to just about every part of your phone, and has the ability to format as much information as you allow it and push it to your Glass unit. MyGlass is likely the portal responsible for the Glass apps we’ve seen so far, and will clearly be an integral part of using Glass. With that in mind, it’s unlikely we’ll see iOS support for Glass in the immediate future.Developers planning to work on software for Glass will find themselves in a fairly unique situation. The Glassware APIs, as we’ve been told before, rely entirely on RESTful services. Apps that run on Glass don’t actually run on Glass. Glass exists as the receptacle for data that you request access to, but that information and the hardware used to process information all live elsewhere. You’ll need a constant internet connection in order to do much of anything on Glass as it exists right now, and the heavy lifting for any apps running on Glass will all happen either on a web server or on the phone connected to your Glass. This is right in line with what Google has been trying to encourage for some time now, and always on, always connected computer that feeds data to the user.If your plan is to profit from Glass anytime soon, you’re in for a surprise. Google is forbidding pushing ads to Glass, and their API terms forbid charging a fee for access to your API client. If you attempt to push ads or charge fees for access, Google has the ability to reach in to individual Glass units and remove your app manually. It’s entirely likely that Google will have a separate Glass Apps Store available by the time Glass is a commercial product, and there will be different rules to govern that ecosystem. Glass development right now is going to be all about pushing the limits to what an interface like this is capable of, and based on the suggestions made to the If I Had Glass contest that was held earlier this year there’s going to be some interesting apps on the way.In a nutshell, this Glass beta is about as tightly controlled as Google can make it, which is a new experience for Google. As these 2000 beta users start to interact with Glass, the rules that govern it will change. As the other 8000 users from the Glass competition are added, the experience will continue to adapt. Eventually, Google will pull the Beta sticker off Glass and put it on shelves, and if Google has handled this release correctly it will be pretty close to a finished product by then.
Greece calls for tourists to demand receipts and use POS
Greece’s independent public revenues authority has just launched a new campaign reminding the millions of tourists flooding the country to help the economy by asking for receipts.“Apodixi (receipt) please!” is the advertisement’s slogan and it is aimed to remind Greece’s visitors that they can pay for all sorts of goods and services via POS devices using their debit and credit cards.The campaign stresses the importance of ensuring all transactions go on record and offers information on what a valid receipt must include. The ad also lists out consumers rights in the European Union and focuses on the customer’s right to refuse payment in the instance of a proprietor not issuing a legal retail receipt for the transaction.Ads have gone up in airports, ports and stations around the country while videos have aired on television and social media making it clear that all establishments – hotels, eateries, bars, cafes, clubs and all types of shops – are obliged to receive e-payments.The campaign concludes: “One more thing. By using your card for your payments and asking for a receipt, you help the Greek Tax Administration collect taxes that are already included in the price you pay. Practically, you contribute to Greece’s financial recovery and offer us the opportunity to provide you with even better services next time you come to our country. Enjoy your stay!” Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram
Recent Comments