#since chris is credited for his philanthropic contributions

[the-irrelevant-trumpeter]

okay i’ve only got one more crease with the cornley timeline jump that i need to figure out!

so at the start of the filmed version of ppgw (2016), it implies that they’re all still attending the polytechnic, as it says “they all do a variety of courses during the day, but come together at night to create theatre”.

but since they were all in the polytechnic in 2012 (tptgw), and we know some of them have been there longer than that (eg. robert and annie have been in the cpds for 3 years by haversham manor), this means that all of them have been studying at the polytechnic for 4-8 years. given that most courses only last between 3-4 years, the idea of some of them still being there seems super unbelievable?

i suppose you could justify it like trevor, who just keeps on failing his final year of his course, but it feels hard to believe that all/most of them just kept on failing for so long (no matter how stupid they can be at times). or i suppose it’s also possible that they return to get a second degree or something, but that’s pretty expensive and i don’t think that many of them are super rich (just max, possibly chris?), so i’m not sure how likely that is.

so why are they still with the polytechnic? and even in accgw, they’re still referred to as the cornley polytechnic drama society, so at least some of them must still be there in 2017.

what do we think, are they all just completely hopeless or is there some other explanation for this?

[cathrynstreich]

ERA Real Estate Names Five to the Brand’s Hall of Fame

ERA® Real Estate opened its virtual FUEL ERA international conference today by honoring five longtime real estate professionals with induction into the ERA Hall of Fame. Established in 2013, the ERA Hall of Fame honors affiliated individuals and companies who have consistently earned high levels of recognition and have made contributions and lasting impact on the culture and history of the ERA brand over the decades.

The 2019 ERA Hall of Fame class includes:

– Todd Beckstrom, ERA Wilder Realty, Columbia, S.C., 21 years with ERA – Ron Darby, ERA Justin Realty, Rutherford, N.J., 35 years with ERA – Anna and Everett King, ERA King Real Estate Company, Anniston, Ala., 26 years with ERA – Bruce Taylor, ERA Key Realty Services, Whitinsville, Mass., 28 years with ERA

“This year’s Hall of Fame inductees continue to be instrumental in creating the collaborative spirit of the ERA brand,” said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of ERA Real Estate. “The ERA brand has truly grown and is what it is today because of people like Anna, Everett, Todd, Ron and Bruce. These leaders embody what it means to be ERA brand affiliates. They have taken the tools, training and support from the brand along with their entrepreneurial spirit to create successful, profitable businesses. Their accomplishments and dedication will continue to shape and inform the future of this industry. Congratulations to all of this year’s inductees.”

Todd Beckstrom, ERA Wilder Realty, Columbia, S.C. Years in real estate: 21 Years with ERA brand: 21 Notable awards won during career: 2018 Central Carolinas REALTOR® of the Year; 2017 National Association of REALTORS® REBAC Hall of Fame inductee; 14-top top agent in South Carolina; 12-time ERA Leaders’ Circle

Todd Beckstrom transitioned into real estate after a successful career in marketing, working with iconic brands such as Ralph Lauren and Godiva. A desire for a more “family friendly” career brought him to ERA Wilder Realty where he eventually became the most productive agent in company history. With nearly 1,600 transactions in his career equating to $350 million in sales volume, Beckstrom has been the top ERA agent in South Carolina 14 times and part of the prestigious ERA Leaders’ Circle 12 times. Beckstrom is known for his unwavering belief in the “sharing culture” of ERA, along with his passion for helping other real estate professionals improve their businesses. Beckstrom gained acclaim for his entertaining and insightful seminars for ERA’s national conventions, at which he has presented continuously for the last 17 years, along with developing training programs and writing about the industry.

“As the leader of a highly successful, top-producing real estate team, I strive to create an environment where the sum of the whole is greater than the parts. Everyone brings specific skillsets that makes each of us better. That is true not only in my team and in my company, but across the entire ERA network as well.” – Todd Beckstrom Ron Darby, ERA Justin Realty, Rutherford, N.J. Years in real estate: 53 Years with ERA brand: 35 Notable awards won during career: ERA Commitment to Excellence Award; multiple New Jersey Association of REALTORS® honors

ERA Justin Realty is one of the most successful one-office firms in the ERA network and employs a “small franchise with a big heart” ideal. Although retired, Ron continues his work with the Muscular Dystrophy Association, the longtime ERA charity. He embraced the “family feel” of the ERA brand early on, bringing his daughter Jennifer with him to ERA events which combined for family vacations. She joined the company as a co-broker/owner in 2006. “The family atmosphere within ERA does not exist in other brands. I appreciate the ability to be able to call any broker, at any time, and they would help, and vice versa. Over the years, there were dozens of examples and every time, everyone was there to help. It is has been incredible to be a part of that type of culture.” – Ron Darby Anna and Everett King, ERA King Real Estate Company, Anniston, Ala. Everett King years in real estate: 50 Everett King years with ERA brand: 26 Notable awards won during career: 2007 Gene Francis Award (highest honor in ERA network); ERA Circle of Light (community service)

Anna King years in real estate: 26 Anna King years with ERA brand: 26 Notable awards won during career: 2007 Gene Francis Award; ERA Circle of Light; five-time top ERA agent

Everett King has led ERA King Real Estate since 1988, after succeeding his father Jack, who founded the company in 1969. The company joined the ERA brand in 1994 to become ERA King Real Estate, a perennial top firm in Calhoun County and Top 15 company within the brand. Anna also was named the brand’s top agent five times. The company has grown to more 300 agents working in eight offices throughout the Birmingham region. Their age-old philosophy of “do the right thing” has paid dividends, resulting in numerous ERA honors, including the 2016 ERA Circle of Light award recognizing their “12 Months of Giving” campaign which has included helping more than 125 children with Cerebral Palsy. Along with late ERA Real Estate President and CEO Brenda Casserly, the Kings are credited with creating the “Team ERA” battle cry that is emblematic of the collegial brand.

“We are so humbled to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. ERA has been a huge part of our lives and the power and global support we get from the ERA network is one of the reasons we were able to catapult to the #1 market share in Calhoun County. The growth we have experienced could not have happened without the support of the ERA brand and fellow affiliates.” – Everett King Bruce Taylor, ERA Key Realty Services, Mass. Years in real estate: 47 Years with ERA brand: 28 Notable awards won during career: 2014 Gene Francis Award; 2017 Jim Jackson Award (top ERA company for customer service and sales productivity); multiple ERA brand awards; 10-time Top 15 ERA franchisee

Bruce Taylor started his real estate career in 1973 in the mortgage industry and entered residential real estate sales in 1986. He launched his own real estate firm in 1988. The company joined the ERA brand in 1994 to become ERA Key Realty and has since grown to more than 350 agents in 15 offices throughout central and western Massachusetts. Through the years, he engineered more than 20 mergers and acquisitions. Taylor, a longtime member of the ERA National Advisory Council, created a local philanthropic trust that has donated more than $400,000 since its founding 2004.

“We worked in our organization to make everything collaborative. Our core staff was committed to always being available and providing answers for our agents as quickly as possible. Our culture is such a fit within the ERA brand. Over the years, I’ve seen so many examples of ERA brokers willing to share their thoughts, programs and suggestions. This is the culture of ERA and it makes the brand so special.” – Bruce Taylor

The ERA Real Estate network is a subsidiary of Realogy Holdings Corp.

The post ERA Real Estate Names Five to the Brand’s Hall of Fame appeared first on RISMedia.

ERA Real Estate Names Five to the Brand’s Hall of Fame published first on https://thegardenresidences.tumblr.com/

[bigyack-com]

Surge of Virus Misinformation Stumps Facebook and Twitter

SAN FRANCISCO — First, there were conspiratorial whispers on social media that the coronavirus had been cooked up in a secret government lab in China. Then there were bogus medicines: gels, liquids and powders that immunized against the virus.And then there were the false claims about governments and celebrities and racial unrest. Taiwan was covering up virus deaths, and the illness was spiraling out of control. Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder who now runs a philanthropic organization, was behind the spread of the virus. Italians were marching in the streets, accusing Chinese people of bringing the illness to their country. None of it was true.As the coronavirus has spread across the world, so too has misinformation about it, despite an aggressive effort by social media companies to prevent its dissemination. Facebook, Google and Twitter said they were removing misinformation about the coronavirus as fast as they could find it, and were working with the World Health Organization and other government organizations to ensure that people got accurate information.But a search by The New York Times found dozens of videos, photographs and written posts on each of the social media platforms that appeared to have slipped through the cracks. The posts were not limited to English. Many were originally in languages ranging from Hindi and Urdu to Hebrew and Farsi, reflecting the trajectory of the virus as it has traveled around the world.Security researchers have even found that hackers were setting up threadbare websites that claimed to have information about the coronavirus. The sites were actually digital traps, aimed at stealing personal data or breaking into the devices of people who landed on them.The spread of false and malicious content about the coronavirus has been a stark reminder of the uphill battle fought by researchers and internet companies. Even when the companies are determined to protect the truth, they are often outgunned and outwitted by the internet’s liars and thieves.There is so much inaccurate information about the virus, the W.H.O. has said it was confronting a “infodemic.”“I see misinformation about the coronavirus everywhere. Some people are panicking, and looking to magical cures, and other people are spreading conspiracies,” said Austin Chiang, a gastroenterologist at Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.In Taiwan, virus-related misinformation on social media has fed concerns that China might be using the crisis to undermine the government of the self-ruling island.In recent weeks, there have been posts on Facebook and other sites claiming that Taiwan has concealed large numbers of coronavirus infections. There have been fake but official-looking documents promising giveaways of face masks and vaccines. A screen capture from a television news broadcast was doctored to say that President Tsai Ing-wen had contracted the disease and was in quarantine.In a statement to The Times, Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, blamed China’s “internet armies” for the deluge of falsehoods, though his office declined to elaborate on how he came to that conclusion. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office didn’t respond to a faxed request for comment.The Communist Party claims Taiwan as part of China’s territory, and Taiwanese officials have long accused Beijing of manipulating both traditional news media and social platforms to turn Taiwanese citizens against President Tsai, who opposes closer ties with China.Summer Chen, the editor in chief of Taiwan FactCheck Center, a watchdog group that debunks online rumors and hoaxes, said her team had been busier since the outbreak began than it was ahead of Taiwan’s presidential election in January, when the island was on high alert for potential Chinese meddling.“Throughout this whole epidemic, people have really liked conspiracy theories,” Ms. Chen said. “Why is it that during epidemics people don’t choose to believe accurate scientific information?”Facebook, YouTube and Twitter all said they were making efforts to point people back to reliable sources of medical information, and had direct lines of communication to the W.H.O. and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facebook said it bans content that could cause people harm, such as claims that discourage treatment or taking appropriate precautions against the coronavirus. Posts and videos that shared conspiracy theories were clearly marked as false, once they had been reviewed by fact checkers.When Facebook users attempt to share them, a message pops up alerting the user that the post includes information that has been deemed false by fact checkers.Those measures, however, have not stopped people in private Facebook groups from linking to and sharing misinformation surrounding the virus. In private Facebook groups, including one that totals over 100,000 members, conspiracy theories spread that the coronavirus was an invention of the pharmaceutical industry, intended to sell the public on more expensive drugs and more vaccines.While many posts simply encouraged people to take vitamins and eat a balanced diet to boost their immune system, others offered promises of immunity or cures if certain combinations of powders and drinks were consumed. Some were even more dangerous. The Food and Drug Administration referred to one “miracle mineral solution” posted many times on Facebook and Twitter as “the same as drinking bleach.”Dr. Chiang, the gastroenterologist, recently helped start the Association for Healthcare Social Media, a group dedicated to encouraging more health care professionals to post on social media so that they can dispel some of the misinformation.“People are looking for good sources of information because a lot of what they see, when they log into their social media platforms, is just scaring them,” he said.While Twitter acknowledged the presence of some of this content on its network, Del Harvey, Twitter’s vice president of trust and safety, said the company has not seen “large-scale, coordinated” efforts to misinform people about the coronavirus. After The New York Times contacted Twitter with examples of tweets containing health misinformation about coronavirus, some owners of the accounts were suspended “for spam.”Facebook said that in addition to working closely with health organizations, it was offering W.H.O. free ad space to try and point people toward accurate information on the coronavirus. The company said that it was removing posts that discouraged people from seeking treatment or suggested remedies that could cause physical harm and that it was placing warning labels on posts that were rated false by their fact checkers.YouTube, which is owned by Google, also said it was working closely with W.H.O. to help combat misinformation. YouTube’s spokesman, Farshad Shadloo, said the company had policies that prohibited videos that “promoted medically unsubstantiated methods to prevent the coronavirus in place of seeking medical treatment.”Dozens of YouTube videos, however, included titles that suggested the video offered a cure for the virus. In others, the comment sections below the videos included links to pages offering a range of alternative, unsubstantiated treatments.In some cases, those links have led people to websites that lure people in with the promise of a cure, but actually steal credit card information and other personal details.The cybersecurity firm Check Point said more than 4,000 coronavirus-related websites that include words like “corona” or “covid” have been registered since the beginning of the year. Of those, 3 percent were considered malicious and another 5 percent were suspicious.Research by Sophos, a cybersecurity company, has shown an uptick in these so-called spear-phishing messages targeting people in Italy, where coronavirus infections have surged in recent weeks. Those messages included a link to a Microsoft Word document that claimed to list cures for the virus. When downloaded, it installed malicious malware on people’s computers.Last month, W.H.O. also put out a warning about fake emails from apparent W.H.O. representatives. The emails carried malicious code aimed at breaking into someone’s computing device.John Gregory, the deputy health editor for NewsGuard, a start-up that tries to stop false stories from spreading on the internet, said the medical element to coronavirus misinformation made it different from other conspiracies the public has dealt with.Because the information about the virus is “playing out in real time, it’s always going to be easier for someone to make a false claim,” Mr. Gregory said. “Then, there’s a separation of a few days before anyone with a scientific background, or journalists, are able to debunk the claim.”Sheera Frenkel reported in San Francisco and Davey Alba reported in New York. Raymond Zhong reported from Beijing. Chris Horton contributed reporting from Taipei, Taiwan. Read the full article

[hottytoddynews]

Gridiron action during the 2016 Sigma Nu Charity Bowl. (Submitted photo)

Twenty-eight years ago, University of Mississippi football player Roy Lee “Chucky” Mullins became a quadriplegic when he was injured during the Rebels’ Homecoming game against the Vanderbilt Commodores.

Decades later, overwhelming response to that tragic incident has been transformed into a triumphant philanthropic achievement benefitting yet another former collegiate football star turned paraplegic by an unfortunate accident.

On April 12, Sigma Nu and Kappa Sigma fraternity members suit up for the 28th annual Sigma Nu Charity Bowl football game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, the first time in more than two years that the game has been played in the stadium. The event, which begins at 6 p.m., also features a sorority cheer competition before kick-off and a homecoming-style court at halftime.

“This year’s recipient, Chris Madison of Memphis, will receive $75,000 to aid with costs stemming from his injuries and rehabilitation and to help him complete his undergraduate education,” said James-Roland Markos of Jackson, Tennessee, Sigma Nu chapter president and a senior biology, public policy leadership and biochemistry major in the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College.

“Our goal is $150,000, with the additional funds being donated to the establishment of a new student wellness center. We also aim to allot funds to the Manning Family Fund and research to find cures for paralysis. Our goal is to donate remaining funds to local nonprofit organizations serving the LOU community.”

The recipient check presentation and announcement of the cheer competition winner are set for halftime.

Madison, 26, was paralyzed while riding in a car that crashed during a rainstorm. He lives by himself in Memphis and has no way to access transportation, cutting him off from the outside world.

“Our goal is to raise enough money to purchase Chris a handicapped-accessible van that he will be able to take to rehab and eventually to classes to continue his education,” said John North of Birmingham, Alabama, the chapter’s philanthropy chairman. “The brothers of Sigma Nu are wholly moved by the spirit of determination and service Chris personifies as he overcomes his obstacles, and we are honored to be a part of Chris’ inspiring journey.”

A promising talent, Madison was recruited by many colleges and received a full football scholarship to the University of Arkansas at Monticello after graduating from Manassas High School. He planned to pursue a career in undergraduate education after football, but those aspirations were dashed when a car he was riding in crashed on Interstate 40 one rainy evening shortly after his freshman year.

“I don’t recall anything from the actual accident itself,” Madison said. “I only remember waking up ejected from the car, lying motionless as two passersby stopped and administered CPR.

“To this day, I have no idea who the two men are, where they came from or where they went afterwards. I call them my guardian angels because physicians later credited them with saving my life.”

With football gone forever, Madison’s goal turned to survival. His mother and grandmother, committed and faithful ladies, always taught him to keep the faith, believe and trust in God, and, in the words of the Ole Miss football legend Chucky Mullins himself, “Never quit.”

And Madison has not. Despite the tragedy and loss, he strives to seize every second of life his survival has afforded him. He continues extensive physical therapy to maintain and regain motor function.

Remarkably, he lives on his own in Memphis and dreams of returning to college to complete his education and find a job that will allow him to provide for himself and his family.

“Chris still has huge obstacles to realize his educational aspirations,” North said. “Without reliable, accessible transportation, he cannot finish his education and must wait for someone to be available to take him to physical therapy and elsewhere.

“Proving his will and toughness, his dream is to be able to completely care for himself so he does not need to rely on anyone else, but rather so that others can rely on him.”

Sigma Nu Charity Bowl was founded in 1990 to honor Mullins, who was paralyzed the previous season. Mullins was injured on a play in which he tackled fullback Brad Gaines. After returning to school, Mullins was stricken by a pulmonary embolism and died May 6, 1991.

Funding is raised for Charity Bowl primarily through program advertisement sales and financial donations. In the years since its inception, Charity Bowl has grown to be the largest collegiate Greek philanthropy in the country.

Through the hard work of the active members, as well as the generous donations of chapter alumni and businesses across the nation, Sigma Nu has been able to accumulate over $1.9 million for its recipients.

“We will break a total of $2 million since the philanthropy’s inception 28 years ago,” Markos said.

In recent years, Sigma Nu also has contributed to the Blair E. Batson Hospital for Children in Jackson and to various charitable organizations around the Oxford and Lafayette County community. For more information or to make an online donation, visit http://ift.tt/2ol4SDb.

By Edwin Smith

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