Off to the Races….The PHA 500
“Our outside speaker was spectacular and helped all attendees connect the dots”, stated Cyndi Cahill PHA Partner.
FSI Customer Portal iServe Rollout
Fort Washington, Pa – With the design of the iServe Customer Portal complete Futura Services has contracted with Insource LLC to assist with the rollout of their Service Now, CRM system. The most significant task was defining all the workflow requirements and mapping out all the processes. This stage alone took over 90 days bringing together an enterprise collaboration team of support, programming and IT. Also joining the team were Senior Executives, Managers and Sales (both inside & out).
The new tool will be a platform for Customer Support, Scheduling, Programming and Development. The focus of Phase 1 will be on Case Management, Customer Notification and Reporting Requirements. The team has established goals of Client Pilots in Q4 and Enterprise Rollout 2017 Q1.
Amtech Announces Paperless Conference and Event Mobile Application!
In celebration of its 15th User Meeting the Amtech iNext conference will be going COMPLETELY PAPERLESS! Amtech is extremely excited to leverage new technology throughout this year’s iNext conference, at the Tropicana Hotel Las Vegas 9/26-9/29. All presentations, schedules, directions, note taking etc will be done electronically. We’re asking everyone to bring their mobile devices and tablets “charged and ready to go”. We will provide complementary portable chargers and WIFI will be available in all meeting venues.
The technology we will be utilizing throughout the conference is an event application through CrowdCompass by Cvent. This application can be downloaded to any type of device (Android or Apple) and will be our main source of communication at the conference. Some of the exciting features you can look forward to utilizing are; on premise check in, electronic agenda, speaker bio’s, session registrations, live Q&A, require more information and customized schedules and note taking.
“As an industry technology leader we are proud to take our Innovative approach to our customer conference to enhance the value and user experience”, states Amtech President Cosmo DeNicola.
Amtech Cigars under the Stars at the TAPPI/AICC SCE 2016
Futura Mobility Completes move to NEW Technology Center
Growth, Diversity and Customer needs are driving Futura to increase the size and enhance the capabilities of their technology integration services.
For years our integration services operation was housed in the warehouse of our corporate HQ. Five years ago we moved outside the four walls to a nearby remote facility. We quickly outgrew that facility and added a second services center. Trying to deal with logistics with three locations we decided to obtain a larger self-sufficient operations center and have recently completed the consolidation of operations. “It was a lot of hard work, but our team worked together to make it a very organized relocation. We’re ready for business and none of our clients were impacted, states Dean Wright Technology Center manager.
importantly the new center manages the value add, manufacturing, configuration and support we provide to all of our customers, in a facility custom designed for these services. These services include:
- PC Configuration- We have expanded our PC configuration capabilities into our new larger config room, including secure storage for high dollar inventory and customer owned consignments. We have enhanced our networking infrastructure to allow us the ability to configure and scale parallel networks dedicated to each of our customers unique needs. We have the ability to configure or image a wide scope of PC’s, laptops, handheld computers, scanners, tablets etc.
- Battery Lab- In our new battery lab we now have the capacity to test, configure, refurbish, and design power solutions for our mobile technology. Including our LiFe DC battery technology, and our Continuum power systems.
- Green –We have maintained our zero landfill compliance.
- Telemedicine – We have expanded our own Telemedicine product line.
- Workforce Support – Our new Technology Center was built out to accommodate surges in workforce. Our field service technicians, engineers, help desk and technical support personnel all rotate from the field to hands on integration.
- Cart integration – In our new Technology Center we continue to provide our customers with the flexible or custom mobile medical cart configurations they have all come to expect from Futura. To do this we need to control the design, manufacture and assembly of the carts and all of the unique parts that go into those specialized solution.
“The new center has positioned us for growth “stated Dominic Sambucci Futura COO. Customers love the additional space and organized layout
Temple Lung Center Selected to Join American Lung Association Airways Clinical Research Centers Netw
The Temple Lung Center has been chosen to join a select group of centers nationwide that make up the American Lung Association Airways Clinical Research Centers (ACRC) network. ACRC conducts nationwide clinical trials to provide vital information about caring for people who have asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The addition of the Temple Lung Center, as well as four other centers expands the network's expertise and reach across the nation.
"We are proud to be selected to join the American Lung Association Airways Clinical Research Centers network," said Gerard J. Criner, MD, FACP, FACCP, Chair and Professor of Thoracic Medicine and Surgery at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University, and Director of the Temple Lung Center. "We look forward to joining our colleagues at other esteemed institutions across the country in carrying out clinical research that we hope will provide new and advanced treatment options for patients with COPD and asthma."
"Breathing is essential to life, and it's vital for those suffering from lung disease to have access to the best treatment options available, and we get there through research," said Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association. "The Airways Clinical Research Centers network attracts some of the best investigators nationwide, and by adding significantly to the expertise of the ACRC network, we will advance research to improve the quality of life for those living with COPD and asthma."
The ACRC network is a key component of the American Lung Association Research Team and is the nation’s largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma and COPD treatment research. Now consisting of 17 clinical research centers across the country, and a data-coordinating center managed by a team at Johns Hopkins University, the ACRC network conducts large clinical trials that directly impact patient care for those living with COPD and asthma.
The ACRC network, formerly known as the Asthma Clinical Research Centers, was originally focused on asthma. In 2015, the network expanded its research scope to include COPD, the third leading cause of death in the United States. It is part of the larger American Lung Association Research Team, conducting research on lung disease nationwide.
The Temple Lung Center is a leader in the Eastern United States for lung transplantation services, acute and chronic care of pulmonary diseases and critical care medicine, clinical and scientific research, and medical education. It has become a destination of choice for patients with serious lung problems and is one of the largest lung hospitals and pulmonary surgery centers in the nation.
Sports Can Help Us Heal
As America is roiling in the aftermath of horrific killings of police in a major city and trying to cope with the spectre of controversial shootings of black males by police, there is one area of society which combines different races every day in harmonious workplaces. Team sports may provide metaphorical inspiration as to how the larger society can start to view people from other racial and religious backgrounds with tolerance rather than fear and work together for shared goals and values. Sports has its' own sad history of racial and gender discrimination to move past, but consider this reality--every day all across the country blacks, whites, asians, and latinos assemble in high school, collegiate, professional and club sports with a minimal amount of conflict.
Athletes focus on a shared goal. They want to compete and win. They accept a set of rules and regulations that are uniformly applied. The reason that football was able to welcome a gay player was that sports, with exceptions, is a meritocracy. If a defensive lineman has an ability to rush the passer and help a team win, his racial,religious,sexual preference is secondary to the team goal. It was not always like this, but a younger generation of athletes who are more tolerant and the pressures of competing have made it so.
Consider a Major League Baseball team. The Dodgers have players who are white, black, Japanese, Korean, Latino, Caribbean and they play together, shower together, travel together every day. If an athlete has real antipathy to other races, a racially diverse locker room is not a great place to spend time. A football team functions similarly to the army. There is a common enemy, a threat of injury, a need for teamwork. These players rely on the ability of other players to watch their back. They bleed together, go through rehab together and form friendships and loyalty. They may not spend much time socializing away from the game, but sports creates a level of camraderie, bonding and shared experiences that can last for a lifetime.
Many parts of this country are residentially segregated so that different races may not come into much contact. Washington DC talking media heads can pontificate about solutions to racial tension--but they may not had the daily experience of actually living proximate to other races. or building real friendships. I grew up in Los Angeles, several blocks from a Federally supported residential project. I had friends who were Latino, Black, Asian. That provides the perspective of seeing people as real people, not stereotypes. In the 1980's Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon and I were featured in an advertisement for Pac Bell which featured us using the phone to maintain our relationship. How often does popular media feature racially diverse relationships, which actually exist at many levels.
Does every athlete love every one of their teammates? Probably not. But there are wonderful human beings from every background and jerks from every background. Being able to look at a person as a person and not a racial representative is where this society can grow. Showing the public more examples of athletes forming friendships and working for a larger goal might help lower the alienation that threatens us. Sports does not have the solution for controlling rogue police or protecting police from domestic terrorism, but it certainly can impact the public discussion.
Wounded warriors inspire, amaze in special football game
Former Whitehall, Penn State and NFL star Matt Millen couldn't get enough of their attitudes. Watching them play brought some tears to former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski's eyes.
The Wounded Warrior Amputee Football Team inspired and amazed on Saturday night in a 28-7 victory over a team made up of Allentown police officers, NFL alumni and local media members at the PPL Center in Allentown.
"I love their attitudes. You see how they're physically disabled and you see arms blown off, legs blown off. They don't complain. They don't say anything. They love getting out here, running around. It's that attitude that nothing is really going to stop you. I love that attitude. It's inspiring to be around them and it's fun to be around them," said Millen, who served as coach of the wounded warriors team.
The Arena Football League's Philadelphia Soul, who is owned by Jaworski, beat the Cleveland Gladiators 83-62 in front of 5,593 fans to start the night at the PPL Center.
"Couldn't have been happier with the way the day went here in Allentown at the PPL Center. Great support and it's exactly what we thought. This is a football hotbed. People came out and supported the Soul and we had a big win over Cleveland," Jaworski said. "Dessert was the Wounded Warrior Amputee game against NFL alumni. I get a little emotional when we get involved in this game. They allow us to do what we do. To see these guys and reward them and just thank them for what they've done. It makes it very special."
Easton Area High School graduate Dan Lasko and Michael Kacer were two of the top performers for the wounded warriors on Saturday night.
Kacer, who is originally from the Scranton area and now lives in Cary, North Carolina, lost an arm and suffered a skull fracture, severed cheek and other injuries when a rocket crossed into Afghanistan from Pakistan and landed 10 feet away from him in 2008.
On Saturday night, Kacer scored two touchdowns, broke up a pass and recorded a sack.
"It's a real dual-purpose sport. It helps us come back and use sports as a sense of self-confidence and reestablish who we are. At the same time for the people who stick around and the people who watch, it really gives them something to shoot forward for. Let's them see it doesn't matter what obstacles that happen in your life, as long as you have the confidence to keep going, even though you're hitting a hurdle or a wall, push through it and good things come. Resilience is everything," Kacer said.
Kelly Smith, who made the trip from Orlando, Florida, lost an arm on Christmas Day 2007 serving as a Navy corpsman. She has served in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, all through Africa and the Middle East.
"It's so uplifting and an honor for everybody to come and be together," Smith said about the game. "It just means the world. It lets you know there's humanity out there for everyone."
The original story can be found here
The Power of Gratitude Can Change Your Life
“You don’t need to have a fancy degree and a bunch of published research to know that there is power in gratitude. Being thankful can change your life—in just one way: It can make your life better.”
So says award-winning journalist and host of Inside Edition Deborah Norville in her introduction to Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Gratitude (Chicken Soup for the Soul, LLC; Amy Newmark and Deborah Norville; August 23, 2016, 978-1-61159-958-9, $14.95) Norville explains the scientific evidence behind the power of gratitude and how it is proven to make people happier, healthier, and more successful at work, at home, and in their relationships. This is a subject on which she is quite the expert, having spent many years studying the research compiled on the benefits of thankfulness and having written the bestselling book, Thank You Power: Making the Science of Gratitude Work for You.
“The good news is you can become more grateful even if it doesn’t come naturally for you. Hearing other people’s stories of gratitude is one way to do it,” continues Norville. And that’s exactly what this inspiring new collection from Chicken Soup for the Soul accomplishes.
Through 101 real-life, personal stories from a talented group of writers, readers will experience the many benefits of gratitude and thankfulness and see how a wide swath of people incorporate gratitude into their own lives, in many cases dramatically changing their outlooks, their relationships, and their careers as a result. You’ll learn how to pay it forward, count your blessings, actively practice thankfulness through gratitude journals and lists, see the silver linings in adversity and find the joy in saying “thank you.”
Whether you’re naturally grateful, or whether you need to push the reset button on your attitude, these stories will help you see even more good in your life. The tips and advice they contain are easy to implement, with immediate benefits. Seeing the world through the lens of thankfulness does indeed change one’s perspective for the better, and once learned, it is skill that doesn’t go away.
Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Gratitude is the first book to come out with Chicken Soup for the Soul’s contemporary new cover design, which includes top to bottom artwork, a new template and an embossed title on the front cover.
ABOUT CHICKEN SOUP FOR THE SOUL
Chicken Soup for the Soul, the world’s favorite and most recognized storyteller, publishes the famous Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. With well over 100 million books sold to date in the U.S. and Canada alone, more than 250 titles, and translations into more than 40 languages, “chicken soup for the soul” is one of the world’s best-known phrases and is regularly referenced in pop culture. Today, 23 years after it first began sharing happiness, inspiration and hope through its books, this socially conscious company continues to publish a new title a month, but has also evolved beyond the bookstore with super premium pet food, television shows and movies, and a variety of other digital content and licensed products, all inspired by stories, as it continues “changing the world one story at a time®.”
Chinese-American college football standout is new league's first pick
With the first pick in the first China Arena Football League draft, the Guangzhou Power decided to keep it in the family.
Marty Judge, the league's founder and chairman, held a slip of paper from Dick Vermeil, who coached the St. Louis Rams to victory in Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.
"The Guangzhou Power have selected David Wang from Virginia Tech," bellowed the ebullient Judge, with a thrust of his fist and a wide smile.
Wang is the younger brother of the CAFL's vice-president of player development, Ed Wang, himself a former Hokie and NFL player.
The first draft show for the CAFL, whose inaugural season will open on Oct 1, was streamed live globally on June 10.
A total of 120 players were selected over three hours by the original six teams - the Beijing Lions, the Shanghai Skywalkers, the Guangzhou Power, the Dalian Dragon Kings, the Shenzhen Naja and the Qingdao Clipper.
"I never, ever, had any doubt about the pick," Power coach Ernesto "Netto" Purnsley said of Wang. "David filled several needs, all important.He counts on my roster as a native player, since his parents (former Olympic athletes) are both from China, but I may have selected him anyway because he is just a superb lineman, and I was convinced I needed to build my team from the inside out."
"I really can't believe this," said Wang, an all-Atlantic Coast Conference center during his college days in Blacksburg, Virginia. "Who could have dreamed that I would return to my parents' homeland playing American football?"
"I couldn't be prouder of David," said his brother Ed. "Not only is he a great player, but he will represent our new league with class and leadership."
For his part, Ed was the first Chinese player to be drafted by the National Football League and was also an All-ACC lineman at Virginia Tech under legendary coach Frank Beamer. Now retired as a player, Ed runs the CAFL's Beijing office.
"David is a coach's dream," Ed Wang said. "He is fast, has good size (6-2, 300) and is very, very intelligent. He could play any of the interior positions, on either side of the ball."
David also excelled in the classroom; he was an All-Academic ACC selection and collected four degrees while competing in one of college football's Power 5 conferences.
"No brainer!" was the response by Ken Bozarth, AFL Global VP of operations, when China Daily asked about the selection of Wang. "Having a Chinese player that can play both center and guard is an advantage, as there are limits on how many foreign and Chinese can be on the field at one time. David has played at the highest level of Division 1 football and was invited to multiple camps for the NFL.
"David will become an instant fan favorite.Getting to play in the country where his parents excelled in track and field will be a proud moment for the entire Wang family," Bozarth said.
The next pick came from CAFL parent the Arena Football League. Joe Hills, who has scored a touchdown in 61 straight regular-season AFL games, was taken No. 2 overall by the Dalian Dragon Kings.
Hills, a receiver for the Jacksonville Sharks, was followed by Portland Steel quarterback Shane Austin, who will be the signal-caller for the Shanghai Skywalkers.
A total of 43 players with ties to the AFL were drafted by CAFL teams. Four of the six top quarterbacks drafted for the CAFL were once starters in the AFL (The AFL season concludes in the summer).
Only one Chinese quarterback, Xie Kun, was drafted by Shanghai in the final round.
In arena football, a team fields eight players at a time. Each CAFL roster features 10 foreign players and 10 Chinese, with two practice squad players (one foreign, one Chinese). There will be four foreign players and four Chinese players on the field at all times for each team.
"I think you will see most of the skill-position players being Chinese," Bozarth said. "We expect some players to possibly play both sides of the ball, which was originally the style for the indoor game known as Iron Man football."
Twenty current or former players of the AFL's Philadelphia Soul were among the 60 foreign players selected. Soul coach Clint Dolezel is the new head coach of the Beijing Lions.