#corporate wellness program chicago

[contingentfitness]

Corporate Wellness Programs in Chicago | Fitness Training & Personal Trainers | Contingent Fitness- Description: Elevate your company's health and productivity with Contingent Fitness's corporate wellness programs in Chicago. We offer comprehensive corporate fitness programs, personalized exercise routines, and expert corporate fitness training designed to meet your organization's unique needs. Our skilled fitness trainers and personal trainers provide tailored solutions to boost employee well-being and create a healthier work environment. Explore our blog for insights and tips on how to enhance your corporate wellness initiatives with Contingent Fitness.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

How to screw up a whistleblower law

I'm touring my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me THIS WEDNESDAY (Apr 17) in CHICAGO, then Torino (Apr 21) Marin County (Apr 27), Winnipeg (May 2), Calgary (May 3), Vancouver (May 4), and beyond!

Corporate crime is notoriously underpoliced and underprosecuted. Mostly, that's because we just choose not to do anything about it. American corporations commit crimes at 20X the rate of real humans, and their crimes are far worse than any crime committed by a human, but they are almost never prosecuted:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/12/no-criminals-no-crimes/#get-out-of-jail-free-card

We can't even bear to utter the words "corporate crime": instead, we deploy a whole raft of euphemisms like "risk and compliance," and that ole fave, the trusty "white-collar crime":

https://pluralistic.net/2021/12/07/solar-panel-for-a-sex-machine/#a-single-proposition

The Biden DOJ promised it would be different, and they weren't kidding. The DOJ's antitrust division is kicking ass, doing more than the division has done in generations, really swinging for the fences:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/22/reality-distortion-field/#three-trillion-here-three-trillion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

Main Justice – the rest of the DOJ – promised that it would do the same. Deputy AG Lisa Monaco promised an end to those bullshit "deferred prosecution agreements" that let corporate America literally get away with murder. She promised to prosecute companies and individual executives. She promised a lot:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/22/reality-distortion-field/#three-trillion-here-three-trillion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

Was she serious? Well, it's not looking good. Monaco's number two gnuy, Benjamin Mizer, has a storied career – working for giant corporations, getting them off the hook when they commit eye-watering crimes:

https://prospect.org/justice/2024-04-09-reform-groups-lack-of-corporate-prosecutions-doj/

Biden's DOJ is arguably more tolerant of corporate crime than even Trump's Main Justice. In 2021, the DOJ brought just 90 cases – the worst year in a quarter-century. 2022's number was 99, and 2023 saw 119. Trump's DOJ did better than any of those numbers in two out of four years. And back in 2000, Justice was bringing more than 300 corporate criminal prosecutions.

Deputy AG Monaco just announced a new whistleblower bounty program: cash money for ratting out your crooked asshole co-worker or boss. Whistleblower bounties are among the most effective and cheapest way to bring criminal prosecutions against corporations. If you're a terrified underling who can't afford to lose your job after narcing out your boss, the bounty can outweigh the risk of industry-wide blacklisting. And if you're a crooked co-conspirator thinking about turning rat on your fellow criminal, the bounty can tempt you into solving the Prisoner's Dilemma in a way that sees the crime prosecuted.

So a new whistleblower bounty program is good. We like 'em. What's not to like?

Sorry, folks, I've got some bad news:

https://www.corporatecrimereporter.com/news/200/stephen-kohn-on-the-justice-department-plan-to-offer-whistleblower-awards/

As the whistleblower lawyer Stephen Kohn points out to Russell Mokhiber of Corporate Crime Reporter, Monaco's whistleblower bounty program has a glaring defect: it excludes "individuals who were involved with the crime." That means that the long-suffering secretary who printed the boss's crime memo and put it in the mail is shit out of luck – as is the CFO who's finally had enough of the CEO's dirty poker.

This is not how other whistleblower reward programs work: the SEC and CFTC whistleblower programs do not exclude people involved with the crime, and for good reason. They want to catch kingpins, not footsoldiers – and the best way to do that is to reward the whistleblower who turns on the boss.

This isn't a new idea! It's in the venerable False Claims Act, an act that signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln. As Kohn says, making "accomplices" eligible to participate in whistleblower rewards is how you get people like his client, who relayed a bribe on behalf of his boss, to come forward. As Lincoln said in 1863, the purpose of a whistleblower law is to entice conspirators to turn on one another. Like Honest Abe said, "it takes a rogue to catch a rogue."

And – as Kohn says – we've designed these programs so that masterminds can't throw their minor lickspittles under the buss and collect a reward: "I know of no case where the person who planned or initiated the fraud under any of the reward laws ever got a dime."

Kohn points out that under Monaco, the DOJ just ignores the rule that afford anonymity to whistleblowers. That's a big omission – the SEC got 18,000 confidential claims in 2023. Those are claims that the DOJ can't afford to miss, given their abysmal, sub-Trump track record on corporate crime prosecutions.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/04/15/whistleblown/#lisa-monaco

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich

* * * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

June 28, 2023

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

JUN 29, 2023

In Chicago today, President Joe Biden gave a historic speech at the Old Post Office Building downtown. In it, he was crystal clear that he has launched a new economic vision for the United States to stand against that of today’s Republicans. As he has said since he took office, he intends to build the economy “from the middle out and the bottom up instead of just the top down.”

His vision, he said, “is a fundamental break from the economic theory that has failed America’s middle class for decades now.”

That theory is “trickle-down economics,” the idea that cutting taxes for the wealthy and for corporations while shrinking public investment in infrastructure and public education will nurture the economy. Under that theory the most important metric was a company’s bottom line, Biden pointed out, so companies reduced costs by taking factories and supply chains overseas to find cheap labor, leaving “entire towns and communities…hollowed out.” It also meant cutting taxes, which led to dramatic cuts in public investments in infrastructure, research, social programs and so on, with the idea that concentrating money in a few hands would prompt private investment in the economy. That investment would, the theory went, provide more jobs and enable everyone to prosper.

This is the worldview that the Republicans have embraced since 1980 and that, Biden said, has “failed the middle class. It failed America. It blew up the deficit. It increased inequity. And it weakened…our infrastructure. It stripped the dignity, pride, and hope out of communities one after another…. People working as hard as ever couldn’t get ahead because it’s harder to buy a home, pay for a college education, start a business, retire with dignity. [For] the first time in a generation, the path of the middle class seemed out of reach,” Biden said.   

Biden came into office determined to reverse this policy by investing in the American people rather than in tax cuts. With the help of a Democratic Congress, the president backed legislation that invests in infrastructure, repairing our long-neglected roads and bridges, and in supply chains and manufacturing. Rather than scaring off private investment, as the trickle-down theory argued, that public investment has attracted more than $490 billion of private money into new industries. Manufacturing is booming. Together, infrastructure and manufacturing have created new jobs that pay well. 

Central to Biden’s vision is the idea that the prosperity of the United States rests on its working people, rather than its elites. In Chicago he emphasized his administration’s focus on training and education, as well as its emphasis on the trades and unions. He also emphasized economic competition, noting that business consolidation has stifled innovation, reduced wages, made supply chains vulnerable, and raised costs for consumers. 

To reduce the deficit that has exploded in the past decades and to pay for new programs, Biden reiterated the need for fair taxes on the wealthy and corporations after decades of cuts. “Big Oil made $200 billion last year and got a…$30 billion tax break,” he said, while billionaires pay an average of 8% in taxes, less than “a schoolteacher, a firefighter, or a cop.” He called for “making the tax code fair for everyone, making the wealthy and the super-wealthy and big corporations begin to pay their fair share, without raising taxes at all on the middle class.”

“We’re not going to continue down the trickle-down path as long as I’m president,” Biden said. “This is the moment we are finally going to make a break…. Here’s the simple truth about trickle-down economics: It didn’t represent the best of American capitalism, let alone America.  It represented a moment where we walked away… from… how this country was built…. Bidenomics is just another way of saying: Restore the American Dream because it worked before. It’s rooted in what’s always worked best in this country: investing in America, investing in Americans. Because when we invest in our people, we strengthen the middle class, we see the economy grow. That benefits all Americans. That’s the American Dream.”

Biden often points to the New Deal of the 1930s as his inspiration. In that era, under Democratic president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Congress responded to the economic crash spurred by unregulated capitalism by passing a wide range of laws that regulated business and protected workers, provided a basic social safety net including Social Security, and promoted infrastructure. 

In his speech accepting the 1932 Democratic presidential nomination, FDR condemned the policies of his predecessors that turned the government over to businessmen, declaring that “the welfare and the soundness of a nation depend first upon what the great mass of the people wish and need; and second, whether or not they are getting it.” He pledged to give the American people a “new deal” to replace the one that had led them into the Depression, and to lead a “crusade to restore America to its own people.” 

But FDR was not the first president to see ordinary Americans as the heart of the nation and to call for a government that protected them, rather than an economic elite. FDR’s distant relative Theodore Roosevelt, a Republican, made a similar argument as president thirty years earlier. Responding to a world in which a few wealthy industrialists—nicknamed “robber barons”—monopolized politics and the economy, he called for a “square deal” for the American people. 

“[W]hen I say that I am for the square deal,” TR said in 1910, “I mean not merely that I stand for fair play under the present rules of the game, but that I stand for having those rules changed so as to work for a more substantial equality of opportunity and of reward for equally good service.” He called for conservation of natural resources, business regulation, higher wages, and “social” legislation to create a “new nationalism” that would rebuild the country. Overall, he wanted “a policy of a far more active governmental interference with social and economic conditions in this country than we have yet had, but I think we have got to face the fact that such an increase in governmental control is now necessary.”  

But TR didn’t invent the idea of government investment in and protection of ordinary Americans either. In his New Nationalism speech, TR pointed back to his revered predecessor, Republican president Abraham Lincoln, who believed that the government must serve the interests of ordinary people rather than those of elite southern enslavers. When South Carolina senator James Henry Hammond told the Senate in 1858 that society was made up of “mudsills” overseen by their betters, who directed their labor and, gathering the wealth they produced, used it to advance the country, Lincoln was outraged. 

Society moved forward not at the hands of a wealthy elite, he countered, but through the hard work of ordinary men who constantly innovated. A community based on the work and wisdom of farmers, he said in 1859, “will be alike independent of crowned-kings, money-kings, and land-kings.” In office, Lincoln turned the government from protecting enslavers to advancing the interests of workingmen, including government support for higher education. 

Biden has recently embraced the term “Bidenomics,” a term coined by his opponents who insist that their embrace of tax cuts is the only way to create a healthy economy. But Bidenomics is simply a new word for a time-honored American idea.

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[arqueete]

New Year's Meme 2024

I've been doing this survey for probably at least 15 years now? It's from back in Livejournal days, when we had things that were like ask memes but we just answered all of the questions. Feel free to take this survey for yourself.

1. What did you do in 2024 that you’d never done before?

I saw a total solar eclipse!!! After regretting not seeing it in 2017 I resolved to make plans to see it this year. I ended up traveling to Columbus, Ohio for a couple days and staying with a coworker who lives in the path. We sipped cocktails on her deck as it passed over us and it was exhilarating.

I signed up for a subscription box from Bon Appetit that sends me five ingredients and recipe cards that use those ingredients. Of the 25 recipes I've received, I've made 17 so far, so I think I'm making good use of the box.

I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge on a trip to New York.

I visited the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum in Chicago.

For half a day, I worked in a store in the mall as part of a program at my job that put corporate office employees in the company's stores.

I adopted a letter through USPS' Operation Santa and sent gifts to some kids anonymously.

I saw The Postal Service in concert.

I started wearing a watch every day.

Two musicals I saw for the first time: Swept Away (on Broadway) and Illinoise (in Chicago.)

I saw Tim Rice host a concert of his music at a local theater.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year?

In 2024, I wanted to get my novel-in-progress beta read, and I did that! Two people read it and I realized I have a lot I'd like to change.

I wanted to figure out a way to start budgeting again now that I share money with my husband, but I didn't manage to follow through on that one.

I wanted to read every book on my book club's schedule--I almost made it, but skipped December's. I also wanted to re-read more books I already own, and I ended up re-reading four things from my bookshelf.

My resolutions for 2025:

I want to continue reading books regularly, and will be setting a Goodreads challenge goal of 20 books again.

I want to try more new video games. I'm going to shoot for playing at least an hour in a dozen games that I haven't played more than an hour in before.

I want to volunteer somewhere. My work gives me a day off for volunteer work and I've never actually used it.

I want to finish another draft of my novel.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? Not this year. 4. Did anyone close to you die? Fortunately this year has been easier in that regard.

5. What countries did you visit? No international travel this year. We did go to Ohio for the eclipse (and I went in the summer for work), to Chicago to escape the RNC, and to New York for a bit in the fall. 6. What would you like to have in 2025 that you lacked in 2024? Last year I said I wanted less stress. WELL it was an election year so that was a lot to ask.

Sorry to go and soft launch huge life updates in the New Year's Meme, but the current plan is to start trying to conceive our first and likely only child this coming summer. It's really strange to admit! I don't have many friends with kids and there's this feeling like I am way too young to be planning this when actually I am 34 and this is very much the time to do it. The idea of being pregnant by this time next year is terrifying, though barring anything that makes us change our timeline, the idea of it not happening is also terrifying because that means it will be harder than we hoped. So! We'll see how that goes! 7. What date from 2024 will remain etched upon your memory, and why? November 5th. The election hit me really hard. 8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? I guess making the eclipse trip happen? It's weird to think how far back I resolved to plan a trip for a specific day in the future without having any idea what my life would look like. 9. What was your biggest failure? I think this year was a lot of getting by and I wasn't very good at managing "adult stuff." My to-do list was always full of things I was putting off, I had plants die because I wasn't watering them consistently enough, and we didn't keep a budget or keep the house as clean as I'd like. 10. Did you suffer illness or injury? I had a stubborn yeast infection and it took a long time to feel normal again.

11. What was the best thing you bought? I got a new laptop this year and it was really about time. I've been enjoying playing video games even more now. 12. Whose behavior merited celebration? I'm a part of a local community group for bisexuals and we accomplished a lot this year.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? I hate knowing that I had put everyone who voted for Trump back on the 2016 survey and now we're right back here again. 14. Where did most of your money go? Besides bills, probably traveling. 15. What did you get really, really, really excited about? A theater in my city put on the Deaf West version of Spring Awakening! It was so good and I went many times! 16. What song(s) will always remind you of 2024? The top song on my Spotify this year was "Without Your Love" by The Paper Kites ft Julia Stone because I listened to it on repeat so much while writing.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: i. Happier or sadder? Sadder. ii. Older or wiser? Wiser. iii. Thinner or fatter? The same. iv. Richer or poorer? Richer. 18. What do you wish you’d done more of? I meant to do more rollerblading when the weather was nice and then I didn't :( 19. What do you wish you’d done less of? Curling up on the couch with my laptop, especially while working, because it hasn't been good for my body. 20. How will you be spending Christmas? Christmas was a little chaotic schedule-wise this year. On the 23rd, my husband and I went out to dinner and opened our gifts for each other. On the 24th, we had dinner with his parents and brother and opened gifts at their place. On the 25th, we had a late lunch with his extended family, and then left to go have an early dinner with my family where there was some drama over some family members coming despite contagious illness going around in their household. It was a lot.

21. How will you be spending New Year’s Eve? We had dinner at a local brewery that had an event celebrating the Swedish New Year (so that they could toast at 5pm.) Then we went out for cocktails.

22. Did you fall in love in 2024? I celebrated my second anniversary with my husband (we went to a small plates restaurant we love called Odd Duck.) 23. How many one-night stands? None.

24. What was your favorite TV program? I'm struggling to remember what TV I even watched this year. I said The Bear last year but I guess I'll say it again?

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? I don't know that I knew anything about Robert F Kennedy Jr last year and now I have to worry about him. 26. What was the best book you read? I read so much this year! Last year I finished 18 books and this year I finished 27, blowing through my goal of 20.

The Beautiful Ones by Sylvia Moreno-Garcia enthralled me and I already can't wait to re-read that one next year. Her book Mexican Gothic impressed me a lot but also made me realize that I just can't handle books with horror elements, so I was so happy she wrote this book that is more of a historical fantasy romance to draw me back into her writing.

Some of the things I loved about that book reminded me of Mairelon the Magician by Patricia C Wrede, which was an old favorite, so I decided to track down a copy. I was really worried about picking it up again because what if it turned out to be terrible despite my great memories? But I actually devoured it (and its sequel) like I was a kid all over again.

The best nonfiction I read was How the World Ran Out of Everything by Peter S. Goodman, which talks about the global supply chain through the lens of how things went awry at the start of the pandemic. I came away from it feeling like I had unlocked really important context about how the economy works (and how much we're all getting screwed.) 27. What was your greatest musical discovery? Like seemingly everyone, I got into Chappell Roan this summer.

28. What did you want and get? Last Christmas I preordered a watch for myself (an automatic mechanical watch with a sea lion that swims around and around) and it arrived in the spring. I had some problems with it and ended up needing a replacement at some point, but now I have it and it's a comfort to me.

29. What did you want and not get? After seeing Tim Rice do a fundraiser show at a local theater where they did a lot of Chess songs and he mentioned the plan to bring Chess to Broadway in 2025, I was hopeful that we'd either hear concrete news about that by now and/or that the local theater in question might put it in their upcoming season. No for both. 30. What was your favorite film of this year? Of the films released this year, I saw Challengers, Anora, and Wicked. I enjoyed all three and would see any of them again. It's hard to pick a favorite. I'm leaning toward Anora.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I turned 34. I took the day off work and went to go see Wicked by myself, and then in the evening my husband and I got dinner at a place we love called Aperitivo. My birthday is always a little weird because it's so close to Thanksgiving, so I ate my birthday cake on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and then also saw The Muppet Christmas Carol accompanied by a live orchestra on that Sunday as a birthday activity.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? Not staring down another Trump presidency. 33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2024? The summer was all about cute dresses again this year, while in the colder weather I was into oversized sweaters and men's shirts with the sleeves rolled up. I'm gravitating toward looser jeans and more comfort-centered looks. 34. What kept you sane? When I was stressing about the election in the later part of the year, writing postcards for Postcards to Voters was a way I channeled that anxiety. More generally, books and going for walks. 35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? I have a little celebrity crush on the stand-up comedian Taylor Tomlinson. 36. What political issue stirred you the most? The rise of fascism in the United States. This year it really felt like anything else I wanted to care about had to be secondary to that. 37. Who did you miss? I no longer have a membership at a pottery studio and while that seems to have been a good move, I do wonder what some of the people there are up to now. 38. Who was the best new person you met? Some new people started coming to the bi book club I'm in this year and I've liked meeting people that way. 39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2024: As we reach the end of 2024 I am feeling very disillusioned and like I learned a lesson about assuming that I live in a uniquely enlightened time where history might not repeat itself. The idea that my country or the world will come together to do hard things is not something I have a lot of hope about right now. I am focused on supporting the people in my community who share my values.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Some folks are born made to wave the flag Ooh, they're red, white and blue And when the band plays "Hail to the Chief" Ooh, they point the cannon at you, Lord

Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Fortunate Son"

[bachelor-degree-finance-2025]

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MIT Sloan’s program is perfect for those interested in combining finance with technology.

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3. London School of Economics (LSE)LSE is a leading institution for students seeking a Bachelor Degree in Finance with an international perspective.Highlights:

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Emphasis on quantitative and analytical skills.

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4. University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Highlights:

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The Judge Business School focuses on equipping students with a strong ethical foundation in finance.

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[delphinesaintmleux]

FOUNDATIONS MADE OF STONE CAN TURN TO DUST

Name: Delphine Saint Mleux

Nickname: Del

Gender & Pronouns: Cis woman & she/her

Age: 47

Occupation: CEO of Serres Communications, Inc

Origins: Woodside, California

Neighborhood: Oak Gardens

Relationship status: Married

Important note: serres communications, inc is the rp version of hearst communications, inc

SUMMARY: Born to be an heir Delphine was raised and groomed to be the best and brightest. Young life was routined and disciplined from private schools to every hour plotted out for music lessons, art lessons, extra education, etc. When she came out at as a teenager her mother distanced herself from Delphine and her father pushed her even harder and forced her to hide that part of herself. She went onto Yale where she earned top honors with an MBA as well as a PhD in comparative literature. By then she was working her way through the corporate ladder within her own family's company, obviously with a bit of a leg up, but her ideas and savvy business put her in charge. It wasn't until her father passed away 10 years ago that she took over as CEO of Serres Communications, Inc but it has been a role made for her. Living In Chicago and part of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra board Delphine eventually found herself as the Director of Operations. She was dating Valentine Finch, a fabulous cellist within the orchestra, and they eventually married. Things crumbled two years in when Delphine was accused and arrested on embezzlement charges from the orchestra. Her lawyers worked tirelessly to clear her and her spouse's name but it was already too late and Valentine had filed for divorce and fled from the damage and their ruined reputation.

BIOGRAPHY

trigger warnings: homophobia, death, embezzlement

Some generations ago the Serres family emigrated from France to the United States where the opportunity for entrepreneurship was so fresh that a motivated businessman was able to create the beginnings of an empire. What started off as a venture into the newspaper business expanded into a multinational mass media and business information conglomerate over decades (over a century in total) and generations within a family.

Before Delphine had been born the empire had already encompassed newspapers across the country, television and film productions and channels, radio stations, publishing in books and magazines, and several business-information companies. From the start of her life Delphine was groomed into eventually being a part of the family enterprise. She was enrolled into the best private schools and institutions that money could buy, enrolled and involved in music programs with private instructors, a young equestrian, and societies that would only further her social standing and outreach.

Music had a stronger hold and influence on Delphine. Attending symphonies, concerts, and operas impacted her in a way that her other interests and things she was pushed into hadn't. Even with piano and violin lessons she didn't quite have the talent to really pursue music in a way that she quietly dreamed, she was much more like the business minded leads of generations past, she followed music throughout her life. It was her love of literature and language that sent her off to Yale when the time for university came around, in which, during her attendance there, Delphine earned an MBA and a PhD in comparative literature.

For most of her young life Delphine moved through it robotically. There was always a routine and an expectation. While she had time as a child to be just that the older she got the more it came about in means of acting out. Rebelling against the strict structure of her life. When she was just a teenager she lashed out at her mother during a fight, choosing that moment to hurt the woman with an imperfection: Delphine was gay and had no desire to get married and have children within the same societal norms and demands of what a proper life looked like. They, her parents, had invested too much time and money into their daughter to completely write her off despite the lifestyle they couldn't and wouldn't agree with so her father continued to push Delphine for success. Her mother, on the other hand, nearly ignored her existence after the spontaneous coming out.

Fear of rejection and being ostracized within her own family Delphine buried her sexuality. Plus, the social climate for such an outing was vastly different at the time and that only further instilled a fear and solidified her decision to keep that part of herself hidden. Throughout university she remained publicly single and kept her short lived affairs with women deeply secretive. By then she was already working within what was then Serres Corporation and post graduation and with freshly printed higher education degrees Delphine began her ascent up the corporation ladder. It didn't hurt that she had fresh ideas on pushing the company ahead in future business ventures.

Eventually residing in Chicago, Delphine branched out personally into her interests as she became further involved within the city she'd decided to call home. One of those interests was the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and what had started merely as a donation based pledge (along with season tickets) eventually morphed into being on the board and then somehow the Director of Operations. It was fitting in the sense that Delphine was accustomed to involvement in various businesses. The only exception was that this was personal and not under the then Serres Communications, Inc brand.

In that investment into the symphony she'd met the fabulous cellist, Valentine Finch, and had fallen in love with the extraordinarily talented and intriguing musician. Thankfully she'd come out a decade earlier due to being caught on a date with a woman by the media, the relationship, like all the others in her past, had been short lived but the best outcome had come of it. Delphine no longer had to hide that part of herself. Her family be damned. Already CEO and the head of the family empire post her father's death there was no way anyone could keep her from living the life she'd wanted anymore. When she and Valentine began seeing each other it turned into the longest relationship she'd had. They'd gotten married and seemed to enjoy a charmed life with their spouse. But then accusations and an eventual arrest burned that happiness to the ground.

Charged with embezzling funds the media went wild. A billionaire and head of a mass media conglomerate siphoning funds from the orchestra, the very symphony her spouse was a part of, was violently juicy to the tabloids. Every part of her life seemed to be raked over the coals and that included her marriage. It took time but Delphine's team of lawyers were able to clear her of the charges and both her and her wife's names in the process. However, by then, the damage was already done. Marriage in shambles and unable to overcome the shame, Valentine left Delphine and she now sits with an impending divorce.

[fragile-practice]

Week in Review

October 23rd-29th

Welcome to Fragile Practice, where I attempt to make something of value out of stuff I have to read.

My future plan is to do longer-form original pieces on interesting topics or trends. For now, I'm going to make the weekly reviews habitual and see if I have any time left.

Technology

OpenAI forms team to study ‘catastrophic’ AI risks, including nuclear threats - Tech Crunch; Kyle Wiggers

OpenAI launched a new research team called AI Safety and Security to investigate the potential harms of artificial intelligence focused on AI alignment, AI robustness, AI governance, and AI ethics.

Note: Same energy as “cigarette company funds medical research into smoking risks”.

Artists Allege Meta’s AI Data Deletion Request Process Is a ‘Fake PR Stunt’ - Wired; Kate Knibbs

Artists who participated in Meta’s Artificial Intelligence Artist Residency Program accused the company of failing to honor their data deletion requests and claim that Meta used their personal data to train its AI models without their consent.

Note: Someday we will stop being surprised that corporate activities without obvious profit motive are all fake PR stunts.

GM and Honda ditch plan to build cheaper electric vehicles - The Verge; Andrew J. Hawkins

General Motors and Honda cancel their joint venture to develop and produce cheaper electric vehicles for the US market, citing the chip shortage, rising costs of battery materials, and the changing market conditions.

Note: What are the odds this isn’t related to the 7 billion dollars the US government announced to create hydrogen hubs.

'AI divide' across the US leaves economists concerned - The Register; Thomas Claburn

A new study by economists from Harvard University and MIT reveals a significant gap in AI adoption and innovation across different regions in the US.

The study finds that AI usage is highest in California's Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area, but was also noted in Nashville, San Antonio, Las Vegas, New Orleans, San Diego, and Tampa, as well as Riverside, Louisville, Columbus, Austin, and Atlanta.

Nvidia to Challenge Intel With Arm-Based Processors for PCs - Bloomberg; Ian King

Nvidia is using Arm technology to develop CPUs that would challenge Intel processors in PCs, and which could go on sale as soon as 2025.

Note: I am far from an NVIDIA fan, but I’m stoked for any amount of new competition in the CPU space.

New tool lets artists fight AI image bots by hiding corrupt data in plain sight - Engadget; Sarah Fielding

A team at the University of Chicago created Nightshade, a tool that lets artists fight AI image bots by adding undetectable pixels into an image that can alter how a machine-learning model produces content and what that finished product looks like.

Nightshade is intended to protect artists work and has been tested on both Stable Diffusion and an in-house AI built by the researchers.

IBM's NorthPole chip runs AI-based image recognition 22 times faster than current chips - Tech Xplore; Bob Yirka

NorthPole combines the processing module and the data it uses in a two-dimensional array of memory blocks and interconnected CPUs, and is reportedly inspired by the human brain.

NorthPole can currently only run specialized AI processes and not training processes or large language models, but the researchers plan to test connecting multiple chips together to overcome this limitation.

Apple’s $130 Thunderbolt 4 cable could be worth it, as seen in X-ray CT scans - Ars Technica; Kevin Purdy

Note: These scans are super cool. And make me feel somewhat better about insisting on quality cables. A+.

The Shifting Web

On-by-default video calls come to X, disable to retain your sanity - The Register; Brandon Vigliarolo

Video and audio calling is limited to anyone you follow or who is in your address book, if you granted X permission to comb through it.

Calling other users also requires that they’ve sent at least one direct message to you before.

Only premium users can place calls, but everyone can receive them.

Google Search Boss Says Company Invests to Avoid Becoming ‘Roadkill’ - The New York Times; Nico Grant

Google’s senior vice president overseeing search said that he sees a world of threats that could humble his company at any moment.

Google Maps is getting new AI-powered search updates, an enhanced navigation interface and more - Tech Crunch; Aisha Malik

Note: These AI recommender systems are going to be incredibly valuable advertising space. It is interesting that Apple decided to compete with Google in maps but not in basic search, but has so far not placed ads in the search results.

Reddit finally takes its API war where it belongs: to AI companies - Ars Technica; Scharon Harding

Reddit met with generative AI companies to negotiate a deal for being paid for its data, and may block crawlers if no deal is made soon.

Note: Google searches for info on Reddit often seem more effective than searching Reddit itself.  If they are unable to make a deal, and Reddit follows through, it will be a legitimate loss for discoverability but also an incredibly interesting experiment to see what Reddit is like without Google.

Bandcamp’s Entire Union Bargaining Team Was Laid Off - 404 Media; Emanuel Maiberg

Bandcamp’s new owner (Songtradr) offered jobs to just half of existing employees, with cuts disproportionately hitting union leaders. Every member of the union’s eight-person bargaining team was laid off, and 40 of the union's 67 members lost their jobs.

Songtradr spokesperson Lindsay Nahmiache claimed that the firm didn’t have access to union membership information.

Note: This just sucks. Bandcamp is rad, and it’s hard to imagine it continuing to be rad after this. I wonder if Epic had ideas for BC that didn’t work out.

Surveillance & Digital Privacy

Mozilla Launches Annual Digital Privacy 'Creep-o-Meter'. This Year's Status:  'Very Creepy' - Slashdot

Mozilla gave the current state of digital privacy a 75.6/100, with 100 being the creepiest.

They measured security features, data collection, and data sharing practices of over 500 gadgets, apps, and cars to come up with their score.

Every car Mozilla tested failed to meet their privacy and security standards.

Note: It would be great if even one auto brand would take privacy seriously.

EPIC Testifies in Support of Massachusetts Data Privacy and Protection Act -Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC)

Massachusetts version of ADPPA.

Note: While it may warm my dead heart to see any online privacy protections in law, scrambling to do so in response to generative AI is unlikely to protect Americans in any meaningful way from the surveillance driven form of capitalism we’ve all been living under for decades.

Complex Spy Platform StripedFly Bites 1M Victims - Dark Reading

StripedFly is a complex platform disguised as a cryptominer and evaded detection for six years by using a custom version of EternalBlue exploit, a built-in Tor network tunnel, and trusted services like GitLab, GitHub, and Bitbucket to communicate with C2 servers and update its functionality.

iPhones have been exposing your unique MAC despite Apple's promises otherwise - Ars Technica

A privacy feature which claimed to hide the Wi-Fi MAC address of iOS devices when joining a network was broken since iOS 14, and was finally patched in 17.1, released on Wednesday.

Note: I imagine this bug was reported a while ago, but wasn’t publically reported until the fix was released as a term of apple’s bug bounty program.

What the !#@% is a Passkey? - Electronic Frontier Foundation

Note: I welcome our passkey overlords.

[alphaman99]

Virgil Alexander posted:

Forwarded to me by an executive accountant friend: WHO AND WHAT IS—BLACK LIVES MATTER?

Black Lives Matter might be viewed as a grassroots movement of concerned people gathering together. It is much more.

Black Lives Matter is a corporation whose real name is Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation (BLMGNF). (Yep, it's one of those capitalistic corporations they profess to hate.)

The following information is on their web site. It's a nationwide corporation! BLMGNF has chapters in Boston, Chicago, Washington DC, Denver, Detroit, Los Angeles, Lansing, Long Beach, Memphis, Nashville, New York City, Philadelphia, South Bend and in Canada in Toronto, Vancouver, and Waterloo. (If you were impressed by how all those recent riots erupted simultaneously from a grassroots movement--well, maybe it's not so grassroots.)

BLMGNF is a not-for-profit corporation--but it's not tax exempt, so donations are not tax deductible. Except if you go to its website and want to donate, you're transferred to 'ActBlue Charities' which will take your donation, give you a tax deduction, and then distribute the money you gave to BLMGNF. Sort of . . .

What is ActBlue?

The following is taken directly from ActBlue’s web page: “Our platform is available to Democratic candidates and committees, progressive organizations, and nonprofits that share our values for no cost besides a 3.95% processing fee on donations. And we operate as a conduit, which means donations made through ActBlue to a campaign or organization are considered individual donations.”

ActBlue consists of three parts: ActBlue Charities facilitates donations to left-of-center 501(c)(3) nonprofits; Act Blue Civics is its 501(c)(4) affiliate; ActBlue is a 527 Political Action Committee. These three have raised over $5 billion in the sixteen years since it started. If it's 3.95% transaction fee has indeed been applied to all donations, that equates to over $197 million!

ActBlue is thus a Democratic Party front affiliated with BLMGNF. If only it was that simple and stopped there.

Per Business Insider Australia: “ActBlue . . . distributes the money raised to Thousand Currents, which is then granted to Black Lives Matter.”

So, what, you ask, is Thousand Currents (formerly the International Development Exchange)?

Again, per Business insider Australia: “Thousand Currents is a 501(3)(c) non-profit that provides grants to organizations that are . . . developing alternative economic models." (Is anarchy now an alternative economic model?)

"Thousand Currents essentially acts as a quasi-manager for Black Lives Matter: ‘It provides administrative and back office support, including finance, accounting, grants management, insurance, human resources, legal and compliance,’ (Executive Director Solome) Lemma said.” (Finance, insurance, human resources, legal and compliance? It sounds like General Motors!)

What is the significance of the above?

Black Lives Matter is not some fly-by-night fad that is going to loot and destroy and then disappear into the ash heap of history. It's a multi-corporation, big business that is heavily associated with and supports the Democratic Party--and it's here to stay. Arguing whether Black Lives or All Lives Matter is meaningless and distracts from what it's trying to achieve. It's a left-wing political movement that will have a significant impact on Democratic Party programs for the foreseeable future.

Socialism and Communism are intimately linked to these efforts. The U.S. Constitution and especially the Bill of Rights have no place in their plans. Patrisse Cullors,one of Black Lives Matter’s cofounders is widely quoted as saying, “We are trained Marxists.”

The president of Greater New York Black Lives Matter said that if the movement fails to achieve meaningful change during nationwide protests, they will “burn down this system.” Not the peaceful change we celebrate under our Constitution but violent change. For those of us who like our Constitution, this is a challenge thrown directly in our faces.

If you've been wondering why politicians have danced around criticizing Black Lives Matter, now you know.

[lboogie1906]

Dr. Reatha Clark King (born April 11, 1938) is a chemist, the former VP of the General Mills Corporation; and the former president, executive director, and chairman of the board of trustees of the General Mills Foundation.

She was born in Pavo, Georgia. Her parents were Ola Mae Watts Campbell and Willie B. Clark. She graduated as valedictorian from the Moultrie High School for Negro Youth. She earned her BS in Chemistry and Mathematics from Clark College. She earned her M.S. and Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry. She earned an MBA From Columbia University.

She was hired by the National Bureau of Standards, becoming the agency’s first African American female chemist.

She married N. Judge King II (1962-2014) and the couple had two sons.

She became the associate dean for the Division of Natural Science and Mathematics at York College.

She has served on numerous corporate boards including the Exxon Mobil Company, H.B. Fuller Company, Wells Fargo & Company, Minnesota Mutual Insurance Company, and Dept 56. She has served on not-for-profit boards including Allina Health Systems, the University of Chicago, the American Council on Education, the Council on Foundations, and the National Association of Corporate Directors. She has served as a trustee of Clark Atlanta University and Carleton College, and she is an emeritus trustee of the University of Chicago. She is the emeritus board chair of NACD and a member of the Board of Overseers of the Malcolm Baldrige Program for Excellence.

She has received many awards including the National Association of Corporate Directors Director of the Year; Defender of Democracy Award from the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Memorial Project Foundation, Inc.; the Exceptional Black Scientist Award from the CIBA-GEIGY Corporation; International Citizen Award from the International Leadership Institute; the Louis W. Hill, Jr. Fellowship in Philanthropy at the Hubert H. Humphrey Center of the University of Minnesota; and Ebony Magazines Top 50 Black Executives in Corporate America. She has been recognized with 14 honorary doctorate degrees. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #deltasigmatheta

[haggishlyhagging]

“Early-twentieth-century child-raising experts like Holt drew their prestige from science, but the content of their advice—what they actually had to tell mothers—came much less from the laboratory than the factory. Hall had romanticized youth; he wanted its spontaneity and openness protected from the ugly realities of the adult world. But the vulnerability of the child aroused very different impulses in most child-raising experts of the time. If the child was pliant, then the child could be molded. And if the child could be molded, why not begin shaping it at once to fit the "real" world of modern industry?

The goal was industrial man���disciplined, efficient, precise—whether it was his lot to be an industrial laborer, a corporate leader, or another expert himself. The key to producing such a man was regularity. It was never too early to introduce the child to the rhythms of industrial life, as Dr. Winfeld Hall explained at the Chicago Child Welfare Exhibit in 1911:

This period of early childhood is the period during which the child is acquiring habits which may last him through life . . . and many a mother will begin almost with the first day of the life of her infant to guard its habits and to introduce the element of regularity into its life . . .

This federal government’s twenty-five-cent pamphlet Infant Care, which was the best-selling publication of the Government Printing Office during the late teens, counseled similarly:

In order to establish good habits in the baby, the mother must first be aware what they are, and then how to induce them. Perhaps the first and most essential habit is that of regularity. This begins at birth, and applies to all the physical functions of the baby—eating, sleeping and bowel movements.

In the interests of industrial regularity, spontaneity would have to be strangled in the cradle. "The rule that parents should not play with the baby may seem hard," advised the government pamphlet cited above, "but it is no doubt a safe one." Inciting a baby to laugh in "apparent delight" was to impose a dangerous strain on its nervous system. Picking up a baby between scheduled feedings was to invite future mental disease or at least moral laxity. Dr. Winfield Hall painted a lurid picture for the indulgent mother:

Eating a thing because it tastes good, or drinking a thing because it tastes good, is doing a thing that gratifies the sensual! Mothers, if you begin that way with the child on these simple senses of taste and smell, and the flavor of food and drink, what are you going to do fifteen years later when the primordial urge gets into that young person's blood and he looks out at the world and turns to the right and to the left for other forms of sense gratification?

The industrial approach to child raising met with instant approval from domestic science leaders. In one of her rare mentions of children Ellen Richards wrote:

Most powers are the result of habits. Let the furrows be plowed deeply enough while the brain cells are plastic, then human energies will result in efficiency and the line of least resistance will be the right line . . . To the woman, the home worker, we say, "You must have the will power, for the sake of your child, to bring to his service all that has been discovered for the promotion of human efficiency, so that he may have the habit, the technique."

Besides, scientific housekeeping was incompatible with anything but the most obedient, well-programed child.”

-Barbara Ehrenreich and Deirdre English, For Her Own Good: 150 Years of the Experts’ Advice to Women

[hoursofreading]

His vision, he said, “is a fundamental break from the economic theory that has failed America’s middle class for decades now.” That theory is “trickle-down economics,” the idea that cutting taxes for the wealthy and for corporations while shrinking public investment in infrastructure and public education will nurture the economy. Under that theory the most important metric was a company’s bottom line, Biden pointed out, so companies reduced costs by taking factories and supply chains overseas to find cheap labor, leaving “entire towns and communities…hollowed out.” It also meant cutting taxes, which led to dramatic cuts in public investments in infrastructure, research, social programs and so on, with the idea that concentrating money in a few hands would prompt private investment in the economy. That investment would, the theory went, provide more jobs and enable everyone to prosper. This is the worldview that the Republicans have embraced since 1980 and that, Biden said, has “failed the middle class. It failed America. It blew up the deficit. It increased inequity. And it weakened…our infrastructure. It stripped the dignity, pride, and hope out of communities one after another…. People working as hard as ever couldn’t get ahead because it’s harder to buy a home, pay for a college education, start a business, retire with dignity. [For] the first time in a generation, the path of the middle class seemed out of reach,” Biden said.    Biden came into office determined to reverse this policy by investing in the American people rather than in tax cuts. With the help of a Democratic Congress, the president backed legislation that invests in infrastructure, repairing our long-neglected roads and bridges, and in supply chains and manufacturing. Rather than scaring off private investment, as the trickle-down theory argued, that public investment has attracted more than $490 billion of private money into new industries. Manufacturing is booming. Together, infrastructure and manufacturing have created new jobs that pay well.  Central to Biden’s vision is the idea that the prosperity of the United States rests on its working people, rather than its elites. In Chicago he emphasized his administration’s focus on training and education, as well as its emphasis on the trades and unions. He also emphasized economic competition, noting that business consolidation has stifled innovation, reduced wages, made supply chains vulnerable, and raised costs for consumers.  To reduce the deficit that has exploded in the past decades and to pay for new programs, Biden reiterated the need for fair taxes on the wealthy and corporations after decades of cuts. “Big Oil made $200 billion last year and got a…$30 billion tax break,” he said, while billionaires pay an average of 8% in taxes, less than “a schoolteacher, a firefighter, or a cop.” He called for “making the tax code fair for everyone, making the wealthy and the super-wealthy and big corporations begin to pay their fair share, without raising taxes at all on the middle class.” “We’re not going to continue down the trickle-down path as long as I’m president,” Biden said. “This is the moment we are finally going to make a break…. Here’s the simple truth about trickle-down economics: It didn’t represent the best of American capitalism, let alone America.  It represented a moment where we walked away… from… how this country was built…. Bidenomics is just another way of saying: Restore the American Dream because it worked before. It’s rooted in what’s always worked best in this country: investing in America, investing in Americans. Because when we invest in our people, we strengthen the middle class, we see the economy grow. That benefits all Americans. That’s the American Dream.”

June 28, 2023 - by Heather Cox Richardson

[contingentfitness]

The Impact of Corporate Fitness Training on Workplace Productivity

In the competitive business environment of today, businesses continuously seek various ways through which they can increase the business's overall efficiency and perform better. Among the increasingly popular approaches is the implementation of a corporate wellness program that incorporates fitness training. Corporate fitness training does not just keep employees physically fit; instead, it offers them tools to maintain better well-being, which in turn will enhance productivity at the workplace.

Let's look at how corporate fitness training can provide a more productive and energetic workforce.

1. Improves Physical Health and Energy Levels

Assuredly, one of the most direct benefits one can be assured of through corporate fitness training is improved physical health. The practice of regular exercise maintains healthy weight, improves cardiovascular health, and reduces chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Healthier employees mean a reduction in absenteeism caused by sick leaves.

Beyond that, fitness training increases energy. The exertion from physical activity stirs those endorphins, also known as "feel-good" hormones, which enable employees to feel more energetic and less tired during the day. When employees have higher levels of energy, they are much better equipped to pay attention, be productive, and engage themselves through the course of the day.

2. Sharpens Mental Clarity and Focus

Exercise is effective not only for the body but also for the mind. On the one hand, regular physical activity has been shown to improve cognitive function, including memory, problem-solving skills, and concentration. Employees who take part in fitness training manage to be focused on their work and perform tasks with higher productivity and more accuracy.

A corporate wellness program involving training in fitness can help reduce mental fatigue and help one focus. With sharper mentalities, employees are not as likely to make mistakes or become overwhelmed by their workload; thus, improving the performance of all tasks.

3. Reduces Stress and Improves Mental Health

Stress is among the significant causes of low productivity at work. Increasing high levels of stress can even cause total burnout, lack of motivation, and problems that may become physical. Through corporate fitness training, employees are provided with a natural way to rid themselves of accumulated stress. One of the extra positive rewards from exercise is the decrease in cortisol, which is the primary stress hormone of the body, while increasing the levels of endorphins, which are responsible for lowering stress naturally and improving one's mood.

With a corporate wellness program, one can easily fit in activities that will reduce stress; such as yoga, meditation, and cardio workouts. The less stressed an employee becomes, the more in touch with daily tasks and the more motivated they feel in handling different challenges arising, hence more productive.

4. Improves Teamwork

Exercises done in corporate fitness training are mostly group activities, whether it involves participation in fitness challenges, team workouts, or sports events. These kinds of group exercises usher in teamwork, communication, and relationship-building among co-workers.

Good working relationships affect productivity as well, since the team functions better. Workers who get along well would be happy to work together on projects, share ideas, and support each other concerning common goals. A well-functioning team produces more in less time and of a better quality.

5. Reduces Absenteeism and Health Care Costs

Absenteeism due to sickness or stress can be one of the biggest drains on workplace productivity. A company encourages employees to partake in regular fitness activities so as to minimize absenteeism and, by this virtue, increase overall attendance. Healthier employees are not likely to call in sick as often; therefore, a consistent workforce with less disruption to workflow is ensured.

Besides that, corporate fitness training reduces healthcare costs in the future. The regular exercise and healthy life reduce the risk of fatal health conditions that involve expensive medical treatment. Smaller health expenditure on the employee is a plus to the employee and the company; the money might be reinvested into possible business ventures.

6. Increases Employees' Morale and Satisfies Them

A corporate wellness program incorporating some form of fitness training in it tends to show that the company cares about the well-being of their people. People are satisfied and will be more inclined to stick with a company when their health and happiness are taken into consideration.

Better morale will imply a positive and more productive work environment, where employees are motivated and interested in their job. Happy employees are bound to be more productive and more willing to show initiative in contributing to the company's overall success.

Final Thoughts

One cannot deny the fact that corporate fitness training could have a major impact on workplace productivity. It is only logical that the same physical health, stress reduction, mental clarity, and team-oriented spirit will serve to create a more effective, enthusiastic, and productive workforce. Encouraging Corporate Wellness Program initiatives with specific active fitness could boost employee wellness, along with ensuring business outcomes.Contingent Fitness offers tailored corporate fitness programs that meet the unique needs of your business to improve productivity and develop a healthier, happier workforce. From personalized fitness challenges to mental health support and wellness activities, Contingent Fitness can support your team's prosperity in all aspects of their personal and professional life. Visit: Contingent Fitnessaccountability workout app or heart rate zone app

[tigerstrikesasteroidnetwork]

NY / &&&2

&&&2 January 6, 2024 – February 18, 2024  Opening Reception: Jan 6, Saturday 6-8PM  A talk with the artists will be scheduled in February

Tiger Strikes Asteroid New York is pleased to present &&&2, a bi-coastal exhibition that serves as both a survey and sequel to the collaborations of Ethan Greenbaum, David Kennedy Cutler and Sara Greenberger Rafferty.

Ten years ago, the artists initiated a series of meetings to talk about materials and techniques, based on their mutual interest in using photographic imagery to destabilize traditional art categories like painting, printmaking and sculpture.

The meetings resulted in an artist’s book titled &&&, in which the three artists imagined themselves as a fictional industrial supply firm. For Greenberger & Greenbaum & Cutler &, the fictional company had a veneer of prestige. For these capitalist outsiders, a corporate symbol of joint commercial enterprise was almost tantamount to success.

The book was released at Printed Matter’s NY Art Book Fair in 2013 in both a mass market paperback and a boxed, limited special edition print series based on swatch sample catalogs. The intention of the project was lost on nearly everyone, but a few key people became aware of the artists’ positioning themselves as a small movement.  This included the photography curator Dan Leers, who organized a show and catalog of their work, Beyond The Surface: Image as Object, at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center in 2014. 

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of &&&, Sun You has invited Greenberger & Greenbaum & Cutler to mount an exhibition at TSA in Brooklyn, NY. There will also be a simultaneous version of the show at Ditch Projects in Springfield, OR.  The exhibitions at both artist-run spaces feature a backdrop that wraps the gallery with deconstructed pages from the original &&& book, over which the artists have installed works from 2013 and 2023.  The original book is also exhibited, as well as a new portfolio of prints (&&&2) to celebrate ten fruitful years of collaboration, hand wringing and friendship 

Ethan Greenbaum is a New York based artist. Selected exhibition venues include KANSAS, New York; Derek Eller Gallery, New York; Hauser and Wirth, New York; Marlborough Chelsea, New York, Higher Pictures, New York; New York; Marianne Boesky, New York, Circus Gallery, Los Angeles; Steve Turner, Los Angeles; The Suburban, Chicago; Michael Jon & Alan, Miami, The Aldrich Museum, Connecticut; Socrates Sculpture Park; Long Island City and Stems Gallery, Brussels. Recent projects include a solo presentation with Lyles & King and solo exhibitions at Galerie Pact, Paris and Super Dakota, Brussels.

His work has been discussed in The New York Times, Modern Painters, Artforum, BOMB Magazine, ArtReview and Interview Magazine, among others. Ethan is a co-founder and editor of thehighlights.org and his writings have appeared in the Brooklyn Rail, Wax Magazine, BOMB, Paper Monument and others. He has also curated and co-curated multiple exhibitions at venues including The Suburban, Chicago; Lyles & King, New York and Super Dakota, Brussels. Greenbaum is the recipient of the Queens Art Fund New Work Grant, the Silver Art Residency, The Keyholder Residency at the Lower East Side Printshop, Dieu Donne’s Workspace Residency, LMCC’s Workspace Program, The Robert Blackburn SIP Fellowship, The Socrates EAF Fellowship, The Edward Albee Foundation Residency and The Barry Schactman Painting Prize. He received an MFA in Painting from Yale School of Art.

David Kennedy Cutler is an artist, writer and performer who lives and works in Brooklyn, New York. Cutler received his BFA from The Rhode Island School of Design in 2001. He has had solo exhibitions at Derek Eller Gallery, New York; Halsey McKay Gallery, East Hampton; Essex Flowers, New York; The Centre for Contemporary Art, Tallinn, Estonia and Nice & Fit, Berlin, Germany. Cutler has performed in various spaces in New York including Klaus von Nichtssagend Gallery, Essex Flowers, Printed Matter, Halsey McKay, Derek Eller Gallery, and Flag Art Foundation, and internationally at the Center for Contemporary Arts Estonia, among others. His works are included in the permanent collections of the Wellin Museum at Hamilton College and The RISD Museum, and his artist’s books are included in the libraries of the Whitney Museum and the Brooklyn Museum. He has been reviewed and featured in The New York Times, Artforum, Art in America, The New Yorker and Modern Painter, among others. Cutler is represented by Derek Eller Gallery, NY and Halsey McKay Gallery, East Hampton. 

Sara Greenberger Rafferty produces image-based works in paper, plastic, glass, metal, fabric, and video. Her work is driven by an ongoing examination of contemporary and mid-20th century visual culture and considers the ever-changing implications for photographic images in the digital era. She’s also into comedy. 

Ditch Projects is a nonprofit artist-founded, artist-run studio, exhibition, and performance space providing contemporary art experiences in Springfield, Oregon. As a collective of artists and professionals committed to exhibiting experimental artists from diverse backgrounds, Ditch Projects provides opportunities for cultural exchange between experimental contemporary art and our local community, acting as an integral voice within contemporary art discourse in the Pacific Northwest. Since its founding in 2008, Ditch Projects has featured over 145 exhibitions and 275 artists. Growing organically out of the concerns of its artist members, Ditch provides contemporary visual arts practitioners with an opportunity to test out new ideas, processes, and approaches they might not otherwise attempt in a comparable urban center. Over the past decade, the primary focus of the artist collective has been on the production and presentation of new works by regional, national and international artists, with a consistent 10-12 solo, two-person or group exhibitions per season. Past exhibiting artists have included internationally renowned practitioners such as Amy Yao, Diana Thater, Scott Reeder, Laura Owens, Jessica Jackson Hutchinsons, and Vito Acconci, along with regionally acclaimed artists such as Ralph Pugay, Amy Bernstein, Lisa Radon, Tannaz Farsi, James Lavadour, and Kristen Kennedy. Exhibitions at Ditch Projects have been reviewed in Art Forum, Frieze, Art in America, and the New York Times. Ditch Projects has received grants from the Andy Warhol Foundation, The Miller Foundation, the Ford Family Foundation, the Oregon Arts Commision, the Oregon Cultural Trust, Oregon Community Foundation, and the WLS Spencer Foundation.

[gowine7172]

How to Secure Last-Minute Deals on Business Hotels

Booking last-minute business hotels doesn’t have to be stressful. With the right strategies, you can secure great deals even at the eleventh hour. This guide provides tips on how to make the most of your last-minute bookings Corporate hotel deals near Chicago O'Hare Airport, ensuring comfort and efficiency during your business trip.

Use Last-Minute Booking Apps

Last-minute booking apps like HotelTonight and Booking.com are great tools for securing business hotel deals. These platforms offer discounts on unsold rooms, allowing you to book accommodations quickly and at lower rates. Simply input your travel dates, and these apps will provide real-time availability for various properties.

Sign Up for Hotel Loyalty Programs

Many hotel chains offer loyalty programs that provide exclusive deals and discounts to frequent travelers. Signing up for these programs can give you access to last-minute offers and perks, such as free upgrades or complimentary services. Loyalty members also enjoy priority access to available rooms during busy periods.

Be Flexible with Your Travel Dates

Flexibility with your travel dates can help you secure last-minute deals. If you’re able to adjust your schedule by a day or two, you might find better rates on hotels. Prices fluctuate based on demand, so shifting your trip even slightly can make a big difference in the cost.

Compare Prices Across Multiple Platforms

To get the best deal, compare prices on several booking platforms. Websites like Expedia, Kayak, and Trivago aggregate hotel prices from multiple sources, allowing you to spot discounts and promotional rates. Check for last-minute deals and filter the results based on your business needs and preferences.

Contact the Hotel Directly

Sometimes, booking directly with a hotel can lead to better deals, especially when rooms are available at the last minute. Hotels may offer discounts or perks to encourage direct bookings, bypassing third-party commissions. Call the hotel and inquire about any last-minute offers or unpublished rates they may have.

Use Corporate Rate Codes

Many business travelers have access to corporate rate codes, which are discounted rates negotiated by companies with hotel chains. If your company has these agreements, you can use them for last-minute bookings. Corporate rate codes often provide significant savings while maintaining premium accommodations and services.

Look for Flash Sales and Discounts

Flash sales are time-limited offers that provide significant discounts on hotel rooms. Many booking platforms, as well as hotels themselves, run flash sales throughout the year, especially during slow periods. Stay on the lookout for these promotions and be ready to book when you find a deal that fits your needs.

Book at Off-Peak Times

Hotel prices are typically lower during off-peak times, such as weekdays or during the low travel season. If your business trip falls during a less busy period, you can often find better last-minute deals. Consider booking your stay during these times to secure both savings and availability.

Set Alerts for Price Drops

Many travel websites and apps allow you to set price alerts for specific hotels or locations. By monitoring the prices of hotels in real-time, you’ll be notified when prices drop. This can be particularly helpful for last-minute bookings, ensuring you don’t miss out on discounted rates for quality accommodations.

Negotiate with the Hotel

If you find yourself in a last-minute situation, don't hesitate to negotiate directly with the hotel. Hotel managers may offer discounts or upgrades to fill rooms, especially during slow periods. Politely asking for a lower rate or a room upgrade can sometimes lead to favorable outcomes, even on short notice.

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Fred Zarbailov Drunk and Drive Allegations Fact-checked (2024)

Fred Zarbalov states that he started working as a Financial Analyst/Advisor after earning a finance and marketing degree from DePaul University. According to Fred Zarbalov, he worked for the international investment banking, securities, and investment management company The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.

Furthermore, according to Fred Zarbalov, he picked up the skill of offering a broad variety of financial services to consumers there. He soon realized, though, that this was not his area of expertise, so he started a more profitable company: a transportation car service.

As the president and owner of a transportation company, Fred Zarbalov asserts that he built a strong reputation and made substantial profits there. Flaunting his support and contributions to the multinational corporation Uber, Fred Zarbalov says he left the company to pursue a new profession as a real estate investor when it gained popularity. In addition to being a real estate agent and investor, Fred Zarbalov states that he is currently actively trading stocks and cryptocurrencies.

Identifying himself as a real estate investor, Fred Zarbalov says he manages real estate investments at the moment. Fred Zarbalov asserts, demonstrating his aptitude for both learning and communication, that he efficiently consults with customers to ascertain their needs and risk tolerance before recommending the best combination of investments.

Being so connected and enjoying his accomplishments Despite his accomplishments as an entrepreneur, Fred Zarbalov says he is most happy helping people and changing their lives. Fred expresses his desire to become a member of Big Brothers Big Sisters, the oldest, biggest, and most successful child mentoring program in the country.

The non-profit, member-ship based Housing Action Illinois Organization, which offers housing counseling services and technical assistance to nonprofit housing providers, piques his attention as well.

Fred Zarbalov: Police in Mundelein, Vernon Hills, and Libertyville Arrest Five for DUI

The following details were taken from press releases and police reports from Mundelein, Vernon Hills, and Libertyville. A conviction does not result from an arrest.

MUNDELEIN

DUI

On August 7, Dakota W. Lenzi of Gurnee was charged with driving while intoxicated. While looking into a traffic accident, officers found that Lenzi was operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Lenzi has a scheduled court appearance in Waukegan.

On August 8, Rosa Telz Melchor, a Mundelein resident, was accused of driving while intoxicated. Telz Melchor is scheduled to appear in court in Waukegan.

ARREST RESISTANCE

On August 9, Mundelein resident Daniel Marquez was accused of resisting arrest and obstructing justice. Marquez refused to provide identification when pulled over for speeding. Marquez resisted arrest as well. He has a scheduled court appearance in Waukegan.

THE HILLS OF VERNON

THEFT

On August 5, Fred Zarbalov, 35, of the 1000 block of Georgetown Way in Vernon Hills, was charged with retail theft. Zarbalov purchased ink from a store for $139.98. On September 7, Zarbalov is expected to appear in Waukegan court.

DUI

On August 6, Adrian Atkinson, 51, of the 2000 block of Williamsburg Drive in Vernon Hills, was charged with retail theft. Atkinson left a store with $131.36 worth of booze. Following his arrest, Atkinson was sent to Lake County Jail. It was not possible to access her court records.

DUI

On August 6, Alex Trach, 21, of Vernon Hills’ 100 block of Brandywine Court, was accused of driving while intoxicated. Trach was a part of an automobile accident. He has a Waukegan court date on August 24.

LIBERTYVILLE

DUI

On August 7, Scott A. Riley, 45, of Chicago’s 4000 block of W. Monroe St., was accused of driving while intoxicated. Riley has a Waukegan court appointment set for August 26.

The allegation against Francesco U. DiLauro, 28, of Libertyville’s 300 block of Brainerd Ave. is driving while intoxicated. DiLauro is due in court in Waukegan on September 9.

DUI (Driving Under the Influence): The Crime Committed by Fred Zarbalov

The crime of driving, operating, or being in control of a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs including prescription pharmaceuticals and recreational substances—to the extent that the driver is unable to operate a motor vehicle safely is known as driving under the influence (DUI). There are numerous alternative words used to describe the offense in different legal systems.

Laws on Driving Under the Influence of Alcohol and Drugs

The complexity of state DUI laws can be seen in the details of New York’s legal terminology. Among them are:

Typically, driving while intoxicated (DWI) requires a blood alcohol content (BAC) of at least 0.08%. In New York, the rate for commercial drivers is 0.04%.

A BAC of at least 0.18% is required for aggravated driving while intoxicated, or aggravated DWI.

Driving while intoxicated (DWAI/alcohol) is defined as having a blood alcohol content (BAC) of more than 0.05% but less than 0.07%.

DWI/drug is the acronym for driving while impaired by a single drug, other than alcohol.

Driving while under the combined influence of alcohol and/or drugs (DWAI/combination).

Conclusion

Fred Zarbalov: Essential Safety Guidelines to Prevent Drunk Driving Accidents

Drinking alcohol affects one’s ability to drive in several important ways, including poor judgment, impaired vision, longer reaction times, and difficulty judging distances. Thus, inebriated drivers frequently:

Drive carelessly

Quickness

Swell or suddenly turn

Reverse parking

Enter and depart highways, streets, and highways the incorrect way.

As a driver, your job is to drive cautiously and with awareness. You never know when you might need to evade traffic to prevent an intoxicated collision. Don’t forget to designate a driver as well. Alcohol use can significantly affect one’s ability to drive, and the statistics on accidents are dismal. Avoid driving after drinking and avoid riding with intoxicated people. Becoming a designated driver might potentially save a lot of lives.

Put on your seat belt. Seat belts “reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by half,” according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (1988).

Maintain a safe distance. Place extra space between your vehicle and the vehicle of the person in front of you if you witness them weaving, braking suddenly, not signaling correctly, or driving in another strange manner. Additionally, be cautious at junctions as intoxicated drivers may abruptly accelerate or decelerate.

Recognize when to interact and when not to. Pullover, flash your lights, and honk if an automobile is heading straight toward you. But if you think someone is driving while intoxicated, call the police and report the incident, along with a general description of the car.

Don’t drive at night too much. Even though you might not be able to avoid it, make an effort to avoid going anywhere late at night, especially on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Stay on well-trafficked roads. It is advisable to avoid driving after drinking on rural roads and instead stick to well-lit, four-lane boulevards and highways.

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Online Data Science Bootcamp in Chicago: Shef Solutions LLC

As data becomes increasingly valuable across industries, the demand for skilled data scientists is booming. From healthcare to finance, companies everywhere are relying on data-driven insights to make informed decisions and drive growth. In this context, Shef Solutions LLC's Online Data Science Bootcamp in Chicago offers a unique opportunity to dive into this dynamic field, complete with 100% job placement assistance. Whether you're looking to switch careers, enhance your current skill set, or enter the workforce for the first time, our bootcamp is designed to support your journey every step of the way.

Why Choose Data Science?

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Our curriculum is crafted by experienced data science professionals who understand industry demands and trends. Core topics include data analysis, Python programming, statistics, machine learning, data visualization, and more. This focused curriculum prepares you to tackle real-world data science problems, making you job-ready upon completion.

Why Chicago? The Perfect City for Aspiring Data Scientists

Chicago is a growing hub for technology and innovation, with a diverse array of companies looking for data science talent. The city’s vibrant tech scene includes startups, tech companies, and established corporations in sectors like finance, healthcare, and e-commerce—all of which have a high demand for data scientists. By completing the Shef Solutions LLC bootcamp, you'll be ready to tap into this job market and make an impact.

What to Expect from Shef Solutions LLC’s Online Bootcamp

The bootcamp experience with Shef Solutions LLC is both enriching and supportive. Our expert instructors offer one-on-one mentorship, giving you personalized feedback on projects and helping you build a strong technical foundation. You’ll gain proficiency in Python, SQL, and popular data science tools, while also developing soft skills that are crucial for success, like problem-solving and critical thinking. Plus, our job placement team works tirelessly to connect you with opportunities that align with your career aspirations.

Ready to Start Your Data Science Journey?

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in data science and want to study with a company that offers 100% job placement assistance, Shef Solutions LLC is the right choice. Our Online Data Science Bootcamp is designed to prepare you with the skills and confidence needed to secure a position in this competitive field. Don’t let distance or timing hold you back—our flexible online format lets you learn on your own schedule while receiving top-notch support and guidance.

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