Find sanctuary city resources from the City of Portland's Immigrant & Refugee Program including free legal services and state resources for reporting hate crimes Looking for an exciting & rewarding career, with benefits? We’re hiring! Salary ranges $82k-$117k +pay incentives. Benefits are 95% paid by the city. Visit: JoinPortlandPolice.com Deputy Chief Gjovik has more than 24 years of law enforcement experience and previously served as the Assistant Chief of Operations He is a graduate of the Police Executive Research Forum’s (PERF) Senior Management Institute for Police Assistant Chief Dobson has more than 26 years of law enforcement experience and previously served as the Commander of Central Precinct Craig is an internationally known expert on crowd management three lieutenants and three captains.  See something we could improve on this page? Give website feedback The City of Portland ensures meaningful access to City programs, services, and activities to comply with Civil Rights Title VI and ADA Title II laws and reasonably provides: translation, interpretation, modifications, accommodations, alternative formats, auxiliary aids and services. Request an ADA accommodation or call 503-823-4000, Relay Service: 711 503-823-4000  Traducción e Interpretación | Biên Dịch và Thông Dịch | 口笔译服务 | Устный и письменный перевод | Turjumaad iyo Fasiraad | Письмовий і усний переклад | Traducere și interpretariat | Chiaku me Awewen Kapas | अनुवादन तथा व्याख्या moritz.krause@siemens.com Norwegian University of Science and Technology image: Researchers at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) have created an antenna nose in a laboratory at the Gjøvik campus.  Although smell has historically played an important role in the fight against diseases such as the plague and tuberculosis the human nose is generally not sensitive enough to be used as a reliable diagnostic tool a new artificial ‘nose’ inspired by our sense of smell could now make it possible to detect undiagnosed disease And it is all made possible with technology that already exists “We are literally surrounded by technology that communicates using antenna technology,” said Michael Cheffena Cheffena is a professor of telecommunications at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Gjøvik and believes that this technology can be used for far more than just communication: “By giving the antennas sensor functions the existing infrastructure can be used in new areas of application This has been one of the main motivations for investigating whether antennas can be used for these purposes,” he added Cheffena explained that previous attempts to create so-called ‘electronic noses’ have not had the advantage of having an existing infrastructure readily available They have also been affected by a number of other challenges that antenna technology can potentially resolve “Other electronic noses can have several hundred sensors often each coated with different materials This makes them both very power-intensive to operate and expensive to manufacture They also entail high material consumption the antenna sensor consists of only one antenna with one type of coating,” said Cheffena That must surely come at the expense of accuracy and functionality “On the contrary,” said Yu Dang, a PhD research fellow at the Department of Manufacturing and Civil Engineering at NTNU in Gjøvik and the lead author of a recently published research article on the new ‘antenna nose’ in the journal Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical Dang says their sensor distinguishes between the different gases it has been tested on with an accuracy of 96.7 per cent This is a result that is not only on par with the performance of the best electronic noses to date here's how the antenna nose actually works: The antenna transmits radio signals at a range of different frequencies into the surroundings It then analyzes how they are reflected back The way the signals behave changes based on the gases present and because the antenna transmits signals at multiple frequencies the changes create unique patterns that can be linked to specific volatile organic compounds Volatile organic compounds are gases that are commonly found in the air They are characterized by a low boiling point meaning they tend to evaporate at low temperatures And even though they can neither be seen nor felt you will definitely have smelled several of them often as a means of protecting themselves from pests or communicating with one another The smell of freshly cut grass is a well-known example of this The gasoline fumes from your lawnmower are another example Since many of the products we use and the materials we surround ourselves with also emit volatile organic compounds a large number of gases in various combinations will be present in most environments This makes the task of distinguishing significant gases from insignificant ones extremely challenging Dang explained that it becomes even more difficult when isomers are also added to the mix “Isomers are chemical compounds that have the same molecular formula but where the atoms are bound together in slightly different ways,” he said According to the researchers they are a bit like twins: very similar “These compounds have long been a challenge for this type of sensor technology Even the most sophisticated E-noses consistiing of many different sensors struggle with them,”  Dang said He is consequently very pleased that their antenna sensor performs so well even on these difficult compounds the sensor technology has been tested on impact-damaged fruits and meats of varying ages By adjusting the algorithms that detect the unique ‘fingerprints’ of the different gases the researchers believe the technology may also be able to smell diseases “Volatile organic compounds enable trained dogs to detect health-threatening changes in blood sugar and diseases like cancer so the principle is largely the same,”  Dang said the antenna sensor does not require months of training or specialized handlers to be used The basic technology is something you already have in your living room Reference: Dang, Y., Reddy, Y. V. M., Cheffena, M. (2024). Facile E-nose based on single antenna and graphene oxide for sensing volatile organic compound gases with ultrahigh selectivity and accuracy. Sensors and Actuators B: Chemical, Volume 419. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.snb.2024.13640 10.1016/j.snb.2024.136409 Facile E-nose based on single antenna and graphene oxide for sensing volatile organic compound gases with ultrahigh selectivity and accuracy are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system Copyright © 2025 by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Biathlon | “The five girls in Group A are protected”: the last two World Cup places will be up for grabs early next winter Biathlon: the selection of the Austrian national team for the 2025/2026 training season Biathlon | Nordic skiing : for the Olympic winter the French teams will once again be changing their overalls Biathlon | “Joining this group is a step forward in my project” : Bressaud Martin Botet talks about his arrival in the French B team Biathlon | “It was a tiring race”: Johannes Thingnes Boe reflects on his participation in the Grue Halvmaraton Cross-country skiing : Linn Svahn back in training after concussion Cross-country skiing: the selection of the Swedish national team for the 2025/2026 season Cross-country skiing : Gustav Kvarnbrink’s fright after being hit by a car while training Cross-country skiing | Nordic skiing: the composition of the Austrian team for the 2025/2026 season Cross-country skiing | “It’s really nice to see progress” Jessie Diggins gives her news following plantar fasciitis Nordic combined: eleven Norwegians in the elite national team for the 2025/2026 season Nordic combined: the composition of the French teams for the 2025/2026 season Nordic combined: Ivar Stuan remains Norway’s boss for another 2 years… with an option until 2030 Nordic Combined: Florian Schabereiter becomes head coach of the Austrian women’s national team Nordic combined | Mo i Rana: Ida Marie Hagen and Jens Luraas Oftebro crowned Norwegian mass start and gundersen champions Ski jumping | “Not the season I imagined” Ski jumping: Slovenia’s Bine Norcic takes over from Rune Velta at the helm of the Swiss team Ski jumping: Thomas Thurnbichler to coach Germany’s B team Ski jumping: the make-up of the French teams for the 2025/2026 season… with newcomer Louis Obersteiner and leaders Joséphine Pagnier and Valentin Foubert Ski jumping: Rune Velta decides to step down as Switzerland coach Rollerskiing | ASOP and Thomas Joly launch the HautDoubsLoppet a 42 km classic ski-wheel race: first edition on 27 July Rollerski | Soldier Hollow: the Schutzenski Festival free sprint for Jessie Diggins and Reid Goble Rollerski | Soldier Hollow: Luke Jager and Rosie Brennan win the individual classic at the Schutzenski Festival Rollerski | “There are many reasons”: why didn’t Arnaud Du Pasquier’s third Dupaski Festival take place this weekend Rollerskiing | “It’s very reassuring”: the satisfaction of Mathis Desloges after winning the French individual classic title in La Bresse Vu de Trondheim #2: Jarl Magnus Riiber stripped of his title From Trondheim #1 : Marit Bjoergen head coach for women’s sprint Vu de Norge #451 : Sturla Holm Lægreid stands up against homophobia Vu de Norge #449 : Vetle Sjaastad Christiansen improves his rifle Planète Nordic #29: Oleksandra Merkushyna appreciates Julia Simon’s gesture Planète Nordic #23 : Norwegian cross-country skiers take on footballer Erling Braut Haaland on his recovery techniques dog’s name… at the Tour de Ski Planète Nordic #21 : Sebastian Samuelsson donates his race number to Dmytro Pidruchnyi in support of Ukraine Nordic Planet #20 : Dorothea Wierer could do nothing about the individual short in Kontiolahti after suffering a back injury Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. This year's Team Aker Dæhlie will be joined by some fine new faces who have put together an attractive new line-up 15:09.Just minutes after Eric Rosjoe ‘s victory in the men’s race it was the turn of the women’s cross-country skiers to compete in the.. during the 30km individual classic at the Norwegian cross-country skiing championships in Hovden (Norway) Norway’s Heidi Weng won the 20km mass-start skate at the Scandinavian cross-country skiing cup in Gålå (Norway) the men’s individual 10km classic at the Scandinavian cross-country skiing cup in Gålå.. Norway’s Heidi Weng was at the start of the 10km individual classic at the Scandinavian cross-country skiing cup in Gålå.. Discover the names of the Norwegians selected for this winter's cross-country skiing World Cups in Tallinn (Estonia) and Lahti (Finland) Discover the full results of the French para biathlon and para cross-country skiing championships held this weekend in Le Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie) $320.00 donatedin the past month If you'd like to help with maintaining or developing the website, contact us Publish your stories and upcoming events on Indybay This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks The action you just performed triggered the security solution There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page 14:36. After the women earlier in the day it was the men’s turn to compete in the individual classic of the Norwegian cross-country skiing cup in Gjøvik (Norway) The 31-year-old finished the race in 51 min 28 sec 8 The podium was completed by the experienced Didrik Toenset 15:09.Just minutes after Eric Rosjoe ‘s victory in the men’s race, it was the turn of the women’s cross-country skiers to compete in the... 13:17. At midday on Saturday, during the 30km individual classic at the Norwegian cross-country skiing championships in Hovden (Norway), there was Heidi Weng and... 18:21. This Thursday, the Norwegian cross-country skiing championships opened in Hovden (Norway) with a team sprint skate as the opening event. At the end... 12:06. Following on from the women’s race, dominated by Heidi Weng, the men’s individual 10km classic at the Scandinavian cross-country skiing cup in Gålå... Discover the full results of the French para biathlon and para cross-country skiing championships held this weekend in Le Grand-Bornand (Haute-Savoie). This Saturday, Hugo Lapalus took sixth place in the individual classic of the Oslo-Holmenkollen cross-country skiing world cup (Norway). He talks to Nordic Magazine. 11:54. The second day of competition at the FESA Cup cross-country ski race in Prémanon ( Jura) came to a close on Saturday with... 11:18. Just a few minutes after the women’s competitions in the U20 and senior categories, the cross-country skiers under the age of twenty took... Text description provided by the architects. The building for Gjøvik University College is a learning arena for knowledge and education. The project ties in with the existing learning environment of the university college and provides opportunities for the merging with the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Through a simple geometry, the 5-story building creates a dialogue with the existing structures of the established institution. Its orientation and footprint allow for further expansions. The vertical open circulation defines the heart of the building and contributes to positive interaction and collaboration between the users. classrooms and auditorium on the first through third floors Walkways to the adjacent buildings provide connections for the students and staff to access the shared auditorium and classrooms You'll now receive updates based on what you follow Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors If you have done all of this and still can't find the email Ashley Gjøvik a senior engineering program manager at Apple for six years first filed claims of work retaliation with the NLRB in late August setting off an investigation by the government agency She said she experienced sexual harassment at work and that her complaint was revealed to the alleged harasser Gjøvik has also said Apple retaliated against her for the NLRB complaint and for earlier raising concerns about the office she and others worked in Her usual work was taken away and replaced with "unfavorable" assignments Her supervisory responsibilities were also taken and eventually she was forced into administrative leave Gjøvik was fired last week by Apple a move the company told her was because she shared "proprietary" company information the company was hit with a new NLRB charge for "termination as retaliation," according to a filing by the agency Apple did not respond to a request for comment But the company has assigned two partners from the law firm McDermott Will & Emery but the company is nothing without its employees instead of take or threaten," Gjøvik said. "I hope my continued fight and the ongoing press coverage around these concerns will force them to do better I hope it inspires employees to still speak up." automatically investigates all claims it receives If its investigation into Apple shows Gjøvik's claims have merit it will issue a formal complaint against the company leading to a hearing if the issue is not settled beforehand Gjøvik has also filed a whistleblower complaint with the federal Occupational Health and Safety Administration given her complaint to Apple regarding the office being on a Superfund site OSHA confirmed in an email that her claimed retaliation will be formally investigated Gjøvik has been public about her issues with Apple She told Gizmodo that the company asked last Thursday to speak with her about her complaints but only by email so she would have a record of what was said Apple replied saying Gjøvik had decided "not to participate in the discussion" and was fired shortly thereafter.  The hashtag #AppleToo has also gained traction in recent weeks being used as a Twitter tag for stories by current and former Apple workers of alleged mistreatment It has almost 4,000 followers and a stated goal of uniting the company's workers "to change Apple." Discover the composition of Swiss-Ski's biathlon ski jumping and Nordic combined teams for the 2025/2026 season The Swiss cross-country skiing championships in Goms (Switzerland) included long-distance skate races on Saturday Cyril Faehndrich won the men’s 50km mass-start a cross-country skate team sprint is on the programme of the 2025 Military World Games in Lucerne (Switzerland) Therese Johaug won the 50km classic of the World Cup held in Lahti (Finland) on Sunday Lars Heggen and Maria Hartz Melling won the skate sprint at the Scandinavian cross-country skiing cup in Gålå (Norway) Friday saw the opening of a new stage of the Scandinavian cross-country skiing cup in Gålå The day’s programme included a sprint.. Discover the names of the Norwegian cross-country skiers selected for this weekend's cross-country skiing World Cup in Oslo-Holmenkollen (Norway) Frida Karlsson won the 50km skate at the World Cross-Country Skiing Championships in Trondheim (Norway) An Apple employee who was placed on leave in early August after tweeting about sexism at the company has shared further allegations of bullying and mismanagement a senior engineering program manager at the company has added to earlier public claims of "sexism Gjøvik's comments coincide with a rise in Apple's employees speaking out publicly about their dissatisfaction with working conditions at the notoriously secretive tech firm Gjøvik tweeted she had only shared "~5%" of the evidence of misconduct she had submitted to Apple's employee relations department she claimed senior employees kept a whiteboard tally of votes on how they could make her "life a living hell" that she was regularly excluded from important emails and that some were known to peer-pressure other employees into drinking alcohol during working hours.  Gjøvik also claimed an unnamed senior employee yelled at her in public and private and "locked me in a conf room alone & screamed at me while I cried & kept threatening to smack me."  Gjøvik publicly shared screenshots and internal messages alongside some of her claims Insider has not independently verified Gjøvik's statements and has approached her for comment Gjøvik's LinkedIn states that she has been working at Apple for more than six years She first began tweeting allegations of sexism against colleagues at Apple in late July and early August she claimed she was offered counseling after speaking up about workplace misconduct and shared a series of private messages from male coworkers a male coworker commented on a presentation given by Gjøvik: "I didn't hear you go up an octave at the end of your statements," adding: "came across as much more authoritative." shortly after Gjøvik says she sent a lengthy email asking if Apple's leadership would issue a statement on sexual assault following allegations of sexual misconduct against then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh one coworker responded by texting her a news article in which Ruth Bader Ginsburg defended him The Verge reported that Gjøvik was placed on leave after her tweets on August 4 Another Apple engineer, Kiran Kumar, stated on Twitter on August 17 that Gjøvik was listed internally at Apple as being on "indefinite paid administrative leave via employee relations." Insider approached Apple for comment.  Are you a current or former Apple employee with more to share You can contact this reporter securely using the encrypted messaging app Signal (+447801985586) or email (mcoulter@businessinsider.com) 12:59. After the women earlier in the day it was the turn of the cross-country skiers to compete in the individual skate race at the Norwegian cross-country skiing cup in Gjøvik (Norway) on Saturday it was biathlete Einar Hedegart who came out on top He completed the day’s five kilometres in just over 10 minutes He beat his compatriot Iver Tildheim Andersen, winner of the individual skate race at the cross-country skiing world cup in Les Rousses (Jura) The podium was completed by another Norwegian,Edvard Sandvik Haavard Moseby won the Janteloppet in Hafjell (Norway) on Saturday biathlete Justine Braisaz-Bouchet won the women's 5km individual cross-country ski race at the Tournoi des Douanes 2025 The Finnish cross-country skiing championships held over the last few days in Taivalkoski came to a close on Sunday afternoon with a long.. the young Einar Hedegart is now going to concentrate fully on biathlon Norwegian biathlon and cross-country skiing prodigy Einar Hedegart won the men's mass-start of the 2025 Norwegian Biathlon Championships in Stiklestad (Norway) on Saturday The day after winning gold by the narrowest of margins in the 10km individual skate race in Hovden (Norway) more than 500 cross-country skiers took part in the 10km individual skate race at the Norwegian championships in Hovden (Norway)... I worked at Apple as a senior engineering program manager for over six years I've loved Apple products and the Apple brand since I was a little girl But what I've witnessed and experienced has raised endless questions about the company's values I raised concerns about the safety of the building: Our office sits on a Superfund site which since the '60s was home to labs that leaked toxic chemicals into the soil and groundwater After I raised these concerns with the management team my direct manager asked me not to share them with others When I raised this issue with the employee relations department I also mentioned sexist comments my manager made toward me Instead of looking into my workplace safety complaint they launched an investigation into sexism by my manager I told them I feared this would lead to retaliation against me my managers reassigned my work without explanation and I  saw an increase in my workload of unfavorable projects I asked Apple to launch a second investigation which was ongoing at the time of my termination I was also organizing with employees regarding systemic discrimination at Apple and I was working with my colleagues to gather evidence to see whether there were safety hazards at the office.  disparaging comments about my mental health and gender and lewd and sexual gestures one of my manager made towards me I also complained about being held to different expectations than my male colleagues and the aforementioned retaliation That's why any attempt to hold the company responsible should match the standards of accountability to which we hold a state or government recovering from authoritarianism: If the company is to truly reckon with its systemic problems it needs to start by compensating for its past and present misconduct and holding its perpetrators to account.  These disparities between my rights as an individual and as an employee make working at Apple feel like living in a parallel state.  This type of surveillance is so prevalent that earlier this year, while helping organize employees over discrimination I made a joke on one of our Slack channels that since I had said the word "union" three times in one day I was probably on an Apple "watch list." I have no reason to believe Apple has a watch list but the point was I felt implicitly forbidden to critique Apple's policies or even speak openly to coworkers with concerns about employment and work conditions The company even employs former intelligence officials from the FBI and secret services in the ranks of its "worldwide loyalty team," tasked with investigating leaks and other transgressions After my own experience and reading about Apple's treatment of employees' privacy I realized just how extensive the power differential between me and my employer was.  I asked to keep our conversations in writing noting my ongoing National Labor Relations Board investigation Apple accused me of not complying with the request When I consider how Apple may remedy its relationship with its employees, I think about my studies at the University of Oxford this summer: I studied transitional justice or how to rebuild societies following authoritarian dictatorships with systemic human-rights violations I wonder: If Apple is another kind of state should we hold it accountable as we would a recovering dictatorship Doing so would require us to recognize that employees in big tech — from retail to corporate workers — are essentially the subjects of arbitrary private governments a situation that needs to be rectified through organizing and regulation.  Apple's executives could acknowledge the validity of employees' concerns over these systemic issues, agree they'd also be concerned if they were in our shoes, and then assure us they'll resolve the issues. If my firing is any indication, they won't do so willingly.  A spokesperson for Apple told Insider: "We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace. We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters." Are you a Silicon Valley employee who has experienced workplace harassment? We want to hear from you. Reach out to Tekendra Parmar at tparmar@insider.com or on Signal: +1 347 770 4163 Gjøvik has been tweeting allegations about harassment and intimidation at Apple by Zoë Schiffer FacebookThreadsIllustration by Alex Castro / The VergeApple has fired senior engineering program manager Ashley Gjøvik for allegedly violating the company’s rules against leaking confidential information Gjøvik has been tweeting openly about allegations of harassment “When I began raising workplace safety concerns in March and nearly immediately faced retaliation and intimidation I started preparing myself for something exactly like this to happen,” she says “I’m disappointed that a company I have loved since I was a little girl would treat their employees this way.” Gjøvik has raised concerns that her office is in an Apple building located on a superfund site, meaning it requires special oversight due to historical waste contamination. She also says that she faced harassment and bullying from her manager and members of her team. More recently, she’s begun raising privacy concerns related to Apple’s policies on how it can search and surveil employees’ work phones She was placed on administrative leave in early August while Apple investigated some of these concerns — a placement she says she requested as a last resort Hours later, Gjøvik received an email that her employment at Apple was being terminated, effective tomorrow. In response to a request for comment from The Verge, Apple spokesperson Josh Rosenstock said: “We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace. We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters.” A weekly newsletter by David Pierce designed to tell you everything you need to download, watch, read, listen to, and explore that fits in The Verge’s universe. Between the opening of the Games and the summer of 2018 these venues staged 32 World and European Championships or international tournaments 129 World Cup events and 161 National Cups hosted the 2016 Winter YOG ice hockey competition This strategy of continuing to host major events has helped Lillehammer to remain a major location on the international calendar and has also contributed to the development of a vibrant grassroots sports culture in the region Hence the venues are also used daily for training by Norwegian and international athletes experience sliding down the Lillehammer Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track All the venues in the Lillehammer Olympiapark as well as the Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall and the concert hall at Maihaugen are now certified with Norway’s most widely used environmental management system This recognition shows that they remain at the forefront of sustainability efforts by operating in an environmentally-friendly way with NOK 250 million allocated for the operation of the Olympic facilities The main rule has been that interest earned on the funds could be used for subsidising the operational costs of the Olympic facilities and parts of the funds could be used for investments in the facilities Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world according to new complaints that a fired activist filed with the National Labor Relations Board former Apple employee Ashley Gjovik alleged that a September all-staff email from Cook saying that “people who leak confidential information do not belong here,” violated the National Labor Relations Act workers’ right to communicate with one another and engage in collective action about workplace issues Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker ALEXANDRIA – The Bemidji High School volleyball team was awfully close to coming out with a win on Thursday night in Alexandria The Lumberjacks held a 14-12 lead over the Cardinals in the decisive fifth set – one point away from victory – and looked primed to take a season-opening triumph back on the bus with them to Bemidji But it was Alex that made the critical plays down the stretch rattling off four straight points to win the set 16-14 and take the match 3-2 (19-25 “We've definitely started off on a higher level than we did last year,” BHS head coach Alicia Kriens said your next season is going to be starting at that point that you're not going to be going backwards And we proved tonight that we are (still) at that level.” BHS (0-1) had a number of standouts in the matchup Beth Bolte and Mollie Rupp – each had at least 12 kills as the Jacks pushed last season’s Section 8-3A runner-up to the edge of defeat Bemidji took an early lead with a 25-19 first-set victory The Cardinals (1-0) responded in the second set rushing out to a 5-0 lead they never relinquished en route to a 25-20 win BHS once again took control in the third frame Oster continued to run up her put-away total with the clinching kill on set point while the Lumberjacks took a 2-1 advantage Alexandria flipped the script perfectly in the fourth set defeating BHS by the same 25-17 score with which the Jacks took the third Three straight blocks by Rupp and Bolte negated a 10-8 deficit to build an 11-10 lead then Bemidji cracked open the slim 14-12 edge But Rupp was called for a lift on the next point Oster and Rupp each finished with 15 kills Oster and Rupp also tied for the team lead in blocks with four Setter Margie Anderson paced the Jacks with 44 assists Bemidji returns to the court against Park Rapids at 7:30 p.m hardly any major international sporting events took place in the region World Cups and World Championships became regular fixtures in Lillehammer thanks to Lillehammer’s legacy strategy it was possible to continue using the venues built for 1994 to host major sports and non-sports leisure events No other previous organiser of the Olympic Winter Games has seen such activity in the years after the Games All 10 of the venues new for 1994 remain in active use such as the cross-country Birkebeinerrittet race attract up to 10,000 participants to Lillehammer as do the Inga Lami women-only cross-country event and the Birkebeinerrittet off-road bicycle race These leisure events tend to be more economically beneficial than prestigious sporting events The strategy of hosting major events has helped maintain the status of Lillehammer as a centre for recreational Lillehammer’s enduring Olympic legacy was clearly visible when the city hosted the 2016 Winter Youth Olympic Games Greece has been rocked by accusations of government corruption and a phone-tapping scandal involving opposition politicians and journalists Index rounds up of some of the key stories covering censorship and free expression from the past seven days Index looks at how the military junta has denied international journalists entry to Myanmar following the disaster in March winner of the Index 2018 Freedom of Expression award for journalism is among those who have been consistently threatened for doing their jobs Index has published work by censored writers and artists Subscribe below to get regular updates from our incredible contributors Ashley Gjøvik knew things had become serious when she received an email on 9 September 2021 from Apple’s Threat Assessment and Workplace Violence team asking her to discuss a “sensitive intellectual property matter” had been raising concerns about toxic waste under her office for six months and had become known as “The Apple Whistleblower” but this was the first time she had been contacted by this scary-sounding unit She emailed back to say she was “happy to help” but with one condition: everything had to be done via email “I wanted everything in writing so they are not misrepresenting me they’re not trying to gaslight and intimidate me.” But she never discovered what the sensitive IP matter was because she was fired for failing to co-operate with the investigation despite repeated attempts to express her willingness to do so The letter terminating her employment accused her of disclosing “confidential product-related information” but did not go into detail Gjøvik had become a fearsome employee-activist conducting a full-scale campaign over hazardous waste in Silicon Valley She had gone public on workplace harassment Apple’s surveillance of employees and its culture of secrecy But it all began when she started to raise perfectly regular concerns about her own safety and that of her fellow workers Gjøvik had moved into a new apartment in Santa Clara only a short drive from her office in nearby Sunnyvale Gjøvik had an enviable job as a senior engineering programme manager (“We work behind the scenes to make sure everything gets done We make sure the products actually get out the door”) She worked hard in a stressful environment – while training to be a lawyer in her spare time – but prided herself on her resilience Despite the punishing hours of work and study Gjøvik was already working from home and by March she was signed off on a medical leave of absence As the months passed and she became sicker and sicker Gjøvik realised she was waking regularly at 3am feeling as if she was choking She began to wonder if her failing health had anything to do with the apartment itself she was talking to a friend whose husband was an engineer and he suggested she check the carbon monoxide levels Ashley Gjøvik has raised concerns about toxic pollution She discovered a spike in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the early hours of the morning are present in everyday household products such as disinfectants But they are not usually found at levels dangerous to people’s health Nor do they tend to spike at particular times without a cause such as cooking or cleaning Gjøvik immediately set about doing some serious detective work When she looked up the environmental assessment report on her apartment she saw it contained a 40-page section entitled “hazardous waste” Silicon Valley was favoured by defence contractors before it became the centre of America’s tech miracle and was once dominated by factories and heavy industry It turned out the apartment was built on a so-called Superfund site a designation from the US Environmental Protection Agency Such sites demand a special industrial clean-up before people can live and work in the area involving deep excavation and “backfilling” with concrete If this is not carried out properly the risk is that vapour from toxic underground plumes can escape into the atmosphere (and people’s homes) Gjøvik discovered that so-called “vapour intrusion” can occur through sewer pipes She pestered her landlord and the fire department for diagrams of all the pipes in the building to isolate the source To this day she does not know exactly why the levels of toxic gas spiked at 3am but she believes it is possible that it had something to do with the automated air conditioning or the flushing of the fire sprinklers “The apartment block had 1,800 units with two or three bedrooms thousands of people could be sick and not know it She raised her concerns with the California and Federal EPA as well the state and county departments of environmental health and the local water boards She moved out of the apartment later that month and all the symptoms stopped immediately Gjøvik had become an armchair expert on Superfunds vapour intrusion and the science of toxic groundwater plumes So when she saw an email from Apple’s environmental health and safety team on 17 March notifying staff of “a large-scale project” across the company’s building portfolio to carry out vapour intrusion testing a slick glass office with an octagonal atrium had been leased by Apple since 2015 and was known to be built on the site of a factory owned by TRW Microwave Inc Gjøvik found a 2016 report of vapour intrusion in homes next to the office and a 2019 lawsuit by the EPA against the polluters The real concern was the presence of trichloroethylene (TCE) a carcinogen associated with kidney cancer Gjøvik was keen to know if the new testing was the result of a new vapour intrusion incident and asked if any testing had been carried out since Apple employees had moved in six years earlier She was initially told not to discuss her concerns with anyone except her manager the HR department and environmental health and safety so as not to cause panic But already Gjøvik was building a reputation as a toxic waste whistleblower through the campaign around her Santa Clara apartment She had written an article in the local paper entitled “I thought I was dying: My apartment was built on toxic waste” She had also brokered a meeting with California Senate member Bob Wieckowsi to discuss her concerns In mid-April she visited experts in public health and occupational medicine at University of California San Francisco and it became increasingly clear that it would be difficult to separate her concerns about her former apartment from those about her office Gjøvik put pressure on Apple to reveal why the new testing was being carried out and whether it was connected with cracks that had appeared in the floor of her office She also urged her employers to test the air in the office before the cracks were repaired to establish whether workers had been put at risk since 2015 Apple was planning for the post-pandemic return to work but Gjøvik said she felt it was unsafe for her and her colleagues to return to work without assurances about the toxic waste under their office Some co-workers had been given special permission to return to work as early as May 2020 The relationship with Apple had almost completely broken down by this point The company did begin an investigation into Gjøvik’s complaints of bullying and sexual harassment but she believes this simply sparked further intimidation In a last-ditch attempt to force Apple to engage publicly she began live-tweeting her interactions with the company and eventually she was suspended on indefinite administrative leave In a statement on the case to the tech website The Verge Apple spokesperson Josh Rosenstock said: “We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved we do not discuss specific employee matters.” But Gjøvik is refusing to roll over: “I want to document it and show the world this is what Apple did: You poisoned me physically Ashley Gjøvik has become a nightmare for Apple which prides itself on its employees’ loyalty Following the classic whistleblower playbook rather than address the issues she raised about toxic waste the company has taken the decision to shoot the messenger Read the latest news on freedom of expression from around the world Index relies entirely on the support of donors and readers to do its work Help us keep amplifying censored voices today yet the paperwork often appears to be rushed through to build residences on toxic soil and groundwater.  While much recent media coverage has focused on the development of these future residential sites one looming question remains open: What happens if these sites are approved with inadequate remediation plans and the residents experience health issues due to the hazardous materials I moved into a new apartment complex, the Santa Clara Square Apartments I was living on a remediation site but didn’t know it until I was so sick that I thought I could be dying I proceeded to live out the nightmare many feared following the bare-bones clean-up plans for sites like Hunters Point and Zeneca.  After I realized the site could be causing my mystery illness I hit brick wall after brick wall trying to get help I expect none of the current residents actually know what they’re sitting on or what happened to me I also want to shed light on the systemic failures I discovered and the extent that financial interests appear to be prioritized over public health by those in charge of these sites.   This apartment complex had no physical or written appearance of danger from chemicals other than a brief and vague note about the presence of “agricultural chemicals” buried towards the end of the “Resident Handbook.” Though I was in good health palpitations and weakness within days of moving into my new apartment.  I feared the worst and headed to the emergency room with bizarre muscle numbness and spasms and the onset of daily near-fainting spells where I would get so dizzy that I would have to immediately lie down I spoke with dozens of doctors who performed extensive testing to try to identify the cause of my sudden and worsening cardiac and neurological issues no tests or imaging could identify why.  My doctors screened me for all sorts of severe The symptoms were so debilitating and unpredictable that I felt I had no control over my body I bought books on coping with terminal illness; notified friends of the location of my will and power of attorney documentation I slept with my phone by my bed in case I had to call 911 in the middle of the night I spent the next six months on medical leave and disability I work full time as a program manager while attending law school to become a public interest attorney But faced with an apparent severe long-term disability or even a fatal illness I had to consider if I needed to quit my job and drop out of school – and what that would mean for my future.  In September 2020 I stumbled upon the first hint of what was actually happening to me the wildfires were burning and smoky air covered the Bay Area blocking all outside air from entering and running air purifiers.  My indoor air quality monitors showed low particulate levels and everything looked great I started getting nosebleeds and hallucinations I’d wake up almost every night thinking there were massive earthquakes shaking my bed A friend suggested I check if carbon monoxide might be causing hallucinations the monitor showed very high levels of something called “tVOCs.” I didn’t know what that meant One of my most bizarre symptoms since moving in was waking up every few weeks exactly at 3 a.m and feeling like I was choking and going to vomit the “tVOCs” on my monitor spiked exactly at 3 a.m I also noticed the tVOCs seemed to rise and fall at different times of the day when I was having the worst symptoms I began to think that there was an important correlation between this data and my symptoms I spent the next few days buying more air quality monitors for additional data points Irvine Company knew I had been sick and was also helping me investigate the “earthquakes.” I told them about the high tVOCs and that I thought it could be causing my health issues and the earthquake hallucinations the vapors rise up and “intrude” into buildings.  I was vaguely aware of the EPA Superfund program and knew there were sites all over Silicon Valley so I started searching online to see the details of the sites closest to me I found the environmental impact report for the property where I was living which is when things really got eerie.  Apparently, the 1,800-unit Santa Clara Square apartment complex was built on industrially zoned land that required a clean-up – remediation – plan authorized by the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC). The site development notice stated “Environmental investigations at the site have shown the presence of arsenic lead and pesticides in shallow soils related to historical agricultural use.”  The clean-up activities seemed to focus only on these specific contaminants. Per the report submitted to DTSC, most of the contaminants were apparently not removed as part of clean-up Thousands of cubic yards of hazardous soil were buried under the parking garages in “containment cells.” They also wrote that they left toxic soil around certain trees for “1.5 times the tree canopy width” and simply put fabric on top of the toxic soil with “3 inches of clean soil or mulch.”  There were also land use restrictions required by the government for the garages which were now the ceiling of the “containment cells” and the trees with toxic soil were not to be used for “residential human habitation,” hospitals I was horrified to learn all of these facts and then see maps of the site with my apartment unit right above areas with the bright red “Class 1 hazardous waste” shading and to know the redwood trees outside my window were surrounded by hazardous soil I started calling lawyers and doctors and reporting my concerns to government agencies I knew the situation was likely going to be complicated and that the tVOC readings on my personal monitors were not going to be conclusive on their own but my gut told me something was terribly wrong.  I’ll spoil the surprise – if there is any – and tell you now: I never got an answer to what happened to me nor was I able to get anyone in charge to earnestly investigate Let my situation illustrate all the ways the system is currently set up to support financial interests instead of public health.  I sent Irvine Company numerous emails and phone calls pleading for help. The day I found the high tVOCs I wrote, “I think my apartment might be poisoning me” and sent a description of “sick building syndrome,” pointing out that I’ve been experiencing almost all of those symptoms since moving in.  I asked Irvine to investigate and test to identify which VOCs were causing the issues and provide guidance on how to mitigate the exposure I talked to the service manager on the phone and stressed the same message.  “The chemicals are still pouring out full blast I’ve ended up sitting in the outdoor courtyard with [my dog] waiting for it to hopefully stop tonight … [We] need a better plan than [me] sleeping outdoors.” “I’m sitting by an open window right now trying to catch my breath I feel like I’m choking.” I sent them screenshots and photos of the air monitor readings One night was so bad I ended up sleeping outside on a community lounge chair out of desperation I wrote them again: “The chemicals are still pouring out full blast The general manager for the complex finally responded: “We had PGE out on Friday and they tested the surrounding stairwells the area of your apartment home on the [exteriors as] well [as your] building and there are no gas leaks or chemical spills there is no evidence suggesting that your apartment home is unsafe If you feel that your health and safety are in jeopardy you need to call 9-1-1 or emergency service.”  a few days after I found the environmental impact report and started notifying agencies of my concerns Irvine Company did make a suspiciously unsolicited offer to let me break my lease – with nearly a year remaining – and move out without penalty It seemed bizarre that they would email me out of nowhere offering to let me leave without paying the $7,500 penalty to break my lease.  Irvine Company then rented out my unit with only eight days of turn-around despite my protests demanding an investigation They also hired a hazardous waste public relations consultant presumably to try to get me to let the issue go.  The consultant promoted herself as “one of the state’s leading public affairs strategists for redevelopment of property in the Bay Area,” but within a couple of days she seemed convinced something bad was going on in my apartment and started requesting the company to investigate as well.  “It sure seems something is going on [in your apartment].”  The consultant introduced herself to me saying, “I would be happy to talk with you about the steps that were taken to ready the site for the community and residential land use.” And I was like “How on earth did you know I was looking into that?”  I also found it strange that I had not told Irvine Company that I discovered the environmental impact report yet Irvine Company seemed to have found out I knew and proactively reached out to me about it via the consultant Irvine Company communicated through the consultant that they may do some testing but only after they found out I was bringing in an industrial hygienist of my own Both the California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) and the consultant told me they never heard if Irvine Company actually did any testing or not.  but it was incredibly expensive and turned out to be insufficient I wanted to get some formal data in the brief time before I moved out so I hired an industrial hygienist to sample the indoor air and some of the topsoil Apparently a different test – a “summa canister” – over a longer period of time would have been better.  Then, through searching and public records requests, I found a number of reported issues at Irvine Company sites in the area. First, a report from 2019 where one of my neighbors at the same complex complained about blue tap water and paid for a private lab test showing “very high” levels of lead copper and other contaminants in the water.  I found no records of any actions taken by Irvine Company to address that report. Next, I found an article from 2014 stating Irvine Company appeared to offer a quid pro quo to the Santa Clara city government as part of another development agreement for a site nearby “If the city would approve the … project” and “resolve litigation challenges,” then “Irvine would donate one million dollars” to an unrelated city project.  Then, I found an article about another nearby Irvine Company site under litigation against the city of Sunnyvale over an incomplete environmental assessment report In 2014 Irvine Company appeared to offer a quid pro quo to the Santa Clara city government as part of another development agreement for a site nearby It’s so broken that it’s up to the property owner to test and confirm there’s an issue in these situations – if they suspect the property could be making a tenant sick it does not seem to be in their financial interest to actually confirm that suspicion it is for an individual to go up against these big When I complained to DTSC about the VOCs in my apartment the site manager initially offered to look into it She admitted it sounded like my health issues were the result of VOC fumes in my unit “It seems like something is happening in your unit.” She said she contacted the Irvine Company’s environmental attorneys to suggest testing saying there was actually nothing she could do to help me We’ve been working collaboratively with our contacts at the Irvine Company And they’ve started to push back that if the problem isn’t related to the soil or groundwater contamination that we [DTSC] don’t have authority.”  It was my understanding from our phone calls that DTSC only had authority over the chemicals that were listed as “contaminants of concern” in the Environmental Assessment Report Then the DTSC manager tried to tell me that she suspected the VOCs were “coming from an indoor source such as construction materials or [industrial] cleaning products.” I kept asking if that was true then who had authority over that type of issue I tried asking local indoor air and public health agencies but they said the same: “Not us.” This was just the beginning of the story with DTSC.  Then they said, “Several VOCs were detected in groundwater beneath the site, but they were all below their applicable screening levels for risk to indoor air.” The EIR states no VOCs pose a “significant risk with respect to potential vapor intrusions issues.” Based on what I discovered next this all appeared to be some expert wordsmithing and spin possibly to avoid addressing data about onsite chemicals that would have made the clean-up much more costly.  In an environmental impact report conducted on the SCSA site by Impact Sciences a firm hired by property manager Irvine Company the report claims that no VOCs pose a “significant risk with respect to potential vapor intrusions issues.” Impact Sciences also makes it clear the development and testing of the site were done on an “expedited schedule.” What kind of costs were cut and timeframes shortened at this toxic site in the name of developer dollars In reading the EIR (Environmental Impact Report) response plan and thousands of pages of reports I quickly noticed there seemed to be many VOCs found on site The reports even said the VOCs were above residential limits and even above vapor intrusion risk levels.  When I first presented this to the DTSC manager she acknowledged it is unusual to have chemicals above residential limits not considered contaminants of concern if the chemicals are present at the subsurface at concentrations exceeding residential levels they would typically be considered contaminants of concern.” A few of the reports tried to explain why several specific VOCs weren’t part of the clean-up plan saying samples were only found in a couple spots or just a general statement that they do not believe the chemical will create a risk to public health I couldn’t find any explanations for some of the chemicals.  I was thinking: “If you don’t want me to be worried about this chemical’s impact to my health you should tell me exactly why it wasn’t included in the clean-up despite being above residential limits.” All I heard was crickets and I got more suspicious.  One of the chemicals, vinyl chloride, was found above vapor intrusion risk levels with no explanation that I could find as to why it was not included in the remediation plan vinyl chloride is a breakdown product of the contaminants at one of the Superfund sites uphill from my apartment.  When I asked DTSC for reasoning as to why the VOCs weren’t part of the clean-up plan I began to get very worried about the integrity of everything that was approved I raised additional questions to DTSC.  It appeared the least amount of pre-excavation testing, if any, was done on the property directly under my apartment building. Further, after excavation, Roux said they did no post-excavation testing on the remaining soil I kept asking why so little testing was done there I asked why conclusive statements were being made about my apartment unit based on what appeared to be very little data I asked about a rogue “500-gallon underground storage tank” filled or previously filled with an unknown chemical no one knows where it is under the property though it was expected to be slightly uphill from my unit I asked if that could be under my unit or leaking under my unit I asked why Roux and Irvine Company apparently planned to install a vapor intrusion mitigation system beneath one of the buildings and why they originally planned for four buildings though the rest were cancelled mid-way.  The completion report said, “While not an environmental remedy, because there are no significant risks, a VIMS consisting of a vapor barrier and a sub-slab venting system has been designed and installed.” Installing these apparently could cost millions of dollars It’s curious to me that Roux would plan to build four VIMS if they really thought VOCs were not an issue.  I argued back and forth with DTSC for months about next steps she told me if I could give them proof of chemicals in my body and apartment that could cause my symptoms and be linked to the chemicals on site then they “can continue to investigate further.”  One of the doctors even wrote in the visit notes that she recommended the government look into the VOCs in the soil and groundwater as the potential cause for my VOC exposure and subsequent illness I kept pushing back that they were asking a normal resident to pay for and perform seemingly industrial testing I was also very concerned that a government agency seemed to be asking for my medical records At one point they said they were happy to talk directly with one of my doctors When I inquired to DTSC about what fast-tracking means they told me it’s not a term that they “typically use.” I then shared their own press release with DTSC I found the Santa Clara Planning Commission meeting notes which state the commission asked Irvine Company to “proceed with construction as expeditiously as possible in contrast to utilizing the full-term length of the [development] agreement.” I saw two doctors who specialize in chemical exposure and they both decided that based on the timeline of my illness the VOC readings in my unit and my specific symptoms that my mystery illness sounded like symptoms of VOC exposure.  but apparently the doctor’s recommendation was insufficient to make them act despite my begrudging acquiescence in sharing private medical data.  I talked to the planning and code enforcement agencies I talked with several of the California EPA agencies I’ve also been talking with the federal EPA All of the agencies that did respond said the only agency who can act is DTSC the property manager must act on their own initiative.  Many of these agency employees I talked to said over the phone said that they were concerned to hear about the conditions of the site and risk to the community and they offered apologies for not being able to help.  I talked to the federal EPA and state water boards regarding the Superfund site uphill from my apartment. They said they were confident I was not impacted by the contamination from that site, despite the historical chemical plume under the apartment’s property I asked them if they would do testing from a groundwater well closer to the location of my apartment – they hadn’t for many years – but they said no.  When I asked generally if there was a way for someone to test one of the groundwater wells near my apartment to see what could be under my apartment since there’s so many chemical release sites nearby I wrote and left voicemails with the mayor of Santa Clara and the district representative for the property explaining what happened and asking for help I finally received a response and will meet with the mayor in April On top of the city’s request for Irvine Company to expedite development I found additional reports that make me worry the city will quickly side with Irvine Company.  In Irvine Company’s pitch to the Santa Clara City Council they promoted the increased valuation of the property for tax purposes by $1.6 billion they expected the city would make over $1.5 million every year in new tax revenue from the site Irvine’s presentation told the City Council they would receive more than $50 million in fees and benefits to the City of Santa Clara as result of the development agreement The pitch also boasted over 10,000 new jobs There’s a housing crisis in Silicon Valley Not all developers have the money to invest in cleaning up sites and building large-scale developments an influx of that much money and jobs must be very enticing for a city council I reached out to environmental attorneys. It quickly became an issue that my lease agreement included litigation and class action waivers. I was also advised that it is extremely difficult to pursue the default lawsuit for what I experienced in these types of situations, a “toxic tort,” especially against a powerful company with deep pockets like Irvine Company The owner, Donald Bren, is reportedly worth $15.3 billion. Beyond that I was advised that court actions to force DTSC to act after the fact are rarely successful Some familiar with Irvine Company warned me that the company can be highly litigious it would be an uphill battle the entire way I was also advised not to warn my neighbors since the company may try to retaliate.  I was faced with so many walls and dead ends and no real solution at the end how do people facing poverty have any chance to advocate for themselves How do Black and Brown people have any chance of being heard when they might face bias and discrimination at every point along the way?  This was one of the hardest parts – I desperately wanted to warn my neighbors and tell everyone what I found I believed the warning and took the advice because of a few previous experiences with Irvine Company including the bizarre and mandatory class action and litigation waivers.  After discovering all this information about the property my previous interactions with them and all the warnings I was given by folks who knew of their reputation I realized I had no idea what Irvine Company was actually capable of This article is my first public statement on what happened and I’m doing it despite my fear of retaliation because I am deeply worried about the health and safety of the folks living on that property and the apparent systemic failures in preventing and addressing these types of issues.  I moved out of the Santa Clara apartment two weeks after the email from Irvine Company letting me break my lease My health seemed to return to normal within a week I now live in San Francisco and continue my fight over what happened to me in Santa Clara I’m also starting to study environmental law so I can advocate for others harmed by these types of situations.  While in the end everyone agreed it was VOCs I may never know for certain if it was the chemicals in the soil or groundwater and My story does not bode well for the recent approvals of laissez-faire remediation plans across the Bay Area We all know who will be most impacted by these types of sites It was not lost on me for a moment that my experience dealing with this issue was going to result in a best-case scenario ending because of how much privilege and how many resources I have.  I knew that if I couldn’t find a solution, there’s no way these folks would. It’s well known now that toxic waste sites are often located near low-income and racial and ethnic minority communities these folks are more likely to suffer from these issues and have fewer resources to deal with the issues when they face them It was the moment I really started to understand environmental justice I think in the near term we need to put an enormous amount of pressure on the city councils approving these sites With the current process for dealing with issues it seems whatever is approved by these cities will be binding on their community for generations to come.  I emailed the Richmond City Council saying as much before they proceeded to approve the Zeneca site – an action for which they are currently being sued by environmental and community groups I also wish everyday people were better equipped to understand environmental exposure with tools to empower them to access data about the specific environments around them I want people to be able to efficiently identify potential sources of chemical exposure and know the right agency and representative to call if they want to learn more about nearby sites.  I’m working on a project to create a portal for this now and I’m really looking forward to launching it I wish I had these tools and this knowledge last year.  We need to re-think the general oversight of these sites in the SF Bay Area There are so many of these sites and there seems to be very little accountability I do want to believe most people are acting in good faith The toxicity of the land coupled with seemingly blind support of financial interests really seems to have become a public health hazard with the worst impact on our already-marginalized communities Ashley Gjovik is an advocate for human rights and civil liberties, including healthy environments. She is currently a law student studying public interest law and policy. Ashley can be reached at ashleygjovik@protonmail.com Could thousands more be sick from chemical exposure? To learn more, visit the new chemical exposure education website Ashley has launched here: whatsintheair.org. Ashley Gjøvik says the employee relations team implied she should stay off Slack pending an ongoing investigation FacebookThreadsIllustration by Alex Castro / The VergeApple has placed senior engineering program manager Ashley Gjøvik on indefinite administrative leave after she tweeted about sexism in the office The company is currently investigating claims Gjøvik made about a hostile work environment I have been raising concerns with Apple employee relations about years of experiences with sexism and retaliation,” Gjøvik says in an interview with The Verge “I asked them to mitigate the hostile work environment while they investigate and they initially offered me EAP therapy and medical leave and said they should talk to my leadership and set up oversight and boundaries I added that if there was no other option they could give me paid administrative leave They apparently made no effort to set boundaries and instead said they were placing me on administrative leave and implied they did not want me on Slack where I had been vocal about my concerns with certain policies at the company They also implied they didn’t want me to meet one-on-one with other women at the company about their concerns with Apple policies Gjøvik set an out of office message informing colleagues that the employee relations team had placed her on indefinite paid leave This is the second time Apple has investigated Gjøvik’s claims about sex discrimination at the company The employee relations team closed an earlier investigation prompting Gjøvik to tweet screenshots with what she says is just a small portion of what she experienced: Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Verge. SAN ANTONIO (NewsDakota.com) – Peder Gjovik ’77 and Katie Hatt M.Ed ’16 won national awards at the Association for Career and Technical Education (ACTE) national conference associate professor and chair of the VCSU Department of Technology was named ACTE 2019 Teacher Educator of the Year health careers instructor in the Grand Forks (N.D.) Public Schools and the Grand Forks Area Career and Technology Center was named ACTE 2019 New Teacher of the Year The Teacher Educator of the Year award recognizes teacher educators who have demonstrated innovation in teacher education leadership in improving Career and Technical Education (CTE) and commitment to preparing teachers to deliver high-quality CTE programs The New Teacher of the Year award recognizes new CTE teachers who have made significant contributions toward innovative and unique career and technical education programs and shown a professional commitment early in their careers Gjovik’s recent work includes helping establish accelerated pathways to bachelor’s degrees and teaching credentials for graduates of North Dakota two-year colleges who hold technical-specialty degrees He is currently involved in development of an online course to fulfill student-teaching requirements for distance technical-education candidates Gjovik joined VCSU as an adjunct instructor in 2006 and began his full-time teaching career at the university in 2008 His previous experience includes teaching in a two-year college graphics program for 21 years teaching industrial technology for grades 7–12 and owning and operating several printing and graphics businesses He holds a doctorate in occupational and adult education from North Dakota State University a master’s degree in industrial technology from the University of North Dakota a bachelor’s degree in industrial education from VCSU and an associate degree in liberal arts from Lake Region State College Gjovik serves on the North Dakota Technology and Engineering Educators Association Board of Directors Hatt holds a VCSU master of education degree with a technology education concentration Gjovik served as her advisor in the master’s program who also holds a nursing degree from the University of North Dakota obtained her initial teaching credentials through VCSU’s Transition to Teaching program A release from the Grand Forks Public Schools (Nov 2018) notes that “Hatt teaches her courses through a virtual center but makes it possible to meet face-to-face with each school weekly to complete hands-on skill labs Hatt has also developed partnerships with the health care providers within each community to provide students with a clinical experience as part of the course …Hatt currently provides instruction to students in Grand Forks whistleblower retaliation and workplace safety have been found to have merit But one woman who worked for the tech industry’s biggest company is fighting back. Ashley Gjovik, a former Apple project manager who was fired in September after speaking out about workplace safety concerns has asked labor regulators to rule that the company employs illegal surveillance tactics Gjovik filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) accusing Apple of a number of unfair labor practices including keeping tabs on employees in a manner that prevents them from exercising their right to discuss working conditions the NLRB could issue a ruling curtailing employers’ abilities to surveil workers and chill their speech Gjovik has filed numerous other complaints with several environmental and workplace safety regulators, and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and has been meticulous in documenting her experience, as demonstrated by her personal website. “Most of us know that there’s some level of pollution in our day-to-day lives but there’s still a lot of trust in the government and companies to do the right thing when it comes to poisoning people,” she told Truthout In her NLRB complaint alleging illegal surveillance by Apple which reserves the right to search employees’ work equipment and their personal devices “to protect Apple confidential and sensitive information.” The company defines its proprietary information to include “compensation Under federal labor law, all employees have the right to discuss their working conditions “for the purpose of collective bargaining or other mutual aid or protection.” The NLRB has ruled that management cannot spy on employees exercising their rights The Apple handbook includes a footnote stating that the company is not attempting to restrict its employees’ “rights to speak freely about wages or working conditions as legally permitted.” But Apple policy also generally forbids employees from making any public disclosures without prior approval and it orders employees to refrain from discussing “compensation and other human resource information” after leaving the company which it attempts to enforce through non-disclosure agreements The handbook also bars employees from sharing information about their coworkers’ “compensation or performance and disciplinary matters” without any footnotes about “rights to speak freely about wages or working conditions,” according to Gjovik’s complaint Charges that Gjovik filed with the NLRB also cite a memo circulated by Apple CEO Tim Cook after details of a meeting featuring discussion of pay equity was leaked to the press Cook responded to the disclosure by vowing “to identify those who leaked” and by saying “people who leak confidential information do not belong here,” contradicting any stated policy granting employees the right to discuss their working conditions Gjovik also told Truthout that when she informed someone on Apple’s employee resources team that she had the legal right to speak publicly about working conditions In response to questions about Gjovik and Apple workplace activists, Apple has typically declined to make specific comments. For example, the company told Slate: “We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace Apple has not responded to Truthout’s request for comment on Gjovik’s claim that a member of its employee resources team told her that the majority of Apple employees aren’t aware of their rights in the workplace Gjovik’s conflict with Apple management started in March when an administrative assistant emailed her team about the company’s Environmental Health and Safety division wanting to conduct a “vapor intrusion survey” in the Sunnyvale office The phrase set off “alarm bells” for Gjovik who had spent the last six months battling her apartment’s property managers after becoming ill and learning that the residence was built on top of another EPA Superfund site I was buying books on terminal illness,” Gjovik said hadn’t conducted any tests since moving in and did not inform employees of the hazardous waste underneath them noting that she herself discovered the lack of testing in public records after learning how to do research through her apartment ordeal She said that management claimed that they didn’t have to inform employees of the situation because there was no evidence of air quality issues Gjovik replied that they lacked the evidence because they didn’t perform proper tests evidence of retaliation against Gjovik by management started to mount HR opened a sexual harassment investigation into one of Gjovik’s superiors that she did not want initiated out of fear that hostility from above would worsen She started getting bombarded with an unrealistic number of work assignments One boss cited Gjovik’s “mental health issues” in urging her to drop her concerns about the Superfund site superiors told her not to raise questions about workplace safety — always over the phone or in person Gjovik attempted to document those statements by replying in emails with notes about the conversations Gjovik began to unplug smart devices in her home She told Truthout that she has no proof of the company using non-public information against her but noted that internet trolls defending Apple have used information that she has not shared about her health and compensation to insult her calling the matter a “nightmare sandwich.” Gjovik has also documented how supervisors at Apple were warning her to be wary of private-sector surveillance when she told them how she was locking horns with her property management company have said that Gjovik has a strong case against Apple — especially her complaint about CEO Cook threatening the employees who leaked details about the meeting concerning pay equity citing an agency commissioner who warned in September 2020 against companies engaged in “woke-washing where companies attempt to portray themselves in a light they believe will be advantageous for them on issues like diversity.” Not that any of this has brought Gjovik much pleasure. She told Gizmodo that working for Apple was a “dream” job and although she held a high-pressure position But since she was put in a situation where she feared for her health and safety and got significant push back from the company for raising concerns about it she wants to take the opportunity to stand up for herself and others “I was a very senior employee who gave them my blood what the fuck are they doing to retail?” she asked rhetorically “I’m going to file as much shit as I can.” Correction: An earlier version of this story said that in early August Gjovik went into the Sunnyvale office herself to take photos of cracks in the floor we are witnessing a terrifying array of anti-democratic tactics to silence political opposition increase surveillance and expand authoritarian reach Truthout is appealing for your support as Trump and his sycophants crack down on political speech Nonprofits like Truthout could be caught in Trump’s crosshairs as he attacks dissenting groups with bad faith lawsuits and targeted harassment of journalists these attacks come at a time when independent journalism is most needed The right-wing corporate takeover of media has left reliable outlets few and far between with even fewer providing their work at no cost to the reader Who will be there to hold the fascists to account We ask for your support as we doggedly pursue justice through our reporting Truthout is funded overwhelmingly by readers like you Please make a tax-deductible one-time or monthly donation today editor and cofounder of The District Sentinel a news co-op reporting on Washington and federal policy for the left As Trump and his sycophants work to silence political dissent independent media is a key part of the resistance Support our work by making a one-time or monthly donation to Truthout today Gjovik Chevrolet Buick GMC in Sandwich opened its doors in 1968 and dealer principal Olaf Gjovik has been there since In honor of the dealership's 50-year anniversary Gjovik hosted a celebration June 8 and Gjovik's family came from all over the country to be there Gjovik said he still sells some of the same models that he sold in 1968 These models include the Chevrolet Silverado Gjovik said his team helped lead the way to this 50-year milestone Fred Squillo is the executive manager of the dealership visit ilovegjovik.com or call (630) 552-3422 Sooo, #Apple has pics of my boobs even "fully personal," even when I said "by fully personal I mean nudes." They said they're in their "permanent evidence locker" Any bets if I get a literal knock on my physical door from #Apple today? pic.twitter.com/oFqw4VFaGi we highlight Olympic venues that have minimised their carbon footprints or helped to protect multiple plant and animal species the venues enable local communities to play more sport and engage in physical activity They also create jobs and help regenerate cities and regions IOC research shows that 85 per cent of all permanent venues used at the Olympic Games from Athens 1896 to PyeongChang 2018 – and 92 per cent of permanent venues used in the 21st century – remain in use long after the various Games editions finished bringing social and economic benefits to local communities But Olympic venues often go further than that By demonstrating new ideas and technologies they illustrate that solutions do indeed exist for cutting energy consumption and greenhouse gases Montreal’s velodrome was purpose built for the 1976 Olympics but has since been repurposed as a biodome the building now houses more than 2,500 animal species and 800 types of plants representing five ecosystems from the Americas © Dreamstime.comBack in 1976, this exceptional building hosted indoor track cycling – for its Games debut – as well as judo. But even then, when it was part of a larger Olympic Park that also included the Montreal Olympic Stadium and Olympic Pool, the original building was designed to evoke the skeleton and insides of a giant flying insect. Today, the Montreal Biodome helps the protection and recovery of endangered species, and is used for scientific research and education. Lillehammer 1994: Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall and Hamar Speed Skating Arena Built deep into the side of a mountain, Gjøvik Olympic Cavern Hall still hosts ice hockey games throughout the year. It uses very little energy due to its insulated location, which helps it to maintain a stable temperature. Its construction also required minimal town centre space, and the excavated rock was used to build a harbour and promenade. One of 10 venues at the Lillehammer 1994 Games, Gjøvik Cavern hosted ice hockey. With such an efficient use of energy and resources, and venues such as Gjøvik Cavern, it is no wonder the Lillehammer Games are known as the world’s first “Green Games”. © IOC/Ubald RutarGjøvik Cavern can be rivalled only by Hamar Olympic Hall, the speed skating arena which was relocated to avoid interference with a nearby sanctuary of rare birds. The design – that of an overturned ship – reflected the site’s location, which was an 11th century Viking boatyard. It was also blended into the surrounding scenery so that it did not interfere with the bird sanctuary. London 2012: Olympic Park (Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) The Olympic Park was constructed with nature and local communities in mind. The project has transformed a largely neglected, poor post-industrial district into a thriving hub for nature, people and businesses. The environment was always at the centre of the undertaking. Trees were planted, the wasteland transformed into vast green spaces and the River Lea cleaned up. The Park is now home to a range of rare plants and animals, including the streaked bombardier beetle, black redstart, sand martin and brown-banded carder bee. © Dreamstime.comFeaturing wildflower meadows, woodlands and wetlands, it is a perfect example of blending the needs of wildlife with those of the community. When Olympic organisers brought back golf to the Olympic Games in Rio in 2016, they also restored nearly 100 hectares of degraded land, once mined for its plentiful sand. Biologists were on site during all steps of the course construction, to minimise the impact on resident fauna and flora and oversee the restoration of the degraded wetlands. Construction included planting thousands of plants and the restoration of native habitats on the gentle, sandy slopes. Salt-tolerant plants helped to minimise the use of water, and weeds were removed by hand, not pesticide. These efforts helped to increase the number of animal species in the area from 118 to 263, including mammals, frogs, snakes and lizards. © Getty ImagesBeyond the generation of jobs and the restoration of degraded land, the Rio 2016 Olympic Golf Course engages local communities to learn about their local biodiversity through bird watching or school education schemes. The turf at the Tokyo 2020 Oi Hockey Stadium is the first of its kind to be made from renewable raw materials: 60 per cent of its surface consists of the by-product of the sugar cane industry, renewable polyethylene technology. © Getty ImagesThis means that it requires only one-third of the water that is normally used for Olympic hockey pitches. First built for the 2008 Olympics, Beijing’s breath-taking National Aquatics Centre uses state-of-the-art materials and techniques to reduce energy consumption by as much as 30 per cent. Inspired by bubbles, the Centre’s walls use ethyl tetrofluoroethylene, which is just one per cent the weight of glass but is a better thermal insulator. The bubbles help to trap solar energy and allow daylight into the building, thus saving on energy for heating and lighting too. Further innovations include energy recovery and water recycling systems. Designers say the building is one of the world’s most earthquake-resistant buildings too. © IOC/John GichigiAs part of Beijing 2022’s efforts to reduce emissions, four of the ice rinks used innovative natural CO2 refrigeration systems: the National Speed Skating Oval (speed skating), the Capital Indoor Stadium (short track), the Capital Short Track Speed Skating Training Hall and the Wukesong Ice Hockey Training Hall. This technology – used for the first time at the Olympic Games, and in China – helped reduce carbon emissions by an equivalent of 3,900 cars per year compared to traditional HFC refrigerants, cutting them to nearly zero. Over 125 years of Olympic venues: post-Games useThe report is the first-ever official inventory of the post-Games use of Olympic venues. It tracks the status of 817 permanent and 106 temporary venues, at 51 summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games, from Athens 1896 to PyeongChang 2018. The report has been assured by third party KPMG, according to the audit standard ISAE 3000. IOC NewsIOC’s Stronger Together film “What Agnes Saw” wins Sports Emmy EducationOlympic Values Education Programme launched in India with inaugural project in Odisha IOC NewsUniform Support Programme ensured Olympians were dressed for success at Beijing 2022 LegacyNew report shows 85 per cent of all permanent Olympic venues still in use Erik Valnes dominated the 1.5km sprint race in freestyle technique at the Norwegian National Championships in Gjøvik The 1.5km sprint race in freestyle technique at the Norwegian National Championships in Gjøvik saw Erik Valnes taking home first place and Pål Golberg completed the podium in third place Here you can see the complete results The Norwegian National Championships – part 1 – in Gjøvik is organized with a freestyle sprint on Thursday See the complete program for the Norwegian National Championships part 1 below FACTS Norwegian National Championships – part 1 Norwegian National Championships – part 1 – Program  All start lists, details, and results All start lists, details, and results All start lists, details, and results All start lists, details, and results Read More: Cross-Country Skiing Changes And World Cup Calendar For The 2022/2023 Season Also Read: New Distances At The Cross-Country Skiing World Cup 2019TAMPA — Jabil says it invested millions creating a 3D printer 10 times as fast as its next-fastest competitor Petersburg-based electronics manufacturer claims three former employees and a former Jabil contractor stole the design for their own knockoff a printing company headquartered in a suburb of Austin Greg Ojeda and William Jack "Terry" MacNeish III plus former Jabil contractor Lars Uffhausen of New Jersey Gjovik and MacNeish are each identified as Essentium co-founders and current executives on the company's website now is founder and chief executive officer of RapidNPI in Los Angeles Essentium has stolen Jabil's trade secrets and capitalized on confidential information that Jabil invested thousands of hours over a period of years and millions of dollars to develop," Jabil said in its complaint filed by attorneys in the Tampa office of the Greenberg Traurig law firm Essentium called the lawsuit "entirely without merit" and said "we are responding to it aggressively." "Our corporate values are based around trust transparency and innovation," Essentium board chairman Steve Birdwell said in a statement "We have never detracted from these values." Describing Essentium as a disruptor of traditional manufacturing is "transforming the future of industrial-scale manufacturing Together we are breaking down barriers of scale Nothing will distract us from this work." At the center of the lawsuit is 3D printing technology: the ability to "print" minutely detailed objects by feeding a threadlike filament through a heated extruder that melts and places the material with pinpoint accuracy on a platform The company has 2,000 employees in Florida and more than 200,000 working at 100 factories and innovation centers in 29 countries it makes everything from mobile telephone components to medical devices to data centers to household appliances 'OUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE': Jabil opens R&D innovation center as part of $67 million St. Petersburg campus expansion Jabil says it spent several years developing "TenX," a 3D printer built around technological breakthroughs in speed heating and precision that had been limited in other 3D printers The printer's name came from its ability to print items 10 times as fast as the next-fastest commercially available printer of its type who made $190,000 a year as a director of engineering services for the company's additive manufacturing group who made $170,000 as a senior principal design engineer and who reported to Gjovik; and Ojeda who made $165,000 as a business development manager But Jabil's lawsuit contends that while they were working on the TenX project and MacNeish planned to use TenX technology designs and vendor relationships that were specific to the product to "spin off" their own company as early as 2016 and MacNeish went to Jabil headquarters in St Petersburg to work on the TenX project without saying anything about their side project Jabil also contends that the former employees used private emails and document storage technology to discuss and store proprietary Jabil designs; poached vendors that Jabil had identified and developed relationships with; used Jabil credit cards to buy components that were shipped to their homes to be used in their "competing endeavors;" tried to get a key member of Jabil's 3-D printing team to quit and join their company; and violated confidentiality agreements they had signed and MacNeish also represented Jabil in negotiations with Essentium Materials about a possible licensing or partnership agreement MacNeish left Jabil and got a job at Essentium Materials in September 2017 Uffhausen joined Essentium Materials at about the same time Gjovik and Ojeda left Jabil the following month The four were part of a group that incorporated Essentium in January 2018 When the company launched its own "High Speed Extrusion" printer months later it was "far sooner than would have been possible through its own legitimate efforts," Jabil's lawsuit said contending that the Essentium product used the TenX design and some hardware and software that Jabil is seeking an unspecified amount of punitive and other types of damages as well as an injunction stopping Essentium from selling its printer "Jabil is committed to protecting our intellectual property in our cutting-edge 3D printer innovations," Jabil spokeswoman Michelle Smith said in an email Tuesday "The misappropriation of our confidential designs and other trade secrets by these former employees alleged in the lawsuit necessitated Jabil to protect our substantial investment." MORE: Go here for more business news Contact Richard Danielson at rdanielson@tampabay.com or (813) 226-3403. Follow @Danielson_Times Richard DanielsonFormer Times Reporter The private space industry is booming with companies like SpaceX and Virgin Galactic all designing spacecraft to transport people into the cosmos Elon Musk is the closest to launching a space faring program with near-term plans to send humans to the Moon and Mars quietly declared the independence of a new country on Mars Musk claimed he will have humans on Mars to start building the new “free” “city-state” by 2026 He also declared the new “country” will not “recognize the laws of Earth.”  All three tech billionaires currently face few obstacles to implement their plans one obstacle for all of them will be navigating international law Musk already appears to be exploiting many soft spots in international politics which are no competitor to a ruthless tech titan Musk’s plans are an urgent international problem that requires a new multi-national solution or in transit to Mars via Starship or other spacecraft the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities Disputes will be settled through self-governing principles Further, in December 2020Musk began selling off all of his possessions to help fund the city on Mars. A SpaceX attorney even stated he is actively drafting a Martian constitution There is every reason to think Musk will follow through Space exploration is a priority for many nations There is zealous global interest in space travel and even operating scientific laboratories in space and on planets International law is clear about private property rights in space – there are none. Private property rights can only be created by a state on the property over which the state has sovereignty. The 110 countries that have ratified the OST are not allowed to create private property rights The OST is ratified by all states with space programs and reflects the consensus of resolutions of the U.N while the OST requires “continuing supervision” by nations of private actors while in space “now we must embrace the next frontier: America’s Manifest Destiny in the stars.”Following this trajectory (homesteading might actually support some of Musk’s plans for Mars if his actions bring more imperialistic value to the U.S would support Musk creating a separate nation Some commenters have pondered why Musk provided the Starlink/Mars clause so early (well before any of his employees or customers have traveled to Mars). The prohibition of private property ownership in space appears to have already become customary international law – or is at least on the cusp of crystallizing Musk will want to say that from his country’s original declaration of independence he has always been a persistent objector to the prohibition of private property rights on Mars as Martian private property rights would reassure Earth-based investors That does not sound like someone who will actually enact or uphold direct democracy Musk’s actions are similar to seasteading (the concept of establishing new countries in international waters); however seasteading has never resulted in a recognized claim to a new country The closest comparison to what he is doing is probably secession It is possible for new states to be created through secession from existing states. Today, the international community disfavors unilateral secession. Under international law secession is more likely to be accepted if it is in pursuance of self-determination and has the support of the people of the would-be state These companies will search for administrations whose licensing and supervisory requirements may be deficient As a final contingency, Musk is saddling up with a U.S. state with its own notorious rebellious streak. Musk is building a rocket production plant and the first fully commercial launch facility capable of launching spacecraft for long-term space travel in Boca Chica it is close to the equator for launch logistics Texas has an adversarial relationship with the federal government and already attempted to secede from the U.S (and secession is still a popular talking point) If any state would support a U.S.-state based secession attempt to support Musk Many commentors are asking why Musk so desperately wants this specific village Musk’s new “city” is not simply “near the Mexican Border,” it is on it Boca Chica borders the Gulf of Mexico to the east and the Rio Grande River and Mexico to the south If Musk felt he needed a “free city-state” on Earth it seems within the realm of possibilities he could attempt to secede “Starbase” from the U.S and create his own country (which barely shares a land boundary with the U.S.) He already unilaterally and illegally declared a new city there Violence seems within the realm of possibilities With all of this in play and no intervention the compromise will likely be Texas and the U.S tolerating Musk’s “Starbase” as a semi-autonomous region Musk’s Starbase “succeeds” as a semi-autonomous region and extends its territory to Mars as a non-member of the OST This results in the politics of Musk’s presence on Mars having no precedent and no established political principles for analysis She looked to the success of the International Space Station as inspiration a multi-national consortium should be created to regulate all activities on Mars The consortium should be established in such a way that even the resources required for long-term interstellar travel are regulated in order to prevent rogue actors from working outside the system to control space access and resources which are instead intended to be shared with all of humanity a security council resolution on the topic may also be prudent There are two other ultra-wealthy titans of industry behind him and plenty more to come We all must partner together to ensure it remains that way MD does not stand behind any specific agenda and arguments to the light and see what remains valid and sound Ashley Gjøvik's complaints about her coworkers’ behaviour were investigated by the company Apple has placed a senior engineering programme manager on indefinite administrative leave after she tweeted about sexist behaviour in the office as well as unsafe working environments Ashley Gjøvik had worked for the tech giant for over six years and had recently started sharing the behaviour she experienced in the workplace online she detailed multiple interactions with male coworkers including seemingly being asked to use a lower-pitched voice during a presentation Her complaints about her coworkers’ behaviour were investigated by the company I've decided to start Tweeting the stuff they say is "ok." she stated on Twitter Gjøvik also described Apple’s working conditions as “physically unsafe” due to “dangerous chemicals” without taking any action against the accused Once the employee returned from leave and applied for a new position within Google Apple decided to place Gjøvik on “indefinite paid administrative leave” Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives “I'm now on indefinite paid administrative leave per Apple employee relations This seems to include me not using Apple's internal Slack,” she stated on her Twitter page director of Compliance Solutions in EMEA at Skillsoft told IT Pro that Gjøvik’s treatment is symptomatic of companies not adapting their approaches to a remote workforce 45% of employees have observed harassment in the workplace remote working significantly reduces the chances of having a witness Monitoring communications is also a challenge as more employees are using personal devices which may not necessarily maintain an audit trail or be archived,” he said “By renewing their stance on defeating harassment and mistreatment HR teams can ensure they offer the maximum level of protection to their colleagues working in the office and at home while maintaining a strong focus on compliance Employers also need to reiterate expectations for employees: reminding them they are at work and discouraging them from letting their guard down This also means limiting the use of unsecured communication channels - so they can monitor any harassment when required,” he added Creating a sense of value for your workforce Sample our exclusive Business Briefing content IT Pro has contacted Apple for comment regarding their decision to place Gjøvik on leave but the tech giant had not responded at the time of publication In an email to a Google mailing list sent late last year Gebru complained that she was "constantly dehumanised" while working at Google adding there was no incentive to hire more women at the company and that Google retaliated when she tried to raise those issues Sabina has already demonstrated her abilities as a keen writer and effective journalist Sabina spent a number of years writing for ITPro specialising in networking and telecommunications as well as charting the efforts of technology companies to improve their inclusion and diversity strategies Sabina has also held a number of editorial roles at Harper's Bazaar