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Copyright by WNCN - All rights reserved FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) - A man who allegedly broke into a Fayetteville home Saturday morning is in the hospital after getting shot by the man who lived there, police said. Police responded to a shooting call at approximately 4:45 a.m. at a home located at 6808 Bianca Place. Copyright by WNCN - All rights reserved The preliminary investigation shows that the resident of the home shot a suspect who was breaking into the home. The unidentified suspect has been transported to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center for non-life threatening injuries, police said. Detectives are investigating the burglary and shooting and are requesting that anyone with information contact them. Anyone with information regarding the burglary and shooting investigation is asked to contact the Fayetteville Police Department at (910) 433-1856 or Crimestoppers at (910) 483-TIPS (8477). Crimestoppers information can also be submitted electronically, by visiting http://fay-nccrimestoppers.org and completing the anonymous online tip sheet or by text-a-tip on your mobile device by sending a message to 274637 (in the text box type "4Tip" followed by your message). This story will be updated as more information becomes available. |
“A crushing head blow is a lethal injury for seals” By SPECIAL TO NUNATSIAQ NEWS JUSTIN NOBEL It happened 11 years ago outside Kimmirut, six years ago in Ivujivik and just last December in Igloolik. This past July it happened again in Nunavik: a polar bear nearly tore someone’s head off. Alice Annanack and her husband, Tommy Baron, were camping near Kangiqsualujjuaq in late July when a young polar bear jumped on Annanack’s back and bit through the top of her head. The bear slashed open her scalp and came just millimetres away from piercing her skull and entering her brain. “When I turned around there was a polar bear,” said Annanack, from her hospital bed at the Montreal General Hospital, in a video posted on the Montreal Gazette website. “He only had to walk two steps to reach me, that’s how close he was.” “My husband couldn’t shoot the bear when he wanted because the polar bear’s head was always around my head,” added Annanack. Eventually, Baron managed to fire a shot into the bear’s hind leg, causing the animal to release his wife. He then shot the polar bear in the head and killed it. As shocking as this story is, it’s a familiar one in the North, where every few years there seems to be an incident of someone narrowly surviving a polar bear attack. In Igloolik last December, a group of hunters looking for their cache of aged walrus meat were attacked by a polar bear with cubs. The scene could have ended badly for the men but 58-year-old John Arnatsiaq shoved a hammer in the mother bear’s mouth, giving another member of the group time to shoot the menacing bears. There is the famous 2006 story from Ivujivik, when tiny Lydia Angyiou tackled a polar bear that was threatening her son and his two friends playing hockey outside the community’s youth center. And in July 1999, a polar mauled an elderly woman to death at a camp near Baker Lake. Her grandson received severe lacerations to his head and face but survived. Attacks are not limited to Nunavut and Nunavik. Gruesome pictures from a 2006 polar bear attack in the Yukon show a man’s scalp split apart like an opened book. Why do polar bears always go for the head? “A crushing head blow is a lethal injury for seals,” said Geoff York, a polar bear expert with the World Wildlife Fund. “But seals have fairly thin skulls that are easy to crush. Fortunately, ours are a bit thicker.” Despite these ferocious attacks, polar bears aren’t nearly as aggressive as other bears, said York. “There are far more attacks and far more attacks with significant human negative outcomes with brown and black bears than there are with polar bears,” he explained. Brown and black bears in North America typically kill a handful of people each year, while in the United States there has only been one polar bear death in the last 100 years, said York. Part of the reason is brown and black bears are more territorial than polar bears, which live on shifting ice floes that are always moving and changing, explained York. Brown and black bears also show up on popular trails and in suburban backyards, where people are not as accustomed to dealing with large predatory animals. But York worries that with more people headed to the Arctic for mining and tourism, polar bear attacks could be on the rise across Nunavut. “There will be more people,” said York, “and they will be less knowledgeable.” In the summer of 2001, four tourists from Quebec were attacked by a polar bear while camping in Katannilik Territorial Park outside Kimmirut. But these were medical professionals with significant outdoor experience. One man jabbed a tiny knife, just 10 centimetres long, into the bear’s neck. Even though one of their group nearly had his jugular severed by the bear, all four were able to canoe back to Kimmirut for help. Not all polar bear stories end so well. Last year, on the island of Svalbard, off the coast of Norway, a group of British teenagers on a camping trip were attacked by a polar bear. It grabbed one by his head and killed another before a guide could finally get a shot off and kill the bear. The tour company was later criticized for their negligence: the explosive trip wire meant to warn people of bears failed and there was no night watchman on duty. Another pressing question is whether climate change and reduced sea ice conditions in the Arctic are causing polar bears to attack more. York explained that less ice does not mean a wave of hungry bears will be coming ashore, but there will be more incidents of hungry bears wandering around communities. “There is every reason to believe given what’s happening with sea ice in the summertime that we’re likely to see more polar bears showing up around human settlements and for longer periods of time,” said York. With more tourists headed to the Arctic this could pose a problem, but there is a bright side. “You have this well of traditional knowledge on polar bear behavior that people can draw on,” said York. “Tour operators should be looking to communities to make sure their tour guides have discussions with hunters prior to starting up their tour season. Or better yet, they should hire local hunters to be their tour guides.” |
Open ... and Shut Open source has long had a strong corporate element to it, perhaps starting in earnest when IBM pledged to spend $1bn on Linux back in 2000. Despite the benefits of corporate funding of open-source software - more money, more source code written - some question whether open source has become too corporate. For those who worry about the commercialisation of open source, I'd like to introduce you to Pedro Algarvio, contributor to the SaltStack project. Algarvio is interesting because he fits the original mold of the open-source developer: he writes code because he loves it, and not because he gets paid to do so. It's easy to overlook such developers, given years of analysis (by me and others) highlighting how GNOME, Linux, Apache, Mozilla and others are fueled by developers paid to contribute open-source code. But Algarvio plays an important role with Salt, an open-source tool used to manage one's infrastructure. In some ways similar to Puppet or Chef, Salt distinguishes itself by being lightning fast and super easy-to-use. Black Duck named Salt one of its 2011 Open Source Rookies. Dave Gruber highlighted its rapid adoption. None of which explains why Algarvio got involved. He's a core contributor to the project, despite having no commercial or other affiliation with the Salt developers. Or even with configuration management or infrastructure management. Algarvio is a sound technician with Portugese National Radio (RTP) in Portugal since 2004, having worked his way toward a music career by handling the sound for a local pub that featured live gigs twice each week, among other things. He doesn't use infrastructure management tools in his day job, per se. I therefore asked him how he came upon Salt, and why he contributes. His answer is classic old-school open source, and very telling as to why open source can be powerful. I'm going to quote him at length: A few years ago I was searching for encrypted ZMQ communication, and Salt came up in a Google search. When I first got acquainted with Salt, my idea was to "fork" its communication layer. Back then, I was trying to create a project that would make my life easier at RTP. My job sometimes includes monitoring the 5 RF (radio frequency) stations we have, their satellite uplink/downlink and web streams. On top of that, we also had about 6 web radio streams (we now have 15). Of course we have problem detection systems, but not all problems are solved by our current system, eg, phase problems, specially on the web streams front. I had already coded a basic the monitoring system using GStreamer, but it was attached to a desktop (PyGTK). I needed to pursue a client/server communication approach: one server doing the monitoring with several clients getting notified of the problems. When I was taking Salt for a spin to see if I could fork its communication layer, by then Thomas [Hatch, Salt's founder] was pretty busy hacking Salt's internals, I found some bugs that I was able to solve and saw that it had a limited logging support. My first contribution was to be able to install Salt without being root. I contributed what I could at that stage and reached the conclusion that just forking Salt's communication layer was going to be cumbersome and hard to maintain as a separate project as it evolved. On top of that, the project that I was working on at that time was also getting cold and I was getting less enthusiastic with it. It was something I was doing without being asked for, on my free time, and sometimes you just need someone to give you a little push. Pedro's contributions to Salt I ended [up] dropping out of the Salt community for about a year, if not more. I returned because I reached to the same dead end. I needed a fast, encrypted, messaging system for yet another project idea. Salt had it! This time I wasn't going to fork Salt, I was going to make it work for me :) So, I got my hands dirty again. I ended up adding some more stuff to the logging work I had previously done and adding a basic shell parser which should show Salt's dependencies versions to help on bug reports. Afterwards I added its current parser system, then I got in touch with its testing suite. I hated unit testing at this stage. Yes, it it was very useful but creating test cases was a pain. I now love getting a bug reproduced in a test case, which is my first step when I get to a bug, afterwards, I hack until it's fixed. (It's still a pain to create test cases, I just have more fun at it now.) When I first contributed to Salt, I wasn't aware of what Salt could really do. Now, I have a bigger idea, and I see a really bright future ahead….The more I get into Salt's code, the more I grasp what it can do, the more things I want it to do, the more hooked I get into it. It's like a sugar rush, once you start hacking, you just can't stop! Algarvio had a need for Salt, but his use case doesn't neatly fit into "configuration management" or any of the other industry definitions we could give to Salt. There is no way that a product manager at some proprietary software company would ever have thought to reach out to Algarvio. Frankly, there's no way that Salt's Thomas Hatch would have, either. But being open source, the code is hosted on GitHub and invites the Pedro Algarvios of the world to discover, download, fork, and use the code, however they want. And to contribute back if they see fit. In Algarvio's case, he definitely "sees fit." As he told me, "I prefer and tend to only use open source software. If I'm able to contribute back to the open source projects I use, hell yes, I'll contribute back, the world will be a better place!" He's right. And he's not getting paid to say that, either. For years I've focused on the IBMs to the exclusion of the Pedro Algarvios of open source. That's a mistake. It takes both kinds of contributions to make open source work: the corporate suit and the hacker enthusiast. ® |
When you drive through an intersection and look at up a traffic signal, it doesn’t look that big, right? Well, they are actually quite large. The most common comment we get from people on the street is about how large a signal is when you actually see one up close. Below, our electrician Brian Tuck, who is 6’1″, stands next to a standard 3 section signal with 12” lights. In 2009, the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, which is the federal standard, required all new signals to change from 8” lights to 12” lights, so they are more visible to drivers. Another surprisingly large item that we install are the overhead directional signs that you see at some signaled intersections. These signs are different than the smaller, street name signs that you see on most street corners. Below, Brian is standing next to a standard Street Designation Sign. Again, these signs don’t look that big when you drive by, but up close they are as tall as Brian (6’1″). And if the street name is extra-long, the sign can be even longer – the “Martin Luther King Jr Way S” sign is 8 feet long! For more information about signals or signs contact Brian Forsythe at brian.forsythe@seattle.gov or at 206-386-1538. |
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has published its list of the world’s top 100 arms manufacturers. Overall, the 100 largest defense contractors totaled $401... The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has published its list of the world’s top 100 arms manufacturers. Overall, the 100 largest defense contractors totaled $401 billion in sales 2014, though the actual number is probably even higher, because the list excludes Chinese companies “due to the lack of data.” This is a healthy chunk of the total worldwide military expenditure during the same year, which was $1.776 trillion including China. In other words — of every dollar that governments around the world spent on their militaries in 2014, about 23 cents ended up in the pockets of one of the 100 companies on SIPRI’s list, many of which are privately owned. However, there are some interesting regional discrepancies. To put it simply, nobody profits from selling weapons nearly as much as U.S. defense companies and even among those, Lockheed Martin is the 800-pound gorilla. The Maryland-based firm sold arms and services worth $37.47 billion in 2014, according to SIPRI, leaps and bounds ahead of its closest rival, Boeing, which still made a cool $28.30 billion. SIPRI predicts Lockheed Martin’s revenue from defense goods and services to exceed $40 billion in 2015, owing to the acquisition of Sikorsky Aircraft, which manufactures the UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter among other products, and would be ranked 24th on the list by itself. Overall, American companies take 54.4 percent of the total revenue of all 100 companies on the list. Seven of the top 10 arms manufacturers — and 38 of the top 100 — are based in the United States. Above — a French Rafale multi-role jet at the Dubai Air Show 2013. Alexander Babashov/Flickr photo. At top — F-35A in 2013. U.S. Air Force photo The ranking becomes even more lopsided if you look at the Western Hemisphere as a whole. The three non-American companies in the top 10 are all Western European, with British BAE Systems beating out the trans-European Airbus Group and Italian Finmeccanica in terms of arms sales. Together, Western European and American businesses took home 80.3 percent of the revenue of all companies on the top 100 list. Of course, there is a big red elephant in the room. “China’s military spending increased more than fivefold in real terms between 2000 and 2014 and the country has engaged in major efforts to develop its domestic industry,” SIPRI’s researchers noted. Based on the data that is available, they estimate that of China’s 10 largest defense contractors, all government owned, nine would be included in the SIPRI top 100 list based on their revenue. Furthermore, four to six would likely be in the top 20, and two — “the aircraft producer AVIC and the land systems producer Norinco” — may even be in the top 10. There are other indications that Western dominance of the global defense industry may be on the wane. American and Western European companies saw revenues decrease by 3.2 percent compared to 2013, leading to an overall decrease of 1.5 percent of revenues for the whole list. This probably reflects tighter purse strings in Western governments, which are still reeling from the fallout of the 2008 economic crisis. Among Western countries, only Germany and Switzerland increased their sales, both thanks to a single company. In Germany, shipbuilder ThyssenKrupp saw its revenues increase by almost 30 percent, thanks to a booming market for its diesel-electric submarines. Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft benefited from a higher demand for its trainer aircraft. Russian troops during a military exercise. Russian Ministry of Defense photo In contrast, it must have been a year for champagne and caviar for Russian companies on SIPRI’s list, which increased their sales by almost 50 percent compared to 2013. This is not necessarily surprising. Russia is spending lavishly to modernize its military, and spending without a doubt has increased due to Russia’s intervention in Ukraine in 2014. Now with the Russian intervention in Syria, Russian companies probably again had a breakout year. But American and Western European firms will likely continue to dominate the rankings for years to come. Their lead over competitors is too great to decline substantially in the short term. But we can expect they will continue to lose revenue — both in absolute and relative terms — to companies from other parts of the world. Let’s face it. Western military spending, especially in the United States, is already at an absurdly high level. With basically everyone agreeing that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were failures and domestic politics focusing on austerity, defense companies should not count on Western governments to go on a spending spree anytime soon. report this ad But at the same time, the defense sector remains a bastion of protectionist policies. While Western businesses are better positioned to profit from the international arms market than anybody else due to their high-tech goods, several up-and-coming countries are trying to build up their own defense sectors. China may be the obvious example, but others include Brazil, India, South Korea and Turkey. According to SIPRI, these “emergent” players are strategically investing into their defense industries, both to secure a local supply for their own armed forces and to better position their — often state-owned — manufacturers on international markets. These companies generally offer less advanced but seriously cheaper alternatives to products offered by Western companies. Brazil’s light, multi-role Super Tucano turboprop comes to mind. Add Russia into the mix, which can offer sophisticated military hardware at lower cost, and Western firms could face real problems. Which is probably why you see companies such as Lockheed Martin spend $10.6 million lobbying Congress in 2015 to keep the faucet open. |
Happy birthday, HoloLens! A huge thank you to our community. By Alex Kipman / Technical Fellow, Microsoft Share Share Skype Exactly 365 days ago, I was onstage at Microsoft’s annual Build conference with my dear friend and colleague Kudo Tsunoda. We had the once in a lifetime privilege of announcing on behalf of our teams that the first Microsoft HoloLens devices had officially begun shipping. Today, we celebrate HoloLens turning one years old. The last year has been remarkable. Over 150 exclusive mixed reality apps are now available in the Windows Store. HoloLens is available in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, France, Germany, New Zealand, United Kingdom, and the United States and we will begin to ship in China before summer. We have expanded the promise of mixed reality by making it attainable for everyone. Windows Mixed Reality, the HoloLens software platform, is built into Windows 10, opening an ecosystem of hardware and software that will revolutionize how we interact with people, places and things. In the coming year, you will begin to hear more about HoloLens and Windows Mixed Reality headsets coexisting, making collaboration across devices magical. While we always had dreams for HoloLens and the universe of mixed reality, we knew that some of the greatest innovations would come from the creativity, talent and unique perspectives from our broader community. As expected, our community has delivered. In the past year, among many other amazing ideas, the HoloLens community has created: HoloGuide – an application that enables users to safely navigate a low-visibility environment (like a smoke-filled room) and avoid obstacles using HoloLens’ environmental awareness and spatial sound capabilities. HoloHear – a real-time speech-to-sign-language interpreter for the deaf. Teomirn – an app that teaches piano by overlaying holographic prompts and instructions over the keys of a real piano. To every developer who has a HoloLens and is working to create within the world of mixed reality, thank you for your passion and imagination. You are an inspiration to me and everyone on the team. It has been incredible to see what our commercial partners have done, how they have used HoloLens to transform their businesses. From Lowe’s to Legendary Entertainment, NASA to Stryker, mixed reality continues to provide real and demonstrable benefits in ways not previously possible. Our partners and customers show us every day that the possibilities are truly limitless. In addition, we’re so very proud of the great work from our Agency Readiness Partners, which have built fantastic, compelling solutions for organizations such as Major League Soccer, Paccar, Stanford Medical School, Skanska and more. In fact, we recently added six new European studios to our roster of partners. The team here at Microsoft would like to extend our sincerest thanks to every person who has taken those first steps alongside us. You’ve helped us to build the foundation for the world of mixed reality and I can’t wait to see where we go, together, from here. We will have more to share with you at Microsoft’s Build 2017 conference in May. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me on Twitter, and please continue to share your creative HoloLens concepts and applications. It always makes our day! Alex Updated February 16, 2018 8:37 am |
Unpack your emotional baggage and prepare to battle your mental demons; the very first trailer for Psychonauts 2 premiered tonight at The Game Awards, and you can watch it below! Join our Discord and let us know what you thought! Tim’s legendary adventure game Grim Fandango turned 20 this week! To celebrate we’ve partnered with our friends iam8bit and LucasFilm to release a a physical edition of the game for PS4, and a vinyl soundtrack, both shipping early next year. The special physical edition is region free for PS4. It has a fancy cardboard outer sleeve featuring the new artwork Peter Chan created for the remastered release, and the game case itself has reversible artwork from Lee Petty and Holly Rothrock. Inside the case you’ll find a golden train ticket for the Number Nine, which will take you all the way to the land of eternal rest speedily, and in style. The Grim Fandango Remastered Vinyl Soundtrack is a special 20th Anniversary Director’s Cut from Peter McConnell, spread across two LPs, and featuring the many faces of Manny on a special Die-cut record sleeve. Both Vinyl Soundtrack and Physical Edition will ship early next year, but you pre order today from Iam8bit! To celebrate its 20th Anniversary, Grim Fandango is now available on Nintendo Switch, Hijole! Pick it up for $14.99 from the eShop, and stow it safely in your inventory! Pick it up today from the Nintendo eShop, or hold on tight for the physical version, coming soon from Limited Run Games! We’re very excited to announce a new Double Fine Presents title - a very special sequel, it’s Samurai Gunn 2, from Beau Blyth! In Samurai Gunn 2, a mad emperor pushes to expand the city at a ridiculous pace, while an epidemic of gunpowder overdoses is on the rise, and old spirits are creeping back into the world. A princess, a golem, a samurai knight, and a homeless girl all have a part in rewriting the fate of Gunn City forever. Samurai Gunn 2 will feature a new, expansive adventure mode and an updated versus mode. Players will venture with a friend through a medieval metropolis on the brink of crisis, armed with only a sword, a gunn, and three bullets per life. They’ll have to fight or fly past their foes to discover the mystery behind Gunn City’s ghostly threat… or battle together with a group of two to four friends in versus mode with improved controls, new levels and new characters. Every decision matters, since one hit is all that separates victory from defeat. The original Samurai Gunn was prized for its simplicity and depth. Samurai Gunn 2 expands on that depth with a new mechanic that makes every encounter even more exciting. Crush a bullet between your teeth to send yourself flying in a plume of smoke. “Good design means the player always has a meaningful choice to make,” said Beau Blyth. “The game immediately became so much more fun when the gunnpowder dash was added. There’s a Rock-Paper-Scissors effect now. Sword beats Gun beats Dash beats Sword.” Samurai Gunn 2 will feature Trigger Soul, a full-length graphic novel by acclaimed French comic creator Valentin Seiche in collaboration with PEOW Studio. It will also feature a new soundtrack composed by legendary rapper/producer/poet Adam “Doseone” Drucker (Samurai Gunn, Enter the Gungeon, Gang Beasts). Samurai Gunn 2 is heading to Nintendo Switch and PC early next year! KO_OP’s vivid multicolored puzzle adventure game GNOG is out today for PC and Mac, with VR support for Rift and Vive! GNOG is one of our Double Fine Presents titles; a 3D tactile puzzle game that’s a virtual toy filled with happy, colorful kaleidoscopic secrets. Players explore a series of worlds, each with stunningly vibrant visuals accompanied by entrancing beats from composer Marskye (Boyfriend Dungeon). Each level takes place inside a uniquely charming and delightful monster head, waiting to be prodded, poked, grabbed, pulled, and flipped around to reveal all the stories and mysteries within. Fill your screen with the vivid world of GNOG on PC or Mac, or get some face-to-face time by immersing yourself in VR. Either way, get ready to turn some heads! Pick it up today for a 10% discount, and note that GNOG is already available PS4, PSVR and iOS with AR support! Oculus Steam Itch GOG At E3 we debuted two new colorful trailers for two forthcoming colorful games, watch them both below! Last night, as part of E3 Coliseum, the original voice cast of Grim Fandango reunited for a live table reading to celebrate the game’s 20th anniversary. This special one-off event was presented and narrated by Tim, accompanied by music from Peter McConnell and Clint Bajakian, and supported by Jack Black who brought along his very best accents to play various side characters throughout. It was a truly magical evening which brought together actors who hadn’t all met before, let alone performed together, and felt like a true celebration of a game that is very close to our hearts. We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity to put this together, and for the support given to us by Geoff Keighley and his team. Thank you! The whole thing is now available to watch online, and we highly recommend you dive in right away - you don’t want to be late to the poisoning do you? We are very excited to say that we are working to bring Grim Fandango Remastered and Broken Age to Nintendo Switch! More info soon! |
DENVER, CO – Before a crowd of student competitors near the 61st and Peña Station in Denver, Colorado, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas took first place in the Innovation Contest, and Northwestern University won the Communications Contest of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Solar Decathlon 2017. For the Innovation Contest, the collegiate competitors were judged on how well they demonstrated a thoughtful approach to innovation, rather than being limited solely to off-the-shelf solutions, in the design and construction of houses that integrate renewable energy systems and energy-efficient technologies. The Communications Contest rated each team’s effectiveness in communicating the features of their house and their experiences during this project to jurors and the public through a variety of media including websites, audiovisual presentations, displays and tours. For the first time in Solar Decathlon history, teams are taking home prize money. First place in the overall competition (to be announced tomorrow) will win $300,000; second place wins $225,000; third place wins $150,000; fourth place wins $125,000; and fifth through eleventh place will win $100,000 each. “The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon gives these dedicated students the hands-on experience they need to land jobs in the energy workforce,” said Linda Silverman, Director of the Solar Decathlon for the Energy Department. “The Solar Decathlon and its Innovation and Communications contests prepare hundreds of students with the interdisciplinary skills they need to research, develop and communicate — and help educate others about —innovative building technologies that address global energy challenges such as reliability, resilience, and security.” The Solar Decathlon involves 10 contests that evaluate architecture, market potential, engineering, communications, innovation, water, health and comfort, appliances, home life, and the level of energy produced versus energy consumed. Each contest is worth 100 points – for a possible total of 1,000 points. For the Innovation Contest, the jury focused on research, sustainability, appropriateness to the target market, durability and safety of the innovative features of each house. University of Nevada, Las Vegas earned 98 points to win the Innovation Contest. George Karyayannis, Vice President of CityNOW with Panasonic Enterprise Solutions, presented the first place award in front of an audience that included government officials, Solar Decathlon student team members and visitors to the event. "Jurors were impressed by the development of a heat exchanger which, coupled with research and development for a target market, is solid and impressive,” Karyayannis said. “The team’s approach to prototyping of a motorized counter, an outdoor design space, and a student-designed-and-built software app with voice control clearly solves a problem for development for a target market.” Maryland claimed second place with 93 points, and Missouri S&T took third place with 90 points. The Innovation Contest results will be available at https://www.solardecathlon.gov/2017/competition-scores.html. Communication skills are critical to helping visitors to the event understand the practical applications of energy-saving technologies and how products available today can help households save money. A jury of communications professionals awarded Communications Contest points to teams for the quality, creativity, delivery and innovation of their outreach messages, onsite tours, and educational strategies. The jury evaluated communication strategy, electronic communications, public exhibit materials, and public exhibit presentation. In the Communications Contest, Northwestern earned 96 points to win the contest. Charlie Gay, DOE Director of the Solar Energy Technologies Office in the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, presented the first-place award. “On the tour, jurors said the team provided relevant information, clear language and narratives," Gay said. “The students included strong messaging to their target market, engaged visitors throughout the tour, and presented a narrative that left a crisp, yet highly appealing impression.” UC Davis finished second in the Communications Contest with 85 points, followed by the Swiss Team in third place with 75 points. Full details about the Communications Contest results are available at https://www.solardecathlon.gov/2017/competition-scores.html. The teams currently in the overall lead for Solar Decathlon 2017 are the Swiss Team, Maryland, and the Netherlands, respectively. For current standings scored in real-time, visit: https://www.solardecathlon.gov/2017/competition-scores.html. Results from the Engineering and Market Potential Contest and the overall winner of the Solar Decathlon will be announced tomorrow, October 14, at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time in the Wells Fargo Education Tent. Cast a vote for your favorite Solar Decathlon house to win the People's Choice Award. Anyone with a Facebook profile can submit a single vote in the poll through October 14 at midnight. The People’s Choice Award winner will be broadcast live on Solar Decathlon’s Facebook page on October 15, 2017, at roughly 10:45 a.m. MDT from the Victory Breakfast. Solar Decathlon 2017 teams competing in Denver, Colorado Las Vegas: University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada) University of Nevada, Las Vegas (Las Vegas, Nevada) Maryland: University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland) University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland) Missouri S&T: Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, Missouri) Missouri University of Science and Technology (Rolla, Missouri) Netherlands: HU University of Applied Science Utrecht (Utrecht, Netherlands) HU University of Applied Science Utrecht (Utrecht, Netherlands) Northwestern: Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) Northwestern University (Evanston, Illinois) Swiss Team: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, School of Engineering and Architecture Fribourg, Geneva University of Art and Design, and the University of Fribourg (Lausanne, Switzerland) Team Alabama: University of Alabama at Birmingham and Calhoun Community College (Birmingham, Alabama) University of Alabama at Birmingham and Calhoun Community College (Birmingham, Alabama) Team Daytona Beach: Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Daytona State College (Daytona Beach, Florida) Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Daytona State College (Daytona Beach, Florida) UC Berkeley/U of Denver: University of California, Berkeley, and University of Denver (Berkeley, California) University of California, Berkeley, and University of Denver (Berkeley, California) UC Davis: University of California, Davis (Davis, California) University of California, Davis (Davis, California) Wash U – St. Louis: Washington University (St. Louis, Missouri) The Solar Decathlon houses are open to the public for free tours today through Sunday, October 15, from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Ride the University of Colorado A line commuter rail to the event site at the 61st and Peña Station (search Google Maps for Solar Decathlon) near Denver International Airport. Free parking will be available, as well as $2.00 parking in the solar-covered parking lot operated by RTD (see directions and a map). For full event information, current standings, high-resolution photos, and videos, visit www.SolarDecathlon.gov. You may also follow the competition in real time on Facebook at Facebook.com/DOESolarDecathlon and Twitter at @Solar_Decathlon. Photos are also available on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/solar_decathlon/. More about the Solar Decathlon The U.S. Department of Energy Solar Decathlon is a collegiate competition made up of 10 contests that challenge student teams to design and build full-size, solar-powered houses. The winner of the competition is the team that best blends design excellence and smart energy production with innovation, market potential, and energy and water efficiency. Competing students gain hands-on experience and unique training that prepares them to enter the energy workforce. Solar Decathlon is more than a student competition. It’s an intensive learning experience for consumers and homeowners as they experience the latest technologies and materials in energy-efficient design, innovative energy technologies, smart home solutions, water conservation measures, electric vehicles, and sustainable buildings. Solar Decathlon 2017 is made possible by a public-private partnership between the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Energetics Incorporated, with the generous support of the Solar Decathlon 2017 Supporting sponsors Wells Fargo, the City and County of Denver, and Denver International Airport (DEN), and Solar Decathlon 2017 Contributing sponsors L.C. Fulenwider, Schneider Electric, Regional Transportation District, Xcel Energy and Panasonic Enterprise Solutions. |
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights are widely diverse in Europe per country. 14 out of the 25 countries that have legalised same-sex marriage worldwide are situated in Europe. A further fifteen European countries have legalised civil unions or other forms of more limited recognition for same-sex couples. Additionally, Armenia, Estonia and Lithuania recognise legally performed same-sex marriages overseas, but do not perform them. The constitutions of Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Georgia, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Montenegro, Serbia, Slovakia and Ukraine recognise marriage only as a union of one man and one woman, and thus ban same-sex marriage. The top three European countries in terms of LGBT equality according to ILGA-Europe are Malta, Norway and the United Kingdom.[1][2] Contents History Edit Recent developments Edit Public opinion around Europe Edit Legislation by country or territory See also Edit Notes Edit A Scottish parliament has since legalised it. |
The Accident That Didn't Happen (Breaking the accident chain through experience and knowing your limits.) FindaPilot guest post by: Clint White CEO Jet Right Aviation Services/Jet Sales Representative- SkyWater Group FindaPilot Member since 2008 As any good pilot knows, flying can be a stressful job. Some days the skies are sunny, the winds light and everything goes according to plan. Then, there are the days almost nothing goes you way. Lousy, weather and late schedules can put a stress on even the best of pilots. Wether those days are good or bad, it is the responsibility of each and every pilot to maintain the highest levels of safety and of these, the most important is recognizing when risk factors occur and the accident chain begins to build. It is imperative that you recognize the building of that chain and to make sure you break it BEFORE that accident happens. Case in point.... I was flying a trip the other day for my client. The weather was good with scattered thunderstorms, but the departure would be later in the day. I estimated there would still be more than enough daylight to get to the destination before sundown (the field was day VFR only) and I always take time to plan my fuel and flight for any contingency, but sometimes the best laid plans go awry… The trip was international, so we had to make a stop at customs. The process was slow and took much longer than planned. When we departed for the destination the sun was already going down, but it still looked like we could make the airport before sunset, but you cant say the pressure wasn’t on to complete the mission. About 20 miles from the destination things were getting dark quickly then I noticed a pretty good line of weather between us and the destination. It was tempting to try to make it before it was dark, in the weather, and with your own personal need to keep the client happy to get to the airport, but this is where experience kicks in. As a pilot you need to see the risk factors quickly building, the links in the chain being forged by the second. That’s when your training, your experience, and frankly that little voice in your head starts to say that “This is not legal, not safe and too close to the edge of your limits” and that is exactly what mine was telling me. Fortunately I already had by “plan B” in mind and knew of an instrument airport nearby that we could land safely at night. I told my client that due to the multiple factors we were dealing with we would be diverting to that airport, spend the night and head to the destination airport in the morning. He's a great client and had no problem with that idea. So instead of trying for force the airplane to the destination we “broke the chain”, diverted to the other airport, and had a nice dinner with a good rest. Early the next morning we proceeded under daylight and good weather to the destination airport. In your current or new position keep looking for the building of those links in the chain. Recognize the risk factors, learn to break the chain and make sure that your flight becomes “the accident that didn’t happen”`` Have you had a similar experience in your flight career? Please feel free to submit your story in the comments section below. |
Four charged over Rivervale murder Updated Four people have been charged over the murder of a Hamersley man whose body was found yesterday in the back of a car. The body of 38-year-old father Mite Naumovski was found wrapped in plastic in the back of a four wheel drive at the Great Eastern Motor Lodge yesterday afternoon. The find follows an intense police investigation over the past week, which centred on two northern suburbs properties. Police are alleging a 28 year old man attended the home of Mr Naumovski's parents in Hamersley two weeks ago, firing a number of shots at the house before fleeing the scene. Police allege Mr Naumovski then went armed to a Nollamara house where he was shot dead by the 28 year old man. The man has been charged with murder, while two women and another man are appearing as accessories for helping dispose of Mr Naumovski's body. All four are appearing before Perth Magistrates Court today. Detective Inspector Dave Bryson says the further charges may arise from police investigations "There has been a number of firearms that have been seized and over four ounces of methyl amphetamine has been seized as well and there will be further charges pending relating to those seizures," he said. Topics: murder-and-manslaughter, rivervale-6103, hamersley-6022 First posted |
I spent a good chunk of last week reading and summarizing the five Republican plans to fix Obamacare if the Supreme Court rules against the law. It was an ... educational experience. Now that I understand how, exactly, various Republicans plan to respond to Obamacare's insurance subsidies disappearing, I'm more convinced that Republicans as a whole won't pass any plan at all. The problem is that all five Republican plans try to fix Obamacare and repeal Obamacare at the same time. The result is that all five plans try to fix a political problem for Republicans — the Supreme Court, at the behest of the Republican Party, has just ripped insurance from millions of Americans — by creating a new political problem for Republicans. Republican plans try to fix a political problem for Republicans by creating a new one The core problem here is that the Republican plans are trying to restore Obamacare subsidies that Republicans actually want to eliminate. So they have to show they're anti-Obamacare in other ways, by doing things like repealing the individual mandate or the ban on preexisting condition discrimination. But those changes will unleash another sort of chaos on the market — undercutting the whole motivation for taking action in the first place. Indeed, the irony of many of the Republican plans is that they create the exact disaster scenario health-care observers worried about with the 2012 Supreme Court ruling: a health reform law without an individual mandate. Under Republican plans, premiums would still spike — and the individual market would still shrink Sen. Ron Johnson's plan would end the individual mandate. So would the proposal from Reps. John Kline, Fred Upton, and Paul Ryan. Rep. Tom Price's goes a step further, repealing the individual mandate and the ban on preexisting conditions. Health economists universally agree that without an individual mandate, Obamacare premiums would increase (they do quibble over the amount, ballparking it anywhere from 2 to 40 percent). This is why the 2012 ruling on the Supreme Court's individual mandate was such a big deal: it threatened to get rid of a policy crucial to keeping Obamacare's premiums affordable. Without the individual mandate, young and healthy people would likely flee the market — with relatively low health-care costs, they don't have an especially strong motivation to purchase coverage. Premiums would skyrocket, and the market could easily go into a "death spiral," with increasingly sick enrollees who have really high medical bills signing up. This is what the Republican plan to fix Obamacare would look like: replacing one type of chaos in the individual market with another. Republicans don't want to fix Obamacare Republicans could, hypothetically, pass a much simpler piece of legislation: one that just restores subsidies without changing other parts of the law. Legislators have made it increasingly clear they do not plan on doing that. Let’s be clear: if Supreme Court rules against Admin, Congress will not pass ‘one-sentence’ fake fix #KingvBurwell http://t.co/0gEjvK3SZC — Sen. John Barrasso (@SenJohnBarrasso) June 8, 2015 Alternatively, legislators could try to kill off some program not related to the insurance expansion — the medical device tax and the Cadillac tax are often two popular repeal targets. But those wins aren't as big for Republicans, so legislators have set their sights on bigger prizes, like the much-detested individual mandate. If these twin goals of fixing Obamacare and replacing Obamacare remain intertwined, it's hard to see what legislators have to win from passing these plans. They'll prevent the premium spikes that would happen if the subsidies disappear — and replace them with the premium spikes that happen when young people disappear. And if chaos is the inevitable result of either situation, why bother passing anything at all? And they still don't know what to replace Obamacare with Speaking on the Senate floor last month, Sen. Christopher Murphy summarized the Republicans' response plan to the eventual King ruling with a powerful symbol: the internet's much-beloved shruggie. As flip as the symbol it is, it's not a terrible way to summarize the Republican plans' for handling an anti-Obamacare ruling. Most of them include a few years of transitional subsidies, to help prevent chaos in the individual market with millions losing financial help at a moment's notice. But after that? Well, that's where it gets pretty ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. In the Johnson plan, for example, there's a proposal to extend subsidies for an additional two years, through 2017. But there's no plan for what happens after that. It doesn't prevent chaos; it delays chaos for two years. One assumption embedded in these proposals is that Republicans will come up with a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare — they just need a little more time. But Republicans have had five years to come up with an Obamacare replacement, and they have nothing to show for it. It's getting a bit hard to believe their replacement plan is still just around the corner. |
As the GOP descends into civil war, there are growing signs that both parties are turning their focus on winning key congressional seats The Republican party’s descent into civil war has revived Democratic hopes of an improbable treble by winning the presidency, House and Senate, allowing Hillary Clinton to pursue an aggressive agenda without the obstacles that have faced Barack Obama. With Donald Trump’s campaign at risk of imploding, there are growing signs that both parties are focusing on the battle for Congress, where Republicans have everything to lose and could find Trump dragging them underwater like a drowning man. Trump’s apparent declaration of war against the House speaker, Paul Ryan, and the Republican establishment on Tuesday will have done little to soothe nerves. Republican members of Congress seeking re-election now face the perilous choice of whether to risk alienating moderates or angering Trump diehards. Some are evidently trying to have their cake and eat it. The Senate consists of 54 Republicans, 44 Democrats and two independents, both of whom caucus with the Democrats. The House breaks down as 246 Republicans and 186 Democrats with three vacancies. This year was always going to be an uphill battle for Republicans in hoping to retain the Senate. Democrats are defending just 10 seats while the GOP has to hold on to 24. Democrats also tend to do better in a presidential election year with higher turnout. Paul Ryan can't escape from Trump's shipwreck of the Republican party | Richard Wolffe Read more If Clinton wins the White House, Democrats need to take only four seats to gain control because the vice-president has the casting vote in the event of a tie. But key Senate races, which include presidential battlegrounds such as New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Nevada, have remained competitive. The House also seemed to be safe in Republican hands, due in significant part to the gerrymandering that has made districts more partisan. Despite Democrats’ best efforts to cast their opponents as the “Party of Trump”, few signs have pointed to the brash real estate mogul being as deadly to down-ballot candidates as they once feared. But last Friday’s release of an 11-year-old video in which Trump boasted about sexual assault have again shaken the party to its core. As his poll numbers plunge, there are fears that independent and even some Republican voters will turn against the party, or at least stay at home on election day, potentially handing Democrats a crucial advantage. Suddenly the Senate looks in grave jeopardy and even the House could be in play again. Voters support Democrats over Republicans for Congress by seven percentage points, according to an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll taken after the release of the tape but before Sunday night’s presidential debate. Democrats have been looking to tie candidates to Trump for some time and are now intensifying their efforts. One TV ad for a House seat in Wisconsin attacks Republican Mike Gallagher by playing the Trump video and stating: “Mike Gallagher still says we have to support Donald Trump. No, we don’t. We don’t have to support Mike Gallagher either.” Among the most vulnerable incumbent Republican senators are Kelly Ayotte in New Hampshire, Richard Burr in North Carolina, Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, Mark Kirk in Illinois, and Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania. Also facing tough re-election battles are senators Rob Portman of Ohio, Marco Rubio of Florida and John McCain in Arizona, who have managed to run parallel races to Trump despite endorsing him. Republican mega-donors ramp up efforts to hold Congress after Trump tape Read more In the wake of the lewd tape, Ayotte, Portman and McCain rescinded their support for Trump. So did Joe Heck, who is running for the open Senate seat in Nevada that is being vacated by the retiring minority leader, Harry Reid. Rubio, who ran unsuccessfully against Trump in the Republican presidential primary, stuck by his former rival on Tuesday. “I have never hesitated to oppose his policies I disagree with. And I have consistently rejected his offensive rhetoric and behavior,” Rubio said in a statement that captured the awkward contortions of many Republicans. “I disagree with him on many things, but I disagree with his opponent on virtually everything. I wish we had better choices for president. But I do not want Hillary Clinton to be our next president.” Rubio has led his Democratic challenger Patrick Murphy in most polling of the Florida Senate race, the latest being a University of North Florida survey showing the senator up by seven points. But an NBC News/ Wall Street Journal poll also released this week showed Rubio with just a two-point advantage among likely voters, proving the contest is far from over. Both polls were also conducted before the controversy over Trump’s tapes, which Murphy has sought to capitalize on. The congressman appeared with Hillary Clinton at a rally in Miami on Tuesday, paraphrasing Michelle Obama’s speech at the Democratic convention: “When Donald Trump goes low, Marco Rubio is right there with him.” Other Republican senators continued to walk a tightrope, uncertain whether to embrace Trump or denounce him and risk a backlash from his vociferous supporters. In Pennsylvania, Toomey trails Democratic rival Katie McGinty by one point, according to the Huffington Post’s average of publicly available polling. Toomey has made sharp criticisms of Trump but not yet made clear whether he will vote for him. The challenge of holding Trump at arm’s length, while acknowledging that victory may elude them without his enthusiastic army of supporters, was apparent as Republicans sought to mitigate the damage from his comments about women. Ryan was jeered at a rally in Wisconsin for criticizing Trump, while Heck and the former Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney faced similar protests at a campaign event in Nevada. “They risk alienating the most loyal Trump supporters if they denounce him. And they’re still going to be criticised by Democrats for supporting him for months,” Eric Herzik, chairman of the political science department at the University of Nevada, Reno, told USA Today. Obama savages Trump's groping boast and urges party to abandon him Read more “I don’t think you can walk back your support for Trump at this point and actually gain voters. The best you can hope for is you might limit the bleeding.” In the House, Democrats can target Republicans in 26 districts that Obama won four years ago. He came close in a further 23 districts. Some of the most vulnerable Republicans have denounced Trump in recent days. Barbara Comstock of northern Virginia has been a longtime critic of him but Democratic challenger LuAnn Bennett has thrown Trump at her on the debate stage and in commercials. For now, the true down-ballot impact of Trump’s recent crash remains unclear. Jennifer Duffy, senior editor of the non-partisan Cook Political Report, who has been closely tracking the races, said: “I understand why Democrats are optimistic but that optimism isn’t based on any meaningful data yet.” Shaun Bowler, professor of political science at the University of California, Riverside, had a similar assessment. “It isn’t clear – or at least not from the data that are public yet – just how much damage Trump is doing to the GOP brand,” Bowler said. “Yes, there are lots of hardliners sticking by him regardless – it just isn’t clear though whether that support will translate into a win for candidates lower down the ballot. “It seems likely that the wave after wave of attacks from fellow Republicans coupled with what seems to be generally regarded as Trump’s poorly run campaign will depress turnout among Republicans. Which means – for some candidates – there is a problem. On the one hand they can see the blowback Ryan is experiencing, suggesting there may be costs to bailing on Trump; on the other Trump’s candidacy simply may depress the number of voters who turn out. This is a harder group to talk about since it does depend on district-by-district knowledge.” Whit Ayres, a veteran political consultant and pollster for Rubio’s presidential campaign, agreed: “It’s really too early to assess until we’ve had time to get some polling data back. I did believe that Republicans have an excellent chance to hold on to the House and a 50-50 chance to retain the Senate, both of which are more optimistic than many people’s view last summer. “That said, we don’t know the effect of the tape, the debate and Trump’s pledge to essentially take the party down with him.” In 1984, former vice-president Walter Mondale was demolished by Ronald Reagan yet Democrats gained two Senate seats. In 1996, former Kansas senator Bob Dole lost to Bill Clinton by more than 8% but Republicans won two Senate seats. It isn’t clear – or at least not from the data that are public yet – just how much damage Trump is doing to the GOP Professor Shaun Bowler “There’s nothing written in the stars that just because the top of the ticket goes down, the members have to lose their seats as well,” Ayres said. Ryan’s priorities as the nation’s top Republican, at least, are clear. On Monday he told colleagues in a conference call he would no longer defend Trump, nor would he campaign with the nominee, and would instead concentrate on trying to hold on to the party’s majorities in the House and Senate. The goal, Ryan said, was to ensure Clinton did not get a “blank check” with a Democratic-controlled Congress should she win. Ryan received both support and criticism from House members, some of whom warned that it was the very strategy of ostracising Trump, rather than backing him, that could cost them the House. On Tuesday, Trump used Twitter to fire off attacks on Ryan. Disloyal Republicans “are far more difficult” than Clinton, he posted. “They come at you from all sides. They don’t know how to win I will teach them!” Forty Republican senators and representatives have revoked their support for Trump, with nearly 30 of those calling on him to quit the race altogether, according to a count by the Associated Press. But Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, insists that the party stands by the nominee. There are also signs of a shift in emphasis in the Clinton campaign, aware that control over House and Senate would present her with a historic opportunity to enact a progressive agenda that includes issues such as gun control and climate change. Last year, Clinton accused the other Republican candidates of maligning Muslims after Trump proposed a ban on Muslims entering the country. “Their language may be more veiled than Mr Trump’s, but their ideas aren’t so different,” Clinton said during a December campaign event in New Hampshire. “Donald Trump didn’t come out of nowhere,” Clinton said during a March speech at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. “What the Republicans have sown with their extremist tactics, they are now reaping with Donald Trump’s candidacy.” By May, when it was clear Clinton would win the Democratic primary, her campaign took a different tack. “The campaign does not want to connect Trump and the Republican party. They want to make Trump look even more extreme than the rank-and-file Republican Member of Congress,” an internal email exchange between officials at the Democratic National Committee, made public by WikiLeaks as part of a huge cyber-attack, revealed. The campaign spent much of the summer months casting Trump as far beyond the pale while touting endorsements from business leaders and influential Republicans. But when the tape of Trump boasting about using his fame to prey on women was made public and the long-simmering tensions between factions of the Republican party erupted into a full-fledged civil war over the weekend, Clinton’s campaign gleefully fanned the flames. “It’s pretty stunning that right after the debate the speaker of the House has to come and say he’s no longer going to defend Donald Trump and that each Republican member of Congress has to decide for themselves whether they’re going to support the nominee,” Clinton’s campaign spokeswoman, Jennifer Palmieri, told reporters this week. “I understand why they’re doing that, but Paul Ryan and leaders of the Republican party – there was a time when they could have stopped Donald Trump. There was a time where they could’ve spoken out against him. That time was the summer and obviously it’s too late now.” In a signal that the campaign was not abandoning its courtship of Republicans and independent voters, Palmieri noted that the campaign launched ads featuring Republican voters backing Clinton in key battleground states, including Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Nevada and Iowa. “Donald Trump didn’t become the nominee of his party on his own. The leaders helped legitimise him and I think they have a lot to answer for, and I imagine voters will hold them accountable, too,” Palmieri continued, singling out the Senate races in Arizona and New Hampshire, where Republican incumbents McCain and Ayotte had withdrawn their endorsements of Trump. On Monday, McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, was forced to contend with his decision to disavow Trump. “It’s not pleasant for me to renounce the nominee of our party,” the Arizona senator said during a debate in Phoenix with his Democratic challenger, Ann Kirkpatrick. “He won the nomination fair and square. But … I have daughters. I have friends. I have so many wonderful people on my staff. They cannot be degraded and demeaned in that fashion.” Ian Prior, communications director of Republicans’ Senate Leadership Fund, remained optimistic. “From day one, Senate Republicans have been running their races focused on the particular issues that are important in their respective states,” he said. “Because of that, they are well positioned to withstand any cross currents from the top of the ticket and, consequently, this gives Republicans a good chance at retaining the majority in the Senate.” But Obama, arguably still the most effective messenger for Democrats, twisted the knife while campaigning for Clinton on Tuesday. “You can’t have it both ways here!” Obama told voters in North Carolina. “You can’t repeatedly denounce what is said by someone and then say, ‘But I’m still gonna endorse ’em to be the most powerful person on the planet!’ “The fact that now you’ve got people saying, ‘Well, we strongly disapprove. We really disagree. We find those comments disgusting, but we’re still endorsing him. We still think he should be president.’ That doesn’t make sense to me!” |
Neutrinos are famously antisocial. Of all the characters in the particle physics cast, they are the most reluctant to interact with other particles. Among the hundred trillion neutrinos that pass through you every second, only about one per week actually grazes a particle in your body. That rarity has made life miserable for physicists, who resort to building huge underground detector tanks for a chance at catching the odd neutrino. But in a study published today in Science, researchers working at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) detected never-before-seen neutrino interactions using a detector the size of a fire extinguisher. Their feat paves the way for new supernova research, dark matter searches and even nuclear nonproliferation monitoring. Under previous approaches, a neutrino reveals itself by stumbling across a proton or neutron amidst the vast emptiness surrounding atomic nuclei, producing a flash of light or a single-atom chemical change. But neutrinos deign to communicate with other particles only via the “weak” force—the fundamental force that causes radioactive materials to decay. Because the weak force operates only at subatomic distances, the odds of a tiny neutrino bouncing off of an individual neutron or proton are minuscule. Physicists must compensate by offering thousands of tons of atoms for passing neutrinos to strike. The new experimental collaboration, known as COHERENT, instead looks for a phenomenon called CEvNS (pronounced “sevens”), or coherent elastic neutrino-nucleus scattering. CEvNS relies on the quantum mechanical equivalence between particles and waves, comparable to ocean waves. The high-energy neutrinos sought by most experiments are like short, choppy ocean waves. When such narrow waves pass under floating debris, they can pick out one leaf or twig at a time to toss around. Similarly, a high-energy neutrino typically picks out individual protons and neutrons with which to interact. But just as a long, slow wave would pick up the whole patch of debris at once, a low-energy neutrino sees the entire atomic nucleus as one “coherent” whole. This dramatically improves the odds of an interaction. As the number of neutrons in the nucleus is increased, the effective target size for the neutrino to hit grows in lockstep not just with that number, but with its square. Of course, once a neutrino and a nucleus collide, the collision must still be detected. The neutrino bounces off and continues its inscrutable wandering but the nucleus also recoils slightly from the impact. That jolt kicks a few electrons out of their orbits around the nucleus and its neighbors. As the electrons fall back into place, they release their acquired energy as photons. Each burst of photons is the calling card of a neutrino. Down Neutrino Alley Although they are orders of magnitude more common than other neutrino collisions, CEvNS interactions pose formidable challenges to detection—so much so that no study has observed them since the mechanism was first theorized 43 years ago. COHERENT owes its success to its choices of neutrino source and target material—plus an unexpected assist from a cramped basement hallway. The first problem facing COHERENT was the sheer tininess of a nuclear recoil. “Imagine that you take a ping-pong ball and you throw it at a bowling ball,” says Temple University physics professor Jim Napolitano, who was not involved in the study. “We know from conservation of momentum [that] a little bit of energy is imparted to the bowling ball. This [experiment] is detecting that bowling ball’s energy”—a signal on the order of 10 photons. The challenge for COHERENT, then, was to find a material with atomic nuclei large enough for neutrinos to hit easily, but also small enough that they would noticeably recoil on impact. In addition, the material had to be transparent so the photons could reach the detectors. “That took me a lot of thinking—maybe 15 years,” says Juan Collar, a professor of physics at the University of Chicago and one of the study’s lead authors. The second constraint was the neutrinos themselves. In theory, a recoil from a fast-moving neutrino would be larger, and therefore easier to spot—but if the neutrinos were too speedy, they would have too much energy to interact coherently. Eventually Collar and his colleagues realized that sodium-doped cesium iodine, a transparent crystalline material, would be an ideal target for the neutrinos that are produced as a by-product by the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS), a neutron-producing particle collider at ORNL. Cryomodules for SNS’s particle accelerator, which produces neutrons for distribution along beam lines to experimental stations. The same process that produces the neutrons also spits out neutrinos, which enter the COHERENT detector in the SNS basement. Credit: Jean Lachat University of Chicago But using the SNS as a neutrino source added a third complication. Neutrons can be convincing mimics of neutrinos: They have no charge, so they do not show up on electromagnetic detectors, and they can strike a nucleus with the same effects as a neutrino. When the COHERENT team first tested the SNS grounds, says co-author David Reyna of Sandia National Laboratories, they found neutrons streaming out of the SNS’s neutron generation site, as expected—but also pouring through the shielding of neighboring experimental halls. The detector noise from neutrons was so bad that the researchers feared they might not be able to use the facility at all. Fortunately, ORNL professor of particle physics Yuri Efremenko made a lucky discovery: a basement hallway beneath the SNS collider. Despite being close to the neutron source, it happened to be shielded by the densely compacted earth supporting the collider’s many tons of concrete. After negotiations with ORNL’s safety team, the COHERENT team removed the empty drums that had been stored in the hallway and set up shop in their new “neutrino alley.” A Future Full of Neutrinos Experts have only glowing words for the COHERENT result. Massachusetts Institute of Technology physics professor Janet Conrad says she is “really, really pleased.” Napolitano calls the paper “monumental” and “a huge accomplishment.” And no outside expert who spoke with Scientific American expressed any technical quibbles with the paper. With such a convincing demonstration of the CEvNS phenomenon, scientists can now turn from finding it to using it. The biggest implication is having what Collar calls a “handheld neutrino detector.” The compact size will be a huge boon to neutrino researchers; Conrad notes that one of her previous experiments had “mini” in its name despite being 40 feet tall. (Larger detectors will still be useful for studying neutrino properties that cannot be measured with CEvNS.) Small detectors could also eventually assist the International Atomic Energy Agency in monitoring nuclear reactors for clandestine production of fuel for atomic weapons, Reyna says. The neutrinos pumped out by reactor cores cannot be shielded or hidden, so if CEvNS detectors can be adapted to spot these lower-energy neutrinos, inspectors could check remotely whether a reactor’s activities match its operators’ claims. The CEvNS phenomenon itself also opens up new scientific frontiers. Collar and his colleagues are already working to test whether the rates of neutrino detection in different materials match theoretical predictions. Those same theories govern what happens in supernovae, which release 99 percent of their energy as neutrinos. That means further CEvNS experiments, in addition to detecting supernovae, could confirm or refute models of these colossal stellar explosions. And dark matter researchers are breathing a sigh of relief, because a close cousin of CEvNS could bolster ongoing searches for a hypothesized form of dark matter called weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). COHERENT’s discovery bolsters the viability of the WIMP theory, says Collar, and points the way to future detection technologies. All these potential advances give physicists plenty to be excited about, says University of Michigan physicist Josh Spitz. “This [study] is just the tip of the iceberg. There’s a whole lot more interesting stuff to come.” |
PROVO — W. Craig Judd, a financial planner and one of the speakers at last week's BYU Campus Education Week, said if seniors want to have a successful mission, they need to start putting everything in place early. Couples need to decide what will happen to their home, how they will safeguard their health and how the finances will be handled, Judd said. They need to start walking and exercising on a regular basis. There are many practical matters to consider along with the spiritual ones. "Guess what people's goals are?" Judd asked his audience after he explained that he had interviewed 500 families in the Provo area about their retirement plans. They were, "see grandchildren, serve a mission and travel." Judd said he is only 44 so he figures he and his wife can plan on serving a mission in 2035. He said the average couple needs to mark such a target date and when it gets close, let the bishop of their ward know their intentions and plan on between two to nine months lead time to allow for obtaining visas and making other "last-minute" arrangements. In the meantime, Judd advised interested couples to go to lds.org and download a packet of essential information. He suggested getting things in order in a systematic way. When the mission call comes, he said there are three options for dealing with a home while a couple is away: sell it, keep it or live in it. Selling a home takes time, and arrangements need to be made for storing furnishings and personal items. Keeping a home means renting it to family or strangers and setting a price. Judd said it's a good idea to budget to replace carpeting and flooring at the end of the mission. Living in the home by serving a mission in the home area offers the opportunity to see grandchildren's important events and to see physicians who know the specific medical needs. "You can advise your bishop about your needs when you turn in papers," Judd explained. "And there are so many options." He said only a few medical problems will prevent serving. Judd told the audience that aspiring missionaries also must think about how to pay taxes, the mortgage and utilities, and how to make sure repairs can be addressed. He said couples with a second home or rental properties need to work through who will handle another whole variety of concerns. In addition, the family of a senior missionary couple needs to have access to vital information such as trusts, wills and insurance coverage. He said it's critical that people consider what will happen with their investments and taxes if one partner should become seriously ill. He introduced topics such as long-term care and understanding options such as the government's Pension Protection Act. "Ask questions," Judd advised. "Plan for success." "And remember," he added, "Hawaii and Nauvoo can't take everybody." Sharon Haddock is a professional writer with more than 35 years' experience, 17 at the Deseret News. Her personal blog is at sharonhaddock.blogspot.com. Email: [email protected] |
Image caption Some 93 000 Staysure travel insurance customers may be affected by a data breach The travel insurer Staysure has warned customers that some of their sensitive bank card details may have been stolen after its IT security was breached. Some 93,000 people who bought policies prior to May 2012 may be at risk, it said. Staysure said it believed hackers may have stolen the three digit Card Verification Value (CVV) numbers of some policy holders. It has apologised to customers, urging them to check their accounts. 'Used fraudulently' In a letter written to customers, the company said it had become aware of the breach on 14 November. It said: "While the payment card number you provided was encrypted, some of the other personal data that you provided to us, including the 3 digit CVV number on the back of the card, may have been accessed. "Although you will understand that this cannot be used without the payment card number, there is still a risk that by using our records combined with data obtained from elsewhere, it may be possible for your card to be used fraudulently." We did act as fast as we could Ryan Howsam, Chief Executive, Staysure One customer, Francine Collison from London, told the BBC she had received a letter on 19 December from Staysure warning her of the breach, which it said it believed had happened at the end of October. Ms Collison said she was angry about the way her details had been kept. "[The firm's explanation] suggests that the CVV number had been stored and had not been encrypted. That's a security code and I'm astonished that they kept it and in an unencrypted form." She added: "I can't understand why I wasn't informed earlier. They'd [Staysure] clearly been in contact with the Financial Conduct Authority, the Information Commissioner and the police, and it seems to me as a victim I was the last person to find out about it." Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Financial Fraud Action UK, representing the bank card industry, said: "The holding and storage of the three-digit Card Verification Code data (also known as the Card Security Code) by merchants and payment intermediaries is expressly prohibited under card schemes rules." Ryan Howsam, chief executive of Staysure, apologised to customers and said those affected were being offered a free subscription to a credit agency data monitoring service. He said: "We did act as fast as we could. We locked down our systems. We deleted all of the card data from our live systems and brought in forensic IT specialists." Mr Howsam also insisted customers' CVV numbers were no longer kept by the firm. "These were legacy systems. We initially stored [them] to help customers with their renewal process." The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it was making enquiries into the incident. It said the law did not require firms to notify customers following a breach. Sir Alan Beith, MP for Berwick on Tweed and chair of the House of Commons Justice Select Committee which monitors the ICO, said companies needed to react quickly to let people know when security breaches took place. "I think customers are entitled to be informed as soon as a company knows and that should be much clearer. This raises questions which I'd like to pursue with the Information Commissioner." Money Box is broadcast on Saturdays at 12:00 BST on BBC Radio 4 and repeated on Sundays at 21:00 BST. You can listen again via the BBC iPlayer or by downloading Money Box podcast. |
Fish tacos have been popping up around Chicago lately. But their origin is closely tied to Mexico's narrow Baja Peninsula. Our food reporter traveled out west to see for himself, then found a reliable, good local version, right here in the western suburbs. The fishing towns of Ensenada and San Felipe gave birth to the fish taco, but San Diego adopted them, and now you'll find them all over that perennially sunny city, just 20 minutes north of the border. Water plays as huge role in San Diego, so no surprise to see fish tacos practically everywhere. Just 10 minutes south of the city, in Chula Vista, locals flock to a parking lot next to the highway, to line up for the Mariscos El Pescador truck, where they do fish tacos right. "It started in Ensenada. So we come with my family we moved the tradition to San Diego," said Cruz Vasquez, owner of the truck. That tradition is a beer-battered whitefish, like tilapia or mahi mahi, set onto a corn tortilla, topped with shredded cabbage, tomatoes, onions and a crema, or thinned-out sour cream/mayo, plus fresh limes. You can add hot sauce if you like, just like the folks who wait in line in Pacific Beach, where Oscar's Mexican Seafood sells old-school fish tacos, plus smoked fish versions and spicy shrimp. "We don't put anything just because we like to see who likes chipotle mayo or habanero mayo; we don't make a plain one, we just make those two because that's the way I was taught," said Juan Montes De Oca, owner of Oscar's. In west suburban Glen Ellyn, Cynthia Degen was taught the same way. "I went to Baja, Ensenada, Tijuana all over in Mexico... fell in love with them. And I tried to adapt what I liked in different places and bring it back here," said Degen, owner of Chicks 'n Salsa. She offers both the battered, fried tilapia, as well as a spiced-up grilled version; tops them with mixed cabbage, plus a squeeze of chipotle mayo, some finely-chopped cucumbers, fresh cilantro and a lime wedge. There's always a few salsas on hand, plus sides of pico de gallo, depending on your tomato-onion love. "And then we do our shrimp tacos fried and grilled as well," she said. Mariscos El Pescador 1008A Industrial Blvd., Chula Vista, CA (619) 488-7524 Oscar's Mexican Seafood 703 Turquoise St., San Diego, CA 858-488-6392 http://oscarsmexicanseafood.com/ Other great places to try fish tacos in San Diego: TJ's Oyster Bar 4246 Bonita Rd. 619-267-4577 http://tjoysterbar.com/web/ Fish Public 4055 Adams Ave. 619-281-4014 http://www.fishpublic.com/ Rubio's (dozens of locations) In Chicago: Chicks 'n Salsa 874 Roosevelt Rd., Glen Ellyn 630-790-1100 http://www.chicksnsalsa.com/ |
iMessage Apps have a serious usability issue that is harming developers Kris Gellci Blocked Unblock Follow Following Sep 30, 2016 There are three types of iMessage apps. Stickers, stand alone iMessage apps, and iMessage apps bundled with their regular app counterpart (Stickers can be stand alone or bundled). Stand alone iMessage apps have a usability issue which will hopefully be addressed as soon as possible, that being, people seem to not understand how to even launch the app. A friend of mine, Adam, developed an iMessage app named Cloaked. The app allows you to blur images and text before sending them to friends via iMessage. The recipient is able to unblur the photo via TouchID confirmation. Soon after release into the iMessage App Store, Cloaked was featured in a Mashable article which drew attention toward Cloaked. This drew so many eyes that Cloaked was able to receive over 9,000 downloads in a single day. This pushed Cloaked up toward the top of the Messages Top Free Apps. What followed was the single biggest issue in iMessages apps. Something that caused Cloaked to become a 1.5 star average app although it was a totally free app with functionality that worked as advertised. External links, like Mashable, for iMessage apps takes users to the normal App Store. This is fine since the user is still able to download and install the iMessage app through this route. The problem is that users have no idea where to find the app at this point. Many look for an icon on their home screen. Once they are unable to locate the app, they start to panic. And so starts the barrage of one star reviews for an otherwise 5 star app. This does not happen for user that discover apps through the iMessage App Store since they already understand how iMessage apps work and where to find them. The resulting reviews from confused users lead to ratings that can kill an otherwise successful and useful app. I leave you all with screenshots of an App Developers worst nightmare. Feel free to check out Cloaked for more nightmarish reviews. For those of you that understand how iMessage apps work, feel free to verify the app does in fact work! |
THE new film “Idiocracy” sounds like a sure winner. It was directed by Mike Judge, creator of the animated TV series “Beavis and Butt-head” and “King of the Hill,” and director of the sleeper movie hit “Office Space.” It stars Luke Wilson. It has received good reviews from the few critics who, despite the efforts of 20th Century Fox, have been able to see it. So why did Fox, after sitting on the movie for two years before releasing it Sept. 1, decide not to market the film, opting instead to open it quietly in only 130 theaters and then quickly send it to video? Judging by the online reaction, there are at least two possible reasons. The first is that the film is simply too stark a critique of American culture, or even that it is a cautionary tale about low-intelligence dysgenics (essentially, overbreeding among the stupid). The movie depicts a future in which everyone has become so dense and culturally lowbrow that Mr. Wilson’s character — an average guy from the present day who travels by accident hundreds of years forward in time — is a relative genius. Why, asks David Weigel on Reason magazine’s Hit and Run blog (reason.com), do “movies that exploit dumbed-down American culture get wide releases while a comedy making light of that, by the creator of ‘Beavis and Butt-head,’ is getting canned?” He points to another blogger, Ilkka Kokkarinen, who writes that the implications of the movie’s theme — flatulence jokes aside — “are so immensely serious that it is simply unimaginable that any studio boss would take the slightest chance of becoming the next Mel Gibson over the idea that society of stupid people is worse than a society of smart people.” (sixteenvolts.blogspot.com) Populists — defenders of the little guy — would not stand for it, Mr. Kokkarinen says. Advertisement Continue reading the main story Others theorize that Fox disowned the film because it makes fun not only of Fox News — the studio’s sister division — but also of Starbucks, Fuddruckers and other companies that may advertise with one or more media outlets of Fox’s owner, the News Corporation. Photo The blog FishBowlLA quotes Luke Thompson, a movie reviewer for E! Online, as saying, “some of the sponsors may well have been unhappy with the way their products are placed, and made some phone calls to higher-ups” (mediabistro.com). |
A little something in time for Valentine's Day. These two are a couple of my MLP original characters I've been designing and developing for sometime in addition to another character of mine. The pony is named "Magnolia Rose" while her griffin boyfriend doesn't really have a permanent name right now, but for now, I'm calling him "Arvid." Neither design of theirs is finalized for the moment (may change their colors some where down the line), but I felt it drawing them for fun. Especially as one of my character Magnolia's favorite activities is riding on Arvid's back, feeling the breeze through her mane and enjoying his company. Art (c) Melanee Wood 2015. Feel free to visit my artblogs at: raynedraws.tumblr.com and Also currently available for commissions. Just note or email me if you are interested. |
Partly blaming unrest in the Middle East on President Barack Obama, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Saturday that Obama has not spoken firmly and forcefully on Israel's behalf and that the country no longer trusts it has the full support of the United States because of him. The Republican governor's remarks came as Israel targeted civilian institutions with suspected ties to the militant organization Hamas and declared it would step up its bombardment of northern Gaza. Israel says it is acting in self-defense against Hamas rockets. Christie cited the violence sparked by the deaths of three Israeli teenagers and said organizations like Hamas that are engaged in such conflict with Israel "need to be dealt with, and dealt with firmly." Obama has not done so during his presidency, Christie told reporters while attending a meeting of the National Governors Association. "Israel is not sure that they have America's full support like they used to," Christie said. "And that's a real failure of this presidency, in my view. And I think the unrest you see in the Middle East is caused in some measure -- not completely, but in some measure -- by the fact that this president has not acted in a decisive, consistent way." Christie, who leads the Republican Governors Association, is openly considering a 2016 presidential bid. While he has limited foreign policy experience, the two-term governor has been speaking more aggressively on international affairs in recent months. Christie said Obama should be focused on trying to bring stability to the region "by having America be a forceful voice in favor of a democracy like Israel, and be condemning in the strongest terms and with actions the things that are being done by Hamas against Israel." When asked, Christie declined to say whether Obama should take military action if necessary. When Obama spoke earlier this week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House said the president condemned the rocket attacks and said Israel has the right to defend itself. He also urged both sides not to escalate the crisis and offered to have the U.S. negotiate a cease-fire, the White House said in a statement. |
Handmade cosmetics group Lush has admitted its website was hacked repeatedly by fraudsters over the past three months, putting thousands of customers at risk of having their card details stolen. But the company only informed customers last night. Lush has taken down its website and replaced it with a statement: "We would like all customers that placed online orders with us between 4 Oct 2010 and 20 Jan 2011 to contact their banks for advice as their card details may have been compromised." The beauty company warned: "24 hour security monitoring has shown us that we are still being targeted and there are continuing attempts to re-enter". Customers will be unable to make purchases until a new site is launched "in a few days" accepting only PayPal payments, but orders are still being taken via its mail order telephone service, which the cosmetics group said had been unaffected by the "crisis". Customers who paid by card in Lush stores are also unaffected. Rik Ferguson, a consultant at security company Trend Micro, said he knew someone who had used the site for an order and subsequently seen fraudulent orders of £1,700 made against it. "The risk of these card numbers being used has already moved from theoretical to reality," he said. The fact that Lush is warning customers to contact their banks may indicate it has failed to encrypt the details held on its site – which, if true, could mean it has failed to meet regulations known as PCI compliance, which governs the storage of card details by websites in Europe. That, in turn, could at worst see Lush stripped of its ability to accept credit card payments online. The Lush site said it would be launching a separate site "in a few days", which would accept PayPal payments only. PayPal transactions do not require PCI compliance. The company did not respond to a request to explain whether it had conformed to PCI standards before this story was published. Lush posted a video of dancing lemmings alongside its statement to "try to share a smile" and added an amusing message for the hackers: "If you are reading this, our web team would like to say that your talents are formidable. We would like to offer you a job – were it not for the fact that your morals are clearly not compatible with ours or our customers". Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at computer and web security firm Sophos and a respected blogger on the subject, said: "If I were a customer of Lush's website I wouldn't feel like smiling this morning. It would certainly be interesting to hear when Lush first discovered that they had suffered from a security breach. Was it at the same time as they posted the message on the front page of their website, or have they known for a while longer?" Many customers are also speculating why it took Lush so long to inform customers if the website was first hacked in October, especially as its statement indicates it has 24-hour web security. One post on Twitter read: "So Lush knew they were hacked since Christmas and they've JUST decided to share the info? Disappointed, really am". Another Tweet said: "I don't care if Lush products are eco friendly or not. I care if they keep my bank details secure". Another claimed: "I still have my emails from Lush dated back to 2007 in which they admit to having serious glitches and 'gremlins' with their website". Patrick Taylor, a Lush customer from Blackpool, told the Guardian: "Lush makes nice stuff and seems to be a cool company, but as soon as they noticed the hack they should have shut down the website and notified customers. Thousands of us will have been affected by this. My girlfriend is now having to check her credit card details." Victims were also posting messages on the Lush Facebook page. One wrote: "We've had our card compromised and used in fraudulent transactions just three days ago. It has now been cancelled and we have no way to access our money." There was also speculation as to how long Lush had been holding on to customer's financial data in an unsecure environment. One Lush victim said: "We used Lush's site back in late Nov. They must have been holding our details unencrypted since then." 'Security is of paramount importance' In a statement Lush said: "We became aware in late December that www.lush.co.uk had been the subject of attacks by hackers. Our customers' security is of paramount importance to us and as soon as we realised this was the case, we immediately took down our UK website and a thorough investigation followed and extra security measures put in place. "24-hour monitoring has shown that another attempt to hack our UK site has been made and again, we have taken down our UK website as a precaution. "We are horrified that this has happened, we understand the distress of those affected and we appreciate our customers' continued support while we resolve the matter. We will be continuing to work with our credit card acquirer to carry out a full investigation in to this hacking attempt." Lush has in the past been praised by green campaigners for not using animal fats in its products, as well as its stance against animal testing – it performs tests with human volunteers instead. The group has also sold products that pass on the full purchase price to charities, as well as promoting various charities on its product packaging. Loyal customers are defending the company and praising it for the way its statement was written. One Twitter user wrote: "I like the way Lush is handling the hackers that have shut down its online trading". Another wrote: "Some horrible people have hacked Lush website … they need to get a life and leave the lovely peeps at Lush alone". Cluley said Lush appeared to be adopting a "social media response" to the security breach. "Although the news for customers is very worrying, they are trying to present the news in a warm-and-cosy way," he said. "I do wonder, however, how well customers will take news that their credit card details may have been compromised – and may not appreciate Lush's attempts to smooth the waters." He added that it would have been more helpful if Lush had linked to information showing people how to tell if their credit card is being abused and the next steps affected customers should take. Instead, Lush customers are merely advised by the company to contact their bank or credit card provider for advice. |
Love the cold or hate it, it’s been a while since we last saw highs in the single digits (December 1st was the last time, if you’re keeping track… with a high of 6 degrees) in the Twin Cities… and that’s what we’re looking at this week: The story behind the cooldown is a very cold chunk of air settling in overhead to kick off the week… part of the cold front that came through and finally brought us a dose of snow. This image is showing temperatures about a mile up on Tuesday morning. Notice the deep shades of red, as those represent some of the coldest temperatures aloft: The nice thing about the intense cooldown is that it’s just a brief one… but an even larger cooldown lurks in the distance for the end of next weekend and the start of next week. Stay tuned! |
Meet 'Cash Shuffle', the Privacy-Centric Protocol for Bitcoin Cash This week a new bitcoin cash (BCH) based protocol has been released that aims to add privacy capabilities to BCH transactions. The software, called Cash Shuffle, enables BCH users to obfuscate their transactions by combining funds with other Cash Shuffle users. Also read: Bitflyer CEO Says Japan and Leverage Is Leading Bitcoin Markets Higher Cash Shuffle Obscures Bitcoin Cash Transactions Privacy is a big deal for many cryptocurrency advocates as anonymity projects and confidentiality is a very hot subject. Now bitcoin cash supporters will be pleased to hear about a new BCH shuffling protocol called Cash Shuffle. The program is different from basic cryptocurrency mixing services where users have to trust the operator while also paying a substantial fee. Cash Shuffle claims there are no additional fees and no counterparty risks involved. The Cash Shuffle server is open source and written in the codebase Go. Further, there is an actual implementation that runs today and it’s available for review on Github. Although the server has no knowledge of inputs, the software still needs users to aggregate together to be more efficient. “Coin Shuffle is an excellent protocol once the participants for a joined transaction have already been chosen,” explains Coin Shuffle’s website. “However, it provides no means for establishing such groupings. Cash Shuffle builds upon CoinShuffle and adds a matching service. As such, it is a more complete and usable protocol.” The server, like the individual participants, also has no knowledge of which input corresponds to which output — The server cannot steal money in a proper Cash Shuffle implementation because the transactions are only signed on the client side if they are valid. ‘Privacy and Fungibility Are Vital for Cryptocurrencies’ The well-known bitcoin cash wallet Electron Cash has been made operable with the CoinShuffle protocol in the form of a plugin. News.Bitcoin.com spoke with the Electron Cash lead developer, Jonald Fyookball, who told us that Electron Cash is unaffiliated with Cash Shuffle, but that the code appears safe for users upon initial review. “I’m glad to see privacy-centric protocols being developed. Privacy and fungibility go hand in hand and are vital for cryptocurrency — free people living in a free society should have a right to privacy without fearing the state peering into their personal finances,” he said. Just as important: Governments and other institutions should not be given room to start blacklisting coins, as this threatens the foundation of the currency. Each coin should be the same as another (fungible) — Cash Shuffle and protocols like it will increase ambiguity and “coin-taint” across the spectrum of transactions so that all coins will be more similar to each other. Across forums and social media, the bitcoin cash community seems pleased with the project that adds privacy to the BCH economy. Alongside the website, bitcoin cash supporters can also follow the Cash Shuffle team’s development progress via a Twitter page created this past October. What do you think about the Cash Shuffle project? Let us know in the comments below. Disclaimer: Bitcoin.com does not endorse nor support this product/service. Readers should do their own due diligence before taking any actions related to the mentioned company or any of its affiliates or services. Bitcoin.com is not responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article. Images via Shutterstock, Cash Shuffle, and Pixabay. Need to calculate your bitcoin holdings? Check our tools section. |
Oh Nancy, let’s not pretend you actually know very many gun owners, let alone understand what they want. And we hate to break it to you, but there are a LOT of gun owners in the NRA … millions of them in fact. But you be you, Nancy. Let's be clear: there is a difference between the NRA & gun owners. Many gun owners want common sense efforts to #EndGunViolence. — Nancy Pelosi (@NancyPelosi) October 5, 2017 Let’s be clear. That’s cute. Let’s be clear: more known #Democrats have murdered people with guns than all @NRA members combined. https://t.co/KJwOm956Kt — James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) October 6, 2017 BOOM. So much boom that Nancy’s face fell a little even with the 3 tons of Botox she’s put in it … Who does she think she is? Let her be clear? Psh, witch please. Let’s be clear: more Democrats have killed innocent humans period. #endabortionnow — Farkas Fried Rice (@ppomonis) October 6, 2017 Any politician who has taken money from Planned Parenthood for example, has blood on their hands. ☝️?It's time we have an open dialogue about liberal control. — No One ?? (@tweettruth2me) October 6, 2017 It’s time we have a discussion about stupid control. Indeed. She literally has no idea what is going on — Jo Thomas (@jwelsh75) October 6, 2017 It’s the Botox, anger and denial. It melts the brain after a while. We don't need GUN control, we need DEMOCRATS WITH GUNS control… — April Moon (@OkieHen) October 6, 2017 We do, but it’s sorta clunky and definitely wouldn’t fit well on a bumper sticker. @NancyPelosi @NRA. Lets be clear: there's a very big difference between Democrats and common sense lawmakers.#EndStupidity — John Mallonee (@soul_dr1982) October 6, 2017 ‘Nuff said. Related: ‘Dear Jimmy, SHUT UP.’ Conservatives BLAST Jimmy Kimmel for ‘Dear Crazies’ gun tweet |
Get the biggest What's On stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Manchester’s first dessert bar has arrived on the hottest day of the year - and this gluttonous pleasure palace is bound to be a big hit in Manchester. Milk Jam is the combined culinary might of Ginger’s Comfort Emporium owner and ice cream master Claire Kelsey, extravagant cake creator Bakeorama’s Charlotte O’Toole, and Lushbrownies queen Nicky Griffiths. The trio have taken over a unit at 85 Oxford Street, sandwiched between Patisserie Valerie and Fresco Deli, in a former hairdressing salon. And they’ve decorated it in the same vivid style that they approach the art of pudding making. Colourful graffiti marks out three dessert zones: ice cream, cakes, and brownies. There’s a bubble gum helter-skelter where you can collect an old fashioned gumball to make your own softserve Screwball, and a made-to-order milkshake bar where takeaway cartons are filled with your own choice of sweet shake. (Image: Andy Lambert) (Image: Andy Lambert) Never a feature at Kelsey’s Ginger’s Comfort Emporium - which has a mobile van as well as a permanent home across town at Afflecks Palace, in the Northern Quarter - but a huge deal here are the piles of homemade toppings and sauces for the ice creams. Everything from vanilla to beer flavoured ice creams can be topped with black olive flakes, red velvet cake crumb, blue cheese pretzels, pork scratching-style cinnamon chips, and a mysterious multicoloured crumble known only as unicorn poo. (Image: Andy Lambert) (Image: Andy Lambert) Toppings include the pouring sauce to which the space owes its name - milk jam is a vanilla condensed milk, and there’s a truffle honey version and a take on best selling Ginger’s ice cream Chorlton Crack, the salted caramel and peanut butter based crack sauce. Bakorama will be making a new selection of cakes every day, plus favourites like Red Velvet, at £4.70 a slice. A fully decorated seven-inch cake is £35 (she is also doing 11-inch cakes to order). (Image: Andy Lambert) Lushbrownies boasts 12 different types of brownie, two ‘blondies’, and brownie pops and kebabs with the chocolate treat on a stick, at £2.50 each. Predominately designed for take away, Milk Jam also has outside seating and a basement dining space with a kitsch corner, a romantic fairy-lit table, and four funky former sink seats left over from the salon. The parlour is now open daily from 11am to 8pm. |
Influential pundit Erick Erickson is the latest to do so. Back in September, he wrote, “I would vote for Donald Trump over John Kasich. But as Kasich will not be the Republican nominee for President, I think it is also worth reiterating that I will vote third party before I’d vote for a ticket that has Kasich as Vice President. A Republican who believes Jesus told him to expand Obamacare is not fit for either the Presidency or to be one heart beat away from the Presidency.” How times have changed! Here’s an excerpt from his Monday column, “I Will Not Vote For Trump Ever.” A lot of Republicans are going to start claiming that we must rally to the nominee, no matter who he is. I know for certain a large number of Trump supporters will not rally to a Cuban. I will not rally to Trump. If Trump is able to get the nomination, the Republican Party will cease to be the party in which I served as an elected official. It will not deserve my support and will not get it if it chooses to nominate a pro-abortion liberal masquerading as a conservative, who preys on nationalistic, tribal tendencies and has an army of white supremacists online as his loudest cheerleaders. Erickson is hardly alone. Bill Kristol has mused about starting a new political party if Donald Trump wins the Republican nomination. It’s almost impossible to imagine George Will or Kevin Williamson supporting Trump. Glenn Beck declared, “I know that I won't go to the polls. I won't vote for Hillary Clinton and I won't vote for Donald Trump. I just won't. And I know a lot of people that feel that way.” Here’s Peter Wehner back in January: Beginning with Ronald Reagan, I have voted Republican in every presidential election since I first became eligible to vote in 1980. I worked in the Reagan and George H. W. Bush administrations and in the White House for George W. Bush as a speechwriter and adviser. I have also worked for Republican presidential campaigns, although not this time around. Despite this history, and in important ways because of it, I will not vote for Donald Trump if he wins the Republican nomination. Wehner added: I should add that neither could I vote in good conscience for Hillary Clinton or any of the other Democrats running for president, since they oppose many of the things I have stood for in my career as a conservative — and, in the case of Mrs. Clinton, because I consider her an ethical wreck. If Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton were the Republican and Democratic nominees, I would prefer to vote for a responsible third-party alternative; absent that option, I would simply not cast a ballot for president. Joe Scarborough declared on Morning Joe, “I think Haley Barbour and a lot of the Republican leaders would much rather Hillary Clinton be President of the United States than have Donald Trump represent them as a Republican.” And it is hard to imagine any die-hard Bush loyalists supporting Trump after his attacks on Jeb and George. Indeed, it is easy to imagine them delighting in denying Trump the White House. |
Share Why is it that every time humans develop a really clever computer system in the movies, it seems intent on killing every last one of us at its first opportunity? In Stanley Kubrick’s masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL 9000 starts off as an attentive, if somewhat creepy, custodian of the astronauts aboard the USS Discovery One, before famously turning homicidal and trying to kill them all. In The Matrix, humanity’s invention of AI promptly results in human-machine warfare, leading to humans enslaved as a biological source of energy by the machines. In Daniel H. Wilson’s book Robopocalypse, computer scientists finally crack the code on the AI problem, only to have their creation develop a sudden and deep dislike for its creators. Is Siri just a few upgrades away from killing you in your sleep? And you’re not an especially sentient being yourself if you haven’t heard the story of Skynet (see The Terminator, T2, T3, etc.) The simple answer is that — movies like Wall-E, Short Circuit, and Chappie, notwithstanding — Hollywood knows that nothing guarantees box office gold quite like an existential threat to all of humanity. Whether that threat is likely in real life or not is decidedly beside the point. How else can one explain the endless march of zombie flicks, not to mention those pesky, shark-infested tornadoes? The reality of AI is nothing like the movies. Siri, Alexa, Watson, Cortana — these are our HAL 9000s, and none seems even vaguely murderous. The technology has taken leaps and bounds in the last decade, and seems poised to finally match the vision our artists have depicted in film for decades. What then? Is Siri just a few upgrades away from killing you in your sleep, or is Hollywood running away with a tired idea? Looking back at the last decade of AI research helps to paint a clearer picture of a sometimes frightening, sometimes enlightened future. The dangers of a runaway brain An increasing number of prominent voices are being raised about the real dangers of humanity’s continuing work on so-called artificial intelligence. Chief among them is Dr. Nick Bostrom, a philosopher who also holds degrees in physics and computational neuroscience. In his 2014 book, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, he outlines in rigorous detail the various ways a “strong” AI — should we succeed in building one — would wipe us off the face of the planet the moment it escapes our control. Forget about wholesale nuclear annihilation — that’s how power-hungry human dictators go about dealing with an unwanted group of humans. No, a strong AI would instead starve us to death, use up all of our natural resources, or, if it’s feeling really desperate, dismantle our bodies at a molecular level and use the resulting biomass for its own purposes. Dr. Nick Bostrom warns about the potential dangers of a runaway AI at a 2015 TED talk in Vancouver, Canada. (Photo: Bret Hartman/TED But don’t take it personally. As Bostrom points out, an artificial superintelligence likely won’t behave according to any human notions of morality or ethics. “Anthropomorphic frames encourage unfounded expectations about the growth trajectory of a seed AI and about the psychology, motivations, and capabilities of a mature superintelligence,” he says. Don’t let Bostrom’s professorial language fool you — he’s deadly serious about the consequences of an AI that can outthink even the smartest human being, and none of them are good. More frighteningly, he says that we may go from giving ourselves high-fives over creating the first AI that can think as well as we can to cowering in the corner as it hunts us down in as little as a few weeks, or perhaps even days. It all comes down to a few key factors that will likely influence our future with AI. “Once humans design artificial intelligence it will take off on its own and develop at an ever-increasing rate.” Computers think really fast. In the best-case scenario, we’ll have enough time between an AI acquiring the ability to think as well as us and its rise to super-intelligent status that we can adjust and respond. On the other hand, as Bostrom points out, when you’re dealing with a machine that can think — and therefore develop — at an almost unimaginable speed, by the time we realize what’s going on, it will already be far too late to stop it. Some readers may remember the 1970s sci-fi horror flick Demon Seed, in which an AI not only predicts that it will be shut down by its fearful creator, but employs murder and rape to ensure its survival. “If and when a takeoff occurs,” Bostrom writes, “it will likely be explosive.” Stephen Hawking has echoed this sentiment: “Once humans design artificial intelligence,” he says, “it will take off on its own and develop at an ever-increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete and would be superseded.” Computers often produce unexpected results. AI researchers are regularly surprised by the outcome of their experiments. In 2013, a researcher discovered that his AI — designed to learn to play NES games — decided to pause the gameplay on Tetris as its preferred solution to the goal of not losing. At our early stage of AI development, this is a good thing; surprises often lead to new discoveries. Unexpected results paired with a massive and sudden surge in intelligence would be quite the opposite. Being able to anticipate the way a superintelligent AI will respond to, well, anything, could prove to be impossible, in much the same way our actions and motivations are utterly impenetrable to an insect. Strong AI, weak AI, and the stuff we already use Artificial intelligence research has at times resembled the hunt for the Holy Grail. In the summer of 1956, there was a belief that we could achieve strong AI (aka, artificial general intelligence), which can be thought of as mimicking human intelligence in all of its forms, functions, and subtleties. Researchers at Dartmouth University thought that if they could endow computers with the basic building blocks of human intelligence — reasoning, knowledge representation, planning, natural language processing, and perception — then somehow, general intelligence would simply emerge. Obviously, that didn’t happen. In fact, over the intervening decades, there were several boom and bust cycles in AI research (often dubbed “AI winters”) that moved a few of these building blocks forward, but then failed to show ongoing progress after an initial period of excitement. What did happen were various advances in each of the building blocks, resulting in an assortment of “weak AIs,” or practical AIs. AI doesn’t just exist in far-flung visions of the future. Google has been using it since 2015 to improve search results. (Video: Google) The Google search engine could just be the best-known example of weak AI. Its algorithms do an exceptional job of pulling together hundreds of variables and combining those with the words you type to produce a results page culled from the vastness of the web. In fact, most of the examples of AI from the past 10 years probably haven’t struck you as examples of AI at all, which just goes to show how successful they’ve been. Most have quietly and seamlessly integrated themselves into our lives, making them better in small but significant ways. Google’s Photos product shows how far we’ve come in perception AI — type in “bicycle” and it will find photos you’ve taken of two-wheeled vehicles, even if you never labeled them as such. The predictive text options that appear as we type on our phones save us valuable taps, while autocorrect attempts to make up for the fact that on-screen keyboards and human thumbs are a recipe for inaccuracy (notwithstanding the hilarity that often ensues when it tries to come to our rescue). “The next big step will be for the very concept of the ‘device’ to fade away.” Amazon’s “suggested for you” product recommendations feature is an example of AI used to make money. It was reportedly responsible for 35 percent of the company’s sales in 2006, and the people behind the technology have since made it available to other retailers, resulting in “billions” of sales. So-called intelligent assistants from Apple, Google, Amazon, and Microsoft (Siri, Google Now, Alexa, and Cortana, respectively) all leverage recent advances in natural language processing (NLP), combined with sophisticated heuristics, which make questions like “what’s the weather going to be like today?” the hands-free equivalent of jumping into a weather app or Googling the same phrase. Google’s CEO, Sundar Pichai, recently boasted that his company’s NLP AI is approaching human levels of understanding, which may explain why he told shareholders that “the next big step will be for the very concept of the ‘device’ to fade away.” The Waze GPS and crowdsourced mapping app is a great example of AI planning. Recently, chatbots have become the most “talked about” form of AI. In 2014, the University of Reading in England declared that the Turing Test had finally been passed, 65 years after its inception, by an algorithm masquerading as a 13-year-old Ukrainian boy named Eugene. Eugene is a chatbot — a pretty good one by all accounts — but despite passing the test, it is still not an example of true strong AI. Cleverbot — another AI chatbot – which is claimed to have passed the Turing Test in 2011, is available to have a chat with anyone. But labeling it “intelligent,” might depend on your definition of the word. Me: Do you believe in God? Clev: Do you? Me: That’s not an answer. Clev: You did not ask a question. Me: Yes I did. I asked: Do you believe in God? Clev: Yes, I do. Why don’t you? Me: Why do you think I don’t believe in God? Clev: Because you said that you did not. Me: No, I didn’t. You aren’t a very good listener, are you? Clev: Fine fine. I know you said that. But whatever. Do you like Lady Gaga? Both the Turing Test itself and the claims that it has been passed, are not without criticism. Microsoft learned just how fallible a chatbot AI can be in a spectacularly public fashion when it released Tay, an AI Twitter bot, on an unsuspecting global audience earlier this year. Less than 24 hours after Tay began interacting with people, she — er — it, became sexist and racist, offering praise for Hitler among other gaffes. From left to right, Jeopardy host Alex Trebek poses with legendary contestants Ken Jennings, IBM’s Watson supercomputer, and Brad Rutter. Watson would later wipe the floor with both human contestants in a showdown. (Photo: Jeopardy Productions) Where’s Watson? If the AI industry has a celebrity, it’s IBM’s Watson. After handily defeating all-time Jeopardy! champ Ken Jennings in 2011, the supercomputing application dropped the mic and started a new life in the somewhat less exciting sphere of commercial applications. But Watson’s victory caused a lot of people to start wondering if IBM’s wunderkind was in fact an embryonic HAL 9000. Guru Banavar, IBM’s Vice President of Cognitive Computing, places it in a different category entirely. “We think of AI as augmented intelligence, as opposed to artificial intelligence,” Banavar told Digital Trends. He believes that the notion of AI as a carbon copy of the human brain is a distraction, one that entirely misses the point of how this technology can best be put to use. “Augmented intelligence is a partnering between a person and a machine,” he explains, with the goal being to offload the work that a person isn’t able to do as well as the machine. It forms a symbiotic relationship of sorts, in which the two entities work better together than each of them would do on their own. “Augmented intelligence is a partnering between a person and a machine.” IBM refers to this approach to AI as “cognitive computing,” specifically because it does not seek to replicate the entirety of human intelligence. The approach IBM took to solving the Jeopardy! problem wasn’t centered on making a synthetic brain, but rather on getting a machine to process a very specific type of information — language — in order to hunt for and ultimately produce the right answer for the game’s reverse-question format. To do this, Banavar recounts, took a combination of advances “going back almost 10 years.” Simply getting Watson to understand the massive number of permutations of meaning within English, was daunting. Its eventual success was “a big breakthrough for the whole field of computer science,” Banavar claims. IBM continues to develop Watson, as well as its other investments in AI, in pursuit of what Banavar calls “grand challenges.” These are computing problems so difficult and complex, they often require dozens of researchers and a sustained investment over months or years. Or, as Banavar puts it: “Not something you can do with a couple of guys in a garage.” A cluster of 90 IBM Power 750 servers power Watson, and each one uses a 3.5 GHz POWER7 eight-core processor. (Video: IBM One such challenge is reading medical images. The growing number of X-rays, CT scans, PET scans, and MRIs being done every day is a potential lifesaving boon for patients, but it’s also a growing problem for the profession of radiology. At the moment, a radiologist must personally assess each scan to look for signs of disease or other anomalies. The sheer number of scans being done are creating increasing demand for trained radiologists, whose numbers are limited simply due to the rigorous and lengthy training required to become one. Banavar describes the work they do as “very monotonous and error prone,” not because these doctors lack the skill, but because they are only human. It’s a scenario that seems almost custom-built for the kind of AI that IBM has been working on. In order to significantly impact the number and quality of scans that can be processed, researchers are using Watson to understand the content of the images, within the full medical context of the patient. “Within the next two years,” Banavar says, “we will see some very significant breakthroughs in this.” Teaching a machine to learn For IBM to succeed, it will have to solve a problem that has plagued AI efforts from their very beginnings: Computers tend to follow the instructions they’re given in such a literal way that, when the unexpected occurs — a situation the developer hadn’t foreseen — they proceed anyway, often with undesirable outcomes. But what if machines possessed the ability to know when something doesn’t quite fit and adjust accordingly, without being told so explicitly? In other words, what if they possessed common sense? Dr. Maya Gupta is a senior AI researcher at Google, and she is attempting to do just that. Using a tool within the AI arsenal known as machine learning, Gupta and her colleagues are slowly training computers to filter information in a way that most humans find relatively simple. Her current goal — improving video recommendations on YouTube — might seem modest, or even boring, but from an AI researcher’s perspective, it’s nirvana. That’s because of the fundamental difference between how machines and humans learn. “If you don’t have a billion examples, the machine has nothing to learn from.” “A 3-year-old can learn an enormous amount of things from very few examples,” Gupta says. The same cannot be said for computers, which require vast quantities of data to acquire the same level of understanding. It also requires some pretty significant computing resources, which is why Nvidia recently launched a new kind of supercomputer developed specifically to run deep-learning algorithms. Curiously, computer scientists have known how to “teach” machines for several decades. The missing ingredient has been, well, the ingredients. “You can have a model that can learn from a billion examples,” Gupta explains, “but if you don’t have a billion examples, the machine has nothing to learn from.” Which is why YouTube, with its monster catalog of videos, is the perfect place to nurture a data-hungry process like machine learning. Gupta’s algorithms are being taught two kinds of common sense, known as smoothness and monotonicity. Both feel like child’s play: Smoothness dictates that you shouldn’t let one small change throw off a decision that has been based on dozens of other factors, while monotonicity operates on an “all other things being equal, this one fact should make it the best choice” principle. In practice, smoothness means that a potentially great video recommendation isn’t dismissed by the algorithm simply because it contained both cooking and traveling information, when the previously watched video was purely about cooking. For monotonicity, Gupta cites the example of recommending a coffee shop. If you’ve identified that you like coffee shops that serve organic, fair trade coffee and that also have free Wi-Fi, then the one that is closest to you should top the recommended list, even though you never specified distance as important. “It would surprise some humans just how hard that is,” Gupta says of the effort involved in teaching machines to respect patterns that any 5-year-old could pick up on. Microsoft researcher Katja Hofmann, center, is teaching machines to play Minecraft as part of Project Malmo, which is intended to improve human-machine cooperation. (Photo: Scott Eklund/Red Box Pictures Mining for knowledge in Minecraft As successful as it might be at finding just the right video for you, that algorithm has trouble performing the same task with music recommendation. “It’s hard to transfer what we’ve learned,” Gupta acknowledges, something she says is a challenge for the industry, not just Google. So how do you teach an AI to be flexible, in addition to having common sense? Dr. Katja Hofmann, a researcher at the Machine Intelligence and Perception group at Microsoft Research Cambridge, thinks she has the answer: Teach it how to play Minecraft. Experiments have already revealed that AI agents are able to complete tasks which humans simply found too hard. Project Malmo is Hofmann’s attempt to repurpose the massively popular online game into an experimentation platform for artificial intelligence research. Her team has developed a modification for the game that lets AI “agents” interact directly with the Minecraft environment. “Minecraft is really interesting because it’s an open-world game,” Hofmann told us, which offers a unique space in which AI agents can deal with different environments that change over time, a key point if you’re trying to foster flexible learning. This aspect of Minecraft created problems during early attempts to get agents to achieve goals. “The world doesn’t wait for the agent to make its decision,” she says, referring to the real-time nature of the game, and its obvious parallels to real life. Using the mod not only gives an agent the ability to manipulate the LEGO-like bricks of material that are central to the game’s environment — it can also interact with other players, including humans. One of Hofmann’s long-term goals for Project Malmo is to improve human-computer cooperation. Much like at IBM, the philosophy driving these experiments, and in fact Microsoft’s entire approach to AI, is that it should work collaboratively with people. Experiments have already revealed that AI agents are able to complete tasks which humans simply found too hard. Hofmann is eagerly anticipating an agent that learns to collaborate with humans to solve tasks. “That would mean we have achieved a big breakthrough,” she said. It could come from collaboration. Earlier this year, Microsoft decided to open source Project Malmo, a move that could yield important discoveries, especially if Microsoft’s competitors take an interest. IBM’s Watson has proven its trivia chops on Jeopardy! but how would it fare when asked to build a house out of bricks? Over at Google, the team behind DeepMind has already enjoyed success in getting an algorithm to learn how to play Space Invaders! — a game with a single goal — maximize points — and only three control options: move left, move right, and fire. Does it possess the flexibility that Hofmann is trying to encourage for success in Minecraft? Strike up the roboband Having an entity that can apply logic, reasoning, and brute mathematical prowess to challenges in engineering, medicine, and research just makes sense. But what about art? Can AI play a role in the creation of beauty, whether it’s cinema, sculpture, or even music? Google is determined to find out. The company recently showed off some of the more quixotic fruits of its AI research, performing mind-bending, almost hallucinogenic transformations of images and videos through a process it has dubbed DeepDream. It’s a fun, trippy thing to do to your favorite photos, but it seems to fall short of the independent creative process we normally attribute to “artists,” and might be more appropriately described as an Instagram filter on steroids. Dr. Douglas Eck, a research scientist at Google, was intrigued when he first saw DeepDream. He recognized it immediately as a powerful example of machine learning, or “good ol’-fashioned neural networks, done right,” as he puts it. But Eck was also struck by something else: “This stuff can be fun.” So Eck decided to lobby the senior brass at Google to let him build a small team to investigate how machine learning could be further leveraged in the world of art, only this time it would be focused on music, an area Eck has long been passionate about. “Much to my pleasure,” Eck recounts, “Google was right on board with this,” and Magenta was born. “How do you build models that can generate [music] and can understand whether they’re good or not.” Generating music algorithmically isn’t new. You can listen to some of Eck’s own efforts from his time working on it at the University of Montreal in 2002. “The question is,” Eck asks, philosophically, “how do you build models that can generate [music] and can understand whether they’re good or not, based upon feedback from their audience, and then improve?” It starts to sound like Magenta is going to unleash a horrible new wave of computer-generated Muzak, but Eck is quick to assure us that’s not the point. “In the end,” he says, “people want to connect with people. Consuming 100-percent machine-generated content is a bit of dead end.” Instead, he sees Magenta as an opportunity to create the world’s next electric guitar. “Can we build AI tools that help people express themselves in ways they couldn’t before?” Eck wonders. He cites Jimi Hendrix’s iconic use of amplification and distortion as an example: “That really opened up whole channels for him to express himself that weren’t there before,” he told Digital Trends. But unlike Hendrix’s guitar, the instruments that Magenta births will ideally be smart. Really smart. “You can already drop some bass loops into GarageBand and play on top of it,” he points out. “But what if there’s actually some smarts to this bassist?” In Eck’s vision of the future, the Magenta code base will construct a virtual bandmate that listens to you as you play, and can intelligently — perhaps even creatively — follow along and respond accordingly. “It’s like your copilot,” he said. Just like Project Malmo, Magenta is now open source, an important step if any of Eck’s dreams for a backup band of AI musicians are to be realized. Because Magenta is built on a machine-learning framework — Google’s own open-source TensorFlow software — it is incredibly data hungry. By opening access to a worldwide community of musicians, Magenta could evolve very quickly. “If we can be playing along with other musicians, the amount of information that’s present for learning is just astonishing,” Eck enthuses. From music to megalomania? Each of the AI experts we spoke to all share an enthusiasm for the future potential of the technology that borders on the religious. They also share an equally skeptical view of Bostrom’s doomsday prophecies. For them, the notion that one day a superintelligent AI will turn on an unsuspecting human population remains very much the domain of science fiction, not science fact. “I do not believe that machines are going to end up being autonomous entities that go off and do things on their own,” IBM’s Banavar says when asked about the likelihood of a machine intelligence that would need to be controlled. His primary concern for our future with the machines is one that programmers have been obsessing over for years: Poor performance because of bug-ridden code. “That’s a much bigger problem in my mind than machines that will wake up one day and do something they weren’t designed to do,” he said. “We’re actually getting more moral with each passing decade — that is not accidental.” Google’s Gupta points to a basic stumbling block that she thinks will hamstring the development of a strong AI for years to come: “Our best philosophers and neuroscientists aren’t sure what consciousness is,” she notes, “so how can we even start talking about what it means [for a machine to be conscious] or how we would go about replicating that digitally?” It’s hard to tell if she’s being sincere or coy — many observers have suggested that if any entity working on the AI problem today will crack the code, it’s probably going to be Google. Given a sufficiently long runway, she believes anything is possible. “I think we can do it … I’d think in the next hundred years,” she offers. “I’m just not sure it’s going to be that interesting.” Microsoft’s Hofmann echoes Gupta’s thoughts about the difficulty of achieving a machine with a truly general level of intelligence. “I believe that it may be possible in principle,” she says, “but just knowing the state of the art in AI, I don’t see us getting anywhere close to those predictions any time in the near future.” Google’s Eck finds the topic somewhat exasperating. “This whole idea of superintelligence,” he says, “it just doesn’t make sense to me. I guess I really don’t get it.” It’s hard to reconcile this confusion with the fact that he’s on a mission to create the first intelligent, synthetic musician. But he clarifies a moment later: “My view of cognition is so tied to human perception and action. I don’t look at our brains as these computational boxes [in competition] with these other, stronger brains in boxes that happen to be inside computers.” When asked how far we might be from such a scenario, he laughs and says, “Twenty years!” because, as he points out, that’s the usual time frame experts give when they have no idea, but they need to say something. Skeptics of Bostrom’s predictions of AI supremacy aren’t limited to those working in the field. He has also drawn criticism from the world of philosophy and ethics. Michael Chorost, author of Rebuilt: How Becoming Part Computer Made Me More Human and World Wide Mind: The Coming Integration of Humanity, Machines, and the Internet, feels he has a strong understanding of how computers and their code work, despite not having a background in AI. He classifies Bostrom’s Superintelligence as “a brilliantly wrong book.” Chorost believes we may create increasingly powerful AI agents, but he’s unconvinced these algorithms will ever become sentient, let alone sapient. He compares these concerns to climbing a tree, and then declaring we’re closer to the moon. Much like Gupta, Banavar and Eck, he says the biggest question is how a machine, made up of circuits and code, could ever achieve that status. He subscribes to the idea that there is something inherently special about our bodies, and their “aqueous chemical” makeup, that no electronic system will ever be able to duplicate. Any AI that develops over time — thanks to evolution — will thus be a kinder, gentler entity. He falls short of ruling it out completely, however, and offers one possibly viable route it could take: An evolutionary one. Instead of trying to program awareness into machines, we should let nature do the heavy lifting. “Putting it in a complex environment that forces [an AI] to evolve,” Chorost suggests, might do the trick. “The environment should be lethally complex,” he says, evoking images of AIs competing in a virtual gladiator’s arena, “so that it kills off ineffective systems and rewards effective ones.” The other benefit to this artificial Darwinism, if it succeeds, is that it will produce a moral AI with no genocidal tendencies. “Morality is actually built into how evolution works,” he claims, saying that all you need to do is look at humanity for the proof. “Despite both world wars, the rate of violent death has been consistently falling,” he notes. “We’re actually getting more moral with each passing decade — that is not accidental. That’s a process that comes out of reason.” Chorost himself reasons that any AI that develops over time — thanks to evolution — will thus be a kinder, gentler entity because we’ve seen this process play out in all of us. So why worry? Perhaps Chorost is right. Perhaps the essential ingredients for sentience will never be reproduced in silicon, and we’ll be able to live comfortably knowing that as incredibly capable as Siri becomes, she’s never going to follow her own desires instead of catering to ours, like in the movie Her. But even if you don’t buy into the idea that one day AI will become an existential threat, Gary Marchant thinks we should all be paying a lot more attention to the risks that come with even a moderately more sophisticated level of artificial intelligence. Officially, Marchant is the Lincoln Professor of Emerging Technologies, Law and Ethics at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University. When he’s not lecturing students at ASU, he’s working on a legal and ethical framework for the development of AI as a member of the international engineering standards body, the IEEE. When he’s not doing that, Marchant co-investigates the “control and responsible innovation in the development of autonomous machines” thanks to grant money from the Future Of Life Institute — an organization that funds research and outreach on scenarios that could pose an existential risk to humanity (including AI). These activities give Marchant a 50,000-foot perspective on AI that few others possess. His conclusion? There are two areas that require immediate attention. Military drones like the MQ-9 Reaper currently only operate with human pilots remotely at the controls, but AI developments may eventually enable them to kill autonomously. (Photo: General Atomics Aeronautical “One that concerns me the most,” he says, “is the use of AI in the military.” At the moment, the U.S. drone arsenal is remote-controlled. The pilot is still in command, even if she’s sitting hundreds of miles away, but that scenario may already have an expiration date. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, is reportedly interested in developing autonomous software agents that could identify and repair security risks in computing systems. “There will be strong incentives to go more and more autonomous,” Marchant warns, because it will be seen as the only viable way to respond to an adversary who is already benefitting from the faster-than-human decision-making these systems are capable of. “Then you’re reliant on these systems not to make mistakes,” he notes, ominously. It might be easy to dismiss his concerns were it not for the fact that a federal advisory board to the Department of Defense just released a study on autonomy that echoes his words, almost verbatim: “Autonomous capabilities are increasingly ubiquitous and are readily available to allies and adversaries alike. The study therefore concluded that DoD must take immediate action to accelerate its exploitation of autonomy while also preparing to counter autonomy employed by adversaries.” The other use of AI that Marchant believes is in need of examination is much closer to home: “The movement toward autonomous cars,” he says, is going to require thoughtful development and much better regulation. Tesla Autopilot allows the Model S to drive autonomously on the highway, but a number of crashes prove it’s not yet perfect. (Video: Tesla “As we recently saw with Tesla,” he observes, referencing the recent crashes — and one death — connected to the company’s autopilot system, “it’s a harbinger of what’s to come — people being injured or killed by an autonomous system making decisions.” He highlights the very real ethical decisions that will be faced by AI-controlled cars: In an accident situation, whose life should be preserved — that of the passenger, another driver, or a pedestrian? It’s a question many are wrestling with, including Oren Etzioni, a computer scientist at the University of Washington and the CEO of the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, who told Wired: “We don’t want technology to play God.” What Marchant clearly isn’t worried about is biting the hand that feeds: Much of his Future Of Life grant comes from Tesla CEO Elon Musk. What about the jobs? Further into the future, Marchant sees a huge problem with AI replacing human workers, a process that he claims has already begun. “I was talking to a pathologist,” he recounts, “who said his field is drying up because machines are taking it over.” Recently, a prototype AI based on IBM’s Watson began working at a global law firm. Its machine discovery and document review capabilities, once sufficiently advanced, could affect the jobs of young associate lawyers, which Marchant thinks demonstrates that it’s not only menial jobs that are at risk. “This is going to become a bigger and bigger issue,” he said. Fanuc, the largest provider of industrial robots, has recently used reinforcement learning to teach an embodied AI how to perform a new job — in 24 hours. Google’s Gupta offers an optimistic perspective, saying, “The more interesting story is the jobs that are being created,” though she stops short of listing any of these new jobs. Her Google colleague, Eck, puts it into a historical (and of course, musical) frame, noting that the advent of drum machines didn’t create legions of unemployed drummers (or, at the very least, it didn’t add to their existing numbers). “We still have lots of drummers, and a lot of them are doing really awesome things with drum machines,” he says. Marchant understands these arguments, but ultimately, he rejects them. The always-on, 24/7 decision-making nature of AI puts it into a technology class by itself he says. “There will be so many things that machines will be able to do better than humans,” he notes. “There was always something for humans to move to in the past. That isn’t the case now.” “I’m almost worried that sometimes we move too quickly.” Interestingly, the biggest players in AI aren’t deaf to these and other concerns regarding AI’s future impact on society and have recently joined forces to create a new nonprofit organization called The Partnership on Artificial Intelligence to Benefit People and Society, or the shorter Partnership on AI. Its members include Microsoft, Google, IBM, Facebook, and Amazon, and its stated goal is to “address opportunities and challenges with AI technologies” through open and collaborative research. The partnership isn’t interested in consulting with policymaking bodies, but the public could end up steering it that way if they can’t be convinced of the technology’s benefits. Surprisingly, Marchant isn’t ready to demand more laws or more regulations right away. “I’m almost worried that sometimes we move too quickly,” he says, “and start putting in place laws before we know what we’re trying to address.” Just say no to AI Dr. Kathleen Richardson, Senior Research Fellow in the Ethics of Robotics at De Montfort University, knows exactly what she’s trying to address: The goal of an aware AI, or any AI designed to mimic living things, she believes, is a fundamentally flawed pursuit. “The only reason we think it’s possible that machines could be like people,” she says, “is because we had — and still have — slavery.” For Richardson, using machines as a stand-in for a person, or indeed any other living entity, is a byproduct of a corrupt civilization that is still trying to find rationalizations to treat people as objects. “We share properties with all life,” she says, “but we don’t share properties with human-made artifacts.” Reversing this logic, Richardson dismissed the notion that we will ever create an aware, sentient, or sapient algorithm. “I completely, utterly, 100 percent reject it,” she says. Perhaps because of this ironclad belief, Richardson doesn’t spend much time worrying about superintelligent, killer AIs. Why think about a future that will never come to pass? Instead, she’s focused her research on AI and robotics in the here and now, as well as their near-term impact. What she sees, she does not like — in particular the trend toward robotic companions, driven by improvements in AI. Though most well-known for her anti-sex robot position, Richardson opposes robotic companionship of any kind. Pepper is designed to be a humanoid companion, keeping owners company like a pet, rather than performing any specific task. (Photo: Softbank “They say that these robots — these objects — are going to be therapeutic,” she says, referring specifically to the bleeding-edge Japanese market, which has the support of industry heavyweights like SoftBank and Sony. Richardson doesn’t put much faith in this notion, which she thinks is nothing more than yet another rationalization linked to slavery. “If you talk to elderly people,” she says, “what they want is day trips out, and contact with other human beings. None of them said, ‘What I want most of all is a robot.’” Perhaps she’s right, and yet that didn’t stop SoftBank’s Pepper — the first companion robot capable of interpreting basic human emotions — from selling out its initial run of 1,000 units in less than a minute. Sherry Turkle, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology researcher, psychologist and author, agrees with Richardson’s viewpoint, but mostly because she has seen that — contrary to Richardson’s claim — there is demand for AI companions, and that worries her. In 2013, Turkle gave an interview to Live Science, saying, “The idea of some kind of artificial companionship has already become the new normal.” The price for this new normalcy is that “we have to change ourselves, and in the process, we are remaking human values and human connection.” Sophia from Hanson Robotics, also pictured at the top of this article, achieves an almost creepy level of resemblance to a real human. (Video: Hanson Robotics That would be just fine with Dr. David Hanson of Hanson Robotics. “The artificial intelligence will evolve to the point where they will truly be our friends,” he told CNBC. Marchant has already weighed in on this subject. Instead of fighting this new normal, he says we might just have to embrace it. In his controversial Slate article, he outlines a future where marriages between humans and robots will not only be legal, they will be inevitable. “If a robotic companion could provide some kind of comfort and love — apparent love at least — I’m not sure that’s wrong,” he says, citing the fact that there are many in our society who, for various reasons, are incapable of forming these kinds of relationships with other humans. Marchant makes it clear that he still values human relationships above those that involve synthetic companions, but he’s also prepared to accept that not everyone will share these values. “I’m certainly not going to marry a robot, but if my son wanted to 20 years from now, I wouldn’t say he couldn’t do that,” he claims. “I’d try to talk him out of it, but if that’s what made him happy, I’d be more concerned about that than anything else.” Perhaps as a sign of the times, earlier this year a draft plan for the EU included wording that would give robots official standing as “electronic persons.” Stepping toward the future Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has said that in 10 years, it’s likely that AI will be better than humans at basic sensory perception. Li Deng, a principal researcher at Microsoft, agrees, and goes even further, saying, “Artificial Intelligence technologies will be used pervasively by ordinary people in their daily lives.” Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google parent Alphabet, and Google CEO Pichai see an enormous explosion in the number of applications, products, and companies that have machine learning at their core. They are quick to point out that this type of AI, with its insatiable appetite for data, will only fulfill its potential when paired with the cloud. Urs Hölzle, Google’s senior vice president of technical infrastructure, said, “Over the next five years, I expect to see more change in computing than in the last five decades.” “When an engineering path [to sentient AI] becomes clear then we’ll have a sense of what not to do.” These predictions are — somewhat obviously, given their sources — highly positive, but that doesn’t mean the road ahead will resemble the Autobahn. There could be significant bumps. IBM’s Banavar points to a few challenges that could hamper progress. “One of the breakthroughs we need,” he says, “is how you combine the statistical technique [of machine learning] with the knowledge-based technique.” He refers to the fact that even though machines have proven powerful at sifting through huge volumes of data to determine patterns and predict outcomes, they still don’t understand its “meaning.” The other big challenge is being able to ramp up the computing power we need to make the next set of AI leaps possible. “We are working on new architectures,” he reveals, “inspired by the natural structures of the brain.” The premise here is that if brain-inspired software, like neural nets, can yield powerful results in machine learning, then brain-inspired hardware might be equally (or more) powerful. All this talk about brain-inspired technology inevitably leads us back to our first, spooky, concern: In the future, AI might be a collection of increasingly useful tools that can free us from drudgery, or it could evolve rapidly — and unbeknownst to us — into the most efficient killing machine ever invented. One of those options certainly seems a lot more desirable, but how do we make sure that’s the version we end up with? If we follow AI expert Chorost’s advice, there’s no reason to worry, because as long as our AIs evolve, they’ll develop morality — and morality leads to benevolence. That’s assuming it’s even possible, which he disputes. “When an engineering path [to sentient AI] becomes clear,” he says, “then we’ll have a sense of what not to do.” Banavar, despite being fairly certain that an AI with its own goals isn’t in our future, suggests that “it is a smart thing for us to have a way to turn off the machine.” The team at Google’s DeepMind agree and have written a paper in conjunction with the Future Of Life Institute that describes how to create the equivalent of a “big red button” that would let the human operator of an AI agent suspend its functions, even if the agent became smart enough to realize such a mechanism existed. The paper, titled “Safely Interruptible Agents,” does not go so far as to position itself as the way to counter a runaway superintelligence, but it’s a step in the right direction as far as Tesla CEO Musk is concerned: He recently implied that Google is the “one” company whose AI efforts keep him awake at night. Interestingly, during the same interview with Recode, Musk suggested that OpenAI — an organization he backs that operates a grass-roots effort to make AI technology widely available to everyone — could be the ultimate antidote to a malevolent AI agent. If everyone possessed their own personal AI, he reckons, “if somebody did try to something really terrible, then the collective will of others could overcome that bad actor.” Perhaps we will develop a strong AI. Perhaps it won’t be friendly. Perhaps we will be pushed to extinction by Skynet, offered a tenuous, uneasy truce by the machines of The Matrix, or simply ignored and left to our own (less intelligent) devices by the superintelligent OS One from Her. Or perhaps, to quote computer scientist and AI skeptic Peter Hassan, we will simply keep “pursuing an ever-increasing number of irrelevant activities as the original goal recedes ever further into the future — like the mirage it is.” |
The woefully complete guide¶ by Alex Reinhart If you’re a practicing scientist, you probably use statistics to analyze your data. From basic t tests and standard error calculations to Cox proportional hazards models and propensity score matching, we rely on statistics to give answers to scientific problems. This is unfortunate, because statistical errors are rife. Statistics Done Wrong is a guide to the most popular statistical errors and slip-ups committed by scientists every day, in the lab and in peer-reviewed journals. Many of the errors are prevalent in vast swaths of the published literature, casting doubt on the findings of thousands of papers. Statistics Done Wrong assumes no prior knowledge of statistics, so you can read it before your first statistics course or after thirty years of scientific practice. If you find any errors or typos, or want to suggest other popular misconceptions, contact me. If you find this website useful, consider buying the book! Or find it in Deutsch, 한국어, Italiano, 中文 (简体 and 繁體), or 日本語. “Of all the books that tackle these issues, Reinhart’s is the most succinct, accessible and accurate assessment of the statistical flaws that render many scientific studies suspect… It should be required reading for all scientists” —Science News |
Mt Marion Lithium producer is transitioning itself from Lithium miner to battery materials technology specialist. The Perth based company announced this week it had filed a patent application for its unique battery recycling technology in the USA. In a statement to the ASX on Wednesday, reported it had lodged three provisional patents in the US for battery recycling technology co-owned through a dedicated subsidiary, Urban Mining, with a Canadian partner. has exclusive worldwide rights to commercialise the technology which yielded stunning results earlier this year in lab-scale test work in Canada. In that test work, was able to recover cobalt with a purity of 99.2% from spent Lithium-ion batteries extracted from laptops, mobiles phones and other consumer electronics. Interestingly the recovery was achieved with operating costs that could put in the lowest quartile of Cobalt producers. An engineering study by Sedgman concluded that a small plant producing 666 tonnes of Cobalt per annum could operate at a cost of US$9,852/t — about one fifth of recent spot prices. Cobalt prices have doubled since the start of 2017 to the highest level in more than a decade. is stepping up development with the construction of a pilot plant in Canada capable of processing 100kg per day. The pilot program is due to be completed in the September quarter and will yield even more robust data on recoveries and costs for Cobalt, Lithium, Nickel and Copper. Managing Director, , said: “The lodgement of these patent applications is consistent with ’ IP strategy to protect its competitive advantage once the commercial viability emerges. We will continue our disciplined evaluation of the technology through piloting before undertaking an engineering cost study to satisfy the industry demand for a commercial, environmentally and ethically responsible, end-of-life solution for lithium batteries.” With exponential growth in Lithium-ion battery production and less than 5% of batteries currently being recycled, might be onto something here. |
Finally some of the new cards for the Link VRAINS Box are revealed! LVB1-JP006 Trickstar Foxywitch Link 3 LIGHT Fairy Link Effect Monster ATK 2200 Links: Top, Left, Right Materials: 2+ Fairy monsters You can only use this card name’s (1) and (2) effects once per turn each. (1) If this card is Special Summoned: You can inflict 200 damage to your opponent for each card they control. (2) If this Link Summoned card is destroyed by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon 1 Link 2 or lower “Trickstar” monster from your Extra Deck, then, inflict 200 damage to your opponent for each card they control. LVB1-JP007 Trickstar Magicorolla Equip Spell Card You can only activate 1 card with this card’s name per turn. (1) Activate this card by targeting 1 “Trickstar” monster in your GY: Special Summon it, and if you do, equip this card to it. When this card leaves the field, destroy that monster. (2) Once per turn, if the equipped monster inflicts damage to your opponent by battle or card effect: You can Special Summon 1 “Trickstar” monster from your hand. LVB1-JP002 Formud Skipper Level 1 LIGHT Cyberse Effect Monster ATK 0 DEF 0 You can only use this card name’s (1) and (2) effects once per turn each. (1) During your Main Phase: You can reveal 1 Link Monster from your Extra Deck. During this turn, if you use this card as a Material for a Link Summon, you can treat it as having the same card name, Type, and Attribute as that revealed monster. (2) If this card is sent to the GY as a Link Material: You can add 1 Level 5 or higher Cyberse monster from your Deck to your hand. LVB1-JP017 Tactical Exchamber Normal Trap Card You can only activate 1 card with this card’s name per turn. (1) Target 1 face-up monster you control; destroy it, and if you do, Special Summon 1 “Rokket” monster with a different original name than that destroyed monster from your Deck or GY. LVB1-JP012 Gouki Deathmatch Field Spell Card (1) When this card is activated: Place 3 counters on it. (2) If a “Gouki” monster you control destroys an opponent’s monster by battle: Remove 1 counter from this card. (3) At the end of a Battle Phase in which the last counter was removed from this card by its own effect: You can Special Summon as many “Gouki” monsters with different names as possible from your hand and/or Deck, then, place 3 counters on this card. Source The Yu-Gi-Oh OCG DM LINK VRAINS BOX Release Date: 12/23/2017 Price: ¥3000 Contents: (1): Set of 4 “Extra Secret Rare” cards [Inclusion of new cards not mentioned] (2): Set of 20 Ultra Rare cards (including new cards) (3): 1 pack each of Code of the Duelist, Circuit Break, and Extreme Force (4): Special Storage Box (5): Special Card Case (Folding type, foil treatment) (6): Special Protector – 60 sleeves (same design) (7): Special Protector – 60 sleeves (1 of 4 designs) The cards included are said to be made with VRAINS key characters in mind. Don’t forget to spout off on our Social Media (Twitter and Facebook) pages about the latest breaking news! |
Since just about everything we do and the equipment needed to support it depends upon a source of energy, wouldn’t it be great if someone would invent perpetual motion machines that can generate all we want without consuming any resources or producing pollution? Okay, some of you are doubtless saying: “Yes, and they already exist. There are wind turbines and solar power systems that can do that if we build enough of them.” Sorry…but it just isn’t that easy. First of all, without reversing progress back to the Stone Age (and even then, remember those smoky caves), we couldn’t create adequate numbers of either or both to accommodate modern power demands regardless how much conservation we practiced. One constraint is suitable land area. There simply aren’t enough appropriate wind and solar site locations to make that happen. Another limitation is power supply unreliability. For example, recharging those nifty plug-in electric cars would present a big problem when the wind isn’t blowing, at night and when it’s cloudy. There are also such unfortunate matters to consider as high development and operations costs, low output efficiencies, and the fact that environmental groups and near-by landowners fight them tooth-and-nail in the courts. I’ve discussed all of these issues at some length in other articles, and won’t dwell on them again here. Instead, let’s revisit that previously-mentioned output reliability limitation on renewable power dependence alone, and just hypothetically imagine that installations and outputs will be pretty much limitless. In other words, contemplate renewable energy (wind + solar) as true power source “alternatives” to fossils, nuclear and hydro which currently provide more than 96 percent of all U.S. electricity. Only about 3.4 percent now comes from wind, and about 0.11 percent from solar. Grid Balancing On a High Wire: Managing the uninterrupted transfer of electrical power from myriad sources wherever and whenever it is needed is a hugely complicated challenge. It’s one thing when the principal supply sources use gas, heat or hydraulically-driven turbines which provide constant, unfluctuating outputs that can be adjusted and counted upon independent of weather or season. But circumstances become increasingly complex as more and more intermittent sources are added to the power supply mix. Difficulties arise as segments of the grid become overloaded or underserved by the renewables, requiring the conventional-source turbines which balance the grid to meet base demand loads be repeatedly throttled down and up. This reduces turbine operating efficiencies. Utility grid operators are sometimes forced to dump wind energy produced on blustery days when regional power systems don’t have room for it. As Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster, a board member of the California grid system management commented, “We are getting to the point where we will have to pay people not to produce power.” Consider results of enormous E.U. wind power investments as a lesson to us all. Their Network of Transmission System Operators President Daniel Dobbeni noted in a 2012 letter to the European Union commissioner that grid operators are “deeply concerned about differences in speed between the connection of very large capacities of renewable energy resources and the realization in due time of the grid investment needed to support the massive increase of power flows these new resources bring.” Dobbeni also expressed great concern “about the potential destabilizing effect of outdated connection conditions for distributed generation that are not being retrofitted fast enough.” To address these problems, the International Energy Agency estimates that Germany will need to invest between $62.9 billion and $96 billion in transmission and distribution upgrades over the next decade. In addition to paying three times more for electricity that we Americans do, the European romance with increasing reliance upon renewables is further strained by power brownouts and blackouts. This is much less of a problem when there are reliable backup sources such as hydropower, coal and nuclear plants to meet base load demands. Unfortunately, Most of Europe lacks the former, and is intentionally cutting back both of the latter. As the balance of supply shifts to intermittent wind and solar, so does the demand-response inequity problem. That demand-response balance is less of a problem where reliable backup sources like hydropower, coal and nuclear plants exist. However most of Europe lacks the former, and is intentionally – to its detriment – cutting back on both of the latter. Britain, for example, is closing down some of its older coal-fired plants – any one of which can produce nearly twice the electricity all of its 3,000 wind turbines combined. Even Germany, formerly a strong “green” power proponent, is now finally experiencing a great deal of buyer’s remorse. Having already invested more than $250 billion in “renewable energy”, a planned phase-out nuclear plants in a knee-jerk reaction to Japan’s Fukushima disaster is compounding the country’s self-inflicted economic injuries. They currently get approximately 12 percent of their electricity from wind and solar, and plan to increase that proportion to 35 percent by 2020. Incidentally, that proportion of wind-generated electricity amounts only to about one-fifth of Germany’s installed capacity (not demand capacity) under “good” conditions. And ironically, since shutting down some of their older nuclear plants, they now have to import nuclear power from France and the Czech Republic. German households now pay the second highest power costs in Europe…only the Danes pay more. Denmark, which produces between 20- 30 percent of its electricity from wind and solar (estimates vary), hopes to produce half from those sources by 2020. Since Denmark can’t use all the electricity it produces at night, it exports about half of its extra supply to Norway and Sweden where hydroelectric power can be switched on and off to balance their grids. Still, even with those export sales, government wind subsidies cause Danish customers to pay the highest electricity rates in Europe. Owing to skyrocketing energy bills imposed upon households and businesses, German political winds are apparently shifting. Leading into to parliamentary elections last September, some traditional energy providers made this a major campaign issue. The German energy industry group BDEW warned that the surge of renewables was increasingly clogging the power grid and eating into profits of large power stations. Following that cue, Chancellor Angela Merkel gained reelection after calling for a scale-back of renewable energy subsidies which spiraled to about $27 billion per year. She predicted that “If the renewables surcharge keeps rising like it did in recent years, we will have a problem in terms of energy supply.” An Increasingly Uncertain and Dangerous Juggling Act: Power grid development and management involves integration and control of vast patchwork of power lines and monitoring devices connecting industrial-scale fossil, nuclear, hydro, wind and solar electricity-generating plants. All of this juggling is subject to hazards of tripping on a tangle of antiquated and changing legal market rules, operational formulas and business models. Adding greatly to the challenge, uncertainty regarding large government subsidies and other industry perks essential to support renewables “competitive” in the marketplace makes long-term system infrastructure planning virtually impossible. At least one U.S. green energy developer recognizes that stimulus subsidy programs have a record of doing more harm than good. Patrick Jenevein, CEO of the Dallas-based Tang Energy Group, posted a Wall Street Journal article arguing that: “After the 2009 subsidy became available, wind farms were increasingly built in less-windy locations… The average wind-power project built in 2011 was located in an area with wind conditions 16% worse than those of the average… Meanwhile, wind-power prices have increased to an average $54 per megawatt-hour, compared with $37 in 2005.” Subsidies obviously influence markets. Writing in the LA Times, Evan Halper quotes Neil Fromer, the executive director of Caltech’s Resnic Sustainability Institute, observing that: “One of the biggest challenges is you can’t create a market for the resources without solving the demands of moving electricity from one physical place to another. But you can’t solve that problem until you understand what the market structure will look like.” Adding greatly to that uncertainty, Trieu Mai, a senior analyst at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory laments, “The grid was not built for renewables.” Accordingly, as Halper notes, “Planners are struggling to plot where and when to deploy solar panels, wind turbines and hydrogen fuel cells without knowing whether regulators will approve the transmission lines to support them.” Nevertheless, the problems can only get worse as California leads other states in a rush to bring more and more wind and solar power onto grids that weren’t planned to accommodate it. A report by a group of Caltech scholars projects that the necessary upgrades to make a green future work will be “one of the greatest technological challenges industrialized societies have undertaken”. They project this can be expected to cost about $1 trillion nationwide by 2030. And what is likely to occur if that additional taxpayer and ratepayer subsidized cost burden isn’t covered? Jan Smuthy-Jones, executive director of Sacramento’s Independent Producers Assn. which represents owners of renewable and gas power plants, presents an ugly scenario. He warns that current proposals to move California to as much as 80 percent renewable energy within the next two decades are bumping up against prospects of another San Diego-type blackout which occurred in 2011. On that blistering hot day streetlights went dark, flights were grounded, pumping station failures caused sewage to flow onto beaches, and people were trapped in office elevators and Sea World rides. All of those consequences, and more, were caused by an employee error at a power substation near Yuma, Arizona. Will grid limitations put a damper on successes of climate alarmists and other anti-fossil activists to push costly non-alternative energy technologies into ever-more risk-prone grids? This remains to be seen. However as our older nuclear plants are decommissioned and new EPA regulations shutter coal-fired plants, one thing is certain. States like California that continue to increase renewable requirements are likely to resemble Europe in more ways than even they wish to emulate. |
A new year is all about starting afresh and realising your dreams. So, let’s raise a toast to a Happy New Year and even happier beginnings. Take inspiration from these quotes to help you get started and if you are inspired enough, share your enthusiasm with your loved ones. * “A good beginning makes a good end” – English Proverb Advertising * “Drink from the well of yourself and begin again” — Charles Bukowski, author * “This is a new year. A new beginning. And things will change” — Taylor Swift, singer * “The beginning is the most important part of the work” – Plato, philosopher Advertising (Also read: 14 inspirational quotes from fiction to pep you up) * “Something is going to come out of this. Something new. This can end you up in a whole new place—a better place, a much more open place” -Pema Chodron, author * “And now we welcome the new year, full of things that have never been” — Rainer Maria Rilke, poet * “For last year’s words belong to last year’s language, And next year’s words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning.” — TS Eliot (Little Gidding), author (Also read: Your horoscope for 2016, by Peter Vidal) * “You raze the old to raise the new” — Justina Chen (North of Beautiful), author * “You will never win if you never begin” — RH Schuller, motivational speaker Read how Delhi has a historic movement starting January 1 * “Whatever you do or dream you can do — begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it”. – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, writer and statesman * “Morning will come, it has no choice” — Marty Rubin, aphorist/philosopher * “Celebrate endings – for they precede new beginnings” — Jonathan Lockwood Huie, author (Also read: New Year-day Special: Easy-to-make hangover breakfasts) We also have a few inspirational greetings, wishes that you can send to your friends and family. — Wishing you a great, prosperous, blissful, healthy, bright, delightful, energetic and extremely Happy New Year 2016. — New Year is not about changing the dates but direction; it’s not about changing the calendar but commitment; it’s not about changing the actions but attitude. May each and every day of yours is renewed with lots of happiness and love. — May the bad times you faced in the year 2015 be your stepping stones to success and may you be blessed with many happy moments in 2016. Happy New Year. (Also read: Want to stick to your New Year’s resolution? Keep it a secret) — Best wishes to my beloved friend for a wonderful year ahead. Though we’re miles apart, you are always in my thoughts and prayers. — Here comes a brand new year for you to enjoy and accept the realities of life. Fill them with whatever your heart desires without any regrets this year. Stay blessed. — Leave behind the demons of the past and look forward to a brand new start in 2016. — Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right. — Before the calendar turns a new leaf over, before the social networking sites get flooded with messages, before the mobile networks get congested, let me take a quiet moment out to wish you a wonderful, happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. (Also read: 10 best budget destinations for 2016) — May your beautiful smile be the reason for others’ happiness this year. Spread your joy and happiness around. Happy New Year. — Thank you for being my support all these years and I wish to have you by my side in the coming year as well. Happy New Year friend. — May this new year brings all the crazy colors and fun in your life. I wish all the negativity and difficulties also end with this year and 2015 bring success and desired results for you. Advertising — New is the year, new are the hopes, new is the resolution, new are the spirits, and new are my warm wishes just for you. Have a promising and fulfilling New Year. |
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches the SES-9 communications satellite into orbit from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on March 4, 2016. (Image: © SpaceX) After a series of delays, a SpaceX rocket soared into space to successfully deliver a commercial satellite into orbit, but couldn't quite manage to stick the landing during an audacious attempt to touch down on a drone ship at sea. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket blasted off in a brilliant launch from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station tonight, March 4, at 6:35 p.m. EST (2335 GMT). Its mission: Deliver the SES-9 commerical communications satellite into orbit for its Luxembourg-based customer SES. That part went fine, with the SES-9 satellite separating as planned from the Falcon 9 rocket and heading off toward its final orbit. The rocket landing, however, was not successful. "Rocket landed hard on the droneship," SpaceX CEO Elon Musk wrote in a Twitter update. "Didn't expect this one to work ([very] hot reentry), but next flight has a good chance." SpaceX tried to land the first stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on "Of Course I Still Love You," one of two "autonomous spaceport drone ships" owned by the company, as part of a bold experiment for resuable rocket technology. The company publicly stated that the chances of success were slim, but it hoped to try anyway. About 2.5 minutes after liftoff, the first stage of the Falcon 9 separated from its upper stage, then performed two engine burns to return Earth for a landing in the Atlantic Ocean a few hundred miles off the Florida coast. A video feed from the drone ship offered a tantalizing glimpse of what appeared to be the Falcon 9 approaching its landing zone before cutting out, apparently just before the booster hit the ship's deck. [See photos of the SpaceX rocket launch and landing try here] On three previous occasions — in January 2015, April 2015 and January 2016 — a Falcon 9 first stage had gotten this far during an ocean landing try. But all three times, the booster ended up toppling over on the ship's deck and exploding. Less than three months ago, in December 2015, SpaceX managed to land a Falcon 9 first stage on terra firma at Cape Canaveral, marking the first time this had ever been done during an orbital launch. (Blue Origin, the private spaceflight company established by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, landed its New Shepard launch vehicle in November, but that milestone occurred during a suborbital test flight.) All of this work is part of the company's effort to develop fully and rapidly reusable rockets — a key priority for SpaceX and Musk. [Inside SpaceX's Epic Fly-Back Reusable Rocket Landing (Infographic)] Musk has said repeatedly that he set up SpaceX primarily to help humanity colonize Mars, and he thinks reusable rockets are key to making that happen. The technology could slash the cost of spaceflight by a factor of 100, Musk has said. The booster stage that landed in December survived its flight in good shape, and it performed well in engine tests after its recovery, SpaceX representatives said last month. That particular rocket stage will probably end up on display somewhere, but the company aims to refly other landed boosters in the future. The SES-9 communications satellite separates from the upper stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket in this view from an onboard camera beamed to Earth during a live webcast of the successful launch on March 4, 2016. (Image: © SpaceX) While the rocket landing attempt drew much of the attention for today's launch, the mission's main purpose was to get the SES-9 satellite aloft for SES. "SES-9 will provide expansion and replacement capacity to serve the video, enterprise, mobility and government sectors in fast-growing markets across Northeast Asia, South Asia and Indonesia," SpaceX representatives wrote in a mission description. "The additional capacity on SES-9 will enable direct-to-home operators to broadcast more local content and increase their SD and HDTV channel lineup to 22 million households across Asia-Pacific, in markets such as India, Indonesia and the Philippines," they added. Today's liftoff and landing attempt were delayed multiple times. Launch tries on Feb. 24 and Feb. 25 were scrubbed because of issues with the loading of liquid-oxygen propellant onto the Falcon 9, and an attempt on Feb. 28 was aborted just before liftoff, apparently because of rising oxygen temperatures. (This temperature rise was partly attributable to a 35-minute delay caused by a boat in the launch's "keep-out zone," according to Musk). SpaceX had intended to try again Tuesday (March 1), but ended up pushing the launch to today because of concerns about high-altitude winds. Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com. |
Starbucks, the Seattle-based global coffee chain, has announced plans to hire 10,000 refugees around the world, including 1,000 in Canada over five years. Wednesday’s announcement followed outgoing Starbucks chairman and CEO Howard Schultz’s earlier defiance and criticisms of U.S. President Donald Trump’s travel bans against Muslim-majority countries and suspension of refugee programs. Mark Patterson, of the agency Hire Immigrants, says Starbucks “is a company that understands the diverse population it serves." He's pictured here with Luisa Girotto, VP of Public Affairs for Starbucks Canada. ( Richard Lautens / Toronto Star ) In response to the new administration’s executive orders, Schultz reaffirmed the company’s values by committing to hire refugees, “building bridges, not walls, with Mexico,” and supporting undocumented youth and former U.S. president Barack Obama’s affordable health care plan. “We see the role Canada plays in accepting refugees. These newcomers need jobs to resettle successfully. We believe in their potential. They have tremendous skills to contribute to our company and to our country,” said Luisa Girotto, Starbucks Canada’s vice-president, public affairs. “All they need is the first opportunity to kick-start a new life in Canada. We have thousands of jobs to fill and enough opportunity for every segment in society.” Article Continued Below Girotto said the company will work with Hire Immigrants — an agency out of Ryerson University that supports best practices to integrate newcomer workers — to recruit, train and retain refugee employees through its local community networks in Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary and Edmonton. The refugee hiring initiative will build on Starbucks’ Opportunity Youth program, which focuses on training and hiring young people as a response to high youth unemployment. Mark Patterson, executive director of Hire Immigrants, said he was not surprised when approached by Starbucks to be a partner of the refugee employment initiative. “Here is a company that understands the diverse population it serves. Diversity is part of its values. We hope we can get the message out to show the economic values of being diverse and inclusive, and to spur other employers to do the same,” said Patterson. Yusra Zein-Alabdin, whose family came to Canada last July via Turkey under the Syrian refugee resettlement program, said social and professional networks are a key to securing employment. “It is not easy to go out and ask someone if they have an available job,” said the mother of two, who has a degree in English literature and used to teach English to impoverished children back home. “We were not welcomed in Turkey. I’m surprised and very happy that not only the Canadian government wants to help refugees, but everyone, businesses and employers also want to help us.” Article Continued Below Like New York-based Chobani yogurt, which was attacked on social media by Trump supporters for hiring refugees, Schultz’s refugee hiring speech also drew threats of boycotts against the coffee chain by anti-immigrant groups. Ontario independent Senator Ratna Omidvar, who founded the Global Diversity Exchange at Ryerson’s Ted Rogers School of Management, said the conversation in the United States on refugees is very different from Canada’s. “When the community flourishes, the company flourishes. Here we have an enlightened employer, Starbucks, taking a positive stand, saying we need to build bridges, not walls,” said Omidvar. “The company may have to take a risk, but it is a statement that many would agree with.” Starbucks has more than 1,300 outlets and 19,000 employees in Canada. Staff who work a minimum of 20 hours a week are eligible for medical and dental care, as well as up to $5,000 a year in mental health support and tuition reimbursements. Read more about: |
It looks like we have some confirmation of what the May the 4th LEGO promotion will be for this year and we’ve already seen images of it before. A reader has emailed in details and they were told that it will be the brick-built LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 (30611) polybag. You can get it for free during the May the 4th promotion with a LEGO Star Wars purchase of $75 or more at LEGO Brand Stores and on [email protected] I’ve been told that it this year’s promotional polybag would be a little different from previous years when they were exclusive minifigures and it appears that the brick-built R2-D2 will do just that. If you don’t wish to make a purchase during the May the 4th promo, you can build your own as the instructions have been online for a while. The only downside is that you have to substitute the front detailing as the printed 1×1 tiles are exclusive to this set. We’ll definitely confirm it when the May 2017 LEGO Store Calendar comes out in a few days. Thanks to Sid for the info. |
Big Law—the law firms with hundreds of partners that service corporate Canada—is not feeling so big at the moment. It's not just that the seventh-largest firm in the country, the 500-lawyers-plus Heenan Blaikie, suddenly imploded in February. Many other firms are quietly shedding staff. McCarthy Tétrault, one of the pillars of Bay Street law, is down from a pre-2008 high of nearly 700 lawyers to 560. Some top-tier firms are finding less expensive offices, or sloughing off a floor or two. A rarely heard word has gained currency in this moment: de-equitization. It describes the formerly unthinkable process of removing a partner from the ranks of those with ownership shares in the firm. Story continues below advertisement "Up until a year, a year and a half ago, there were critics, but it seemed nothing would ever change," says Hudson's Bay Co.'s general counsel, David Pickwoad, formerly an associate at Stikeman Elliott. "But now, the pace of change in the profession is breathtaking." And things are tight where they were never tight before. In recent years, between 12% and 15% of law graduates have been unable to find articling posts in Ontario. Meanwhile, "the market for associates, including senior associates, isn't nearly what it once was," says Christopher Sweeney, the CEO of Canada's leading legal recruitment firm, ZSA. "We're mainly concentrating these days on partners making lateral moves and in-house hiring [at corporations]." Up to a point, the industry is having this existential moment for a simple reason: There's not as much deal-making going on as there used to be. But the slowdown is also exposing archaic practices in a business that is perhaps just a little too steeped in tradition, mystique and notions of prestige. Billing rates as high as $1,000 an hour don't seem sustainable in light of stark facts like the spectacular collapse of Wall Street firm Dewey & LeBeouf. Technology, outsourcing, modern management methods and a spirit of transparency are finally remaking corporate law, just as they have so many other businesses. At the same time, these tectonic forces are creating opportunities for both lawyers and their clients. ********************************* All the upheaval makes me glad I didn't stay in law myself. I followed my father into the practice, but left in the late '90s, for the riskier, lower-paid business of journalism. If I'd stayed, I'd be in the thick of the upheaval now—like Rubsun Ho, who was a year behind me at the University of Toronto's law school in the '90s. He's an affable, soft-spoken guy who, after graduating, joined Stikeman. Following that stint, he was hired as in-house counsel at a software company. And then he became one of the revolutionaries of what is sometimes called New Law: In 2005, Ho and former Osler Hoskin & Harcourt lawyer Joe Milstone founded Cognition. That sounds like a funny name for a law firm, but it's not unusual: Big Law firms are named after venerated partners; New Law firms are branded with vaguely positive handles. Story continues below advertisement Story continues below advertisement And where the offices of Big Law firms are all about the mahogany, New Law is more about particleboard. Indeed, Cognition's loft-style offices, west of Toronto's downtown core, are a little shabby, with dog-eared law texts jumbled on Ikea shelves. An interview with Ho and Milstone is held instead at a small satellite "intake centre" they've set up in Toronto's MaRS Centre. The old hospital complex where Banting and Best hopefully injected diabetes patients has lately become, in part, an incubator for innovative science- and technology-driven companies. Ho and Milstone's lawyers offer informal counsel (and free doughnuts) once a week to the incubator's denizens, hoping to catch a clean-tech or Internet start-up on its way to success. Seems pretty entrepreneurial for a law firm, doesn't it? But the fundamentals of New Law go further than a willingness to prospect for business. The principles behind Cognition—and behind the U.S. firm, Axiom, that inspired it—include being tech-savvy, efficiency-conscious, low-overhead and partner-free. Ho explains that something came to him one day when he was staring out his 53rd-floor window at Stikeman: His work was being billed to clients at $250 an hour, while his take-home worked out to about $40 an hour. That rang a bell for me. A couple of years ago, I heard a Canadian-born venture capitalist working in Silicon Valley explain why he'd been happy to have a hand in backing Axiom. Story continues below advertisement "The buy-sell in law is awfully broken," Chris Albinson said. "How many lawyers do you know who enjoy their work lives? Look at the cost structure of law firms: A third of the dollars goes to the senior partners who are doing no work; one third into physical plant—marble conference rooms that add no value; one third goes to the guys and gals doing the work, the associates. "And all clients hate it.…They want to work with the person most capable of doing the work quickly—and in a flat social web, where all our experience and capability is fully visible, they know who that person is. They think: 'Why do I need this pyramid scam that was invented 150 years ago?'" Axiom was the brainchild of Mark Harris, who, in the late 1990s, had the same revelatory moment as Ho. After a particularly busy January, he realized he'd almost billed out his annual salary, and so the rest of the year he'd be working to cover Davis Polk & Wardwell's overhead and the partners' draws. Harris set up a meeting with a tech entrepreneur he knew, Alec Guettel. "It's an embarrassing cliché," Guettel says, "but Mark sketched it all out—what became Axiom—on a napkin." They would hire lawyers who had graduated from the best schools and trained at elite firms, and then get them to work out of client offices for the duration of a project—for as long as the businesses retaining them wanted. The client wouldn't have to bear the expense of a new staffer, but could bulk up when necessary. And the "embedded" lawyer would see how the world looked from the client's point of view, and therefore serve up more tailored advice. For voluminous, repetitive work, meanwhile, Axiom is adept at delivering speedily, and at a fraction of the cost that a law firm would generally bill by the hour to have young associates do the work. The new firm would, for instance, send corporate due diligence and document review to groups of lawyers working in India and routine contract drafting to a high-volume shop in Houston. Story continues below advertisement But why would a top lawyer want to give up all the perks and parent-impressing prestige of Big Law for what skeptics have called a glorified temp agency? "It's not for everyone, but we give attorneys more flexibility in their careers," Guettel says. "We knew a lot of incredibly talented, incredibly unhappy attorneys working incredibly hard. For them, partnership is not the brass ring that it once was. And…we saw a lot of clients who felt it wasn't an efficient system and getting top-tier legal advice was too expensive." Founded in 2000, Axiom limped through its first few years, but soon enough, big tech, seeing a firm speaking its language, came calling; it was followed by other, more traditional businesses—Google, Yahoo and Cisco were joined by Thomson Reuters, Avon and Citigroup. Today even the most complacent senior lawyers at major firms are taking notice of the numbers Axiom is racking up: annual revenues that have grown to a reported $150 million (U.S.), 1,000 employees and 12 modestly appointed offices in America and the U.K. As yet, Axiom's Canadian equivalent doesn't pose a substantial threat to the top firms on Bay Street. But, unlike them, it's growing. As at Axiom, Cognition places lawyers at client businesses—and the firm has grown to 32 roving lawyers, almost all, like the founders, ex-"downtowners." The clients are growing from small or mid-size concerns to the likes of Volkswagen Canada, Torstar Corp. and the operator of the Rexall drugstore chain. Cognition is about to hire another six attorneys and anticipates taking on another half-dozen by the end of the year. Ho and Milstone haven't needed to work too hard to find qualified candidates—with minimal advertising, they had 260 applications come their way last year. Milstone plans to open a small Calgary office, and perhaps then expand to Vancouver and Montreal. Though he and Ho won't disclose the hard figures, they say Cognition's revenues have grown in the past five years at a compound annual rate of more than 25%, placing the firm on Profit magazine's list of Canada's fastest-growing companies. ********************************* Story continues below advertisement Kevin West is not the sort of lawyer who would likely ever have gone the boutique route in generations past. After graduating from Dalhousie, he clerked at the Supreme Court, landed plum jobs at the New York and Sydney offices of Sullivan & Cromwell, and then became a partner at what is arguably Toronto's pre-eminent business firm, Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg. In 2010, he left downtown for a basic office at Yonge and St. Clair, calling his new start-up SkyLaw. His approach is to cherry-pick top lawyers from different firms to consult on various aspects of a deal. "I want the right person to answer a tax problem—not just whoever is in the firm I've retained's tax department. The idea is that through my network, I'll be able to find out who that [right person] is." West's first partner at SkyLaw didn't stay long, perferring to work at a Big Law firm in London. The parting was amicable, West says. The new, entrepreneurial approach to the the business isn't the right one for every talented young lawyer. For now, West has on board an experienced law clerk, an articling student, and a former senior counsel at a Bay Street firm, who decided not to retire after leaving downtown but to keep doing work for some key clients, using SkyLaw as a base of operations. On the day we meet, West is delighted to have just cut cheques for some serious bonuses for his small staff. The founder of another new-school firm, Peter Carayiannis, is a former corporate associate at what is now the nation's second-largest firm, the 700-lawyers-plus Gowling Lafleur Henderson. Founded in 2012, his firm, Conduit Law, fits into a single room whose one swanky touch, apart from the exposed brick, is a cabinet housing state-of-the-art IT equipment. The desks, except for Carayiannis's, are devoid of personal effects, since his 12 lawyers work there only occasionally—"hotelling" at any desk that's available on a given day. Carayiannis rejects law's long-time cornerstone: the billable hour. "We bill based on the value the client receives—the amount of work it takes to get there is relevant, but we want to take less time, often using tech, outsourcing, or by matching a lawyer with relevant skills to the problem at hand." When we speak, Carayiannis has just returned from a gathering of the New Law tribe in Manhattan, called ReInvent Law NYC. The packed one-day conference heard a keynote address from the movement's leading thinker, British academic Richard Susskind. Story continues below advertisement Susskind's essential message, contained in books such as The End of Lawyers?, is that project-management principles, of the Six Sigma variety, ought to be injected into the legal sphere. Firms should break projects into parts, then match the work with whoever can do it most efficiently—whether they be lawyers or not, in-house or not. Compared with the U.S., the Canadian legal outsourcing industry is still in a rudimentary state, but not as rudimentary as when Shelby Austin left Davies to start ATD Legal Services in 2010. "I was just a dutiful young female partner—I always did everything by the book," she says. "But then I went home over the December holidays one year, thought about it, came back in January and…quit." Her company contracts about 200 attorneys to review and organize documents in big litigation files, and to conduct due diligence. Many of these freelancers are young; Austin is benefitting from the tough job market for freshly minted lawyers. Not that she had it easy herself starting out. "To land work, I met with anyone and everyone early on—the firm's janitor, someone's cousin's sister," Austin jokes. She is cagey about her private company's revenues, but will say they were between $2 and $5 million in 2012, and have grown "significantly" since then. In January, ATD was acquired by Deloitte—"my posh buyer" she calls the professional-services giant. Rob Centa, one of Toronto's top young litigators, working out of the boutique firm Paliare Roland Rosenberg Rothstein, has made extensive use of Austin's services. "It's great to have someone, a trained lawyer, at a relatively low cost, going through the reams and reams of documents—sorting out relevant documents from the e-mails that just say, 'Are you going home for Mother's Day this weekend?'" Centa says. "We want our junior lawyers to have the experience of doing that, at least once, so they know what it's like and can manage that process appropriately. But it's not always a good use of their time, and our clients don't want to pay their rates for that. It's good that Shelby's here [in Canada], because you can meet with the reviewing lawyer and have this comfort—you can spot-check 100 documents in the less-relevant pile, make sure nothing was missed." Austin herself is "bullish on the India story. Maybe local lawyers aren't ready for that yet, but I can see a time when they might be." ********************************* When that time comes, it will likely be in-house counsel that makes the call. Indeed, one of the shifts under way in corporate law is a movement in power from outside counsel to inside. When David Allgood left Osler to join RBC in 1998, it wasn't common for someone who'd achieved the brass ring of partnership, as he had, to go in-house. "It used to be like they said of teaching, those who could, did. …Those who could succeed downtown did and stayed down there," he says. But after he made the switch, "soon all the banks had taken on former partners." The prestige and size of the in-house bar have both grown, according to observers, and RBC's 240-lawyer complement is larger than most Canadian firms. Allgood, who is the bank's general counsel, and Emily Jelich, who is associate general counsel, have striven to make the department efficient, applying Six Sigma-style principles to work that ranges from regulatory compliance to drafting standard financial instruments to real estate. With the help of consultants, they dutifully analyzed their work, broke it into chunks and figured out who could best do it; they looked at the risks in their practice and what was a manageable level for each activity. Employees now train in the project-management system, receiving recognition in the form of martial-arts-style belts. "We've found savings of more than $7 million, and $20 million in avoided costs," Jelich says. As in so many legal departments, they have been, and remain, under considerable pressure to reduce their own budgets and the amount they spend on outside counsel. (Corporate counsel have, post-downturn, become increasingly proactive—even activist—about how, and for how much, their external counsel will work.) Having been through their own up-with-efficiency processes, Allgood and Jelich have looked to the firms they do business with to follow their lead. They want more certainty in their bills; they're not, as a rule, happy with just the billable-hour system. "We're waiting for a firm to mine its own data and price to us on a value basis—it's very early days on that," Jelich says. "Lawyers provide a service; they aren't special." At Hudson's Bay Co., general counsel Pickwoad is also pushing his outside counsel to give him more certainty in billing. In an increasingly common practice, he drafts detailed requests for proposals, getting outside lawyers to indicate how they'd handle a job and what it might cost. Having worked outside law—at Deloitte, and at a steel company when he was young—he, like Jelich, doesn't buy into a model that treats lawyers as exceptional cases. "For many years, in a way, the onus has been on the client to manage the lawyers, to manage the cost. In my view, that should be something they should increasingly do themselves." ********************************* It's not as if Big Law has been twiddling its thumbs while all this change—economic, cultural, technological—swirls around it. The most obvious attempt at 21st-century renewal is a series of cross-border mergers. Most striking among them is Norton Rose Fulbright, formed when the old Montreal firm Ogilvy Renault threw in its lot with an even older City of London firm, and others, to create a 3,800-lawyer international practice. Meanwhile Carayiannis's former firm, Gowling, recently hired (from McCarthy Tétrault) a legal project management specialist to help recalibrate its practice. A partner in the firm's Hamilton office, Mark Tamminga, has developed a computer-aided system to process work relating to mortgages, allowing Gowling to get a huge volume of work done efficiently. And the firm where my father was a partner, Borden Ladner Gervais, has adopted something they call Adroit, seemingly inspired (again) by the Six Sigma system. Osler recently employed a computer program developed in part by a young Canadian lawyer to aid in due diligence on a $900-million (U.S.) deal that closed in January—Chemtrade Logistics's acquisition of General Chemical Holding Co. Built over three years, Noah Waisberg's DiligenceEngine searches contracts for relevant clauses and puts its findings into summary charts. The tool is used (after training) by lawyers. It's not outsourcing per se, but it can dramatically reduce the time an associate spends on due diligence. At Osler, partner Terry Burgoyne and chief knowledge officer Mara Nickerson talk animatedly about disaggregation (the buzzword for dividing up a big project), about budgeting, about scope-setting meetings with clients, about the sophisticated software they've found to track progress on each file and about how they're using the data to manage the next similar one more efficiently. They talk too about the process of persuading sometimes technophobic lawyers to change tack. There is an energy and enthusiasm in the room—which makes me think back to a comment by Shelby Austin. Although she admires Axiom's founders, I was surprised to find she's not a disciple of Susskind's. "As far as the big firms are concerned, Susskind's got it wrong," Austin said. "They have some of the smartest people in the country working in them. I know—I was there, inside. It's crazy for anyone to count them out, to think they aren't going to be among those able to adjust to whatever changes there are in the marketplace." ********************************* THE LIFE OF BIG LAW A slow start, a rush to bulk up—and then mishaps and splintering 1856-1862 D'Alton McCarthy, Britton Bath Osler and Edward Blake begin practising law in Upper Canada, incubating firms that would become large and prestigious in the Toronto market. McCarthy went on to serve as an influential (if intolerant) MP, Osler to prosecute Louis Riel and Blake to serve as Ontario's premier. 1981 The firm McCarthys seeks to open a Calgary office, over the Alberta Law Society's objections to the Upper Canadian interloper. 1989 The Supreme Court allows McCarthys to set up shop in Alberta—and a high-stakes game of musical chairs results. Most major Toronto, Calgary, Montreal and Vancouver firms merge their way into national powerhouses with ever-morphing names. 1992 Five barristers exit McCarthys, led by Alan Lenczner, to set up an elite commercial litigation boutique. 1996 Toronto firm Holden Day Wilson (55 lawyers) closes a couple of years after a senior associate bursts through the TD Centre conference-room glass and falls 24 storeys to his death. 1998 Osler Hoskin Harcourt partner David Allgood goes in-house at RBC. It was then rare for a downtown-firm partner to go client-side, but it soon becomes common as the prestige of the in-house bar grows. 2000 Tory Tory DesLauriers & Binnington, a Toronto partnership founded in 1941, becomes the first major Canadian firm to merge with an American one: New York's Haythe & Curley, forming the 300-lawyer Tory Haythe. (After accusations of sexual harassment surface against Tom Haythe, the firm rebranded as Torys.) 2000 Former New York firm associate Mark Harris and serial tech entrepreneur Alec Guettel found Axiom, a legal services organization predicated on low overhead, project-to-project lawyers and no partners. 2005 Rubsun Ho (ex of Stikeman Elliott) and Joe Milstone (ex of Osler) found Cognition, an early Canadian exponent of the Axiom approach. 2007 Goodman and Carr (140 lawyers at its peak) closes, after bleeding partners and the failure of merger talks with global behemoth Baker & McKenzie. 2009 Osler invites Richard Susskind, the savage English critic of Big Law, to address its partners. 2010 Partner Shelby Austin leaves premier Toronto firm Davies Ward Phillips & Vineberg to found ATD Legal Services, which employs specialist lawyers to do document review; Deloitte later purchases her company. 2011 Ogilvy Renault, a firm with roots in 19th-century Montreal, merges with a storied City of London firm (founded in 1794) to become part of what is now the 3,800-lawyer, 54-office Norton Rose Fulbright. 2013 Canadian firm Fraser Milner Casgrain merges with second-tier English and American firms to form colossus Dentons (2,600 lawyers). Meanwhile, the pre-Confederation firms soldier on as some of the country's oldest businesses: McCarthy Tétrault (560 lawyers), Blake Cassels & Graydon (555) and Osler Hoskin & Harcourt (403). 2014 Canada's seventh-largest firm, Heenan Blaikie (about 500 lawyers), suddenly collapses—and then the world's biggest firm, DLA Piper (4,200 lawyers), exits talks to found a Canadian office with some of Heenan's former lawyers. A suddenly displaced lawyer remarks to The Globe and Mail: "The freight train that is headed towards Big Law slammed into our firm." |
I’m not sure what kind of person makes a drummer, because they are so wildly different. The star of Whiplash and a 14-year-old kid in a punk band have a different set of goals, even though they are expressing themselves through the same instrument. You have to be a certain kind of person to want to play music seriously. There is a type that sees the value in sticking to it. When I was at primary school, boys never let me near a drum kit, because “girls can’t play drums”. But while other kids learned instruments and became disillusioned, I always had this little fire in my belly. Even now, when I play drums, I still feel like an excited teen. A lot of drummers are studious and read percussion notation, but I started off hitting pillows to video clips of Hanson songs in the living room. The band’s drummer, Zac, was 11, tiny and on TV. Everyone needs that moment of realisation – “I can do that!” – and seeing a kid my age and stature in a successful band was mine. My mum was a singer and my dad played bass; he bought me my first drum kit for my 12th birthday. I took lessons with a local jazz teacher, but after a couple of months he told my dad he wanted to let me follow my own path. I thought it was really cool of him to say, let her teach herself all these songs, she has a good ear. I found the best learning process was sitting at my drum kit, headphones on, listening to songs by Tool and Led Zeppelin, music that had intense drumming. Performing well has a lot to do with feeling relaxed and confident, as opposed to warm-ups before a show. It’s important to do the best work you can, to honour the composition and nail the parts you’re playing, but it’s difficult to have an achievement that is separate from everyone else. As a band, you are a package: it’s a very emotional experience, with the same three people every night over an extended period of time. Outside Warpaint, I’ve played with Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Kurt Vile and Regina Spektor. When I play more aggressive stuff, I can snap two pairs of sticks a gig. It’s a different game now: Warpaint don’t go that hard. I don’t get nervous before shows, but sometimes, on TV, I get a cramp in my hand muscles. Something just hits me and I grip the sticks differently – like a monkey, rather than a human who has practised this for a decade. Drumming suits my personality more than being a singer in the spotlight. I don’t want to be famous. As a child playing Steely Dan in my bedroom, I would close my eyes and fantasise about playing a massive festival; I never wondered what it would be like to hook up with Leo DiCaprio. (Top picture: Deap Vally’s Julie Edwards, photographed by Deirdre O’Callaghan at the band’s rehearsal space, Los Angeles) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Stephen Morris, photographed in his home studio, UK. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan In Manchester, in the early 1970s, there was very little to do; it was all grey. If you wanted to hear music, you had to go to concerts at the Free Trade Hall and the Stoneground to see bands like Genesis. Phil Collins was an interesting drummer, and probably still is. When punk came along, you pushed all those records under your bed and pretended you never liked them at all. Joy Division were called Warsaw then. I saw two ads in a magazine. One was “Drummer wanted: Warsaw” and the other was “Drummer wanted: the Fall”. I thought, hmm, I could probably do both. But I phoned up [Joy Division frontman] Ian Curtis and got the job. It was really difficult getting a gig because there weren’t that many venues. Nobody liked punk bands. It was us versus the establishment; we quite liked being on the outside of it all. There was the bloody Manchester mafia, where the Drones would get gigs, and the Buzzcocks, and everybody else – but we couldn’t get a gig. So when you did, you’d really go for it. We knew Tony Wilson, who became our manager; he saw us, and everyone thought we were fantastic, even though it was probably more anger that set us apart. And then people started getting interested. Working with our producer Martin Hannett on the album Unknown Pleasures was interesting and infuriating. You’d listen to it and wonder how it had got from what you imagined, which was very raw and live and raucous, to the way it sounded. It was like, what’s he done? I had to record all the drums separately. Martin wanted the bass drum in the ballroom, and the snare drum in a tin can, and the hi-hat in a little cardboard box – which is dead easy to do now, but not then. The worst was Love Will Tear Us Apart. We had recorded it, and I had done the drums over and over again. We were staying in a flat in Baker Street in London, and I had just got my head down when the phone went. It’s bloody Martin: he wants us to come back and do the snare drum. Every time I hear Love Will Tear Us Apart, all I can hear is the anger of being dragged out of bed. Jim Sclavunos (Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, Grinderman, Sonic Youth and the Cramps) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jim Sclavunos, photographed at home, New York. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan I’m mostly self-taught, but for a few weeks I took lessons from Jim Payne, an esteemed drummer and teacher. He taught me many things, one of which has stuck with me – the admonition that in order to be properly balanced on one’s throne so that all limbs can move freely and independently, one must have a “relaxed asshole”. That’s very important wisdom for any student of the instrument. The key moment of my recording career happened very early on: I was listening to a playback of a song I had just recorded, and was dismayed by the loud clicking sound that was meant to be the sonic representation of my kick drum. I resolved to understand more about the sound of drums, and about producing. I had my own particular sound that I felt was unique, if raw, and much better. Leroy ‘Horsemouth’ Wallace (Burning Spear, Dennis Brown, Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Gregory Isaacs, Studio One session drummer) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Leroy ‘Horsemouth’ Wallace, photographed at home in Jamaica. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan I still play music because, like my friend Bob Marley, I have a dream. I still hear him in my ears. He says: “Horsemouth, go there and do it. You are there. Maybe you are the only one left.” The drumsticks I played with in Rockers [the 1978 reggae film] weren’t real. I couldn’t find mine, so I took two posts out of some old chairs in the back of a hotel. It’s not about the drumsticks, it’s you. A lot of drummers don’t master the beat; you can see it in their faces, they’re dying for the song to be done. You make your own space. Reggae represents a lot of things. It’s several beats in one. It’s hip-hop, Tchaikovsky – in everything you play, there is a reggae beat. Larry Mullen Jr (U2) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Larry Mullen Jr, photographed in Ireland. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan I formed the band in Dublin in 1975, around the time of the punk explosion: it seemed anything was possible. Being able to play your instrument proficiently was the least important part; attitude was essential, which was really great news for us – we were not accomplished musically, but had a singer with attitude. At school, we rehearsed on Wednesday afternoons in Mr McKenzie’s music room – the first song we wrote was called Wednesday Afternoon. We argued endlessly over musical indiscretions – we still do. I was a huge glam rock fan. In 1973, Cozy Powell released Dance With The Devil, which reached No 3 in the UK charts. It’s a rare and beautiful thing for a drummer to have a chart hit. But if glam, pop and rock, along with Dance With The Devil, were my wake-up call, then Hunky Dory, Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane would become my most important benchmarks, with one of the all-time great rock drummers, Woody Woodmansey, playing on all three. I had no clue what Bowie was singing about. Carla Azar (Autolux) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Carla Azar, photographed in her studio, California. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan When I was four, I went to a football game with my parents in Huntsville, Alabama. There was a drum line playing right behind us. In retrospect, they were probably not very good, but I remember turning around and being mesmerised. The most addictive thing to me in music is spontaneity, chaos and honesty – especially when playing live. I feel the most satisfaction when I finish and I don’t understand how I played some of the things I played. Dave Grohl (Nirvana, Them Crooked Vultures) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dave Grohl, photographed at home in Los Angeles. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan In Nirvana, I never got recognised. I lived this perfect existence: I was in one of the biggest bands ever, but I could walk in the front door of a gig and no one would know. I could get up and play those great songs with my friends and watch people go bananas. Some of my favourite drummers would be considered some of the worst of all time because their tempo fluctuates so much, or there is inconsistency – but it’s the passion that interests me. I can’t do a solo. I never practise by myself. It’s like, I’d never really dance alone. As a drummer, it’s your responsibility to make sure this thing gets off the ground, but you don’t expect any thanks. You’re there to serve the song; you’re there to get people to move. They might not really know why they’re dancing, but it’s you. I’ve always been fascinated by the Ringo Starr debate. Was he a great drummer? Of course he was a great drummer: you hear three and a half seconds of his playing and you immediately know it’s him. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Bobbye Hall, photographed in the desert, California. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan I would be lulled to sleep by listening to the blues. I knew that instead of using words I wanted to play and, being an only child, I had a chance to do that. My parents needed to work things out and, for me, beating on pots and pans was a way of not involving myself with what the adults were doing. I came to Hollywood on 15 January 1970. I had a 30-day ticket: either I make it or I’m gone. And I’m still here. I stayed at a residence for women in the industry. I had a friend, and I would come home and she would ask: “How was your session?” And I would say: “Well, I was working for this group, they call ’em the Doors, I think.” And she’d go: “Oh my God, you’re kidding me.” I had not a clue. When you play, there is a place you go. It’s not something you do: it happens to you. It’s almost like abduction: you came back and you looked at your watch and it was a different time. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Ringo Starr, photographed in his home studio, California. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan In 1952, I was in hospital with TB for 10 months. To keep us busy, they brought us instruments. They gave me a drum, and from that moment on I wanted to be a drummer. I loved the blues and tried to emigrate to Houston, Texas, when I was 19, to live near Lightnin’ Hopkins, but there were too many forms to fill out. Then Elvis came in. I think rhythm comes with the body, and my timing comes with my heartbeat. I try to teach this to kids; some get the idea, some don’t. But you can’t hurt the kids’ feelings, so I say: “Maybe you should play piano or guitar.” You can put a lot of time in and play good piano, but I don’t think that happens with drums. On Sgt Pepper’s, I had this new kit, the maple kit. It had actual skin heads, calf heads, which I had never had before: from the 60s onwards, it was all plastic. They’re so deep, and I was always looking for depth. You see pictures of me where I have towels over the drums and cigarette packs – anything to give it more body. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Pauli ‘The PSM’, photographed at home in New York. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan The drum machine has a spirit in the same way a human drummer has. It’s an instrument, and you are programming it the way you programme your body. When I play a drum machine, I go to town on the fact it’s an instrument that needs to be pushed to its limits. Look at what Skrillex is doing with dance music. You can’t keep up with that stuff. Lars Ulrich (Metallica) Facebook Twitter Pinterest Lars Ulrich, photographed at Metallica HQ, California. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan My first gig was Metallica’s first gig. We played at Radio City, a nightclub in Anaheim, California, in March 1982, so I was 18. It was a Sunday night, and we played seven or eight covers and one or two Metallica songs. Off we went with the first song, Hit The Lights, and within about a minute Dave Mustaine broke a string on his guitar. I was trying to hide behind the drums while he restringed for what seemed like an eternity. When I listen to our early stuff now, I think: look at all that cool hair, what happened to it? What separates the great from the good? Probably the ability to listen. It’s the most underrated virtue. Facebook Twitter Pinterest John ‘Jab’o’ Starks, photographed in Florida. Photograph: Deirdre O'Callaghan With James, Bobby or even BB King, you wore a suit. The only thing that bothered me was the platform shoes. I told everybody: “I cannot play in these things. They’ll break my ankles.” When I got on stage, I would pull them off. I was accustomed to crowds, but with James Brown I had never seen that many people for one artist. And James did five shows a day. I’ll never forget a gig at the Olympia hall in Paris. We got into a tune; James went off stage and we kept pumping. We couldn’t stop – the longer we played, the harder the groove got. That is one of the few times we wore him down. Playlist Listen to our sample Spotify playlist of star drumming: The Drum Thing, by Deirdre O’Callaghan, is published next month by Prestel at £35. To order a copy for £28.70, go to The Guardian Bookshop or call 0330 333 6846. |
A Happy Valley man accused of trespassing in a treehouse was arrested Monday after a lengthy negotiation with deputies -- while he was inside, on or above the treehouse. Deputies responded to an undeveloped lot in the 9900 block of Southeast Eastview Drive around 4:25 p.m. after a homeowner reported someone was trespassing in her treehouse, the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office said in a news release. Troy Miller, 40, was in the treehouse and refused to exit, deputies said. Deputies negotiated with Miller, who they said was high on methamphetamine, for more than two hours. He at times climbed onto the treehouse's roof and higher in the tree itself, deputies said. Miller eventually came down from his perch for a bottle of water and was taken into custody, deputies said. He was uninjured. Miller was later booked into the Clackamas County Jail pending meth possession, second-degree criminal trespassing and resisting arrest charges, according to jail records. He's being held on $26,000 bail, according to the records. His criminal records includes 2007 convictions for possession of cocaine, meth and a controlled substance, court records show. -- Jim Ryan jryan@oregonian.com 503-221-8005; @Jimryan015 |
There is no one left in the White House who has any idea what they’re doing. At least nobody conservative. President Donald Trump never tires of reminding audiences that he is not a politician, and he proves it on an hourly basis. He is by turns a nationalist, a populist, and a demagogue — but rarely acts as a traditional conservative. As the previous occupant of the White House once said, a president’s “success is determined by an intersection in policy and politics.” With the far-right White House strategist Steve Bannon gone, the team left behind appears to be ill-equipped to maneuver the political challenges needed to turn the administration’s ambitious policy goals into successes. The chasm between Trump’s approach and that of his nominal allies in the Republican-controlled Congress is about to be sharpened in relief — and the resumes of his remaining staffers are ill-suited to overcome the gulf. Just look at what little experience top officials in the Trump White House have in the political side of policymaking. Trump’s new chief of staff, John Kelly, is a retired general. His national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, is an active-duty general and the bane of Breitbart, the far-right website Bannon used to run. Trump’s top remaining advisers are Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump, a married couple who happen to be Trump’s son-in-law and daughter. They are there, they often say privately, to moderate Trump’s instincts. Before going to the White House, Kushner inherited his father’s real estate empire and Ivanka Trump ran a fashion line. Hope Hicks, perhaps the most talented figure left in the White House, was working as a spokesperson for the Trump Organization before she was drafted into the service of the Trump campaign, and then the White House. She is now the acting communications director. Gary Cohn, the senior economic adviser, was president of Goldman Sachs — and a Democrat before going to work for Trump. Dina Powell, another senior adviser and New York liberal, also came from Goldman Sachs. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was CEO of Exxon Mobil and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin also came from the banking world. Kellyanne Conway is not a political novice, but has long been a fringe figure in Republican politics. That is Trump’s team. The biggest problem vexing the Trump administration in Congress has been its inability to fuse the conservative and establishment wings of the party into a coalition that can actually pass an agenda. There is now nobody at a senior level charged to work with conservatives. To paraphrase the over-quoted Walter Sobchak: “Say what you want about the tenets of National Socialism, Dude, at least it’s an ethos.” “Who in the White House is going to handle that portfolio?” said Sam Geduldig, a Republican lobbyist who works closely with the Freedom Caucus. “There is a lack of a conservative who conservatives view as one of their own in this White House, and that could impact the congressional agenda.” The most senior figure in the White House with real political experience may just be Mick Mulvaney, a burn-it-all-down former congressman from South Carolina, who was swept in by the tea party wave. He is the director of the Office of Management and Budget. The most senior figure in the administration more broadly who has conservatives’ trust is Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who Trump recently went to war against. His former aide, Stephen Miller, is similarly trusted by conservatives. He was an obscure figure until recently, but he may be the far-right’s best hope. There is also Tom Price, a former conservative member of Congress who is now Health and Human Services secretary. But he was publicly humiliated just last week. Price declined to declare the opioid epidemic an emergency, and was overruled in grand fashion by Trump. And before the most recent vote on repealing the Affordable Care Act, Trump joked to a crowd of Boy Scouts that he’d fire Price if he failed. Trump’s tepid 35 percent support, meanwhile, is concentrated among readers of Breitbart — which Bannon may return to. But no matter what Bannon does or says, his firing will be seen by some of his base as a betrayal of the cause, further eroding his support, leaving Trump further isolated. As John Kelly’s opponents are dispatched one by one, a defenseless Trump may find himself among the targets. “Generals tend to suck at chief of staff, because the job is so political, but they tend to be good at getting a president to resign,” said one former senior Bush administration official. Just ask Richard Nixon, or his chief of staff, retired General Al Haig. |
Embattled Perth Lord Mayor Lisa Scaffidi has finally lost her cool, attacking journalist Liam Bartlett on social media after he confronted her about more alleged unclaimed travel claims. The lord mayor, who has remained silent through the whole travel rort saga, took the unusual step of blasting Mr Bartlett on the Facebook page titled Don't Let Burgo Go, after a handful of people threw their support behind her just before Nine News aired a story on Monday night about more alleged undeclared travel. "I was so taken aback by his bad breath given how close he was and the Botox I was lost for words," she posted to the group. "Seriously though when I can speak I intend to but for now I must respect the processes. Appreciate your message." |
Click a thumbnail to find out more about the images below. Page 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Trifid Nebula A storm of stars is brewing in the Trifid nebula, as seen in this view from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. More Comet Pan-STARRS NASA's NEOWISE mission captured this series of pictures of Comet Pan-STARRS -- as it swept across our skies in May 2014 More Witch Head Nebula A witch appears to be screaming out into space in this new infrared portrait of the Witch Head nebula. More Asteroids & Helix Nebula A dying star, called the Helix nebula, is shown surrounded by the tracks of asteroids in an image captured by NASA's WISE. More Gigantic Galaxy Clusters NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, is helping to find the rarest and largest of galaxy groupings in the universe. More Orion Nebula The Great Nebula in Orion is featured in this sweeping image from NASAs Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE. More Black Holes and Extreme Objects WISE's mission has led to a bonanza of newfound supermassive black holes and extreme galaxies called hot DOGs. More Helix Nebula A dying star is throwing a cosmic tantrum in this combined image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and the Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX). More Our Tiniest Neighbors This image highlights the population of tiny brown dwarfs recently discovered by WISE. More Flame Nebula This view of the Flame nebula from WISE is an expanded view over one previously released of this enormous space cloud More Skies Ablaze With Blazars The WISE mission has revealed more than 200 blazars and has the potential to find thousands more. More Dusty Star The WISE mission has revealed more than 200 blazars and has the potential to find thousands more. More Cassiopeia A This infrared image from WISE shows the light echoes of the Cassiopeia A supernova remnant. More The Sky This is a mosaic of all the atlas images available in the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) All-Sky Data Release. More Barnard 3 In keeping with the spirit of the holidays, NASAs WISE Mission presents the Wreath Nebula. More Fireworks in the Milky Way This enormous section of the Milky Way Galaxy is a mosaic of images from NASAs WISE. More Puppis A Seen as a red dusty cloud in this image from NASAs WISE, Puppis A is the remnant of a supernova explosion. More IC 4592 Jabbah is the name of the bright star right of center, surrounded by a red colored dust cloud. The Arabic name means the forehead of the scorpion. More NGC 281 In visible light, NGC 281 in the constellation of Cassiopeia appears to be chomping through the cosmos, earning it the nickname the Pacman nebula. More IC 4601 This image shows a giant dust cloud in between the claws of the constellation Scorpius. More RCW86 Infrared data from NASA's Spitzer and NASA's WISE are shown in yellow and red, and reveal dust radiating at a temperature of several hundred degrees below zero. More Accessing WISE Images: Tutorial This tutorial explains how to navigate the WISE Archive. More Making Color Images: Tutorial This tutorial explain the basic processes for creating a color picture using images downloaded from the WISE Science Data Archive. More Asteroid Albedos This chart illustrates why infrared-sensing telescopes are more suited to finding small, dark asteroids than telescopes that detect visible light. More Asteroid Sizes This chart illustrates how infrared is used to more accurately determine an asteroid's size. More NEA Census This chart shows how data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, has led to revisions in the estimated population of near-Earth asteroids. More Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid? Scientists think that a giant asteroid, which broke up long ago in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, eventually made its way to Earth and led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. More Flaring Black Hole Astronomers using NASA's WISE have captured rare data of a flaring black hole, revealing new details about these powerful objects and their blazing jets. More |
by Every week we are inspired by the many people throughout the country who are doing excellent work to challenge the power structure and put forward a new path for the country. The popular resistance to plutocracy, concentrated wealth and corporatism is decentralized, creative and growing. One growing series of protests has been the “Moral Monday” demonstrations in North Carolina. They do not have ‘one demand’ but rather are challenging the systemic corruption, undermining of democracy and misdirection of a state government that puts human needs second to corporate profits – which they have dubbed ‘Robin Hood in Reverse.’ This week 49 of 200 protesters inside the capitol were arrested singing, chanting and echoing many of the same concerns that demonstrators have for the past three Mondays. Last week there were 30 arrests, the week before 17. Among those arrested was an 83 year old retired minister, Vernon Tyson, who was merely a spectator, but he gave a great interview cheering on the protests after his release. And, a group of historians were among those arrested who put these protests in the context of US history. Another courageous protest involved seven undocumented immigrants who blocked the Broadview Detention Center where immigrants are being incarcerated. They blocked the doors to the detention facility, linking arms together using pipes, chains, and locks. They were protesting the record-high deportations under President Obama, and the lack of leadership from Illinois representatives to call for a suspension of deportations. On the West coast, the always creative Backbone Campaign supported allied faith communities with a giant banner lift over the private for-profit immigration detention center asking “Who Would Jesus Deport?” and an inflatable lady liberty exposing the unjust policies that break up families. There was a recent victory for Seattle teachers and students that resulted from their citywide protests against standardized testing. The school district announced that testing in the high schools would not occur next year. The teachers said they will keep protesting until the tests are banned from lower grades as well. We hope the Chicago teachers, who won a major battle with Mayor Rahm Emanuel earlier this year when they went out on strike, have great success this weekend when three days of marches are held against the mass school closings in Chicago. The teachers union has developed a great organizing strategy that unites teachers with students, parents and communities. This battle is one of many across the country to stop the thinly veiled corporatization of education. In another education protest, the students @FreeCooperUnion continue to occupy the office of the president after one week. They are painting the walls black until he agrees to step down, and are highlighting his $750,000 annual salary. They are protesting a plan to begin to charge tuition at the university; this plan will not affect these students, but future students who attend Cooper Union. The heart of the conflict faced in the United States is the inequity of an unfair economy supported by a corrupt two party system. This week there was a very creative protest in New York City against the world’s richest man, Carlos Slim of Mexico. He’s made his billions with the help of government allowing a monopoly on phone service resulting in Slim gouging the public. Now he gives a small percentage of that wealth back in philanthropy and people applaud him. But, the protesters were very effective, laughing out loud whenever he spoke. They responded when someone asked “Why is everyone laughing?” with “Because Slim’s philanthropy is a joke!” and followed with mocking kazoos. In contrast to the world’s wealthiest was the Poor People’s Campaign which marched from Baltimore to Washington, DC ending at Freedom Plaza. The march occurred on the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s campaign and raised issues of poverty, police violence, unfair economy and non-responsive government. Another march was announced in Pennsylvania from Philadelphia to Harrisburg from May 25 to June 3 to stop spending on prison construction and instead invest in building communities. Also, from Philadelphia the ‘Operation Green Jobs’ March from Philadelphia to Washington, DC will begin on May 18 and is organized by the Poor People’s Economic and Human Rights Campaign. A campaign that is growing every week is the fast food worker strikes. The largest fast food walk out was held in Detroit last week, even the scabs walked out, and this week the strikes spread to their fifth city, Milwaukee, WI. It is great to see these workers, who no doubt saw themselves as powerless, standing up and demanding fairness. If you eat at fast food restaurants, this would be a good time to stop, and let them know why – you support the workers who are demanding a living wage. US Empire and imperialism continue to cause protest. Obama’s Asia Pivot, moving 60% of the US Navy to the Asian Pacific is causing a lot of distress. On Jeju Island people are fighting for their survival against a massive Navy base. Jeju is the “Peace Island” that was harshly abused during the US occupation of South Korea after World War II before the Korean War. And, South Koreans, who regularly protest against the US military, are protesting the US war games that are practicing dropping nuclear bombs on North Korea and invading it. Protests are mounting in the United States against the abusive Guantanamo Bay prison where more than 100 of the 166 prisoners at Guantanamo are participating in a hunger strike and two-dozen are being brutally force fed. These prisoners have been held without trial for over 10 years, and even though 88 have been approved to leave, they remain. The Green Shadow Cabinet came out with a statement describing how Obama could close the prison (and why Congress is not an excuse) and what you can do on the 100th day of the hunger strike this Friday. Show solidarity with these prisoners who are being abused by the US government. Diane Wilson, a shrimper from the Gulf Coast who works with CODE PINK and Veterans for Peace, is on her 15th day of an open-ended solidarity hunger strike in Washington, DC. She explains why she is taking the extreme step of a hunger strike to support the Guantanamo prisoners. And S. Brian Willson is joining Diane in hunger strike. Another protest related to US Empire occurred in Oak Ridge, TN where Transform Now Plowshares activists protested nuclear weapons by cutting through four chain-link fences and spray-painting biblical messages of nonviolence on a building that warehouses an estimated 400 tons of highly enriched uranium, the radioactive material used to fuel nuclear weaponry. This week an 83 year old nun, Sister Megan Rice, and two other activists were found guilty of damaging government property. As the jury left the courtroom the people in the courtroom sang to them “Love, love, love, love. People, we are made for love.” Sentencing is several months away and they face a potential 30 years in prison. Environmental protests are boiling up throughout the United States. When President Obama came to New York for a fundraiser (where he raised $3 million), protesters greeted him with signs calling for him to “End the War on Mother Earth” and opposing the KXL pipeline. Protesters from the Appalachian Mountains came to the EPA in Washington DC to protest polluted water caused by Mountaintop removal for coal. The protesters displayed the dirty, opaque water in jars in front of the EPA. And Climate Justice activists from CoalIsStupid.org blocked a freighter delivering coal in Boston with two men on a lobster boat on May 15th. But more and more Americans are realizing that while we protest the extraction of oil, gas, uranium and coal, the reality is that the root of the problem is in the American Way of Life (AWOL). One activist from Portland made the point that the Tar Sands starts in our driveways and we need to change the AWOL in order to truly combat it. We agree that our strategy has two prongs: protest and build i.e. Stop the Machine and Create a New World. In addition to how much energy we each use, we need to look at where our food comes from. An Occupy group in Berkeley, Occupy the Farm, made that point this week when they took over University of California land to grow farm for the community locally. Another area where we are seeing continued growth in the movement is in thinking through how we do our work and in developing strategy to achieve our goals. We published a live streamer “Code of Ethics” developed by people who work in the citizen’s media. Note the high ethics and cooperative approach they take to getting the media out. Many are thinking about strategy to make the movement more effective. Gar Alperovitz, a political economist who has been writing about alternatives to big finance capitalism in the United States has a new book out focused on strategy, “What then Must We Do,” and we published a review of the book by Sam Pizzigati of Inequality.org entitled: A Promising Path for Pummeling Plutocracy. Upcoming actions: May 17th, Support the Guantanamo hunger strikers on the 100th Day of their hunger strike with phone calls and tweets to the White House and protests in DC, NY, Chicago and other cities. May 18th, ‘Operation Green Jobs’ March from Philadelphia to Washington, DC organized by the Poor People’s Economic and Human Rights Campaign. May 18th to 23rd the Home Defenders League Week of Action against the banks and foreclosures in Washington, DC. May 18th to 20th there is a weekend of protests against the closure of schools in Chicago. May 22nd Stop the Frack Attack People’s Forum in Washington, DC. May 25th Protests against Monsanto everywhere May 25th to June 3rd March from Philadelphia to Harrisburg against prison spending. June 1st, Get on the Bus For Bradley Court Martial Trial with buses leaving from Baltimore, MD, Washington DC, New York City and Willimantic, CT. June 14th to 16th Trade Justice Action Camp in Bellingham, WA by the Backbone Campaign June 24th to 29th is the beginning of “Fearless Summer” that starts “an epic summer of actions.” You can order or print OccuCards to bring with you to these actions. There are cards for all of the issues being protested above and new cards are being created. And watch for the transformation of October2011/Occupy Washington DC into Popular Resistance, daily news and resources for effective activism, coming in June. Sign up here if you want to be notified of the launch. Kevin Zeese JD and Margaret Flowers MD co-host ClearingtheFOGRadio. org on We Act Radio 1480 AM Washington, DC and onEconomic Democracy Media, co-direct It’s Our Economy and are organizers of the Occupation of Washington, DC. Their twitters are @KBZeese and @MFlowers8. This article is based on the weekly newsletter of October2011/ OccupyWashingtonDC.org. You can sign up to receive this free newsletter here. NOTE: We will be transitioning to PopularResistance in the coming weeks. |
Morning Joe (Photo: Screen capture) Joe Scarborough railed against the Republican-led Congress during Wednesday’s “Morning Joe” panel. No one was safe. Scarborough ripped House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) as well as Senate Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) for pretending that they are powerless against President Donald Trump ending DACA. Commentator Mike Barnicle wondered how much longer it will take for Republican leaders to understand that Trump has no idea what he’s doing or talking about. “If it were me, this would be my last straw,” Scarborough agreed. He went on to say that if he were in the leadership he’d tell the White House they were taking over the legislative agenda and demand he stay out of their way. “We’re going to do what we’re going to do and then you can have pretty bill signing ceremonies,” Scarborough mocked. “Just stay out of the way. Because you don’t know what you’re doing.” Scarborough railed against Speaker Ryan for doing nothing but tweeting. “He looks horrible! Someone around him needs to tell him he looks horrible when he talks about how shocked and stunned and deeply saddened he is by actions like this. And pretends as if he doesn’t have any power. I’m telling you, how many times can you be insulted if you’re Mitch McConnell, before you say, ‘I’m taking over.'” Acting as McConnell, Scarborough ultimately concluded what should be said is, “Mr. President you need to shut your mouth.” Frequent panelist and sometimes host Mark Halperin said that Congress needs Trump because they don’t have the votes without him. They need him to be the leader of the party and given his lack of experience, he doesn’t know how. Scarborough disagreed saying that he thinks they have 51 votes on DACA. Halperin explained in the House they’d be forced to get Democratic votes. Scarborough claimed they’d get every single Democratic vote. “Democrats are going to ask for something in return,” Halperin retorted. “Well, you know what you do? You give it to them!” Scarborough exclaimed. “You know why? Because that’s how our founding fathers saw the Constitution of the United States. There’s give and take.” Political reporter Kasie Hunt jumped in to say that both McConnell and Ryan would still rather have Trump than have to talk to anyone in the Democratic Party. “If they’re not smart enough to be able to pass this and say ‘I’m not with Nancy Pelosi – I’m with 75 percent of the American people,’ then they don’t deserve to be in their position,” Scarborough concluded. “They should go into a dark basement in Janesville and tweet the rest of their life. This is not hard. ‘I’m not with Nancy Pelosi, my friend of Green Bay, Wisconsin. I love the Wisconsin Badgers and I love the American dream!’ How’s that? It’s not hard. Seriously? You pick up points in your district when you act this way! You really do! And, yes, I do know this because I crossed my party time and time and time again when they did really really stupid things and [it increased poll numbers].” Co-host Mika Brzezinski chimed in, “It’s very insulting to the American people they’re not given the option of being treated anything but really dumb by people like Paul Ryan.” Watch the full discussion below: |
My old tennis buddy from Caracas, Venezuela, called the other night to catch up. I have known Carlos (not his real name) since 2002 when I served for three years as Canada’s Ambassador in Venezuela. Carlos and I met on a tennis court during the National Strike of 2002/03 and have remained good friends ever since. In the 11 years since I left Venezuela, we have stayed in touch with Carlos and his wife Sylvia (again, not her real name) visiting our family homes in Washington and Ottawa. To start the conversation, Carlos told me that he and Sylvia were recently awakened at 2:45 a.m. by two men in their bedroom, one with a knife to Sylvia’s throat. It was later determined by police that these men were from the notorious “Spiderman Gang,” a criminal group of “professional climbers” who enter apartment buildings by scaling walls and gaining access through open stairwells. Carlos is one of Venezuela’s most famous surgeons. He undertook his education and medical training in Caracas. He subsequently became a surgeon and worked for over 30 years in the government-run public health system. After retiring from the employ of the government, Carlos joined one of the best-known private hospitals in Caracas. Even after retirement, Carlos continued to mentor and advise his former colleagues in the public system. His career as an eminent surgeon continued to prosper with his services always in demand from those with access to the private healthcare system. With a knife to her neck, Sylvia was in shock. Carlos, better able to connect with people, calmly spoke to the intruders about how he was a doctor and had worked in the poorest regions of the capital. “I have probably even treated your mothers,” he said. This seemed to have the calming effect that he wanted. After tying up Sylvia with ropes, the negotiations started. Carlos had always kept a safe in his apartment “just in case.” This safe contained an assortment of cash — U.S. dollars, Euros and a quantity of the local currency, Bolivars. Into the three backpacks brought by the intruders went the money, jewelry (including their wedding rings) and electronics. In the ironic words of Carlos, “We got lucky. Everything went fine. Thank God!” After leaving the apartment, the gang proceeded to another to complete their night’s work. In their next break-in, the two gang members found two Venezuelan brothers who had just arrived from France for a visit. Things did not go well. When the brothers decided to resist, both were killed by the intruders. The police subsequently made the connection with the same band of criminals that entered Carlos and Sylvia’s apartment from the footprints left behind in the two locations. Our conversation subsequently moved from the security situation to the state of the healthcare system in Venezuela. Carlos’ work has been reduced to only two operations per week due to lack of surgical supplies. Those surgical supplies that are available, rather than being discarded after the surgery, are now just sterilized and re-used until they wear out. |
The authorities were faced with a credible challenger, Mir Hossein Mousavi, who had the potential to challenge the existing power structure on certain key issues. He ran a surprisingly effective campaign, and his “green wave” began to be seen as more than a wave. In fact, many began calling it a Green Revolution. For a regime that has been terrified about the possibility of a “velvet revolution,” this may have been too much. On the basis of what we know so far, here is the sequence of events starting on the afternoon of election day, Friday, June 12. • Near closing time of the polls, mobile text messaging was turned off nationwide • Security forces poured out into the streets in large numbers • The Ministry of Interior (election headquarters) was surrounded by concrete barriers and armed men • National television began broadcasting pre-recorded messages calling for everyone to unite behind the winner • The Mousavi campaign was informed officially that they had won the election, which perhaps served to temporarily lull them into complacency • But then the Ministry of Interior announced a landslide victory for Ahmadinejad • Unlike previous elections, there was no breakdown of the vote by province, which would have provided a way of judging its credibility • The voting patterns announced by the government were identical in all parts of the country, an impossibility • Less than 24 hours later, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei publicly announced his congratulations to the winner, apparently confirming that the process was complete and irrevocable, contrary to constitutional requirements • Shortly thereafter, all mobile phones, Facebook, and other social networks were blocked, as well as major foreign news sources. All of this had the appearance of a well orchestrated strike intended to take its opponents by surprise-- the classic definition of a coup. Curiously, this was not a coup of an outside group against the ruling elite; it was a coup of the ruling elite against its own people. It is still too early for anything like a comprehensive analysis of implications, but here are some initial thoughts: 1. The willingness of the regime simply to ignore reality and fabricate election results without the slightest effort to conceal the fraud represents a historic shift in Iran’s Islamic revolution. All previous leaders at least paid lip service to the voice of the Iranian people. This suggests that Iran’s leaders are aware of the fact that they have lost credibility in the eyes of many (most?) of their countrymen, so they are dispensing with even the pretense of popular legitimacy in favor of raw power. 2. The Iranian opposition, which includes some very powerful individuals and institutions, has an agonizing decision to make. If they are intimidated and silenced by the show of force (as they have been in the past), they will lose all credibility in the future with even their most devoted followers. But if they choose to confront their ruthless colleagues forcefully, not only is it likely to be messy but it could risk running out of control and potentially bring down the entire existing power structure, of which they are participants and beneficiaries. 3. With regard to the United States and the West, nothing would prevent them in principle from dealing with an illegitimate authoritarian government. We do it every day, and have done so for years (the Soviet Union comes to mind). But this election is an extraordinary gift to those who have been most skeptical about President Obama’s plan to conduct negotiations with Iran. Former Bush official Elliott Abrams was quick off the mark, commenting that it is “likely that the engagement strategy has been dealt a very heavy blow.” Two senior Israeli officials quickly urged the world not to engage in negotiations with Iran. Neoconservatives who had already expressed their support for an Ahmadinejad victory now have every reason to be satisfied. Opposition forces, previously on the defensive, now have a perfect opportunity to mount a political attack that will make it even more difficult for President Obama to proceed with his plan. Certainly, we are concerned about spontaneous reactions. Iran's youth has been engaged and mobilized. Around the country, there have already been some violent clashes. We do not agree with violence, because violence will only give the Right an excuse to suppress the opposition. Certainly, the gap inside Iran, politically, will be widened. Our main concern is how to keep the enthusiasm that was created for the election alive, in order to monitor and constrain the power of the government. The only way to counter it is the power of the people. We need to organize them. In this we have an experience to guide us. During the era of the Shah, there was only one moment in which the power of the people was mobilized against the Shah and to support changes in the Constitution, and that was during the era of [Prime Minister] Mossadegh. [Mossadegh was ousted in the 1953 coup organized by the CIA and British intelligence.] In that era, there was a very powerful political movement inside the country that checked the power of the Shah. Today we have to do the same. We are nor after subversion. We do not want to change the Constitution. We do want to create a viable political force that can exert its influence. engaged and mobilized Although the United States is pursuing diplomacy with Iran in its own self-interest, electoral fraud (or the perception of fraud) complicates this strategy. And if political paralysis reigns in Iran, valuable time to address the nuclear issue through diplomacy will be lost. The White House's posture thus far is a constructive one -- while it cannot remain indifferent to irregularities in the elections, it must be careful never to get ahead of the Iranian people and the anti-Ahmadinejad candidates. Rightists have already decided that the Iranian election was stolen; maybe it was; maybe it wasn't . But rightists want everyone to run out and buy the new book by compulsive liar and reactionary Iranian exile Amir Taheri, The Persian Night: Iran under the Khomeinist Revolution . Most Americans know Taheri because CNN and theuse him as a commentator whenever they want to slant a story against the Iranian government-- despite the fact that his hysterical pronouncements (like Jews being forced to wear special clothes) are consistently shown to have been pulled out of his ass. Despite Taheri and a gaggle of right-wing propagandists, it is possible that Ali Khamenei and Ahmadinejad pulled off in Iran just what the Bush family pulled off in Florida in 2000 and again in Ohio in 2004-- essentially, a coup against democracy. Gary Sick, an Iran expert, a professor at Columbia and a far more reliable source of analysis than the deranged Taheri, explains the ramifications of what may have been a coup Yesterday we thought the protests against the purported theft of the Irani presidential election would result in about the same level of protest as the result in 2000 at the theft of the U.S. presidential election. America yawned as they surrendered any claim to democracy. Iranians, however, didn't . Iranians are out in the streets demonstrating against not just Ahmadinejad but, unthinkably, Ali Khamenei. Everything I'm reading is telling me that the Islamic Republic regime is losing legitimacy -- at least in Tehran, maybe just North Tehran. Former Iranian Foreign Minister Ibrahim Yazdi, now an exile and a dissident:Will this get out of hand and turn into an actual civil war ? Look at this clip. Someone'smad as hell and doesn't want to take it any more:Trita Parsi, founder and president of the National Iranian American Council, writing persuasively at Passport , a blog set up by the editors of, warns that ever-truculent neo-cons, who openly rooted for Amadinejad for just this reason, want Obama to put the breaks on an outreach to Iran. Even if the election was rigged, as just about everyone believes, does this mean Obama needs to change his policy agenda? Labels: Iran |
Conservatives have demanded for years that the US cut back its share of United Nations dues and expenses without much success in administrations of either party. Foreign Policy’s Colum Lynch reports that their losing streak may be coming to an end. Sources within diplomatic and Trump administration circles expect to see massive cuts in UN support, possibly higher than half of the funds usually provided by the US, when the White House releases its final budget proposal on Thursday: State Department staffers have been instructed to seek cuts in excess of 50 percent in U.S. funding for U.N. programs, signaling an unprecedented retreat by President Donald Trump’s administration from international operations that keep the peace, provide vaccines for children, monitor rogue nuclear weapons programs, and promote peace talks from Syria to Yemen, according to three sources. The push for such draconian measures comes as the White House is scheduled on Thursday to release its 2018 budget proposal, which is expected to include cuts of up to 37 percent for spending on the State Department, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and other foreign assistance programs, including the U.N., in next year’s budget. The United States spends about $10 billion a year on the United Nations. It remains unclear whether the full extent of the steeper U.N. cuts will be reflected in the 2018 budget, which will be prepared by the White House Office of Management and Budget, or whether, as Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has proposed, the cuts would be phased in over the coming three years. One official close to the Trump administration said Tillerson has been given flexibility to decide how the cuts would be distributed. Earlier, Republicans had objected to news of steep cuts to the State Department budget, even when it appeared that much of those cuts would hit foreign-aid programs. The overall budget reduction was rumored to be 37%, a figure that immediately drew opposition from Mitch McConnell. “I’m not in favor of cutting what we call the 150 account by that amount,” McConnell said, adding that such cuts would “probably not” pass the Senate. Lindsay Graham called the idea “dead on arrival” when the cuts were left unspecified. “This budget destroys soft power, it puts our diplomats at risk and it’s going nowhere.” The pushback apparently helped Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Politico reported late yesterday that the White House revised its cuts to State and USAID, stretching them out over several years rather than all at once, after Tillerson lobbied Trump for a second look: The State Department budget won’t be getting cut as deeply as President Donald Trump initially suggested after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson successfully pushed back with the White House, according to people familiar with the plans. The budget blueprint expected later this week will still trim funding for both the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development next year, but by less than the 37 percent initially floated in preliminary documents sent out by the White House in late February. The budget revision is expected to include “staged cuts” spread out over several years, instead of the immediate hit, according to a senior administration official, who said that the White House is giving Tillerson time “to do a deeper analysis on foreign aid.” Both of these stories got published nearly at the same time, which suggests some horse trading took place on proposals for deep cuts. Tillerson could have saved State’s own programs and personnel with offers to shift more of the cuts onto the UN. Given the immediate and sharply negative reaction to the topline budget proposal numbers, Tillerson would have had some leverage in those negotiations, especially since the UN is so unpopular among Republican voters — and they’re not alone, according to a Rasmussen poll from last month: A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone and online survey finds that 50% of Likely U.S. Voters favor a major cutback in how much money the United States gives to the UN. Thirty-three percent (33%) are opposed, while 17% are undecided. (To see survey question wording, click here.) Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Republicans and a plurality (49%) of voters not affiliated with either major party favor major cuts in UN funding. Just 35% of Democrats agree. If Rasmussen’s polling is accurate, this “major cutback” (as the question frames the policy) will be broadly popular. Majorities or pluralities support a major cutback in all demographics except among Democrats (35/42), self-professed liberals (27/50), and those earning above $200,000 (33/43). Those numbers in opposition are hardly dominating in those demographics, and it’s not tied strongly to Trump either; even those who “somewhat disapprove” of Trump support a major funding cutback by a 48/20 margin. (Those who “strongly disapprove” oppose that policy 18/57.) The most interesting demo is race, in which “other” actually supports a major cutback (54%) slightly more than white voters (50%), and a plurality of black voters do also (43/33). Given the breadth of support for major cutbacks of UN funding, a budget that retains much of it over White House objections may become a real headache for Senate Republicans — especially if Tillerson winds up advocating for those cuts. While presidential budget proposals rarely form the basis of Congressional budget language, this particular issue will get a lot of attention from a lot of voters, and Mitch McConnell et al had better figure out how to deliver on a significant portion of those cuts. |
@OliviaMunn If you're familiar with the Olivia Munn-Aaron Rodgers connection, you'll know the relationship mostly consists of Munn being badass and Rodgers just trying to keep up. He's hopelessly goofy; she wants to talk about getting down. The fact they haven't caved and signed on for a tacky E! reality show is a testament to both of them. Such a show would cheapen moments like these: Munn is doing hardcore film prep, and Rodgers is, well, being Rodgers. The actress posted an Instagram video of a recent training session for her upcoming appearance as Psylocke in X-Men: Apocalypse (2016). She's working the ever-loving hell out of a katana, while Rodgers is focusing on the "beckoning foes to do battle" portion of karate. Here's what Rodgers believed he looked like: Close enough. Dan is on Twitter. He earned his purple belt and walked away while he was still on top. |
Single player maps and mods are often considered the little brother of multiplayer releases. But not here on RTSL. They take the centre stage and deservedly so in my not-so-humble opinion. Below you will find the winners of the RTSL Awards 2015 in 6 categories. Congratulations to the winners and commiserations to the non-winners. This was a great event and will only become bigger next year. Oh, and talking of winners, have you seen and played the 2015WinnersVille mod? It contains the winners of all the 2015 RTSL Mapping Challenges. For those interested, the previous three stages can be found here: Stage Three, Stage Two, and Stage One. Best Source Release And the winner is Transmissions: Element 120. This was a close vote, in fact only 1 vote in it! Transmissions offered new gameplay mechanics along with a dark atmosphere. Couple that with an out of the blue release and this year’s Best Source Release is a worthy winner. Best GoldSource Release And the winner is Arctic Incident. It’s always nice to play something new from a GoldSource mod and both the finalists provided that. Arctic Incident offered more in the way of gameplay, but Half-Rats: A Fever Dream offered more in the style, design and setting. Best Ville Release And the winner is RunThinkShootLiveVille. Not only is this the winner of this category but it also has the winner of the Best Ville Entry. This was a great collection of maps and a good example of how the right theme can inspire without limiting creations. Best Ville Entry And the winner is Run Think Shoot by Nicole Brauer AKA voec from RunThinkShootLiveVille. This winner was so clever, abstract yet plausible, with a final battle to remember. For me it was one of the few times that screen text actually worked well. Best Moment in a Release And the winner is Dropping the bridge in Truss from VerticalVilleTwo. Not only was this visually spectacular but the gameplay was both exciting and challenging. Such a clever way to make the boss fight part of the theme and in a way that could easily been real. Of course, it’s always hard to take “moments” out of context but this certainly stands out in my mind from this year. Most Anticipated Release And the winner is The Core. Was there any doubt? This is probably going to win next year too. “No, don’t talk like that Phillip, by then it will have been released!” Let’s hope the mod keeps being updated and it gets released this year. Final Thoughts Well, I for one enjoyed the process this year. I feel the new graphics help make it appear more professional and hope the event gets bigger and bigger. As I mentioned in the previous stages, I promise to keep track of all the categories and even make a pre-vote video. Thanks to everybody for nominating and voting. |
David Mellis — Leah Buechley, the creator of the LilyPad Arduino and my former advisor, recently published a great new book based on that platform, together with Kanjun Qiu and Sonja de Boer. Sew Electric is a collection of DIY e-textile projects that introduce electronics and programming through textile crafts. The projects include a sparkling bracelet, a singing monster, a light-up bookmark, and a fabric piano. Through these activities, readers are introduced to the fundamentals of electronics and programming as well as craft and design practices. The projects are beautifully illustrated and the instructions are clear and detailed. This is a wonderful resource for showing potential uses of electronics and the Arduino platform, specifically in ways that appeal to audiences not traditionally associated with these technologies. I was privileged to work with Leah for a number of years and am always impressed with her dedication, ideals, and accomplishments. Zoe and I put together this interview to ask Leah about the new book and her thoughts on technology: How was the idea of the book born and what’s its main aim? We want the book to get people excited about electronics and programming. We hope it will help people play, tinker, hack, and learn. There are very few engineering resources that are appealing to young women and girls. We wanted to create an electronics introduction that looks and feels different from anything else that’s out there. In terms of the history, my student Kanjun Qiu built a series of lovely LilyPad projects & wrote DIY tutorials for them for her master’s thesis. In collaboration with NCWIT (the National Center for Women and Information Technology), we tested the tutorials with kids and teachers and got lots of positive feedback. We decided to publish the series as a book and website to make them more visible and accessible. We’d like to connect to as many people as possible. How did you manage to design a book for adults but also good for kids? When I was a kid I found many of the toys and books designed especially for children to be terribly patronizing. Kids are smart, savvy, and skilled. For the book, we aimed to design projects that are fun and whimsical but also complex and challenging. We focused on using direct and straightforward, but never childish, language. We assume that our readers have no previous experience, but limitless ability. You’ve been working on the LilyPad Arduino for a number of years now. What have been the most interesting developments in that time? It’s been a delight to see what different people do with it! It’s been used in haute couture fashion, sculpture, dog shows, dance costumes, fabric robots…an enchanting collection of stuff. It’s also been fascinating to research and begin to understand who is using LilyPad. A study I did in 2010 found that while only about 2% of people who build Arduino projects are women, about 65% of LilyPad builders are female. A spectacular discrepancy! I think this shows that the Arduino community can benefit tremendously from tools that connect to different materials, communities, and creative traditions. What do you think are the broader goals and implications of the book and the LilyPad platform? Bringing more diversity to the Arduino community and the larger technology community is a driving force. It’s disgraceful how few women & people of color participate in technology creation. But, our community can also benefit from more diversity in the materials it employs and the types of projects it works on. For instance, I’d love to see grandmothers building Arduino projects that involve gardens and food. Compared to when you started working on the LilyPad, it seems that are now many more electronics projects aimed at people without a technical background. What do you think about this trend? I think it’s great! Wearable computing has been defined by many mainstream commenters as a big trend in which to invest in the next years. What’s your opinion on that? I’m skeptical about wearables hype. Wearables & e-textiles have many marvelous qualities. They give new expressive tools to fashion designers, industrial designers, and artists. They embody appealing juxtapositions–of male and female, soft and hard, new and old. And they’re fantastic vehicles for technological fantasies–bringing to mind the magic cloaks and carpets from fairy tales, the flashy costumes of comic book superheros, and countless scifi eutopias/distopias. But, companies that try to bring wearables, especially e-textiles, to market face significant hurdles. The manufacturing processes for the electronics and textile industries are very different and integration is extremely challenging. The timescales of the fashion and electronics worlds are out of sync–though we think of technology as fast moving, clothing styles change much faster, every couple of months. Moreover, for a range of environmental and engineering reasons, it doesn’t make sense to embed electronics into most everyday items of clothing. Do we want chips and batteries in every t-shirt? There have been some modest successes (blinky sneakers, heated winter wear, and body-sensing sports apparell), but the most compelling e-textiles work has taken place on smaller scales in the art and design worlds. E-textiles hold more promise as a creative artistic medium than as a vehicle for mass produced products. What do you plan to work on in the future? Right now, I’m very excited to be transitioning from my position as an Associate Professor at the MIT Media Lab into full-time design practice. The Media Lab was amazing, but I didn’t have time to do any of my own creative work there. So, after a lot of soul searching, I decided to leave. (I’m formally resigning this spring.) At the moment, I’m especially interested in large scale architectural work. My partner and I are designing and building a home and studio and I’m working on interactive mural projects. It’s wonderful to be soldering, programming, sewing, and painting again! Thank you Leah! |
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