SANDALS' CEO STEWART'S A WINNER... AGAIN!
Montego Bay, Jamaica; 9th November 2015; Sandals Resorts International’s Chief Executive Officer continued his award-winning year after being named Caribbean Personality of the Year at the International Caribbean World Travel & Living Awards.
Sandals Resorts Press Release
MIAMI CANCER INSTITUTE APPOINTS MICHAEL ZINNER, M.D., FOUNDING CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER & EXECUTIVE MEDICAL DIRECTOR
MIAMI, Fla. – Michael J. Zinner, M.D., a world-renowned and highly respected cancer surgeon and researcher, has been named founding CEO and executive medical director of Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida, announced Brian E. Keeley, president and CEO of Baptist Health South Florida.
“Dr. Zinner’s credentials are indicative of the sophistication and high-quality medical care that Miami Cancer Institute will provide,” Keeley said. “Under his leadership, the Institute will deliver leading-edge cancer treatment via state-of-the-art technology, including South Florida’s only proton therapy center. We will also engage in innovative research that will accelerate discovery.”
An expert in pancreatic-hepatobiliary diseases, Dr. Zinner joins Miami Cancer Institute from Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center in Boston, where he was Clinical Director, and Surgeon-in-Chief at the Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is also the Moseley Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School and founder of Harvard’s Center for Surgery and Public Health.
Dr. Zinner is co-founder and co-director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, a multidisciplinary clinical program of surgeons, oncologists, radiation therapists, radiologists and pathologists. The author of more than 230 academic papers, Dr. Zinner is a member of the editorial boards of Annals of Surgery, Journal of Gastrointestinal Surgery and the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.
“With Dr. Zinner at the helm, along with our other highly regarded experts, Miami Cancer Institute will provide world-class, precision cancer care throughout the region, including South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean,” said Wayne Brackin, executive vice president and chief operating officer at Baptist Health South Florida.
From 2008 to 2010, Dr. Zinner was the Chairman of the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons (ACS), which has more than 80,000 members, and he is now a Vice Chair of the Board of Regents of the College. Additionally, he is Chairman of the Health Policy and Advocacy Committee for the American College of Surgeons.
“Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Zinner has been widely recognized for his extraordinary clinical accomplishments, his contributions to cancer treatment and research, and his mentorship to students, physicians and researchers worldwide,” said Jack Ziffer, Ph.D., M.D., executive vice president and chief physician executive, Baptist Health South Florida. “Dr. Zinner’s esteemed reputation will help us attract and retain the best and brightest experts in cancer care, who will deliver evidence-based treatments to our patients.”
“We are delighted that Dr. Zinner will be joining us at a pivotal moment in Baptist Health’s history,” said S. Lawrence Kahn III, founding chairman of the board of directors for Miami Cancer Institute.
A Miami native, Dr. Zinner received his M.D. degree from the University of Florida and did his surgical residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
About Miami Cancer Institute
Miami Cancer Institute offers comprehensive cancer services and is expanding its clinical services, clinical trials and state-of-the-art technology, including offering the first proton therapy treatment in South Florida, Latin America and the Caribbean. The Cancer Institute, designed to be a world-class clinical center and research facility, will move into its new spectacular facility in 2016.
Miami Cancer Institute is part of Baptist Health South Florida, the largest healthcare organization in the region, with seven hospitals (Baptist Hospital, Baptist Children’s Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Homestead Hospital, Mariners Hospital, South Miami Hospital and West Kendall Baptist Hospital) and nearly 50 outpatient and urgent care facilities spanning three counties. The not-for-profit Baptist Health has more than 16,000 employees and 2,200 affiliated physicians and also includes Baptist Health Medical Group, Baptist Health Quality Network, Baptist Outpatient Services and internationally renowned centers of excellence. Baptist Health Foundation, the organization’s fundraising arm, supports services at all hospitals and facilities. Baptist Health is listed by Fortune magazine as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America (#23 in the nation) and has remained on the list for 15 years. It was also recognized as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies for the fourth year in a row by the Ethisphere Institute. Visit BaptistHealth.net.
About Baptist Health International
Baptist Health International, based in Miami, is one of the largest international hospital programs in the United States. Thousands of people travel each year from all over the world to receive care by our respected physicians. Baptist Health International is dedicated to providing comprehensive, high quality services to physicians and their patients worldwide, including hospital admissions, outpatient medical exams medical consultations, and counseling services.
Universal Children's Day
The Department of Social Development and Gender Affairs/ Ministry of Home Affairs, Transportation and Communication will join the rest of the world on the 20th November 20, in celebration of ‘Universal Children’s Day’ also recognized as World Day of Prayer and Action for Children (WDPAC).
UCD_Press_Release_2015.docx
REMARKS DELIVERED BY THE HON LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION DURING THE OPENING OF THE TCI TOURISM SYMPOSIUM ON NOVEMBER 17, 2015
Salutations removed
I am ... absolutely in love with this year's theme. In my mind, it embodies all that needs to be said to take care of this bustling but fragile industry.
In the single phrase, "Tourism is key", we are reminded of the fundamental and important major role this industry plays in our economy when key is used as an adjective. When key is used as a noun, we think of unlocking a knob which is usually on a door – we are then reminded of the many doors that tourism as a key can unlock.
"It begins with me" reminds us of the role each and every one of us must play. From the street cleaner to the Hotel Manager; from school child to Police from ordinary citizen to leaders. Directly and indirectly whatever we do, will impact our industry positively or negatively.
I have two watch phrases in my mind quality service and personal attention. Many of us have had the opportunity to be tourists at some stage or will at some stage. Imagine what you will want: cleanliness from the streets to the room; they want to feel safe. They simply want quality service and personal service that matches high end tourism. We have to make a concerted effort to offer the best service that we can ensuring training and incentives for exceptionalism and excellence. Tourists want to feel that we value them and we care about what product we offer them and then as leaders we must be careful the decisions that we make lest they ruin the product that we have nurtured over decades and the hard work of many.
"It starts with me": I have had many opportunities to speak with tourists who have had good and bad experiences and some of their experiences stem from attitudes from persons that have not yet caught up with their crucial role in this industry. I believe that the outreach must be wider and players in the industry must be subjected to full training and exposure to a much broader awareness campaign.
I think that no one can fathom for the foreseeable future another industry that will bring the yields that this Industry can and has brought, one that allows for so many stakeholders to play direct and indirect roles in the growth and sustainability of the product that we have developed. I long to see deliberate, nurtured growth that will see more of us in leadership roles and a greater understanding and commitment from the residents of these Islands to the importance of this key industry.
It will be remiss of me if I do not recognize the Junior Minister of Tourism who will be ending his term at the end of this Symposium. Hon Elliot, did us proud, you did me proud. We are proud of him and how he carried himself over the year but what a finish. I watched with great patience for 3 hrs and with great pride, his performance in Curacao. He won! It is as simple as that. Will has been a shining example as to what our youth can do when we provide them with the opportunity. I say thank you to Will and pray that God go ahead of all of his endeavours and bless the path. This is the best partners that you can have if you want sustainable growth for this industry. Use our youth!
Congratulations Miss Clare for your work among our youth, we are indeed grateful for your role.
I wish to welcome each of you and to thank you for your commitment evidenced by your presence here. I say welcome to our visitors/guest speakers and encourage you to take time to enjoy the world's number beach on the best Island on earth.
Congratulations to the Tourist Board, our #1 Director and Team, you the valued leaders and stakeholders. Your successes are our successes. I caution us all though to get everyone on board quickly from leaders to ordinary citizen, lest we look with down cast eyes at what use to be and what could have been. We must arrest crime, uncleanliness and less than high end service. We can certainly do this all together when we unite around this awesome theme "Tourism is key: it starts with me.
The Public Service Must Lead Part 1
By any objective measure, one could safely say that the Public Service has the highest percentage of a Turks and Caicos Islander workforce of any major employer in the TCI, as it should well be. The employment question of the public service has been asked several times in the House of Assembly, to which the Attorney General or her designate, if I'm not mistaken, would produce a figure in the low 90's. Without close examination, it may look as if TCIG is leading the way for Turks and Caicos Islander employment. But with a closer look, the statistics may reveal an unsettling story.
Let's look at the Civil Service and Statuary Bodies as separate entities, together making up the Public Service. In the case of the Civil Service, what is the percentage of local to foreign middle to upper management or technical posts? I'm sure it's not the 9 locals to 1 foreigner in the overall body. Just an eyeball test would indicate it's likely that for every 5 locals you have 3 foreigners in those posts, if not a straight up one to one ratio. This is largely due to the hiring trends during and after the interim administration. Why is this important? Simply, we are talking about the better paying jobs in the country which would offer a getter livelihood for Turks and Caicos Islanders, plus we are talking about who will dictate the pace of the public services and to whom their loyalties will be. As a contract worker today, I would be more likely to toe the UK agenda and keep my job via contract renewal over carrying out the agenda of a duly elected government seven days a week and twice of Tuesdays. This is especially important because those two agendas rarely agree. Also of note is that our local Permanent Secretaries would all fall in this category as well.
In the case of Statuary Bodies, organisations such as NIB, NHIB, and Ports Authority do not follow the normal pattern. They have a significant amount of locals in senior management, but they are the exception and not the rule. They don't appear to be restricted by the Public Service and take on hiring practices closer to that of the Private Sector and not the Civil Service. Case in point, I saw an advertisement for a Head of Statistics unit in the Financial Service Commission requiring the post holder to have a PhD. What? The current Managing Director of the FSC doesn't have a PhD. As my father often says, "there is something that stinks in Denmark and it's not the Cheese!"
So what's the solution? Introduce a Policy that requires each department or equivalent and Statuary Body to have at least the Head or its Deputy as a local at all times. And in the case of Deputy being local, they must be actively understudying the head such that if it is deemed that the Deputy is not ready at the conclusion of the Contract, the Head is automatically terminated for not properly preparing the Deputy. A greater percentage of local employees can be appointed to the middle management and technical posts within the organisations. Under the current Public Service Ordinance there isn't any protection for even our PS's or Deputy PS's to be local. While it has long been the practice, it is not Law. I can only think of the Deputy Governor and Director of Immigration having to be local via the TCI Constitution and Immigration Ordinance respectively. Don't be surprised that if in our life time we see a non-local PS if something isn't done. In this area the Public Service must lead, otherwise the Private Sector will continue to take their cues from them.
- Jamell Robinson
Augumented reality could bring the Web to your Windscreen
There was a lot of fun and funky design coming out of last week’s Tokyo motor show: rolling lounges, futuristic fuel systems, and a metric Watson of autonomous technology. What else was there, but didn’t get much attention, was AR — augmented reality. This fighter-jet-style windshield display can allow drivers to see in the dark, point out hazards and turn lanes, and generally turn humans into cyborgian motoring machines.
It was only two years ago (at the last Tokyo show) that Nissan was set to make a splash with its “3E” augmented reality headset, which was a space pirate-like digital monocle with a head-up display for telemetry data, Internet connectivity, and communication. The splash was more of a thud, probably because the device’s nearest relative was Google Glass, and various “Glassholes” had recently been ticketed by police for distracted driving.
The idea is certainly sound, and far from new. As far back as 1988, General Motors offered a head-up display on the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme that included a glowing green speed readout and turn-indicator arrows. Subsequent systems added colour and more vehicle data — tachometer readouts, infotainment settings and, in the 2000 Cadillac DeVille, a highly distracting thermal-imaging night-vision display. But there is a big difference between systems that flash simple on-board data in the line of sight and systems that use situational awareness to deliver location-relevant information in real-time.
Smartphone users have access to dozens of apps with augmented-reality capability — software like Wikitude World Browser and Google’s clever Ingress sci-fi game. These apps use location awareness and a data connection to overlay some sort of information, be it restaurant listings or the location of exotic matter orbs, on a live image from your phone’s camera. In your car, the technology will work the same way, although it will deliver its information — anything from route guidance to road-hazard alerts — on a much larger screen: the windshield.
In 2014, Jaguar engineers created the 360 Virtual Urban Windscreen concept, which projected a “ghost car” on the windshield glass, allowing drivers mimic lane changes and turns instead of listening to GPS directions. And Mini, in cooperation with designer Keiichi Matsuda, explored digital overlays in the form of contact lenses directing information directly onto driver’s retinas; until that technology matures, Mini’s showing off some steampunky AR goggles. And Mitsubishi’s recent Emirai concept car keeps track of head movements, as well as facial expressions and heart rate, to decide what extra information to show on which part of the car — such as “You look a little sleepy; there’s a rest stop six miles ahead.” With increased computing power and sensor technology, AR might finally become useful.
One interesting player in that is, predictably, Google.
It seems that Google has rented a few electronic billboards around London, and the company is feeding programmatic advertising into them, serving up the most relevant ads according to things like time of day, weather, special events, and even (in aggregate) who is driving by. That’s just the sort of information that a Google-connected car could use to avoid certain exits, or find the cheapest gas, or begin heating the headlamps and wipers for the ice storm ahead. In this near-future, augmented reality isn’t just you plus car, but you plus car plus the sum of all human knowledge (in real time). That could make for some very intelligent driving.
At least until you are in your Google Self-Driving Car, at which point you should expect your windscreen to display lots and lots of targeted ads.
This is the new Range Rover Evoque Convertible
We told you it was real, and now that a convertible version of the Range Rover Evoque actually here, it’s a little unreal.
We don’t mean the idea of it. Toplessness is a longstanding tradition among four-by-four aficionados, including quite a few from this particular marque. That the Evoque is a small, streamlined SUV rather than a boxy military appliance is more about modern technology than modern tastes (or, say the classicists, lack thereof).
What’s unreal how thoughtfully Range Rover took a little off the top, and all they added back in.
The fabric roof is built around a Z-fold mechanism, and stows away in 18 seconds (at speeds of up to 30mph) at the press of a button that simultaneously drops all four windows. When stowed, the top takes up a minimum of room, leaving a decent 8.9 cubic feet of rear cargo space and a pass-through for long items such as skis and fishing rods. When the roof is up, acoustic insulation keeps ragtop rattle to a minimum, allowing for “standards of refinement” found in the hardtop version.
The Evoque is in essence a go-anywhere luxury coupe, and the convertible iteration raises the bar on even that.
The act of cabriolisation isn’t as simple as a Sawzall and some sandpaper. New frameless doors had to be designed, the rear hatch had to go away, as did the B-pillar, with all of the rigidity that provides. Somehow, Range Rover engineers managed to keep both the silhouette and the performance, and claim no noticeable difference in ride quality or offroading ability between the two versions (both are powered by a 240-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a nine-speed automatic transmission). There’s a worrying absence of roll bars on the convertible, but two aluminum bars in the rear quarter panels will automatically deploy in 90 milliseconds in a rollover situation — and Range Rovers have an arsenal of sensors to keep that situation from happening in the first place.
The Evoque is in essence a go-anywhere luxury coupe, and the convertible iteration raises the bar on even that. The expected infotainment system and four luxury seats keep the driving enjoyable, and things like wade-depth sensors and a head-up display keep it safe. The convertible boasts a larger, more aggressive front grill, premium wheel options, and a unique puddle lamp projection — a logo’d floodlamp that lights the ground to make sure you’ve scraped all the mud from your Wellies. If you haven’t, there are optional illuminated treadplates, which can be personalized in a script of the owner’s choice. The “Black Pack” option offers a murdered-out version in matte.
Luxury convertibles are built for sunny days and open roads. Now, there’s no reason that road can’t cross a shallow creek or two.
An app called Telegram is the 'hot new thing among jihadists'
When ISIS terrorists want to hide what they're saying, they are increasingly turning to an app called Telegram.
It's "the new hot thing among jihadists," said Laith Alkhouri, director of Research at Flashpoint Global Partners.
The Berlin-based startup boasts two layers of encryption and claims to be "faster and more secure" than its competitor WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook.
Users can securely message friends and send pictures and files. They can also create group chats with up to 200 members or opt for "special secret chats" where messages, photos, and videos will self-destruct.
ISIS is also using Telegram to broadcast big messages on the app's "channels," which are devoted to a variety of topics. It was on the official ISIS channel that the group said the Paris attacks would be the "first of the storm."
ISIS also used Telegram to claim responsibility for downing a Russian airplane on October 31.
"A lot of people are now seeing Telegram advertised on ISIS supporter Twitter accounts," said Alkhouri.
He said the official ISIS channel distributes between 10 and 20 ISIS statements and videos a day.
Some terror groups are using Telegram to fundraise. On certain jihadi-related channels, users are asked to donate and pick where their money would go. For example, users can pick out the type of weapons their money would be spent on.
"You can choose whether to donate your money to an AK-47," Alkhouri said.
Because Telegram isn't yet widely known, there's less scrutiny. It launched in 2013 by brothers Nikolai and Pavel Durov, who has been dubbed "the Mark Zuckerberg of Russia."
Pavel Durov created the popular Russian social network Vkontakte, and fled Russia after refusing to hand over user data to the government, according to reporting by the New York Times.
On Telegram's FAQ page, it says profits will never be a goal for the company. The company says it has "quite enough money for the time being."
Telegram is a reaction to what the makers of the app believe are shortcomings of other mainstream networks. "Big Internet companies like Facebook or Google have effectively hijacked the privacy discourse in the recent years," the site says.
A number of startups have popped up looking to make secure, encrypted communication mainstream -- a reaction to the revelations in the Edward Snowden leaks about the NSA's oversight of private communications. But now there's a debate: How much oversight should the government have? And how much privacy can be expected while still ensuring security?
While ISIS members often meet and relay their messages on social networks like Twitter, they often then "go dark," using apps with encryption.
And law enforcement agencies are grappling with the trend.
"Encryption is one of many ways that an adversary, whether that's a criminal, a terrorist, a rogue nation, one of the many ways that they might use to hide their activities," former NSA Deputy Director Chris Inglis, told CNNMoney. "I saw dozens of times -- more than that, likely -- across my career that, in fact, was an obstacle for us."
Telegram did not respond to CNNMoney's request for comment.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday afternoon, Pavel Durov said he showed support for those who lost their lives, though he also pointed blame at the French government: "I join all those who mourn deaths in the most beautiful city of the world. I think the French government is as responsible as ISIS for this, because it is their policies and carelessness which eventually led to the tragedy."
The Divergent Series: Allegiant
The third installment of the blockbuster Divergent series franchise, ALLEGIANT takes Tris [Shailene Woodley] and Four [Theo James] into a new world, far more dangerous than ever before. After the earth-shattering revelations of INSURGENT, Tris must escape with Four and go beyond the wall enclosing Chicago. For the first time ever, they will leave the only city and family they have ever known in order to find a peaceful solution for their embroiled city. Once outside, old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless with the revelation of shocking new truths. Tris and Four must quickly decide who they can trust as a ruthless battle ignites beyond the walls of Chicago which threatens all of humanity. In order to survive, Tris will be forced to make impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice and love.