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“We’ve had five years of a very difficult relationship, where Uber has felt they didn’t require regulations in the same way that we regulate others,” Helen Chapman, TfL’s director of licensing and regulation, said today in the witness box.
This was the case, she noted, in how Uber had failed to talk to TfL in relation to a data breach that affected 57 million users globally, including some in the UK. Uber identified but then tried to keep the incident unreported, although the breach was eventually uncovered by Bloomberg. “Our frustration [was] that we identified this issue through the media rather than directly from Uber,” Chapman noted.
One of the key issues at play was how Uber was monitoring and reporting complaints on the platform, and specifically how it relays those complaints to the police in cases when they related to criminal activity. “Uber is committing to report every complaint that could be construed as criminal,” De la Mare said, describing a new reporting procedure that had been put in place that will include six-month checkups on the process to make sure it is best practice and being followed.
Another has been whether Uber had been using anything to systematically evade regulatory scrutiny.
The company was reported to have developed a service, Greyball, that it claimed to use to violate its terms of service; but was revealed in a New York Times report to be used to essentially “hide” its activities from law enforcement and regulatory officials. TfL had raised this as an issue as well — specifically, whether it was using Greyball in London. “Greyball had never been used in the UK,” De la Mare said.
Another key issue that was the subject of much discussion was the checks that Uber carries out on drivers it is onboarding and maintaining on its platform. One concerned their eyesight and health: the company had been using a remote (not in-person) healthcheck called Push Doctor (which has raised quite a bit of money, possibly on the back of lucrative contracts?).
The startup’s name was essentially dragged through the mud this week by both sides: TfL questioned whether it was an effective way of checking people out, and concluding it an example of how Uber is too perfunctory in its safety checks. Uber readily agreed and said that it was wrong to use it.
Going forward it will be worth seeing what Uber is laying out now is simply lip service, or whether the zebra really has changed its stripes. “It certainly works better when an operator is seeking permission rather than forgiveness,” Chapman said.
Extreme poverty in Brazil is making some potential voters easy targets for politicians willing to make empty promises and buy votes.
Northeastern Brazil is a magnet for politicians seeking election because it has a large population, lacks infrastructure and has extreme levels of poverty.
But locals say that the politicians are not coming to help - they are coming to buy votes where they are cheapest and keeping people poor, illiterate and desperate makes them easier to manipulate.
Brazil is suffering from a severe recession, but for many in the slums, the poverty and lack of basic services have lasted for generations.
Al Jazeera's Lucia Newman reports from the state of Alagoas.
Tickets to Michelle Obama’s arena book tour went on presale Thursday for people who signed up early, and it’s looking as though the former first lady is generating Beyoncé-level sales.
Live Nation, the entertainment company producing the tour, added two dates — a second in Washington and a tour-ending second appearance in Brooklyn — to the 10-city itinerary, apparently in response to brisk sellouts.
“Michelle Obama is out here selling Beyoncé priced tickets and I was not prepared,” another wrote.
I love Michelle Obama, I do. She is everything. But I am sorely disappointed in how expensive these book tour tickets are.
Obama and Live Nation said that they planned to donate 10 percent of ticket sales to unspecified “local charities, schools, and community groups” in each city she visits and that fans from those organizations would get free tickets.
And those bemoaning not being able to score a lower-priced seat still have a shot: General public sales begin Friday morning.
Electricity has been a usable energy resource for more than 100 years. Should we take it for granted? No, because the worst can happen in a single instant.
Electrical contact can easily result in a great deal of pain and suffering, as well as fatalities. Voltage of an electrical contact can range from 120 to 240 volts (household), 120 to 480 volts (light industrial), 120 to 13,800 volts (industrial), and 5,001 to 275,000 volts (power lines). A lightning strike can be 10 million volts to 120 million volts. It only takes 100 to 200 milliamps at 120 volts to deliver death by electrocution.
Industry safety protocols and procedures are continually reviewed and updated with the intention of preventing injury and harm; however, year after year there have been those who have not stayed current and/or simply ignored updates to OSHA requirements and/or NEC standards. NFPA 70E is on a three-year cycle, and the 2015 edition contains many significant changes.
An experienced electrician is not necessarily a qualified electrician, project to project. Years of unscathed experience means nothing if specific safety measurements aren’t adhered to. An unprotected move for the sake of time or to save physical exertion could end in tragedy for him or her and possibly others nearby. Plus, mistakes made could result in a problematic experience for the next electrician.
Electrical shock is serious and must not be taken for granted. The victim of an electrical contact could have both entrance and exit wounds, from no markings at all, a reddening of the skin, blistering of the skin or deep tissue burns (internally). Within the first 48 hours to beyond six months, a victim can experience: Brain damage, neural damage, concussion, broken bones and a long list of other serious medical problems.
Based on a U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic survey of 200,000 employers across a five-year period (2006-2010), contact with overhead power lines (including direct worker contact and contact through machines, tools, and hand-carried metallic objects) was the largest fatal accident category, comprising 44 percent of all electrical fatalities from 1992 to 2010.
Contact with wiring, transformers or other electrical components (most common for workers who install, repair or maintain electrical systems and apparatus in the normal course of their electrical work) was the second-largest fatal injury category with 27 percent of all fatalities, followed by contact with electrical current of machine, tool, appliance or light fixture (most common for workers who use electrical tools and apparatus in the normal course of their nonelectrical work) with 17 percent.
Strict safety management is a must.
Jeff Koeppel is managing partner of K & B Electric LLC, an electrical and lighting contractor. Contact him at (920) 655-3676 or service@kbelectriccompany.com or go to www.kbelectriccompany.com.
Sony is back with its Xperia lineup, and if you were expecting an all-new design, you may be disappointed. The differences from last year’s lineup are largely internal, though the four smartphones have some unique features that make them stand out.
There are two lines within the main Xperia line that Sony debuted at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. On the lower end of the spectrum are the Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra, and on the opposite end are the Xperia XZ Premium and the Xperia XZs.
The Xperia XZ Premium is available for purchase in the Netherlands through Amazon U.K. and has a price tag of 589 British pounds (around $775), but that release date has since been taken down.
There’s nothing exciting about these devices, as there’s not much of a visible difference from last year. It also doesn’t seem as though the improvements are features consumers would really be interested in, though some of the camera tricks like Predictive Capture seem interesting. We’ll have to see if the Xperia line can take on the intense competition when the phones arrive later this year.
With its 4K HDR display and Snapdragon 835 processor, the 5.5-inch XZ Premium is the cream of the crop.
As far as design goes, there’s not much of a difference from last year’s XZ — save for the camera flash placement on the rear. It comes in chrome and black, and despite its large bezels, the chrome variant makes the smartphone stand out and look gorgeous. It’s wrapped in Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back, and it’s quite the fingerprint magnet.
The Snapdragon 835 is a powerful chip, and it’s likely necessary to keep the 4K HDR display running smoothly. Sony’s Z5 Premium from 2015 only utilized the 4K display for 4K content and the device normally ran at a 1,080-pixel resolution. It’s likely what’s happening here with the XZ Premium, but Sony did not confirm it. Sony took HDR technology from its TVs and brought them into the XZ Premium — meaning you’ll get brighter whites, darker blacks, and more vivid colors.
The XZ Premium comes with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal storage, though a MicroSD card slot lets you upgrade that up to 265GB. It uses a USB Type-C charging port to power the 3,230mAh battery, and the device supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology.
The front selfie camera has 13 megapixels and a 22mm wide-angle lens, but there are two features that make the XZ Premium unique — the first is the 4K HDR screen, which we mentioned, but the second is its rear camera.
The rear camera is packed with 19 megapixels and features 5-axis image stabilization. Sony’s Motion Eye technology allows the device to capture slow-motion video at 960 frames-per-second. It’s incredibly slow, and the effect is stunning. It certainly doesn’t do this at 1,080p, but at a lower resolution. For comparison, the iPhone’s highest slow-motion video recording capability is at 240 frames-per-second at 720p.
Predictive Capture is another neat feature that starts capturing any motion as soon as you open the camera app. When you actually press the shutter button, the camera will save the last four photos from two seconds prior. That way, there’s a higher chance you may have captured a special moment.
Overall, the camera seemed to produce solid photographs in our limited time with the phone, though there was some slight shutter lag. Regular performance seemed fast, as we didn’t experience any lag or stutter.
The Xperia XZs carries a lot of the same features of the XZ Premium, including the camera. What’s different is the screen — it’s Full HD with a smaller 5.2-inch display. It also features the Snapdragon 820 processor. The XZs isn’t as pretty as the XZ Premium. The bezels are huge on the front display, and the back isn’t as interesting as the chrome-colored premium variant.
The Xperia XA1 and XA1 Ultra are on the opposite end of the Xperia lineup from the XZ series — that’s clear from the choice of processor. Both are powered by MediaTek’s Helio P10, and the XA1 comes with 3GB of RAM and the Ultra has 4GB.
If you can’t tell by the names, the Ultra is superior in almost every way. The 6-inch Ultra has a 1,080-pixel resolution and comes with up to 32GB of internal storage. A MicroSD card lets you expand that storage up to 256GB.
It runs Android 7.0 Nougat, and you’ll find a 2,700mAh battery strapped inside. You can charge that through the USB Type-C port on the bottom.
The regular XA1 also runs Nougat and comes with 32GB of internal storage with a MicroSD card slot, but it only has a 5-inch 720-pixel resolution. The front camera is packed with 8 megapixels and a wide-angle lens.
The XA1 series tends to focus more on the front camera for the selfie generation — the Ultra has 16 megapixels, solid low-light capabilities, and can go up to ISO 6,400. The regular XA1 only has 8 megapixels, but both use a 23mm wide-angle lens for group photos. The Ultra has optical-image stabilization in case you’ve got shaky hands.
Both have rear 23-megapixel cameras with ISO 6400 capabilities, but no OIS.
The XA1 Ultra and XA1 both felt quite snappy, but we didn’t have much time to put them through their paces. The cameras also seemed to take decent photographs in our initial tests, but again we did notice some shutter lag.
The Xperia XA1 costs around $260, and is available for purchase from Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers — such as Fry’s and B&H. The XA1 Ultra is also now available from Best Buy for $350.
Update: Xperia XZ Premium is now available in a red color variant.
On Tuesday, Obama commuted a large bulk of the remaining prison sentence of Chelsea Manning — the army intelligence analyst who was sentenced to a 35 years for leaking classified military secrets.
Last week NBC reported that Manning, a transgender woman incarcerated at the male military prison, was on the short list for commutation.
What's next: Manning is set to be freed in five months, on May 17, rather than in 2045.
Poté Speaks on His Latest Single, "Corina's Song"
Born on the eastern shore of St. Lucia and presently residing in London in the UK, bass-rich producer Poté is a key player in the development of global bass' most intriguing movement. But, with the release of "Corina's Song" today on Black Gold Records, he–similar to so many others in his creative circle–expands the thought process for fanatic followers of their progression from being more tropical bass-oriented to the idea that these are all flat-out great producers making some of the world's most intriguing sounds. I had the opportunity to chat with Poté regarding the release of his latest, jungle, drum and bass and break-beat driven production, as well as thoughts on dance music overall at the moment, his creative inspirations, and St. Lucia's love for of all things, country and western music.
Where did the influence come from for "Corina's Song?"
I didn't want people to see me as a tropical bass producer. I wanted to be seen as someone who just makes good music. I made that track two years ago after watching the opening for the Olympics, and I wanted to re-create a Breakage tune. That's why it has breaks and stuff in it. It didn't really work out. The main element I wanted to take from the Breakage stuff is that his more recent stuff has more of a trance-like element to it, , where he can repeat 16-bars of one thing, and you love it. That's what I tried to do with the synth bits, and with the rest of it, I went wild a bit.
I wanted to take you back to when you first realized that music was "a thing" that you were into. Who was the artist or what was the song that made you decide to really get into music overall?
[Rapper] Bow Wow. I can't remember my favorite song. I would have been really young then, but that was the first album my dad bought me.
So, let's move from songs into production. There's always a moment when a music fan decides, "I want to know more, I want to know why the music sounds like it does?" When was that moment for you?
Justice. Yeah, I watched the tour movie for A Cross The Universe and it was crazy. I listened to the album, too. How much distortion was used, how they disobeyed music laws that were there before, they did whatever they wanted.
So, when did you actually start producing and what were you making?
I started making tracks at the age of 15 or 16, maybe around 2009? I was trying to make electro back then. Trying to make more Justice-style stuff.
Intriguing. So when did the crossover with your roots from St. Lucia take more form within the basis of your sound?
That occurred two years ago. It was my dad's influence. I was making "dubsteppier" stuff, and my dad was trying to get me to listen to some of the more [roots-driven] stuff to influence my music. So, I thought I'd try a few, and it ended up that I started making [more roots-tinged music]. Soca's actually one of my dad's favorite genres of music. He's always trying to pull me over and say "Listen to this, listen to this! You should make something that should sound like this!" He's always finding new stuff and sending it to me.
Musical family? Or not so musical family?
No, they're more into sports. My brother does athletics and my father use to be a football coach. I was a long-distance runner, but that got a bit tiring.
Most Do Androids Dance readers know you from "Jabulu," from Enchufada's Upper Cuts Volume Three. How did that track come about for you?
I made it a year ago. It had a completely different beat to it. He doesn't even speak Portuguese! We were messing about, went on Google, and we searched for the pronunciation of some of the words. I just pushed him into doing the vocals for the track, and I made a completely new beat because I didn't think the beat was strong enough. I sent it over to Branko, he liked it, and he wanted to do the Enchufada thing.
"Corina's Song" is out with Black Gold Records, a label that you've released a few tunes with in your career. How is that relationship evolving?
It's going good, I like the team that I'm working with there. They're allowing me the freedom to explore.
So, I wanted to ask you about playing out in London these days. I get this feeling that pop/top-40 in the UK is very similar to what's happening in the U.S., which for DJ/producers always is an issue because what do you do as far as the music you're making if it isn't exactly what the mainstream is wanting to hear?
It's very, very "housey" right now. It makes it a bit harder to play stuff outside of the box, because people will just leave. It's starting to get more diverse as people open up to different sounds, but still very "housey." I make whatever I want - I make a whole heap of it - and then I put some stuff to the side to release.
So, in listening to a lot of your material, I get the sense that a lot of it would do well with vocalists. Who are vocalists and/or other producers that you're interested in potentially collaborating with?
Breakage, Thom Yorke, and Jon Hopkins would be a collaboration, but Elephant Man. Wow. That would be a dream. Major Lazer would be a fun experience too, I'd say.
What are you listening to these days (outside of your own material?
Jackson and His Computer Band, Jon Hopkins, Radiohead & a lot of techno. I'm also listening to a lot of people around me. Castro, Mala Noche, just trying to get with people that are around me and hear what they are doing instead of going too far out. I'm not a fan of listening to a lot of music, actually, to be completely honest.
So, you've mentioned Castro and Mala Noche, so I wanted to ask about the growing clique of progressive bass producers in Europe, including the three of you, as well as Branko, Buraka Som Sistema, King Kong and others. What's it like to be a member of this creative circle?
I went to Red Bull Studios with Branko and Castro. I made so much music after that. It gave me the energy to make music again. And then I started talking to King Kong and Mala Noche. It feels like a little circle of people that I can send tunes to and get good and really honest feedback which I respect.
And finally, St. Lucia. Have you been back home recently?
I went two years ago. It was crazy. Most of it was seeing family. We live in a village on the east coast near the beach. There were a few parties, every Friday or Saturday on the road.
Any designs on playing a set in St. Lucia?
Ah! Yes! it would be the biggest thing ever! I was trying to persuade someone I knew from my childhood to let me go on the radio and do a guest mix. But when I listened to the radio, it's as it stuff really hasn't developed from when I was little [and living] there. Still the same old country and western.
Country and western? In St. Lucia?
So, the obvious follow up is, can we expect any Avicii-style country-soca productions from you especially meant for the crowd back home?
If the first few weeks of Priyanka Gandhi are any indication of her approach to politics, then there appears to be little to differentiate between the two Gandhi siblings. Possibly that should be expected since their think tanks and advisers must be common and shared. It may be prudent to assume that Priyanka may not tread a more individualistic path at this late stage just before the ensuing elections.
That could spell trouble not only for the Congress party but also between the siblings. Differences between siblings would be cannon fodder for the opposition parties and the party will stand to lose. In the given scenario, Priyanka is unlikely to make any appreciable difference to the fortunes of the party. In fact, BJP would be well advised to give her a cold shoulder and not overplay her role as that would give a boost to her stature much beyond what she is or deserves. Rahul Gandhi certainly benefited from the kind of over-attention he received from BJP but Mr Modi. In reality, all that was required to show Rahul Gandhi his real place was for them to just ignore him. That approach would have added to his insecurities and made his position in the party very uncomfortable instead of the consolidation he enjoys today.
Congress seems to be living on mercies of other political parties these days. In UP, both SP and BSP have shown it the door. This despite the fact that the more than hundred-year-old party was ready to accept less than ten seats out of a total of eighty if included in the alliance. But SP and BSP were in no mood to take on a loser on board and refused to agree. So as things stand, Congress may have some serious claims only on two seats – Amethi and Rae Bareilly. It is no secret that BJP will throw all its might to defeat Congress party in both these high profile constituencies that are seen as backyards of the Gandhi family. Smriti Irani is once again contesting from Amethi and will certainly give Rahul a run for his money. Any loss in these two seats will certainly be more than just egg on Congress’ face.
In Delhi Congress thought that by playing hard to get it may be able to browbeat AAP into getting a better seat share but that was not to be. Congress party Delhi Chief, Sheila Dixit, was in no mood to tie up with AAP even though a sizeable section in the party favoured a tie up. Later AAP went around with a begging bowl asking Congress for an alliance but Congress was unable to decide one way or the other. In any case, AAP only wanted to give Congress just one of the seven seats. AAP’s move was primarily a selfish one aimed at securing Congress votes for its own candidates to ensure a win against BJP. Finally, AAP lost patience and declared its candidates for all seven seats foreclosing any chance of an alliance.
In Karnataka, JDS browbeat Congress to secure eight out of a total of 28 seats. Some Congress leaders are rather unhappy at this division including the choice of seats in the alliance. In West Bengal Congress’ alliance with CPI (M) has broken down and it will have to fight alone. This would once again result in a rout for the party as it is unlikely to win more than a couple of seats out of a total of forty. In Maharashtra NCP will be a hard nut to crack for Congress and it will succumb to their demands to seal an alliance at any cost. In northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Congress will matter only in Punjab since it does appear Punjabis are in no mood to forgive SAD leadership headed by Badal and BJP’s alliance with SAD will certainly go against them. In Bihar, RJD will certainly call the shots and Congress may either accept less than ten seats or forget about an alliance.
Congress is highly unlikely to replicate the kind of success it had in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh in the last assembly elections. Many defections of key Congressmen in different states, mostly to BJP, is another matter of concern for the beleaguered party apart from raising doubts over the acceptability of Rahul Gandhi as a leader. Rahul Gandhi telling voters not to vote for BJP sounds more like the blabbering of an old woman these days since he has been mouthing it for too long now.
His inability to give reasons as to why voters must vote for Congress seems to have become a more serious issue now and this is where Rahul has no answers. Congress’ half-hearted and sceptical support for surgical strikes against Pakistan and fight against terror is something for which voters will certainly punish the party. The same logic is perhaps true when Congress mocks government for the unquestionable successes is hot potato called Congress has had in seeking extradition of people like Christian Michael, Deepak Talwar, Vijay Malaya, and now Neerav Modi. Rahul’s corruption charge in Rafael deal is all noise and seems to have run its course of late. His ‘Chowkidar’ barb seems to be turning round to haunt him and his party as BJP is now using it to their advantage.
If BJP’s ‘Congress Mukt’ Bharat was a slogan that did not have many takers, the same is true in turn for Congress’ conduct in last four years that was based on stone walling anything and everything that the BJP government did. In short, a negative and unconstructive approach is what has become the hallmark of Congress in the last five years. A seasoned party that boasts of an unmatched vintage should indeed have been more responsible and pragmatic when it sat on opposition benches. Without a doubt, Congress as a party lacks winning strategies as also leaders who can win it votes.
Congress party had won forty-four seats in the last general elections when the Modi phenomenon was at its peak. As things stand today, it will possibly do better than that and may inch closer to the seventy-five mark (without allies). However, if the party starts to celebrate that as a success and starts singing paeans for Rahul’s leadership, then it will only prove that somewhere in its fight with BJP the grand old party has lost its heart, soul and character. It is time for the party to introspect, particularly on the leadership front. King’s new clothes may make an interesting bedtime story for small kids, but political parties cannot hope to achieve glory or survive in today’s times if their cadres fail to question dubious leadership thrust on them by a doting mother. Is it any wonder that Congress party is like a hot potato today that no other party of substance wants to hold in its hand?
"Peppermint" actress Jennifer Garner created a hilarious meme that parents everywhere will relate to when it comes to sending kids back to school.
Jennifer Garner turns vigilante mother in the thriller "Peppermint" (in theaters Sept. 7), taking on the drug cartel that killed her family.
Her thriller "Peppermint" arrives in theaters Friday. And the three children she shares with her estranged husband, Ben Affleck, are headed back to school.
In an Instagram post, the 46-year-old actress sums up perfectly the spirit of summer's beginning and ending with two hilarious photos, one of which shows her covered in blood, presumably from the movie.
Garner created a meme when she titled the photos, Moms: First day of Summer. Moms: Last day of Summer.
In the first photo, a fresh-faced Garner with a double-wide smile is shown clutching a paper with "Fun Summer Ideas" written on it. The next photo shows a bloodied mom, no doubt having worn through any summer activity ideas and ready to have the house back to herself. The caption includes the hashtags #backtoschool, #iwillmissthembut..., #godblessteachers and #peppermintmovie.