“How Malcolm Morris leads with an employee-first philosophy to take ... - Smart Business Network” plus 4 more

How Malcolm Morris leads with an employee-first philosophy to take ... - Smart Business Network
Sky Work AG - CharterX
Humanists launch national godless goodness campaign during Christmas ... - Examiner
Transition, transparency, integration and migration fit Nike’s form ... - SourceSecurity.com
Pope: Co-operation between science, faith benefits humanity - NZ Catholic

How Malcolm Morris leads with an employee-first philosophy to take ... - Smart Business Network

Posted: 01 Dec 2009 06:53 AM PST

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Sky Work AG - CharterX

Posted: 01 Dec 2009 10:13 AM PST

Skywork was born on the philosophy that integrity, exceptional service and total commitment will produce results which soar above the competition. Skywork president Alex Gribi has devoted most of his life to quality in aviation and this is reflected by a highly competent and dedicated team. Their commitment has turned this philosophy into reality. Skywork is the choice for discerning travellers, and will fly to any destination faster, safer, and more comfortably than any other airline company. Skywork clients can demand the exceptional.

Established: 1983 • Fleet: 6 • Pilots: 20 full time
Certificate: 1039 (CH)
Email: info@skywork.ch
URL: http://www.skywork.ch

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Fleet

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Humanists launch national godless goodness campaign during Christmas ... - Examiner

Posted: 01 Dec 2009 12:51 PM PST

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Humanists believe goodness is possible without 'godness'. In that spirit they are celebrating a new kind of holiday tradition, the American Humanist Association has launched a new advertising campaign similar to the one that ran in the nation's capital last year, which made headlines around the globe. Only this year, instead of the campaign focusing on a single location, ads will be featured in transit systems in five cities -- including Washington, D.C., New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco -- marking the first-ever nation-wide humanist holiday advertising campaign.

No God?...No Problem! ads feature an image of several smiling, Santa hat-clad individuals. The ads will kick off in Washington, D.C. in time for Thanksgiving weekend, running inside 200 buses, fifty rail cars and on the side or tail of twenty buses. The campaign will continue with ads appearing on select buses in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco starting in early December.

Roy Speckhardt, executive director of the American Humanist Association, explained, "We're hoping this campaign will build awareness about the humanist movement and our ethical life philosophy -- particularly among the 'nones:' the rapidly growing percentage of people who claim no religion."

Since 2005, humanist advertising has become increasingly visible, in particular with highway billboards erected in major cities across the United States. And last year, the American Humanist Association sparked national controversy by advertising the slogan "Why Believe in a God? Just be Good for Goodness' Sake," which appeared on Washington, D.C. Metro buses.

This year's holiday campaign aims to promote the idea of being good without God. For example, on D.C. ads that appear on the interior of Metro cars and buses the slogan is accompanied by the explanation, "Be Good for Goodness' Sake. Humanism is the idea that you can be good without a belief in God."

"Humanists have always understood that striving to make the world a better place is one of humanity's most important responsibilities," said Speckhardt. "Religion does not have a monopoly on morality -- millions of people are good without believing in God."

Speckhardt believes a false assumption is held by many that not believing in God indicates a lack of morality as the reason for needing such advertising campaigns. "We want to change the way people think and talk about nontheists, and to pave the way for acceptance of humanism as a valid and positive philosophy of life."

"We also want nontheists to know there is a community of like-minded individuals out there they can connect with," continued Speckhardt. "Many feel uncomfortable talking openly about their personal beliefs because of prejudice against them -- they fear they'll be rejected by their family, their friends and their community, and in some cases, they even fear retaliation for their beliefs. But the American Humanist Association provides an accepting community for nontheists to turn to for support and ways to get involved."

Speckhardt noted that the response to nontheist advertising is generally positive, although there have been a few confined instances of negative reactions against them. Most notable include a Cincinnati Coalition of Reason billboard that had to be relocated after the owner of the billboard property claimed to receive threats and an American Humanist Association billboard in Moscow, Idaho that was vandalized twice in a three week period.

"We understand our message may seem controversial to some, but it certainly isn't our purpose to offend anyone," concluded Speckhardt. "Of course, it's obvious that many people are also good with a belief in God, so I hope we can all find common ground."

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Transition, transparency, integration and migration fit Nike’s form ... - SourceSecurity.com

Posted: 01 Dec 2009 03:11 AM PST

The Nike Experience

You are at the right place, but absent from view are glass-on-glass high-rises compacted together over the typical concrete and asphalt corporate terrain. But then, this is anything but typical. You are about to enter the hallowed halls of one of sport's holiest sites. You have arrived at Nike World Headquarters (WHQ).

The 185-acre campus sprawls out in front of you and the size and complexity is staggering. Everything would have to be custom-designed to reflect a perfect balance of form and function, application and aesthetics. Nike requires that every facet of their operation exhibit the same distinctive architectural philosophy that has made them an international mega-brand. Nike WHQ is divided into North and South Campuses occupying 75 acres, comprised of 11 buildings mostly built in the 1990s designed to accommodate 2,000 employees. Nike grew at an exceptional rate during the 90s employing an additional 3,500 employees located within a 10-mile radius of the WHQ. Nike decided to centralize a majority of the off-site activities onto the campus; so in 1997, they expanded another 110-acres at the north end of the existing campus.

Nike's Security Operations

The frequent presence of high-profile sports celebrities and the periodic unannounced visits of sightseers who mistake Nike's beautifully landscaped front entrance for a public picnic area are only a couple of Nike's unique security concerns. "Nike is very large and open," said Tim Frawley, assistant security manager for Nike WHQ. "People come and go 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Many employees work non-traditional hours, so we don't close any of the buildings ever. We often have employees leave with bags full of prototype product in the dead of the night to catch a red-eye flight to a marketing presentation the next morning. A comprehensive access control system along with a staff-intensive security operation is the only way we can provide Nike with the secure yet open environment it demands."

Nike had an existing Westinghouse access control system installed on the South Campus in the early 90s. Although, the system provided Nike with the access control solution they needed, it relies on proprietary technology, including coaxial cabling and card/reader protocols that limit Nike's ability to integrate the new card access technologies that became available in the mid-90s.

When the requirements for access control on the new North Campus were discussed, Nike®'s project managers agreed that it must feature an open architecture to allow them to migrate to new technologies in the future without having to install a totally new system. They also decided that the North Campus system must be compatible with the proprietary Westinghouse system in use on the South Campus. While it was clear that the integration of a new open system with an older proprietary system would save Nike an enormous amount of money, how to accomplish the marriage of the two systems was not as obvious.

HID®'s MultiProx® controller provides a physical link between the proprietary coaxial cable wiring used by the Westinghouse system and provides a standard Wiegand output. By eliminating the need for rewiring, the MultiProx will save Nike about 35 to 40 percent in retrofit cabling costs. MultiProx also makes it possible to use HID readers to read the more expensive, Westinghouse 1050 cards and HID's popular and economical ISOProx® proximity access cards. This additional benefit saved Nike the expense of reading each of their 6,000 cardholders while offering a clear migration path away from the costly, proprietary cards to a single card for all access points on both the North and South Campuses.

Huser, a local Integrator, reviewed Nike's security specification and designed a system using the HID MultiProx controller, cards and readers as well as Hirsch's Model 8 controllers and Match reader interfaces. In addition to providing Nike with a competitively priced system that addressed each of the requirements, they accounted for aesthetic issues as well. Huser installed the readers in 3-foot-tall square metal posts positioned at the entrance to the access points in each building. While the metal tower reader stations looked very slick and matched the architectural style of the buildings, they also interfered with the radio frequency signals emitted by the readers greatly reducing card read range. Huser contacted HID and was advised how to adjust the voltage to each reader through the MultiProx controller to achieve the maximum read range. Problem solved.

Transparency of transition to the cardholders was another requirement. "The benefit of the end user is my primary concern," said Frawley. "I wanted a seamless transition without disrupting the card holders' ability to access the buildings and areas they needed. Nike gave us a great deal of latitude in designing and implementing a system that would accomplish this." With the HID/Hirsch retrofit package, we were able to provide access to each new building without disrupting the normal access rights of cardholders on either campus. If the determination is made to change technologies on the South Campus, we would retrofit one building at a time, usually at night so as not to compromise building accessibility during peak hours. We would replace the existing controllers and readers with the HID/Hirsch system. The cardholders would arrive the next morning with full accessibility, unaware that anything had changed. Frawley explains, "So far, we are getting no response from the technology change on the North Campus at all - which is exactly what I wanted. And while my end users are unaware of this new technology, the HID/Hirsch system gives me the ability to upgrade the functionality of their cards as new technologies become available."

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Pope: Co-operation between science, faith benefits humanity - NZ Catholic

Posted: 01 Dec 2009 10:35 AM PST

"The more people realize how complex the cosmos is, the more necessary it is to use a number of tools that are capable of satisfying" people's thirst for knowledge, he said.

The tools of philosophy and theology complement scientific endeavors and "no conflict" exists between these fields, he said.

The pope made his remarks in a written message sent to participants of an interdisciplinary congress titled, "From Galileo's Telescope to Evolutionary Cosmology: Science, Philosophy and Theology in Dialogue." The Nov. 30-Dec. 2 congress was organized by Rome's Pontifical Lateran University.

The pope's message, which was published by the Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, Nov. 30, highlighted the "deeply religious soul" of the Italian astronomer who revolutionized the scientific method.

"Galileo's discovery represented a decisive step for the history of humanity," wrote the pope.

His establishment of the modern scientific method of observation and testing hypotheses made possible the great scientific advancements of modern times, Pope Benedict wrote.

With his first use of the telescope to study the cosmos in 1609, "Galileo had penetrated the unknown paths of the universe; he threw open the door for observing an ever increasingly immense space," said the papal message.

Galileo's discoveries stirred in him a sense of wonder and praise for the creator of the cosmos and prompted questions about the origin and evolution of the universe, the pope wrote.

"Still today the universe continues to generate questions that simple observation is not able to give satisfactory answers to; the natural and physical sciences alone are not enough," said the message.

"In fact, if the analysis of phenomena remains holed up within itself, it risks making the cosmos appear to be an unsolvable riddle," it said.

Yet Galileo indicated that there is a logic to nature that can "speak to human intelligence and point out a path that leads beyond the simple phenomenon," wrote the pope.

Questions about the universe -- understanding it origin, its purpose and end -- cannot be answered by science alone, he wrote.

"Following Galileo's lesson, whoever observes the cosmos cannot limit himself or herself to what is observed with the telescope, but must go beyond in order to examine the meaning and end to which all of creation is directed," said the pope in his message.

Science, philosophy and religion do not conflict, he noted. In fact, only by coming together to exchange their expertise will experts in these fields "be able to present humankind today truly effective results," he wrote.

The pope wrote that great scientific discoveries and progress always carry a slight risk if people put too much emphasis on science and "forget to raise their gaze toward that transcendent being, the creator of all who revealed his loving face in Jesus Christ."

Galileo had been condemned by the church in the 17th century for suspected heresy for maintaining that the earth revolved around the sun. He was "rehabilitated" in 1992 by a special Vatican commission established by Pope John Paul II.

Pope Benedict has said the church has attempted since then "to attain a correct and fruitful understanding of the relationship between science and religion."

Philosophy

Tuesday, December 1, 2009