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Thousands and thousands of people committed suicide in Greece because they couldn’t afford to live or they couldn’t afford to pay their bills. But creation and hope took the place of disaster and despair in Greece. Throughout the crisis, the main dividing line was not the left or the right, but it was democracy and dig... |
I believe that democracy is coming back to Greece again after so many years. The most characteristic picture: throughout the crisis, barricades guarded the Parliament building; you could see only policemen and Special Forces. The first action of Syriza’s government was to take away the barricades, was to take away the ... |
We are not afraid anymore.We are only at the beginning. The massive change is happening in Greece. Spain and other countries are following. The main question is: are you going to join the change that has begun in Greece? |
Former Californians may have rejoiced this summer when news broke that In-N-Out was making its way to Lone Star State, but now it's time for New Yorkers to celebrate. Shake Shack, the lunchtime destination of Manhattanites for nearly a decade is coming to Austin. |
Known for delicious burgers, crispy fries, to-die-for milkshakes (and really, really long lines), Shake Shack developed a cult-like following when it opened in New York's Madison Square Park in 2004. It has since expanded to 30 locations, with Shacks popping up along the east coast, London and even the Middle East. |
According to the company's press release, "the Austin menu will feature all the Shake Shack classics including beer, wine, and a selection of tailor-made frozen custard concretes." For you native Texans, a concrete is a thicker, denser milkshake made out of custard. |
So look forward to another burger/milkshake joint to join In-N-Out and Austin-based Hopdoddy. Let the burger wars begin! |
A Boeing 787 lands safely after a test flight Monday. |
Boeing conducted a successful test flight of its troubled Dreamliner 787 Monday, clearing a minor hurdle on the way to being allowed to return the plane to commercial service. |
The more important flight — which will put the Dreamliner's new battery system through its paces — is yet to come. |
Monday's 2-hour, 9-minute test flight, conducted with a crew of six onboard, was meant to check that all systems, including the landing gear, backup and electrical systems, functioned correctly. |
The data will be analyzed by Boeing, which said in a statement that the "flight went according to plan." |
The Dreamliner has been out of service since the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive on January 16, following two incidents in quick succession where the lithium-ion battery short-circuited, leading to smoke in both cases and flames on one aircraft. |
The new "comprehensive and robust" three-part plan calls for stopping battery cells from short-circuiting in the first place, preventing such failure from spreading throughout the battery, and making sure the plane is not damaged if all that happens anyway, with a sealed battery enclosure. |
The solution, approved by the FAA on March 12, does not address the root cause of the failures. That cause is still unknown, and likely to remain that way. |
The passenger jet used for Monday's flight, owned by Boeing and built for LOT Polish Airlines plane, took off and landed at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, where the planemaker is based. |
Gallegos was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Tuesday. |
Gallegos spent just one day in the minors before surfacing with the big-league team once again. He'll bolster the Cardinals' bullpen after Mike Mayers (lat) was placed on the 10-day injured list. |
UNITED NATIONS, October 25 -- Amid reports that Sudan is flying janjawiid militia from Darfur, where the UN has a billion dollar peacekeeping mission, to Blue Nile State where the UN closed down its Sudan mission on July 9, it was said that Darfur mission chief Ibrahim Gambari would brief the Security Council on Octobe... |
But at the UN's October 25 noon briefing it was announced that Department of Peacekeeping Operation chief Herve Ladsous would do the briefing. Ladous is the fourth Frenchman in a row to head DPKO. Unlike his predecessor Alain Le Roy, he has not come to the Security Council stakeout to answer questions. |
In fact, in his single press conference to date, he declined to explain his role as chief of staff to former French foreign affairs minister Michele Aliot-Marie in her flying on private planes of cronies of Tunisian dictator Ben Ali, nor his statements on Haiti and Rwanda. |
More than 24 hour later, there was been no answer. Ladsous should be expected to answer. Will he? Watch this site. |
SimplyAgree is a signature and closing management tool for transactional attorneys. Trusted by AmLaw 100 and Global 100 law firms, the SimplyAgree platform automates the administrative tasks of a closing—from signature packets to closing binders—so attorneys can focus on getting deals done and exceeding client expectat... |
Closing Folders is the world’s leading transaction management platform. It is trusted on billions of dollars of transactions by the world’s leading law firms and legal departments. Closing Folders automates time-intensive and error-prone work like creating signing packages or closing books. Major law firms use Closing ... |
Apple’s stock AAPL, +0.19% surged 3.7% to close at the highest level since Nov. 9, and enough to pace the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s DJIA, -0.06% gainers. |
The stock had rallied as much as 4.3% in intraday trade, briefly lifting Apple’s market capitalization to the top of the list of largest U.S. companies, before paring gains at the close. Apple’s market cap closed Thursday at $919.9 billion, just shy of above Microsoft Corp.’s MSFT, -0.18% $922.4 billion. |
The good news is that ecosystem companies can only be unseated by other ecosystem companies, Martin said. The bad news is, the most successful ecosystem companies in the world are the FAANGs, which are Facebook Inc. FB, -0.87% Apple, Amazon.com Inc. AMZN, -0.77% Netflix Inc. NFLX, -1.60% and Google-parent Alphabet Inc.... |
Mark Pimentel, VP and general manager at KMOV St. Louis, has been named VP and general manager at Meredith sister station WGCL Atlanta. Pimentel took over KMOV in 2012 after a run atop WHAS Louisville, when it was part of Belo. |
In an internal memo obtained by TVSpy, Paul Karpowicz, Meredith Local Media president, called it “an Atlanta homecoming” for Pimentel, who was executive news producer at WSB Atlanta and news director at WXIA Atlanta. |
Trey Fabacher had taken over the WGCL GM job in 2012, and departed the CBS affiliate in September. |
Gannett picked up KMOV in its Belo acquisition, then sold it to Meredith for $177 million. |
Significant increases in Metro ridership across Northern Virginia in June and July of this year suggest the degree to which round-the-clock track work keeps people away from the system. |
Are some Metro ridership declines leveling off? |
One year after Metro’s first round of regular 24/7 track work ended, and weeks before the next major shutdown, there are signs Metro’s ridership decline has leveled off for now. |
Metro’s Finance Committee was told that track work, delays and increased competition from Uber and Lyft could play a part in driving riders away from the Metro system. |
Metro ridership continues to fall, mainly due to far fewer trips on the bus system where fare hikes were most significant this summer, but that hasn’t necessarily translated to less crowding. Meanwhile, Metro says more riders on the rails and on buses are on time. |
Metro ridership continues to decline across all times of day and days of the week, according to new Metro data. The number of average weekday rail riders is down 9 percent, and bus ridership dropped by 4 percent. That’s even with the near record-setting ridership for January’s Women’s March. |
Metro ridership has dropped dramatically at stations affected by 24/7 track work, new numbers show. |
Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld cited a change in the “marketplace,” lower gas prices and services like Lyft for the ongoing decline in Metro ridership. |
It’s difficult to overstate the revolutionary advancements needed to sustain a successful, long-term human presence on Mars. The most obvious of these are technological — how to physically transport living humans to another planet and provide them with the tools to flourish there. Yet with that initial hurdle cleared, ... |
One of the first considerations when packing for interplanetary travel is what to bring along and what to leave behind. The overarching goal is to take the concepts that have served humanity well as a species (citizenship, philanthropy, and the rule of law) and discard concepts that have led to destructive behaviors — ... |
NASA, the European Space Agency, the China National Space Administration, and several private corporations have declared bold initiatives for placing humans on Mars in the coming decades, so the first step of a human on martian regolith seems to be only a matter of time. The first few missions will likely be explorator... |
But plans for permanent settlement are also in the works. Perhaps most ambitious is the Netherlands-based organization MarsOne, which seeks to establish a permanent colony on Mars by 2023. While this crowdsourced approach may fail to reach fruition, the idea of a corporate-led Mars colony — rather than one directed by ... |
States on Earth are also responsible for the activities of their emissaries into space as well as any damage caused by objects carried into space, which would even include corporate claims to space resources. These conditions imply that permanent occupation of Mars by any representative of a sovereign nation would viol... |
This may not prevent any would-be Mars pioneers from braving the wilderness of space to establish a colony. Last November, Congress passed a bipartisan bill known as the Space Act of 2015, which opens the door to mining of resources on asteroids by private corporations. Some legal analysts argue that this provision of ... |
Space colonization remains a more distant possibility than asteroid mining. Yet the most likely outcome seems to be a continuation of the same motives of profit and power that have driven the historical patterns of expansion on Earth. If Mars is treated as little more than a source of resources, similar in legal status... |
Such a future would still lead to significant advances in technology and may even achieve self-sustaining human colonies on Mars; however, such short-sightedness could destroy the transformative potential of Mars to reconceptualize our planetary ethics. |
A different, more radical approach would be to liberate Mars from the start. Rather than extend the ideas of the parent nation, corporation, or global order, colonists arriving on a liberated Mars would relinquish their former status as earthlings and embrace a new planetary citizenship as martians. |
This distinction carries with it the responsibility that the Mars colonists fend for themselves to develop their own systems of conflict resolution, governance, currency, education, art, music, and spirituality — without depending upon any of the legal protections of Earth. |
The purpose of this experiment would be to reduce the tendency for the civilization on Mars to repeat undesired historical patterns of Earth by allowing the colonists themselves to dictate their future. An initial period of non-interference in these critical stages of development, permitting contact with earthlings onl... |
Indeed, withstanding the hostile environment of Mars will require unprecedented cooperation among any group of settlers, where adherence to basic principles of conservation and sustainability are a matter of survival. Approaching Mars through the framework of liberation would retain the potential for exploration to enl... |
Trade would also be restricted on a liberated Mars, at least at first, in order to allow martian civilization to develop without any coercion from the human home planet. Anything brought from Earth to Mars would become a permanent fixture and remain permanent property of Mars, even if the costs were borne by space agen... |
A high risk of corruption exists during the formative stages of colonization, but in the long-term, a fully developed civilization on Mars could benefit Earth as a mutual trading partner. Prohibiting trade during this critical development phase is an important check on any implicit power imbalances between the two plan... |
Following this strategy, the colonists of Mars must either be extremely well equipped from the start or else be critically dependent upon charitable support from Earth. Both options would require a monumental financial commitment from a wealthy individual or corporate donor with little hope of ever receiving a direct r... |
Just as necessary as the technological vision, is a long-term financial vision to establish an independent and self-sustaining martian colony, motivated not by profit or power but out of a sense of deep altruism for the future of humankind. |
Other lofty scientific goals have attracted donors with a sense of deep altruistic values. Russian venture capitalist Yuri Milner recently announced his $100 million Breakthrough Listen initiative to support the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, or SETI, using radio telescopes, which complements Microsoft cofou... |
Technology transfer provides one utilitarian motivation for pursuing deep space exploration. Many consumer and industrial devices owe their invention directly or indirectly to space-related research, and any program to colonize Mars will necessarily result in a great deal of spinoff technology. In principle, any indivi... |
Rather than looking toward conventional gains, a donor acting out of a genuine sense of deep altruism would see the potential to help a second instance of civilization take hold on another planet, with the knowledge gained from this experiment for the greater good of humanity serving as compensation for the sustained s... |
For example, a short-term vision for the SpaceX corporation might be the establishment of a SpaceX-controlled colony on Mars that maintains strong ties to the parent corporation. A much longer-term vision for SpaceX would be to help seed a self-sustaining colony that, in a hundred years or more, could become a function... |
Funding the colonization of Mars over the intergenerational timescale would be a historic challenge. The combination of wealth and effective succession across generations makes organizations such as the Rockefeller Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation prime models, as the two oldest philanthropic institutions in the... |
Planning the liberation of Mars before anyone has set foot there is undoubtedly idealistic, and the success of legislation like the Space Act provides even less confidence that international agreements will be amended to further curb the activity of sovereign nations in space. But adherence to the principles of a liber... |
From this perspective, the greatest reward to a donor may be the knowledge that they enabled one of the most audacious undertakings in human history, which holds the capacity to radically transform our understanding of ourselves, each other, and our environment. Mars needs a deep altruist to help us realize our potenti... |
Jacob Haqq-Misra is a research scientist with the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science. He can be reached at jacob@bmsis.org. |
TORONTO — Only three Toronto FC players have seen more MLS playing time than Auro this season. |
The 22-year-old Brazilian newcomer has proved to be durable, adaptable and near indispensable. |
Listed at five-foot-six and 136 pounds, the compact Brazilian — whose full name is Auro Alvaro da Cruz Junior — can play fullback, wingback or midfielder. He has seen action in 11 of Toronto’s 14 league games so far, with nine starts. |
The former Brazilian under-17 and under-20 international has an engine that never quits. |
His 870 minutes, heading into Toronto’s home game against D.C. United on Wednesday night, are surpassed only by captain Michael Bradley (990), midfielder Jonathan Osorio (902) and Gregory van der Wiel (900). |
Wednesday’s game will be the first for Toronto on the new grass surface at BMO Field. |
Van der Wiel, another new face this season, was expected to slot into the right fullback position left open by the departure of free agent Steven Beitashour for Los Angeles FC. But TFC’s rash of defensive injuries has forced Vanney to deploy the Dutch international all across the backline, with Auro often looking after... |
The return of Liechtenstein wingback Nico Hasler from injury — he made his first start in more than a month last Friday in a 2-0 win in Philadelphia– gives Vanney some more options at wingback. |
Off the field, Auro has little grasp of English. But he comes across as a happy-go-lucky sort whose smile speaks volumes. |
“It’s fantastic to get to know this country and this city,” he said though goalkeeper Caleb Patterson-Sewell, an American who played in Portugal and is married to a Brazilian. |
“The city is very beautiful and it’s safe,” Auro added. |
The weather has been a revelation, however. Auro all but cringes when asked about the CONCACAF Champions League game Feb. 25 when he made his TFC debut in frigid conditions in Colorado. |
“It was fantastic day, but a day I’ll never forget in my life,” he said. |
It was so cold that beer lines literally froze at the concession stands, according to reports. |
Auro grew up about three hours outside of Sao Paulo, a sprawling city of more than 12 million that is Brazil’s financial centre. The son of a handyman, he moved to the big city at age 13 to join Sao Paulo FC’s academy with recent loan stints with Clube Atletico Linense and America Futebol Clube. |
Back home, his family and friends calls him Junior or Juninho (Little Junior). His dad, who is also named Auro, opts for ‘preto’ (black) as a term of endearment because of his tan. |
Toronto FC has not dipped that often into the Brazilian market, with former striker Gilberto a notable example. But GM Tim Bezbatchenko said club scouts, with an eye to Brazil’s rich talent at fullback, started watching games there closely in 2016. |
They identified Auro as someone to watch in late 2016 and began tracking and researching him before acquiring him on loan from Sao Paulo with an option to buy. |
Auro reached out to Gilberto and Columbus Crew midfielder Artur, another former Sao Paulo player, before coming to Toronto. |
Auro said he needed to find a club that would give him playing time and wanted to try a new challenge. While he had other opportunities in Brazil, Toronto seemed a good fit. |
“It’s a good league. It’s growing rapidly,” he said. |
The young Brazilian says he doesn’t really have a favourite position. |
Push him further and he offers up right fullback or wingback, where he is playing these days. |
Auro, who came to Canada with his girlfriend, doesn’t really need English to tell his story. His tattoos tell the tale, especially the sleeve on his right arm. |
On his right bicep, a stylized design spells out faith — one of several religious designs. The names of his mother and father are marked in ink, along with his date of birth. Love and peace are also spelled out. So is the date he met his girlfriend. |
He plans to have the other arm done — back in Brazil, because tattoos are expensive here. |
ON THE ROAD AGAIN: With its new stadium, Audi Field, set to open July 14, D.C. United has played nine of its 11 games to date on the road. The 1-6-2 record away from home has not helped United in the standings. |
FORM CHART: D.C. United has won just one of his last five MLS outings (1-3-1), all of which were on the road. Toronto, its roster finally getting healthy, has lost just once its last four games (2-1-1). |
ROO ALERT: England’s Daily Mirror reports that England star Wayne Rooney is headed to D.C. United after being told he doesn’t figure in Everton’s plans. |
RESCHEDULED: Wednesday’s match was originally scheduled for April 7, but was changed to accommodate TFC’s CONCACAF Champions League run. |
From the race track to the art gallery; Metro Meteor can now add best-selling artist to his resume. |
“When I’m setting up his studio, he’s inside his stall throwing his head up and down, excited to come out. He can’t wait to get let out to put a brush in his mouth,” said Ron Krajewski. |
Metro was once considered one of the fastest sprinters on the east coast, winning eight races and more than $300,000 at Belmont and Saratoga; that is until knee crippling injuries ended his racing career and almost ended his life. |
When Ron Krajewski adopted Metro off the track back in 2009, veterinarians only gave the former racehorse two years to live. |
That’s when Krajewski, an artist in Gettysburg, first gave Metro a paintbrush. |
“I put a paintbrush in his mouth, he picked it up pretty quick and started painting on canvas." |
Soon, the two were painting together every day. |
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