FABIAN ALMAZAN TRIO at Jazz Gallery (Oct. 5, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.). Among the most talented young pianists in jazz, Almazan has doubled for the past two years as an impresario and tripled as an activist. His label, Biophilia Records, releases albums with an eye toward sustainability, and donates a portion of its proceeds to ecological causes. His most recent album, This Land Abounds With Life, featuring his trio, is a writhing, emotionally charged lament, full of some of the finest writing and playing of his blossoming career. Here Almazan appears with the bassist Linda May Han Oh (who was on the album) and the drummer Rudy Royston.646-494-3625, jazzgallery.nyc

ART BLAKEY CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION at Dizzys Club (Oct. 7-12, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.). Blakey is remembered equally for the thunderous power of his drumming and for his influence on future generations; for over three decades, his Jazz Messengers remained a proving ground for premier young musicians. In recognition of what would have been Blakeys 100th birthday on Oct. 11, Jazz at Lincoln Center has assembled a six-night celebration of his legacy, starting on Monday with a performance by the drummer and Jazz Messengers alum Ralph Peterson, who now pays Blakeys legacy forward as the leader of his own Gen-Next Big Band. On Tuesday and Wednesday, the all-star sextet One for All will play a selection of tunes from the Messengers songbook, and for the remaining nights the trumpeter Valery Ponomarev, a veteran of the Messengers, will lead tributes to Blakey (with his Our Father Who Art Blakey Big Band on Oct. 10, and then in a smaller group on Oct. 11 and 12).212-258-9595, jazz.org/dizzys

FLY at the Village Vanguard (Oct. 8-13, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.). The early 2000s were lean years on the New York jazz scene, but this trio marked a bright spot. Most groups with their instrumentation tenor saxophone, bass and drums would clearly spotlight the horn player, but Fly followed something like the model set in the late 1950s and early 60s by Bill Evanss piano trio and the Jimmy Giuffre 3, in which each band member played an equally liberated role, and the entire group thrived between a low and medium boil. The tenor saxophonist Mark Turner, the bassist Larry Grenadier and the drummer Jeff Ballard, all in their 50s, lead busy careers outside of Fly these days, but the band returns occasionally to the Vanguard, an old stomping ground.212-255-4037, villagevanguard.com

SULLIVAN FORTNER TRIO at Jazz Standard (Oct. 3-6, 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.). At just 32, this dazzling New Orleanian pianist has already been handsomely decorated: Hes won the Leonore Annenberg Arts Fellowship, the American Pianists Associations 2015 Cole Porter Fellowship and the 2016 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists. And hes caught the ears of many elder musicians. Here he performs with the bassist John Patitucci and the drummer Nasheet Waits, both a generation above him and among jazzs most respected rhythm-section players.212-576-2232, jazzstandard.com

ROBERT GLASPER at the Blue Note (Oct. 3-Nov. 3, 8 and 10:30 p.m.). Probably the most influential pianist and keyboardist of the past 20 years, Glasper has set himself a goal: to make blues tradition-based, improvised music thats easy for the average listener to love. If it werent already clear that hes succeeding, take as evidence the fact that hes been invited back to the Blue Note for a rare monthlong residency, for the second year in a row. He will perform with the rapper and singer Yasiin Bey from Thursday to Sunday, his acoustic trio from Tuesday to Oct. 13, and the bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding on Oct. 15 and 16, among other guests. Throughout the residency Glasper will perform six days a week, taking Monday evenings off.212-475-8592, bluenote.net

THANDISWA MAZWAI at the Schomburg Center (Oct. 8, 7 p.m.). One of the most famous musicians in South Africa, Mazwai jump-started her career as a vocalist for the band Bongo Maffin, which helped pioneer kwaito, a genre of South African house music. Since then she has established herself as a belter of clatteringly rhythmic, galvanizing songs about love, resistance and African identity (typically sung in Xhosa) as well as a thrilling bandleader. This concert is presented in partnership with Carnegie Hall Citywide.212-491-2040, schomburgcenter.orgGIOVANNI RUSSONELLO

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12 Pop, Rock and Jazz Concerts to Check Out in N.Y.C. This Weekend - The New York Times

The worlds best track and field athletes are in Doha, Qatar, for the 2019 IAAF World Championships. The biennial event is the most prestigious meet the sport has outside of the Olympic Games. This years edition takes place over 10 days, from September 27 to October 6.

Check back here for all the latest results from the key events each day.

Two years after earning silver in London, Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas finally earned gold at the world championship, and he did it with a national record.

In 43.48 seconds, Gardiner sprinted to victory as the sixth fastest 400-meter runner in history. Behind Gardiner, Anthony Jos Zambrano of Columbia found another gear out of lane eight to finish second in 44.15. American and Diamond League champion Fred Kerley, who ran the second-fastest time in the world prior to Doha, faded to third in 44.17.

The performance marks Kerleys first individual world championship medal. He has a silver medal as a member of the 4x400-meter relay at the 2018 world indoor championships and a silver medal from the 4x400 at the 2017 world championships in London.

In a finish that was almost too close to call, the defending world and Olympic champion continued his reign over the steeplechase. Coming back from a series of injuries, Conseslus Kipruto of Kenya out-leaned Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia for the victory in a winning time of 8:01.35, just 0.01 seconds faster than his east African rival. The mark was the second-fastest winning time ever run at a world championship.

Behind the sprint between Kipruto and Girma, Soufiane El Bakkali finished third in 8:03.76.

From the gun, Ethiopian teammates Girma, Getnet Wale, and Chala Beyo established the quick early pace in an attempt to out-run Kipruto, who remained on their heels. The Ethiopians exchanged leads throughout the race, even jumping to the front immediately once Kipruto attempted to lead with two laps remaining. By the bell lap, the top group of Kipruto, Girma, El Bakkali, Wale, and Djilali Bedrani of France were all in contention. With a swift move to the front at 200 meters, Girma attempted to run away from the field, but Kipruto chased him down and ultimately caught and passed him with a lean at the line.

Kiprutos performance marks his second world championship gold medal and fifth global medal of his career.

Of the American competitors, Hillary Bor finished the highest with an eighth-place showing. Stanley Kebenei finished 10th, and Andrew Bayer closed for 12th overall.

Dalilah Muhammad accomplished the ultimate championship performance in the womens 400-meter hurdles final. The American standout broke her own world record and earned her first world championship gold medal in a winning time of 52.16.

Closing hard, fellow American competitor Sydney McLaughlin finished behind her in a personal best of 52.23. Jamaicas Rushell Clayton also ran a personal best on her way to a third-place finish in 53.74.

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Muhammads record-breaking victory ends a historic season on the track. She broke the previous 16-year-old world record while winning the USATF Outdoor Championships in July. Prior to Doha, Muhammad earned gold at the 2016 Olympic Games and silver at the 2013 and 2017 IAAF world championships. Todays performance marks Muhammads first ever world championship gold.

In the first heat of the mens 1500-meter semifinal, Timothy Cheruiyot took control of the race. The Kenyan standout led from the gun all the way into the finish line with a winning time of 3:36.53. Less than a second behind the 2017 silver medalist, 2012 Olympic champion Taoufik Makhloufi, Neil Gourley of Great Britain, American Craig Engels, and Kalle Berglund of Sweden sprinted for a blanket finish across the line to take the remaining five automatic spots into the final.

The second heat was slightly faster and kept the crowd on its toes with a sprint to the finish on the homestretch. The late charge was led by Marcin Lewandowski of Poland, who won the heat in 3:36.50. After leading the majority of the race, Kenyan Ronald Kwemoi finished second in 3:36.53. Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway closed for third, Josh Kerr of Great Britain finished fourth, Youssouf Hiss Bachir finished fifth, and 2016 Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz finished sixth and advanced to the final based on time.

Of the U.S. competitors, Engels and Centrowitz earned a place in the final. Ben Blankenship was the first runner out of contention based on his time in the first heat.

The final will be run at 12:40 p.m. EST on Sunday, October 6.

The Americans dominated the first of two heats for the womens 4x100-meter relay. The squad of Dezerea Bryant, Teahna Daniels, Morolake Akinosun, and Kiara Parker combined to run 42.46, well ahead of runner-up Trinidad and Tobago and third-place finishers Switzerland. All three teams automatically advanced to the final.

The Jamaicans followed up Team USAs win with a heat two victory in 42.11, the fastest time of the day. Led off by Natalliah Whyte, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Jonielle Smith, and finished by Natasha Morrison, the Jamaicans ran a seasons best mark ahead of runner-up Great Britain and China, who finished third. The teams who qualified for the final based on time were Germany and Italy

The final will be run at 3:05 p.m. EST on Saturday, October 5.

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All of the top contenders advanced to what should be a fascinating final on Saturday.

The first of the two heats was absolutely loaded, with mile record-holder Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands, reigning world and Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, and U.S. champion Shelby Houlihan among those vying for only five automatic qualifying spots.

The race started at a crawl, with the first two laps covered at 5:00 mile pace. When the racing began, Hassan covered the last lap in 58 seconds, moving from last to first to win in 4:14.69. Houlihan and Kipyegon also sprinted well, placing second and fourth, respectively. Hassan, who won the 10,000 on Saturday, is now one race removed from taking an unprecedented 1500/10K double.

The second heat was fast from the start, with the first lap covered at sub-4:20 mile pace. The women knew that the two time qualifiers for the final would come from it, so finishing in the top seven was the goal.

American stalwart Jenny Simpson won in 4:00.99. Her teammate Nikki Hiltz continued her breakthrough season, nabbing the final qualifying spot with a personal best of 4:01.52 in seventh place. Great Britains Laura Muir showed no signs of the calf injury that kept her away from racing since July. She placed third in 4:01.05, and should be considered a medal contender on Saturday.

Salwa Eid Naser Flies to First World Title in 400 Meters

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Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain led one of the deepest womens 400s in history to win in 48.14. Reigning Olympic champ Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas took silver in 48.37, while Sherika Jackson of Jamaica was third in 49.47.

In all, the first five women set personal bests, including Americans Wadeline Jonathas, who was fourth in 49.60, and Phyllis Francis, fifth in 49.61. Francis ran faster in todays race than she did when she won the world title two years ago.

Eid Naser, the silver medalist in 2017, took off with her usual aggression and was never challenged. She is now the third fastest woman in history over 400 meters.

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The depth of mens 1500-meter running was on display in this first of three rounds. The slowest of the 24 men to advance to Fridays semifinals had to run the equivalent of a 3:55 mile.

The first of the three heats featured a blanket finish, with only half a second separating the first nine runners. Olympic champion Matthew Centrowitz of the U.S. and 19-year-old Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway showed their usual tactical savvy, with Ingebrigtsen winning in 3:37.67 and Centrowitz third in 3:37.69. Ethiopian Samuel Tefera, the indoor world record-holder, led until the final meters, but placed seventh in the mass finish. He advanced only as a time qualifier.

Timothy Cheruiyot of Kenya, fastest in the world this year, easily won the second heat in 3:36.82. American Ben Blankenship placed third in 3:37.13. Filip Ingebrigtsen pushed Tedesse Lemi of Ethiopia at the start of the final lapcausing Lemi to fall and finish well behind the fieldyet the Norwegian was not disqualified. He will join his brother Jakob in the semis.

The third heat was the fastest, and up front was a bit of a flashback. It was won by Ayanleh Souleiman of Djibouti, the 2014 world indoor champ, in 3:36.16, just ahead of Taoufik Makhloufi, the 2012 Olympic gold medalist. U.S. champion Craig Engels placed fifth in 3:36.35. The semifinals will begin at 1:10 p.m. EST on Friday, October 4.

Grant Holloway had the race of his career when he sprinted to his first world championship title in the mens 110-meter hurdles. With a look of shock on his face, the eight-time NCAA champion reached the finish line first in a winning time of 13.10 seconds.

Holloways title follows a long season of racing that started on January 19, first at the NCAA level for the University of Florida, and then as a professional at the USATF Outdoor Championships where he finished second. Holloways victory in Doha marks the 21-year-olds first medal at a global championship.

Behind Holloway, 2015 world champion and neutral athlete Sergey Shubenkov earned silver in 13.15 and Pascal Martinot-Lagarde of France took bronze in 13.18.

For the majority of the race, the win looked like it would come down to a lean between Holloway and defending world champion Omar McLeod, but the Jamaican sprinter hit the last hurdle and collapsed on the track. He was later disqualified from the competition for impeding Spanish competitor Orlando Ortega.

From the gun, Dina Asher-Smith, 23, led the chase for the 200-meter crown. The sprinter from Great Britain powered down the homestretch with a big lead and kept the momentum going all the way into the finish line with a winning time of 21.88, a national record.

The championship performance in the 200 meters followed a breakthrough run in the 100-meter final where she ran a personal best and national record time of 10.83.

Behind Asher-Smith, Brittany Brown of the U.S. earned silver with a personal best of 22.22. Munjina Kambundji of Switzerland grabbed the final podium spot with a third-place finish in 22.51. American Anglerne Annelus finished fourth in 22.59 seconds.

World record-holder Dalilah Muhammad and fellow American competitor Sydney McLaughlin both made sub-54 seconds look easy.

Muhammad, the U.S. champion and 2016 Olympic champion, kicked off the semfinal round with a victory in 53.91 to win the first heat and automatically advance to the final. Behind her, Sage Watson who competed for the University of Arizona, set a Canadian national record of 54.32 to advance.

In the third heat, McLaughlin glided over the hurdles to run the fastest time of the day in 53.81. At just 20 years old, the 2018 NCAA champion and collegiate record-holder has become one of the favorites to win gold.

Jamaicas Rushell Clayton threw down a quick surge in the last 50 meters to take heat two in 54.17. Zuzana Hejnovaof the Czech Republic finished a close second in 54.41. Olympic bronze medalist Ashley Spencer led on the homestretch but faded over the final hurdle to third in 54.42. She advanced to the final based on time.

The final will be run at 1:30 p.m. EST on Friday, October 4.

The biggest surprise of the mens 400-meter semifinal was Michael Norman finishing last in the final heat. The American standout, who was a gold medal contender, looked strong heading into the 200-meter mark, but appeared to struggle around the final turn. He crossed the finish line in 45.94 while heat winner Machel Cedeno of Trinidad and Tobago won the race in 44.41. Behind Cedeno, Anthony Jose Zambrano finished second in a Columbian national record of 44.55 and automatically advanced.

Easing into the finish line, U.S. champion Fred Kerley safely secured his position into the final with a winning time of 44.25 out of heat one. Behind him, former NCAA star Emmanuel Korir of Kenya finished second in a seasons best time of 44.37. Both runners automatically advanced to the final.

Heat two was led by two world championship medalists, with 2017 silver medalist Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas winning in a seasons best of 44.13 and 2011 world champion Kirani James of Grenada closing for second in a seasons best of 44.23. American Vernon Norwood finished fourth and did not advance.

The two runners who advanced on time were Jamaicans Demish Gaye and Akeem Bloomfield.

The final will be run at 2:40 p.m. EST on Friday, October 4.

Jamaican Omar McLeod led the way in the second round of the mens 110 hurdles. The 2017 world champion and 2016 Olympic champion sprinted to the line first in 13.08 to win heat two in the fastest time of the day. In heat one, American and eight-time NCAA champion Grant Holloway comfortably earned the victory in 13.10. Finally, Orlando Ortega of Spain led heat three in 13.16 seconds.

Devon Allen of the U.S. earned a qualifying spot based on time with his fourth-place finish in heat two.

The final will be run at 3 p.m. EST tonight.

On her way to qualifying for the womens 5,000-meter final, American Karissa Schweizer scored a big personal best with a runner-up finish in the first heat. Hellen Obiri, 2017 world champion, won the race in 14:52.13, just four days after finishing fifth in the 10,000-meter final. Behind her, Schweizer closed in 14:52.41, which improved on her previous PR by nine seconds and earned her a place in her first ever world championship final.

In order to automatically qualify for the final out of the first heat, the top five competitors had to run 15:02 or faster, and four of the top seven finishers walked away with personal bests. American standout Elle Purrier crossed the line ninth overall and was able to advance as the last qualifier with her time of 15:08.82.

The second heat started conservatively but ended with a surge when Konstanze Klosterhalfen took control of the pace with three laps remaining. The German, who trains with the Nike Oregon Project, finished with Tsehay Gemechu of Ethiopia and Margaret Kipkemboi of Kenya across the finish line in 15:01. Lilian Rengeruk of Kenya and Laura Weightman of Great Britain earned the last automatic qualifying spots out of heat two, while Fantu Worku of Ethiopia earned a place in the final based on time. American Rachel Schneider finished eighth and will not advance.

The final will be run at 2:25 p.m. EST on Saturday, October 5.

Just four days after winning the womens 10,000-meter final, Sifan Hassan returned to the track to comfortably win the first heat of the 1500-meter rounds. The mile world record-holder, who trains with the Nike Oregon Project, started in the back of the pack but worked her way up to the front with 700 meters to go.

From the 200-meter mark, Hassan led the field all the way into the finish line, which she crossed in 4:03.88. Faith Kipyegon, the 2017 world champion, finished second in 4:03.93 and American Nikki Hiltz earned an automatic spot in the semifinal when she finished third in 4:04.

U.S. champion Shelby Houlihan conserved her energy until the homestretch of heat No. 2, where she surged ahead to finish in the top six for an automatic qualifying spot. The race was won by Rababe Arafi of Morocco in 4:08.32, and Houlihan finished fourth in 4:08.51.

Jenny Simpson, the 2017 silver medalist in this event, took control of the third heat with a victory in 4:07.27, which launched all three American competitors into the semifinal round.

The semifinal will be run at 3 p.m. EST on Thursday, October 3.

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In his first ever senior world championship, Noah Lyles kept his winning streak alive with gold in the mens 200 meters. The American sprinter ran 19.83 to earn his first world championship gold medal of his career. Read more about Lyles win here.

Unlike most of the previous races this season that he dominated, Lyles was challenged on the homestretch by silver medalist Andre de Grasse of Canada and Alex Quinez of Ecuador who secured the bronze medal. De Grasse finished in 19.95 and Quinez closed for a final time of 19.98.

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Donavan Brazier secured the first 800-meter world championship gold medal for the United States. In the process, Brazier broke the 34-year-old American record and the championship record with a winning time of 1:42.34. (Read more about Braziers record-breaking performance here.)

Behind Brazier, Amel Tuka of Bosnia sprinted to silver in a seasons best of 1:43.47 and Ferguson Rotich of Kenya earned bronze in a time of 1:43.82. American Bryce Hoppel of the United States attempted to secure the final podium spot with a last-minute kick but finished fourth in a personal best of 1:44.25.

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In what appeared to be an effortless victory, 2016 Olympic champion Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas won the second heat in 49.66 and solidified her status as the favorite to win gold in the final. The world leader finished well ahead of American Wadeline Jonathas, who ran a personal best of 50.07 while surging past Shericka Jackson of Jamaica in the final meters of the second heat. Miller-Uibos time was the fastest of the three heats.

In the first heat of the semifinals, 2017 world silver medalist Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain won easily in 49.79. Behind her, 2017 world champion Phyllis Francis of the U.S. finished second in a seasons best of 50.22 to earn the last automatic qualifying spot into the final.

The third heat saw two competitors fall out of contention. Galefele Moroko of Botswana pulled up early while American champion Shakima Wimbley pulled up just before the homestretch. Meanwhile, Stephenie Ann McPherson of Jamaica comfortably won the last heat in 50.70.

Of the four American competitors, Jonathas and Francis will represent the U.S. in the final, which will be run at 3:50 p.m. EST on Thursday, October 3.

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The last heat of the mens steeplechase semifinals saw multiple competitors fall early on in the competition, but the podium contenders remained unscathed. While waving to the crowd on the final lap, defending Olympic and world champion Conseslus Kipruto eased into the finish line in a winning time of 8:19.20, ahead of Kenyan teammate and runner-up Benjamin Kigen and American standout Hilary Bor, who finished third in 8:20.67 for the last automatic qualifying spot into the final.

Ethiopia made a statement in the previous heats with two victories. Getnent Wale kicked off the semifinal round with a winning time of 8:12, which left the race up to a last-minute surge in the last 150 meters of the first heat. American Stanley Kebenei lost touch with the top five finishers on the final stretch and finished sixth in 8:19.02.

In heat two, Lamecha Girma of Ethiopia won in 8:16; he beat Soufiane El Bakkali of Morocco and Abraham Kibiwot, who kicked past American Andy Bayer in the last 30 meters. Bayer finished fourth in 8:18.66.

Both Kebenei and Bayer will join Bor in advancing to the final as two of the six fastest performers outside of the top three in each semifinal heat. The final will be run at 1:45 p.m. EST on Friday, October 4.

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Defending world champion Kori Carter had a difficult run in the first round of the womens 400-meter hurdles. In the second heat, the American standout pulled up around the 200-meter mark and dropped out of the race. At the 2017 world championships in London, Carter upset 2016 Olympic champion Dalilah Muhammad to win gold.

Since the 2017 world championships, Muhammad has made history as the world record-holder in the event. She broke the 16-year-old record at the 2019 USATF Outdoor Championships, where she won the race in 52.20 seconds. In the first rounds of heats on Tuesday, Muhammad won her heat easily in 54.87 and advanced to the semifinals.

Her competitor, fellow American hurdler Sydney McLaughlin also solidified her position in the semifinals with a winning time of 54.45 in heat one, the fastest time of the day. Olympic bronze medalist Ashley Spencer qualified after placing fourth in heat four. The semifinals will be run at 2:05 p.m. EST on Wednesday, October 6.

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2012 Olympic champion Kirani James of Grenada made his return to the championship stage with the fastest mark in the first round heats of the mens 400 meters. His qualifying time of 44.94 led the first heat on Tuesday. The Granadians performance was his second race of the 2019 season after reportedly contracting graves disease in 2017, which sidelined him for the majority of the past two seasons.

The American sprinters eased into the next round with U.S. silver medallist Michael Norman leading the way in heat four with a time of 45.00, the second-fastest time overall. Fred Kerley, Vernon Norwood, and Nathan Strother also earned qualifying marks to advance to the semifinals, which will be run at 12:35 p.m. EST on Wednesday, October 6.

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Karsten Warholm of Norway took the race out hard and wasnt really challenged to repeat as world champion in 47.42, while American Rai Benjamin was second in 47.66. Abderrahman Samba of Qatar gave the home crowd something to cheer about by taking the bronze in 48.03.

Warholm was the surprise winner in London two years ago. His post-race shock at the time launched a thousand memes.

After his strong start, Warholm started to strain before the final hurdle. Benjamin was able to close the gap briefly, but the American also started to tie up in the final stretch, and Warholm held it together to the line.

American Ajee Wilson gave winning the world title her best shot, but came up 40 meters short. After leading from the start, Wilson was overtaken by Halimah Nakaayi of Uganda, who won in a national record of 1:58.04. Wilsons training partner Raevyn Rogers squeezed past Wilson to take the silver in 1:58.18, while Wilson repeated her bronze medal performance of two years ago in 1:58.84.

The third American in the field, CeAira Brown, was eighth in 2:02.97.

With defending champion Caster Semenya not racing because of the IAAFs new rules on testosterone in female athletes, Wilson was the consensus favorite heading into worlds. She looked great through the qualifying rounds, as did Rogers.

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Wilson took it out fast, passing the 200-meter mark in under 27 seconds. Winnie Nanyondo of Uganda and Natoya Goule of Jamaica pressed from behind. The time at the bell was 57.96. Rogers was, uncharacteristically, next to last entering the final lap.

Wilson tried to make another move with about 250 meters to go, and opened the slightest of gaps, but couldnt make it stick. When Nakaayi pulled alongside for the real sprinting on the homestretch, Wilson couldnt match her. Rogers closed the best of the field, overtaking Wilson in the final seconds and almost catching Nakaayi.

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Highlights From the 2019 IAAF World Championships - runnersworld.com

There is fantastic talent out there to drive growing companies, but the best people are scattered everywhere and with full personal lives that prevent them from relocating to headquarters easily. Yet for enterprises that hire people in different geographies, and perhaps allow significant working from home as well, the old methods of management and teambuilding are not effective, and communications and productivity can suffer. So, whats the solution?

This is a common problem nowadays, and many companies deploy the usual tools: on the one hand, digital communications through frequent conference calls, file sharing and collaborative working platforms, email, text messaging, plus electronic monitoring, control and performance oversight systems; on the other hand, real face time through regular travel and routine meetings to bring people together in person for planning, problem-solving and relationship building. These techniques help a lot and are basic components for teams working across different geographies.

A more effective solution, however, is to adopt a comprehensive strategy for productivity across multi-location working. This means combining a commitment to excellence in personnel wherever they are with a performance-based culture and a full array of tools designed explicitly to support dispersed teams and help them achieve their best regardless of where they are based.

There is fantastic talent out there to drive growing companies, but the best people are scattered across the globe. The trend towards remote workers requires us to step up to the next level.

Working at a distance can bring strains. But by underlining the reason for the geographical spread (a commitment to the best people, regardless of location), highlighting the benefits this gives to staff (in terms of enabling their personal lives), and underscoring a commitment at all levels to make it work, this challenge can be converted into a strength and managing it becomes a positive.

A pioneer in this approach is AppNeta, led by Matt Stevens. The company is a leader in monitoring and enhancing the performance of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) apps typically suites of software packages hosted by a third party on the cloud or between different data centers for use by customers. So, the companys entire ethos is delivering efficiency and effectiveness across extended networks and remote locations.

With more than 120 personnel, corporate HQs in Boston and Vancouver, and seven other satellite offices, it was a short step to decide to practice what they preach by establishing the same commitment within their own dispersed staff teams to performance, results and effective communications across their human network.

We want the best talent, regardless of where that talent lives, says Stevens. Were happy to make the compromise of having a team of all-stars who may not see each other in person that often opposed to losing out on the best talent because of geography.

AppNeta has taken a comprehensive approach. Our idea has been to weave the team together by establishing a culture of intentional, open communication, says Stevens. We focus our people on clear, specific individual and team goals and deliverables and hold them accountable to that, not on how they do the job or when or where they do it. We then use all available tech tools to support connectivity and intimacy so people feel as close to being in the same office as they can.

The change requires a shift in the entire corporate culture, away from a 9-to-5, office-based concept towards a results and delivery orientation. As Stevens recalls, We did away with the whole idea of fixed start time, fixed break time for lunch, fixed end time. The idea was, Here's your job, here are your targets, here's what you must learn, here's what you must invest in yourself, now go make it happen. It was a big epiphany for the organization, and a big breakthrough, letting us bring in a whole different quality of talent. The creativity and the ability for the team to take chances went up several hundred percent.

Specifically, this approach means:

Decentralized teams do face a risk. Control is important and becomes harder to maintain. Without the chance to see their teams in person, managers have to ensure that they make the extra effort to stay on top of everyone and provide them adequate support. Communications is always a major challenge across numerous locations, and the absence of the easy ability to sit together, solve problems and even socialize, can lead to inefficiencies, misunderstandings and occasional tensions.

While its always been important to be goal focused and to communicate well, the trend towards remote workers requires us to step up to the next level. However, the benefits are also clear, as AppNeta illustrates. We want amazing talent and we don't care where people are, says Stevens. We've hired people all over the US, across Canada, in Eastern Europe. The key is to focus not on where people live but on the talent and their capabilities, their passion and their alignment to your corporate mission.

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Making Virtual Teams Feel Like They're In The Same Room: The AppNeta Approach - Forbes

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ANAHEIM, CA FEBRUARY 15: Boston Bruins goalies Jaroslav Halak (41) and Tuukka Rask (40) celebrate on the ice after the Bruins defeated the Anaheim Ducks 3 to 0 in a game played on February 15, 2019 at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

The Boston Bruins were one of the best teams in the NHL last season. They finished the regular season with a record of 49-24-9, good for 107 points and third overall in league standings.

With many of the same players returning for the 2019-20 season, the Bruins are in position for another strong campaign, but theyll need a few things to go right for them.

Jaroslav Halak was a pleasant surprise in net for the Bruins last season. There was no doubt that he would be a solid option to backup Tuukka Rask, but Halak surpassed all expectations that were had for him.

In fact, his play throughout the regular season can be viewed as a big reason why Rask played as well as he did in the playoffs. Halak started 37 games and finished the season with a 22-11-4 record and .922 save percentage.

Rask struggled early on last season, and it was announced early in November that he would be taking a leave of absence from the team for personal reasons. In the end, Rask was only away from the team for three days but that proved to be valuable for him, and the team.

Whatever happened during that time away was enough to get Rask back on track, and those struggles early in the season allowed the Bruins to really see what they had in Halak. Prior to his time away, Rask had a 3.05 goals-against average and .901 save percentage but went on to finish the season with a 2.48 GAA and .912 save percentage.

The 45 games that Rask started last season is the lowest number for him since the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season, finishing with a record of 27-13-5. The reduced workload clearly paid off in the end, as Rask was lights out throughout the playoffs with a .934 SV% and 2.02 GAA.

With many of the same players from last year still on the roster for the Bruins, another long playoff run seems like a strong possibility.

If Halak is able to put together a repeat performance of last season, the Bruins should once again split the regular season work between both of their goalies to allow for a well-rested Rask going into the postseason.

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Boston Bruins: Three keys to success for the 2019-20 season - Causeway Crowd

Trevor Alcorn is the 2019 Farmers Weekly Awards Livestock Adviser of the Year.

Dairy development adviser Trevor is a key asset for 80 family farms in Northern Ireland helping them to optimise their returns, with a strong focus on meeting the personal goals of each producer while improving their business performance.

Much of Trevors work has been on a one-to-one basis with family farmers across counties Tyrone and Fermanagh. But he spends more time working with his clients in groups, benchmarking their businesses and facilitating knowledge exchange through discussion groups.

See also: Meet the 2019 Farmers Weekly Awards Livestock Adviser of the Year finalists

Trevor Alcorn Steffan Hill

Group size ranges from 15-25 farmers. They meet a minimum of eight times a year to improve their grazing management, silage production, weed control, herd health and fertility and nutrition as well as benchmarking their physical and financial performance.

Sharing knowledgeBorn and bred on a dairy farm himself, Trevor delivers impartial advice and has an in-depth understanding of what makes each of his clients tick whether they are new entrants into the industry or family farmers with years of experience.

Successes include helping farmers reduce their use of antibiotics by switching to selective dry cow therapy (SDCT) and the use of teat sealants with 14 out of 18 producers in one group switching to SDCT within an 18-month period.

Strabane dairy farmer Albert ONeill, who farms at Artigarvan, boosted his milk from forage by 600 litres a cow equivalent to 67 an animal by improving his grassland strategy using a plate meter to measure grass growth, pre-mowing and developing his own seed mixes.

I value his non-biased opinion, says Albert. Trevor is the only person who comes through the farm gate who isnt trying to sell me something. He mixes common sense with practical experience, so I am always happy to listen to what he says.

Trevor has been key in encouraging local farmers to benchmark their businesses. At first this took the form of sharing information anonymously so they could compare the performance of their own enterprise against similar farm businesses.

Business improvementSome producers were sceptical at first. But all have since recognised the benefits it has brought their businesses so much so that members of one group now share key performance data openly with one another, and critique each others farm management decisions.

There is always something you can improve and benchmarking can identify it, says dairy farmer Hall Donnell, who farms at Ballymagorry. Trevor gives honest advice and reassurance and he knows what works because of his background, which is an important bonus.

But it is people, not just cows, that are among Trevors key interests. Acknowledging that he is only one person in a much wider team of advisers, he says his biggest achievement was being awarded a 2015 Nuffield scholarship to investigate the prospects for family dairy farming.

In a nutshell, my conclusion was that there is a future for some family dairy farms, he says. But they must communicate, collaborate and innovate to help ensure their survival. That is exactly what we are trying to encourage.

Trevor is everything a good adviser should be. He has knowledge and experience, impressive attention to detail and goes the extra mile to ensure the farmers he advises achieve their goals.

John Royle, NFU chief livestock adviser

The finalists were:

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Awards 2019: Livestock Adviser of the Year - Farmers Weekly - FarmersWeekly

Many would be surprised to see how frequently liquidity becomes an issue for a global fund manager. This depends on the strategy it follows. A screen of companies with certain characteristics invariably narrows the universe of stocks to a manageable level where the investment team can spend time on the industry and the stock-specific issues. The narrower and more specific the criteria, the greater chance that the potential investments are actually quite limited.

It is not uncommon to see no more than 150-200 under serious consideration for a fund compared to the MSCI All Country universe of around 2700. Obviously, the majority are eliminated based on industry or company-specific challenges, valuation or other metrics, yet the capacity to trade the stock in and out is usually out of the spotlight.

A non sequitur question posed to a fund manager is its so-called capacity ie, how big can it get? Smaller funds are considered nimble. Once they get larger, they may not be able to move around as much and, of course, are presumably accruing enough fees not to worry about the risk if they do take a non-consensus view. But the definition of its universe is not scientific metric as market values move and stock liquidity changes.

The reality is that no manager can be clear about its maturating process based on the amount of money it is managing. Large managers of global equities, by default, weigh into big companies that trade frequently. This may not serve the investor best. Other less liquid stocks may be much more interesting, but cant be considered by this fund. Further, the manager may affect the price by moving a sizeable weighting. It is no surprise that hedge funds and the like know where the likely changes are taking place and can affect the share price if a longer-term manager is looking to exit or enter a big holding.

There is a limit to a managers assets. Once large, the process of creating the portfolio should change. It is more likely to replicate a cheaper exchange-traded fund or be handicapped by what it can achieve. This applies across the board, from big cap vanilla manager to the exotic small cap end. The question of liquidity of the investable universe, the maximum size of the fund and the attitude of the management team are just as relevant as their abilities to judge a companys merits.

Giselle Roux is chief investment officer at Escala Partners.

Excerpt from:
Look beyond performance when it comes to equity managers - The Australian Financial Review

Onstage at the Disrupt SF 2019 startup conference on Thursday, Salesforcechairman and co-CEO Marc Benioff made no secret of his feelings toward Facebook, saying the company "is the newcigarettes. It should be regulated."

I'm generally not a fan of the government getting involved with, well, much of anything, and I've pushed back against suggestions that big tech companies should be regulated,but I have to admit that Benioff has a point.

It's actually not even the first time Benioff has made this same point. A year and a half ago,he first shared his belief that Facebook posed a danger to both its users and the public. Yesterday, however, he elaborated on why.

A Long List of Reasons

The list isn't newor even all that original:Cambridge Analytica. Election interference. Fake news. Contractors listening to recordings of your personal conversations. Working conditions of content review contractors.Password and data leaks.And then there's just the general idea that the company exists to make a profit by monetizing your personal information.

"When it comes to regulation, the government is doing too little, too late," saidBenioffon stage yesterday."The government has to step in."

Which, more than at any other time, looks about to happen. Facebookrecently announced a $5 billion settlement over privacy violations, and has increasingly come under scrutiny by federal regulators and lawmakers. At this point, it almost seems inevitable that the tech industry will face regulation, especially over how it handles privacy and personal information.

A Growing Problem

But Benioff's contention that Facebook is essentially as harmful and addictive as cigarettesis an interesting way of characterizing the problem. In many ways, I think he's right. Facebook is extraordinarily addictive. It's also extraordinarily dangerous for not only our privacy, but in many ways our health.

It has been shown to cause depression, eating disorders,reduced productivity, bullying, and even divorce. Those are real problems that have a real effect on the lives of more than two billion real people on Facebook.

There is, however, at least one important distinction.I think you can argue that, unlike cigarettes, Facebook does have at least some tangible benefit in that it allows people to stay connected to friends and family who they may not see regularly in the real world. Andit has enabled millions of small businesses to reach customers they previously couldn't.

But the problem is figuring out whetherthose benefits are worth the cost.

Why the Government Has to Act

As a result, Benioffbelieves that the government should treat it the way it treats other addictive and harmful substances--with regulation. And in this case, I agree,for one important reason.

Facebook isn't able to regulate itself because its entire existence depends on two things--increasing engagement as much as possible so that people spend more and more time on Facebook, and then monetizing that engagement by gathering as much personal information as possible to better target ads. And it's really, really good at it.

And, unlike most businesses, because the service is free for users, normal market forces don't apply. People are mostly ignorant of the real cost of giving this much of their personal life over to Facebook. In fact, there's an enormous disconnect between what people say they think about the way their personal information is handled, and what they actually do about it.

On its own, Facebook isn't going to change. Mark Zuckerberg effectively has complete control over the company, and it's not clear he even grasps how big an issue this is. Instead, it's as if he's implying Facebook justhasgood intentions-- just trust them.

The only way Facebook is ever going to actually change the way it behaves, short of changing its leadership (which is not happening), is for the government to get involved.

A Possible Solution

"We need a national privacy law here in the U.S. as well,"Benioffsaid yesterday. And, despite my reservations,I think he's right. We need well-thought-out regulations that create a clear framework for how user information can be collected, shared, and monetized, and how it must be protected and secured.

Companies in the business of monetizing your personal information should be required to get your consent when they track you, and make privacythe default instead of burying privacy controls deep in a complicated webof settings. And they should be required to let you know when they're tracking your activity, make it easy to see exactly what they track, and provide a real-time option to opt-out.

I don't have nearly as muchconfidence as Benioff that the government isn't going to make a bigger mess of the entire situation, but I do agree it's time.

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

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Salesforce Founder Marc Benioff Says 'Facebook Is the New Cigarettes.' Here's Why He Thinks the Government Should Get Involved - Inc.

Marianne

I am usually fairly skeptical of Netflixs percentile match recommendation engine which frequently gets things wrong, but as soon as I saw Marianne as the lead of my personal homepage, I knew I was going to watch it. A follow-up tweet from Stephen King endorsing it only cemented my decision.

The Haunting of Hill House is one of my favorite Netflix originals ever, and if Marianne could match even a portion of its drama and dread, that would be worth my while. Instead, Marianne is far more creepy and unsettling than Hill House ever was, and while I wouldnt call it better, it is definitely a must-see for any horror fan, and something that brings to mind other horror features like Hereditary and It Follows than the This is Us with Ghosts vibe of Haunting of Hill House.

This is a French show, so that means subtitles on, and it follows the story of a young, famous horror author named Emma who turned her childhood nightmares into a best-selling book series. When shes called back home by disturbing events, we quickly realize that her titular villain, the long-dead witch Marianne, is not in fact a nightmare, but very real, and allegedly possessing the mother of her childhood friend. Marianne sends her care packages of skin and hair and teeth and its clear something has to be done.

Theres also a bit of an It vibe here, given that its one specific evil haunting a small town (Marianne, not Pennywise in this instance) and a group of friends the monster goes after using many of their greatest fears. But ultimately its on Emma to figure out what Marianne wants and how to get rid of her, but doing so does not come without its fair share of casualties among her family and friends.

Marianne

Some of the horror imagery here, deeply disturbing scenes where Marianne inflicts harm on those shes possessing or on others, is easily as memorable as anything seen in Hereditary, which sort of heralded this new era of ultra-messed up, yet artistic shock horror that was continued most recently in Midsommar. Hill House, for all its scares, was far from bloody or gross, but here, Marianne is both unsettling and sporadically gory in a way that will sear itself into your brain for quite a while to come.

If theres a downside to Marianne, is that I think it gets less effective as time goes on. The show loses something of value when Marianne eventually leaves its central host of Emmas friends mother and moves on to other targets, given that Mireille Herbstmeyers performance as the puppet of Marianne is easily the most memorable thing about the series. Once thats gone, Marianne becomes a bit less menacing, even if she has new bodies to snatch. None really create the same unease and terror as Herbstmeyer.

I very much enjoyed Victoire Du Bois as Emma, and her relationship with her assistant, Camile, but thats yet another aspect of the plot that sort of fades away as the final episodes near. Quite simply, the end isnt as good as the beginning, though theres enough of a cliffhanger here for another season, if thats whats in the cards.

Despite its issues near the end, I would recommend Marianne to any horror fan, and I dont want to get too much deeper into it, lest I ruin some of its best aspects. I am really loving the idea of longer form horror series (that arent made by Ryan Murphy) that were seeing these days, taking the vibes of my favorite horror films and translating them effectively to longer tail stories. Give both this and Hill House a look if you havent yet.

Follow meon Twitter,FacebookandInstagram.Read my new sci-fi thriller novelHerokiller, available now in print and online. I also wroteThe Earthborn Trilogy.

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Netflixs Marianne Is More Hereditary Than Haunting Of Hill House, And Deeply Disturbing - Forbes

Statistics Jersey is planning to produce annual reports on the general happiness and welfare of Islanders, based on models introduced by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, as the economic Gross Value Added measure is now viewed by some as outdated and a blunt instrument.

The Jersey Better Life Index, which has been produced in 2013 and 2018, includes a much broader ranges of measures to assess prosperity and well-being, such as environmental quality and life satisfaction.

Earlier this week Environment Minister John Young echoed the sentiments that more than just economic health needed to be assessed when he said that the Island should stop prioritising economic growth and financial interests over its environment.

On Wednesday Statistics Jersey released the latest figures measuring the Islands Gross Value Added figure, which is the estimated economic output or value of goods and services produced of all of Jerseys businesses and workplaces.

The report shows that the economy grew by 1.4% in real terms [taking into account inflation] last year, which was the fifth successive year of positive growth.

But Jersey has lagged severely behind Guernsey and the UK in terms of how its economic standard of living has grown over the last five years.

The GDP [gross domestic product] per person in Jersey of 43,470 has grown just 1% over the last half decade, compared to 7% in the UK and 12% in Guernsey, according to comparable figures.

Duncan Gibaut, head of Statistics Jersey, said that the Island was moving away from relying on GVA and GDP figures to determine the Islands performance because of their limited scope.

In 2013 based on the OECD model we did the first Better Life Index report and we did the same thing again in 2018, he said.

It is definitely the right direction to be heading in. GVA is an incredibly blunt instrument and it does not measure things like the well-being and sustainability of a jurisdiction.

The Better Life Index is less narrow and limited and includes measures such as health status, personal safety, environmental quality, life satisfaction, housing and civic engagement, which, of course, Jersey came bottom of everyone in this year.

We compare Jersey to 39 OECD countries in the report and to hundreds of regions as well. The OECD produces up-to-date data tables, so we are hoping to be able to produce this report every year from now rather, then the five years between the last two.

Jerseys total GVA last year was 4,707 million. The Islands productivity GVA per worker has fallen 23% since its peak in 2007, prior to the global financial crisis.

Originally posted here:
Are you happy? Government to measure Islanders wellbeing annually - Jersey Evening Post

Shakespeares King John is rarely performed but, on the basis of Eleanor Rhodes engrossing production for the RSC, it absolutely should be. The plot initially sounds a bit pedestrian: King John of England and the King of France battle for power, forge a tentative truce, and fight a whole lot more. But what a play this is: there are endless thrilling fights, spellbinding moments of reflection and devastating outpourings of grief. There is also a gradual erosion of belief in any sort of greater good as the divine right of kings and divinity itself fade away in the heat of battle.

Designer Max Johns has talked about approaching King John as a new play and the production tingles with a tangible sense of spontaneity. The show is loosely located in the mid 20th century but the set and costumes grow heavier and older disco lights replaced with flickering candles as the political squabbling turns deadly. There is jaunty dancing between the scenes, endless fashion parades (peaking with Katherine Pearces gold-decked Cardinal) and the mother of all food fights. Weaving everything together is David Gregorys enveloping sound design, which gradually darkens as blood begins to spill.

All these flourishes keep the energy pulsing but they also carry an important message: here is politics as performance. The connection is amplified by the fact that King John is played, brilliantly, by a woman. Rosie Sheehy portrays the King as a preening peacock, always on show when in public. When John addresses the citizens of Angers and implores them to recognise Englands authority, the crowd munches on popcorn, spectators to their own downfall.

As Johns power wanes, Rhode expertly emphasises the personal cost of politics. Charlotte Randle initially plays Constance as a crazed stage mum, but after her son is imprisoned she implodes with a grief that hollows out the theatre. Johns garments grow ever more oppressive until theyre eventually removed. All that pomp and ceremony melts away and the King is left in rags, vomiting blood in a rusty bathtub. As Philip the Bastard says: Mad world! Mad kings! Mad composition!

See more here:
King John review blood and popcorn spill in riches to rags thriller - The Guardian