Latest news with #Olivier
USA Today
4 days ago
- Business
- USA Today
Exelon Leader Tamla Olivier Named 2025 Technologist of the Year by Waves of Change STEM Conference
Trailblazing BGE CEO; Honored for Transformational Impact in Utility Sector Jul. 18, 2025 / PRZen / BALTIMORE — The 30th annualproudly announcesas the 2025. The prestigious award will be presented during the landmark conference in Baltimore on, recognizing Olivier's transformative leadership in utility operations, infrastructure innovation, and equitable energy service. Olivier's recognition comes amid another milestone: her appointment as President and CEO of Baltimore Gas and Electric (BGE), Maryland's largest utility. Parent company Exelon Corp. confirmed her promotion, marking a historic moment for the company and region. Olivier now joins Exelon's Executive Committee and will oversee operations that serve over 1.3 million electric customers and 700,000 gas customers across central Maryland. 'Tamla Olivier represents the gold standard of visionary leadership and operational excellence,' said Calvin Butler, President and CEO of Exelon. 'We pride ourselves on developing top talent within Exelon, and Tamla's promotion underscores our commitment to elevating leaders who deliver for our communities.' Olivier has led operations for Pepco Holdings' three utilities since 2021—serving diverse customers in Delaware, Washington, D.C., Maryland, and New Jersey. Under her guidance, the company achieved record-high reliability rankings and implemented critical infrastructure upgrades, expanding energy resilience and customer satisfaction. A former President and CEO of BGE Home, Olivier is no stranger to Maryland's energy landscape. She previously held senior roles at BGE, including Chief Customer Officer. She returns to BGE with more than a decade of industry experience and a steadfast commitment to customer-focused innovation. 'Tamla is the kind of leader we dreamed of honoring when this conference began 30 years ago,' said Tyrone D. Taborn, Founder of the Women of Color STEM Conference and CEO of Career Communications Group. 'She's a mentor, an innovator, and a beacon for the next generation of STEM professionals.' For more information about the Women of Color STEM Conference, visit Media Contact Jessica Smith 4102447101 jsmith@ Press Release Distributed by PRLog Source: Career Communications Group Follow the full story here:
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
City of Sanctuary themes in new version of children's classic
THE beloved story of The Railway Children has been re-imagined for Bradford's City of Culture year, with a British-Indian family at the heart of the story. A special adaptation of Mike Kenny's Olivier award-winning stage production of E Nesbit's children's classic opens next week on the Keighley and Worth Valley Railway - the location of the much-loved 1970 film. Drawing on the story's themes of exile, compassion and kindness, Stand & Be Counted Theatre - an Associate Company of Bradford 2025 - is working with people seeking sanctuary to create a scene-setting audio experience for audiences as they journey to the show on the heritage railway. Audiences will board a steam train at Keighley station before watching the performance in an engine shed at Oxenhope station. The show features a real steam engine. The children move from wealthy Edwardian London to rural Yorkshire and find hope and friendship on the railway Stand & Be Counted Theatre - the UK's first Theatre Company of Sanctuary - co-creates work with and for people seeking sanctuary. Bradford, a City of Sanctuary since 2010, also received a designation of Cultural City of Sanctuary this year. Rosie MacPherson, Artistic Director and Joint CEO of Stand & Be Counted Theatre, says: "The Railway Children is a global story about new beginnings and creating a new home together, with themes that will resonate deeply with people of Bradford as a City of Sanctuary. Our Soap Box Collective, a group for young adults from all over the world who now call Bradford home, have been working hard to create an interactive audio experience to welcome passengers aboard the steam train!" Says Shanaz Gulzar, Creative Director, Bradford 2025: 'The Railway Children is about a family needing to move to somewhere unfamiliar, children coping with separation from a parent, and how people and places are connected and affected by global events. Our version, while keeping the original story and setting in 1905, is really going to heighten these themes, as our British-Indian family have journeyed even further than before to reach this small Yorkshire village. 'The genius of E Nesbit's novel, and Mike Kenny's adaptation, is to see big themes like exile, separation and unjust imprisonment from the perspective of three children just starting to understand the adult world." The cast of The Railway Children at Oxenhope Station Director Damian Cruden adds: 'Bradford is a wonderful example of a city that has welcomed people throughout its history, and this theme of welcome and global connection resonates through The Railway Children." Noel Hartley, KWVR Business and Operations Manager, says: 'We're delighted to be hosting this fantastic show during this special year. Our railway has been the home of The Railway Children since the 1960s, it's really special for the show to be held where it began on screen." Paul Crewes, CEO, York Theatre Royal, says: 'We are thrilled to be working with Bradford 2025 on this unique restaging of York Theatre Royal's award-winning production of The Railway Children. "The beautiful setting of Oxenhope Railway station will be such a wonderful backdrop for this classic story. Joyous, moving and above all, fun, we can't wait for audiences to have another opportunity to see the show as part of Bradford's year as UK City of Culture.' * The Railway Children is at Keighley and Worth Valley Railway from July 15 to September 7. Visit
Malay Mail
15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Malay Mail
Elegant, essential, iconic: Why Spain's handheld fan is a timeless summer staple in Madrid
MADRID July 16 — As passengers wilted in a packed Madrid metro, one traveller defied the summer heat by snapping open her handheld fan — a quintessential Spanish accessory enjoying undimmed popularity. The burst of coolness drew envious eyes to a must-have item that has retained its relevance thanks to designer creativity and increasingly oppressive summer temperatures, stoked by climate change. 'Everyone uses a fan here in Spain — children, the elderly, young people, men,' said Arturo Llerandi, owner of the 'Casa de Diego' fan boutique in Madrid. 'Why? Because it's hot... It's hotter across Europe and you see fans everywhere.' Llerandi's bustling shop, which has been located in the centre of the Spanish capital for more than two centuries, boasts 10,000 different models of fans. Bone and lace versions are aimed at women and smaller versions cater to men, all diminutive enough to slip into a jacket pocket, with the most luxurious costing up to 6,000 euros (RM30,000). With temperatures close to 40 degrees Celsius regularly assailing Madrid in July, the idea of buying a fan as a gift was a no-brainer for customer Carmen Pulido. 'It's something to have forever... Lately, it's become essential,' said the 62-year-old legal assistant. For pensioner Rosa Nunez, 69, the 'good old fan' has remained her best friend after the batteries of her electronic alternative died. 'With handheld fans, the battery runs for a lifetime,' she said with a smile. French luxury hand fan designer Olivier Bernoux works on one of his fan creation in his store in Madrid, on July 4, 2025. — AFP pic 'Very elegant' Olivier Bernoux, a designer who heads a luxury fan store in Madrid, acknowledged the accessory has 'a heavy legacy... perceived as an old object, for the elderly'. But they are 'not kitsch, nor for old women', insisted the man whose celebrity clients include pop idol Madonna and US actor Eva Longoria. 'Even in New York you find fans due to climate change because you have to find a way to cool down,' said Bernoux. His global customer base brings different expectations. 'Men are more classic', while Spanish women 'are more sensitive to the noise' made when fans are unfurled, he said. 'For the 'Miami' American woman customer, large fans are a must-have, while the French are particularly attracted to all our linen creations,' Bernoux continued. At Madrid's Pride festival in July, some dancers snapped their fans to the rhythm of the music before spectators waving rainbow-coloured equivalents, illustrating how the humble object can also be used to convey messages. 'The fan has always been fundamental for us and the community. It has always been a gay icon,' said Pedro Pontes, a 31-year-old waiter. Ecuadoran journalist Erika von Berliner, who lives in Madrid, sees her fan as a 'very elegant' accessory. 'You hold something very beautiful that goes with your clothes and if you know how to use it well, with elegance, so much the better,' the 49-year-old enthused. Bernoux agreed, emphasising what he identified as the object's 'sensuality'. 'The very opening and closing of a fan is a marvellous gesture that will attract attention,' he said, advising users to sprinkle perfume on theirs. 'On public transport, you take out your fan and it makes a tough moment an easier one,' he concluded. — AFP
Daily Record
14-07-2025
- Daily Record
'Granny Ripper' accused of eating victims' organs and making stew from heads
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Tamara Mitrofanovna Samsonova, 74, from Russia, was jailed in 2017 An elderly Russian woman earned the moniker 'Granny Ripper' following a series of heinous crimes against as many as 11 individuals. Tamara Mitrofanovna Samsonova was found to have spiked her friend's salad with pills, decapitated her and boiled the head among other gruesome acts. Born in 1947 in Uzhur, Samsonova appeared to lead an ordinary life initially. She completed her secondary education and went on to study at Moscow State Linguistic University. Later, she relocated to St. Petersburg, married Alexei Samsonov, and spent 16 years working for a travel agency. In 2000, her husband disappeared, prompting Samsonova to report him missing to the police, but he seemed to have vanished without a trace. In 2015, she even approached the investigative unit of the Fruzensky District in St. Petersburg to provide a statement regarding her husband's mysterious disappearance. However, in 2015, her sinister nature was shockingly exposed when a passer-by discovered the dismembered remains of her tenant. The then 68-year-old Samsonova was captured on CCTV disposing of large plastic bags from her apartment under the cover of darkness, reports the Mirror US. Footage also showed her carrying a saucepan, which allegedly contained a human head. These were believed to be the remains of Valentina Ulanova, 79, her lodger, who suffered a horrific fate. According to the Russian Investigative Committee, the victim died "on the spot" after Samsonova drugged her salad with over 50 sleeping pills in July 2015 before proceeding to dismember her body. Samsonova travelled to Pushkin and convinced a pharmacist to sell her phenazepam, a prescription drug, which she then mixed into Valentina's favourite Olivier salad. Days later, Valentina's remains were discovered wrapped in a shower curtain on the street. The investigators released a statement: "Then, in order to conceal the committed crime, she dismembered the body of her victim and placed the parts in different places near the apartment block." It is believed the woman gruesomely dismembered her lodger with a handsaw due to "personal hostile relations" after a "conflict with her friend". Reports also suggest she may have boiled Valentina's head in a pot. In court, Samsonova displayed odd behaviour, blowing kisses at journalists before admitting to Valentina's murder. A chilling diary entry hinted she might be responsible for up to 11 other deaths, including possibly her husband and mother-in-law, who both vanished without a trace. Her deteriorating health, uncooperative demeanour, and the absence of further human remains made it impractical to press additional charges against her. A report in The Sun included a source's comment: "We may never know the extent of this granny's killings." At the time of her arrest in 2015, allegations also surfaced in 2003 she murdered her tenant Sergei Potanin. Sergei, a 44-year-old from Norilsk, was allegedly killed by Samsonova, who is accused of dismembering his body and scattering it on the streets. Samsonova was under investigation for a total of 15 deaths when officers discovered a diary entry in which she wrote she "killed my tenant Volodya, cut him to pieces in the bathroom with a knife and put the pieces of his body in plastic bags and threw them away in the different parts of Frunzensky District." Reports suggested Samsonova drew inspiration from Andrei Chikatilo, a serial killer who amassed nearly 50 murders between 1978 and 1990. A neighbour, who had known her closely for 15 years, observed her obsession with Chikatilo, saying: "She gathered information about him and how he committed his murders." During her court hearing for Valentina's murder, Samsonova declared to the judge: "I am guilty and I deserve to be punished." The then 78 year old applauded and grinned upon learning she would be kept in detention. Nevertheless, a forensic psychiatric assessment in 2015 concluded Samsonova posed a threat to both society and herself, leading to her placement in a specialist facility before being transferred for mandatory psychiatric care at a specialist hospital in Kazan. In 2017, she received a life sentence in a mental health facility, with the judge determining her psychological condition exempted her from responsibility for Valentina's death.
IOL News
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- IOL News
Roaring back to life: discover the stunning visuals and storytelling of the reimagined 'Walking with Dinosaurs'
'Walking with Dinosaurs' gives viewers an intimate glimpse into the lives of Earth's oldest creatures. Image: Supplied Back in 1999, factual television was revolutionised when 'Walking with Dinosaurs' was released. The six-part nature documentary mini-series, created by Tim Haines, was a production collaboration between the BBC Science Unit, the Discovery Channel and BBC Worldwide TV, Asahi, ProSieben and France 3. Regarded at the time as the first series of its kind, the show depicted dinosaurs and other Mesozoic animals as living animals in the style of a traditional nature documentary. It has gained a worldwide cult following for how it recreated the extinct species through the combined use of computer-generated imagery and animatronics. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Now, 26 years later, a bold reimagining with the same title, once again produced by the BBC Studios Science Unit, brings to life six extraordinary dinosaurs through groundbreaking visual effects, dramatic storytelling and the latest advancements in palaeontological research. Narrated by Bertie Carvel, a double Olivier and Tony Award-winning actor who is renowned for roles in 'The Crown' and 'Doctor Foster', 'Walking with Dinosaurs' premiered on BBC Earth (DStv Channel 184) at the end of June. It invites viewers into the lives of the individual dinosaurs, who each have their own emotional journeys of survival, parenting and adaptation. Some elements of these magnificent creatures, which will be featured, include the towering might of Lusotitan and the delicate vulnerability of Clover and the life of a baby Triceratops. 'Walking with Dinosaurs' also brings to life their habitats, their behaviours and their survival strategies. Jay Balamurugan, the series assistant producer and a paleoartist, has a burning passion for Earth's most ancient creatures. 'It's such an interesting experience getting to work on a series like this because it was my childhood,' she said during an interview with 'Independent Media Lifestyle.' 'It's the reason I got into science and art and TV.' She added, 'The original left such a mark on me, and to get the chance to work on these new ones is so special, and now seeing it out in the world, it is really special.' 'I'm really pleased because I've seen a lot of families and children, especially, really enjoy it and watch it together, and it's something that makes me happy.' Balamurugan explained that she decided to get involved in this bold reimagining as a way of making her inner child happy. 'I think me, as a child, would have hated me as an adult forever (if she didn't take up this project).' 'It was also a great opportunity to bring this new view of dinosaurs to the public eye.' She said that it was how the dinosaurs were portrayed on the original series which sparked her interest in the show. 'I think that it had quite a special way of making the dinosaurs feel like animals. They didn't feel like movie monsters, and they didn't feel like mythological dragons.' 'They felt like animals, and it felt like I was watching a nature documentary about a lion or a hyena or something, except it was a T-Rex, and I think that was the thing that really hooked me and lots of people as well.' And although Balamurugan is thrilled to have worked on 'Walking with Dinosaurs', she said that it has not been without its obstacles. 'It's been a very, very challenging production because it's such a huge one,' she explained. 'Not only are we making the VFX dinosaur but we're making a show about palaeontologists. It does feel like we've got two big productions in one so it has been quite a challenge.' In regards to how it fares with the original show, she explained: 'I think it's similar to the original in the sense that it really keeps that spirit of telling the story of one animal in a really dramatic part of its life.' 'In the original, we had this with quite a few of the episodes where you would follow one dinosaur or one prehistoric animal and it's going through a really important epic migration or growing up in the presence of predators. Balamurugan added: 'We really try to keep that thread going in our current series.' What sets this reimagining apart is the inclusion of live-action sequences. 'I think we made that choice specifically because we want to celebrate science as much as we celebrate dinosaurs.' Balamurugan also had modern technology at her disposal for this version of 'Walking with Dinosaurs' "It's interesting because science has come such a long way and the technology involving film-making has also come such a long way.' 'We now have incredible VFX technology where not only can we make these times more realistic than ever but we can also sometimes even build our entire environments in VFX if we need to and this allows us to really get incredible sequences that we never would have got before.' Overall,Balamurugan promised that viewers can expect 'a really good story in each episode.' 'I also think people will really relate to these animals and come away with a wider understanding of these animals.' ∎ Watch new episodes of 'Walking With Dinosaurs' every Monday until August 4 at 8pm on BBC Earth (DStv Channel 184).
