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Fantasy Of the High Seas: An Interview with Alyx Dellamonica, Author of "The Nature of a Pirate"

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When Sophie Hansa is dropped into the archipelago world of Stormwrack, she is faced with a challenge: Is she dealing with magic, or science? An alternate world, or the climate-ravaged world of the future? Along the way she has adventures on the high seas that include murder mysteries, investigations, and the occasional romance. Alyx Dellamonica weaves a thoroughly original trilogy with these novels, beginning with Child of a Hidden Sea, continuing with A Daughter of No Nation, and culminating in the just-released The Nature of a Pirate.

I caught up with Alyx to talk about her unique take on fantasy, her inspirations, and more.
*
This series is hard to categorize: There are elements of fantasy, science fiction--even forensic mystery for good measure. Can you comment on this fusion of elements in your work? *

I write books about contemporary earth dwelling human beings, many of them North American, and most privileged to have had a pretty decent education. Then I take these people and confront them with magic.

I'd like to think that if Gandolf the Gray or Hermione Granger showed up in present day Mumbai or Amsterdam, and began performing miraculous feats for the benefit of CNN and all comers, someone would run a Geiger counter over them, grab blood samples, ask them to make light with their wandy-staff things a few thousand times, under various controlled conditions, and run a study on how they get those moths and snakes to do their will.

Most of us believe the world is somewhat explicable, in other words, and I want at least some of my present-day characters to grapple with that possibility that magic could be understood. Fictional heroes cave in too readily, in some stories, to accepting that the laws of the universe are radically different from our own.

In the case of my trilogy, Sophie Hansa and her brother are actual scientists, which dials this trait up significantly.

I also think magic shouldn't be able to do everything, and one of the areas where it tends to fail on Stormwrack is in giving people the tools to solve crimes methodically, using observation and forensics. This is what leads Sophie into solving murders and teaching the Watch the techniques of analyzing fingerprints.
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How were you inspired to create the unique ecosystem of Stormwrack? *

When I started thinking about this particular project, I made a huge list of everything I love. And, inevitably, some of the things on that list were nerdy as all get out. Microclimates! Biodiversity! The Galapagos Islands! There were also more obviously fun things on the same page, things like tall ships, pirates, police procedurals, mermaids, Mount Vesuvius, constitutional process... and okay! At that point any rational person would have started trimming the list.

But I'd come through a couple of tough years, just around that time, and I decided that I didn't want to give things up. This was my fiction! It should be filled with all the things I find cool, am I right? I made the (arguably) self indulgent decision to see how many of those wonderful elements I could squeeze into one big narrative.

Having said that, the foundation of the book is very much inspired by the theoryof evolution and Galapagos-style biodiversity. Stormwrack is a world with a lot of ocean and comparatively little landmass. Everyone lives on little archipelagos of islands. Each island is a different nation, and whatever it has within its microclimate determines the kind of magic that can work there. If a nation's turtles are even a little bit different, genetically, from the turtles on the island fifty nautical miles away, the magical potential of each species will be radically different.

*The character of Sophia Hansa goes through many transitions in the course of this trilogy. Were there moments when she surprised you?*

I think of Sophie is being quite sweet tempered in a lot of ways, though she's also quite privileged and a bit intolerant, with a tendency to to judge the nations of Stormwrack by modern US standards. In the first book in this trilogy, she is essentially declared persona non grata on one of the most important island nations, and it's the one her birth mother is from.

I certainly didn't have room to write in a subplot where Sophie throws herself against that particular bureaucratic wall. But the degree to which she's okay with being banned from Verdanni surprised me for awhile. Over time, though, I came to realize this is how she approaches problems that aren't immediate barriers to what she wants: she blithely assumes that if the ban ever does get in her way, she will just overcome it somehow.

This is something I've been thinking about a lot in the last year or so. Human society is built up from a foundation of rules, both written and unwritten ones. Yet everyone chooses a few that, they decide, don't apply to them personally. Many of us feel that speed limits, for example, are kind of a general driver's guideline... as long as you don't get caught.

This is a a basic contract we make with the universe and our civilization, a bit of magical thinking that allows us to rebel a little because we think we can and we feel, for whatever reason, justified. And it's occurred to me that Sophie has an unreasonably large dose of that trait.

*Can you describe the kind of research that went into this work? *

Sure! I ran all of the scuba diving scenes past two master divers, after it proved impractical to take diving lessons myself. I went on a cruise on a tall ship to learn how to haul sails and steer a wind powered sailing vessel. I had already been an avid amateur nature photographer, so a good chunk of Sophie's professional life was covered by the tens of thousands of pictures I've taken in the past couple of decades. I spent a lot of time at the Beaty Biodiversity Museum at UBC. Finally, for the last book, The Nature of a Pirate, I did a lot of reading on the history of fingerprinting and the propagation of the techniques of forensic policing during Victorian times.
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With such a diversity of genre elements in this work, I was moved to wonder what sort of work inspires you. Can you name some writers whose work has been important for your own?*

James Tiptree, Junior, for one. Of course there is no comparison, but I'd like to think Sophie is at least distant kin to the characters in stories like "The Only Neat Thing To Do" and "Backward, Turn Backward." (Though not as doomed, of course!)

I love Connie Willis's disciplined approach to research and history, particularly in The Doomsday Book, and Peter Straub for the incredible clarity of his prose, not to mention his penchant for corrupt old men.

*Without giving anything away, the ending of The Nature of a Pirate seems to leave open possibilities for future stories. What are the chances that we'll be returning to the world of Stormwrack?*

There will definitely be more of The Gales, the short stories that tie into the series: the next of these is called "Losing Heart among the Tall" and it tells about the lost magical artifact that is at the heart of the mystery in the first book, Child of a Hidden Sea. It will be up on Tor.com on February 22nd.

I would also love to write some kind of series about Bram and Tonio. A lot of my fans really want to see if the two of them can come together, romantically, and they'd make a launchpad for the ongoing political problem brewing within the Fleet of Nations: a perhaps-inevitable battle between the slaveowning nations and the free ones.

*What's next for you?
*
Finishing a trilogy was a big effort and now that it's done, I am taking advantage of the chance to write more short stories, while considering my next big project. I have a few book concepts on the go and am pondering which of them I like best. One of the funny things about putting the entire long list of everything I liked into Stormwrack is that I may need a whole new list for the next thing! Luckily, I'm picking up new passions all the time.

*A.M. Dellamonica's first novel, Indigo Springs, won the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. Her fourth, A Daughter of No Nation, has won the 2016 Prix Aurora. She is the author of over forty short stories, appearing in Tor.com, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed and numerous print magazines and anthologies. She was the co-editor of Heiresses of Russ 2016. She teaches at UTSC and through the UCLA Extension Writers' Program. Alyx is married to fellow Aurora winner Kelly Robson; the two made their outlaw wedding of 1989 legal, in 2003, when the Canadian Supreme Court conferred equality on same sex couples.*

**
Ilana Teitelbaum's writing has appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and Salon. Her epic fantasy debut, Last Song Before Night, was published in October 2015 by Tor/Macmillan under the pen name Ilana C. Myer.*

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 19 hours ago.

Lucky woman wins lottery days after quitting her job

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We hear stories all the time about people quitting their jobs after winning the lottery.

SEE ALSO: Messy Oregon man finds a year-old lottery ticket worth $1 million cleaning his house

Less common are people who quit their jobs before winning the lottery. However, this is exactly what ended up happening to Colorado resident Yahnique S.

She quit her certified nursing assistant job in mid-January. A couple weeks later, she was clutching a giant check for $3.3 million.



Yahnique S. from Aurora is all smiles with her $3.3 million Jackpot prize on #Lotto. Her winning ticket came at the right time. She resigned from her job just two weeks ago!!! Talk about #ExpectTheUnexpected #ColoRADical #DreamBig #MeantToBe #InstaGood #WinnerWinner #COlottery

A photo posted by Colorado Lottery (@coloradolottery) on Feb 3, 2017 at 5:02pm PSTRead more...



More about Colorado, Moms, Lottery, Conversations, and Watercooler Reported by Mashable 8 hours ago.

UCHealth Chooses Best Doctors to Help Maximize Clinical Efficiency, Contain Costs, and Improve Patient Outcomes

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UCHealth partners with Best Doctors to bring Stratus, a high-powered health care data intelligence application, to its care providers and patients. Stratus helps health systems pinpoint where limited resources can make the greatest impact, by focusing in from a population perspective down to a patient view in a matter of seconds.

Boston, MA (PRWEB) February 09, 2017

Best Doctors®, the global health company that solves the unsolvable in health care, today announced the launch of a partnership with UCHealth that will bring Stratus, a high-powered health care data intelligence application, to its care providers and patients. Stratus helps health systems pinpoint where limited resources can make the greatest impact, by focusing in from a population perspective down to a patient view in a matter of seconds. Beyond information, Stratus drives its users toward opportunity and action in support of value-based care, while improving clinical performance and patient satisfaction.

“UCHealth’s utilization of Best Doctors’ innovative technology will contribute to better outcomes for patients and improved efficiency among our clinical operations,” said Jean Haynes, UCHealth chief population health officer. “Stratus gives UCHealth the ability to analyze all points of care for patients and share that information with their providers to ensure the highest quality across the continuum of care.”

Stratus features a comprehensive integrated dashboard, robust data visualization, dynamic analysis and expansive reporting that produces deep insight in a highly usable format to drive adoption and impact. UCHealth plans to utilize Stratus to support Accountable Care Organizations (ACO), as well as their provider clinical integration strategy. The system is designed to maximize efficiency while containing costs.

“UCHealth and Best Doctors are both driven to innovate for improved health outcomes,” said Peter McClennen, chief executive officer at Best Doctors. “Using the broad capabilities of Stratus, UCHealth will help to further ensure that resources are directed appropriately and that patients receive the best possible outcomes.”

Based in Aurora, Colo., UCHealth’s network of seven hospitals, more than 100 clinics and over 17,000 employees in Colorado, southern Wyoming and western Nebraska cared for more than 1.2 million unique patients last year. By using high-impact data analytics, UCHealth places itself on the leading edge of population health management.

In its highly anticipated study rating population health management providers, KLAS Research rated Best Doctors among the highest ranked for its data tools, service, and overall performance. In addition to its state-of-the-art analytics tools, Best Doctors is world-renowned for its ability to combat medical uncertainty and misdiagnosis. The company, which works with the top 5% of physicians in over 450 subspecialties of medicine, uses a unique process to bring together the brightest minds in medicine, cutting-edge technology and analytics to help members navigate increasingly complex health care systems around the world.

With published studies indicating that 15-28% of patients are misdiagnosed – translating into needless suffering and billions of wasted health care dollars annually – Best Doctors innovates to maximize clinical efficiency while dramatically improving patient outcomes. Historically, these clinical-advocacy and second-opinion services have resulted in corrected or refined diagnoses in 37% of Best Doctors U.S.-based cases, while correcting or improving treatment in nearly 75% of cases.

About Best Doctors, Inc.:
Founded in 1989 by Harvard Medical School physicians, Best Doctors is a medical information services company that connects individuals facing difficult medical treatment decisions with the best doctors, ranked by impartial peer review in over 450 subspecialties of medicine, to review their diagnosis and treatment plans. Best Doctors has grown to over 40 million members worldwide utilizing access to the brightest minds in medicine, analytics and technology to deliver improved health outcomes while reducing costs. For further information, visit Best Doctors at http://www.bestdoctors.com.

To schedule an interview with a member of the Best Doctors Executive Team, contact Justin Joseph at Ph: 617.359.5522 or jjoseph(at)bestdoctors(dot)com.

About UCHealth
UCHealth is an innovative, nonprofit health system that delivers the highest quality medical care with an excellent patient experience. UCHealth combines Memorial Hospital, Poudre Valley Hospital, Medical Center of the Rockies, UCHealth Medical Group, Broomfield Hospital, Grandview Hospital and University of Colorado Hospital into an organization dedicated to health and providing unmatched patient care in the Rocky Mountain West. With more than 100 clinic locations, UCHealth pushes the boundaries of medicine, providing advanced treatments and clinical trials and improving health through innovation.

BEST DOCTORS, the STAR-IN-CROSS logo, THE REINVENTION OF RIGHT and CRITICAL CARE INTERCONSULTATION are marks or registered marks of Best Doctors, Inc. Used with permission.
# # # Reported by PRWeb 3 hours ago.

Aurora buys land in Kenosha for $130M surgery center, office building

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Aurora Health Care bought more than 158 acres near Interstate 94 in Kenosha County for a planned $130 million ambulatory surgery center and a professional office building. The company paid $5.3 million for the sale, which closed on Wednesday, said Rob Pitts, broker with Kenosha-based Pitts Brothers & Associates LLC. The land is south of County Highway K, west of the interstate. The Aurora Health Care surgery center and office building would offer general surgery, orthopedics and urology, and house… Reported by bizjournals 56 minutes ago.

Colorado has 2 cities in nation's top 5 for real estate agents

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With average home prices increasing about 22 percent over the last two years, it's not a surprise that two metro cities are among the dream-spots in the nation for those who hawk homes for a living. Both Denver and Aurora are listed among the top five best markets for real estate agents, according to a new report by Washington, D.C.-based financial analyst site WalletHub. The report analyzed the nation's 150 largest U.S. cities based on 14 metrics across two main categories: Job opportunity &… Reported by bizjournals 9 hours ago.

Author Gina Valdez's Newly Released “My Prophetic Dream Revealing The End Time” is a Step-by-step Guide to Salvation During the Coming Catastrophic Event

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“My Prophetic Dream Revealing The End Time” from Christian Faith Publishing author Gina Valdez is a call-to-action for all God-fearing humans to get their life right before judgment day.

(PRWEB) February 10, 2017

“My Prophetic Dream Revealing The End Time”: an imperative prediction for the coming disaster coupled with the way and the light of God to save anyone who will listen and follow His lead.

“My Prophetic Dream Revealing The End Time” is the creation of published author, Gina Valdez, who was born on the Island of Mauritius and moved to Australia at a very young age. Her father was very strict, and she lived a very sheltered life. She struggled to seek the Lord, but found little comfort in the dead religion. As she grew up she discovered a void in her life that she now knows can only be filled by Jesus. She eventually moved to Aurora, Colorado, married, had a beautiful daughter named Janique, and started going to church. She steadily grew up spiritually and got involved in ministry and was ordained as a pastor in 2008 in the church. The Lord led her and her husband, Juan, to Washington state, to head the Kingdom Purpose Ministry.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Gina Valdez’s new book will help the reader understand the events that will be taking place in the last days and encourage people to get their life right with the Lord before He comes.

Gina states, “As we are approaching the last days, more people are getting dreams and visions about the end-time. This book is about a prophetic dream the Lord gave me, revealing His coming and the persecution of the Saints. In the dream, I was not prepared and ready for what was about to take place. The Lord allowed me to see this experience so I can write about it to help others be ready and prepared for when this events will take place in the future. The Holy Spirit, my teacher and helper, helped me to put together the information that has been written. It covers events that is going to happen in the end-time. It has important information about the deception and the falling away that will occur before the coming of the Lord and it will reveal the truth from the Word of God with Scripture reference.”

View a synopsis of “My Prophetic Dream Revealing The End Time" on YouTube.

Consumers can purchase“My Prophetic Dream Revealing The End Time” at traditional brick & mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, Kobo or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about “My Prophetic Dream Revealing The End Time”, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919. Reported by PRWeb 15 hours ago.

The Magic Gang's Latest Art-Rock Gem Is Soundtracking Our Friday

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The Magic Gang's Latest Art-Rock Gem Is Soundtracking Our Friday Soak up 'How Can I Compete' now...

*The Magic Gang* are back with a new sun-filled tune.

‘How Can I Compete’ is the Brighton outfit’s first release on Yala! Records, the new label/club night concept co-founded by Felix White of The Maccabees.

The punchy single is taken from the bands forthcoming EP set to be released sometime in April. As old-school romantics The Magic Gang can somehow fit in lines like: “I just want to know that you’ll be in my arms”, without it feeling too cheesy.

Featuring a singalong friendly chorus, funky guitars and Swanky vocal harmonies, ‘How Can I Compete’ is a step up from The Magic Gang’s previous material. The single also manages to get across the incredible live presence the band has in the recording.

The track was produced by The Maccabees’ Hugo White and was recorded at London studio The Drugstore, famously once home to The Jesus & Mary Chain.

The Magic Gang are tipped in both Apple Music and VEVO’s dscvr one’s to watch lists, and with and increasing fan-base, sold out headline shows and two steady EPs -‘The Magic Gang EP’ and ‘The Second EP From’ - under their belt, the gang are all set to take on 2017.

The Magic Gang are set to head our on tour supporting Circa Wave, before tackling their own headline tour in May.

Catch The Magic Gang at the following shows:

*April*
28 *Newcastle* Hit The North
29 *Leeds* Live At Leeds

*May*
1 *Sheffield* The Leadmill
2 *Manchester* Sound Control Basement
3 *Stoke* The Sugarmill
4 *Leicester* O2 Academy 2
5 *Birmingham* O2 Academy 2
6 *Norwich* Waterfront Studio
8 *Cambridge* Portland Arms
9 *Nottingham* Rescue Rooms
10 *Oxford* O2 Academy 2
11 *St. Albans* The Horn
12 *London* Heaven
19 *Brighton* The Great Escape
27 *Liverpool* Liverpool Sound City

Words: *Aurora Henni Krogh*

****B*uy Clash Magazine*** Reported by Clash 8 hours ago.

Protesters Face Off As U.S. Abortion Debate Heats Up

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Anti-abortion protesters rallied at scores of Planned Parenthood clinics on Saturday to urge Congress and President Donald Trump to strip the health services provider of federal funding, while supporters of the organization staged counter-demonstrations around the United States.

With anti-abortion groups expecting protests at up to 225 clinics, Planned Parenthood supporters organized 150 protests of their own at parks, government buildings and other sites, including clinics. At some of those clinics, the counter-demonstrators outnumbered those demanding an end to federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

  

All told, rallies and marches were called in 45 states in cities large and small, from Washington and Philadelphia to St. Paul, Minnesota, and Orange, California

As many as 6,000 people turned up for competing demonstrations in St. Paul, Minnesota, police said, but at other places, only a few dozen demonstrators turned out.

“We expected that tens of thousands of pro-lifers will be out today sending a message that we want Planned Parenthood to be defunded,” Monica Miller, director of Citizens for a Pro-Life Society and one of the national organizers of the anti-abortion rallies, said in a telephone interview.

“As long as they are going stay in the abortion business, that is an organization that shouldn’t be getting one red cent of federal tax money,” Miller said.

  

The 100-year-old organization of about 650 health centers provides birth control and other women’s health services in addition to abortion, according to its website.

The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion in the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling but U.S. law prohibits the use of federal funds for abortions. Anti-abortion activists say funding for other purposes acts to subsidize abortions.

In some cities, the two sides in the long-simmering issue positioned themselves along the same street. Initial reports indicate the rallies were vocal and peaceful.

  

In the Atlanta suburb of Marietta, anti-abortion and abortion-rights groups took opposite sides of a four-lane highway, waving signs at traffic and shouting slogans.

“Trump is going to hear our trumpet call,” said anti-abortion activist Sandy Prescott, 61, a homemaker from Roswell, Georgia, who was part of a group of about 100 people demanding an end to federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

At the competing abortion-rights demonstration, about 50 people gathered and held signs that included: “Women’s rights are human rights.” Many wore the pink “pussy hats” that have became an anti-Trump symbol since the Republican’s inauguration on Jan. 20.

David Daleiden, an anti-abortion activist who in 2015 targeted Planned Parenthood with surreptitiously filmed videos to try and show it was profiting from the sale of aborted fetal tissue, addressed a rally of nearly 500 people in rain-soaked Orange, a Los Angeles suburb.

“I’m confident that together, if we keep the faith, take the next right step, at the end of the day we will soon see a day when there will no longer be a price tag put on human life,” said Daleiden, founder of the Center of Medical Progress.

Daleiden and fellow activist Sandra Merritt were indicted in January 2016 for using illegal government identifications to secretly film a Planned Parenthood facility in Texas, but the charges were later dropped. A grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood of wrongdoing.

  

*ALLIES IN WASHINGTON*

Anti-abortion activists have said they are energized by the election of Trump, who has promised to restrict abortions. He selected their long-time ally, Mike Pence, and nominated conservative jurist Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Two weeks ago, tens of thousands converged on Washington for the 44th March for Life, where Pence became the most senior government official to speak in person at the annual anti-abortion rally, organizers said.

“We finally have someone in the White House who has the power and authority to save and defend lives,” said Margie Sznajder, one of 300 anti-abortion protesters at a rally in her hometown of Aurora, Illinois, outside Chicago.

Planned Parenthood leaders say abortions rights supporters also have been energized by Trump’s election, as exemplified by the hundreds of thousands who flooded Washington a day after Trump’s inauguration in favor of women’s rights, including abortion rights.

  

The pro-Planned Parenthood events on Saturday were organized spontaneously, without the group’s initiative, a spokeswoman said.

“Saturday, and every day, Planned Parenthood advocates and activists show that they refuse to be intimidated and they won’t back down,” Kelley Robinson, a leader of Planned Parenthood Action Fund Support, said in a statement.

Planned Parenthood receives federal funds from Medicaid reimbursements and Title X, a federal program that supports family planning and preventive health services. Planned Parenthood says cutting off those funds would make it more difficult for women to get birth control, Pap smears or testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

  

At some points in Washington, Planned Parenthood supporters formed lines to block about 50 people marching from the Supreme Court to a Planned Parenthood clinic but police officers moved them aside.

“Abortion, to me, is the greatest evil of our time,” said Delia Tyagi, 36, an accountant who lives in Arlington, Virginia. “Planned Parenthood has wronged women in a lot of ways. I feel like we have the momentum to finally defund them.”

(Additional reporting by Frank McGurty and Daniel Trotta in New York, David DeKok in Philadelphia, Robert Chiarito in Aurora, Illinois, Troy Anderson in Orange, Calif., Jon Herskovitz in Austin, Texas; Editing by Frank McGurty and Grant McCool)

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website. Reported by Huffington Post 37 minutes ago.

PHOTOS: Senior Prom at Chelsea Place in Aurora

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About 100 people attended a senior prom for those with dementia at Chelsea Place in Aurora on Feb. 11, 2017. At the event was a live Elvis impersonator, cake, tiaras and bowties during a senior prom. Reported by Denver Post 16 hours ago.

Commando helicopter force from Yeovilton treated to Northern...

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Commando helicopter force from Yeovilton treated to Northern... Elements of the Commando Helicopter Force, from the Royal Naval Air Station Yeovilton are providing training and exercising 200 miles inside the Arctic Circle at Bardufoss, Norway, where temperatures have already reached a staggering minus 31°C. At this time of the year the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, begins its annual light show. Royal Marines from the Commando Helicopter Force, who were out on the deep winter snow with one of their all-terrain tracked vehicles (the... Reported by Blackmore Vale 16 hours ago.

Aurora police want help finding developmentaly-disabled boy

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A 17-year-old developmentally disabled boy, who has medical issues, is missing, and Aurora police are asking the public’s help in finding him. Nathan Henderson was last seen on Saturday at Skate City in Littleton, 5801 South Rowell Way. Nathan is an Aurora resident and lives in the area of 4200 South Fundy Way. When last seen, […] Reported by Denver Post 8 hours ago.

Aurora shooting Saturday night injures one

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A man was shot in the back during an altercation in an Aurora parking lot on Saturday night. Reported by Denver Post 6 hours ago.

Nation's fastest-growing suburb is in Denver, says new report

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The nation's fastest-growing suburb is located in the Denver area, according to a new report. Northeast Denver is the fastest-growing suburban neighborhood with median home prices jumping 27 percent in the past year, according to Realtor.com. The area, just south of the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge, was aided by last year's opening of the nearby Stanley Marketplace, at 2501 Dallas St. in Aurora, in the former Stanley Aviation manufacturing facility. To come up with its national… Reported by bizjournals 9 hours ago.

Self-driving car startups could be creating a bubble in Silicon Valley

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Self-driving car startups could be creating a bubble in Silicon Valley Is there a bubble in self-driving startups in Silicon Valley?

There's certainly a clear financial incentive to jump into the space, as the traditional auto industry, flush with cash after a multi-year sales boom, looks to take command of autonomous-vehicle technologies and "future proof" itself.

General Motors bought Cruise Automation, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has partnered with Google/Alphabet's Waymo, and Ford just took a majority stake, to the tune of $1 billion, in Argo AI, a machine learning startup.

In fact, according to Ford's Chief Technical Officer, Raj Nair, a billion is about what it costs to develop so-called "level 4" autonomy, which is one stage shy of the vehicle completely driving itself, with no human input.

Do the math: some founders, some engineers, and within a few years — or even less than that — a self-driving startup can exit, or find additional funding, at the going, unicorn-making rate. That's an appealing trajectory with IPOs not counting for much in Silicon Valley these days.

It's reminiscent of what Facebook was inspiring a few years back, when it bought, in quick succession, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Oculus — companies that plugged holes in Facebook's platform, or that future-proofed the social network.

The action has shifted to autonomous vehicles in a big way. And the major players in the Valley are aware of it. Tesla recently sued the former head of the Google Car project, Chris Urmson, and Sterling Anderson, who ran Tesla's Autopilot program from 2015-2016, for stealing the electric automaker's intellectual property in pursuit of a new venture, Aurora Innovation.

In the lawsuit, there was this rather interesting language:



The Autopilot features that are built into every Tesla vehicle, and continually updated through free over-the-air updates, are widely regarded as the most advanced, safest, and most reliable technology in the autonomous area. In their zeal to play catch-up, traditional automakers have 10 created a get-rich-quick environment. Small teams of programmers with little more than demoware have been bought for as much as a billion dollars. Cruise Automation, a 40-person firm, was 12 purchased by General Motors in July 2016 for nearly $1 billion. In August 2016, Uber acquired Otto, another self-driving startup that had been founded only seven months earlier, in a deal worth more than $680 million.

Anderson and his business partners ... decided to take a run at a similar fortune.



Bloomberg's Alistair Barr and Mark Bergen reported that this alleged dynamic could be compelling entrepreneurial minding Googlers to strike out on their own, as the autonomous vehicle program sees rich payouts receding into the past.

"Staff departures from the car division increased in 2016," Barr and Bergen wrote.

"Some were frustrated with the pace of progress ... while others wanted to start their own autonomous vehicle companies, people familiar with the matter said. The big payouts exacerbated the situation because team members had less financial incentive to stay, the people familiar with the situation said."

At the moment, the world's automakers are pursuing a blend of in-house self-driving efforts and acquisition efforts. The thinking is that some enthusiastic technology specialists can make rapid progress, free from the bureaucratic layers and distractions that plague big car companies. But those very car companies also have the manufacturing capabilities to bring self-driving cars to market at scale. 

GM and Ford have placed some big bets. Other multinational automakers could follow. In fact, some are almost certain to. And that's what bubbles are made of.

*SEE ALSO: Ford just invested $1 billion in a secretive AI startup founded by former Google and Uber execs*

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Uber is shutting down its self-driving cars in San Francisco — here’s what it was like to ride in one Reported by Business Insider 3 hours ago.

NASA creates artificial clouds Alaska to measure aurora

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NASA creates artificial clouds Alaska to measure aurora A NASA rocket set to be launched from the Poker Flat Research Range between February 13th and March 3rd in Alaska will form artificial white clouds during a ten-minute flight. Reported by MailOnline 3 hours ago.

Registration Now Open for Infinity Rehab Mountain Continuing Education Symposium

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Infinity Rehab – a leading provider of post-acute contract therapy – has announced registration is now open for its fourth annual Mountain Continuing Education Symposium to be held on April 22, 2017. The one-day event gives physical, occupational and speech therapists the chance to network with industry peers and earn up to 7 Contact Hours.

Aurora, Colorado (PRWEB) February 13, 2017

Infinity Rehab continues its long-standing tradition of providing quality education opportunities for its clinicians and non-affiliated therapists through the contract therapy company’s unique brand of Continuing Education Symposiums.

“Therapists play a very important role in helping patients achieve rehabilitation goals after suffering an illness or injury,” says Tim Esau, PT, MSPT, Director of Compliance. “The Symposiums are a great way for therapists to stay on top of new approaches to treating patients and advancements in their respective disciplines.”

Infinity Rehab Continuing Education Symposiums serve as a place for therapists from around the country to earn the Contact Hours necessary to maintain their licensure and interact with like-minded professionals. Industry vendors are also on-hand to talk with attendees about the latest in rehabilitation technology and treatments.

Courses available at the 2017 Mountain Symposium include therapy's role in heart failure management, leadership for front-line clinicians, and improving mobility through specificity and intensity – among others. For a full list of available courses and to register, please visit https://www.infinityrehab.com/symposium.

“It is our mission to enhance the life of every person we serve,” says Derek Fenwick, PT, MBA, GCS, Director of Professional Development. “Infinity Rehab symposiums are our way of applying that mission to our clinicians and therapists not affiliated with infinity Rehab. As we advance our practice knowledge, we become even better equipped to help the individuals we serve regain their independence and comfort.”

Mountain Continuing Education Symposium
April 22, 2017
Hyatt Regency
Aurora, CO

About Infinity Rehab
Established in 1999, Infinity Rehab is a leading provider of clinically intensive, comprehensive physical, occupational and speech therapy in sub-acute and long-term care environments. The company was founded and is led by a team of therapists. Infinity Rehab is a member of the Avamere Family of Companies and has operations in 13 states. Reported by PRWeb 24 minutes ago.

Parents of Aurora's Citywide Banks, Denver area's Centennial Bank to merge

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The parent companies of Denver-based Centennial Bank and Trust and Aurora-based Citywide Banks have entered into a merger agreement. Centennial, a subsidiary of Iowa-based Heartland Financial USA Inc.(Nasdaq: HTLF); and Citywide Banks, a unit of Citywide Banks of Colorado Inc. said today that Citywide will merge with Heartland in a deal valued at approximately $203 million, or $207.98 per Citywide common share, based on Heartland’s closing common stock price of $45.75 per share as of Feb. 10. Citywide’s… Reported by bizjournals 34 minutes ago.

Centennial and Citywide banks merging, will create $2.3B bank

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Denver-based Centennial Bank and Trust, a subsidiary of Heartland Financial USA, will merge with Aurora-based Citywide Banks in a $203 million stock and cash deal. Reported by Denver Post 2 hours ago.

“Dark Night” movie — inspired by Aurora theater shooting — opened to praise, but should it even exist?

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"I wanted to show how people live, and not how people die," said writer-director Tim Sutton. Reported by Denver Post 15 hours ago.

Movie Review: Tim Sutton’s “Dark Night” sheds little light on Aurora theater shooting

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The writer-director made a film that is cinematically striking but also maddeningly superior. We Coloradans tend to be prickly about films that take mass shootings as their “inspiration.” Reported by Denver Post 14 hours ago.
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