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Will der Bund die Kosovaren loswerden?
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In der Schweiz leben rund 200'000 Kosovaren. Viele von ihnen besitzen den Schweizer Pass und sind bestens integriert. Wie der SonntagsBlick jetzt berichtet, versucht der Bund nun aber die Kosovaren zu einer Rckkehr ins Heimatland zu bewegen. Das Staatssekretariat fr Migration (SEM) untersttzt ein Projekt einer albanisch-schweizerischen Newsplattform mit 158'000 Franken. Die Filme, die im ffentlich-rechtlichen Fernsehen im Kosovo gezeigt werden, haben Erfolgsgeschichten von Schweiz-Kosovaren zum Inhalt, die fr immer in ihr Heimatland zurckgekehrt sind. Die Filme sollen die positiven Aspekte einer Rckkehr nach Hause vermitteln, sagt das SEM gegenber der Zeitung. Gefahren lauern Jedoch werden in den Filmen beispielsweise Korruption, Arbeitslosigkeit und das schlechte Gesundheitssystem verschwiegen. Die Kritik liess nicht lange auf sich warten. So knnten Kosovaren ohne Schweizer Pass, die versuchen ihren Lebensmittelpunkt in die alte Heimat zu verlegen, ihren Aufenthaltsstatus hier verlieren, wie Muriel Trummer von Amnesty International anmerkt. Das Geld wre besser in Projekten angelegt, die die Situation vor Ort verbessern wrden, ergnzt Peter Meier von der Schweizerischen Flchtlingshilfe. Auch der kosovarische Prsident Hashim Thaci kommt im Artikel zu Wort. Thaci findet es positiv, dass sein Land von den in der Schweiz gut ausgebildeten Kosovaren profitieren kann. Zudem seien sie finanziell wichtig: Rund 170 Millionen Franken berweisen sie jhrlich an Verwandte und Bekannte. (dmo)
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https://www.20min.ch/schweiz/news/story/Will-der-Bund-die-Kosovaren-loswerden--21611632
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Is Monroe Doctrine back to trouble Latin America?
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Illustration: Liu Rui/GT On January 23, the leader of opposition in Venezuela, Juan Guaid, proclaimed himself interim president, quickly receiving support from the US. A peeved Venezuelan government cut diplomatic and political ties with US and ordered American diplomats to leave the country within 72 hours. However, the US State Department claimed that it is defying the order from the Maduro administration and their diplomatic personnel will stay in Venezuela.Washington-Caracas ties have been souring for a long time. Since Hugo Chavez became president in 1999, Venezuela has been an eyesore for the US. In 2002, Venezuelan opposition staged an attempt to overthrow Chavez. However, to Washington's surprise, Chavez made a comeback with popular support in two days and the puppet government collapsed. Even then, the US did not stop targeting Caracas, constantly smearing the latter and imposing economic sanctions. Last February, then US secretary of State Rex Tillerson suggested that Venezuela may face a military coup, which would overthrow President Nicolas Maduro.Venezuela re-elected the president last year. Before the election, the government and the opposition had several rounds of talks. But they did not reach an agreement on issues like the election date and inviting international observers to oversee the vote. Maduro was re-elected president with 67.8 percent of the vote. The US, EU and some Latin American countries alleged that the election was not fair and refused to recognize Maduro. Later, high-ranking US officials visited Latin American nations several times, lobbying to unite with Washington and isolate the Maduro administration. On September 25, 2018, US President Donald Trump even said at the UN general assembly that "It's a regime that, frankly, could be toppled very quickly by the military if the military decides to do that. "Under the leadership of Chavez and Maduro, Venezuela has been upholding sovereignty, countering US hegemony and exhorting Latin American countries to jointly follow the path of independence. The US cannot bear it. Washington will not allow any Latin American country that defies its hegemony to be stable.Since 2015, Venezuela suffered an economic slowdown, social unrest, and government corruption. Left parties in Latin American states such as Argentina and Brazil lost elections, leading to right-wing groups coming to power. American hawks hope to overthrow the Maduro administration by ratcheting up pressure through influence brought by political changes in Argentina, Brazil and Colombia.The US has been cracking down not only on Maduro's administration, but also on other Latin American left-wing governments. US National Security Adviser John Bolton branded Nicaragua, Venezuela and Cuba a "troika of tyranny," "stretching from Havana to Caracas to Managua" last year and predicted that the "troika" would "meet its demise. "In the past 20 years, left-wing parties in certain Latin American countries have been elected to office. They have deepened cooperation and unity for development, strengthened regional integration, sought diversified diplomacy and built equitable partnerships on the international stage. The establishment of Union of South American Nations and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States has shown that Latin America can take care of its own problems.Anxious about being marginalized in Latin America, the Barack Obama administration tweaked its Latin American policy to create a rift in the alliance of left-wing nations. Certain goodwill measures like normalizing ties with Cuba were taken. Then US secretary of State John Kerry even declared that "the era of the Monroe Doctrine is over" in November 2013. Monroe Doctrine was the core of the US' Latin American policy. Washington has regarded the Americas, including Latin America, as its own geopolitical sphere, and prevented other countries from spreading their influence on the continents.After Trump took office, neoconservative hawks have led the Latin American policy and intended to reuse the "Monroe Doctrine." They have intervened in Latin American affairs without hesitating to throw the norms of international relations to the winds. It is foreseeable that future US-Latin America relations and ties within Latin America will enter a troubled period.The crux of Venezuela's ongoing political instability and insecurity lies in the choice of development path, which could only be decided by its own people.To solve the problem, various Venezuelan political forces should embrace dialogue, and strive for coordinated economic and social development while safeguarding national stability and peace. The international community should respect Venezuela's sovereignty and right to self-determination, oppose interference in its internal affairs, and be wary of the "Monroe Doctrine" once again sowing seeds of disaster in Latin America.The author is senior researcher of Taihe Institute and senior reporter with People's Daily. [email protected]
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http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1137164.shtml
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How much will 5G service cost?
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BUSINESS With South Koreas mobile carriers gearing up to nationwide their fifth-generation networks for regular consumers as early as March, they face a dilemma over whether to charge more for the faster new service. The countrys three telecom giants -- SK Telecom, KT and LG Uplus -- began operating 5G networks for a select group of businesses last month. But the big three have remained mute about how much they would charge when the first 5G smart phones roll out in the first quarter of this year. While the average price per unit of data will decrease, as ultra-high, low-latency 5G network delivers data at much faster rates, the overall price of 5G price could initially be higher than existing services, as companies seek to recoup the cost of establishing new networks. There is a consensus that the average 5G monthly price would increase, said Choi Nam-gon, an analyst from Yuanta Securities Korea. I expect it will be about 10,000 won to 15,000 won ($8.84 to $13.26) more expensive than 4G service. SK Telecom chief Park Jung-ho. Yonhap The current most popular price plan for LTE users here stands between 40,000 won to 60,000 won per month with the use of up to 6.5 gigabytes of data. Unlimited data packages begin at 70,000 per month.The growing popularity of mobile video content, however, has prompted subscribers to become more attracted to unlimited data plans. According to statistics from the Ministry of Science and ICT last month, an average LTE subscriber used up to 8 gigabytes in October, 12 percent up from the month before.While it is uncertain what price model will be applied to 5G-powered handsets, analysts predicted limited data plans would be about 60,000 won to 70,000 won per month. For unlimited data plans, fees could reach 100,000 won per month, they added.Assuming that 5G subscribers would use an average of 20 gigabytes per month, most consumers are likely to choose a 5G price plan with the range between 60,000 to 70,000, Kim Hong-sik, analyst at Hana Financial Investment Co.In a meeting with reporters this month, SK Telecom chief Park Jung-ho said if 5G subscribers were to use the same amount of data as 4G subscribers, 5G would be cheaper by up to a third.But as consumers get used to faster data speeds brought on by the 5G network, they are expected to end up using more data. The 5G network is expected to be 10 to 40 times faster than 4G, allowing users to download high-definition movie in a few seconds.Even if users constrain their data use, companies will be under pressure to raise prices to pay for the extensive infrastructure they needed to install to introduce 5G. they also spent about 3.6 trillion won last year to purchase the rights to use certain frequencies for 5G services.It is true that we feel the pressure because each company has already spent 4 to 5 trillion won for long-term investment, LG Uplus chief Ha Hyun-Hoi told reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this month.But without killer contents that can highlight strength of 5G consumers might not be won over to the new service, limiting firms ability to increase prices.While the first 5G-capable smartphone is expected to arrive at the market within the first quarter of this year, it would take years for the upcoming network to become as commonplace as 4G is today with mobile games and movies.According to a survey by LG Uplus last month, 76 percent of respondents said they were not aware of what positive impact 5G will bring. About half of respondents said they would reserve their decision to use 5G until they see the responses from other consumers.Technically speaking, mobile carriers should charge more for the 5G service, said Kim Yeon-hak, a business professor of Sogang University. But they will be cautious about it until they come up with service that can make subscribers feel the difference.While telecom giants chiefs have offered a glimpse into the pricing plan, industry watchers stressed that it is still anyones guessing game in South Korea, where pricing is also affected by various indirect factors.Among them are the prices of the first 5G smartphones, which are often incorporated into overall mobile bills for subscribers. Koreans usually purchase new smartphones with an installment plan that is combined with their monthly phone bills.And the government policy is also an important factor in determining optimal 5G price amid intensifying global competition over advanced technology. In one instance, the government urged mobile carriers to lower prices to increase the penetration rate of 5G, analysts pointed out.There are so many factors that can affect pricing plan until the last minute, said an industry watcher, who requested anonymity. Even if each company manages to come up with their own pricing plan, they would wait until other players reacts to the first rollout of 5G smartphone.
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http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20190127000172
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How Can The Entertainment Industry Fix Its Disability Representation Problem?
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Weinstein Co/Kobal/REX/Shutterstock Bryan Cranston in 'The Upside' In taking his role in The Upside, Bryan Cranston joined a not-so-secret (or exclusive) group of able-bodied A-listers who have portrayed a character with disabilities. The film sees him play Phillip, a wheelchair-bound millionaire, and the debate surrounding it is not dissimilar to those which opened up when Dwayne The Rock Johnson starred as character with a prosthetic leg, or when Sally Hawkins played a mute cleaner in the Oscar-winning Shape Of Water. With these instances occurring regularly, the discussions form a vital part of a wider debate on diversity and representation within film and television and its a conversation actors with disabilities are taking the lead on. When discussion about Cranstons role started gaining pace, many onlookers turned to the actor who played his son in Breaking Bad, 26-year-old RJ Mitte. Mitte, who like his Breaking Bad character has cerebral palsy, is also an activist and patron for numerous charities, and somehow squeezes in presenting jobs too. SUBSCRIBE AND FOLLOW ENTERTAINMENT Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day. Newsletters may offer personalized content or advertisements. Learn more Newsletter Please enter a valid email address Thank you for signing up! You should receive an email to confirm your subscription shortly. There was a problem processing your signup; please try again later Facebook Twitter Instagram Podcast Youtube Flipboard Perhaps aware of how people would value his input, Mitte tweeted a show of support for his former co-star, writing that disability stories need to be told and films like this wouldnt be made without a star like @bryancranston. Disability stories need to be told and films like this wouldn't be made without a star like @bryancranston. We need to reach as many people as we can to change mindsets and remove the stigmas around disabilities. As a disabled actor, I am proud of his performance #TheUpside RJ Mitte (@RjMitte) January 15, 2019 But he was soon met with a backlash of his own. I got a lot of stick for that from some groups in the community, he told HuffPost UK. [They were] saying that its not ok and that I wasnt being supportive. Bryan is a huge actor who brings a lot of attention in a great way, Mitte argues, adding that hes very passionate about the community, inclusion, social issues around the world and making an impact. I find that what he does is very calculated, theres always a reason behind it and its always a pleasure to see what he does, he said. The backlash was simple many other performers within the disabled community completely disagree and one key point of contention is whether an able-bodied actor can ever begin to understand what it is like to have a disability. Paul Archuleta via Getty Images RJ Mitte Byron Konizi is an actor who often plays characters with neurological conditions or learning disabilities. The 35-year-old is able to draw on his own knowledge, having suffered brain injuries of his own on three occasions, the first occurring when he was eight. How can you understand what its like to be in an electric wheelchair if youve never been in one? he says. A really good actor could probably get into it, but weve got enough disabled actors out there, we dont need to do this. Theres plenty. Theres no excuse. Coronation Street actor Cherylee Houston who has played Izzy Armstrong in the soap since 2011 agrees, stating: Ive been a wheelchair user for over 20 years so Im so over it that Im not playing that, Im playing the character. My historic knowledge of how to use a wheelchair and how people with disabilities are treated is 20 years solid. There are nuances that a non-disabled actor will never be able to put in or portray so what its perpetuating is society still getting this image of disability which isnt based in disability. Its based in a perception of what disability is, from a non-disabled point of view, which tends to be a negative or fearful one. Mike Marsland via Getty Images Cherrylee Houston Turning her attention to Cranston and in turn, addressing Mittes claim that an A-lister actor getting this role is a good thing she adds: We have this thing in our community of nothing about us without us, so therefore, if you feel you cant financially justify having us in the lead role then put us elsewhere. The problem is, he is coming from it as a non-disabled person, therefore his opinion of that disability is very new. Thats the point where society sees it as a negative [and] sees all the bad bits. As an actor, that will impact on your thought processes and your acting choices. To make matters worse, when non-disabled actors take on these roles, theyre often rewarded handsomely for them. Its been over 30 years since a disabled actor won an Oscar but 16% of acting Oscars have gone to non-disabled actors playing characters with disabilities. The only way this will change is clear; more disabled actors need to be landing bigger roles. To this end, Mitte says its crucial for budding stars to go for a wide range of parts, not just ones where the character has been written as having a disability. We all label ourselves in a way where we dont realise it can damage us or it confines us to a box, he says, stating its vital to challenge the producers and casting directors making big decisions in the entertainment industry. Those are the people that say the yay or nay on everything and its really so important to broaden their horizons and views on who you are, Mitte continues. A sideways step into the world of TV brings us to The Assassination Of Gianni Versace star Darren Criss, who has vowed not to play any more LGBT+ characters in order to make way for actors from that community. I want to make sure I wont be another straight boy taking a gay mans role, he said in December. Similarly, Scarlett Johannson withdrew from playing a transgender character in another film, although she was initially defensive after being cast as a transgender man. All of these changes came about as a result of conversations and while its perhaps not attracting attention in the way its creators intended, The Upside has kickstarted a global discussion about representation. Its is the number one movie in the country right now, Mitte says, referencing recent US box office figures. And its causing a conversation. You see the press and people thinking, Well Ive never thought of it that way or I never had this view on that. Thats the goal, thats the point. Its thought provoking. They [Filmmakers] can think, Well people dont like that, and they can understand why. We need more things that bring that question up in a public and global way. One place these discussions are regularly taking place is Manchester, where Houston has spent the past 12 months organising regular meetings for the Disabled Artists Networking Community (DANC), which is part of the Triple-C collective. As an artist with a disability, youre very isolated because you dont tend to go down the usual training route and certain things arent accessible, the Corrie actor explains. The whole industry is a catch 22 situation which is why were trying to address it as a whole. Its writers, casting directors, agents, producers, every step of the way. Mary-Alice Slack, Chief Executive of Creative United discussing opportunities she has available to artists in the music industry. pic.twitter.com/LQbzboEVI5 Danc Manc (@DANC_MANC) November 27, 2018
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https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/bryan-cranston-disability-actors-new-film-criticism_uk_5c34daa7e4b05d4e96bd1a02
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How should President Trump be tried?
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A big issue for Congress and special prosecutor Robert Mueller to consider is whether Donald Trump should be tried as an adult. Kenneth Leone, Deerfield Feeling of justice shattered The most painful victim of the Laquan McDonald case and of the two related court decisions of the past few days is, in my view, our feeling of justice. The idea that nothing can be done to correct what is wrong, and that racism and corruption permeate our society beyond repair, is something that I cannot stomach. On the one hand, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich was sentenced to 14 years in prison for schemes that never came to fruition and never netted the governor a dime. On the other hand, former Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke received a sentence of less than seven years after he was convicted of murder. Furthermore there is talk that he could serve only 3 1/2 years. There's a movement now for criminal justice reform, and I hope that among the reforms that might be enacted are new sentencing guidelines that prevent these outrageous injustices from occurring. Hal Schweig, Evanston Dont let teachers strike Your recent editorial about the Chicago Teachers Unions collision course with fed-up taxpayers misses the real point. The next mayor and the Chicago media should discuss the insistence on a no-strike binding arbitration clause in the negotiations. The lives of so many working families are put under tremendous hardship during a teachers strike. Under that clause, when an impasse is declared, an arbitrator decides a fair settlement. The school year would not be interrupted while the settlement is reached. Lets put childrens education before the CTUs leadership demands. Jim Lyons, Chicago Men, boys hit from all directions I have never read a more heartbreaking story than that of the suicide of 16-year-old Corey Walgren of Naperville after allegedly being threatened to be placed in the sex offender registry over a questionable video (involving his sexual encounter with a 16-year-old classmate). The Covington Catholic boys from Kentucky were vilified, without corroboration, as privileged smirking racist bullies after the Lincoln Memorial confrontation last week. This has resulted in ever increasing deaths among men due to suicide, alcoholism and drug abuse. I wonder how long it will be before we realize the results of this and assess the true costs. Guyla Koestring, Glenview Editorial got it wrong I generally agree with the Tribunes editorials. But the Tribune has moved into the realm of fake news with its Jan. 23 editorial (800,000 Dreamers. 800,000 workers. 1 wall. Cut the deal.) denigrating House Speaker Nancy Pelosis refusal to trade the so-called Dreamers for furloughed federal workers. It ignores the fact that she and Sen. Chuck Schumer had made a deal with the president before the shutdown, offering him funding for his wall, which he then reneged on. The editorial also ignores the fact that the president has taken his fight to end DACA to the federal courts. He has also taken steps to end temporary protected status for Central Americans, Haitians and others who have fled conditions in their home countries and are living among us as assets to our communities. At least one federal court has indicated its belief that this move was likely the result of racial animus. The presidents offer to extend this protection in exchange for the furloughed hostages similarly rings false. Finally, the editorial ignores the fact that Pelosi and the House have passed a number of bills that would fund the government so that the issue of immigration reform, including the issue of border security, can finally be addressed in a bipartisan manner, without the time pressure inherent to the shutdown. It is one thing to show bias in an editorial but another to reach a desired conclusion by distorting the facts. Nancy Vizer, Glenview
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https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/letters/ct-vp-voice-letters-012719-story.html
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Do schools expect parents to be more tech-savvy than they really are?
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Loading As someone who assists families with their technology, I regularly hear from parents about their frustrations about not only footing the bill for these "BYO" devices, but also about the schools expectations that parents will know how to manage them. Invariably, I see these parents several months into the school year after their child has been using the device with little or no protection. Many of the calls I receive for help come only after their child has been exposed to porn, cyber-bullying, other inappropriate content, is showing addictive behaviour, or has been contacted by a cyber-predator. I know that schools have the best intention when it comes to their bring your own device policy, but I believe that such a policy should require that the school work very closely with parents to be absolutely sure that these devices have and maintain adequate protections. This is especially important at the primary school level. While there are Education Department policies and guidelines in place about how to use technology safely and who should pay for these personal devices for schoolchildren, these policies dont cover specifics of how parents should be supported by schools to set up age-appropriate parental controls. Schools will invariably ensure that only appropriate content can be accessed on the device while the child is at school, but all bets may be off once these devices leave the school. The expectation for monitoring and controlling what happens on these devices then becomes the responsibility of the parents. Of course, we cant escape the fact that responsibility does sit heavily with parents to take an interest in protecting their child. A big frustration for schools is that assistance that they do offer is too often not taken up by parents. Schools tell us that too many parents allow a great deal of freedom in their childs device usage, and the fallout often ends up as a problem in which the school must become involved. My observation is that many schools over-estimate how tech-savvy the average parent is when, if fact, technology is often in the ''too hard basket'' for many time-poor parents. Loading I also see that many schools think that they have "done cybersafety" by running an information session about the dangers of the online world often well into the school year. Ive lost count of the number of times Ive spoken to a parent who has been to a such a cybersafety night and said that they walked away feeling terrified and helpless. Without the availability of a follow-up session or assistance on how to lock down devices, setting up of the necessary parental controls just doesnt happen. In recent times, the major technology companies Apple, Microsoft and Google have all had a focus on helping us manage our, and our childrens, screen time. They allow parents to set downtime periods where the devices apps are not available, set time limits on certain apps or categories of apps, monitor the childs use of the device and more. I see such excitement from the parents that I have assisted to set up these new controls especially at the arguments that they can see will be avoided by the built-in time controls. As technology advances and changes, it has never been more important for parents to regain control and learn about how to keep their kids safe online and on their devices. If your own childs school has a BYO device policy, make sure you ask for help to set up these controls. And please try to set up these parental controls BEFORE your child starts using the device. Its so hard to shut that gate once the horse has bolted. Lynette Coulston is the owner and founder of iTandCoffee, a technology business that helps empower people to understand and use their personal technology to enhance their lives. Tips for setting up devices for children: Apple iPad and iPhone: Set up your childs device with Screen Time, which allows you to set controls on when the device can be used, set limits on specific apps or categories of apps, and control a range of content and privacy restrictions. Make sure you give your child their own Apple ID. Computers: Set up your childs computer with a separate account to the main administrator account, so you can then set restrictions on the childs account. Android: Similar to Apples Screen Time, install the Family Link app on both parent and child devices and set up controls for the childs device. Generally: For a younger child, really consider what apps and features they should have access to and block or remove those that are not needed. Make sure you limit adult content for their web browsing. Consider applying parental controls for the who household using router-based settings (only available for certain routers).
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https://www.smh.com.au/education/do-schools-expect-parents-to-be-more-tech-savvy-than-they-really-are-20190124-p50tf9.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
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Is there more to being smart than IQ?
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There are not many of us who don't get a little thrill from acing a test, and there isn't really a test out there that is held in higher esteem than the IQ test. For over 100 years, it's been hailed as the quintessential marker of who's smart and who isn't. But a dip in IQ scores worldwide, branded the "reverse Flynn effect", has researchers questioning if it's time to broaden how we understand intelligence. Tony Florio is a Clinical Psychologist and Senior Lecturer at UNSW who specialises in IQ and Davina Bell is a children's author whose most recent book is called 'All the Ways to be Smart'.
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https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/lifematters/smart-or-not/10745758
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Could We Be On The Verge Of A Packaging Revolution That Could Help Reduce Plastic Waste?
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Whats more, much of that waste consists simply of packaging of various kinds of products, typically materials such as plastic, plasticized cardboard or others that we tend to tend not to recycle. The average American generates two kilos of garbage a day, and estimates suggests that around 30% of it comes from packaging. A good part of it, which is not usually separated as paper, cardboard, glass or organic, is not covered by recycling legislation and ends up in landfills. Historically, most packaging has been designed to optimize its logistics, stacking or boxing or simply to make it attractive.. In some industries, such as cosmetics or soft drinks and bottled water, manufacturers are obsessed with making their products stand out from the competition, and theres even a name for it, packaging addiction. Big supermarkets and online retailers are also responsible for excessive use of plastics in their logistics, most of which are non-recyclable. In recent years, a growing number of brands have launched initiatives to reduce their use of plastics. Some reuse plastic from the ocean, others sell through channels that reduce packaging to the absolute minimum; some, like Amazon, work with brands to package their products in a way that try to balance sustainability with the needs of logistics, while others have redesigned their products for recyclable containers, such as toothpaste in pill form. Now, a group of leading brands such as Procter & Gamble, Nestle, PepsiCo and Unilever have launched a platform, Loop, to offer consumers, initially in the United States and France, their products for home delivery in reusable packaging, which is stored in a personal reuse bin instead of the trash can. These will then be picked up for delivery back to a cleaning and sterilization facility and can be reused up to a hundred times. Whats also interesting about Loop is that it optimizes logistics, because over the course of the day, couriers are collecting reusable packaging at the same time as they are delivering goods, optimizing the routes to and from the warehouse. Similarly, the initiative encourages brands to redesign their packaging to make it more attractive or more functional (such as ice cream containers that keep the product cold longer, for example), while promoting a subscription model in which people repeat orders, which may increase consumer loyalty. The price of products would be similar to those packaged conventionally, with a deposit for the first container that is refunded when it is returned, as used to happen with bottles many years ago. Loop is a tremendously interesting initiative with major potential. Now that more and more people are prepared to take part in such schemes on environmental grounds, other brands will hopefully join in, seeing that such an approach makes commercial sense. The success of ideas like Loop lies in convincing consumers that taking a small amount of trouble can make a big impact on protecting the environment and that doing so is not so much an alternative to what we normally do, but is in fact the only viable way forward.
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/enriquedans/2019/01/27/could-we-be-on-the-verge-of-a-packaging-revolution-that-could-help-reduce-plastic-waste/
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Does America's extreme cold mean climate change is myth?
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According to climate sceptics, record cold temperatures and snowfall are proof that global warming isn't real. The sceptics are wrong. The theory goes like this: The fact that some areas are being blasted with record cold is proof that human-caused climate change is not real, tendaily.com.au wrote. US President Donald Trump has tweeted as much on numerous occasions, claiming record cold and snow is a sign climate change is a hoax. Trump was wishing for more global warming just last week, as extreme snowstorms pummel the American midwest, forcing the cancellation of thousands of flights and blanketing areas in up to 70 centimeters of snow. Indeed, he once tweeted the term was altered to 'climate change', his inference being that climate alarmists had invented a new term to suit their argument. Experts say no, on two fronts. Firstly, warming is occurring. Despite remarkable cold conditions in the USA in recent winters, temperatures overall across the globe are rising on average. "Global warming describes an average temperature increase of the Earth over time. Climate change describes how weather patterns will be affected around the globe," theNorth Carolina Climate Office said. "Global warming is just one aspect of climate change," said the US Geological Survey. Scientists first identified the effect of carbon dioxide trapping heat in the atmosphere as far back as the late 19th century, with the term 'global warming' coined and coming into common usage. However, during the 1990s, the term climate change was deliberately adopted by climate sceptics to take the word warming out of the equation and deliberately sow doubt among the public about the source of said warming to make it seem like it was caused by natural cycles of the type the planet has always had. The terms have now become more or less interchangeable, but as experts point out, there are some important differences. "In the scientific world, both terms are used. Theres a place for global warming and a place for climate change," said Professor Janet Bornman, a climate change expert and director of Murdoch University's Future Legumes Research program. "When you're in the general public, global warming is probably more appropriate. People are noticing the climate is very variable." Scientists strive to explain the difference between climate and weather, to help people understand how one cold day doesn't mean the globe isn't generally warming. One parallel drawn is 'weather is your outfit today while climate is your wardrobe' that weather is short-term but climate should be assessed with a longer and wider view. "Climate change and global warming are often used interchangeably but have distinct meanings," said NASA's Global Climate Change program, outlining how 'global warming' relates to long-term planetary warming and 'climate change' to changes like rising sea levels, loss of sea ice, and extreme weather. Bornman said the two terms co-exist, rather than being synonyms. "Global warming can become confusing to people. The earth is warming but only in certain areas, changing the atmosphere and water currents, and that's what's causing cold when you shouldn't have cold. The warming is actually doing that," she told 10 daily. "What was warm becomes cold, and currents become cold because of winds and ocean expansion, which is because of heating. This isn't an easy message to get through to people." Professor Martina Doblin, an oceanography expert at the University of Technology Sydney, said global warming is an easier concept for ordinary folk to understand. "It's not to intentionally simplify what's going on, but that that is the first thing coral reefs for example will experience," she told 10 daily. "There will be massive changes in heat in the ocean, so it prioritizes the changes that will be most impactful first." Doblin claimed climate sceptics heaping scorn on science by poking fun at global warming was harming efforts to inform and mobilize people to take action, but also admitted scientists had a duty to explain the science in a clearer way to help regular people understand. "Our job as scientists, if we're honest, is to say 'despite the complexity, there is overwhelming evidence the climate is changing at unprecedented rates'," she said. "Its reasonable to ask a scientist to explain. I think everyday citizens need the means to understand this. We can adequately explain this, and not just simplify it but make it understood by people who are not scientists." Bornman agreed. "A huge amount needs to be done. Scientists tend to not communicate, they don't get why nobody can understand it," she said. "There are a few excellent scientists who publish for popular publications, but they're few and far between. For scientists to drop their terminology and explain simply, it takes some thinking and it's not being done. Scientists need to take it on themselves to make sure the public understands."
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http://www.iran-daily.com/News/237988.html
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Are Alabamas latest high school graduation rates real?
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Federal high school graduation rates for the 2016-17 school year are out, and once again, Alabama finds itself at or near the top of the list. This time Alabama touts the highest graduation rate among all states and the District of Columbia for African American students, whose graduation rate has risen nearly 20 percentage points---to 86.5 percent---since 2012. Hispanic students in Alabama graduated at the second-highest rate---88 percent---in the country. And Alabama ranked fourth highest for graduation rate overall, with a rate of 89.3 percent. But dont celebrate just yet. Alabamas high graduation rates a few years ago brought federal auditors to the state, resulting in an admission by state officials that rates were artificially inflated because they counted students whose coursework wasnt aligned with state standards. One measure Alabama education officials created to determine if graduates are ready for life after high school---college or career---paints a different picture. While Alabamas federal graduation rate for black students is 86.5 percent, the percentage of black students who have earned one of the states college or career readiness credentials is only 55.6 percent. A similar but much smaller gap exists for white students: 91 percent graduation rate, college and career readiness rate of 80.4 percent. Alabamas state superintendents---both past and present---say that gap matters a lot. A high graduation rate is wonderful news, former state superintendent Joe Morton told AL.com on Friday, but the news comes with an asterisk. That asterisk is that in too many schools the gap is so great that students and their families are being misled into thinking the graduates are ready for their next step of some form of additional education and/or work, when they really are not. Morton, who now serves as President of the Business Education Alliance, issued a dire warning. Since the Alabama State Board of Education scrapped its high school graduation exam requirement in 2013, questions have been raised about what earning an Alabama diploma signifies. In an interview in July on this subject, current Alabama Superintendent Eric Mackey said, "For the most part, [earning a diploma] means someone has persisted to finish the credits needed to get a high school diploma." That isn't enough, though, and, Mackey said, a "big shift" in thinking has been taking place in education. Without an exam to show graduates have attained a grade-level appropriate base of knowledge, state education officials in 2015 created a new way to show that graduates were ready for the next step, whether that was work or career. Called college and career readiness indicators, Mackey said, show a student not only knows something but also knows how to do something. Alabamas seven college and career readiness indicators are: Earning a benchmark score in any subject area on the ACT college entrance exam, Earning a qualifying score of 3 or higher on an Advanced Placement (AP) exam, Earning a qualifying score of 4 or higher on an International Baccalaureate (IB) exam, Earning college credit while in high school, Earning a silver or gold level on the ACT WorkKeys exam, Earning a career technical industry credential, or Being accepted into the military. The college and career readiness rate in a given year shows the percentage of students who started ninth grade four years earlier that earned one or more of the seven indicators. Heres what that gap looks like for various groups of students in Alabamas schools. This chart shows the gap between the federal high school graduation rate and the college and career readiness rate for students who started ninth grade in the 2013-14 school year. Trisha Powell Crain | [email protected] Mackey, too, said the gap between the graduation rate and the college and career readiness rate presents a challenge for school officials and students. "Ideally, we need to have a high graduation rate with high readiness indicators," he said. "They need to be linked together." In March, former interim Superintendent Ed Richardson called out more than 150 Alabama schools for having a large gap in a comparison of 2016 graduation and college and career ready rates. In a strongly-worded memo to superintendents statewide, former state superintendent Ed Richardson---then serving as interim---wrote, This is one of the most serious issues facing our schools. Failure to address this issue immediately will only result in more high school graduates and their families being led to believe they are ready for the next step in their lives when they are notharm public education and depress our states economic growth. The National Center for Education Statistics Institute for Education Sciences, the data-crunching and research arm of the federal education department, released the 2016-17 school year graduation rates on Jan. 24. To see the full list of all states and 2016-17 graduation rates, click here. For a look at your high schools graduation rates and college and career readiness rates, click here.
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https://www.al.com/news/2019/01/are-alabamas-latest-high-school-graduation-rates-real.html
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Did Harry Davis deserve his red card in Grimsby Town's win over MK Dons?
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Get Daily updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Grimsby Town's wait for a win - and a goal - in 2019 is over after they beat MK Dons 1-0 at Blundell Park. Wes Thomas struck the winner midway through the first half as the Mariners saw the game out with ten men, with Harry Davis' red card leading to a rear-guard action in the second half. The victory will no doubt come as a welcome relief to Michael Jolley and his men - sports writer James Findlater takes a look at some of the talking points from Town's victory... BETTER LATE THAN NEVER Its been a bit of a wait for a win in 2019 for Town fans and for that matter, a goal. The Mariners perhaps didnt quite hit the heights that they showed before the New Year in recent weeks, although there have been a few other factors involved in their recent losing run. But now the black and white army final have something to celebrate this year, having finally broken their duck in January! (Image: Rick Byrne / Grimsbylive) Town looked to have their mojo back during the first half against MK Dons, and seeing Wes Thomas back on the score-sheet after a few quiet weeks was reminiscent of those brilliant few games around Christmas. And the spirit of Exeter returned as the hosts put their backs to the wall to ensure they held on to their lead following Harry Davis red card. It might be a little early to say Town are back to form, but the win over MK Dons had all the hallmarks of what led them to success before the New Year. Opinion is somewhat divided over whether Harry Davis challenge on Kieran Agard warranted a red card although the Blundell Park crowd left referee Paul Marsden in doubt as to what they thought of the decision. As Michael Jolley said in his post-match press conference, you can certainly see why the man in the middle came to his decision Agard looked set to break clear of Davis and the Town defence, and would have more than likely been one-on-one with Sam Russell had he done so. But the presence of Joe Grayson not too far away from the incident does add some doubt, and it seemed as though Davis made the challenge thinking that the Blackburn loanees positioning would see him escape with just a booking. In real-time, and from the view from the Main Stand press box, it looked a harsh red to say the least. Then, on each subsequent view of the replay, the mind changes. Either way, dont be surprised if Town choose to appeal the decision. FOXS FAREWELL Perhaps getting a little bit forgotten in all the drama of the match was the fact that Andrew Fox was gracing the Blundell Park turf for the final time. Given the chance for one final run-out by Michael Jolley, the fullback didnt disappoint as he put in a dependable as ever performance down the left, and did more than his fair share of work in maintaining Towns lead. (Image: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK) His departure has probably been one of the worst kept secrets around the club, but his final appearance is still tinged with a little bit of sadness on both sides after all, it seems Fox had firmly taken the club to his heart. Hell be missed by all at Town as he makes the move to the United States for all the right reasons, and the fact that he gave his all one last time for the black and white shirt sums the man up perfectly. Follow or contact Grimsby Live Contact us: Email the reporter who wrote this story . Follow Grimsby Town Live on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest Town news in your feed and join in the discussions in the comments! Click here to like our page and keep up to date with the latest from the Mariners! Follow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to follow Grimsby Town Live on Twitter .
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https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/harry-davis-grimsby-mk-dons-2474115
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What is going on in Venezuela?
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Approximately a quarter of US resources are supplied from Latin America through contracts that allow Americans, among other things, to exploit Venezuelan resources shamelessly. The royalties paid are peanuts considering the resources (mining, oil, agricultural products) not to mention the irreversible damages to the environment and the trampling on Venezuelas rights and culture. Latin American countries have multi-billion dollar debt to international organizations like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank whose main shareholders are American banks. This is while a majority of people in Latin American and the Caribbean live in poverty and want to migrate to the US Many reach the US-Mexico border. Some dont get to cross the border while others get into the US to serve as cheap labor in physically demanding jobs. Latin America is tightly controlled by over 70 US military bases for its energy sources and other natural resources. Washington considers Latin America its own backyard for its vast fresh water reserves and strategic location. The US has a long history of intervention in Latin America and around the world. Today, however, the interference has changed shape and style and evolved. For the past three decades, Washington no longer deploys troops to Latin America but initiates a soft coup detat. The US has overthrown Latin American governments in the past two decades including: the 2002 failed coup in Venezuela against Hugo Chavez, the 2004 coup in Haiti, the 2008 failed coup in Bolivia, the 2009 coup again in Bolivia, the 2010 failed coup in Ecuador, the 2012 coup in Paraguay, and the 2016 coup in Brazil. It is clear now whos behind the recent coup in Venezuela. January 22, 2019, failed coup in Caracas was an organized attempt to bring about a national crisis with Nicolas Maduros opposition group, Washington and other regional right wing-countries played a role in the coup. The event was widely reported stating that Guaid declares himself President of Venezuela. Immediately, videos started circulating on social media showing a group of armed, uniformed men promising to re-establish the constitutional order. Social media caught up with the news and circulated the latest videos and clips of people rioting. The very first report released by Reuters quoted a man who identified himself as-as Alexander Bandres Figueroa, the head of an opposition group, telling viewers: Get out on to the streets It is today. Its today People, get out, support us. He added a second video saying, You wanted us to light the fuse, here we are and we light the fuse. This fight is for you, for Venezuela. This fight is for you, for Venezuela. In response to Figueroa, a crowd in San Jos de Cotiza, in northern Caracas took to the streets and set fire to dumpsters but soon were dispersed by a gas tear or arrested by police. The Armed Forces of Bolivia strongly condemned the attempted coup, attributed it to right-wing radicals and considered it contrary to the basic principles of military discipline, honor, and traditions. Juan Guaid, a 35-year-old legislator from a coastal town in Venezuela, who had been playing with the idea of the presidency in his head for a while and stood against President Maduro, said We do not wish to break up the armed forces of the country or confront them. We want the National Armed Forces to be united with the nation, the constitution and against usurpation. Our army knows that the chain of command has been torn by the usurpation of the presidential office. The National Assembly requires all members of the armed forces to actively engage in re-enforcing the constitution. Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court Chamber of the Supreme Court reiterated the unreliability of the constitutionally mandated law on Monday, January 21, and confirms that, in accordance with the provisions of Article 138 of the Constitution, the National Assembly has no statutory and accredited board of directors. Colombian President Ivan Duque announced that he would wait until the head of the National Assembly (AN), Juan Guaido, officially declares himself responsible for the presidency, so that the Lima group could recognize him. US Vice President Mike Pence pledged White House backing of Guiaido and the parliament. It seems the ultimate goal of the operation was to display to Venezuelans worn out by economic crisis an excuse for Columbia, Brazil and the US intervention in Venezuela. However, that turned out to be a failed coup. MNA/TT
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https://en.mehrnews.com/news/141934/What-is-going-on-in-Venezuela
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Will Arsenal regret missing out on Medhi Benatia?
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COMMENT Medhi Benatia ended his eight-and-a-half-year tenure with major European clubs this week when he left Juventus to join Qatari side Al-Duhail SC. Since leaving Udinese in July 2013, the Morocco centre-back has represented AS Roma, Bayern Munich and Juventus with distinction, but despite being 31, has decided the time is right to depart for one of footballs relative backwaters. Unlike Asamoah Gyan, who left the major narratives of European football for one of the sports backwaters when he was in his prime (admittedly much younger than Benatia), the North African can at least say that hes achieved great things in the worlds top leagues. The centre-back has won four major European titlestwo in Germany and two in Italyand also has three major domestic cups to his name. Medhi Benatia | 2018-19 Serie A stats While he wasnt always an undisputed starter at either Bayern or Juve, he was a regular contributor, and memorably netted twice in the Old Ladys 4-0 Italian Cup final victory over AC Milan in May. He may have only played 450 minutes in the Italian top flight this termacross five matchesbut Benatia still has much to offer. Bearing this in mind, its a bitter shame that he couldnt have been tempted by any of his reported Premier League suitors. Hed been linked with a move to both Arsenal and Fulham, and while the prospect of a relegation battleparticularly in a league and country hes never previously played inmight not appeal, the Emirates Stadium might have been an ideal destination for the stopper. Benatia boasts the physical presence and tenacity to thrive in the Premier League, while his composure in possession would also fit in well with Unai Emerys approach. Hed represent an upgrade on one of the clubs summer additionsSokratisand boasts more experience than new boy Dinos Mavropanos, whos yet to truly get his opportunity in North London. Sokratis and Laurent Koscielny both picked up injuries in the FA Cup defeat by Manchester United on Friday, joining Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding in the treatment room. Even before the unconvincing defensive display and the injuries sustained on Friday, it was clear that Arsenal needed reinforcements at the backtheyve kept just four clean sheets in their 23 Premier League games to date. Putting their defensive failings into context, theyve conceded more goals than Newcastle United, Leicester City and even newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers. Article continues below Benatia could have represented the kind of commanding presence that Arsenal crave in the heart of the defence, and surely the 8.6 million Al Duhail paid Juve for the defenders services wouldnt have broken the bank! His exit to Qatar represents a missed opportunity for Arsenal, and perhaps for the defender as well. While the Gunners arent likely to return to their former glory this term, there are some promising signs under Emery, and Benatia might have been a vital building block for the coming years.
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https://www.goal.com/en-ng/news/will-arsenal-regret-missing-out-on-medhi-benatia/1addloxbojbfz3pftfm5yrgx
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Who Is Venezuelas Juan Guaid?
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In less than a month, Juan Guaid has risen from obscure, junior lawmaker to self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela and the most serious threat yet to the authoritarian government of Nicols Maduro. Guaid, who defied Maduro by taking the oath of office on Wednesday, claims to lead a transitional government that will call free elections and return Venezuela to democracy. The 35-year-old was immediately recognized as Venezuelas legitimate leader by the United States, Canada and most Latin American nations and received widespread support from European countries. In a speech Friday to cheering supporters at an outdoor plaza in Caracas, Guaid proclaimed: We have awakened from the nightmare, brothers and sisters. Maduro, who has led Venezuela into food shortages, hyperinflation and political repression during six years in office, is refusing to budge. His ruling Socialist party controls nearly all government institutions. On Thursday, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lpez declared that the nations powerful armed forces widely considered to be propping up the government recognize Maduro as Venezuelas true president. But at least for now, Guaid is breathing new life into an opposition movement that had been deeply demoralized by internal power struggles and government repression. Thirty days ago, the opposition was demobilized and fractured with no leadership, said Michael Penfold, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. But thats not the case anymore. Guaid represents a sparkle of hope. I think Guaid is delivering exactly what the opposition wanted at this point, which is a bold, risk-taking response, said Javier Corrales, a Venezuela expert and professor of political science at Amherst College. A youthful-looking industrial engineer, Guaid, got his start in politics by organizing student protests against the late Hugo Chvez, who ushered in Venezuelas socialist revolution two decades ago. In 2013, Chvez died of cancer and was succeeded by Maduro. As a member of the Popular Will party, Guaid in 2015 won a seat to the National Assembly Venezuelas legislature amid an opposition sweep of congressional elections. But that momentum quickly stalled. Anti-government demonstrations were crushed by security forces while an effort to remove Maduro through a recall election was vetoed by the government. The oppositions most charismatic leaders were arrested, forced into exile or stripped of their right to run for public office. Last year, Maduro won another six-year term in a presidential election widely considered a sham by international observers. Still, the opposition was determined to challenge Maduros grip on power. It hatched an audacious plan to coincide with the start this month of what many view as Maduros illegitimate second term. Guaid became its leader. Partly because more prominent politicians have been sidelined, the National Assembly in early January named Guaid as its president. Venezuelas constitution states that the head of the National Assembly takes over should the presidency become vacant, as the opposition claims it has under Maduro. After consulting with U.S. and Latin American officials, according to the Associated Press, the opposition organized nationwide street marches on Wednesday and held a make-shift outdoor ceremony where Guaid took the oath of office and launched his parallel government. In what amounted to his inaugural speech, Guaid called on military officers to withdraw their support from Maduro. It has to be the Venezuelan people, the armed forces, and the international community that allow us to assume power, which we will not let slip away, Guaid told cheering supporters in what amounted to his inaugural address. At least one high-ranking military official, Col. Jos Luis Silva, who serves as military attach at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, has heeded Guaids call. As the Venezuelan defense attach in the United States, I do not recognize Mr. Nicols Maduro as president of Venezuela, Silva said in an interview Saturday with el Nuevo Herald. Guaid lacks any control over government ministries but he is more than just a figurehead. Analysts say that swelling international support for him, coupled with Maduros diplomatic isolation, strengthens Guaids claim to the presidency. Frank Mora, who heads the Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University, said Guaids swearing-in ceremony could become a watershed moment, similar to the 2010 episode in Tunisia when an angry fruit vender set himself on fire and helped ignite the Arab Spring. Alternative leadership in Caracas has also opened the door for the Trump administration to squeeze the vital flow of petrodollars to the Maduro government which counts on oil for 95 percent of its export earnings. One option would be to send the proceeds from purchases of Venezuelan oil to foreign accounts that could be set up and controlled by Guaids governing team, said Francisco Rodrguez, a former economic advisor to Venezuelas National Assembly. He said that diverting oil funds to Guaid would have a huge impact on the Venezuelan economy and put more pressure on Maduro to leave office. The pieces are starting to fit together for a peaceful transition in Venezuela, said Benjamin Scharifker, a leading Venezuelan intellectual and an opposition activist. But Guaid also faces new risks. Earlier this month, he was briefly detained by security forces and fears are growing that he could be arrested. At Fridays rally, Guaid acknowledged that possibility but told supporters that if he were ever kidnapped, they should press ahead with nonviolent protests.
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https://www.wjct.org/uncategorized/who-is-venezuelas-juan-guaido/
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Is dit waarom is Niels Destadsbader zo populair is?
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Zon 16.000 Ketnetters lieten het Sportpaleis verschillende keren op zijn fundamenten daveren, voor de uitreiking van de Gouden K's. Laura Tesoro en de acteurs van Nachtwacht vielen elk twee keer in de prijzen en ook De Buurtpolitie mocht een beeldje mee naar huis nemen. Niels Destadsbader won dan weer 'Muziekster van 2018'. Alweer een trofee erbij in zijn al rijkgevulde prijzenkast. Hoewel, helemaal compleet is die niet meer. Niels verklapte dat hij al eens een beeldje weggeeft: zo staat een award in zijn stamcaf en ook in het rusthuis 'bij de bomma' prijkt een beeldje. Een mooi gebaar waarmee hij weer bewijst waarom hij momenteel een van Vlaanderens lievelingen is. De 'Tv-ster' n Coole chick van 2018, verklapte in de coulissen wat meer over haar tv-plannen in 2019.
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https://www.hbvl.be/cnt/dmf20190127_04133804/is-dit-waarom-is-niels-destadsbader-zo-populair-is
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How can I help reduce the spread of Johnes disease?
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Johnes disease is a bacterial disease of cattle, which can have a negative economic impact on farms. With calving gathering speed, its important to keep the necessary steps in mind to limit the spread of this costly disease. According to Animal Health Ireland (AHI), infection normally occurs when young calves drink colostrum and milk or eat feed contaminated with the bacteria known for causing the disease. Phase two of the Irish Johnes Control Programme (IJCP) commenced on Tuesday last, January 1. Registration for this phase is now open. However, only activities carried out after January 1, 2019 are eligible for payment as part of phase two of the programme. Calves are the most susceptible animals on a farm to the disease for which there is no cure and even a very small amount of dung on a dirty udder can contain enough bacteria to infect a suckling calf. On occasion, calves are already infected at birth and this is common when their dam has advanced disease. Signs of Johnes disease: Reduced production, lower milk yields and lower feed conversion efficiency; Weight loss, despite a good appetite; Scour (not bloody) and ultimately emaciation; Soft swelling of the jaw or brisket; Death. By focusing on a few simple calf management practices, AHI says, farmers can effectively reduce the risk of infection and improve calf health. 1. Remove the calf as soon as possible from the calving pen The early removal of a calf from the calving pen, AHI says, reduces exposure to contaminated bedding and from direct exposure to a potentially infected cow. By carrying out this action, the risk of calves attempting to suckle from a cow with a dirty udder or teats is reduced. Advertisement It is also critical to maintain hygiene levels within calving pens. The calving pens should be frequently and thoroughly cleaned. At the very least, sufficient fresh bedding should be put down between calvings to ensure that the pen floor is dry and clean between calvings. 2. Clean colostrum collection As the disease spreads via the faecal oral route, its essential that you make sure that the cows udder is clean before collecting colostrum. Furthermore, to limit the spread of the disease, its important to wash your hands and to ensure that the containers, tubes and buckets that come in contact with the cows first milk are carefully washed between each use. 3. Feed colostrum and milk from test-negative cows As a general practice, AHI says, its best to feed colostrum and milk from cows that have tested negative as part of a whole-herd test. Milk from test-positive cows presents an increased risk to calves for a number of reasons. Firstly, if dung from these animals accidentally contaminates buckets, calves have a much greater exposure to infection. Even just collecting colostrum or milk from such animals increases the risk from an aerosol spread of infection and, in some instances, test-positive cows may be secreting bacteria into colostrum and milk.
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https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/how-can-i-help-reduce-the-spread-of-johnes-disease/
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Who did ESPN select for the Bengals during the 2018 NFL Draft re-do?
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The Cincinnati Bengals selected Ohio State center Billy Price with the 21st pick in the 2018 NFL draft and rode the ups-and-downs of his rookie season to interesting results. Thats what a new feature from ESPN asked and Bengals reporter Katherine Terrell got to make the revised call on the pick: 21. Cincinnati Bengals (from BUF) Original pick: Billy Price, C New pick: Frank Ragnow, C Ragnow had the edge over Price in the original draft, and with him available, the Bengals stick with the same position but get their first choice. Since Ragnow also can play guard, the Bengals couldve played him ahead of Alex Redmond and allowed Trey Hopkins to play center, giving them some flexibility. In this scenario, Ragnow dropped to the Bengals because the Detroit Lions instead decided to grab Will Hernandez and have him play guard. For what its worth, Price goes off the board one pick later after the Bengals. Price had a tough season, getting hurt early on and struggling at points. Hes still got a solid outlook, but Ragnow played guard last year and would have slotted in better after Trey Hopkins broke out as a quality center. Price has plenty of guard experience from his days with the Buckeyes. The Bengals can still lean on that versatility if they cant improve right guard this offseason they just have to want to make the change.
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https://bengalswire.usatoday.com/2019/01/27/2018-nfl-draft-re-do-bengals-espn-billy-price/
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Did Chinas Wealthy Elite Secretly Move Capital Offshore via Hong Kongs Gemstones?
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Theres attention being drawn to an anomaly in Chinas trade data. Compared to imports of precious gemstones from Hong Kong, it could point to Chinas wealthy overpaying for said imports. A method of moving capital out of the country that bypasses Chinas capital controls. The first trigger is an increase in Chinas capital outflow at the end of 2018. It correlates with both a devaluation of the Chinese yuan and an increase in the value of imports from Hong Kong. As noted by ZeroHedge and reported by the Financial Times, citing RBS strategist Elsa Lignos, there has been a recent rise in imports to China of precious stones from Hong Kong. That rise constitutes 53% of Chinas total imports from Hong Kong. A figure that was just 2.9% in February 2018. Read the full story on CCN.com.
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https://news.yahoo.com/did-china-wealthy-elite-secretly-130207937.html
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What is MIPS technology and why could it revolutionise riding helmet design?
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A safety feature, already widely used in cycling and skiing helmets and designed to reduce brain injuries, could be set to revolutionise riding helmet design. That is the prediction from Charles Owens chief executive Roy Burek, after the companys MS1 pro jockey skull, whose features contain the Multi-Directional Impact Protection System (MIPS), won a safety award at the recent equestrian industry trade show BETA International. MIPS is designed to add protection against the rotational motion transmitted to the brain from angled impacts to the head, which increase the risk for minor and severe brain injuries. A quick, sudden stop such as that caused by a rider falling off a horse at speed will cause the brain to move or stretch; this happens mainly due to the brains suspension in the cerebrospinal fluid. MIPS is a low friction slip layer that mimics the action of the scalp and how it works to protect the brain against rotational motion, explains Mr Burek. The human scalp was designed to be effective at speeds as fast as humans can run, but now we have the ability to go much faster on a bike, or riding a horse, for example the scalp runs out of movement and our heads need a top-up protection. The development of MIPS began in 1995 when Swedish neurosurgeon Hans von Holst questioned why patients were coming in with brain injuries despite having been wearing helmets. These helmets did not always show dramatic marks or damage, and yet the patients still had serious brain injuries. The surgeon began looking at standards and construction for helmets, and realised testing was based on straight line impact, says MIPS chief executive Johan Thiel. When new methods were developed to look at how angle, speed and sudden stop caused impact to the brain, the idea for a low friction layer which mimicked the action of the scalp came into being. While the technology has been used for equestrian helmets since 2008/09, the biggest markets for MIPS are currently cycling and skiing. We believe it is beginning to gain traction now in the equestrian market, however, says Mr Thiel, who believes the European CE standard will change to integrate this type of technology in the future for all riding helmets. Horse riders have an awareness they will fall off, but it takes time to educate people about the best equipment for protecting themselves. Mr Burek, who sits on the equestrian committee for European CE standard, agrees and says the committee would like to be early adopters of a test method that can reliably assess helmets using this technology. Having a test that is relatively cheap, reliable and reproducible is the challenge. Work is underway to produce a test head that recreates the spinning and turning effect of an angled impact fall, he says. The new Charles Owen helmets featuring the technology include the MS1 pro jockey skull and two My PS helmets. Finest Brands Internationals Champion Revolution MIPS deluxe hat took highly commended in the safety category at BETA International. After 10 years of research, Champion is delighted to announce the introduction of riding headwear with MIPS technology, which is designed to provide a small amount of movement within the helmet during impact. Adding rotational injury protection is an obvious step forward to ensure Champion continue to offer the most advanced protection, says managing director Sarah-Jane Fedarb. Article continues below You might also be interested in: The MIPS low friction layer, which is designed to give 10-15mm of movement, adds around 25-45g in weight and around 20-40 to the cost of the helmet. Of course we need real world feedback before we start saying that this is for everyone, but that is the case for any product in the equestrian market which is hailed as the next wonder technology that will revolutionise safety, says Mr Burek, who is aiming to launch the new MIPS hats at this years Badminton. There will be those who embrace it straight away, those who think its not needed and those who will buy it so long as the helmet looks good but we are confident once we have the proof this makes a real difference to brain injury rates, customers will start demanding this extra feature on helmets. For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, dont miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday.
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https://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/mips-riding-hat-677434
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How did Roger Stone survive Watergate?
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Roger Stone leaves the federal courthouse on Jan. 25 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images) Timothy Naftali, a former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library, is the director of New York Universitys undergraduate public-policy major and co-author of Impeachment: An American History. When political dirty trickster Roger Stone was arrested and charged with lying to Congress, obstruction of justice and witness tampering on Friday, the result wasnt merely the indictment of one man: Instead, it was an overdue condemnation of a component of our political system. The fact that Stone did not disappear into deserved irrelevance after 1974 demonstrates that neither he, nor the Washington political culture that continued to tolerate him, learned the right lessons from Watergate. People are allowed to make mistakes and seek redemption, even in politics. But Stone never apologized and never seemed to grasp that he was a cog in a fog machine that denied voters the real information they deserved to make their constitutional choice. Stones continued presence on the political scene reinforced the idea that the coverup is worse than the crime instead of, above all, dont commit the crime. It shouldnt have taken this long for us to reject that amoral approach to power and leadership. The Nixon Foundation may have tried to distance the former president from his disgraced admirer on Friday, but Stone was not part of any rogue operation in the Nixon orbit. As a member of President Richard M. Nixons Committee to Re-Elect the President, better known as CREEP, Stone helped recruit a young operative to spy on a group of Quakers who had set up a peace vigil in front of the Nixon White House. Stone also admitted to Congress that he faked a contribution from the Young Socialist Alliance to Pete McCloskey, a liberal Republican who in 1972 was mounting a challenge to Nixon in the New Hampshire primary. After delivering the $135 in cash and receiving a receipt, Stone then drafted an anonymous letter to the conservative Manchester Union Leader with a photocopy of the receipt to discredit McCloskey. Stone did not merely engage in dirty tricks; in 1972, the then-19-year-old Stone was assigned by CREEP official Herbert Bart Porter to recruit a spy to penetrate the campaigns of Democratic presidential hopefuls. The secret Nixon agent, Michael W. McMinoway, introduced himself successively into the campaigns of Edmund Muskie, Hubert Humphrey and George McGovern. Stone became his case officer, receiving intelligence from McMinoway via a post office box in Washington. We are all innocent until proved otherwise, but Stone long ago gleefully admitted his guilt as an avid saboteur of our democracy. In this, he reflected an attitude that came from the top. Despite the touch of humanity he showed in one interview with David Frost, Nixon never really apologized for his political sins. He never admitted the full scale of the abuses and criminality of his administration and reelection campaign, choosing to reduce Watergate to a single break-in. In his recent book, Nixons Secrets, Stone presented himself as Nixons closest political confidant in Nixons final campaign for rehabilitation. According to Stone, he negotiated the Hes Back cover of Newsweek for Nixon in 1986. The goal was effectively to normalize criminal behavior by presidents one likes. Unlike Nixon, however, Stone never sought rehabilitation. He was a welcome player in both the 1980 and 1984 Reagan-Bush election campaigns. In 1982, at the request of lawyer Roy Cohn, President Ronald Reagan sent Stone a telegram to wish him a happy first anniversary of your 29th' birthday. That summer, the Reagan White House noted in its files that Roger Stone, who was President of the Young Republicans at age 20, was actively involved in the campaign for the President and is a great supporter of his. And after Reagans reelection in 1984, office seekers wrote to Stone at his consulting firm looking for jobs with the administration. Eventually, Donald Trump came to enjoy the company, and political assistance, of Stone. In 2000, when Trump first dipped his toe into presidential waters, Stone seemed to be his sole campaign staffer. On Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders sought to downplay the Trump-Stone relationship, insisting, Stone is somebody who has been a consultant for dozens of Republican presidents and candidates and members of Congress. Rather than exculpating Trump, that argument condemns the establishment that failed to cast Stone out. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller IIIs report may allow us to see whether Stone played the same subordinate role for the 45th President as he did for our 37th. If so, Stone would have the dubious distinction of having participated in the implosion of two presidencies.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2019/01/27/how-did-roger-stone-survive-watergate/
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What's Fueling the Growth of Family Offices in India?
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The humble accountant is pass, the family office is the new rage - a status symbol in 'Richistan'. The rise of ultra high net worth families in India has given impetus to the growth of the family office sector. Entrepreneur India examines this modish trend: why super riches need it in this age and time January 27, 2019 6 min read You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. As the country continues to grow, the list of Indias super-rich is also swelling we are going to add more Ambanis, Tatas and Birlas or rather Agarwals (considering the number Agarwals in the Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem) to the list. According to a recently-released Credit Suisse report, India ranks sixth in Ultra High Net Worth Population and the total number of dollar millionaires in India is expected to go past 5.26 lakh by 2023. In fact, in the past year, the Hurun Global Rich List added 31 new Indian billionaires to its list. Due to the rapid growth of family businesses in the country and the rise of new-age entrepreneurs, professionals and CXOs, in all probability, the number is bound to increase. This, in turn, has popularized the concept of family offices (FOs). Two decades ago, India barely had some 10-20 family offices to preserve their wealth, but today the number has gone well over 200. Himanshu Kohli from Client Associates says, This role (of munshiji) has evolved and has become more sophisticated in this organized world and now same munshi-ies are playing the role of private CFOs (chief financial officers) for large wealthy families. With this revival, the whole industry of wealth management, including family office concept is evolving fast in our society. Presently, there are two types of FOs single family offices, wherein the promoter has to dedicate enough time so that their goals are met and the second one is multi-family offices, wherein, as the name suggests, several families pool their assets together, and FO helps them with their goals. From existing businesses to the next generation entrepreneurs, FOs in India are gaining popularity for multifarious reasons. Sharing her opinion on what is fueling the growth of FOs, Apurva Damani, managing director - Artha India Ventures says With more entrepreneurs generating wealth, and as the median incomes of Indians rise, many families are looking to develop a formal structure and even professionalize their investment vehicles. This is resulting in the growth of FOs as formal institutions. While on the other hand, Rajmohan Krishnan, managing director and principal founder, Entrust Family Office feels even the NRIs segment has equal contribution in giving impetus to this trend and in supporting the growth of the segment. NextGen promoters along with NRIs returning to India to settle have exposure to these concepts during their stint abroad, all these factors are creating a need for more people wanting to engage and set up family offices. Krishnan also feels the new money, which the NextGen promoters are making, will pave the way for the emergence of more and more single and multi-family offices in the future. The reason being that there is so much active work-life left in these entrepreneurs and there is an apparent need to set up their own offices to take care of their affairs, while they continue to focus on their core business or pursue their passion, he explains. For many, FOs are more or less like wealth management companies, but they are not. What sets them apart is the kind of services they provide. FOs dont just manage your wealth, but also provide multi-generational wealth management services along with other services like charity, succession planning, etc. Not only that, an FO is a one-stop solution for a multitude of problems that a business can face at any point in time. It will look after the prestige, reputation and governance of your business, even take your legal issues and travel plans in stride. But the major difference between FOs and wealth management companies is that the former only serve ultra high net worth families. However, Angela De Giacomo, investment manager, Bissel Family Office feels FOs will never be able to replace wealth management companies as they have a standardized business format. I think every family office represents a family or an individual and might perform different services according to the family requirements. What FOs will have in common is that apart from setting the investment strategy, preserving and increasing the family wealth, they will also provide tax planning and tax coordination work, documentary services, provide support services and help with the estate planning etc, she elucidates, adding that, I can imagine that the more personally and exclusively the family wants its requirements to be handled, the more likely it is that they might set up their own FOs or use a multi-family office. Additionally, single-family office is a costly affair and thus, the size of the corpus has to be at least Rs 500 crore. However, wealth management looks at managing amounts upwards of Rs 5 crore corpus and there are many clients in between Rs 5 to 500 crore, who will need wealth management services. It is thus, Shantanu Awasthi, head of the family office at Karvy Private Wealth feels that FOs are never going to pose a threat to wealth management firms. Both models will coexist and grow at a very rapid rate as the economic growth continues to be robust. Over a period of time, wealth management firms will reposition themselves into the advisory format. For larger AUMs more and more multi-family offices will emerge within and outside wealth management firms, he says assertively. However, in India, due to a fallacy, many still see multi-family office merely as wealth management outfits. It is due to lack of awareness. Clearing the air around this confusion, Krishnan explains, Wanting to hire or set up a family office is a status symbol and also a need to handle complex affairs of the family, which is overwhelming in nature. A family office is a layer above all the relationships, which the family has built over a period, namely wealth managers, lawyers, bankers, NGOs, travel agents, consultants, chartered accountants and so on. The family office works with the client to protect their interests for a fixed fee. There is no conflict in this engagement. Furthermore, Damani feels beyond the traditional pools of available capital, FOs will form their own category of capital. This is a more patient capital that is not just driven by rewards but also strategic depth, she added. (This article was first published in the January issue of Entrepreneur Magazine. To subscribe, click here)
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https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/326981
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Did older Facebook users sharing fake news really help elect Trump?
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There is much concern about the role of Facebook and Twitter, particularly in promoting fake news, but little research to prove what impact it has. Now we have another small piece of the puzzle. A team in the US has looked at how many Facebook users shared fake news in 2016 and who they were. Andrew Guess at Princeton University and colleagues sent an online survey to 3500 people in the US during the 2016 election campaign. They persuaded 1300 to temporarily share their Facebook profile data showing what stories they shared. Thats actually way higher than we expected, says Guess. Advertisement The results suggest that Republicans over the age of 65 were seven times more likely to share fake news than respondents of any political leaning aged between 18 and 29. You want to be careful not to confirm your biases, says Guess. There are a few complicating factors. While Republicans were more likely to share fake news, this could be because most fake news had a pro-Donald Trump bias like the story that falsely claimed that the Pope had endorsed Trump. Guess also points out that elderly people were more likely to share fake news regardless of their political views. Around 11 per cent of over 65s shared fake news stories compared with just 3 per cent of those aged between 18 and 29. Overall, 9 per cent of respondents shared fake news. That might seem a high proportion to some. Its a lot, says Charlie Beckett of the London School of Economics. Depending on how you define fake news, the proportion of people sharing it could be even higher. Guess and colleagues only looked at knowingly false or misleading content created largely for the purpose of generating ad revenue. Thats a quite a small subset, says Beckett. Despite this, both the paper and accompanying press release explicitly suggest the sharing of fake news has been exaggerated, using terms such as Less than you think, relatively rare, and a small percentage. Guess justifies this by pointing to a survey suggesting 25 per cent of Americans had shared fake news. Wildly inflated The focus tends to be on headline-grabbing engagement numbers that are likely wildly inflated, he says. So were trying to push against such perceptions with good representative data The point is that both consumption and sharing [of fake news] seem to be concentrated among a relatively small percentage. This brings us to the controversial issue of whether social media really is swinging elections. This study did not address that but it cites a 2017 study suggesting that fake news stories tend to reinforce existing opinions and are unlikely to be persuasive enough to change opinions and swing elections. Maybe. But even small effects can swing elections. Whats more, social media studies like these tend to look at snapshots in time. There could be a cumulative effect over years. In the short term you are not seeing people being converted. But you are building up the framing, often in a more divided, heated and polarised way, says Beckett. And in countries where voting is optional, you dont even need to change minds to swing elections. What some are claiming is that by exploiting personal data harvested from Facebook, the Trump and Brexit campaigns were able to target advertising effectively enough to influence whether or not people voted. Facebook is now taking action. It deleted some suspect accounts ahead of the mid-terms elections in November and has introduced fact-checking systems in around 20 countries to identify false stories. But completely made-up stories are just part of a much broader issue with misinformation, says Beckett. For instance, if people read and share lots of stories about, say, immigrants committing crimes, they can be left with the false impression that immigrants as a whole commit more crimes. The individual stories may be true, but their overall impact can build a mistaken view of the world. Journal reference: Science Advances, DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau4586
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https://www.newscientist.com/article/2190204-did-older-facebook-users-sharing-fake-news-really-help-elect-trump/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=technology
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Should there be limits on presidential powers?
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President Donald Trump has surrounded himself with lawyers and legal scholars who hold maximalist views on presidential power. William Barr, Trump's nominee to replace Attorney General Jeff Sessions, continues that trend, believing the president cannot be indicted for any crimes and has almost unlimited decision-making and legal authority. Other scholars claim Barr's definition is far too expansive and could facilitate a dictatorship. PERSPECTIVES In June 2018, Barr sent an unsolicited memo to the Trump legal team, arguing special counsel Robert Mueller should not be allowed to investigate the president for criminal obstruction of justice. The New York Times explains this view comes from Barr's longstanding beliefs about presidential power. Mr. Barr's argument derived from his broad view of executive power: The Constitution, he claimed, does not permit Congress to make it a crime for the president to exercise his executive powers corruptly -- even if he were to fire a subordinate, pardon someone or use what Mr. Barr termed his "complete authority to start or stop a law enforcement proceeding" to cover up crimes by himself or his associates. Barr has held these beliefs for decades. When Barr took the position as head of the Office of Legal Counsel during George H.W. Bush's administration, he distributed an unsolicited memo to executive branch lawyers, warning them to be on alert for any attempt by Congress to limit the president's authority. It is important that all of us be familiar with each of these forms of encroachment on the executive's constitutional authority. Only by consistently and forcefully resisting such congressional incursions can executive branch prerogatives be preserved. Barr believes it is the responsibility of the Justice Department to protect and maintain the president's authority. MORE: Barr's Ahistorical View of the Constitution Would Give Trump All the Power Trump's legal team have been advising him based on this definition of presidential powers, according to the New York Times. They say any of his actions which could be considered obstruction, are actually legal when taken by the chief executive. He has unfettered authority to fire the F.B.I. director, which he did last year; to order a federal investigation opened or closed; and to pardon anyone, including felons or criminal suspects, his longtime personal lawyer Marc E. Kasowitz said in a confidential memo last June. "The president cannot obstruct himself or subordinates acting on his behalf by simply exercising these inherent constitutional powers," he wrote. Constitutional scholars and historians warn though that an all-powerful chief executive was one of the founding fathers' greatest fears. The Washington Post reports: A president who might act unilaterally was one of the chief fears expressed in the original debates about the Constitution. Writing in what became known as the Anti-Federalist Papers in 1787, the pseudonymous Cato warned against the presidency becoming "a Caesar, Caligula, Nero, and Domitian in America." The system of checks and balances -- giving Congress the authority to make laws and decide how money is spent, and giving the Supreme Court the last word on what laws comport with the Constitution -- was supposed to rein in the president. Scholars also disagree on whether a president can pardon himself. According to the New York Times, as there have been no previous examples of a president acting in such a way, there is little precedent on which to base this information. This is not clear. The only limitation explicitly stated in the Constitution is a ban on using a pardon to stop an impeachment proceeding in Congress, and the only obvious implicit limitation is that he cannot pardon offenses under state law. But some legal scholars think a president cannot pardon himself, either, because it would be a conflict of interest. ...There is no definitive answer because no president has ever tried to pardon himself and then been prosecuted, which would give courts a chance to weigh in. If Mr. Trump did purport to pardon himself, and was later indicted anyway, it could create an opportunity for the Supreme Court to resolve the question. While most legal scholars believe a sitting president can't be indicted for crimes, some note a president's actions while in office can be held against him after he leaves the White House. Per the New York Times: If a president sold pardons for cash, though, that would violate the federal bribery statute. And if a president can be prosecuted for exchanging pardons for bribes, then it follows that the broad and unreviewable nature of the pardon power does not shield the president from criminal liability for abusing it. ...Yet federal obstruction statutes say that a person commits a crime when he "corruptly" impedes a court or agency proceeding. If it could be shown that President Trump pardoned his family members and close aides to cover up possible crimes, then that could be seen as acting "corruptly" and he could be charged with obstruction of justice. If, as some commentators believe, a sitting president cannot be indicted, Mr. Trump could still face prosecution after he leaves the White House. The Tylt is focused on debates and conversations around news, current events and pop culture. We provide our community with the opportunity to share their opinions and vote on topics that matter most to them. We actively engage the community and present meaningful data on the debates and conversations as they progress. The Tylt is a place where your opinion counts, literally. The Tylt is an Advance Local Media, LLC property. Join us on Twitter @TheTylt, on Instagram @TheTylt or on Facebook, we'd love to hear what you have to say.
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https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2019/01/should_there_be_limits_on_pres.html
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How can user get past iTunes logo stuck on iPad screen?
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Q: I have a five-year-old Apple iPad. I recently turned it on and it displayed the Apple icon and then launched iTunes but has become stuck at that point, with only the iTunes logo on my screen and nothing else. John Burns, Vero Beach A: Typically, if your Apple device is displaying the iTunes logo upon startup and that logo doesn't go away, it means the device needs to connect to iTunes so it can update or sync to your account. Considering this is a five-year-old device, and you make no mention of when you last connected it to iTunes, then chances are this is happening because the machine is long overdue for an update. To fix, connect the device to your computer using the USB/charging cable that came with it, launch iTunes on the computer and sync the device to iTunes. Then follow the instructions on the screen to update the device and you should be good to go. If problems continue after that, contact Apple Support via the information found at this page: https://support.apple.com/contact. Q: I use Mozilla Thunderbird as my email program. Recently, when I click on "Get Messages" to download my email, I receive the following message: "Unable to establish TLS connection to POP3 server. The server may be down or may be incorrectly configured. Please verify the correct configuration in the Server Settings for your mail server in the Account Settings window and try again." Ingrid G., Vero Beach A: TLS, in this instance, stands for Transfer Layer Security, and in Thunderbird it serves as a means of password protection for account logins, along with the more commonly known SSL authentication, which also is used by the program. The message above indicates TLS has been selected as your lone means of password authentication (instead of both TLS and SSL) and the program cannot authenticate your account login through those means. How this happened is unclear, though most likely this occurred because an update to the program modified this setting without your knowledge. Since the program cannot authenticate your account through TLS (as indicated by the message you've received), you'll need to change your means of password authentication from TLS to SSL to fix the issue. To do this, launch Thunderbird, click on Tools in the main menu (if you can't find the main menu, click on the ALT key once on your keyboard to bring it up), then on Account Settings in the menu that appears. In the left column, click on "Server Settings," then in the right column look for a subsection titled "Security Settings." In that area, click on the drop down menu and select the option for "SSL" or for "SSL/TLS" and then click OK. That should stop the message from appearing in the future. Untangling the web http://podbay.fm/ There are dozens of sites that offer the ability to stream, save and search for podcasts on your PC, but most available for a standalone computer are clunky in appearance or hard to use. That's not the case with this stylish destination, which has the streamlined look and ease-of-use of a well-designed smartphone app. Designed in three distinct parts, it lets visitors browse for, discover and listen to countless podcasts with just a few mouse clicks, plus it's free to use. Contact Eyal Goldshmid @[email protected]. Read or Share this story: https://www.tcpalm.com/story/life/columnists/eyal-goldshmid/2019/01/27/computer-help-how-can-user-get-past-itunes-logo-stuck-ipad-screen/2582112002/
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https://www.tcpalm.com/story/life/columnists/eyal-goldshmid/2019/01/27/computer-help-how-can-user-get-past-itunes-logo-stuck-ipad-screen/2582112002/
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Is het verstandig om je neer te leggen bij overgewicht?
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Obesitas is een groot gezondheidsprobleem. Toch is een op de vijf Nederlanders met obesitas tevreden over zijn gewicht. Doe deze test van Quest Bij mensen met een te hoog gewicht is de kans op een negatief zelfbeeld groter. Dat negatieve zelfbeeld kan niet alleen leiden tot depressie en eenzaamheid, maar ook tot (nog) meer ongezond eetgedrag en extra kilos. Toch is lang niet iedere Nederlander met zwaar overgewicht, oftewel obesitas, ontevreden. Van de 1,9 miljoen obese volwassenen in Nederland is 41 procent ontevreden over het eigen gewicht. Tegelijk is 22 procent juist tevreden. Dat is opvallend: ruim 400.000 Nederlanders die zo zwaar zijn dat ze grote kans op gezondheidsproblemen hebben, zijn desondanks tevreden over het getal op hun weegschaal. En als je ergens tevreden over bent, zul je er niet zo snel iets aan veranderen. Omstandigheden maken dik Dik word je grotendeels door omstandigheden, vertelt Roel Hermans, verbonden aan de Radboud Universiteit en het Voedingscentrum. Zit je aan tafel met andere mensen, dan eet je bijvoorbeeld meer, al helemaal als je tafelgenoten flinke eters zijn. "Als je iemand alleen op zijn uiterlijk beoordeelt, zie je alleen het topje van de ijsberg. Wat onder het oppervlak blijft, is dat overgewicht voor een deel erfelijk bepaald is en dat slaapgebrek, stress en sommige medicijnen je ook dikker maken", aldus Hermans. Hij vindt niet dat iedereen die te dik is, per se ontevreden moet zijn: "Misschien hebben mensen al twintig keer geprobeerd om af te vallen, zonder resultaat. En wie weet willen ze gewoon niet afvallen. Dat kan toch ook?" Trots zijn op je lichaam Er is meer steun voor mensen met overgewicht. De body positivity-beweging verspreidt vooral in de Verenigde Staten en Engeland de boodschap dat je ook bij te veel kilo's trots op je lichaam moet zijn. Zo betoogt de Amerikaanse Linda Bacon in haar boek Health at Every Size dat je lichaamsgewicht weinig zegt over je gezondheid. De Britse Instagrammer Megan Jayne Crabbe pleit voor "intutief eten, eet waar je trek in hebt. Geef vooral niet toe", schrijft ze in haar boek Body Positive Power, over "de druk van de dieetcultuur". Gezond is uitzondering Bij deze wel erg blijde boodschappen krabt Hermans zich achter de oren. "We slaan soms door in het ideaal van een slank lichaam, maar mensen zoeken soms ook excuses om iets te doen waarvan ze best weten dat het niet goed voor ze is. Altijd eten waar je trek in hebt bijvoorbeeld." "Natuurlijk, er bestaan dikke mensen die gezond zijn. Net als rokende tantes die toch 95 worden. Maar dat zijn uitzonderingen. Ernstig overgewicht vergroot domweg het risico op hart- en vaatziekten, vruchtbaarheidsproblemen, gewrichtsproblemen, diabetes en verschillende soorten kanker", aldus Hermans. Totale tevredenheid leidt tot berusting Ook Anne Roefs, hoogleraar psychologie van obesitas en eetstoornissen aan de Universiteit Maastricht, heeft gemengde gevoelens bij "body positivity". "Ontevreden zijn over je lichaam is niet goed, omdat het de kans op depressie vergroot en de kans om af te vallen verkleint. Maar ik ben bang dat totale tevredenheid leidt tot berusting. Dan verandert er niets aan het eetgedrag." Roefs waarschuwt dat tevredenheid over je eigen gewicht, net als ontkenning van je gewichtsproblemen, de oplossing in de weg kan staan. Voor jezelf, maar ook voor je kinderen. "Veel ouders onderschatten het gewicht van hun kind. Ze reageren ook beledigd als een arts er iets over zegt. Als je een probleem ontkent, is een oplossing ver weg, terwijl afvallen, hoewel het een lange adem vereist, echt mogelijk is. Ik gun het iedereen om gelukkig te zijn. Maar ook om een gezond lichaam te hebben." Doe deze test van Quest
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https://www.nu.nl/wetenschap-quest/5705679/is-het-verstandig-om-je-neer-te-leggen-bij-overgewicht.html?redirect=1
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Why Would the US Want Venezuelas Oil When It Already Buys 41% of Its Total Exports?
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Posted on by martyrashrakat The prevailing Alt-Media narrative that Washington wants to impose a pro-US puppet regime on Venezuela in order to control all of the countrys oil doesnt make much sense when considering that it already buys 41% of the Bolivarian Republics total exports, meaning that another more nuanced explanation needs to be offered in order to account for this narrative double-think. The Alt-Media Community is full of commentary about how the US wants to impose a puppet regime on Venezuela in order to control the countrys oil, but that doesnt make much sense because it already buys 41% of the Bolivarian Republics total exports as evidenced by the Energy Information Agencys executive summary of the energy trade between the two as of 7 January, 2019. The US is Venezuelas top customer whereas Venezuela is the US third-largest supplier of crude oil imports according to the report, so Washington is already getting all that it needs from Caracas as it is. Given this ironic dynamic between the two geopolitical and ideological foes, it could be expected that the US would also obtain access to the resources of the worlds largest oil reserves in the Orinoco Belt one day too, once again contradicting the simplistic narrative that Washington is only waging this Hybrid War for the oil. Nevertheless, the truth of the matter is that control over Venezuelas oil is indeed one of the motivations behind this conflict, though not in the way that its being portrayed. Alongside ensuring full geopolitical control over the Caribbean Basin and ideologically confronting socialism, the US wants to obtain predominant influence over Venezuela in order to incorporate it into a parallel OPEC-like structure for challenging the joint Russian-Saudi OPEC+ arrangement per the authors late-2016 prediction about the formation of a North American-South American Petroleum Exporting Countries (NASAPEC) cartel. This entity would function as Fortress Americas energy component and have the potential to exert powerful long-term pressure on the international oil market at Russia and Saudi Arabias expense. When coupled with the US and Qatars joint LNG investment plans, its clear to see that the US is making a global power play for control over the worlds energy industry, which could very adversely affect Russia. The multipolar Eurasian Great Power relies on its energy exports to advance its financial and geopolitical interests, though that might be more difficult to do despite its oil and gas partnerships with Saudi Arabia and Iran respectively (which are part of the countrys balancing strategy) in the event that the US Western Hemispheric-wide NASAPEC and its LNG alliance with Qatar are able to potently compete with it across this domain. The potential risk is that Russia could stand to lose out on a lot of long-term revenue if the US is able to manipulatively keep oil and gas prices low, which could combine with the increased costs associated with the New Arms Race brought about by Washingtons withdrawal from the INF Treaty to put immense pressure on Moscow to compromise with its chief geopolitical rival per the stratagem described by the author in his April 2018 piece about What The US Really Wants From Russia. President Putins ultimate legacy rests on his ability to deliver on the many socio-economic promises that he made to his compatriots during his re-election campaign last year, though these were all predicated on the assumption that the future oil and LNG markets would remain stable and largely under Russias controlling influence, as well as the expectation that the countrys hypersonic missile advancements could deter the onset of a costly New Arms Race. The US aforementioned energy and military moves shattered those presumptions and could throw the Russian leaders carefully crafted plans to improve the overall livelihood of all of his countrymen (especially the majority of the population that lives outside of its most developed cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg) into jeopardy, though right now this worst-case scenario is still far from certain pending the outcome of the Venezuelan Crisis, thus explaining why Russia is so eager to mediate between the government and opposition. * Note to readers: please click the share buttons above. Forward this article to your email lists. Crosspost on your blog site, internet forums. etc. This article was originally published on Eurasia Future. Andrew Korybko is an American Moscow-based political analyst specializing in the relationship between the US strategy in Afro-Eurasia, Chinas One Belt One Road global vision of New Silk Road connectivity, and Hybrid Warfare. He is a frequent contributor to Global Research. The original source of this article is Global Research Copyright Andrew Korybko , Global Research, 2019 Advertisements Share this: Share Facebook Twitter Email Like this: Like Loading... Related Filed under: Eurasia, Putin, Qatar, regime change, Russia, sanctions, Saudia, Trump, USA | Tagged: Bolivia, OPEC, Venezuela |
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https://uprootedpalestinians.wordpress.com/2019/01/27/why-would-the-us-want-venezuelas-oil-when-it-already-buys-41-of-its-total-exports/
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Does latest injury spell end of the road for Ondrej Mazuch at Hull City?
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Get Hull City updates directly to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email If this proves to be the end of the road for Ondrej Mazuch at Hull City, something that cannot be ruled out, his final act in black and amber was uncomfortably fitting. Late in the first half of a sobering loss to Blackburn Rovers the centre-back felt an all-too familiar pain in legs not fit for the demands of the Championship. Down he went on the Ewood Park turf and within a minute or so of treatment Mazuch had accepted yet another defeat to injury. For the fifth time in 13 league starts for City, Mazuchs creaking body had been unable to last the distance. A competent centre-half he might be but there has surely now come a point where Nigel Adkins will avoid taking the chance on Mazuchs fitness again. Citys head coach admitted as much in the aftermath. The search for defensive cover has been stepped up ahead of Thursdays transfer deadline and Adkins suddenly wants two new centre-backs to push Jordy de Wijs and Reece Burke. The extent of Mazuchs latest injury, this time to his Achilles, will not become clear until tests are carried out in the next 48 hours, but his troubled past would not point towards a speedy recovery. Either way, by the time Mazuch is ready to return, City should have two new centre-halves blocking his path back towards the first team, not to mention Burke and De Wijs. For a player whose contract will expire this summer, the end is surely nigh. Like Evandro, another recruit of 2017 with an awful injury-record, Mazuch needed a run of games to prove himself worthy of a new deal for next season. Opportunity knocked against Blackburn in the absence of Burke and De Wijs but Mazuch felt the door slam in his face no sooner than it had been opened. The Czech Republic international had been unable to deal with Danny Graham in the build-up to Blackburns opener through Adam Armstrong in the tenth minute and was never able to convince in a patched-up defence that revived his FA Cup partnership with Robbie McKenzie. Mazuch was not the only one to fall short against a play-off rival but the timing of this curtailed contribution was dreadful. Another start, another setback. Just three and a bit months remain of this Championship season and the 29-year-old might soon find himself relegated to the sixth choice central defender. For all McKenzie lacks experience, at least his fitness can be relied upon. The January '19 football transfer window closes in... 0 Days 0 Hours 0 minutes 0 Seconds Mazuch will always have known his chances of extended deal were slim after missing so much football since his arrival from Sparta Prague but the last hope might just have been washed away in the Ewood Park rain. Follow the Tigers! Follow our Hull City page on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to give it a like! Follow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to follow Hull Live on Twitter.
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https://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/latest-injury-spell-end-road-2474874
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Is First Solar a Buy?
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It was an ugly year for solar stocks in 2018. The Ardour Solar Energy Index, which tracks a dozen of the biggest global solar companies, fell almost 44% on the year, while the Invesco Solar ETF, a fund that owns a more diversified collection of solar companies, fell 26% last year, and lost more than 31% of its value from the peak in early summer. No segment of the solar industry was harder hit than solar cell and module makers. Of the half-dozen biggest "pure-play" solar cell and panel makers, five saw their stock prices fall more than 45% from their 2018 peaks, including First Solar (NASDAQ: FSLR), with a 45.5% drop from the peak in May, making it one of the better -- or maybe least worst -- performing solar panel stocks last year. Arial view of solar panel farm. More Image source: Getty Images. The short answer is yes, I think it is. But the slightly longer answer depends on how long you're willing to buy and hold your shares. If 2018 should have taught us anything about investing in solar panel makers, it's that things we can't reliably predict can change the short-term picture very quickly. Here's what happened for First Solar in 2018 What a crazy year we just ended. At the start of 2018, First Solar's stock has just rode a huge 110% gain in 2017 on the back of an incredibly successful year as customers lined up to order massive quantities of panels ahead of 2018's tariffs. And while its thin-film panels were excluded from the tariffs placed on silicon panels, this led to many investors baking in incredibly high expectations for the company's prospects for 2018 without considering the potential ramifications of 2017's orders taking a big bite out of order demand for 2018. Furthermore, almost nobody expected China to drop another massive hammer on the solar industry following the implementation of U.S. tariffs. But that's exactly what happened in June, when the country cut domestic incentives for both distributed (rooftop) solar and for utility-scale.
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https://news.yahoo.com/first-solar-buy-140200006.html
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Is Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray the most interesting NFL draft storyline ... ever?
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FILE - In this Dec. 8, 2018, file photo, Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray holds the Heisman Trophy after winning the award in New York. The latest statistical surge has been led by the quarterbacks who will play in the Orange Bowl semifinal on Jan. 29, when No. 1 Alabama faces No. 4 Oklahoma. Both Heisman Trophy winner Murray (205.72) of Oklahoma and Alabamas Tua Tagovailoa (202.30) are on pace to break the record for passer efficiency rating set by former Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield (198.92) last season. (AP Photo/Craig Ruttle, File) Matt Mosley, special contributor to SportsDayDFW.com, answered your questions in a recent live chat. Mosley: He's a good one, but "best ever" seems a bit extreme. Tim Tebow was a very intriguing storyline. I'm sure that Peyton Manning/Ryan Leaf was incredibly intriguing back in the day. And I recall Johnny Manziel being a great storyline leading up to the draft. And that one kept going because Jerry Jones expressed his regret for not taking him. That Ole Miss offensive tackle was a pretty interesting storyline a few years ago when those pics of that mask showed up on draft night. Mosley: I don't know if it's that huge of a problem. I think a player should be able to have some options once they graduate. That seems to work out pretty nicely for some players. Oklahoma barely has to recruit QBs out of high school because the Sooners have been so good at landing transfers. I think it's added a layer of intrigue to college football, so it doesn't seem like a huge problem to me. If you're talking about basketball, we've been seeing tons of transfers for years. That goes back a long time. I believe our own Rick Carlisle transferred from Maine to Virginia back in the 80s. We're just not used to all this "transfer portal" talk that has occurred, so it seems like a new development. But I think a graduate should be able to look for a better situation. We certainly have allowed coaches to do that forever, so it seems like the students should at least have this type of option.
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https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2019/01/26/kyler-murray-interesting-nfl-draft-storyline-ever
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Do 2021. godine na Zapadnom Balkanu se ukida roaming?
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Obraajui se uesnicima sastanka, generalna sekretarka Vijea Majlinda Bregu naglasila je da je u interesu ekonomija, graana i politiara da se to prije finalizira regionalni sporazum o roamingu kojim e se do jula 2019. dodatno smanjiti trokovi roaminga i utrti put ka romingu kao kod kue tj. troku roaminga 0, u 2021. godini. Druga runda pregovora o novom regionalnom sporazumu o roamingu za Zapadni Balkan, koju je organizovalo Vijee za regionalnu saradnju (RCC), odrava se u Bruxellesu, javila je Anadolija. Obraajui se uesnicima sastanka, generalna sekretarka Vijea Majlinda Bregu naglasila je da je u interesu ekonomija, graana i politiara da se to prije finalizira regionalni sporazum o roamingu kojim e se do jula 2019. dodatno smanjiti trokovi roaminga i utrti put ka romingu kao kod kue tj. troku roaminga 0, u 2021. godini. Ako elimo da ljudi prepoznaju stvarni uticaj naih napora na promociji regionalne saradnje, onda ovaj sporazum trebamo potpisati u aprilu. To je logika evropskog jedinstvenog trita bez granica uspostavljenog prije vie od pedeset godina, a to bi trebao biti i konkretan rezultat rada Vijea za regionalnu saradnju. Roaming kao kod kue znai uticaj na meuljudske veze meu graanima est ekonomija Zapadnog Balkana, koji tee beneficijama koje imaju obini graani EU. Evropskoj uniji je trebalo 10 godina da uvede koncept roaminga kao kod kue, pa zato treba pohvaliti ekonomije Zapadnog Balkana zbog ambicije i hrabrosti da se ovaj proces zavri za skoro 2,5 godine. Novi regionalni sporazum o roamingu ne samo da ima veoma vanu simboliku vrijednost za region, jer prati usklaivanje sa EU, ve njegova vrijednost lei i u injenici da e znaiti direktan i trenutan uticaj, donijeti korist i utedu za sve graane Zapadnog Balkana Potpisivanjem sporazuma ove godine, graani e prilikom putovanja biti povezani bez straha od poveanja trokova putovanja. Izraunato je da je troak rominga nekada vei od trokova samog putovanja. stoji u objanjenju. S novim regionalnim sporazumom o romingu od jula 2021. godine nee biti nikakvih dodatnih trokova roaminga za sve krajnje korisnike u ekonomijama Zapadnog Balkana, a graani e plaati redovne cijene kao da ove usluge koriste kod kue. (RTVSlon/Akta)
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https://www.rtvslon.ba/do-2021-godine-na-zapadnom-balkanu-se-ukida-roaming/
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Does salamander hold key to regrowing human body parts?
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Scientists believe the axolotl salamander, which is renowned for its ability to regenerate body parts, could be an important step toward finding ways to regrow human body parts. Photo by ZeWrestler/Wikimedia Commons Scientists who assembled the genome of a salamander renowned for its ability to regenerate body parts say the achievement could be an important step toward finding ways to regrow human body parts. The axolotl is a salamander whose only native habitat is a lake near Mexico City. "It's hard to find a body part they can't regenerate: the limbs, the tail, the spinal cord, the eye, and in some species, the lens, even half of their brain has been shown to regenerate," said study co-lead author Randal Voss. He's a professor at the University of Kentucky Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center. While humans and the axolotl share many genes, the salamander's genome is 10 times larger, posing a major hurdle for genetic study. While recent research revealed much of the genetic data for the axolotl, that information was like a pile of puzzle pieces, said co-lead author Jeramiah Smith, an associate professor of biology at the university. That genetic puzzle had to be assembled in the right order for scientists to begin learning what gives the axolotl its remarkable powers of regeneration. By adapting an approach called linkage mapping, Voss and Smith were able to assemble the axolotl genome quickly and efficiently, according to the study. It's the first genome this large to be assembled. RELATED New screening could accurately predict type 1 diabetes risk in babies To test their concept, researchers then used the newly assembled genetic data to identify a gene that causes a heart defect in axolotls, providing a new model of human disease. "Biomedical research is increasingly becoming a genetically driven enterprise," Voss said in a university news release. He added that researchers need to be able to study gene functions in other organisms in order to understand human disease. "Now that we have access to genomic information, we can really start to probe axolotl gene functions and learn how they are able to regenerate body parts," Voss said. "Hopefully someday we can translate this information to human therapy, with potential applications for spinal cord injury, stroke, joint repair ... the sky's the limit, really," he said. The findings were published in the February issue of the journal Genome. More information The Indiana University Center for Regenerative Biology and Medicine offers more on the science of regenerative medicine. Copyright 2019 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
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https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2019/01/27/Does-salamander-hold-key-to-regrowing-human-body-parts/3451548516839/
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How many people did Ted Bundy kill and how did he die?
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American serial killer Ted Bundy (Photo by Donn Dughi/Bride Lane Library/Popperfoto/Getty Images) Ted Bundy is one of the most infamous serial killers in American history after being found guilty of numerous murders, and later confessing to many more. Weaker, poorer and less secure why I will be voting against Theresa Mays Brexit Deal His charismatic personality made him a dangerous individual and many people were scared of the fact that he came across as a normal person who blended into the community. A new Netflix docuseries and as well as a movie starring Zac Efron are being released this year, bringing the murderer back into the public eye. His long list of victims during the 1970s has made him one of the worlds most well-known killers, and he is also one that has fascinated psychologists and criminologists for decades. Advertisement Advertisement Ted Bundy was a serial killer who attacked and murdered many young women during the early 1970s. Many people feel that he went undetected for several years because of his charismatic personality and good looks, which also helped him gain trust from his victims. Doctors shouldn't be the gatekeepers to assisted dying It is not completely clear when Bundy killed his first victim, although it is believed that his murdering spree started around 1970 or 1971. He initially started studying Chinese at the University of Washington in 1966 but later dropped out, before returning several years later to study psychology. Ted Bundy was initially arrested in 1975 after he was found with suspicious items in his car and in 1976 he was found guilty of kidnapping and assault, but it wasnt until 1979 that he was found guilty of murder in court. Following his initial arrest he managed to escape on two occasions, leading to more attacks and three murders. He was then recaptured for the final time in 1978 and following his two trials he was given three death sentences. The night before he was executed Ted Bundy confessed to 30 different murders across seven different states. Prior to his confession Bundy was found guilty of four different murders in court, as well as three counts of attempted murder. His total number of victims is unknown, but many believe that it could be significantly higher than the 30 that he confessed to. When Bundy was 42 years-old he was executed with the electric chair on 24 January 1989. Advertisement Advertisement Ted Bundy refused his last meal ahead of hist execution, but was given the standard last meal of steak, eggs, hash browns, toast, milk, coffee and juice. He still refused it. How to watch The Ted Bundy Tapes The four-episode documentary series Conversation with a Killer is available to watch now on Netflix. Each episode is around an hour long and it includes archive audio recordings from interviews that Ted Bundy took part in while he was in prison. The footage includes him confessing Speaking about the new docuseries director Joe Berlinger said: He taps into our most primal fear: That you dont know, and cant trust, the person sleeping next to you. Netflix has warned viewers not to watch the series alone as they listen to Bundys chillingly recount of some of the murders. Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile is the latest film to be released which documents the life of Ted Bundy. Zac Efron plays the infamous serial killer in the movie, acting alongside Lily Collins, John Malkovich, Kaya Scodelario and Jeffrey Donovan. The movie will tell the story of his killings and trial, but through the eyes of his girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer, played by Lily Collins. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2019 and a trailer was released earlier this month. After seeing the trailer some people accused the movie of romanticising Ted Bundy Advertisement A worldwide release date hasnt been confirmed yet, but it is set to be shown in cinemas later this year. The serial killer first met Elizabeth in 1969 while he was studying psychology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, where she worked as a secretary. They remained together during the early 1970s, which is the time when he had committed many of his crimes, and Bundy helped her raise her daughter Tina. Speaking to journalists while in prison he spoke about how much he loved her, saying: I was terribly jealous of her. I used to agonize about losing her. I used to just torture myself. It was in November 1974 that she first went to the county police to report her suspicions about Bundy being connected with some of the young women how had been disappearing. She stayed with him during this time but didnt tell him about her reports to the police, she even planned to visit him after his move to Utah. Ted Bundy leans on the Leon County jail wall as an indictment charging him with the murders of two FSU coeds at the Chi Omega house is read by Leon County Sherriff Ken Katarsis (Photo: Bettmann Archive) The couple later discussed marriage, despite Bundy starting a relationship with divorced mother of two Carole Ann Boone, who Elizabeth didnt know about. Advertisement Following his initial arrest, Kloepfer was interviewing by the police and she gave more details about her suspicions, and she also helped them determine that Bundy wasnt with her at any of the times that the murders were committed. Despite the evidence being built around Ted Bundy for kidnapping charges, he remained close with Elizabeth and lived in her house while he was on bail. She released her memoirs about her time spent with the serial killer in 1981 called The Phantom Prince: My Life with Ted Bundy. It was one of the final times that she has spoken publicly about her relationship with Bundy. MORE: Podcast Of The Week: Monster The Zodiac Killer MORE: Zac Efron is very blonde now and it is a look
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https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/27/ted-bundy-victims-movie-tapes-die-8398516/
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What Character Does Keala Settle Play in Rent Live?
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Rent: Live airs on Fox tonight, featuring top stars in music, TV, film, and stage portraying the musicals iconic roles. The celebrity cast includes Vanessa Hudgens, Tinashe, and Jordan Fisher; Keala Settle, best known for her role in The Greatest Showman is also part of the live production. According to Broadway.com, Settles role in the show is the Seasons of Love soloist. In the film adaptation of the musical, all of the principal characters took solo lines in the song at the start of the movie, with Tracie Thoms (who played Joanne) singing the powerful second and riffing over the chorus. Presumably, this is what Settle will be doing in the live performance. They have not given any indication that her role in the musical will go beyond the iconic song, which Settle is sure to knock out of the park. This is Settles first return to live performance following surgery for Moyamoya disease in 2018. In an interview with Broadway Box, she said Michael [Greif] is one of the most endearing, loyal, and sensitive directors Ive ever worked with. I had the privilege of working with him on a 54 Below project called Bright Lights, Big City a few years ago. It was an amazing experience and I was hoping someday to have the chance to work with him again. And its here! Coming off of Showman, post-surgery, and going into a theater project, its exciting. And it feels like home! I miss the stage very much. Tony-nominated Michael Greif is directing the live television event, and he directed the original production of the show on Broadway. Ahead of the live presentation, Fox released a promotional video filmed during a rehearsal of Seasons of Love. In the video, the company (including the shows leading cast) sing through a verse and chorus of the song a cappella. Settle does not appear in the video, which you can watch below: In an interview with San Diego Gay and Lesbian News, Settle revealed that she sought out her role in the live production. She said When I heard they were doing the show, I emailed them and basically asked if they were still doing this song in the show, and if they were, could I sing it. They called me back a couple of days later and told me theyd love to have me on the show, and Ive gotten to meet this incredible family of young performers which has just been amazing. Shes had a connection to the show for a long time and told Broadway Box that the first time she saw Rent, I realized I was being introduced to what NYC was all about during that time. It was an experience that made me want to BE in Manhattan. Settle has plenty of experience with Broadway musicals, and most recently originated the role of Becky in Waitress. According to Playbill.com, her previous Broadway credits are Shirley in Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Norma Valverde in Hands on a Hardbody, and Madame Thnardier in Les Misrables. She was nominated for a Tony award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical for Hands on a Hardbody. Tune in to Rent: Live on Fox tonight at 8/7c.
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https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/keala-settle-rent-live-character/
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Who Is Venezuela's Juan Guaid?
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Enlarge this image toggle caption Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images Federico Parra/AFP/Getty Images In less than a month, Juan Guaid has risen from obscure, junior lawmaker to self-proclaimed interim president of Venezuela and the most serious threat yet to the authoritarian government of Nicols Maduro. Guaid, who defied Maduro by taking the oath of office on Wednesday, claims to lead a transitional government that will call free elections and return Venezuela to democracy. The 35-year-old was immediately recognized as Venezuela's legitimate leader by the United States, Canada and most Latin American nations and received widespread support from European countries. In a speech Friday to cheering supporters at an outdoor plaza in Caracas, Guaid proclaimed: "We have awakened from the nightmare, brothers and sisters." Maduro, who has led Venezuela into food shortages, hyperinflation and political repression during six years in office, is refusing to budge. His ruling Socialist party controls nearly all government institutions. On Thursday, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lpez declared that the nation's powerful armed forces widely considered to be propping up the government recognize Maduro as Venezuela's true president. But at least for now, Guaid is breathing new life into an opposition movement that had been deeply demoralized by internal power struggles and government repression. "Thirty days ago, the opposition was demobilized and fractured with no leadership," said Michael Penfold, a global fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington. "But that's not the case anymore. Guaid represents a sparkle of hope." "I think Guaid is delivering exactly what the opposition wanted at this point, which is a bold, risk-taking response," said Javier Corrales, a Venezuela expert and professor of political science at Amherst College. A youthful-looking industrial engineer, Guaid, got his start in politics by organizing student protests against the late Hugo Chvez, who ushered in Venezuela's socialist revolution two decades ago. In 2013, Chvez died of cancer and was succeeded by Maduro. As a member of the Popular Will party, Guaid in 2015 won a seat to the National Assembly Venezuela's legislature amid an opposition sweep of congressional elections. But that momentum quickly stalled. Anti-government demonstrations were crushed by security forces while an effort to remove Maduro through a recall election was vetoed by the government. The opposition's most charismatic leaders were arrested, forced into exile or stripped of their right to run for public office. Last year, Maduro won another six-year term in a presidential election widely considered a sham by international observers. Still, the opposition was determined to challenge Maduro's grip on power. It hatched an audacious plan to coincide with the start this month of what many view as Maduro's illegitimate second term. Guaid became its leader. Partly because more prominent politicians have been sidelined, the National Assembly in early January named Guaid as its president. Venezuela's constitution states that the head of the National Assembly takes over should the presidency become vacant, as the opposition claims it has under Maduro. After consulting with U.S. and Latin American officials, according to the Associated Press, the opposition organized nationwide street marches on Wednesday and held a make-shift outdoor ceremony where Guaid took the oath of office and launched his parallel government. In what amounted to his inaugural speech, Guaid called on military officers to withdraw their support from Maduro. "It has to be the Venezuelan people, the armed forces, and the international community that allow us to assume power, which we will not let slip away," Guaid told cheering supporters in what amounted to his inaugural address. At least one high-ranking military official, Col. Jos Luis Silva, who serves as military attach at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, has heeded Guaid's call. "As the Venezuelan defense attach in the United States, I do not recognize Mr. Nicols Maduro as president of Venezuela," Silva said in an interview Saturday with el Nuevo Herald. Guaid lacks any control over government ministries but he is more than just a figurehead. Analysts say that swelling international support for him, coupled with Maduro's diplomatic isolation, strengthens Guaid's claim to the presidency. Frank Mora, who heads the Latin American and Caribbean Center at Florida International University, said Guaid's swearing-in ceremony could become a watershed moment, similar to the 2010 episode in Tunisia when an angry fruit vender set himself on fire and helped ignite the Arab Spring. Alternative leadership in Caracas has also opened the door for the Trump administration to squeeze the vital flow of petrodollars to the Maduro government which counts on oil for 95 percent of its export earnings. One option would be to send the proceeds from purchases of Venezuelan oil to foreign accounts that could be set up and controlled by Guaid's governing team, said Francisco Rodrguez, a former economic advisor to Venezuela's National Assembly. He said that diverting oil funds to Guaid would have a "huge impact" on the Venezuelan economy and put more pressure on Maduro to leave office. "The pieces are starting to fit together for a peaceful transition in Venezuela," said Benjamin Scharifker, a leading Venezuelan intellectual and an opposition activist. But Guaid also faces new risks. Earlier this month, he was briefly detained by security forces and fears are growing that he could be arrested. At Friday's rally, Guaid acknowledged that possibility but told supporters that if he were ever kidnapped, they should press ahead with nonviolent protests.
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https://www.npr.org/2019/01/27/688707295/who-is-venezuelas-juan-guaid?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=news
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Is hiring for culture fit another form of unconscious bias?
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The first is to attempt to minimizeif not abolishimplicit or unconscious biases in their recruitment process, in particular, during the job interview. For example, many diversity and inclusion programs offer unconscious bias training to managers in order to make them aware of their prejudices toward candidates from minority groups. Famous examples include Starbucks, Vodafone, and Facebook, but there are many others. The second is to hire for culture fit, which is to ensure that external recruits match the profile of successful employees, so they can easily adapt to the new role and the organization as if they already belonged. While this is typically evaluated in terms of candidates values, style, or background, such qualities are generally folded into demographic and socioeconomic factors. Prominent examples include Googles focus on Googliness, Bridgewaters ruthless radical transparency, and Airbnbs hipster culture of belonging. There are three factors that suggest the answer might be yes (even though its unfair to generalize). Subjectively judging someones potential based on intuition In an age of abundant alternatives for making data-driven evaluations of talent and potentialincluding established scientific assessments and digital talent technologiestheres no excuse for playing it by ear. Yet the most common method for evaluating a candidates potential is the unstructured job interview, which is a weak predictor of future job performance. The interview is especially used to assess culture fit. At worst, it boils down to a gut feeling of good chemistry or rapport that interviewers get from the candidate. At best, this results in well-meaning interviewers trying to ignore the very factors that cause that experience, such as charisma, attractiveness, and likability, as well as any attributes or background they share with the candidate. Unlike AI or machine-learning algorithms, its simply not possible to train humans to un-see candidates gender, age, or race, or un-learn these categories. In fact, the more we try to suppress something, the more present it is in our minds. Unreliable measures of performance For most employees, and especially those in professional jobs, performance is typically assessed by a single rating handed down by the employees direct supervisor. In general, this person has limited objective data to qualify his or her rating, which tends to be contaminated by politics, likability, and personal preference. That same manager tasked with the performance review was likely also responsible for hiring the employee. This means they have every incentive to show that they were right to choose that candidate and give them a high rating. As Alan Kay famously noted: The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Interviews may seem predictive of future performance, but they are simply reinforcing the hiring managers bias, which then functions as a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy of culture fit.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90282111/is-hiring-for-culture-fit-another-form-of-unconscious-bias
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What the hell happened to crypto this year?
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It seems all too fitting that Facebooks plans to launch a digital coin were leaked in the second-to-last week of a year that saw the tech giants reputation pummeled and cryptocurrencies crash and burn. Its like grilling a shit sandwich over a dumpster fire. advertisement advertisement Bitcoinand the cryptocurrency industry as a wholeplunged this year, after a gravity-defying surge in recent years. The price of the digital coin hit nearly $20,000 late last year. And then in early 2018, it began to fall. Though it hit a few plateaus, the price has still tumbled; today it hovers at a little over $3,000. To answer both, you have to look at quite a few factors. The bubble When bitcoin was rising last year, it seemed like a trend everyone from your grandmother to your barista was suddenly becoming hip to. Of course plenty of folks cautioned that it could be a bubble, but its always hard to realize such a thing when youre in the midst of it. (Just dont remortgage your house!) All the signs, however, were there. Like previous bubbles, people were basing their belief in the cryptocurrency on their emotions, not any intrinsic value. Then there was the FOMO element, which only compounded things. Essentially, bitcoin became an international fever. Random companies were pivoting to blockchain for no apparent reason other than that it seemed like a way to create buzz. But when the bubble bursts, FOMO turns into fear of losing, which makes for an especially rapid plunge. Among those who called it, hedge fund manager Mark Dow wrote almost exactly a year ago about his decision to short bitcoin after future trading on it first began: But this time feels different. It feels like a bubble. The fever in the post-Thanksgiving moonshot ran hotter than wed seen before. We also began to see a robust supply response. Bubbles are complex dynamics. What they all have in common, however, is they require emotion to truly go parabolic. Moreover, the less we understand the object of the bubble, the greater the scope for greed and FOMO to fill in the blanks. Dow, at the time, simply could not come up with a good reason for the cryptos insane performance. The only logical explanation: Its a bubble. His views were especially prescient. He told Bloomberg this month that he made a profit twice due to this canny call. advertisement Other early warning signs But to understand the dynamic that led to this years depressing year for crypto, we actually should start a few years before 2018. In bitcoins early days, Mt. Gox was the go-to service for handling transactions. Then, in 2014, it halted transactions and slowly copped to a crypto-hack to the tune of $473 million, the biggest hack of its kind at the time, and it gave many people pause. But it was still early enough for people to believe that the blockchain system was still getting all the technical kinks out. But the hacks didnt stop. In 2016, the DAOa blockchain organization that was based on Ethereumlost what was worth $50 million at the time, due to a technical error someone seized upon. This, once again, sent shockwaves through the communitybut also had the unfortunate impact of normalizing these types of hacks for some people. At the end of 2017 and beginning of 2018, more peopleespecially those in the mainstream finance worldwere paying attention to bitcoin and cryptocurrency trading. And in early January 2018, the Japanese exchange Coincheck disclosed a hack worth a whopping $534 million. This happened right around the time that bitcoin slipped from its peak value, and it certainly seemed to accelerate its drop. According to Stephen Innes, the head of Asian trading for the foreign exchange Oanda, hacks were the first element to have a chilling effect on crypto. Hearing the amount of money that thieves were able to take, he says, Consumers got very concerned that their money could go missing. In the wake of both Coinchecks hackas well as a big one that hit the South Korean exchange Coinrailgovernments in East Asia began to crack down. Over the course of a few months, China, Japan, and South Korea all announced different measures to better regulate crypto-trading. The world was watching to see if this new technology would hit the mainstreamand government crackdowns following gigantic hacks helped poison the public perception. Indeed, following its nearly $20,000 peak, bitcoin in early 2018 dropped to around $10,000 and hovered there for a while. advertisement Lack of institutional support Beyond the clampdown by some governments, what bitcoin really needed to achieve sustained success was overall mainstream acceptance. While some financial institutions announced projects exploring blockchain-based solutions, many others balked. JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon, for instance, made multiple comments throughout the year expressing his general antipathy for cryptocurrency. Dimons thoughts could most easily be summed with this quote: I dont really give a shit about bitcoin. Warren Buffett also didnt have kind wordscalling it probably rat poison squaredwhich almost certainly sent a clear message to curious investors. When some of the most respected people on Wall Street make comments like that, it takes a huge element of mainstream out of the market, says Innes. Essentially, these heavy hitters were telling their minions that bitcoin wasnt worth their time. Meanwhile, there has been plenty of speculation that bitcoins big rise may have been due to a pump-and-dump scheme. One theory that the U.S. Justice Department is reportedly looking into is that the digital coin Tether (which is supposedly pegged to the U.S. dollar to make for a less volatile cryptocurrency) was used to manipulate the bitcoin market and cause a large run-up in price. This theory stems from an academic paper, which cast Tether in a very damning light. And it also led many to believe that the initial bitcoin craze was manufactured and destined to bust. Another institutional hit for bitcoinwhich probably had the most sustained effectwas the SECs refusal to approve a bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF). This would be a path for more mainstream people in finance to dabble with blockchain; it would allow investors to dip their toes in bitcoin without owning the actual asset. Not only that, but it would make bitcoin available on the most prominent financial markets. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), however, has yet to allow such a fund to existmostly because it is unable to monitor crypto-transactions in order to avoid market manipulation. The inability to get SEC approval really held back bitcoin and cryptocurrencies in general. It sent the message, says Innes, that there wasnt underlying support from Wall Street. Meanwhile, the price dropped from around $10,000 to $6,000. advertisement Internal battles But it wasnt just outside pessimism that led to the slump, but infighting as well. Blockchains are decentralized, and democratic systems require buy-in from participants in order to keep the engines running. When theres a schism that cant be decided by the majority, all hell breaks loose. In 2016, this became apparent with the DAO hack. One way to fix the problem was to implement whats known as a hard fork, which would essentially update the Ethereum-based software to fix the technical gaffe that caused the hack to begin with. But DAO users had to agree to this change, and there were dissenters. Though the hard fork was approved, it created two active blockchains with two different sets of rules. Ultimately, this hackcoupled with the inability to deal with itcaused the DAO to end in 2016. This year we saw a similar fight break outthis time over bitcoin cash. This coin, mind you, is not bitcoin, though it is built on the same architecture. It was created by a group of miners who disagreed with some of the fundamentals of the initial bitcoin system, and so they forked a new blockchain and went their own way. In terms of market capitalization, bitcoin cash has always been one of the top cryptocurrenciesin the ranks of Ethereum and XRP. This past autumn, the bitcoin cash communitywhich was created due to a technical disagreement with the larger bitcoin sectorstarted a civil war. Essentially, bitcoin cash developers had diverging views on the software update for the system, and so they decided to implement another hard fork. This created two new bitcoin cash sects. Internally, the fork caused a lot of strife; one of the most popular bitcoin alternatives was unable to reach a consensus, and instead had to create two different paths that would essentially go to war with each other. When the hard fork arrivedand participants had to choose which path to takethe entire cryptocurrency market dropped. This is very likely what caused bitcoin to drop from the $6,000 range to around the $3,000-$4,000 range. Which brings us to today, with the cryptocurrency bottoming out at less than 80% of what it was a year ago. Were certainly in a much different place now than we were 12 months ago. What was a hot commodity has turned into a hot potato nobody wants to touch. Still, this almost certainly wont be the end for bitcoin, or cryptocurrencies as a whole. Despite the realization that it was a bubble, even the toughest critics see some sort of a future. advertisement Dow, the man who first shorted bitcoin, for instance, even mentioned in his initial post that a person can be simultaneously bullish on blockchain and bearish on bitcoin. And he just announced that hes ending his short. Meanwhile, even the most enthusiastic bitcoin evangelists are realizing that a retooling is in order. Michael J. Casey, a senior adviser for blockchain research at MITs Digital Currency Initiative, recently wrote about how the crypto-winter has arrived, but it may lead to better things down the line: The good news is that the glare of public opinion will eventually dissipate, and that as the spotlight diminishes, real developers will find themselves in a healthier environment within which to do the work needed to unlock this technologys potential. We saw a similar period of constructive building during the 2014-2016 hiatus. But whatever new products are produced, they will now have a harder time struggling with acceptance. Whether we like it or not, message and image are important. That seems to be the overall message from most. Even Innes, who has been critical of bitcoin and crypto-trading for quite a while, admits that this doesnt mean the blockchain is bunk. He, in fact, sees things looking up. If this base can hold, he says, [the price will] start drifting up. But not because of fervor or blind faith that bitcoin is the future, but due to advances on the technology side. This is a legitimate technologyits going to expand, he says, My longer-term view is nowhere near where some of [my current] views are. It could even perhaps hit $10,000 again, he says. But that will probably take a few years. For now, we wait and see.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90285052/beyond-the-bubble-what-happened-to-bitcoin-in-2018
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Whats the most generous country on earth?
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Americans may have given a domestic record-breaking $410 billion to charity in 2017, but total cash isnt necessarily the best measure of generosity. Factor in what percent of each countrys population is donating, volunteering, and helping strangers, and you can calculate a measure of how generous in spirit various populations are. It turns out that Indonesia, Australia, and New Zealand all rank higher overall on Gallups Civic Engagement Index, which tracks the above three variables. Worldwide, the U.S. comes in fourth, though other places where people are obviously struggling, including Myanmar and Kenya, make the top 10 list. Americans are very generous by all the metrics, says Jon Clifton, a global managing partner at Gallup. But I think we have to hammer home the point that what these data show is that you dont have to be rich to give back. Gallups results are based on interviews of 153,000 people across 146 countries with at least 1,000 folks per locale responding. The group has been measuring similar sentiment annually for more than a decade, after it became clear that economic indicators like gross domestic product arent the best indicator of community well-being. GDP can increase, but it doesnt mean peoples lives are getting better, says Clifton. On the flip side, plenty of behavioral research shows that people who act selflessly often report feeling happier. The correlation works for donating money or time to cause groups, or just randomly doing a good deed for someone. Worldwide, people still have a ways to go with all of these activities: Gallups data shows that four in 10 people typically help strangers in a given month, while about three in 10 donate to charity, and two in 10 volunteer. Americans act more selflessly than that. By Gallups findings 72% reported helping strangers during the month they were interviewed, while 61% donated and 39% volunteered. To calculate its overall generosity index, Gallup compared how often individuals participated in each of these positive acts, and compared that frequency between places. America actually ended up 12th in terms of the percentage of participating donors (Myanmar ranked first with nearly 90% of people there contributing, followed by Indonesia and Australia). For volunteering, it placed 8th, tied with Singapore (The top three: Indonesia, Liberia, and Kenya). For helping strangers, it was 9th, tied with South Africa and Kenya (Libya, Iraq, and Kuwait took top honors).
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90283753/whats-the-most-generous-country-on-earth
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Where Will Verizon Communications Be in 5 Years?
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The last five years have been eventful for Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ). The company acquired the 45% of Verizon Wireless that it didn't own from Vodafone, and bought tech companies AOL and Yahoo. It's also tried to become more of a tech and media company than just a telecommunications giant, although it's had limited success outside of its core wireless business. The next five years will be similarly transformative for Verizon, but this time it'll focus on its core business. And faster wireless connections from 5G technology could make this stock a great long-term buy for investors. Illustration of a 5G connected city. More Image source: Getty Images. Verizon will be 5G The mobile telecommunications industry has been promising speedy 5G connections for years, and we're finally starting to see them in the field. Verizon is offering 5G connections -- 5G Home -- in Sacramento, Los Angeles, Houston, and Indianapolis, with more cities set to launch in 2019. Getting fiber-type speed with a mobile device will be incredible for advancing mobile devices to another level of performance. And it'll also allow for new technologies such as self-driving vehicles and virtual reality. The rollout of 5G will be slow, and for the next few years, 4G LTE networks will likely remain the standard for most users. But five years from now, the U.S. should be blanketed with 5G, likely from a leader like Verizon. So investors looking at the stock today should understand that when the company is operating at 5G speeds, that will ultimately transform Verizon's business. Entering the home 5G speeds won't just impact mobile phones; the bigger impact will be in the home. Verizon's first 5G product to launch isn't a mobile phone at all -- it's an in-home router. Thanks to 5G Home, customers will be able to cut their cable broadband connection and replace it with a wireless 5G connection. This could actually increase internet speeds to the home and allow Verizon to enter the home market in areas it's never been able to reach before. A fiber-optic service was once Verizon's path into the home, but that required billions of dollars of investment and a physical line running into each home. 5G Home will allow Verizon to serve the same physical markets as mobile phones -- or nearly the entire country -- and enter the home as well. Cable companies should be on notice. Growth markets we can't imagine As a 5G company, Verizon will play a big role in the next wave of innovations in connected devices. We know industries including self-driving vehicles, connected cities, and virtual reality are eyeing 5G as a way to improve their own technologies on the go. But there will be additional impacts that we don't know about yet. Faster connections will allow for new innovations and business performance. "Edge computing," or pushing the computing power from devices to central servers, will become more popular and allow companies to build services in the cloud and distribute them to consumers. The smartphone and 4G enabled advancements like ride sharing, mobile video services, and even online shopping like we've never seen before. We simply don't know what businesses 5G will bring about until the technology gets into innovators' hands.
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https://news.yahoo.com/where-verizon-communications-5-years-151700444.html
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Will a Three-Way Split Release Value for United Technologies Shareholders?
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Ever since the announcement that industrial conglomerate United Technologies (NYSE: UTX) intends to split up, investors have been wondering whether the split really would release value in the way that management is hoping. Let's reassess the question in light of the recent fourth-quarter earnings reports. Timing and cost of the separation There are two main concerns that investors have over United Technologies and the forthcoming split. The first relates to the timing and hefty separation costs and dis-synergies associated with the deal. Going back to the breakup announcement, CEO Greg Hayes had outlined his expectation for one-time breakup costs in a range of $2.5 billion to $3 billion, with $350 million to $400 million in negative synergy from the breakup. Meanwhile, the separation was seen as taking 18 to 24 months -- a long time to wait in an uncertain economic environment. Shoes in front of three arrows pointing in three different directions. More Image source: Getty Images. On the Q4 earnings call, Hayes had a positive update, informing investors that the time frame had been shortened: "Based on the work we've done over the last two months, we now see a path to achieve the separation in no more than about 18 months." This should please impatient investors. Hayes also addressed the issues of estimated costs and dis-synergies coming from the split. He hinted at structural cost-reduction actions that Carrier (heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and security products) and Otis (elevators) management were looking at in order to minimize dis-synergies, but for now, it's better to assume the $350 million-$400 million dis-synergies estimate will apply. To put these figures into context, capitalizing them would make them worth $3 billion to $4 billion -- equivalent to 3% to 4% of United Technologies' market cap. That said, United Technologies on the whole still trades at a substantive discount to its peers, so a 3%-4% "cost" to the market cap should be more than made up for if the stock gets a re-rating in line with its peers. UTX EV to EBITDA (TTM) Chart More UTX EV to EBITDA (TTM) data by YCharts. Business trajectory of the three businesses The second major concern among investors relates to the divergence in performance of the aerospace business (Pratt & Whitney, the legacy United Technologies Aerospace Systems, and the acquired Rockwell Collins) and the two commercial businesses, Carrier and Otis.
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https://news.yahoo.com/three-way-split-release-value-150400065.html
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Will brands without social purpose thrive?
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A couple of years ago, Bill Theofilou, a senior managing director at Accenture Strategy , met with a food manufacturer whod just received bad news. Despite strong sales, its brand was being dropped by Target. He remembers the head of marketing and sales relaying the main reason with a sense of disbelief: The brand just didnt stand for anything. Instead of weighing product quality, the verdict hinged on social impact. It was an eye-opener to the room, says Theofilou. Yet that sort of thinking is now an industry trend. According to Accenture Strategys annual Global Consumer Pulse Research survey nearly two-thirds of consumers expect companies to create products and services that take a stand on issues that they also feel passionate about. That includes encouraging a healthy lifestyle, sustainable sourcing and manufacturing processes, and transparency on everything from ingredient sourcing to fair employment practices. The demand covers all generations of shoppers, from Gen-Z to Baby Boomers. We found that authenticity and transparency really matter, he adds. We thought we were approaching the tipping point, but the tipping point has come. Accenture documents this purpose-driven shift in a new report entitled To Affinity and Beyond. It compiles the Pulse survey responses from 30,000 consumers around the globe, including 2,000 in the United States. Turns out, the vast majority of people dont think brands are transparent enough. They find companies designed toward making social progress to be more appealing than those that arent, and nearly half have changed their buying decisions when disappointed. Companies that learn to how cater to that can definitely profit from it. As the report points out, Unilevers more sustainability-branded units including Knorr, Dove, and Lipton are growing 50% faster than the rest of its offerings. Theyre also more than half of the companys total growth. The snack bar maker Kind has grown to become the third largest player in its category by focusing on literally transparent packaging and health-focused recipes and ingredient lists. Patagonia recently donating its $10 million in federal tax cuts to environmental groups obviously aligns with the outdoor apparel companys conservation mindset. At the same time, strategies like furniture maker Ikea hiring refugees at its Jordan facility shows how adaptable this ethos can be in times of crisis. If you think about brands delivering on the promise of a set level of quality. all that has so become table stakes that youre now entering a world where the new table stakes in this ethical economy that we live in and the new way to differentiate is on purpose, adds Theofilou.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90281516/will-brands-without-social-purpose-thrive
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Do remarks by Giuliani and Trump count as witness tampering or obstruction?
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Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings. Trump tweeted last Friday: Dont forget, Michael Cohen has already been convicted of perjury and fraud, and as recently as this week, the Wall Street Journal has suggested that he may have stolen tens of thousands of dollars. Lying to reduce his jail time! Trump added the cryptic recommendation to Watch [Cohens] father-in-law! Then President-elect Donald Trump talks with Rudy Giuliani after a meeting at the clubhouse at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster in New Jersey, on Nov. 20, 2016. Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post/Getty Images Last week Giuliani, in his capacity as the presidents attorney, said on CNNs State of the Union that Cohens father-in-law has millions and millions, adding Im telling you, he comes from the Ukraine. This reason that is important is, he may have ties to something called organized crime. Giuliani also suggested Cohen was lying about Trump for a favorable sentence. There are several federal statutes that cover obstruction of justice when testifying before Congress. Indeed, Michael Cohen has already pleaded guilty to one crime: unsworn false statements made directly to Congress. But several other statutes cover non-witnesses influencing a witnesss testimony before the legislative branch. Some of these statutes may apply to Giuliani and Trumps statements. One federal law criminalizes influencing, obstructing, or impeding any inquiry or investigation by any House, or any congressional committee corruptly or by threatening communication. Another law criminalizes obstructing congressional activities by intimidation or threat, or by intentionally harassing a person to dissuade him from testifying in an official proceeding. Those are just a few of the potential crimes committed when a person attempts to influence a witness testifying before Congress. Trumps tweets about Cohen Its hard to suggest that its illegal for Trump to call Michael Cohen a liar in a tweet. its factually true. Cohen pleaded guilty to lying. The government would probably concede the truth of Trumps comment that Cohen is cooperating for a favorable sentence. That would not be a crime. Tweeting out a news story while referring to a cooperating witness, as Trump did with the Wall Street Journal, could possibly be witness intimidation, but not likely under these facts. Consider, for example, if Trump instead tweeted out an unrelated news story about a cooperating witness being killed, or meeting some violent fate, and then a reference to Cohen. That could amount to witness intimidation. In fact, even reference to a fictional story could tamper with witnesses. A hypothetical example drawing from Fridays indictment of Roger Stone demonstrates that context is everything in the world of obstruction and witness tampering: Imagine Trump tweeted that Cohen should do a Frank Pentangeli, (as Stone allegedly recommended to a witness). Frank Pentangeli is a fictional character from the film The Godfather: Part II, who ultimately kills himself instead of cooperating with the government. In that situation, even a reference to a fictional story in a tweet about a cooperating witness could constitute witness intimidation, by suggesting that a witness commit suicide rather than testify for the government. Perhaps more than the words themselves, context is everything. The most problematic part of Trumps tweet is the cryptic recommendation to watch Cohens father-in-law. The latter interpretation is much more nefarious, and much closer to an actionable threat. Once again, context, and the intent ascribed to the words, is critical. Giulianis comments suggesting that Cohen and his family are connected to organized crime may be intimidating to Cohen and his family, but are likely not criminal yet. Criminal defense attorneys routinely stand up in court and call cooperating witnesses liars, or emphasize a cooperators shady ties. When a defense attorney like Giuliani raises these issues on cross-examination, the experience can be very intimidating for a witness. Yet, this kind of character attack from the defense is not only accepted, its expected. Even cross-examination about Cohens putative family connection to European organized crime would be acceptable, if the defense has a good faith basis for the inquiry. Outside of court, an attorney is more vulnerable to legal consequences for his statements, but in the case of cooperators, prosecutors appear to accept the general practice of defense attorneys calling their cooperators liars, even to the media. After all, Cohen, like many cooperators, is a convicted liar. Ultimately, its difficult to compare Trump and his attorneys statements to other cases of obstruction and witness tampering, because the words come from the most powerful person in the country. If context is everything, then arguably all statements from the commander in chief are uniquely intimidating, and unlike those of any other citizen. Danny Cevallos is an MSNBC legal analyst. Follow @CevallosLaw on Twitter.
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https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/do-remarks-giuliani-trump-count-witness-tampering-or-obstruction-n963286?cid=public-rss_20190127
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Would the Equal Rights Amendment threaten religious liberty?
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Email Whatsapp Menu Whatsapp Google Reddit Digg Stumbleupon Linkedin A renewed push for the ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment has led to concerns that the measure would curb religious freedom. The much-debated amendment states that Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. However, some have expressed concern how this amendment will be interpreted, especially in regards to issues like religious liberty and abortion. Mat Staver, founder and chairman of the Liberty Counsel, told The Christian Post that he believed the ERA would absolutely threaten religious liberty if passed. Staver believed that if the ERA was passed, it could be used as a hammer against religious organizations including churches to provide abortion or abortion-inducing drugs or devices. I think also the ERA now would include an LGBT agenda that would conflict with churches and religious organizations with respect to biblical doctrines and beliefs of male and female in uniquely created and complementary sexes, added Staver. So I think in both the abortion area and in the LGBT arena, the ERA Amendment would be a direct assault on religious liberty, against religious organizations and churches. Staver also told CP that his organization and others are going to watch and see what kind of traction it gets, noting that we would definitely be opposed to it. The Virginia Catholic Conference also expressed concern over the ERA, warning that, if passed, the amendment would have unintended consequences. Legal challenges and uncertainty would arise over the lawfulness of programs and facilities that serve and assist women exclusively, stated the Conference. The ERA at first glance appears to be a neutral measure advocating for the equality of women which is a worthy endeavor; however, the ambiguity of the language disguises significant negative consequences and legal uncertainty particularly when it comes to protecting the unborn. The ERA traces its history back to 1923, when womens rights activist Alice Paul first introduced the amendment, then known as the "Lucretia Mott Amendment." In 1972, Congress passed the ERA and sent it to the states for ratification with a 7-year deadline and then an extension to 1982. When the deadline hit, the ERA failed to get the necessary 38 states for ratification by 3 states. Conservative religious groups have been critical of the ERA, warning that it could be used to undermine the distinctions between men and women found in scripture. For example, in 1980 the Southern Baptist Convention adopted a resolution that, while urging employers to seek fairness for women in compensation, advancement, and opportunities for improvement, also denounced the ERA. this Convention, reaffirming the biblical role which stresses the equal worth but not always the sameness of function of women, does not endorse the Equal Rights Amendment, concluded the resolution. Recently, the effort to pass the ERA experienced a resurgence, with the Nevada Legislature approving the ERA in 2017 and Illinois legislative branch doing so last year. Earlier this month, the Virginia Senate approved the ERA. A Virginia House of Delegates subcommittee voted against the measure on Tuesday, however it could still go to a full Privileges and Elections Committee vote. Krista Joy Niles of the Alice Paul Institute, which supports the ERA, told CP that there was indeed a renewed push for the federal ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment, adding that several states have been very active in moving the ERA forward for state ratification. Niles directed CP to a 2018 Frequently Asked Questions paper which noted that the time limit on ERA ratification is open to change, meaning that the previous 35 states that approved the ERA can still count as part of the ratification process. Congress may be able to accept the validity of state ratifications that occur after 1982 and keep the existing 35 ratifications alive, according to the FAQ paper. Five states Idaho, Kentucky, Nebraska, Tennessee, and South Dakota have attempted to withdraw their approval of the Equal Rights Amendment. However, according to precedent and statutory language, a state rescission or other withdrawal of its ratification of a constitutional amendment is not accepted as valid. When asked by CP about the concerns some have about the ERA being used to curb religious liberty, Niles responded that these concerns were unwarranted. Religious freedom in the United States is a constitutionally protected right. The Equal Rights Amendment will have no negative impact upon those protections, continued Niles.
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https://www.christianpost.com/news/equal-rights-amendment-threaten-religious-liberty.html
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What is the next Commons Brexit debate about?
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The next key vote takes place on Tuesday. The next key Brexit debate in the House of Commons is scheduled for Tuesday. We look at what MPs will be voting on and what the possible outcomes are. Early in the Brexit process, MPs insisted that they must have a meaningful vote after Theresa May finally struck a deal with the EU. It would not be enough simply to face a choice of between saying yes or no, they said; they wanted to ensure they could vote on amendments proposing an alternative. On Tuesday, as a result of the historic defeat of Mays deal in the Commons earlier this month and procedural moves masterminded by the Tories Viscount Hailsham and Dominic Grieve, MPs will get this chance. There are 19 on the order paper, including amendments to amendments, but more could be submitted. They fall into four categories: Opposition party amendments. Labour and Liberal Democrats amendments are already down, and one from the Scottish National party is coming on Monday. Amendments to prevent a no-deal Brexit. The two most important are probably Yvette Coopers, enabling the Commons to pass a bill requiring May to seek an article 50 extension if she cannot get her deal passed, and a softer, non-binding one from Caroline Spelman and Jack Dromey, rejecting no deal in principle. Indicative vote amendments. These are focused on ensuring MPs get more chances to express their views. Hilary Benn has one explicitly demanding indicative votes on Brexit options and Grieve has one saying six days in February and March should be set aside for debates on motions not chosen by the government. Anti-backstop amendments. The two main ones are from the Tories Andrew Murrison and Graham Brady, calling for the backstop to expire by December 2021 or for it to be removed from the withdrawal agreement altogether. At least three of the amendments are constitutionally innovative, because they would significantly empower parliament in relation to the executive in the weeks ahead. Mostly the government controls the business in the Commons ie what gets debated which means it decides what gets to become law. But the Cooper amendment would create time for a bill that the government would never table itself to be passed in February. And the Grieve amendment, along with a broadly similar Lib Dem one, would enable backbenchers to seize control of Commons business to debate Brexit on particular days before 29 March. No one can be sure. We do not yet know if the government is tabling its own amendment or whether it will encourage its MPs to back the Murrison/Brady anti-backstop amendments. And we do not know yet which amendments John Bercow, the Speaker, will put to the vote. He has wide discretion and he can call as many has he likes. The order matters, too, because some amendments can in effect knock out others. But he is likely to call a handful. Voting starts at 7pm and if there are, say, six votes, it will finish at about 8.30pm.
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https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/jan/27/what-is-the-next-commons-brexit-debate-about
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Which 10 Ipswich roads have the highest property prices?
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Purdis Farm Lane had the highest average property prices in an estate agent's survey. Picture: GOOGLE STREETVIEW Google Streetview An Ipswich estate agent has revealed the 10 roads in the town where home-buyers pay the highest average property prices. Share Email this article to a friend To send a link to this page you must be logged in. The most expensive roads in Ipswich to live in, in a list drawn up by Beagle Property. The most expensive roads in Ipswich to live in, in a list drawn up by Beagle Property. According to Beagle Property, the three roads with the biggest average price tag all lie off the popular Bucklesham Road in East Ipswich, while many of those on the list are also close to Christchurch Park. The top-priced road on the list is Purdis Farm Lane, with an average price of 855,423. Beagle Property said: Purdis Farm Lane contains substantial sized properties which all used to be part of the original farm, and offer picturesque views whilst still being easy accessible to the town centre. Being in a desirable east of Ipswich location with excellent A12/14 access, the properties are some of the most sought after in the town. More than half the streets which made the top 10 are within quarter of a mile of Christchurch Park. These roads contain attractive period homes, most of which are four-bedroom houses or larger, with generous plots. However, the estate agent pointed out that some of the towns best-known street names dont feature in the list, such as Anglesea Road, Rushmere Road and Gainsborough Road. The reason for this is that these streets include a mix of properties, with smaller flats and apartments which have lower prices than large detached properties. Overall, the east side has a higher value than the west side of town, with the top 10 streets in the east being more than 100,000 more on average than those in the top 10 in the west. Beagle pointed to school catchments as a major factor. Copleston and in particular Northgate High school are the most popular in the town, due to their consistently high Ofsted ratings. With both of those schools also having very popular feeder schools, the knock-on effect is of families wishing to move into the area to try and secure places. It said another factor is that this area of town is within easy driving distance of major employers such as Ipswich Hospital, BT at Martlesham and the Port of Felixstowe. The estate agent does not expect the most expensive streets to change much in the future, but predicts that new developments in popular areas may enter the top 10 in future, and said it would be interesting to see how the Northern Fringe development impacts desirability in the future.
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https://www.ipswichstar.co.uk/home/property/streets-in-ipswich-where-homebuyers-face-top-average-prices-1-5867982
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Can new home building tech help solve the affordability crisis?
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Inside a sprawling former submarine factory in Vallejo, California, workers are building individual apartments that will soon be delivered to a building site in West Oakland and stacked, Lego-like, into a new 110-unit complex next to a BART station. advertisement advertisement The startup, called FactoryOS, is one example of a growing number of companies that are trying to tackle the affordable housing crisis by fundamentally changing how we construct buildings. I decided about four years ago the only way we could really break this cost spiral up was to try to build as much of the house as possible in an industrialized fashion in an off-site situation, says Rick Holliday, who opened the factory earlier this year after nearly 40 years in real estate development. Holliday, like other developers, had seen costs rise sharply in part because of a shortage of construction labor. The construction cost on a single affordable apartment in San Francisco reached around $800,000 last year. This is insanity, he says. Holliday initially started working with a housing factory in Sacramento on a few projects, including a large apartment complex in San Franciscos Bayview neighborhood. But when that factory struggled with management issues and went out of business, he decided to work with a partner to start a factory himself. The decision was helped by the fact that Googleitself desperate for affordable housing for employeestold Holliday that they would order housing from him if he started a factory. (Holliday had worked with Googles real estate director on an affordable housing project long before Google existed, in 1979, and when that director visited one of Hollidays new modular projects, he placed the order.) Holliday got the keys to the former submarine plant in the summer of 2017. By the following spring, his business partner, Larry Pace, an experienced builder, had designed 32 house-building stations inside, and the factory was ready to open. Each step of the process is designed to work as efficiently as possible. At one station, on a raised platform, workers lay flooring at table height, and then the platform rises so they can add insulation and plumbing below it. Down the line, others add walls and everything from toilet paper holders to appliances. At another station, a machine lifts 400-pound windows and sets them in a unit at ground heighta much simpler process than installing them from scaffolding on a six-story apartment. By the time the units get to the building site, only a few steps will be left, like adding exterior siding and roofing. FactoryOS says that it can provide housing at twice the speed and half the cost of a standard project. To simultaneously be able to fabricate units while site work is going on is just intuitively a massive timesaver, says Adhi Nagraj, director of the nonprofit SPUR, the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association. Nagraj has developed two affordable modular developments himself, and says that it took less time and saved money to use a factory. As I talk with Holliday, its raining outside; any outdoor construction in the Bay Area has stopped, but it continues inside the factory. With full-time employees on staff, the process can also continue without the typical delays of a standard construction project. The project in West Oakland, which might normally have taken two years, is likely to be completed in eight to nine months instead. advertisement Working off-site is also cheaper. Building in cities has just never been more expensive, says Steve Glenn, CEO of Plant Prefab, a Southern California-based modular housing company. Land costs have gone up. Labor costs have also increased significantly; when the housing market collapsed in 2008, many construction workers left the industry and havent returned. In places like the Bay Area, the high cost of housing has pushed some construction workers to move away. Our first factory is about an hour and change outside of Los Angeles, says Glenn. We pay our guys a great living wage for Rialto, but they could earn two or three times that much an hour to the west. So thats one way that were able to save money. (The company, which is now part of Living Homes, Glenns older modular home company focused on sustainability, also makes high-end housing; one backyard house designed with Yves Bhar goes for $280,000.) With a new round of investment from Amazon and others in September, the company is now also working on a new house-building system that will use some automation, cutting costs further. 3D printing is another way to increase automation and reduce labor costs. Land cost is the biggest driver of housing right now in the Bay, but labor is one of the areas where 3D printing is able to create cost savings, says Sam Ruben, founder of Mighty Buildings, a 3D house-printing startup that is currently in stealth. Icon Technologies, another startup that is beginning to work with a nonprofit to 3D-print ultra-low-cost houses in El Salvador, plans to begin working in the U.S. in 2019. The technology, which uses machinery to squirt out concrete or other materials to build floors, walls, and, perhaps soon, roofsis another way to speed up one part of the construction process and make housing more affordable. Of course, reducing labor costs also means impacting workers. As someone whos really a big fan of unions and really loves what theyve done for this country and for workers, its an area I struggle with, says Ruben. Were seeing it across the board with technology thats really starting to impact whole swaths of jobs that traditionally have been unionized. Theres a conversation that needs to be had there about what it looks like to responsibly expand technology. Thats why were starting to see calls for universal basic income and other aspects that I think are going to be important as we as a society embrace the benefits of technology to really bring it to bear, particularly in an industry like construction that hasnt changed in over 100 years. In Vallejo, FactoryOS has a contract with the local carpenters union, the biggest of the trade unions, which works to bring in second chance employees who have been through the prison system, among others. Workers earn less than they would onsite in San Francisco, but the work is steadier, comes with vacation time, and helps avoid a commute that is getting steadily worse as more people are forced farther away because of the cost of housing. Holliday says that some of his employees were commuting almost five hours a day; now, living in the relatively cheap city of Vallejo, theyre commuting five or 10 minutes each way. On-site workfrom adding the foundation and roofing to landscapingstill requires higher-paid labor and typically longer commutes. Another company, called Panoramic Interests, made the more controversial choice of using a factory in China to build its modular units. The company recently completed a student housing project in Berkeley, and it also aims to build housing for the homeless. The company has struggled with opposition from labor unions, particularly in San Francisco. (Other cities in the area have been more open to the idea of modular housing.) The City of San Francisco is now considering building its own modular housing factory inside city limits in order to use local labor. advertisement Modular housing isnt new; some early colonial settlers on the East Coast brought some prefab materials from England. A few centuries later, thousands of Americans built houses from Sears kits. Mobile homes have been built in factories for decades. But the current round of investment in factories to build urban homes is new, with a focus on developing new technology to support it. Its driven by the acuity of the housing crisis, in places like San Francisco, says Nagraj. Were seeing a lot more companies are leaving town. Homelessness is unbearable, and people are living on the streets. Kids of parents who grew up here are not able to buy or rent their own place. Between rent and healthcare, starting salaries have to be so high [for companies] that it is making the Bay Area less competitive. So I think part of it is the need that the marketplace is showing for cheaper, more efficient construction methods. A handful of other companies are also working on the next generation of factory-built housing, such as RAD Urban, an Oakland-based developer that is aiming to prove that high-rise buildings can also be affordable, if built differently than usual. Unlike some of the other modular companies, RAD is using steel-framed construction. It aims to build housing 25% faster, and 25% cheaper, than standard construction. Katerra, another Silicon Valley construction startup, has raised more than $1 billion, though its factory has suffered from delaysreportedly because of a lack of construction experience on its team. Blokable, a Seattle startup founded by a former Amazon employee, is working on an affordable housing complex for low-income and homeless residents on land that belongs to a church. In Chicago, a contractor named Skender has built another factory that will begin cranking out modular housing next spring. In Los Angeles, a startup called Cover uses software to design prefab backyard housesanother means of providing much-needed housing, especially in a city filled with single-family housesfor a minimal architects fee. Construction technology, of course, is just one factor in the cost of housing in overpriced cities like San Francisco. Many other things also have to change, from zoning codes and protections for renters to the wages that people can earn at non-tech-related jobs. Some things also need to change to support the growth of options like modular or 3D-printed housing. Financing can be a challenge, for example. Fannie Mae, the government group that provides liquidity for mortgage lenders, is trying to encourage more financing to flow to innovative forms of housing. How do you even think about underwriting and approving that? says Jonathan Lawless, vice president of product development and affordable housing at Fannie Mae. So theres a direct way in which we can influence how we think about the collateral and how we value the collateral as part of the loan process. (The organization is also encouraging the growth of backyard homes by letting homebuyers count the income from an accessory dwelling unit in a loan application, and adding the cost of building a backyard house to a loan.) Fannie Mae, which recently co-hosted a conference on innovation in housing, believes that as more modular and 3D-printed buildings are builtif they can prove significant savings of time and moneyit could help the housing stock grow more quickly. We have not been building enough homes to support the population growth, Lawless says. So for us, the question is, if we really want to drive affordability, how do we help the industry leverage new technologies like 3D printing to make building homes easier and cheaper? The industry is overdue for a change, he says, and others agree. How we build buildings has not evolved much in the last 50 years, whereas how we build cars and phones and everything else has had massive technological innovation and change, says Nagraj. So Im excited that there is more innovation in the building industry.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90274920/can-new-home-building-tech-help-solve-the-affordability-crisis
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Will Gwyneth Paltrows Bachelorette Party Live Up to Goops Standards?
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Aside from a lemon elderflower cake and the attendance of royalty, theres one thing Prince Harry and Meghan Markles wedding wont have: an official Goop stamp of approval. So its a good thing that Gwyneth Paltrow is also tying the knot in the near future, to TV producer Brad Falchuk. After announcing her engagement in the most Goop-y way possibleon the cover of Goop magazinein January 2018, Paltrow has kept a low profile, quite unlike Markle. So we dont know who will be arranging her flowers or which commoners will be invited to her nuptialswe dont even know when she will be walking down the aisle. But we do know that her royal Goop-ness has officially embarked on her bachelorette party. Paltrow was seen arriving in Cabo, Mexico yesterday along with 12 of her closest friends, including fashion designer Stella McCartney. The crew flew via private jet that was chartered by Cameron Diaz, according to Page Six. Some sources have speculated that Diaz, who has actually retired from acting, is serving as a maid of honor at the wedding. Luckily, it looks like she has plenty of free time for every single MOH duty. Well, considering Paltrow met Falchuk on the set of Glee, it would make perfect sense to honor their union with some singingand by that, we mean a tequila-fueled karaoke session. But thats not quite Goop-y enough for Paltrow. While there will surely be some vaginal steaming sessions and an appearance from a jade egg or two, we thought that Paltrows site might have some clues as to what the bride and her pals might get up to during the getaway. Hidden in the The Bridesmaids Gift Guide are a few ideas (and the suggestion to buy your BFFs a pair of $1,950 diamond earrings from DeBeers). Goop recommends sweating it out at Higher Dose, an infrared sauna, having a piercing party with Maria Tash and booking a session with tarot reader to the stars, Angie Banicki. To be honest, all of that sounds far too basic for this 45-year-old Oscar-winning actress. The guide also suggests buying a gold Lena Wald ring that reads gratitude in script, which serves as a calming reminder for when Paltrows most obnoxious pal brings up her new favorite workout class, again. The same goes for the fancy Beboe vape, which is a rather posh way to get stoned. While that Bridesmaids list is pretty unrevealing, there is an entire other guide dedicated to Los Caboswhich, as Goop helpfully points out, is also known as Cabo. The site recommends partaking in quite a few water sports, including hiring a glass-bottomed boat for a venture to the touristy El Arco rock formations, suggestions for three major surfing spots, in addition to details for two separate surf schools. Goop also notes that bungee jumping and ATV tours are among their favorite activities at Wild Canyon Park and offers plenty of options for horseback riding trails. Unfortunately, none of those suggestions call to mind the wild VIP bachelorette party that this is supposed to be. Regardless, we trust that Paltrow will be indulging in all of her favorite guilty pleasures, which includes french fries at every meal and exactly one light American Spirit cigarette.
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https://observer.com/2018/04/gwyneth-paltrow-bachelorette-party-goop/
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When Will the Cleveland Cavaliers Finally Move On from JR Smith?
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Tony Dejak/Associated Press It's been more than two months since JR Smith last suited up for an NBA game, sent away by the Cleveland Cavaliers as the team still has yet to make a decision on his future. Smith and the Cavs clashed continuously this season, as his role fluctuated between starting shooting guard to out of the rotation completely. It was clear Smith and the team he helped win a championship were headed for divorce. Smith, 33, must sit and wait while the Cavs field trade calls or look to negotiate a buyout on the remainder of his contract that runs into the summer of 2020. A trade to a contender would seem to be the best-case scenario for both parties, although his value is at an all-time low. "[Cleveland] may be stuck with him until the trade deadline and hope that someone is desperate for shooting help off the bench," one NBA scout told Bleacher Report. "I don't see them getting much for him." In 11 games (four starts) for the Cavs this season, Smith put up 6.7 points and 1.9 assists while shooting 34.2 percent from the field and 30.8 percent from deep in his 20.2 minutes per game. His defense can still be good in spurts, but per usual, his focus can also be fleeting. As the Feb. 7 trade deadline inches nearer, we should soon have an answer about what happens to Smith. At his best, Smith is an athletic 6'6" shooting guard who can play both sides of the ball. Given his age and deep playoff runs with Cleveland the past four seasons, this may now only be for short stretches of games. Working out on his own is one thing, but it will likely take Smith time after he does resume playing to get back into game shape. His days of starting for a championship-caliber team, a role he played perfectly for the Cavaliers, are over. "He's a bench player for me," the scout said. "If a good playoff team has a weak bench, they may want him to come off and shoot. I just feel he's a tough player to trust with meaningful minutes. [Locker room fit] would be a big concern." Luckily for Smith, three-point shooting has become a necessary part of nearly every team's offensive attack. He still has a quick release and converted a solid 37 percent of his catch-and-shoot threes this season compared to just 16.7 percent off the pull-up, per NBA.com. This should please any potential trade partners who already have a willing distributor in their backcourt. Besides his mental lapse during Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals, Smith has typically elevated his performance during the playoffs. Justin K. Aller/Getty Images Over the past four years, Smith has played in 79 postseason contests (64 starts), averaging 10.2 points, 3.2 rebounds and 1.0 steals on 40.6 percent shooting from deep. Former Cavs head coach Tyronn Lue often trusted Smith to defend the opponent's best player, taking the burden away from LeBron James. Given his size, Smith can defend three positions and should be able to provide quality playoff minutes off a team's bench. His experience in a veteran-heavy locker room led by James the past four seasons should be of help as well. Between orchestrating a trade and working with Klutch Sports to come to terms on a buyout, there remains an obvious choice. Smith has value, even if it's more for his contract than his play. About half of Smith's $14.7 million salary is still owed this season, and his deal for next year increases to $15.7 million. Of that, only $3.9 million is guaranteed if a team decides to waive him by the end of the league year on June 30. Doing so would save nearly $12 million in cap space right before the start of free agency, an enticing option for teams looking to land a star. For this reason, buying Smith out and getting nothing in return would be foolish for Cleveland. With a loaded free-agent class headlined by Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving and others, saving $12 million would be a huge deal to some teams. Given the June 30 deadline to waive Smith and save that money, the Cavs would have to trade him before the Feb. 7 trade deadline. Waiting until the new league year on July 1 would be too late, as Smith's entire $15.7 million salary for 2019-20 would become fully guaranteed. Because of Smith's unique contract, and the commitment by majority owner Dan Gilbert to spend, Cleveland should try to leverage money to acquire talent. That means looking for players on teams that are more interested in cap space than what's currently on their roster. Teams that fit this description include the New York Knicks, L.A. Clippers and Dallas Mavericks. New York has its sights set on Durant and could clear roughly $15 million by sending Tim Hardaway Jr. to the Cavaliers for Smith. According to Marc Stein of the New York Times, the Knicks have made both Hardaway and Courtney Lee available. The Clippers and Mavericks could also be key free-agent destinations. Moving the contracts of Danilo Gallinari (owned $22.6 million in 2019-20) or Harrison Barnes ($25.1 million player option) would help each team open its books while sending a quality starter back to the Cavaliers. Joe Murphy/Getty Images Other options remain that could want Smith as both a player and contract asset. The Houston Rockets have expressed interest in Smith dating back to the summer, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. With James Harden having one of the greatest offensive seasons in NBA history, Houston could use some wing help to lighten his incredible scoring burden. Playing on a team with championship aspirations should help Smith's focus as well. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, New Orleans Pelicans and Milwaukee Bucks have "looked into wing help," per Charania. The Cavs already executed a deal with Milwaukee this season, sending George Hill to the Bucks for John Henson, Matthew Dellavedova and draft picks. The Indiana Pacers now have a hole at shooting guard following a season-ending knee injury to Victor Oladipo. Smith doesn't come close to filling this void, of course, but he could take over Tyreke Evans' role off the bench should Evans be moved to Oladipo's spot in the starting lineup. If Cleveland doesn't mind taking on salary, shipping Smith off for a bad contract and a pick could be an option as well. The Memphis Grizzlies have exiled Chandler Parsons, who's still owed $25.1 million next season. Aggregating Smith's salary with Alec Burks' for Parsons and a draft pick would make sense for both sides. Smith will likely find his way to a new team before the deadline, given his contract structure and the Cavs' desire to get something back for him rather than just a buyout. He may no longer be a starter on a championship team, but he could offer a contender 10 to 15 good minutes off the bench. His stay with the Cavaliers may be up, but there should still be time left in the NBA for JR Smith. Greg Swartz covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter. Contract information via Spotrac.
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https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2817551-when-will-the-cleveland-cavaliers-finally-move-on-from-jr-smith
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Are e-bike and scooter startups benefitting everyone?
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One of the main complaints levied against docked bike-share systems is that theyre notoriously bad at serving low-income neighborhoods of color . The borders of Citi Bike in New York and Capital Bikeshare in Washington, D.C., for instance, generally track along the edge of the more prosperous parts of the city, and skirt neighborhoods like East New York or Anacostia, where residents are poorer, less white, and in need of better transit options that current infrastructure provides. One of the arguments for the free-range options,. like dockless bike-share e-scooters now on the scene, was that they would change this pattern. Because they dont require the expensive and bulky docking infrastructure that earlier bike-share iterations rely on, dockless bikes and scooters can be deployed in greater numbers, and with greater flexibility around location. Minneapolis Nice Ride program, one of the earliest docked bike-share systems in America, is switching to dockless for its expansion for those exact reasons. But the reality of the way dockless bikes and e-scooters are distributed often falls short of the ideal. In the Washington, D.C. area, the mobility data company Coord looked four different vehicle providersLime, Bird, Jump, and Skipand analyzed how well they were serving census tracts across the socioeconomic spectrum. What Coord found, according to cofounder and CTO Jacob Baskin, was that each company followed a different pattern in how it distributed its vehicles across neighborhoods of varying income levels. Of the two scooter companies, Bird and Skip, Bird maintains a higher number of scooters in lower-income neighborhoods, and of the two companies (Jump and Lime) that manage both bikes and scooters, Jump serves lower-income neighborhoods much more successfully. Washington, D.C. offered an ideal setting for Coord to test out his type of equity analysis. Recently, the District Department of Transportation announced that it would be expanding the pilot program that enabled various mobility companies to come to the city in the first place. In 2019, the city will grant companies a permit to deploy 600 bikes or scooters, up from 400 previously. Under the new terms of the permit, though, the companies must offer non-smartphone payment options for trips (to open access for people who do not have smartphones) and offer discounts to low-income people. They also must deploy bike and scooters in all eight wards of the city by 6 a.m. What Coord wanted to figure out was what types of gaps mobility companies should be looking to fill under the new terms of the permits. Coord already collects and analyzes data on the distribution of different companies bikes and scooters (which the companies are required to make public). For this initial equity analysis, it was just a matter of Coord overlaying density of bikes and scooters with income level in various census tracts. These mobility providers all believe very strongly that they are benefitting everyone, Baskin says. But what they dont have, almost ever, is any type of competitive analysistheyre not in the habit of looking at their data in comparison to other companies. And that lack of comparative analysis, Baskin says, is part of what contributes to excess availability in wealthier areas, that are already well-served, and a lack in lower-income neighborhoods.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90275614/are-e-bike-and-scooter-startups-benefitting-everyone
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Is Science Fiction Right About Wormholes?
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When it comes to interstellar travel, the biggest challenge is simply getting there. Our universe is so vast that a simple journey to the stars can take decades or centuries even at the speed of light. So science fiction often comes up with some way to shorten the journey. Hyperspace, warp drive, and such, simply to avoid the boring journey between stars. Most of these ideas simply "make it so" without worrying about the scientific details, but for those who like their science fiction a bit harder, the most popular idea is the wormhole. The idea of a wormhole first proposed by none other than Einstein himself. In 1935 he wrote a paper with Nathan Rosen about how his theory of gravity might allow you to connect two distant points in space. Their idea wasn't trying to solve the challenges of space travel, but rather trying to connect gravity to particle physics. It's a problem that vexes us to this day. But it was noted that this "Einstein-Rosen bridge" looks rather familiar. From the outside one end looks like a black hole, where things enter and don't return. The other end looks like the opposite. A kind of white hole where things seem to appear from nowhere. This led to the idea that perhaps black holes could be wormholes to distant galaxies, or even other universes. But when you start looking at the details, that idea doesn't really seem to work. While Einstein and Rosen were right that in theory you could make a wormhole, it turns out they aren't stable. In principle space and time can be warped and bent in lots of interesting ways, but it wouldn't stay that way. Make a wormhole between distant stars, and the tunnel will collapse and pinch off before you have a chance to traverse it. Some folks suggested lining the wormhole with some kind of strong matter to keep it open, but it turns out that the mass of that matter would just cause the wormhole to collapse even more quickly. In the 1970s Kip Thorne and others showed you could line a wormhole with "exotic matter" to keep it open, but that exotic matter couldn't be any kind of matter that existed. Basically, you could make a transversable wormhole if you also had magic pixie dust. So much for that idea. But hard science fiction writers are nothing if not persistent. The original wormhole ideas looked at the simplest type of black holes known as the Schwarzchild metric. These are black holes that are in a vacuum and don't rotate. Real black holes rotate. If Schwarzchild black holes can't be wormholes, perhaps rotating ones can. In 1963 Roy Kerr found a solution to general relativity for a rotating black hole. This Kerr metric, as it came to be known, has some interesting properties. For one it twists space around it, a property known as frame dragging. Any spaceship near a rotating black hole could use frame dragging to get a big burst of speed. For another, Kerr black holes have a different kind of interior than a Schwarzchild black hole. If a black hole isn't rotating, all of its matter is forced to compress into a single infinitesimal point known as a singularity. Anything that enters the black hole can't avoid falling into that singularity, so if your spaceship goes into the black hole it will be crushed. A rotating black hole also contains a singularity, but because of its rotation it forms as a ring rathter than a point. And things aren't forced to collapse into the ring singularity. It's possible for your spaceship to enter a rotating black hole and avoid being crushed by the singularity. Of course, according to standard physics you'd still be trapped forever by the black hole. Maybe there is a way to make a kind of Twisted Einstein-Rosen Bridge. Connect two rotating black holes to make a wormhole that doesn't collapse on itself without the need for pixie dust. Unfortunately the mathematics for rotating black holes is really complex. Most of the work on rotating black holes uses computer simulations. These are perfectly fine if you want to study the dynamics of real black holes, but to prove wormholes possible you need an exact solution. So far no one has found an exact wormhole solution for rotating black holes in our universe. To simplify things, a team looked at a wormhole model in what is known as AdS2. This is a simple two-dimensional space that is nothing like our real universe, but has some similar mathematical properties. They found that black holes in this space can be connected to form traversable wormholes. Not only do these wormholes stay open, they also don't collapse when energy passes through it. So at least in AdS2 wormholes are possible. It should be emphasized that this doesn't mean wormholes can exist in our universe. While there are some nice similarities between the space of our universe and AdS2, there are also important differences. Those differences might still prevent wormholes from happening. But the theoretical door is open, so perhaps science fiction was right about wormholes after all. 1: Dongsu Bak, et al. "Transparentizing Black Holes to Eternal Traversable Wormholes" arXiv preprint arXiv:1901.07679 (2019).
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/briankoberlein/2019/01/27/is-science-fiction-right-about-wormholes/
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Why is the right-wing obsessed with Alexandria Ocasio-Cortezs clothes?
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As the youngest woman ever elected to Congress, 29-year-old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has attracted much media attention. advertisement advertisement A young outspoken woman who defines herself as an educator, an organizer, a working-class New Yorker, Ocasio-Cortez has positioned herself as an outsider who isnt afraid of speaking truth to power. While her radical political positions from abolishing ICE to Medicare for all is responsible for some of that publicity, her fashion choices have also drawn a lot of scrutiny. Ill tell you something, Washington Examiner reporter Eddie Scarry tweeted on Nov. 16, that jacket and coat dont look like a girl who struggles. It seems that some critics just cant accept the fact that an unapologetic Democratic socialist like Ocasio-Cortez who calls for a more equal distribution of wealth and fair shake to workers can also wear designer clothes. To a historian like me who writes about fashion and politics, the attention to Ocasio-Cortezs clothing as a way to criticize her politics is an all-too-familiar line of attack. Ocasio-Cortez isnt the first woman or even the first outsider to receive such treatment. advertisement In particular, Im reminded of Clara Lemlich, a young radical socialist who used fashion as a form of empowerment while she fought for workers rights. Lemlich like Ocasio-Cortez wasnt afraid to take on big business while wearing fancy clothes. We like new hats In 1909, when she was only 23 years old, Lemlich defied the male union leadership whom she saw as too hesitant and out of touch. In what would come to be known as the Uprising of the 20,000, Lemlich led thousands of garment workers the majority of them young women to walk out from their workplace and go on a strike. That 14-week strike between November 1909 and February 1910 was the largest strike by women to date, turning what was thought of as a disorganized workforce into a united, political force. Strikers demanded better wages, hours and working conditions. But they also called to end the pervasive sexual harassment in the shops, safer workrooms, and for dressing rooms with mirrors and hooks on the walls, so workers could protect their elegant clothes during the workday. advertisement We like new hats as well as other young women. Why shouldnt we? argued Lemlich, justifying strikers demands. And when they went out to the streets, strikers were also wearing those nice clothes of theirs, updated according to the latest trends. As historian Nan Enstad has shown, insisting on their right to maintain a fashionable appearance was not a frivolous pursuit of poor women living beyond their means. It was an important political strategy in strikers struggle to gain rights and respect as women, workers, and Americans. When they picketed the streets wearing their best clothes, strikers challenged the image of the deserving poor that depicted female workers as helpless victims deserving of mercy. Wearing a fancy dress or a hat signaled their economic independence and their respectability as ladies. But it also spoke to their right to be taken seriously and to have their voices heard. Activism and fashion can work together The strikers fashionable appearance was heavily criticized by middle-class observers and the male union leadership. To them, it was evidence that these women werent really struggling as much as they claimed to be. Sarah Comstock, a reporter for Colliers magazine, commented that I had come to observe the Crisis of Social Condition; but apparently this was a Festive Occasion, pointing to the fact that the strikers clothes made them look like they didnt have any real grievances. advertisement Lingerie waists were elaborate, pufftowered, she observed. There were picture turbans and dimont pendants. The New York Sun also mocked the strikers, calling them the unwonted leisure classall dressed in holiday attire and showing no evidence of harsh treatment. To critics like Comstock and the New York Sun, the fact that strikers aspired for better working conditions that would allow them to go beyond mere survival and would provide them with disposable income to spend their wages as they saw fit wasnt a privilege that working-class women should have. Despite the criticism, Lemlich and her fellow strikers were able to win concessions from factory owners for most of their demands. They also turned Local 25 of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union into one of the most influential labor unions in the country, changing for the better the lives of millions of workers like themselves. But more importantly, Lemlich and her colleagues changed the perception of what politically radical women should look like. They demonstrated that socialism and labor struggles were not in opposition to fashionable appearances. Today, their legacy is embodied in Ocasio-Cortezs message. In fact, if Clara Lemlich were alive today, she would probably smile at Ocasio-Cortezs response to her critics. advertisement The reason some journalists cant help but obsess about my clothes [and] rent, she tweeted, is because women like me arent supposed to run for office or win. Ocasio-Cortez has already begun to fashion an image for women who, as her worn-out campaign shoes can attest, not only know how to talk the talk, but can also walk the walk. Einav Rabinovitch-Fox is visiting assistant professor at Case Western Reserve University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90277591/why-is-the-right-wing-obsessed-with-alexandria-ocasio-cortezs-clothes
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Why does luxury fashion hate Chinese consumers?
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In a recent Dolce & Gabbana advertisement, a Chinese woman struggles to eat spaghetti. She looks baffled and confused, an ingenue who has limited experience with pasta. She is so provincial that she uses her chopsticks to awkwardly twirl the noodles. What an imbecile, the viewer is supposed to think, having a good laugh at her expense. advertisement advertisement The woman in the ad wears a sparkly red Western-style dress, rather than a traditional Chinese outfit, like a qipao. The not-so-subtle message embedded in this video is that the Chinese woman embraces European fashion, but she is too uneducatedor perhaps too stupidto really understand European culture. Its not the first time D&G has made racist or otherwise culturally insensitive ads about Asian people. Last year, the brand launched a campaign featuring models mingling with poor Chinese people in underdeveloped parts of the country, prompting Chinese consumers to Weibo, Chinas Twitter-like platform, to complain that the brand was deliberately presenting their country as a third-world nation. D&G isnt the only luxury brand that has come under attack by Chinese consumers. Last year, Chanel put out an ad entitled Coco Served Hot where a woman walks in New Yorks Chinatown wearing a pointed hat traditionally worn by poor Asian rice farmers. She carries a bindle with Chanel goods hanging from them that appeared to reference the counterfeit products that have been sold in this neighborhood. In Paris, a Chinese man was jostled and manhandled by employees at a Balenciaga boutique. In all of these cases, Chinese consumersboth in the mainland and abroadhave lashed out in anger at the offending brands. While racism in luxury fashion is as old as the industry itself, consumers are not letting brands get away with trafficking in racist stereotypes or systematically mistreating people of a particular ethnicity. Theyre making their anger felt on social media. The D&G ad, which could have been a small gaffe in the past, has snowballed into viral scandal that has reverberated around the world. Reuters reports that the brand may lose as much as half a billion dollars in revenue as a result. DG Loves China This latest D&G video was designed to drum up excitement about D&Gs first-ever fashion show in China. And the campaign was called DG Loves China. I dont think the name of the campaign was ironic. D&G, as well as other luxury brands, love Asian consumers. Or at least their money. For decades, European and Asian designers have courted Asian consumers as the region has become an economic powerhouse. Last year, Chinese buyers accounted for 32% of the entire luxury goods market, a larger percentage than any nationality, and were responsible for helping luxury brands rebound after years of slow growth. advertisement I lived in Singapore and Jakarta in the mid-90s, when Western luxury brands began popping up in high-end shopping centers. I saw their storefronts appear overnight in the glitzy downtown areas all over the region, from Taipei to Chennai to Kuala Lumpur. But even as these brands persuaded us to give them our money, there was also an air of condescension that came with these transactions. My mom and I recall wondering why Caucasian salespeople didnt seem particularly interested in helping us when we strolled into the stores. I suspect that this D& G video hit a nerve because it validates Asian consumers feelings that these brands have always treated us with an attitude of superiority. The ad suggests that D&G is happy to take a Chinese persons money, but they dont believe these nouveau-riche consumers will fully appreciate the brands heritage or the craftsmanship of the products. The Racism Is Real And, in fact, it is possible to trace racism back to D&Gs founder, Stefano Gabbana. We saw his true feelings about the Chinese people laid bare in a series of text messages between Gabbana and fashion writer Michaela Phuong, which were leaked to Diet Prada, an Instagram account that highlights the dark underbelly of the fashion industry. In the exchange, Gabanna allegedly says, If the Chinese feel offended by a girl who (eats) pizza or pasta with chopstick (it) means those Chinese feel inferior . . . and then its (their) problem not ours!! ! At another point, he says, China Ignorant Dirty Smelling Mafia. D&G claimed that Gabannas account was hacked. But few people believed this, given the founders long history of making racist, homophobic, and sexist remarks. This is the same man who called Selena Gomez ugly in an Instagram comment, and told Reuters in April of this year, I dont want a Japanese designer to design for Dolce & Gabbana. Even the New York Times questioned the veracity of the hack explanation. You cant take on everyone from Selena Gomez to gay parents with bluster and venom and then claim you were hacked and expect to be believed, wrote Vanessa Friedman and Sui-Lee Wee. advertisement Gabbanos shocking remarks to Phuong, coupled with the offensive D&G video, prompted a widespread protest against the brand in the middle of November. Chinese celebrities and models walked out of the show and consumers recorded themselves burning their D&G products. Americans and Europeans have begun to distance themselves from the brand. D&G products disappeared from Chinese online retailers and the department store Lane Crawford. And eventually the brand was forced to cancel the show. Reuters reports that D&G makes annual revenue to the tune of $1.5 billion, and a third of that could be at risk because of this crisis. The Enduring Racism in Luxury Fashion Racism is deeply entrenched in luxury fashion. Consider how luxury brands treated African-American consumers in the 80s and 90s. This was a time when logo-mania was in full force, and black celebrities from Mike Tyson to Salt-N-Pepa to LL Cool J wore outfits plastered with the names of their favorite brands. But while black consumers were interested in luxury brands, these European houses seemed to treat them with disdain: Looking back at ads from these years, it is rare to find even one person of color. Nor did these brands respond to the fashion trends bubbling up in the black community, including the new streetwear styles that elevated sneakers, hoodies, and jeans into an art form. During those years, a Harlem tailor called Daniel Dayaka Dapper Danbegan crafting expensive outfits out of leather and fur that responded to the trends coming out of the black community in a way that the luxury brand themselves were not. Day embossed his creations with counterfeit logos from luxury brandsFendi and Louis Vuitton and Guccithat black consumers admired. These brands sent their lawyers after him, driving his business into oblivion. At the time, the brands werent particularly worried about Day stealing business from them; Gucci and Fendi werent making streetwear looks, so it wasnt like Day was eating into their sales. When I spoke to Day in March 2018, he told me he thought brands simply did not want to be associated with black consumers and black culture. But, as with China, the luxury brands swallowed their pride when it was clear that there was money to be made when streetwear moved into the mainstream. In a major shift, almost all luxury fashion houses eventually produced streetwear collections, making high-end T-shirts, hoodies, sneakers, and bomber jackets. Many looked very similar to Days creations. A Dangerously Exclusionary Industry Luxury fashion has always been inherently exclusionary. The exorbitant price point of luxury products means that only a small, wealthy segment of the population can afford these goods. advertisement In the past, these brands have targeted a privileged class of white consumers. Theyve also historically had an adversarial relationship with less wealthy demographics, like African Americans and Asians, who might create counterfeits like the ones seen in Harlem or Chinatown. Race and class are inextricably linked: When these designers and brands begin to target black and Asian consumers, their entrenched prejudices against these communities sometimes bubble to the surface. Over the last few days, D&Gs founders Stefano Gabbana and Domenico Dolce released a video apology. They stare into a camera with sullen, serious faces and speak in Italian, saying, We have made mistakes in interpreting your culture. They also point out, Our families have always taught us to respect the various cultures of the world. Chinese consumers dont seem particularly impressed with this apology, which seems a bit forced and defensive. The anger toward D&G continues to brew. With some analysts reporting that it could cost the company $500 million, it threatens to sink the brand. The interaction between D&G and Chinese consumers reveals how the locus of power has shifted away from the luxury brands to the people who are exposed to their marketing. Weve seen this happen across across industries. Airlines, grocery stores, fast-fashion conglomerates, and beauty brands all regularly experience backlash from consumers when they behaved offensively. Its clear that luxury brands are not exempt: Consumers will hold their feet to the fire. D&G might consider taking a page from Guccis playbook. Gucci creative director Alessandro Michele hasnt been shy about acknowledging the brands history of racism. He sent a model down the runway in a well-known puffed sleeve outfit that Dapper Dan had created in the 80s, giving him credit for the design and later announcing a long-term partnership with his Harlem studioseveral decades after suing him for copyright infringement. For Gucci, it took a series of dramatic gestures to begin to make amends for years of egregious racism. Just an idea.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90273073/why-does-luxury-fashion-hate-chinese-consumers
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What on earth is a Gyrotonic workout?
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(Picture: Karen Yeomans/Triyoga) No, we didnt say gin and tonic. Disappointing we know, but this could make you feel good too. Gyrotonic is the gentle, strength and flexibilty-based workout loved by Liv Tyler and Andy Murray. Its been big in America for years and now its finally having its moment here in the UK. We had a go at a beginners class at Triyoga and spoke to a seasoned instructor to find out everything you need to know. The closest comparable form of exercise to gyrotonic is Pilates. Specifically reformer Pilates, where you complete the movments on a sliding, weighted contraption. Gyrotonic also uses a machine, known fondly as the Pulley Tower and while it may resemble a medieval torture device, its actually really not scary at all. (Picture: Karen Yeomans/Triyoga) The class is focused on careful, conscious movement of the body linking movement, breath and the mind. Everything you do is tied together with your breathing and forces you to focus on your form down to the tiniest shifts of your spine. Advertisement Advertisement In that sense, its an incredibly gentle class for beginners anyway youre not going to be jumping around or getting out of breath. But dont let that fool you into thinking youre not working hard. Youre essentially being re-trained to use your body in a more efficient and natural manner. Popular elements have been taken from yoga postures, dance, gymnastics, swimming and martial arts to create an entirely unique hybrid workout. The moves are performed on the Pulley Tower, working to increase the natural flexibility of the spine, whilst simultaneously strengthening and stretching the muscles. What distinguishes it from Pilates is the use of different planes of movement. Its movements are less linear and three dimensional, with a greater emphasis on spiralling and twisting motions. The whole point is to challenge the bodys perceived limitations, and instructors do this by incorporating circular and spiralling movements, so the patterns become multi-directional and three dimensional. The exercises are performed in a continuous flow from movement to movement, with changes in tempo, breath and repetition to create variation. Some of it felt strange at first. The concept of spiralling your spine upwards and around as you twist your body was hard to grasp at first. But when you crack it, the feeling of space you can unlock between your vertebrae can feel really glorious. Particularly if you spend the majority of your week sat at a desk. Former dancer and Gyrotonic instructor Stephanie Nightingale, thinks its a workout that can benefit everyone no matter your fitness level. Advertisement Advertisement Its a practice that cultivates awareness through movement, Stephanie tells Metro.co.uk. And when you are more aware of what your body is doing while its moving, then youre going to feel better in your bodies. That awareness also leads to the ability to change patterns that might be causing as pain or discomfort or maybe youre not excelling as much in a sport that you play. What I hope to give people who come to my class is a deeper connection, a deeper understanding of how their bodies move, so they can feel more in control of their bodies. The modern demands of professional life often lead to hugely sedentary lifestyles and, as a result, thousands of us suffer from chronic back pain. Stephanie says Gyrotonic can be a good starting point when it comes to tackling chronic pain and spinal issues. It gets people moving in the way that our bodies were designed to move. We are designed to move in multiple planes of direction. It can help you break habitual patterns which can be the cause, or the source or a lot of chronic pain that people have. This work helps people to develop an awareness of when theyre working in a dysfunctional movement pattern. It shifts your perspective and brings your attention back to your body. Advertisement Getting in to Gyrontonic wont be cheap. Classes at Triyoga are 70 for an hour one-on-one session. But they do offer intro classes for 50, and the more classes you buy in bulk, the more money you save. But if youre looking for a new, gentle class that will really focus your mind on your movement patterns, whether thats for chronic pain or for relaxation, Gyrotonic could be a good thing to try. MORE: How to keep exercising even when the cold snap hits Advertisement Advertisement
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https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/27/what-on-earth-is-a-gyrotonic-workout-8392147/
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Can the government fight crime using logos?
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The more than 1,000 members of the Mongols biker gang broadcast their membership on vests, T-shirts, bikes, and their skin using a logo: a cartoonish image of a burly man who resembles Genghis Khan grasping a saber in one hand while steering his motorcycle with the other. Federal prosecutors, who have shown that the gang is linked to a number of crimes, have been trying to strip the club and its members of their right to use the logo for more than a decade. According to a story published in The New York Times, that fight continues in a Los Angeles county racketeering trial, where prosecutors are trying to use a law that allows them to seize goods that were used in criminal activity. Theyre arguing that the trademark to the Mongols logo is a good that should be confiscated because gang members have committed crimes under its banner and used it to intimidate people. The government will show that the marks served as unifying symbols of an enterprise dedicated to intimidating and terrorizing everyone who is not a member and assaulting and killing those who have sworn their loyalty to other outlaw motorcycle gangs, reads one court filing. Its a fascinating attempt to fight crime by diluting the brand of the alleged criminal enterprise. If the Mongols were to stop wearing their patch, as its also known, their power theoretically wouldnt be as strong because they wouldnt be easily identifiable, making it harder to intimidate their enemies. The Times reports that prosecutors also tried this tactic in a Michigan trial against six members of the Devils Disciples gang, but then dropped the bid for the trademark when they realized that none of the defendants owned it. Other biker groups have vigorously defended their logos in court against companies that used them without authorization, like Alexander McQueen, Amazon, and Disney. But this unusual legal strategy tries to use the power of gangs symbols against them. Prosecutors seem to think that the police will be able to simply take Mongols jackets away from them. But according to Sarah Burstein, an associate professor of law at the University of Oklahoma College of Law, it may not be that simple. In theory, a court could cancel [a trademarks] federal registration, she tells Fast Company via email. But under U.S. law, trademarks arise from use in commerce. I dont know how you can really seize a common-law right. In other words, trademarks only really apply when people are using them to make moneywhich isnt the case here. The government began trying to take the Mongols patch back in 2008. Over time, different judges have ruled differently on whether it was legal to seize the trademark or not. Each time, the Mongols fought back, arguing that it is their first amendment right to wear the logo, and that because its the property of the organization, the government cant seize the trademark. The court is still out on which way the judge will rule. But it could set a precedent for whether the law considers logos an accessory to crime.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90272421/can-the-government-fight-crime-using-logos
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Will 3D-printed design ever be more than a tech fetish?
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Theres not much that hasnt already been said of 3D printing or the predicted revolution that promised to transform manufacturing and put a MakerBot in every home. While the technology continues to evolve, with new applications like cutting-edge medical uses and building-size structures , it has yet to truly overtake industrial production in the mainstream marketthough not for lack of effort. Ian Yang, founder of the San Francisco product startup Gantri, which launched around this time last year, is relatively late to the 3D printing game, but is passionately and well convinced of its long-term potential. The fledgling brand sells desk lamps by indie designers for under $200 thanks to its use of 3D printers. But unlike many of its competitors, its using 3D printing to optimize the manufacturing process without being heavy-handed about the buzziness of the technology. In Yangs mind, 3D printing is less of a selling point than a purely practical, logistics-driven decision. If you were to spot a Gantri lamp in the wild, you might not even realize its 3D-printed at all. The son of two ground-up entrepreneurs, Yang is a 29-year-old Shanghai native who spent many childhood days tagging along on factory visits and knew from a young age that starting my own business would be my calling. After studying at the London School of Economics, he spent a few years working in management consulting while moonlighting in classes at Central Saint Martins, where he became enamored with design and an ecosystem of makers across disciplines. Fast forward a few years, a move to the Bay Area, a software engineering gig, and an eye-opening membership at the local DIY maker space TechShop, where Yang first encountered 3D printing and the changing landscape of manufacturing with measured caution. That was 2015, and 3D printing had already come off the hype cycle, and there was sort of an air of pessimism about the future of the industry, he says. But I was new to it, and so when I saw it, I didnt frame it around the vision that everyone would one day have a 3D printer in their home I saw it as a means of producing design products in a way of helping designers bring their products to market in a way thats more affordable, sustainable than the current manufacturing process. There have been a smattering of similar 3D printing startups in recent years, seemingly split pretty evenly between printing vendors and hardware manufacturers (Shapeways and MakerBot are among the most commonly known) and consumer-facing brands selling 3D-printed products. The three-year-old startup OTHR is one of the latter, ditching plastic for an elevated material palette of bronze, porcelain, and steel, and working with well-known designers like Marc Thorpe and Joe Doucet, whos also a cofounder. Similarly, Kwambio, which launched the following year, seeks to boost the appeal of 3D-printed products with a savvy roster of designers, and a two-week lead for small, everyday objects printed on demand. On the design week and festival circuit, students at ECAL have been using it almost as a performative concept, with a cash-and-carry Digital Market pop-up at this years Salone del Mobile and London Design Festival. Ventures like OTHR and Kwambio seem intent on rebranding the appeal of 3D printing for the masses. But rather than marketing 3D printing process as a flashy selling point or heady statement, Yang is simply betting on the technology as a practical, economical means of production, and a way to bring more independent design talents into the fold. Hes focusing on lighting as an initial product category, a significantly more demanding product to create than, say, a vase or bottle opener, with electrical standards and more safety and functional requirements to ensure. And Gantri is using an intelligent stocking algorithm that keeps popular models in stock, ready for overnight shipment. Its all a subtle play at besting other consumer-facing 3D printing companies by focusing on the design and delivery, rather than the process. Priced at under $200 each, each of Gantris productsthere are roughly 30 currently on offer, by designers from the North America, South America, and Europeare entirely submissions-based, vetted, tested, and prototyped by its in-house team before theyre printed in a biodegradable, cornstarch-based PLA thats specially engineered to withstand overheating. After the lamps are printed, theyre hand-sanded, then painted with a durable lacquertypically used as a protective coating on luxury yachtsto finesse and mask the signature striated texture of a 3D print to a smooth touch that will give off a soft glow when illuminated.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90271416/will-3d-printed-design-ever-be-more-than-a-tech-fetish
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Is Vanessa Hudgens Married? Does She Have a Husband?
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Vanessa Hudgens has been dating boyfriend and fellow actor Austin Butler for almost seven years now, and the relationship shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. She was first spotted with the actor in 2011 and theyve been going strong since. Hudgens spoke to People in March, 2017 about how tough long-distance relationships can be, especially since she and Butler both travel so much for gigs, but mentioned how they make their relationship work, despite the distance. She told People: Just communication, communication is key. I think that if anythings bothering you, dont hold it in. Always bring it up and just talk about it. Uncensor yourself and just be open. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, she claimed the two work so well together because they always have each others backs. The couple sparked engagement speculation back in 2017 after the former Disney star was spotted with a sizeable ring on her left finger, but she is adamant that she and Butler feel no pressure to tie the knot at the moment, saying no, because if I felt pressure in a relationship, we wouldnt have been together for almost seven years. It turns out that Hudgens and Butler were good friends long before they started seeing each other romantically. According to the Daily Mail, they first met in 2005 while Hudgens was still dating her long-time High School Musical co-star Zac Efron. It wasnt until 2011 when rumors began to swirl that the two might be more than just friends, after Butler was allegedly spotted leaving Hudgens home, according to Hollywood Life. The rumors were proven true when the couple was seen smooching over milkshakes in Los Angeles not long after Butler was seen leaving her house. During the 2015 MTV Music Video Awards, Butler gushed about his love for Hudgens and how theyve managed to make their relationship work. Its important to put that other person first, Butler told Entertainment Tonight. If youre constantly looking for ways that you can make them happy, and theyre constantly looking for ways that they can make you happy, then you kind of lift each other up as much as possible and you cant go wrong. Hudgens was in a long-term relationship with ex-boyfriend Zac Efron for years before she and Butler started dating, and although she says there isnt bad blood between the two, she has mentioned that she started to get mean when she was dating Efron, and that they eventually fell completely out of contact. She told The New York Times: I went through a phase when I was really mean because I was so fed up. Girls were running after him, and I was giving them death stares. Then I realized thats not what thats about. It doesnt seem to be that way with Butler at all. Hudgens told Womens Health that she has found a renewed sense of confidence in her late twenties, which has directly translated to the success of her relationship with Butler. The now-30-year-old told the publication: He inspires me more than anyone. We both respect, trust, and admire each other. Its so solid now because I feel strong as an independent woman. I am very self-reliant, but its nice to have a best friend you can share victories with as well as losses He inspires me more than anyone. Hudgens is very active on social media, posting pictures of the two cuddling, watching the sunset and cruising on a boat, among many others. Although they havent shared publicly whether they plan to tie the knot soon, their relationship seems to be getting stronger every year, so it shouldnt come as a surprise when they do finally announce an engagement.
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https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/vanessa-hudgens-married-husband-boyfriend/
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Who Is Lady Gagas Ex-Fiance Taylor Kinney?
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Lady Gaga was engaged to ex-fiance Taylor Kinney until they called it quits in 2016. The formerly-engaged couple were together for 5 years before they called it off, although they remain friends to this day. Kinney, an actor known for his roles as Mason Lockwood in The Vampire Diaries, Jared in Zero Dark Thirty and Lieutenant Kelly Severide in Chicago Fire, recently stated that he couldnt be more proud of his ex-fiance for her performance in A Star is Born. I could only wish her the best, he told E! News in October. I am really proud. I know what went into it, its been a long time coming Its been years to see what people go through to be in that, you can kind of let the masses make decisions, he shared, but I think I know in my heart its gonna be great. And I know that she gave her all. Gaga and Kinney first met in 2011 on the set of her music video for You and I where he appears as a mad scientist love interest of Gaga. According to Us Magazine, Kinney snuck in an impromptu kiss during filming and a relationship blossomed soon after. Check out the music video below:
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https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/lady-gaga-ex-fiance-taylor-kinney/
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Does Brennin Hunt Have a Wife? Is He Married?
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Brennin Hunt is one of the cast members on FOXs adaptation of Rent. Hunt will be playing rocker heartthrob Roger, who was originally played by Adam Pascal in both the film and the original Broadway production. Given Hunts prominence in the cast, some may be wondering whether he has a wife or is dating anyone. According to Wet Paint, Hunt is married. He met his wife Kelly in high school, and they married in 2006. Shortly after they married, the couple moved to Music City to pursue the music business. According to his Instagram, Hunt also has two children with Kelly. Their names are Lennon James Hunt and Henley Gene Hunt. Both hail from Oklahoma before they moved. Hunt signed publishing deal and began touring and opening for Country music artists across the US and Canada. Hunt Has Been Married to His Wife Kelly Since 2006 Hunt spoke about his status as a musical heartthrob when he was a participant on The X-Factor. I know I already have a strike against me for looking the way I am, he said. Image is definitely very important. I know what I have, and I wanna give it to [them]. I believe I have it, the it factor, the X-factor. In a recent interview with, Hunt, he spoke about his personal life and how it helped me flesh out the character of Roger. Ive been a professional songwriter for many years in Nashville and trying to write that one song thats going to change my career. So I definitely related to Roger in that aspect, he said. Ive lost a couple of friends in the past couple of years who were very young and died way too soon, he added. And Ive tried to dive into that feeling of loss I felt for them and their families felt when they lost them. Hunt Has 2 Sons Named Lennon James & Henley Gene Hunt told Bustle that Rent ranks among his favorite musicals. I love a lot of musicals, he said. But [Rent has] still always been my favorite because its so raw and real, and emotional, and deals with love and loss, and friends who are more like family. I just love it. I think its a beautiful, beautiful musical.
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https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/brennin-hunt-wife-married/
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Why Are People Obsessed With Patricia Arquettes Teeth?
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Patricia Arquette has plenty to smile about a successful, Oscar-winning actress with a beautiful family, who is active with many charities although people have a lot to say about her smile. Arquette has a unique smile for a successful actress, with a few, slightly-crooked teeth that have left many of her fans wondering why she never chose to have her teeth fixed. Despite having the money to fix this tiny flaw, she opened up a few years back and explained why she declined to get braces when she was a child. It didnt feel like it would fit who I was inside, she told People during an interview in 2015. ' she recalled. I just didnt want to look perfect. I didnt want to have to change myself to be attractive. I didnt think that was my responsibility. Arquette also noted that conversations about looks are most often centered on womens appearances, and rarely focus on men. She says that she embraces her flaws, and wants to be free of the stigma that women have to look a certain way to be equal to men. Ive had so many of these conversations in my life what I look like on film, what I dont look like on film, she said. Men are not having these conversations. Its like were trapped in wet wool or something. I just want to be free of it so we can move to the next level as equals. Arquette isnt the only actress who is consistently plagued by fans questioning her teeth. True Blood star Anna Paquin has been on the receiving end of similar treatment, due to a small gap between the actress front teeth, although she says her teeth are the furthest thing from her mind these days. Interestingly enough, I dont really care about my teeth, she said, but I think any woman on this planet could say, I wish my ass was smaller, my arms were thinner and I had green eyes not brown. I think anyone is as critical as they have the energy to self-obsess, but I also know as an actress you are more limited if you interfere with your looks. However, Paquin also has no intention of changing her natural smile and says she finds it incredibly rude when someone asks her why she never fixed the gap in her teeth. Actors such as Tom Cruise and Steve Buscemi also embrace their adoringly-crooked teeth, with Cruise jokingly considering his front-and-center tooth the Monotooth, and Buscemi telling The Hollywood Reporter Ive had dentists who have wanted to help me out, but I say, You know, I wont work again if you fix my teeth. ' READ NEXT: Gillette Ad: Best Twitter Memes, Comments & Reactions
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https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/patricia-arquette-teeth/
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Who Is Hosting the SAG Awards 2019 Tonight?
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The 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards air tonight, celebrating the years best television and film performances. The show begins at 5pm PT (8pm ET) at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony will be hosted by actress and comedian Megan Mullally. Mullally is best known for her role as Karen Walker in Will & Grace, which will be making its return to television at the end of this month. She also played Mrs. Siesto in The Disaster Artist and took on the role of Tammy Two in Parks and Recreatio, the vindictive ex-wife of Ron Swanson (played by Nick Offerman, Mullallys husband in real life). She and Offerman recently appeared on season 23 The Bachelor, as part of a group date for bachelor Colton Underwood and some of his female contestants. This is the second time the SAG Awards will have a celebrity hosting the event, which exclusively honors actors. Last year, Kristen Bell was the ceremonys first-ever host and the change to the shows formatting was clearly well-received. Of the Guilds choice in Mullally as their host, Vogue says Mullally is the total package: funny, smart, and engaging, shes an ideal choice to enliven the insider event. As she prepared for her role as host, she told The Hollywood Reporter it is more about setting the right tone and having some fun material, nothing political. She also commented that, at 60 years old, she may be the oldest woman to ever host an awards show, adding that her marriage to Nick Offerman and her active Instagram presence are why she thinks shell be able to attract a younger audience. Mullally has won multiple SAG Awards herself (as well as two Emmys). She won Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Comedy Series three times for her work in Will & Grace (consecutively in 2002, 2003, and 2004), and won Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series with her Will & Grace co-stars in 2001. She also presented an award alongside Gina Rodriguez at last years SAG Awards, and gained experience hosting the TV Land Awards in 2016. Her talk show host experience also makes her a great pick for tonights emcee role. When it was announced that Mullally would be hosting, she revealed on Instagram that she would likely have to buy her dress online, rather than have a designer loan her one for the night. She wrote looks like i will be buying my dress online though, as per my usual, even though there is literally a 100 percent chance that i will be on camera, because IM HOSTING IT. designers do not send me dresses. She has not revealed if she ended up buying her own dress, or if a designer came through with something for her big night; however, she did joke on Instagram with a throwback childhood photo of herself dressed as a witch, saying in the caption ps im wearing that outfit to the @sagawards. Tune in to the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards tonight at 5pm PT/8pm ET, simulcast live on TNT and TBS.
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https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/sag-awards-2019-host-megan-mullally/
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Does Canada's revamped food guide bridge cultural divides?
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When Christine Fu decided to adopt a plant-based diet, it wasn't for ethical, environmental or economical reasons. She did it for love. "He was very hardcore vegan," said Fu, a 22-year-old from Toronto, about her then-boyfriend. "I first started introducing it to my lifestyle, just a few days a week. Then, it became very easy to just transition." What Fu didn't anticipate was the pushback from her meat-loving Chinese-Canadian family. "They're, like, 'Oh, you're not getting enough nutrients. You're too skinny.' There's a lot of mindsets and traditional thinking." Christine Fu pictured in Bangkok, Thailand's Khao San Road in 2018. (Submitted by Christine Fu) Plant-based diets are increasingly popular in Canada, with millennials leading the way. Vegetarians and vegans now account for nearly 10 per cent of Canada's population, most under the age of 35. That trend got a boost this week, when the federal health agency updated Canada's Food Guide to be heavy on fruits and veggies, and light on meat and dairy. Health Canada officials were the first to admit, however, that the vibrant plate of fresh produce, grains and proteins such as chickpeas and tofu on the guide's front page doesn't incorporate Indigenous food traditions. While environmentalists and dieticians are lauding the emphasis on plant-based proteins in the new guide, its lack of culinary diversity may make it a hard sell in some ethnic and Indigenous households. Cultural food traditions Health Canada promises Indigenous-specific food resources are coming after consultations with First Nations, Inuit and Mtis peoples. Shane Chartrand, a chef from the Enoch Cree Nation in Alberta, said traditional Indigenous diets often place heavy emphasis on animals and fish harvested from surrounding lands and waters. "True Indigenous food to me is really about healthy food from where you're at," he said. Shane Chartrand is the executive chef of River Cree Resort and Casino in Edmonton. (Alberta Culinary Tourism Alliance) The diets of Indigenous peoples vary from region to region, Chartrand adds, whether enjoying salmon on the West Coast, seal in the North, or, in his own territory, bison. "Bison is a huge staple in the Plains Cree diet ... [we're] really, really meat-orientated over here." However, Chartrand is quick to point out locally harvested plants are also an important part of traditional Indigenous cuisine, citing bullrush stems, wild rice and mint as common ingredients. The plant-heavy graphic on the guide's cover certainly struck Chinese-Canadian food writer Karon Liu. "It's definitely veering towards the North American plate," he said. "I'm trying to see if there's anything that I would use from, like, an Asian market. No, there isn't." The cover of Canada's Food Guide now shows a neatly sorted graphic that includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and protein foods in recommended portions. (CBC) Though Liu appreciates there's some cultural inclusion in recipes that accompany the guide, he said the emphasis on whole grains might make it tough to swallow for those who prefer traditional Chinese dishes. And, you know, how many billions of us are there in the world?" he asked, laughing. "I actually tried to make the brown rice switch a few years ago on my healthy kick," he said. "Brown rice does not go with Chinese food, I can tell you that." Finding culinary balance Anar Allidina, a registered dietician based in Richmond Hill, Ont., feels the new guide is a "huge improvement" over the last one. But, she acknowledges it may lack thoughtful ways for newcomers to incorporate their preferred foods. "A lot of ethnic groups in Canada have white rice as their staple. And if you look at that plate method [used by the new guide], we don't see anything white on there. It's all whole grain rice, whole grain pasta," Allidina said. "This is going to be a shift for so many of us." Anar Allidina is a Richmond Hill, Ont.-based dietitian. (Aliya Amarsi) Allidina said people can still follow the recommendations, even if they have cultural or religious dietary restrictions, simply by being mindful to include more vegetables in meals. In Fu's case, meat symbolized "strength and manliness" to her father. He reacted strongly to her conversion to veganism. "He was just very against it. What's wrong with you?' So, I had quite a bit of discouragement." She began making compromises to preserve harmony at the family dinner table. "If there was meat in the dish, I was OK with eating around that. So, I didn't want to force them to do something that they didn't want to do, or they didn't want to eat." Though she felt veganism was healthier and more affordable, her meat-free diet came to an end after eight months. She parted ways with her boyfriend, and decided to go backpacking in Asia. The trip included visits to Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. "Only if you're very privileged, and you have a lot of money, then you can access a lot of fresh vegetables."
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https://www.cbc.ca/radio/checkup/does-canada-s-revamped-food-guide-bridge-cultural-divides-1.4994567?cmp=rss
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Will the humans kill Mars?
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With Mars in our grasp comes the concern over whether humans can responsibly populate and harness its resourcesor continue to repeat our mistakes if we dont resolve entrenched conflicts. advertisement advertisement The warning comes from season two of National Geographic Channels Mars. Presented in a hybrid scripted/documentary form, the series examines how the clashing goals between government-sponsored science and private enterprise could play out in space if they arent first resolved on Earth. Despite ubiquitous advancements brought on by the early space industry, its become a volatile topic today given the uproar over corporate greed and deregulation exacerbating climate change and environmental degradation. Commercial interests come up against scientific interests all the time, says co-executive producer Stephen Petranek, author of How Well Live on Mars, which inspired the series. Were doing this show now, so people can have this discussion and start to figure out how we are going to act differently on Mars than weve acted on Earth. Petranekwho appears in Marss documentary segments alongside the others in this articleis a two-time TED speaker, and former editor-in-chief at Discover magazine and the Washington Post Magazine, and senior science editor at Life magazine. How Well Live on Mars was originally intended as a collaboration with Elon Musk. When an overwhelming work schedule forced Musk to drop out, the book became one of the first TED hardcovers in partnership with Simon & Schuster. (Musk also appears in the series.) Like the first season, season two juxtaposes a fictionalized drama unfolding in the near future with current commentary from real-life scientists, historians, and astronauts. Produced by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer and overseen by showrunner Dee Johnson, the narrative picks up in 2042, nine years after a skeleton scientist crew established a Martian base camp, now a 200-person research colony, when a private water mining enterprise threatens the Martian ecology that the scientists are trying to study and terraform. ' says oil and energy analyst Antonia Juhasz, author of The Tyranny of Oil. Whats so crucial about the show and having this discussion that the show brings up, is that this process is moving forward right now. The parallels with our present day drive home the urgency of the problem, she says. In 1967, the United Nations laid out the first of five treaties outlining peaceful uses of outer space and forming the core of space law. However, with space commercialization proceeding much faster than expected, updated and more exacting rules are needed. Diversified and conflicting concerns make international consensus difficult, putting the onus on individual nations to self-regulatewith the requisite lobbying from industry. We have a treaty from 1967 that just basically says no one can own anything outside of Earth orbit, says Petranek. But if people invest money in Mars, theyre going to want to take ownership of something. Were just starting to feel all of this out. Looking to the future, Mars would offer a particular alluring base from which to mine the wealth of metalsan estimated $80 quadrillionresiding in the asteroid belt, according to Petraneks book. Mars is not only closer than Earth to the asteroid belt, but offers a lighter (and therefore, less expensive) gravity from which to launch. The minerals would support a sustainable economy on Mars. Related: Inside the epic debate on rethinking our 50-year-old Outer Space Treaty With Congress now weighing two bills on asteroid and science resources, corporations are looking to influence the laws of the future. Those rules are entirely deregulatory, having the U.S. government to play the role of promoting resource extraction as we move to asteroids and Mars, says Juhasz. An attempt to build the legal structure is being driven by corporations. We hope the show will bring in the broader public to say we need a voice in this. How do we set up a system as we move into space, where there is a regulatory regime that looks at protecting whats potentially found at Mars and making it a place that continues to sustain our life when were there, and not do what we did to this planet, which is break it so that it cant sustain our life. How to prevent the same mistakes Space shuttle astronaut Mae Jemison, who helped train the cast in preparation for season one, believes narratives like Mars can offer a better understanding of the problem. Sometimes we can see things more clearly if we imagine them in the future, somewhere else, she says. Yes, there are the bills going in place in terms of space, but theres a lot of things happening here on this planet that we have to reflect on regarding commercialization, and how the very science and the facts that we know are incorporated into those decisions, right now. advertisement How we successfully transition from exploring to colonizing and commercializing Mars will depend on an adaptive leadership. The hostile environment of space and Mars demands a hierarchical approach that can flatten as colonies mature into sustainable systems. Without policies or laws that say who owns what, there has to be good leadership, because both have to exist in a way thats harmonious or everyone faltersor dies, says shuttle astronaut Leland Melvin. You have to act in a way thats systematic, taking control, and being able to shut other things down to solve a problem, he says. On a spaceship or space station, the commander is able to trump what everyone else says. When I was in the space station, I was in charge of moving the robotic arm and could tell anyone, This is what you need to do to support me, or go away because youre not helping me. ' When you get to a place where the criticality of decision making doesnt cause people to die, then you can go horizontal [toward fewer management layers], he adds. Theres a tipping point between the two, based on the criticality of what people are doing. The Mars documentary participants are equally, if not more good-naturedly, split as to humankinds ability to learn from its mistakes. Were doomed, says historian Susan Wise Bauer, author of The History of the World series. Well keep repeating the same mistakes, theyll just look different. The problem with Mars colonization, and the conflict between the scientific and commercial enterprises, is the scientific community needs the commercial side. Theres no way we can afford pure research. Those doing so have sponsorships from drug companies, universities, etc. Mars wont be any different. Its going to have the same entanglements, the same profit mongering at work, and people compromising themselves without even knowing it. advertisement The Martian author Andy Weir is more optimistic, at least in the sense that the quest for financial gain can lead to good. The relentless pursuit of profit causes companies to sink huge amounts of money into the research, he says. If there was a way to turn a profit going to Mars, then companies would spend billions of dollars figuring out how to get to Mars cheaply, which would, in turn, enable people to get to Mars. The best analogy I can come up with is the much-maligned pharma industry. Yeah, theyre in it to make a buck, but the relentless pursuit of that dollar is creating a lot of medications for people. Related: NASAs Wild Plan To Build McMansions On MarsOut Of Fungus Petranek says the harsh Martian environment may not offer a choice between commercial and scientific priorities. Were going to be a lot smarter on Mars than we have been on Earth, because survival depends on it, he says. You cant just have commercial interests pursuing purely commercial interests the way we allow on Earth. When you are forced to recycle everything, it completely changes the attitude of how people have to cooperate with each other, whether theyre scientists or industry barons. Season Two of Mars premieres tonight at 9 p.m. on the National Geographic Channel.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90262256/will-humans-kill-mars
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Is authenticity overrated?
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We often hear that the most important thing in life, and particularly in our careers, is to be true to ourselves. Although few have bothered explaining what this actually means, this advice highlights a number of related popular ideas, such as: Dont worry so much about what other people think of you. If you think you are great, you probably are. Just be yourself. Spending too much time or energy thinking about what others expect of you leads to mindless conformity. Follow your intuition. Its likely a better moral compass than any other, socially fabricated, cultural rule. This list of examples could go on, but you get the picture. Authenticity, in its purest form, celebrates the uncensored expression of our natural self. Be yourself and all your problems will go away. Youll be happier and more successful in whatever you do. In contrast, if you adjust your behaviors to fit what others want, you will betray your own values and fail to stand out from the crowd. Although theres an unquestionable appeal to the idea that success may not require any social inhibitions, and that others will celebrate and respect the unfiltered and uninhibited version of ourselves, reality couldnt be more different. In fact, large-scale scientific studies show that people who are more likely to enjoy higher levels of psychological well-being, interpersonal effectiveness, and career success (including being effective leaders) are actually strong impression managers. In other words, they pay a lot of attention to how others perceive them and successfully adjust their behavior to create a favorable reputation with others. Thats what academic psychologists call emotionally intelligent people. In comparison, people who fail to self-censor or control their behaviors in social situations by conforming to the just be yourself rule are more likely to be psychopathic, according to science. And while some of those people are able to get away with it and be perceived as charismatic and likable by others, those impressions are generally short-lived. Being true to your values may not be advantageous to others. For example, many brutal dictators and despotic rulers such as Stalin, Hitler, and Mao, were arguably true to their values and principles, yet this type of psychological authenticity came at the expense of millions of people. Although extreme, its easy to see that some values are better than others, and theres little point in rewarding people for being true to their values when they have detrimental consequences for others. This is why any civilized society expects citizens to exercise restraint and self-control in the interests of the collective. From obeying traffic rules to standing in line, paying taxes, and keeping public spaces clean, all prosocial acts require a certain degree of impulse control and the realization that ones own interests are actually secondary to the interests of others.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90256978/is-authenticity-overrated
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Can we design neighborhoods to survive wildfires?
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In the wake of the Camp Fire in Californiathe deadliest in the states history, with at least 42 people killed, more than 200 missing, and thousands of homes destroyed in the tiny town of Paradisesome residents say that they want to return and rebuild. Thousands of miles away, in a massive wind tunnel in South Carolina, researchers are testing what makes houses more likely to burnand how towns like Paradise can prepare now to reduce the chance of another tragedy in a world where fires are increasing in frequency and intensity. Wildfires are an inevitable part of the ecosystem in places like California, but better design can make it more likely that houses on the edge of wild areas dont burn. Wildfires will happen, says Dan Gorham, research engineer for the Insurance Institute for Business & Home Safety, the organization that runs the South Carolina lab, which also runs tests with hurricane-force winds and hail for the insurance industry. But what can we do to the built environment so that wildfires have less of an impact? In the organizations lab, machines fling embers onto a full-sized house. Its a re-creation of the way many wildfires destroy neighborhoods: The fire might still be a mile away, but an ember, carried by the wind, lands on a house and ignites it. A photo taken after the Angora Fire in 2007, a fire near Lake Tahoe that destroyed 242 homes, illustrates that pattern. The ashes of a house are surrounded by green trees that were apparently untouched by the flames. Small details in a homes design, it turns out, matter a lot. If a roof is made of metal or clay instead of wood shingles, a flaming ember is less likely to ignite. A gutter can be designed to shed pine needles that would otherwise dry out and serve as tinder. A deck could use paving stones instead of wood. Screens can block embers from getting inside a vent. And if a house can avoid igniting, that can also protect it from spreading a fire to the rest of the block. If you are in a community, then this whole effort has to be a community-wide approach, and pretty much people have to be all-in in the community, because I can be the cause of your home igniting if I dont do what I need to do, says Steve Quarles, a consultant for the organization and its former chief wildfire scientist. In rural areas, the design of a house and the land around it can also help determine whether it survives. In the rolling hills of Sonoma County, one recently built house made it through the devastating fires of 2017. In that case, the fire nearly reached the house, but the architects credit stone walkways that buffered the home from the burning native grasses surrounding it. The house isnt fireproof, the architects say, and that might not be possible or desirable. You dont want to design a concrete bunker, says Robert Edmonds, partner at Edmonds + Lee Architects, who designed the house. Nobody really wants that. And in fact, the reason why people want homes in nature is to be in nature, and not to remind them that theyre in some kind of indestructible fortress.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90266666/can-we-design-neighborhoods-to-survive-wildfires
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What is hindering egg production increase in Azerbaijan?
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By Trend: Haciqabul Qusculuq, a poultry factory in the Hajigabul District of Azerbaijan, may reduce egg production, Mikayil Salahov, a warehouse manager, told Trend. This is due to the factory facing problems with product sale due to competition in the market. "Sales of our products have deteriorated significantly because of the import of eggs from Ukraine to the local market. The factory produces over one million eggs daily, with an annual volume of about 300-320 million eggs. The company is capable of increasing production, but considering that this perishable product is delivered to shopping facilities inside the country, this issue is not on the agenda," Salahov said. He mentioned that the company exported eggs in small volumes to Iraq last year. "Last year, proposals about the export of eggs to Iraq were considered. We have already commenced exports to Iran, and, these deliveries will most likely be carried out throughout the year," said Salahov.
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http://www.today.az/news/business/178523.html
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Has time come for seat belts on school buses?
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Teresa Wright, The Canadian Press Denna Weston was among the first on the scene of a school bus collision that killed her 11-year-old son in Alberta 19 years ago. It was a Friday in October. Jared, a Grade 6 student, was waiting for his turn to be dropped off. The bus passed right by his family home along Highway 22X, just east of Calgary, to drop off some other students before it was Jared's turn. But a pickup truck collided into the side of the bus with Jared and two other children aboard. When Weston and her neighbours arrived on the scene, one boy was partially out one of the side windows, a girl had exited the bus and her son was still inside. The mother and her neighbours administered CPR until an air ambulance arrived, but Jared died on route to the hospital. The other two children survived their injuries. "It was a long haul. And every time something happens, even the (Humboldt) Broncos accident, everything comes back," Weston said in an interview this week. There's not a day that you don't think about it." Weston has since acquired the complete RCMP accident reconstruction -- a document she says she shouldn't have, but that she needed to see to fully understand and cope with the devastating loss of her child. "It clearly stated: had Jared been wearing a seatbelt, he would have lived," Weston said. Weston is among many parents, as well as bus drivers and other concerned citizens, calling for the federal government to make seatbelts mandatory in Canadian school buses. They were hoping -- and, indeed, many were expecting -- to hear Transport Minister Marc Garneau announce this would finally happen last week when he addressed the media on the subject of school buses during a meeting of provincial transport ministers in Montreal. Instead, he announced a task force to look at the possibility of retrofitting school buses with seatbelts. It will bring together provinces, territories, school boards and school bus manufacturers to look at "the implications of mandating the compulsory wearing of seatbelts," Garneau said Jan. 21. "The task force will look at vehicle standards and operations, both inside and outside the bus, with an emphasis on seatbelts," Simon Rivet, a senior media adviser with Transport Canada said in a statement. "This work involves expanding our evidence base, such as looking at fleet composition across Canada." Pilot projects will also be explored as a way to "help Transport Canada develop guidelines to assist school bus operators across Canada to make sure that seatbelts, when installed on school buses, are always worn properly by all occupants," Rivet added. But the idea of installing seatbelts in school buses has been met with some opposition. Alex Bugeya of the Ontario School Bus Association says his organization welcomes the work of the task force, but has written to Garneau to stress that industry should be part of the discussions. "It's a very complex issue," Bugeya said. In Ontario, a driver is responsible for ensuring anyone under age 16 is wearing a seatbelt if one is present. Are we looking at the need for bus monitors?" Bugeya said, adding that evacuation procedures, loading times and route procedures are also important to consider. And then there's cost. Retrofitting older buses with seatbelts could require new seats, new anchorage requirements and other expensive structural adjustments. "It's not something we're opposed to exploring. I think it's a discussion that should take place, but it is something that has to happen in conjunction with a decision to mandate seatbelts." But Gary Lillico, a school bus driver in British Columbia, believes there have been enough studies done on this issue, and that more action is needed. He pointed to a 2010 report, uncovered by a CBC investigation in October 2018, in which a researcher at Transport Canada concluded current compartmentalization safety features on buses are not enough to stop injuries, particularly in side impacts and rollovers. Lillico has started a petition on Change.org calling for mandatory school bus seatbelts. It now has more than 50,000 signatures. But he worries nothing will happen due to governments and school boards concerned about retrofit costs. "What is the price of a life?" he said. In Alberta, where she has to drive by the intersection where her son was killed every day, Weston says she is upset this issue has been raised for many years, and yet still school buses don't have seatbelts. "It's frustrating that nothing has been done. And how many kids have died since?"
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https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/has-time-come-for-seat-belts-on-school-buses-1.4271013
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Is India Moving Closer To Its Open Defecation Free Goal?
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Font : A- A+ With the Indian prime minister leading the charge, India is getting closer and closer towards its open defecation free (ODF) goal. According to the prime minister, Narendra Modi, more than 5.5 lakh villages and 600 districts have been declared open defecation free (ODF). It is believed that -98 percent of rural India is now under the sanitation coverage- with nine crore households being provided with latrines. All the sarpanches and village heads have been urged by the prime minister to take part in the national campaign by "sharing their beautiful toilet photos" with him by using #MylzzatGhar on social media. "On October 2, 2014, we embarked on a memorable journey together to clean our country and to get rid of open defecation. Due to the unequivocal support from the people of India, today India is moving towards liberation from open defecation much prior to the target of October 2, 2019, so that we may pay our homage to Bapu on his 150th birth anniversary," Modi said in his 'Mann Ki Baat' monthly radio address. In December 2018, more than 50 lakh toilets participated in the 'Clean Beautiful Toilet' or 'Shining Toilet' contests, he said. In the contests, people are making their toilets clean and colourful by having them painted. One can find lots of photos of such toilets from Kanyakumari to Kutchh to Kamrup, Assam on the social media, Modi said. The Prime Minister urged all the sarpanches and village heads to take a lead in this campaign from their respective panchayats by "sharing their beautiful toilet photos" with him by using #MylzzatGhar on social media. Source: IANS According to the prime minister, Narendra Modi, more than 5.5 lakh villages and 600 districts have been declared open defecation free (ODF). It is believed that -98 percent of rural India is now under the sanitation coverage- with nine crore households being provided with latrines. "On October 2, 2014, we embarked on a memorable journey together to clean our country and to get rid of open defecation. Due to the unequivocal support from the people of India, today India is moving towards liberation from open defecation much prior to the target of October 2, 2019, so that we may pay our homage to Bapu on his 150th birth anniversary," Modi said in his 'Mann Ki Baat' monthly radio address.In December 2018, more than 50 lakh toilets participated in the 'Clean Beautiful Toilet' or 'Shining Toilet' contests, he said.In the contests, people are making their toilets clean and colourful by having them painted. One can find lots of photos of such toilets from Kanyakumari to Kutchh to Kamrup, Assam on the social media, Modi said.The Prime Minister urged all the sarpanches and village heads to take a lead in this campaign from their respective panchayats by "sharing their beautiful toilet photos" with him by using #MylzzatGhar on social media.Source: IANS Post a Comment Comments should be on the topic and should not be abusive. The editorial team reserves the right to review and moderate the comments posted on the site. Notify me when reply is posted I agree to the I agree to the terms and conditions Post Comment Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading. Your comments are automatically posted once they are submitted. All comments are however constantly reviewed for spam and irrelevant material (such as product or personal advertisements, email addresses, telephone numbers and website address). Such insertions do not conform to our policy and 'Terms of Use' and are either deleted or edited and republished.Please keep your comments brief and relevant.This section may also have questions seeking help. If you have the information you are welcome to respond, but please ensure that the information so provided is genuine and not misleading. Advertisement by Rishika Gupta on January 27, 2019 at 10:43 PM Indian Health News
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https://www.medindia.net/news/is-india-moving-closer-to-its-open-defecation-free-goal-185420-1.htm
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Could AR help cities regulate scooters?
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Over the past year, scooters have become a political minefield in some cities where the devices ubiquity on sidewalks are blocking access to pedestrians, baby strollers, and people with disabilities. Bad parking jobs and misuse has made these vehicles the object of rage in cities like San Francisco . A geolocation company called Fantasmo is proposing a novel solution to this particular problem: Augmented reality. The idea stems from the current problems with scooter parking. If scooter startups like Lime, Scoot, or Bird knew exactly where their users were leaving scooters on city streets, they could accurately enforce parking rules and keep sidewalks clearfor instance, by forcing a rider to move their scooter to the correct parking spot before the system ends their ride. The problem is that scooters built-in GPS isnt accurate enough to pinpoint locations that preciselyso scooter companies cant enforce parking policies effectively. Instead of using GPS, Fantasmo is using something called Camera Positioning Standard. CPS, which the company is developing as an open standard that it views as the successor to GPS for far more than scooter parking, uses a digital camera and artificial intelligence to discover the world around it, akin to the way self-driving cars or augmented reality games see. Using this tech, Fantasmo can match the surroundings of the scooter with the companys 3D map databases, triangulating its precise position on the street using the visual cues around it. You can see how accurate this tracking is in this demonstration video: Our CPS solution provides the ability to find the position of a scooter accurately enough to know if a scooter is being ridden legally on the street or illegally on a sidewalk, cofounder Jameson Detweiler writes on Medium. This creates a better experience for everyone. Cities will have a wider variety of more sustainable mobility options. They will also have better intelligence about what is happening in the city. Riders and chargers will be able to find their scooters much faster. Scooter companies will have a better understanding of the location of their fleets, reduce losses, and, most importantly, provide the optimal scooter experience for riders, non-riders, and cities alike. Scooter companies must find a way to force riders to abide by parking and sidewalk laws if they want to continue operating in many cities; some cities like Beverly Hills, are already moving to ban the devices, and in cities like New York, scooters are preemptively illegal. In Los Angeles, the city has moved to limit them, just like San Francisco after months of debate. In European cities like Madrid, where these vehicle companies disembarked last summer to operate without regulation, they have been strictly limited (even though the police arent really enforcing these limitations or punishing violators). And unfortunately, parking is just one of many design problems these companies must tacklein addition to accidents, data privacy issues, and pedestrian rights.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90263316/could-ar-help-cities-regulate-scooters
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Can these 35-ton bricks solve renewable energys biggest problem?
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Its already cheaper to build a new solar or wind farm than a coal plant. But when the sun isnt shining and the wind isnt blowing, renewable electricity can still be fairly expensive to storeeven though the cost of batteries is dropping. If the world shifted to 100% renewable electricity right now, we might pay more on electric bills. A new solution that uses basic physics could cut the cost of storage in half, or by as much as 80% over the total life of the system. It makes it possible for renewable power to be cheaper than fossil fuels all day, every day of the year, everywhere. Our solution, for the first time, will enable the world to achieve this, says Robert Piconi, CEO and cofounder of Energy Vault, the startup that developed the new system. Tata Power, the giant Indian electric utility, will be the first customer. Energy Vault, based in California and Switzerland, took inspiration from the way that some dams store energyhydro plants pump water uphill when energy demand is low, and then produce energy by turning turbines as the water flows back down. The system works, but only in places where dams can physically be built; dams also harm fish, force people to relocate, and can burst and flood villages. Like dams, the new solutiona massive tower, roughly the height of a 35-story buildingrelies on gravity. But it doesnt require water. When a wind or solar farm makes more energy than the grid needs, an automatic crane on the battery uses the extra electricity to lift a giant brick, weighing 35 metric tons, up to the top of the tower. When that towers stacked, thats all potential energy, says Piconi. When the grid needs power, the crane automatically lowers a brick, using the kinetic energy to charge a generator. All of this happens almost immediately. We can have a millisecond response time, he says. The systems software takes signals from the grid to automatically control the cranes, which carefully raise and lower the giant bricks while taking into account wind and weather. The cranes lower the bricks at exactly the speed needed to provide electricity continuously. Its cheaper than building giant lithium-ion batteries, like the huge batteries that Tesla has installed in Australia and elsewhere. In part, thats because the bricks can be made from cement that would normally be wasted. These materials were using are actually materials that youd have to landfill, says Piconi. In California, for example, a construction site with concrete debris has to pay as much as $55 a cubic yard to get rid of it. Unlike lithium batteries, building the system doesnt require a specialized multimillion-dollar factory; the autonomous crane comes from another manufacturer. Mining lithium also uses huge amounts of water and risks toxic leaks. In a small town near its headquarters in Switzerland, Energy Vault built a small prototype of the device72 feet tall, instead of the usual 393. (The system also works at a small scale, but the company is focused on the largest market, utility-scale customers; its also less efficient and less disruptive in terms of cost at a smaller scale.) The company is now beginning to build its first units for customers around the world. Its also in talks with some customers who have been considering constructing huge new dams. We can do that at a quarter of the cost, without the environmental problems, and have something that would deliver more on the performance side, says Piconi.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90261233/can-these-35-ton-bricks-solve-renewable-energys-biggest-problem
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How Did Roger Stone Know What Trump Told Mueller?
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Roger Stone stands outside the hearing room prior to testimony by Google CEO Sundar Pichai during a House Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Dec. 11, 2018. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images This piece was originally published on Just Security, an online forum for analysis of U.S. national security law and policy. Theres a likely, simpleand non-nefariousanswer to the question. But that answer may also raise legal trouble for Trump thats missing from the conversation. The basis for the question is a statement by Stone on Tucker Carlsons show Friday night. Stone said [emphasis added]: They [CNN and MSNBC] act as if Stone acted as the conduit between the Trump campaign and WikiLeaks or between Donald Trump and WikiLeaks. When the president answered the written interrogatories he correctly and honestly said, Roger Stone and I never discussed this, and we never did. Speculation is rampant that the president or his team privately communicated Trumps answers to Stone. But theres a more innocent explanation missing. Stone can simply say he learned of the presidents response from a CNN story on Nov. 29, 2018, which reported what Trump told Mueller. CNN stated: President Donald Trump told special counsel Robert Mueller in writing that Roger Stone did not tell him about WikiLeaks Stones denial matches with what Trump told Mueller: that the two never spoke about WikiLeaks. But that answer may make matters worse for the president in other respects. First, the president may have committed perjury (or made an intentional false statement) in his response to the special counsel by denying that he and Stone communicated about WikiLeaks. It is hard to fathom that the two men did not discuss Stones information on WikiLeaks given the detailed revelations in Stones indictment about his communications with senior Trump campaign officials and his work on behalf of the campaign in liaising with WikiLeaks. As Chris Cuomo said to Stone on Friday night, [President Trump] has known you the longest, OK. He has got the deepest relationship with you Why would people believe that his oldest, most trusted adviser was doing something like this for him at the same time that he kept talking up WikiLeaks, and yet he knew nothing about it? Muellers draft statement of offense for Jerome Corsi also adds to the picture. That document states that Corsi understood [Stone] to be in regular contact with senior members of the Trump Campaign, including with then-candidate Donald J. Trump when Stone asked Corsi to get in touch with [WikiLeaks] about materials it possessed relevant to the presidential campaign. Second, given the multitude of Stones communications with senior Trump campaign officials, if Stone did not discuss the issue with the candidate despite all his conversations with Trump, it may be even more incriminating. A safe bet is that Trump was in the loop. Thats hard to know, but it could be a way for Trump or his team to communicate to other witnesses to hold the same line. Indeed, this may be a pattern among Trump associates: to tell their lies in public as a method to signal to others. As Andy Wright and I wrote back in December, the special counsels sentencing documents for Michael Cohen suggested, Muellers theory of the case recognizes that public statements are methods of communication with other witnesses. More from Just Security: Roger Stone Indictment Implicates Trump Campaign in Election Law Violations The Withering of the Giuliani Defense of No Crime of Collusion in Wake of Roger Stones Indictment
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https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2019/01/roger-stone-indictment-trump-mueller-russia-wikileaks-written-answers-perjury.html
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What if Amazon just built its own city for its new HQ and left the rest of us alone?
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Amazon is close to announcing a deal to split its new headquarters into two cities reportedly , Long Island City in Queens and Crystal City in the D.C. suburb of Arlington, Virginia. Splitting the headquarters across two locations may help avoid some of the problems inherent in expecting one city to suddenly absorb 50,000 Amazon employees. But one expert arguescontroversiallythat the simplest solution is the company just building a new city from scratch instead. Bert Sperling, founder of a website that rates cities for people who are relocating, started to consider the idea of a true company town for Amazon soon after the company released its request for proposal (RFP) for its new headquarters, which asked for a metropolitan area with more than 1 million people, the potential to attract and retain tech talent, and a high quality of life. What they were looking for was something that didnt exist, which was that the city was successful and large and affordable, he says. When I say successful, I mean having a really good economy and lots of tech workers. The cities that fit those criteria dont have a short commute, they dont have affordable housing, and any successful city is being strained as far as its infrastructure. Adding another 50,000 workersand tens of thousands of other people to support them or who are moving with them as family memberswould just add to challenges cities are already experiencing. It makes the commute that much worse, he says. You would make the unaffordability that much worse and be competing for more jobs for the workers. What theyre looking for would essentially bring any successful city to its knees. Even adding 25,000 new employees would strain a city, he says. Instead of Arlington, Virginia, Sperling suggests that Amazon should consider building its own community in Oatlands, Virginia, which is currently rural and undeveloped, but still relatively close to D.C. By starting with a blank slate, the company could design a community that optimizes work-life balance, with offices near homes and recreation. Amazon could test smart homes like those from Plant Prefab, a home-building startup it invested in recently, and offer cheap or subsidized housing for workers. It could test drone delivery and its automated Amazon Go stores. Streets could be designed to support self-driving cars and electric scooters. Its a vision not unlike Facebooks plans to build a new campus in Menlo Park, California, with 1,500 homes and a walkable downtown area including a new grocery store, pharmacy, and other retail stores. Facebook plans to eventually have 35,000 employees in Menlo Park, more than the towns current population. But that projectlike older company towns, and Sperlings Amazon proposalhas problems.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90263159/what-if-amazon-just-built-its-own-city-for-its-new-hq-and-left-the-rest-of-us-alone
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Can we end animal farming by the end of the century?
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By the end of the year, you may be able to walk into a restaurant and order chicken grown from chicken cells in a bioreactor rather than from an animal . Its already possible to buy plant-based burgers more realistic than anything available in the past . In a new book, The End of Animal Farming, Jacy Reese, the research director and cofounder of the nonprofit think tank Sentience Institute, argues that its something that could feasibly happen by the end of the century. Reese studied past shifts, such as how long it took women to get the right to vote and how long it took for cars to be widely adopted, and then made adjustments based on the difficulty of the problem, how motivated people are to tackle it, and what tools are available. Increasingly, he argues, people are aware of the giant environmental footprint of producing meat, and problems with factory farms. And now its becoming more practical to actually replace it. Were getting the food technology, and were getting the commercial infrastructure, he says. Meat giants like Cargill and Tyson are investing in startups like Memphis Meats, which made the first lab-grown meatball in 2016, and Beyond Meat, which sells its uber-realistic plant-based burger in the meat case at Whole Foods. Impossible Foods, the manufacturer of a plant-based burger known for its use of hemethe protein that makes blood red and gives meat a large part of its flavorhas raised $387 million to date. Just, a food tech company that started with a plant-based version of mayo and plans to soon launch a cultured meat or clean meat grown in bioreactors, has raised $220 million. Reese says that more funding could move the field much more quickly. In the scope of global technologies, thats still not much funding, he says. If just one government decides to pick up the flag and carry this as one of their most important technological issues, the way renewable energy or solar or something has been picked up, we could see really, really rapid technological progress. New policieslike meat taxes, which some governments have consideredcould also accelerate the adoption of alternatives.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90262415/can-we-end-animal-farming-by-the-end-of-the-century
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Can anyone beat PlayStations TV ad impressions?
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Its becoming a familiar sight: PlayStation at the top of the most-seen gaming industry ad ranking for the fourth month in a row. But also notable is Nintendos disappearance from the top five; instead, King takes second place followed by Xbox. GamesBeat has partnered with iSpot.tv, the real-time TV ad measurement company with attention and conversion analytics from more than eight million smart TVs, to bring you a monthly report on TV advertising by the gaming industry. These are the ads, and by extension the games, that game makers are putting major muscle behind. Below are the top five most-seen gaming industry TV advertisers from December 16, 2018 through January 15, 2019. TV ad impressions for the gaming industry dropped during the period measured, down to 4.6 billion from last times 5.4 billion. Overall, 27 brands spent an estimated $71.2 million on 92 commercials that ran over 23,200 times. With 29.2percent of impressions for the entire industry, PlayStation was squarely in the lead. It aired 14 commercials over 3,700 times, resulting in nearly 1.4 billion impressions. Journey Ahead was the most-watched commercial with 367.7 million impressions. ESPN, FX, and Adult Swim were three of the networks that accounted for the most impressions, while SportsCenter, college football, and the NFL were some programs that racked up high impression counts. King may have only ran two ads during the period measured, but they racked up 882.8 million impressions from over 5,800 airings, giving it the second place spot on the ranking. The most-seen spot was Candy Crush Friends Saga: Sweeter Than Ever with 823.9 million impressions. Some of the networks generating high impressions included Hallmark, Investigation Discovery, and ABC, while top programs were The View, Ridiculousness, and General Hospital. Third place goes to Xbox which had 546.1 million impressions created by five ads that aired over 2,500 times. The commercial with the most impressions (378.9 million) was Battlefield V: Youre Better With Your Squad. Once again Xbox focused on reaching a sports-loving crowd, with ESPN, FXX, and TNT being networks that generated a lot of impressions, while SportsCenter, college football, and the NBA were some of the top programs. Oculus VR maintained its fourth-place spot with six ads that ran over 300 times, generating 264.4 million impressions. Adam and Jonah Sit Courtside featuring Adam Levine and Jonah Hill was its most-watched ad with 160.9 million impressions. Sports was also a focus for this brand, with high impression counts across programs including the NFL, the NBA, and Fox NFL Sunday, while top networks included Fox, CBS, and ABC. PlayStation Store finished out the top five with 260.9 million impressions created by a single ad, Bazaar, that aired over 480 times. As is the trend with many gaming brands, impressions were racked up by sports-focused programs such as the NBA, college football, and SportsCenter, while top networks included ESPN, ABC, and ESPN2. *Note: iSpot breaks out PlayStation and PlayStation Store separately based on their separate product line offerings.
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https://venturebeat.com/2019/01/27/can-anyone-beat-playstation-when-it-comes-to-tv-ad-impressions/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+venturebeat%2FSZYF+%28VentureBeat%29
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Can viral funding campaigns level the playing field in politics?
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Grassroots funding is piling up behind plenty of Democratic campaigns this year, even those in which a candidate has yet to be named. Take the fund for Senator Susan Collinss (R-ME) unnamed future Democratic opponent, which is crawling toward $4 million. The crowdfunding effort first made headlines when Collins called for an FBI investigation into sexual assault claims against then U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh before she would vote to confirm him. The fund raise, which seeks to unseat Collins in the next election, was an effort by local residents in Maine to pressure her to vote against Kavanaughs confirmation. It is just one of many huge crowdfunded raises to make headlines this year. advertisement advertisement Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA), who isnt up for re-election until 2022, has raised $6.43 million this year as of September 30, to make sure she keeps her seat. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) took in $5.3 million over the same timeframe, more than twice what he raised in 2016. He isnt up for re-election until 2020. Of course, politicians in the midterm race are seeing the biggest bumpBeto ORourke in Texas has famously raised over $70 million for his campaign. Indeed, this money is putting firepower into races where candidates typically face little competition, turning them into battlegrounds. In California, Democratic candidate for Senate Andrew Janz has raised $8.3 million to challenge Republican incumbent Devin Nunes for a seat the latter has held since 2003. Thats in sharp contrast to his predecessor, Louie Campo, who in 2016 didnt even raise enough money to file with the Federal Election Commission. The intense divide between the parties has motivated average citizens to throw small bits of cash behind viral fundraising electoral campaigns around the country, making this typically sleepy midterm election one for the books. In mid-October, the money raised during this cycle boiled to over $3.9 billion, according to the Center For Responsive Politicsa new record. Its a reflection of both a heated election cycle and the massive changes that campaign financing has undergone since 2010. While crowdfunding technology has been in use for over a decade, its only recently become ubiquitous. Technological advancement along with the popularization of e-commerce and the growth of private fundraising has created the perfect climate for small donations to make a big impact. The campaign funding process is extremely inegalitarian, and its gotten much much worse, thanks to a series of Supreme Court cases, says Rick Hansen, professor of law and political science at the University of California, Irvine. The most famous of the cases he refers to is Citizens United, the 2010 decision that upheld the ability of corporations to inject money into election campaigns. Another case, Speechnow.org v. FEC, allowed for the creation of super political action committees that dont directly fund candidates or campaigns and, it was argued, can therefore raise unlimited funds. These organizations typically campaign on behalf of candidates and support them in other indirect ways. But its not just Supreme Court decisions that have led to this moment. By the time of the Citizen United decision, politicians had already realized the massive opportunities in privately financing campaigns. In 2008, when Barack Obama made his first run for president, he refused the public financing option, choosing instead to raise unlimited outside money. He was the first major party candidate to do so since the fund was created in 1976. Obama went on to raise $750 million in campaign financing, while his Republican competitor John McCain, who chose the more restrictive public option, was only able to raise $87 million. In 2014, as president, Obama killed the public fund. Now, comically large campaign war chests are the norm. In 2018, President Donald Trumps campaign funding raised $950 million, while Hillary Clintons campaign funding surpassed $1 billion. The shifting campaign financing landscape has meant that corporations and wealthy donors, who can shovel large amounts of cash to a particular candidate, have more power to propel a winning candidate. advertisement Hansen says crowdfunding allows less affluent individuals to give their candidate of choice a fighting chancethough it has its limits. The rise of the small-donor, internet-fueled campaigning doesnt displace the super wealthy, it just serves as a counterweight, says Hansen. Since 2016, CrowdPAC, the crowdfunding platform supporting the fund raise for Senator Collinss opponent, has seen its user base grow 400%. Meanwhile, ActBlue, a political action committee that makes crowdfunding tools explicitly for Democratic candidates, has funneled more than $3 billion to candidates in four years. Its average donation size ranges between $35 and $40, but that figure has been ticking upward as the midterm election nears. In September alone, driven in part by Christine Blasey Fords testimony against Justice Kavanaugh, Americans donated $184,841,230 to candidates using ActBlues tools. The peoples choice Whats particularly interesting about the small donation revolution is that it has given legitimacy to candidates that may not have ordinarily been supported by institutional political organizations like the Democratic National Committee. For instance, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used grassroots fundraising and campaign tactics to beat longtime Democratic incumbent Joe Crowley. In the months since winning the primary, she has raised $1.8 million in her bid for the House seat. As of September, her Republican opponent Anthony Pappas had raised a mere $1,935. Some Democrats have complained that giving enormous amounts of funding to candidates in regions that tend to vote Republican is a waste. A recent New York Times article called out ORourke in particular as a source of Democratic ire. Though he has gained massive ground in Texas, he is still expected to lose to Cruz, according to polls. Its great that ORourke has inspired so many people and raised so much money, and if he can spend it all effectively in Texas, he is well within his rights to do so, Democratic strategist Matthew Miller told the New York Times. But he could have a huge impact for the party by sharing some of it with the [Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee], so it could be spent in states where candidates just need a little extra to get over the hump. Hansen disagrees with the concern that viral campaigns like ORourkes are taking resources away from other candidates. He says there isnt a limit on how much money can be drummed up for a campaign. Were not talking about people making a life decision to give away hundreds of thousands of dollars, were talking about people deciding whether theyre going to part with $20 or $50, he says. That sort of money isnt hard to move, he says, noting that other candidates are not getting the same boost because they arent charming their constituents. While the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DNCC) might like to move a little more money their way, Hansen suggests the onus is really on the individual candidate to make a connection with voters. Its not clear that people would be parting with their money if they were not inspired, he says. advertisement This concern over viral campaign funding is partially rooted in the fact that the money is pouring in from across state lines. In 2018, 82.4% of contributions on Crowdpacs platform went out of state. And it may be going to candidates that the DNCC wouldnt necessarily chose. What is most remarkable about the rise of crowdfunding in campaign funding is its ability to put party nominations in the hands of individuals, rather than political factions. Furthermore, distributing money to unlikely candidates like ORourke may have wider-ranging effects. Even if ORourke loses, if he loses narrowly, his candidacy might pull some Democrats running for Congress or state or local office over the finish line in a way that they never would have had without him participating. Its not really clear that its a waste of money if he ultimately doesnt capture the seat, says Hansen. ORourke could also decide to send some of his leftover funding to support future Democratic candidates in the state. Shadow money The increase in cross-border small donations isnt just an intra-party concern. Its causing tensions between parties as well. In a recent tweet, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) accused Democratic opponent Beto ORourke of taking money from donors in California and New York, affixing the hashtag #dontcaliforniamytexas alongside an image of the Hollywood sign edited to say, Betowood. We've been told that Hollywood is afraid of being outdone by New York after last night's fundraiser, so now they're pulling out all the stops #TXSen #DontCaliforniaOurTexas pic.twitter.com/Bak8D9sfGW Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) September 13, 2018 Though out-of-state funding is a component of every election cycle, some Republicans, like Cruz, are using this idea that money is coming in from more liberal areas as a cudgel in their campaign messaging. But its not just Democrats bringing in money in from out of state. advertisement The Texas Tribune analyzed campaign donations to Cruz and ORourke between January and June of this year and found that 47% of individual donors who contributed to the Cruz campaign came from out of state. Only 33% of individual donor campaign contributions to ORourke came from out of state. As the report notes, those figures dont account for $4.3 million (Cruz) and $9.3 million (ORourke) of donations under $200 that are not required to report their donors, making it unclear exactly how much money is coming from outside interests. In the end, any strategic advantage that either candidates can find, they will use, especially in a race that is perceived to be closer than expected, says Joshua Blank, manager of polling and research at the University of Texas Polling Project. Ill put it this way: [Texas governor] Greg Abbott is not asking where Lupe Valdez raised her $300,000. Hes not even mentioning her, because its irrelevant to his campaign, and hed like to keep it that way. Valdez, formerly county sheriff in Dallas, is running as a Democrat for governor of Texas, a state that has had a Republican governor since 1995. Her opponent, Greg Abbott, has raised significantly more money than she has. Money isnt everything The role of out-of-state money may be overplayed. Having enough money to get your name out there effectively is a necessary but not sufficient condition to getting elected, says Hansen. In 2016, Jeb Bush famously spent $130 million during the primary race, and it didnt buy him the Republican nomination. In Floridas gubernatorial primary, Democratic candidate Jeff Greene, a real estate mogul, came in late to the race, but spent $29 million of his own money on campaign efforts to try and pull ahead. In the end, the Democratic nomination went to Andrew Gillum, who was behind in the polls leading up to the vote. Likewise, Adam Putnam, who was fighting for the Republican nomination in Floridas gubernatorial race, outraised Ron DeSantis, who ultimately clinched the nomination. Thats also why self-funded campaigns dont do as well as people would expect, says Blank. At the end of the race, candidates need more than messaging, they need voters to care about them. That is why grassroots funding, small donations from locals, is so compelling. You need people to buy in, says Blank. If theyve already bought in with their money, then theyre going to buy in with their vote.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90259806/can-viral-funding-campaigns-level-the-playing-field-in-politics
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Is it possible for an oil company to help fight climate change?
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A year ago, Royal Dutch Shell, now the largest oil company in the world, acquired NewMotion, a company with thousands of electric car charging points throughout Europe. A month later, Shell started installing fast chargers at some of its largest gas stations. In late October, the company started installing ultrafast chargers that can fully charge the newest electric cars in 10 minutes. advertisement advertisement Its one small piece of a company in transition as it grapples with how to address climate change. If you want to be a long-term relevant company that is on the right side of history, you have to be involved in this discussion, because its the most important discussion of our time, CEO Ben van Beurden tells Fast Company. By 2035, Shell plans to cut its carbon footprint 25%, and 50% by 2050including the emissions not only from its own operations but from customers using its products. The cuts are in line with the companys Sky scenario, a vision released earlier this year that considers what it might take for the world to meet the first goal of the Paris climate agreement, to keep global warming well below 2 degrees Celsius. If we know that in order to stay well within 2 degrees C, these are things that will need to happen in the energy system and in different countries, we can sort of size up the challenge and understand how difficult it may become, and value the opportunities as well, van Beurden says. The companys carbon footprint reduction goals are hugely ambitious. At the same timelike other corporations that have made similar commitments under the Science-Based Target Initiativeaiming to keep warming below 2 degrees isnt ambitious enough. Scientists now say more is needed to prevent the worst impacts of climate change: A recent landmark climate report from the UN explains how critical it is to aim to limit emissions to 1.5 degreesand suggests that to do that we need to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. In Shells Sky scenario, the world wouldnt reach net zero emissions until 2070. 2050, in our mind, is simply too fast for that to happen, given what we know about the energy system, given what we know about the policy changes that we see coming, the mind-set of governments, and the technologies available now, says David Hone, the chief climate change advisor for the company. So that gives you 2070, and we think that thats technically possible. If massive reforestationplanting forests in an area the size of Brazilis added to the scenario, it would be possible to reach net zero emissions by 2060, Hone says. The world would warm more than 1.5 degrees, but then return to that level by the end of the century. But overshooting the goal, even temporarily, would be risky; theres a bigger chance of triggering irreversible impacts, including going past a tipping point for melting ice sheets in Antarctica and Greenland. advertisement Still, given our current trajectory, even keeping global warming below 2 degrees would itself be an enormous achievement for society (and something that another recent report said that has almost zero chance of happening). In Shells Sky scenario, the company says it thinks that it would be impossible to buy an internal combustion engine anywhere in the world. That decade, they predict that renewable energy would overtake fossil fuels as the primary source of energy. Global deforestation would end. An enormous number of plants with systems to capture carbonaround 10,000 by 2070would capture emissions. Global warming, according to an independent analysis of the scenario from MIT researchers, would stop around 1.75 degrees Celsius. Hone argues that the crucial step will be to set a global price on carbon; without it, he says, adding carbon capture technology to power plants isnt economically feasible. (Shell does already have carbon capture tech on some plants in Canada, where carbon pricing exists now.) The recent UN report suggests that emissions need to peak in 2020. Hone says that widespread carbon pricing isnt likely until at least a decade later. With that economic lever in place, emissions could begin to drop and the large-scale energy transition could occur quickly over the subsequent decadesbut not quickly enough to reach net zero by 2050. From a science perspective, the ideal situation is emissions fall rapidly immediately, but Sky has built into it thinking the necessary industrial and political and policy steps that need to be taken to get emissions to fall sharply, says Hone. We believe the minimum time that would take is 10 years. Shell envisions that oil demand wont peak until 2025, and natural gas demand wont peak until the mid-2030s. It expects that demand for oil productsfrom petrochemicals used in plastic to jet fuelwill continue to grow in the near future, even as some other markets, like fuel for passenger cars, begin to shift to electricity. The company is growing its portfolio of natural gas, which has a lower carbon footprint than oil; it also plans to expand further into the electricity market and invest in more renewables as the transition continues. Over the last 12 months, the company has invested in companies including GI Energy, which designs solar microgrids and other sustainable energy solutions, Sonnen, which makes home batteries to store solar power and creates virtual power plants for neighborhoods, Solar Now, which provides off-grid solar in Uganda and Kenya, and others. In December, it acquired First Energy, a digital power company in the U.K. that owns no power plants or transmission lines. In January, it invested in Husk Power, a company that makes mini-grids that run on solar, biomass, and batteries for rural India and Africa. In May, it invested in Axiom Energy, a company that makes thermal energy storage. In August, it invested in Ample, a Silicon Valley startup still in stealth that makes a robotic electric car charging system. Each year, the company expects to spend $1 billion to $2 billion growing its New Energies businessthough this is still a tiny fraction of the company overall. Oil and gas still remain very much the core. advertisement Critics and climate activists suggest that Shell shouldnt wait for a price on carbon or other potential future policieslike bans on gas and diesel cars, to move more quickly. In the last 30 or 40 years since climate change science has been pretty well established, companies that have continued to rely heavily on fossil fuelsand profit at very high levels, like Shell and Exxon and othershave an obligation to bear significant costs now to contribute to addressing the climate change problem, says Brian Berkey, assistant professor of legal studies and business ethics at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. Adding carbon capture technology would cut into the companys profits without a price on carbon, but Berkey argues that they have a responsibility to do it anyway. My own view is that to whatever extent companies do have obligations to shareholders to pursue profit, these obligations are constrained by more general moral requirements not to engage in practices that involve contributing to serious harm to society more broadly, he says. He makes the analogy to someone running a business out of their house, who cant use profit as an excuse if their business pollutes their neighbors yard. Documents leaked earlier this year show that Shells own researchers were studying climate change, and aware of the likely impacts, as long ago as the 1980s. In 1998, Shell researchers published an internal memo envisioning a Hurricane Sandy-like storm on the East Coast in the 2000s that would spark climate action. They should have been retooling their own business model for a carbon-constrained world based on what they knew about the harmful effects of the products that they produce and sell, says Kathryn Mulvey, accountability campaign director for the Climate & Energy Program at the nonprofit Union of Concerned Scientists. That certainly was within their enormous technical and financial capacity. Instead, she says, Shell, along with other fossil fuel companies, was a member of trade groups that worked to sow public doubt about climate science. The American Petroleum Institute, for example, wrote an internal strategy memo in 1998 with a roadmap of how to spread doubt. While Shell supported efforts for cap-and-trade legislation in the U.S. in 2009, dedicated resources to supporting Californias emissions trading scheme, continues to ask Congress to support economy-wide, market-based carbon pricing, and told the Trump administration not to weaken fuel efficiency standards, it is still a member of API and other organizations with dubious records on climate communication. The Western States Petroleum Association, another group Shell belongs to, is currently lobbying against carbon pricing in the state of Washington. Shell didnt donate to that campaign, but argues that Washingtons specific policy is flawed, and didnt endorse it, either. (Other oil companies have also sent conflicting messages; Exxon, which recently pledged $1 million to a campaign for a carbon tax, gave around $36 million over the past 20 years to spread disinformation, Mulveys group has calculated.) Its unlikely that Shell will choose to voluntarily adopt a competitive disadvantage to cut emissions faster than it already plans to as some form of moral penance for its past emissions. But as the company considers the current science, it could choose to spend more time thinking about how to meet a 1.5-degree target beyond relying on planting trees. We dont want to ignore the value of Shells work, says Amanda Levin, a policy analyst for the climate and clean energy program at the nonprofit NRDC. Just an oil company even admitting that climate change is a large problem, and that they need to address these emissions, is a huge change in thinking. We welcome Shells input and thoughts about how to achieve the emission reductions that we need. That being said, they need to also start rethinking the way that they fit into a 1.5-degree world. The company, she argues, could have gone further with energy efficiency in the Sky scenario. advertisement NRDC is also revisiting one of its own scenarios that had considered how the U.S. could get on track to stay below 2 degrees of warming, and will now target the more ambitious 1.5 degrees instead. Most companies that have considered science-based targets so far have looked at a 2-degree target, but a few leaders, like British Telecom, are now committed to achieving 1.5 degrees. Shell may continue to argue that getting to net zero by 2050 isnt feasible. Much stronger political pressure for a widespread price on carbon and other ambitious climate policies, as the company says, would helpand if that could happen far faster than the company expects, we might get on track. Our goal is aligned with where society needs to go, but it is a goal that will be dependent on how society makes the journey as well, says Hone. If the world has carbon pricing, in every country and every place where Shells operating, youll see that overall picture change quite rapidly. Strong policyfrom carbon taxes to fuel efficiency standards and bans on gas carsis important not only for Shell, but to push other corporations that arent changing as quickly. But even before that policy is in place, consumer pressure could also help; at the moment, for example, theres no special label on zero carbon plastic made using carbon capture tech, because theres no demand for it. Investors can support alternatives, such as plastic that can be made from food waste or fuel made from carbon sucked from the atmosphere, to help them scale up more quickly. Mass change in consumer behaviorlike driving lesswould help. Shareholder pressure could also continue to push Shell farther. Investors are already looking to the company as a leader in the industry. Were starting to see larger and larger institutional investors simply moving out of this segment, says Danielle Fugure, president and chief counsel of the nonprofit As You Sow. As shareholders have pressured companies to make clear plans for climate change, those that dont make those plans are likely to be left behind. If youre an investor, I think youre going to want to look to those companies that are best positioned to survive in a new energy economy. Like some other European companies in the industrysuch as Statoil, which changed its name to Equinor as it moves to become an energy company rather than an oil company, or Spain-based Repsol, which has stopped investing in new oil and gasShell is planning for large-scale changes and is far ahead of its American counterparts. Its not clear yet if all other oil companies will step up to match Shells ambition, or if Shell will speed up its climate action enough to prevent, for example, the nearly total loss of coral reefs. What is clear is that the oil and gas industry is responsible for around half of global emissions. Without the industrys taking (or being forced to take) ambitious action, the civilizational project to tackle climate change cant succeed.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90249937/is-it-possible-for-an-oil-company-to-help-fight-climate-change
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Was will die 16-jhrige Klimaaktivistin Greta Thunberg?
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Eine junge Klimaaktivistin erobert seit der Weltklimakonferenz in Kattowitz (COP24) die Politik und Medien. Greta Thunberg ist 16 Jahre alt, kommt aus Schweden und kmpft fr eine bessere Klimapolitik und die Einhaltung der festgelegten Klimaziele. Auf der COP24 rief sie in ihrer Rede eindringlich zum sofortigen Handeln auf: "Sie sagen, dass Sie Ihre Kinder ber alles lieben. Und doch stehlen Sie ihre Zukunft. Wir sind nicht hergekommen, um die fhrenden Weltpolitiker anzubetteln, sich zu kmmern. Wir sind hergekommen, um Ihnen mitzuteilen, dass Vernderungen kommen, ob es Ihnen gefllt oder nicht." Greta Thunberg fhrt zum Weltwirtschaftsforum in Davos Nach ihrem Auftritt bei der Weltklimakonferenz wurde die junge Aktivistin zum Weltwirtschaftsforum in Davos eingeladen. Auf die Nachfrage, was sie denn eigentlich genau ndern mchte, antwortete Thunberg: "Alles". Fr einen groen Erfolg hlt die 16-jhrige Schwedin das diesjhrige Weltwirtschaftsforum aber nicht. "Leider glaube ich nicht, dass es ein Erfolg frs Klima war. Die Leute reden nur und tun nicht, was sie sagen", sagte Thunberg. Greta kommt in Davos an Seitdem sie als Klimaaktivistin auftritt, hat Thunberg ihren Lebensstil ihren Forderungen angepasst. Sie unternimmt keine Flugreisen mehr, sondern fhrt mit dem Zug. Sie ernhrt sich vegetarisch und kauft keine neue Kleidung mehr ein. Greta und ihr Vater Unterwegs ist die 16-jhrige immer in Begleitung ihres Vaters, der sie in ihrem Vorhaben untersttzt. Die viele Aufmerksamkeit sei ihr unangenehm, sie mge es nicht im Mittelpunkt zu stehen und gewhne sich wohl nie daran, sagt Thunberg. "Wenn ich nicht kmpfen wrde, wrde ich mich schlecht fhlen. Wenn ich erwachsen bin, will ich zurckschauen knnen und sagen, ich habe getan, was mglich war." Fridays For Future auch in vielen deutschen Stdten Auf der ganzen Welt folgen Menschen ihrem Aufruf und gehen unter dem Motto "Fridays For Future" jede Woche auf die Straen, um fr eine bessere Klimapolitik zu demonstrieren. Wie auch hier in Berlin. Luisa Neubauer Luisa Neubauer ist eine der Organisatoren der Proteste in Berlin. Sie sagte: "Wir haben tausende junge Menschen nach Berlin geholt. Die ganzen Leute hier, die gehen nicht zur Schule, die gehen nicht zur Uni, weil heute unsere Zukunft auf dem Spiel steht, wenn die Kohlekommission den Kohleausstieg verhandelt." Den jungen Menschen ist ihre Zukunft wichtig. Wichtiger, als in die Schule zu gehen. Sie setzen mit ihren Protesten ein Zeichen. Rifka Uschtrin Rifka Uschtrin, eine Schlerin, erklrte: "Ja, ich habe heute Schule geschwnzt. Also man kann eigentlich gar nicht richtig schwnzen sagen. Weil ich finde, Klimawandel ist so ein groes Thema, dass man da auch mal zwei Stunden in der Schule ausfallen lassen kann." Nicht nur in Berlin, sondern auch in zahlreichen anderen deutschen Stdten wie Mnchen, Kln und Bremen finden freitags Demonstrationen statt.
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https://de.euronews.com/2019/01/27/die-16-jaehrige-greta-thunberg-startete-mit-fridays-for-future-weltweit-klimaproteste
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When does a Super Bowl commercial become a political act?
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Taking a stand on a social or political issue isnt anything new in advertising, and the biggest American ad show of them allthe Superbowlis no exception. In 2017, we saw Audi take on gender pay inequality, Airbnb celebrate cultural diversity, and 84 Lumber condemn the border wall. Last week, Amy Schumerwho starred in a 2016 Bud Light Super Bowl campaign with Seth Rogenannounced on Instagram that she wouldnt appear in any Super Bowl ads in response to how the NFL has handled the players kneeling protests. I personally told my reps I wouldnt do a Super Bowl commercial this year, she wrote. I know it must sound like a privilege ass sacrifice but its all I got. Hitting the NFL with the advertisers is the only way to really hurt them. Schumers decision follows reports that Rihanna turned down an offer to perform during the Super Bowl halftime show (a slot since filled by Maroon 5) as a show of support for Colin Kaepernick. Former Airbnb CMO Jonathan Mildenhall, now cofounder and chief executive of the consultancy TwentyFirstCenturyBrand, told the Wall Street Journal that all endorsement is support for the NFL and the cultural role the Super Bowl plays in society. It used to be proudly middle America. My guess is the latter. If last year is any indication, brands will shy away from overt political statements and treat the game as just that: a game. A time for lighthearted fun. And those who do say something know its possible to do so without sitting out the event altogether. Nike is an official supplier of the NFL, and yet theres no confusion as to where the brand stands on the Colin Kaepernick issue.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90256768/when-does-a-super-bowl-commercial-become-a-political-act
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Could modular shoes be the next big sneaker craze?
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Sneakers are quickly growing into a $90 billion business but theyre all built the same way, more or less, constructed out of a combination of soles and uppers. Nike has React and Flyknit . Adidas has Ultraboost and Primeknit . It could be greener, cheaper, and more customizable, too. Thats the premise of a new project from University of Eindhoven student Lucille Nguyen, who developed a series of working prototypes called Up-Part shoes. [We] would sell the sole and the upper separately. Either can be replaced when damaged, hence limiting waste, says Nguyen. Since every parts can be detached by the user, it is also easier to recycle. The shoes wouldnt be sold as shoes, but as kits designed to be crafted together. You start with the sole. On top, you add the upper itself, complete with tongue, secured through lacing or straps (depending on whether its a Converse-esque tennis shoe or something more akin to a Birkenstock sandal). The challenge of this concept was to find an easy and recognizable way the user would attached the shoe together, says Nguyen. We are used to attaching our shoes with laces or straps, so I pushed these gestures just a step further and made the connection technique part of the sneaker personality. Indeed, each of these structural elements is another opportunity for modular design, featuring different colors and textures. Its easy to imagine how easily these customizable components could be sold piecemealif you cant afford the new Jordans, maybe you can swing the new Jordan tongue and lacing. Of course, the question is not whether a modular shoe is possible, but whether its practically feasible. Its clear that Nguyen designed the shoes for extra stabilitythe soles have a large lip that wraps up around the sides of your foot, while multiple designs feature reinforced heel straps. I dont know that youd need to play basketball in these things to make them marketable. There are many successful shoes on the market made for little more than strollingjust look at Toms.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90254199/could-modular-shoes-be-the-next-big-sneaker-craze
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Can Entrepreneurship Heal A Broken Heart?
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In 2005, Shawn Askinosie was a high-profile criminal defense lawyer with nearly 20 successful years under his belt. He had a beautiful family, he was making good money but he knew in his heart it was time for a change. In fact, Shawn was convinced that if he didnt find another line of work, this job would be the death of him. For twenty years, I loved it, and then there came a time when I stopped loving it, says Shawn. I desperately wanted to find another passion, but the only place I was comfortable was the courtroom. I had no hobbies, so I just started trying things and developing them on my own. While maintaining his day job in law, Shawn searched for new sources of inspiration. First he got into grilling, then he became an avid baker. I was driving home from a distant relatives funeral and had a lightbulb moment, says Shawn. At the time, I had no idea where chocolate came from I didnt even know it started with a bean. But within three months, I was in the Amazon alongside cocoa farmers, studying how they harvest their beans and influence the flavor of chocolate. And so began Shawns transition from criminal defense lawyer to chocolate maker. After his trip, he and his wife, Caron, tapped into their savings and began acquiring the equipment they would need to make their own chocolate. They started in their kitchen in Springfield, Missouri, but soon enough they purchased an old building in a developing part of town and began restoring it into their future factory. All the while, he continued trying cases, unwinding from a stressful day by tinkering around with his equipment and learning to perfect what would become Askinosie Chocolate. But for Shawn, the passion wasnt coming from just the chocolate itself what really excited him was the opportunity to take a different approach to the business of chocolate-making. Not only did Shawn want to make bean-to-bar chocolate, he wanted to source and import the beans himself. He wanted to get to know the cocoa farmers and build long-term, trusting relationships. And when his future customers asked where the chocolate came from and what was in it, there would always be a simple answer. On the surface, Shawns 180-degree turn into a new career seems remarkably courageous especially since hed poured his life savings into building it from scratch. But if you ask Shawn, Askinosie Chocolate wasnt born from a grandiose act of courage. It was a matter of life or death. I loved practicing law, but I knew without a doubt it was going to kill me, says Shawn. My dad died of lung cancer when I was 14 years old, and that grief has stayed with me; maybe more than Id like to admit. Fast forward twenty-five years, and I reached a point where I had to come to terms with that pain. That meant it was time to quit law. Shawns father, who was also a lawyer, was diagnosed with lung cancer when Shawn was 12 years old. Those were the days before hospice, and his mother shouldered much of the burden of caring for his father as the sickness worsened. But there was one thing his mother couldnt bring herself to do: administer pain shots. Shawn stepped up to help and started giving his father Demerol shots at least five times a day. Over the next year and a half, the cancer continued to spread. But his father was his hero, and Shawn couldnt bring himself to believe that his father was really going to die. Finally, that day came. I was with him when he died, and it was the most desperate moment of my life, says Shawn. I remember begging to God out loud to let him live. Theres no question that who I am today was born of that sorrow in my life and that broken heart. For Shawn, Askinosie Chocolate is a way for him to express himself through business. The foundation of the company is its relationships, and hes found it to be a therapeutic endeavor. Where other businesses strive to grow big and grow fast, Shawn purposefully decelerates their growth in order to maximize their impact. While the business is profitable and has been for a long time, their goals are different: they aim to craft ethical, quality chocolate, do good in the world, and meaningfully impact the communities where they do business. Since the beginning, my intention has been to engage with cocoa farmers as business partners, says Shawn. My grandparents were farmers and I grew up spending time on their farm in Southwest Missouri. Those relationships came very naturally to me and its a way of honoring my grandparents and who they were as people. As a lawyer at his firm, Shawn had practiced open-book management for years. As he got Askinosie Chocolate off the ground, he had the idea to take it upstream a notch and share financials with suppliers, too. Since its inception in 2007, Askinosie Chocolate has practiced financial transparency and profit sharing with its employees and suppliers most of whom are cocoa farmers spanning three continents and a myriad of languages. Every year, Shawn travels to Ecuador, the Philippines, and Tanzania to visit their farmer partners and evaluate cocoa beans, build relationships, and hand-deliver their profit shares in cash. Its certainly not cheaper, easier or simpler, but we believe its the best way, says Shawn. Before each visit, we translate our finances into the farmers native language so they can see and understand our financial situation. Over time, our transparency and profit sharing has established an element of trust in the relationship. We become friends with our farmers, and thats a hallmark of what Askinosie Chocolate is. Askinosie Chocolate was at the forefront of the bean-to-bar movement, and it has since established itself as the conscience of the industry and an example for purpose-driven businesses of all stripes. In 2017, Askinosie Chocolate was named one of Forbes Small Giants: Best Small Companies in America. With 17 employees and $2 million revenue, Shawn actively resists growth and implores business leaders to find other ways to measure impact. In his second career, hes come to believe that we need to have other metrics besides top line growth or scaling revenue to measure the success and health of our companies. One of our key metrics is how engaged we are in the communities where the farmers live, says Shawn. For example, we learned that one of the communities struggles with malnourishment. We were able to start a school nutrition program to help feed children and monitor their health. Over eight years, our 17-person company has funded over a million meals for these kids. Our community engagement is inseparable from who we are as a company. The soul of Askinosie Chocolate is made up of more than award-winning chocolate. The business is a vehicle to develop communities in both Shawns hometown and halfway around the world. Its a way to introduce young people to small business as a force for good. And ultimately, its Shawns way of channeling the grief in his own life to make a positive impact on the world. Grief is my biggest influence and continues to weave its way into my life, says Shawn. But over the last 10 or 15 years, Ive learned to recognize that I had and have a broken heart and I dont need to fix it. Instead, I need to let that broken heart express itself in compassion and kindness. Thats what I try to do as an entrepreneur, as a business person, and as a human. To hear more of Shawns story and interviews with other purpose-driven leaders, tune in to my Growing with Purpose podcast.
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https://www.forbes.com/sites/paulspiegelman/2019/01/27/can-entrepreneurship-heal-a-broken-heart/
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Did The FBI Leak Roger Stones Arrest To CNN?
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When the FBI stormed Trump campaign strategist Roger Stones Florida home Friday, CNN was right there with them filming every second. In The Daily Caller News Foundation fact check videos, Anders Hagstrom highlights claims from politicians and the media alike, setting the record straight on double standards and mischaracterizations. TheDCNF has torn down former Secretary of State Hillary Clintons infamous and much-peddled 17 intelligence agencies claim and exposed the liberal media for running damage control for Hamas. Check out a few of our other greatest hits, and subscribe to TheDCNFs YouTube channel to make sure you never miss out. SUBSCRIBE HERE! Did Trump Steal Drain The Swamp From Nancy Pelosi?! Send Tips: [email protected] Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities of our original content, please contact [email protected].
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https://dailycaller.com/2019/01/27/fbi-roger-stone-arrest-cnn/
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Is Netflix racially personalizing artwork for its titles?
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How companies advertise to you says a lot about how they see you. advertisement advertisement It was a couple of years ago now that I realized Netflix saw me as a real mans man. "Netflix, do you happen to have any original series about that dudelife?" pic.twitter.com/YhDWrnOzPh Joe Berkowitz (@JoeBerkowitz) April 17, 2016 My viewing history decreed these shows the ones Id be most interested in, and furthermore, that they should be displayed thuslywith nary a woman in sight. (God forbid I be reminded of my ex or, like, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and close out the tab in a blind rage.) This centering of testosterone went beyond recommending new shows; it crept into the display art for shows Id already seen. Perhaps it was my predilection for Scorsese movies that led to the erasure of Tina Fey. It's almost quaint that Netflix thinks 30 Rock is an Alec Baldwin vehicle. pic.twitter.com/xwomk8zvoy Joe Berkowitz (@JoeBerkowitz) May 20, 2016 As one writer pointed out on Twitter this week, though, the personalization of artwork in Netflixs title recommendations does not merely break down along gender lines. Netflixs art algorithm may also have a racial component, too. Stacia L. Brown tweeted on Thursday about the poster art Netflix customized on her behalf for the film, Like Father. On her account, caucasian costars Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammar are nowhere to be seen, replaced instead by a pair of POC side-characters who barely figure into the movie at all. This film stars Kristen Bell/Kelsey Grammer and these actors had maaaaybe a 10 cumulative minutes of screen time. 20 lines between them, tops. pic.twitter.com/Sj7rD8wfOS stacia l. brown (@slb79) October 18, 2018 Brown put the question out to her 11,500 followers to see whether theyd had similar experiences. Several of them wrote back confirming her suspicion. Further exploration revealed even more instances of relatively marginal black characters in movies and shows sharing the spotlight in order to catch her discerning eye. None of those are quite as weird as the Like Father one, btw. Netflix would be the first to admit it does indeed personalize artwork based on user histories. In fact, the company put out an extensive Medium post last December describing its techniques. advertisement This is yet another way Netflix differs from traditional media offerings: We dont have one product but over 100 million different products with one for each of our members with personalized recommendations and personalized visuals, the writer crows at one point. (Emphasis theirs.) However, the post says nothing about whether race is a determinant factor. The criteria it does offer makes a lot of sense. If your usual fare is straight-up comedy, the artwork for Good Will Hunting will feature legendary funnyman Robin Williams smiling slyly. If your viewing habits skew more toward hopeless romanticism, the same film entices you with Matt Damon and Minnie Driver mid-makeout. The post goes on to explain in very dry language why and how Netflix personalizes its art, and it all sounds perfectly reasonable. Manipulative, sure, but not in an offensive or misleading way. Good Will Hunting does in fact costar Robin Williams, even though its not him at his most hilarious, exactly. Matt Damon and Minnie Driver do share a courtship in the movie, even if its a tad overwrought at times. Perhaps fans of movies about South Boston see Ben Affleck in a tracksuit, and fans of inexplicableness get an image of the scene where Casey Affleck jacks off into a baseball glove in his friends moms room. Its inexplicable.) All of those options are truth in advertising, even if theyre not 1000% accurate. What the company did on Browns account with Like Father, though, seems like a more malevolent manipulation. Not only does it reduce her entertainment preferencesand by extension, part of her personalitydown to black-people movies the way it did dude movies for me, but it also manufactures the appearance of greater diversity than actually exists. If advertising reveals what companies think of you, Netflix seems to think its users dont mind being cynically misled based on identity. The more important question is what this all says about Netflix. UPDATED: Below is a statement from Netflix, addressing personalized title art. advertisement We dont ask members for their race, gender or ethnicity so we cannot use this information to personalize their individual Netflix experience. The only information we use is a members viewing history. In terms of thumbnails, these do differ and regularly change. This is to ensure that the images we show people are useful in deciding which shows to watch.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90253578/is-netflix-racially-personalizing-artwork-for-its-titles
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Can AI make the gender gap at work disappear?
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Heres what we know: Equality in the workplace (that includes equal pay and equal representation at all levels of organizations) could add between $2.1 trillion and $4.3 trillion to the U.S.s GDP in the next decade. But estimates from the U.S. Congress Joint Economic Committee suggest that its going to take over 40 years to get there. Katica Roy wants to change that, or at least accelerate the process, through AI. Thats why she left the corporate world (as a global VP at SAP) and cofounded Pipeline, a software company that uses AI to help businesses boost their bottom line by operationalizing gender equity. The platform was deliberately launched on Equal Pay Day 2017the day that represents how far into the following year the average woman has to work to earn what her male counterpart earns. Since then, Pipeline has been growing a customer base that counts large enterprises like Red Robin as well as smaller companies like SendGrid that are making an investment to achieve workforce equality. To Roy, it just makes good business sense to have equity. Before Pipeline launched, she says they did a research study of 4,000 companies in 29 countries. We found that for every 10% in gender equity toward parity, there was a 1%-2% increase in revenue, she says. Without full representation, Roy notes, companies were constricting their economic footprint. Roy says they also did a lot of research around the headwinds women face as they progress (or not) in their careers. Men are promoted at a rate of 30% greater than women, says Roy when they are moving from individual contributor to management. What they observed is that the number of women gets successively lower the higher up the corporate chain you get. The glass ceiling, she observes, starts pretty far down. Pipelines whole premise then was to look at a companys workforce data and course correct before decisions like promotions are made, she says. The way it works is that every time something like a performance review, promotion, or salary decision needs to be made, the AI analyzes the companys internal workforce data and then makes recommendations to help close the equity gap, such as who to hire, who to promote, or how to diversify a team. After that, it monitors the impact of the changes. All of this lives on a dashboard that gets refreshed with the most current data with each new transaction. For example, she says, Pipelines AI gets to work when a company is posting a job by recommending a slate of internal candidates who could fill the position. To do this, each recommended employee is scored by their skills as well as for the gender makeup of the team they are joining. Performance reviews go through the AIs natural language processing to ensure the review isnt gender-biased.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90250182/this-ai-platform-aims-to-close-the-gender-gap-in-the-workforce
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Is it possible to have work-life balance?
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I find thinking about work-life balance exhausting. The idea that we all should strive for a perfect equilibrium of work, family, health, and friendship seems like a recipe for stress. Anytime Ive attempted to achieve it, Ive failed miserably and felt worse about myself. As a result, Ive given up aiming for it altogether. But according to Tiffany Dufu, author of Drop The Ball: Achieving More By Doing Less, the problem with the idea of work-life balance is our own definition of it. In this last episode of the first season of the Secrets Of The Most Productive People podcast, we explore why the term has a gendered connotation, even though its an issue that both men and women face. Dufu also suggests that we can all benefit from lowering the expectations that we have of ourselves, and be forgiving when we dont meet our self-imposed high standards. You can find the episode on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is the last episode for season one of Secrets Of The Most Productive People, but please stay subscribed as well be back for season two with more productivity-related content. In addition, we have a bonus episode coming up, live from the Fast Company Innovation Festival. To help us make this podcast even better, please fill out a short survey here. Participants will have a chance to win a $50 gift card.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90251638/is-it-possible-to-have-work-life-balance
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Can connecting beehives to the cloud save pollinators?
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Behind an office building at Oracles U.K. headquarters in Reading, two beehives are connected to the companys cloud. One sensor on each hive captures the sound of buzzing; one captures humidity. Another measures the weight of the honey. In total, five or six sensors per hive send data to the cloud, where its analyzed along with other local data like the weather and pollution levels. Its the start of what Oracle, working with the nonprofit The World Bee Project, hopes will be a global network of beehives connected to their cloud and analyzed with artificial intelligence. In recent years, pollinator species like honeybees have dwindled dramatically, stricken by disease, climate change, pesticides, and stress. Through this new method of data collection and analysis, the partnership wants to give pollinators a shot at survival. Its good for scientists, because they can see how individual hives are operating, and its good for the beekeeper, because we could actually give the beekeeper early threat analysis if theres trouble ahead, says John Abel, VP of Cloud for Oracle UK, Ireland and Israel, who is leading the project at Oracle. Sensors on beehives arent new, but combining it with other publicly available data and using AI and machine learning to analyze it should yield new insights for researchers aiming to understand challenges for bees. In England, the honeybee population dropped 54% between 1985 and 2005. The data can help researchers study how land use, for example, impacts bee health, and better understand insect diseases and other threats. The insights can also help backyard beekeepers learn how to keep their hives healthy, or determine whether their hive is in the wrong location. We can start giving the beekeeper the knowledge of what makes the best-optimized hive, Abel says. Rather than looking solely at the hive, the analysis can look at the surrounding environment, pollution, and factors like local agricultural practices. The data can be used to tell beekeepers where to place a hive, how to set it up, and how to yield more honey from a hive. The team is working with local researchers to train its software to recognize patterns in the data. Soundwave patterns can indicate if a hive is healthy or unwell, or if an invasive predator has entered the hive. Another sound pattern could signal if the bees are swarming, which is something that beekeepers want to prevent if it happens at the wrong time of year. The technology can also remotely detect problems like a low food supply. Beekeepers can use the data to plan inspections, feeding, and other interventions with the least disruption to the bees. As the network scales up and more data is gathered in the cloud, the better researchers will be able to analyze it. We really want as much data as we can get, Abel says. The better the data, the [bigger] volume of the data, the more velocity, the more we can make accurate predictions.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90251767/can-connecting-beehives-to-the-cloud-save-pollinators
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Why do digital health startups keep failing?
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A decade ago, a wave of companies promised to transform peoples health by allowing them to track data about their eating, sleep, exercise, and other habits. One hot startup of that moment, Zeo, raised more than $30 million from investors to develop a headband that tracked users sleep patterns and an accompanying app to serve as their personal sleep coach. Despite devoted users and buzz about its product in publications like Wired and Popular Science, Zeo quietly went out of business a few years later. advertisement advertisement Zeo is just one of many digital health startups whose early promise failed to materialize into lasting impact. Money continues to pour into the spaceto the tune of nearly $12 billion in investment in 2017but few companies have cracked the code for delivering technologies that truly transform healthcare. Many digital health companies fall short because they apply a strategy to healthcare that was developed and refined in the tech sector, an entirely different industry with its own set of rules. Consumer technology startups often push quickly to get a minimum viable product to market and then iterate to improve that product based on what most resonates with consumers. Entrepreneurs and investors from the tech world mistakenly assume that this lean startup approach, which works well for products like photo-sharing tools and meal-delivery apps, should be equally successful for tackling any kind of problem. However, this strategy is ill-suited to healthcare, a much more complex and regulated industry. Digital health products need to appeal not just to individual consumers but to a complicated landscape of stakeholdersfrom doctors and patients to regulators and insurersall of whom have a say in whether a new technology is adopted. Products, especially those considered medical devices, may take years of jumping through complex clinical and regulatory hoops before they reach the market, and cant always easily be iterated once they do. In this environment, techs move fast and break things model can become move too quickly and break your company. For example, many founders coming from tech are focused on building and marketing products to consumers. They dont realize until well into their companys development that doctors and insurers are actually the gatekeepers and customers to whom they should be selling their products. This is why 61% of digital health companies that start B2C end up pivoting to B2B and selling to insurance companies, employers, hospitals, or other healthcare providers. A better approach for healthcare is need-driven innovation. Rather than leaping to invent a technology (like a sleep monitor) and then searching for a challenge it can be used to address (promoting more restful sleep), one starts by deeply understanding an important problem in healthcare and then designs a technology that is uniquely suited to solve it. advertisement Heres how need-driven innovation works: After identifying an unmet healthcare need, the innovators take a deep dive to thoroughly understand the problem, existing solutions, and the needs and perspectives of all the stakeholders involved, trying to avoid any preconceived ideas about what a solution should look like or what product they should build. This process typically involves research into the medical literature; interviews with doctors, patients, and other stakeholders; and in-person observations to see how the problem plays out in different healthcare settings. Through this process, the innovators develop need criteria, a list of essential requirements a solution must offer in order to meet various stakeholder needs and improve on the current standard of care. These factors may include accuracy, cost, ease-of-use, integration with existing work processes, and so on. Instead of rushing to launch a product and then see how users respond, innovators start with a blank slate and use the need criteria to guide the careful development of an appropriate solution, increasing its odds of successful adoption. Theres one catch: The process of deeply understanding and addressing stakeholder needs is painstaking, which is why tech innovators who are used to jumping quickly into product development are often tempted to skip it. As longtime healthcare venture capitalist Rob Coppedge explains, considerable capital was burned [by digital health startups] without building truly sustainable businesses because founders lacked expertise, underappreciated healthcare specific workflows, [and] misunderstood the full healthcare consumer journey. Arlen Myers, president of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs, echoes these concerns, indicating that many digital health startups fail because they dont involve end users early and often enough . . . dont satisfy the needs of multiple stakeholders . . . make products that interfere with physician workflow instead of making it easier . . . [or] launch products that are not clinically validated. In contrast, weve been developing, studying, and teaching a need-driven health technology innovation process at the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign for nearly two decades and have seen powerful evidence that it works. So far, 48 medical device and digital health companies have originated from projects undertaken in Stanford Biodesigns fellowships and classes, and the solutions they have developed have provided care for more than 1.5 million patients. Consider iRhythm Technologies and its wearable cardiac rhythm monitor, the Zio Patch, a concept that originated at Stanford Biodesign. Like the other Zeo, the Zio Patch uses sensors to collect data on a complex conditionin this case, heart arrhythmias (heart rhythm disorders). However, the product grew out of a need-driven approach that provided a thorough understanding of the problem before the solution was even invented. advertisement As a cardiology fellow at UCSF and a Biodesign Innovation Fellow at Stanford Hospital, iRhythm founder Uday N. Kumar was struck by how physicians needed a better way to accurately diagnose arrhythmias in non-hospitalized patients. The standard of care was the Holter monitor, a portable recording device with multiple wires and electrodes affixed to the skin. It is cumbersome to wear, cant be used during exercise or showering, and is kept on for only 24 to 48 hours, potentially missing many arrhythmias that occur intermittently. In multiple observations of different patient groups, iRhythms team saw that the existing technology was so problematic that some patients were never diagnosed or only correctly diagnosed after multiple visits, which drove up costs. The teams deep dive into the problem led them to craft requirements for a device that would be low cost, accurate, easy to use, and able to monitor and function over an extended period of time. Based on these need criteria, they outlined the general idea of what would eventually become the Zio Patch: a small, flexible, water-resistant, adhesive monitoring patch that records heart rhythms continuously for up to two weeks. The solution is inexpensive and simple enough that it can be given to patients of all ages and abilities, not only by heart specialists but also in the emergency room or at a primary care physicians office, potentially avoiding unnecessary specialist visits. Because they were focused on meeting those need criteria, the iRhythm team chose not to include certain complex high-tech features, like wireless data transmission, that, at the time, would have made the device too expensive for the broad population it was intended to serve. The team also recognized that it wouldnt be enough that Zio was easier for patients to use. The device also had to generate information that was easy for physicians to interpret and apply, and improve the clinical outcomes that matter to health insurance companies. By conducting 18 clinical studies on the Zio Patch and publishing the results in peer-reviewed journals such as the Journal of the American Medical Association, iRhythm has been able to demonstrate improved diagnostic accuracy and better patient outcomes. As a result, theyve convinced insurance companies to provide reimbursement for the Zio Patch, an essential milestone in the adoption of a new health technology. Their latest study showed that the device improves detection of irregular heart rhythms when compared to traditional standards of care. This builds on previous research demonstrating that the Zio Patch is better at detecting arrhythmias than the commonly used Holter monitor. As of 2017, iRhythm had raised more than $230 million from investors, including $110 million prior to an initial public offering in October 2016. In 2018, the company was projecting revenue of around $140 million. As iRhythms story shows, starting with a deep understanding of key stakeholder needs can help companies achieve the real promise of digital healthcreating solutions that improve existing diagnostic, treatment, and monitoring processes by making them faster, more accessible, more accurate, more personalized, and less expensive. advertisement Taking what works in the tech sector and applying it to healthcare simply wont cut it. As digital health continues to take off, success will be determined by getting the need right, designing innovative solutions that address stakeholders top priorities, and then demonstrating that a product provides better results. Dr. Paul Yock is a cardiologist, health technology innovator, and professor of medicine and bioengineering. In 2000, he founded the Byers Center for Biodesign at Stanford University as a pioneering innovation training program dedicated to the design and development of medical technologies.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90251795/why-do-digital-health-startups-keep-failing
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Can Knix win the $12 billion underwear wars?
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On Mothers Day this year, the unthinkable happened to Joanna Griffiths, founder and CEO of five-year-old underwear brand Knix: At 10 weeks pregnant, she noticed blood on her underwear. Later that day, after six hours and two ultrasounds, the nurse told Griffiths and her husband that she was having a miscarriage. And that she should expect a little more bleeding. advertisement advertisement She was wrong, Griffiths tells me. I felt like I was hemorrhaging. I bled through five super maxi overnight pads and three pairs of pajamas. As the head of a fast-growing, self-funded startup, Griffiths was regularly working 12-hour days. Knix currently sells an item every 10 seconds, and is on track to ship half a million orders this year alone. She currently has 37 employees, but needs to get to 50 by the end of the year to keep up with the brands growth. Griffiths wondered whether she had somehow brought on the miscarriage by pushing herself too hard or traveling too much. (Nearly half of women wrongly blame themselves for pregnancy losses.) She decided to do something with her pain: She began working on an advertising campaign for Knix around the issue of fertility, where women would openly share their struggles. I wanted women to be able to talk about all of it out in the open, Griffiths tells me. In a video that launches today on Knixs website and Instagram channels, Griffiths shares her own story. But the campaign also features interviews with 50 other Knix customers talking about wide-ranging topics related to fertility. Some talk about desperately wanting to have a baby but not being able to. In a round table discussion, three women talk about how they have no intention of having children at all: Theres this sense that Im less of a woman because I dont want to be a mother, one of them says. Knix bills itself as a brand reinventing intimates with functional details, like panties that absorb period blood or incontinence leaks, and bras that provide support without any wires. But Griffithss ambition with Knix is bigger than just trying to reimagine womens underwear. Through the companys social channels and advertising, shes also creating a community of womenonline and offlinefocused on embracing their bodies as they are. The brands Instagram page is full of row after row of real customers, proudly displaying stretch marks from weight gain or loss, and diastasis rectia bulge in the middle of the abdomen from their stomach stretching out during pregnancy. One woman, Nikki McKean, is topless, highlighting a chest flattened after her double mastectomy because of breast cancer. Women are not just their bodies and their breasts and whatever they come with, she says in the caption. The power of femininity is within. advertisement I decided not to use professional models early on, Griffiths says. And, surprisingly, women seemed to gravitate towards us because we were grittier and less polished than other brands. I think thats when I realized that there was something more powerful going on than underwear: This brand could be part of a movement. The transformation of an industry Knix is part of a wave of startups transforming the intimates industry, bridging the gap between the sexy branding embodied by Victorias Secret and the boring functionality of Hanes and Fruit of the Loom. Victorias Secret, which was founded in 1977, still dominates the North American market. Last year, the company generated $7.78 billion in revenue, which still makes it the biggest player in the $12 billion lingerie industry. But its been steadily losing market share. Last year, sales at the brand decreased by 8%. Analysts have provided a range of reasons for Victorias Secret decline. Some describe the poor make of the products, while others point out that the brand has invested heavily in more than a thousand stores throughout North America at a time when consumers arent visiting malls. But it is also possible that Victorias Secrets marketing isnt resonating with todays consumers. The mega-brand has built its identity on highly sexualized advertising, with many catalogues dripping with a boudoir aesthetic. Consider its flagship event: an annual runway show where supermodels strut wearing enormous angel wings and diamond-encrusted bras. In the #MeToo era, the eventand the idea behind itseems a little retrograde. Many women may simply be choosing to stop supporting a brand that does not reflect their values by buying their bras and undies elsewhere. Dozens of startups have rushed to stake a claim to Victorias Secrets shrinking market share. Among the new crop of startups are TomboyX, founded in 2012 to create androgynous-looking underwear for women; Thinx, which launched in 2014 offering period underwear; and Lively, founded in 2015 by a former Victorias Secret executive. All of these brands have made womens empowerment part of their brand in some way. Rather than suggesting that women buy underwear simply to look sexy for their partners, these companies focus on the comfort of their products. All of them also support body positivity, using diverse, inclusive models in their ads. Thinx was perhaps the loudest and most visible of this generation of startups thanks to Miki Agrawal, the brands charismatic founder, who regularly made media appearances to publicize her brand. Agrawals mission was to destigmatize periods, both by making leakproof period panties, but also by creating a cultural conversation about menstruation. In 2015, Thinx plastered New York subways with large ads featuring runny eggs and grapefruit suggestive of womens reproductive parts, followed by conversation starters like: Theres a 1 in 12 chance that you are on your period right now, yet we rarely discuss menstruation outside of whispers woman to woman. But last year, Agrawal was ousted from her role as CEO after several employees at the company accused her of sexually harassing them by inappropriately touching their breasts and regularly appearing nude in front of them. All of this came as a blow to Thinx fans, who supported the brand not just because of the products, but because they believed in its feminist mission. Since Thinxs board appointed a new CEO, tech veteran and Harvard MBA Maria Molland, the brand hasnt made headlines or launched any ambitious ad campaigns. This creates space for other lingerie brands to make some noise. advertisement And Griffiths isnt wasting the opportunity. Knix on the rise Throughout Thinxs rise and fall, Knix was growing quietly. In the first few years after launch, Griffiths focused on getting Knixs business model right, developing new products, and building a community of loyal customers. (Knix has been self-funded from the beginning, although Griffiths is considering institutional funding now, to scale the business.) Griffiths came up with the idea for Knix in her early twenties over a chat with her mother, a doctor, who described how womens bodies change drastically throughout their lives. It dawned on Griffiths how terrible it is that so many common experiences that women go through, from menstruation to incontinence (which affects one in five women), are taboo. And many companies werent creating productsor brandsthat supported women through all of this. This planted a seed in Griffithss mind: She would one day start a company that addressed these problems. In 2012, while getting an MBA at the French business school INSEAD, Griffiths began developing a business plan. She started surveying women she knew about the underwear they wished they had. While my friends were out drinking cocktails, I was holed up in the library visiting internet chat rooms, asking women about their needs, she recalls. When they started to feel comfortable, all of these gripes started pouring out of them. They hated that they had to buy what amounted to adult diapers when they got incontinence after giving birth; they hated that period panties all looked like granny panties. Griffiths designed thin, aesthetically pleasing panties using performance fabrics that had a layer to absorb urine. She then tweaked the design to create a separate period panty version, and then yet another seamless, moisture-wicking version for working out. She then spent months traveling the world looking for the right factory partner to manufacture her first line of Knix undies, which launched in 2013. I learned that urine, blood, and sweat flow out of the body at different rates, she says. The challenge was creating a product that was perfectly adapted to absorb each of these fluids. At first, Griffiths sold her products, which come encased in a tube container and cost a little over $20 a pop, through department stores, boutiques, and workout studios throughout the United States and Canada. While the brand was growing steadilyselling thousands of pairs a yearGriffiths was frustrated by how little she knew about her customers. She didnt have any information about who they were and she couldnt get their feedback to improve products. advertisement So Griffiths tried something new. To launch Knixs first braa wireless design that could be adapted eight ways and could handle light workoutsshe decided to skip retailers altogether and create a Kickstarter campaign, with a sliding scale of prices that would allow her to gather more data about customers and how much they were willing to invest in her brand. The response was overwhelming: Knix received $1.5 million in funding. (Griffiths had been hoping to generate enough money to make 1,000 bras; suddenly Knix was on track to make 30,000.) It still remains the most-funded fashion item in Kickstarters history. Gritty and unpolished The success of the campaign inspired Griffiths to stop selling her products at retail stores altogether. By 2016, Knix became a fully direct-to-consumer brand, operated entirely through a newly revamped website. Rather than hiring professional models to display products online, Griffiths wanted to use real customers, and vowed not to Photoshop the images. I was really proud of our large size range, she says. I believe our products really do look beautiful on all body types, and I thought the best way to highlight this was to show how real women wore them. Knix posted casting calls on Instagram and Facebook, and to Griffithss surprise, dozens of Knix fans eagerly volunteered to model the underwear in exchange for free products and Knix gift cards. When Knix invited these women out to the brands headquarters for the first shoot, Griffiths began to see what the brand could be. Its a vulnerable situation being in a room with total strangers, wearing underwear, Griffiths says. We did our best to let the women take the lead about how they wanted to pose. And before we knew it, they started sharing various insecurities they had about their body, and how they were working to overcome them: By the end of the session, they were all best friends. The same thing happens at every photo shoot, of which there are many, since the brand now only features real customers on all ads and throughout its website. (It recently announced that it had photographed its 500th customer.) It was as if the virtual community that Griffiths had been working to create online was coming to life before her eyes. For Griffiths, her decision to cast real women on her site has led to the organic growth of a community of women online and, increasingly, offline. And those customers, in turn, have shaped the design of Knixs products. The conversations that have come out of these photo shoots have spurred ideas for new campaigns, including the current one about fertility, as well as new products. Hearing women of color discuss how hard it is to find nude underwear that matches their skin tone has inspired her to develop a wider range of shades, something Knix designers are creating for upcoming seasons. Hearing mothers talk about their daughters anxieties about their changing bodies inspired Griffiths to create a line for adolescent girls called KnixTeen. This powerful community may be Knixs secret weapon in the underwear wars, which is heating up. The next generation of underwear companies is just beginning to scale. Lively just snagged $6.5 million in funding in September, bringing its total VC investment to $15 million. The brand is planning to use this funding to roll out brick-and-mortar stores in New York, Dallas, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Meanwhile, TomboyX has picked up a total of $6.3 million, including a recent $4.3 million investment in August, to grow its brand awareness. While Griffiths has proudly self-funded Knix until now, shes also considering taking on VC funding to accelerate growth. Each of these brands has ambitions to become the next Victorias Secret. advertisement Each of them is inclusive in their own way, but Knixs community is arguably the most diverse in terms of age and aesthetic preferences. TomboyX and Lively are millennial-focused brands, while Knixs products appeal to girls as young as 12 through the KnixTeen line, all the way to women in their 60s looking for solutions to incontinence. And whereas each of its competitors has a distinct design styleTomboyX tends to create underwear with a toyboyish look, as its name implies, and Lively leans toward feminine laces and patternsKnix underwear doesnt have a specific look. Its technical fabrics come in a range of neutral colors, which women style in very different ways. Griffiths hopes to continue growing this broad audience by leaning into customer photo shoots, both as a marketing tool and a source of customer feedback. Over the next year, Knix will travel to cities across the United States enlisting customers to model for the brand, and launch a Facebook group for fans. Griffiths will be paying close attention to the ideas that emerge during these conversations, and shell use them to influence the direction of the company. So many of our products and campaigns have come directly out of customer experiences, Griffiths says. This approach means that Im never entirely sure whats next for Knix, but thats okay: Im excited about the adventure ahead.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90249128/can-knix-win-the-12-billion-underwear-wars
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Will Self-Driving Cars Take Us to Utopia or Urban Hell?
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Despite public trepidation, self-driving cars are now debuting in San Francisco and Phoenix, Arizona. These robot taxis are required to have human backup drivers for now, but autonomous vehicle technology is quickly improving as major corporations such as Uber, Google, Apple and Tesla continue to invest. RehtinkX, an independent tech think tank, estimates that 95 percent of passenger miles traveled in the United States will be served by automated taxi services by 2030. Analysts and transportation advocates are no longer questioning whether self-driving cars, buses and delivery vehicles are going to a viable part of our transportation future. Instead, they are debating what that future should look like. Environmental equity researcher Hana Creger has two distinct visions of a future where self-driving vehicles are part of everyday life. She warns that if policy makers allow the market to make decisions without regulation, taxation and community input, we could be headed toward transportation hell. In this scenario, self-driving cars are used mainly by those wealthy enough to afford a luxury replacement to personal vehicles, leaving everyone else with congested streets, heavy traffic, longer commutes in sprawling cities and a deteriorating, underfunded public transportation system. Meanwhile, opportunities to cut climate-disrupting carbon emissions would be lost. On the other hand, Creger also envisions a modern landscape where self-driving cars are part of a cleaner transportation system built for everyone. In this scenario, fleets of electric automated vehicles are shared by commuters, reducing traffic and air pollution, and providing mobility that everyone can afford including working people who currently use public transportation rather than personal cars and may not have immediate access to the latest smartphone or digital gadget. Self-driving taxis compliment walking, biking, and traditional bus and train routes rather than encourage urban sprawl and crowded highways. This is Cregers transportation heaven scenario, where energy is conserved, transportation workers still have jobs, and lower-income families, the elderly and people with disabilities have better options for getting around. Precious urban space formerly used for parking is freed up, and city streets encourage biking and walking thanks to predictable traffic patterns and the advanced computerized sensors installed in self-driving cars. In transportation heaven, autonomous vehicles are designed to meet [peoples needs] and move as many people as possible, Creger told Truthout. Such vehicles could include self-driving trains and buses in city centers, self-driving shuttles to connect suburbs to transit hubs, and a self-driving personal vehicle for someone in a rural area who needs their own car. Creger is the author of a new report on self-driving vehicles released this week by the Greenlining Institute, a California-based think tank focused on racial and economic justice. Greenlining is a response to redlining the practice of denying services and economic opportunity to specific neighborhoods, particularly low-income communities of color. The report received input from a number experts working at the intersection of transportation, environmental sustainability, racial justice and disability rights. Self-driving cars and freight vehicles, the report states, have the potential to address inequality or further widen the economic gap between the privileged and the underserved. Self-driving cars are just kind of seen as this new, cool technology, but in reality we need to also be thinking about how to make bus stops better, and how to make our cities less polluted, and how to provide safe, affordable mobility to everyone, Creger said. The United States has a long history of redlining and unfair housing practices that have pushed people of color into undesirable areas with low levels of environmental quality. Highways connecting cities to the suburbs were built right through urban communities of color, displacing residents and shuttering local businesses. Today, full-time workers of color make 23 percent less than their white counterparts, and the poorest Americans spend up to 40 percent of their income on transportation compared to the 13 percent spent by the wealthy, according to the Greenlining Institutes report. Now, urban gentrification is pushing lower-income people into the suburbs and farther from workplaces, social services and public transit. Self-driving cars could be used to remedy these problems, but they could easily make them worse. Creger lives in works in the Bay Area, where the tech industry has dramatically reshaped San Francisco and Oakland with an influx of white-collar workers, skyrocketing housing prices and other signs of intense gentrification. Creger said self-driving cars are everywhere in the Bay Area nowadays, and she has taken a test drive herself. Despite a few high-profile accidents, Creger said its easy to see how, once fully developed, self-driving technology could make life safer for pedestrians and cyclists who share the road with automobiles. Its also easy to see how self-driving cars could exacerbate inequality in cities dominated by the tech industry. Its not really the technology that scares me, its more how humans will utilize it. Creger explained that there are already two distinct transportation systems in San Francisco, where Google and Apple buses delivering employees to the companies offices along established bus routes have enraged just about everyone else. Chariot, a luxury commuter service operating in cities like San Francisco, Austin and New York, often duplicates existing public transportation routes, allowing those who can pay to commute with each other (and enjoy high speed wi-fi) instead of finding a seat on the train or bus. When more commuters turn to private services, revenue and investment for public transit suffers. If were not careful, this will outcompete public transit ridership and lead to the deterioration of service, Creger said. Then theres Uber and Lyft, the two major ride sourcing services under fire for unfair labor practices and the bane of traditional taxi drivers everywhere. Both companies perpetuate the gig economy, where stable employment is replaced by temporary jobs with few benefits. Despite a fatal accident in Arizona, Uber is pushing ahead with plans for self-driving fleets. Cregers report argues for robust training programs and strong unions to help workers transition into the new transit economy, and she is not alone. Last year, delegations of urban planning and transportation experts from cities in the US and the European Union gathered for a symposium on the socioeconomic impacts of automated and connected vehicles. Susan Sheehan, co-director of the University of California, Berkeleys Transportation Research and Sustainability Center and a member of the US delegation, is studying employment and other social equity concerns closely. There are a lot of people who are drivers. What happens to those jobs? Sheehan said. How are we going to train the next workforce? The Pathway to an Automated World Sheehan said the conversation around self-driving cars has been dominated by utopian and dystopian visions of the future, much like Cregers heaven and hell scenarios. However, the experts at the symposium were reluctant to look at the issue in such stark terms as they built a framework for studying the automated future. Instead, they predict a slow and steady transition toward automated transport, shaped by a mix of regulatory and market forces, depending on where you are in the world. Its not going to be like waving a magic wand, and everything will be automated, Sheehan said. Experts still have more questions than answers. Sheehan pointed to elevators, a mode of transport that had human operators for several decades before we began pushing the buttons ourselves. There is a lot discussion about how quickly this is going to happen, but a lot of experts believe that it will be a long transition, and one that is not as simple as utopia or dystopia, Sheehan said. To get to utopia, you have travel through something. Its the pathway to the fully evolved, automated world, right? Creger argues that its crucial that social justice advocates use this transition period to ask serious questions about how autonomous vehicles will impact low-income people, communities of color, people with disabilities and the elderly. For now, self-driving cars appear to be moving in the right direction; the first self-driving permits issued to companies like Waymo and Zoox are for robot taxi services that pool riders, not for personalized vehicles for the wealthy. The tech entrepreneurs at RethinkX argue the market will continue to push the industry in this direction, but urban planners and community advocates must pay attention and work to sustain affordable public transit and prevent future transportation injustice. The time to act is now, as dozens of states have already introduced legislation to regulate autonomous vehicles. Is it connecting biking and walking? Creger said. For me, its not enough that a car can drive itself; it should be making our entire transportation system better. Yes, Ill chip in 2019 is going to be an important year for us all ...which is why we urgently need everyone reading this to take a moment to help us continue our work. Unlike most news sites, we dont run ads, have a paywall or sell your info. We rely on your support. Please, help us keep fighting for a better future by making a tax-deductible donation right now. It takes seconds (we dont even need your address) and every dollar helps. Copyright Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.
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https://truthout.org/articles/will-self-driving-cars-take-us-to-utopia-or-urban-hell/
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Will shutdown trigger retirement tsunami?
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The most recent shutdown is a major financial hit on hundreds of thousands of federal workers who, in some cases, will never recover. The 800,000 feds hit by the furlough will eventually get paid. But a larger number of federal contractors hit by the furlough will never recoup their financial losses. Advertisement Hundreds of jurisdictions have lost tax revenue as merchants double-down because their federal patrons arent spending what they dont have. The Metro public transit system in the Washington, D.C. area loses hundreds of thousands of dollars each day of the furlough. A lot of them are fed up and many people who have contacted us here at Federal News Network say theyve had it. They plan to retire as soon as they are able. And some of them are going to be very hard to replace: Air traffic controllers, for example, dont grow on trees. They take several years to train, which is a problem because the Federal Aviation Administration training facility in Oklahoma is closed because of, you guessed it, the shutdown. Heres what some people are going through: Our family is holding up okay for the moment. Fortunately, we have a reserve fund and some other means at our disposal. However, we are in the minority. As you know, nearly 80 percent of Americans cannot absorb a small emergency expense. For the long term, the issue I see with this is the complete lack of respect for civil servants displayed by our elected officials and many members of this administration. For someone to say that we will make adjustments, or that this is a vacation is both absurd and outrageous. Civil service used to be a honorable calling. Now weve been demonized by certain politicians and special interest groups to the point that 1) as soon are folks are eligible, they are retiring, with little or no knowledge transfer, 2) we are losing mid-career professionals to the private sector, and 3) we are having trouble recruiting the next generation of public servants. Its time for the men and women who work for us to do their jobs pass the spending bills, re-open the government, get us back pay, and pass legislation to prevent future shutdowns. We dont care whose fault it is, we just want to be paid if we are working and we want to go back to work if were furloughed. Simple as that. Cincinnatus The administration along with Congress are doing exactly what our true enemies, al-Qaida and ISIS dream of: Disrupt the US government economically and culturally for a painfully significant amount of time. Osama [bin Laden] would be proud of our dysfunctional accomplishments. To break the impasse, I highly recommend that a substantial number of moderate representatives and senators from both sides of the aisle band together and pass legislation that can be veto-proof. In this manner, it forces Trump to either accept the will of Congress or clearly show that he owns the shutdown without excuse. This will in turn provide a basic Civility 101 for our country of both parties to be proud of. Government does work and is free and functional. Concerned Citizen, Suitland, Maryland Tony Krolik, a retired IRS worker, said the extended shutdown will create a tsunami of retirements and there will be a need for new federal workers but the fact people can be furloughed for the most stupid and selfish reasons will have an impact on these openings. He also warned that overworked and stressed out employees may crack, with dangerous results. Nearly Useless Factoid By Amelia Brust Aluminum cans once used can be recycled back onto a store shelf in an average of 60 days. Source: Novelis Copyright 2019 Federal News Network. All rights reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area.
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https://federalnewsnetwork.com/mike-causey-federal-report/2019/01/will-shutdown-trigger-retirement-tsunami/
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Can mushrooms be the platform we build the future on?
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When the first bioreactor-grown clean meat shows up in restaurantsperhaps by the end of this year its likely to come in the form of ground meat rather than a fully formed chicken wings or sirloin steak. While its possible to grow animal cells in a factory, its harder to grow full animal parts. One solution may come from fungi: Mycelia, the hair-like network of cells that grows in mushrooms, can create a scaffold to grow a realistic cut of meat. With our platform, were able to make these complex structures that have texture that you would cut with a knife and be like, wow, that actually has fibers in it, like meat structure, says Eben Bayer, founder of Ecovative, a company that recently released a new mycelium-based biofabrication platform. For the company, growing meat without livestock is just one of many applications of the platform. Its using nature as a molecular assembler, Bayer says. Ecovative first launched a decade ago by making packaging, now used by Dell and Ikea, that injects farm waste products with mushroom spawn inside a mold. Days later, the mycelium completes the growth of the product, which can be used as a compostable alternative to Styrofoam. The same process can also be used to grow building materials. The companys new MycoFlex platform, which Ecovative announced at SynBioBeta, a synthetic biology conference in San Francisco, can create higher-performing materials. The company is now beginning to license the process to other manufacturers. Our intellectual property is in understanding the growth and the growth processes thatll coax mycelium to create these very complex structures, do so repeatedly, and do so at scale, Bayer says. The process involves growing trays of mycelia, along with a nutritious substrate, in long walk-in tunnels. By controlling temperature, humidity, carbon dioxide, airflow, and other factors, its possible to control the geometry, density, size, and shape of the material. Bolt Threads used the new platform to create Mylo, a biofabricated leather that uses the network of mycelial fibers to create the look and texture of a hide from a cow. A tote bag made from the new material launched in September. As the clean meat industry emerges, its likely that it will also use the platform. People working in regenerative medicineincluding startups currently attempting to 3D-print artificial hearts and other body partsmay also use it. The challenges of growing organs are similar to those involved with growing meat: the structure. Its very difficult to grow a network of working blood vessels. Some researchers have successfully experimented with plants. Its possible to strip plant cells from a spinach leaf and then use the veins to carry blood. But in the case of an apple or a spinach leaf, youre sort of stuck with the geometry of whatever that natural structure is, says Bayer. What makes mycelium an exciting choice for that is we have a lot of control over how these structures form, because while it does form these networks, it does so in a predictable fashion. In theory, if you were growing lungs, you could create both the right shape and structure.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90246740/can-mushrooms-be-the-platform-we-build-the-future-on
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What does it mean to be interesting?
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Most of us know and value pleasant experiences. We savor the taste of a freshly picked strawberry. We laugh more than an event warrants, just because laughing feels good. We might argue about the degree to which such pleasant experiences are valuable, and the extent to which they ought to shape our lives, but we cant deny their value. It seems there are. Often, we have experiences that captivate us, that we cherish even though they are not entirely pleasant. We read a novel that leads us to feel both horror and awe. We binge-watch a TV show that explores the shocking course of moral corruption of someone who could be your neighbor, friend, even your spouse. The experience is both painful and horrifying, but we cant turn it off. These experiences seem intuitively valuable in the same way that pleasant experiences are intuitively valuable. But they are not valuable because they are pleasantrather, they are valuable by virtue of being interesting. First, to say that something is interesting is to describe what the experience feels like to the person undergoing it. This is the phenomenological quality of the experience. When we study the phenomenology of something, we examine what it feels like, from the inside, to experience that thing. For instance, most of us would describe eating our favorite foods as a pleasurable experience: The food itself isnt pleasurable, but the experience of eating it is. Similarly, when we talk about something being beautiful or awe-inspiring, we arent describing the thing itself, but rather our experience of it. We see the sunset and feel moved by it; the beauty is something we experience. Likewise, the awe it inspires is a feature of our experiential reaction to it. The interesting is just like this. It is a feature of our experiential reaction, of our engagement. We dont always use the word interesting in this way. In ordinary language, we often describe the objects of experience as interesting. We talk about interesting books, interesting people, and so on. When we say that a book is interesting, we more likely mean that the experience of reading the book is interesting. It just doesnt make sense to describe a book to be objectively interesting, independently of people experiencing it as interesting. We dont all find the same things to be interesting. It is a common experience for something to be interesting to one person, yet not another. So while we might describe objects as interesting, we should recognize that this is a loose, and shorthand, way to describe whats really interestingour experience of them. Another way in which we use the word interesting is in the context of describing what a person is interested in: John is interested in World War II novels, for example. This usage also differs from what Im describing as the interesting. It describes a particular fit between ones interests and the objects of ones experiences. But notice that fitting with your interests, and being interested in something, is actually a different experience to finding something interesting. Weve all been interested in things that turn out to be boring, and weve all found experiences interesting when we had no prior interest in them. The interesting is thus not an objective feature of an object, nor an experience that necessarily aligns or follows from your interests. It is rather a feature of our experiences. To say that something is interesting is also to describe a particular kind of synthesis that arises within the experience. Whenever we engage in an activity, we bring to that experience some combination of expectations, likes/desires, beliefs, curiosity, and so forth. This package contributes to the activity delivering a particular subjective experience. There is a synthesis, specific to the individuals engagement, that determines what her experience feels likeits phenomenological quality. It is within this synthesis that a person finds an experience interesting, or not. There is no one synthesis that makes an experience interesting. Sometimes, a clash of expectations and reality makes something interesting, sometimes someones curiosity allows one to notice features that make an activity interesting, and so on. Because the interesting lies within a synthesis between the individual and an activity, one individual can find something interesting (say, reading philosophy) that another person doesnt.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90247237/what-makes-a-person-or-experience-interesting
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Could a simple design tweak fix one of data vizs big problems?
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If youve spent any significant time looking at data visualizationsor in a STEM classroomyouve probably had this maxim drilled into your head: Correlation does not imply causation . In plain English, it means just because A and B appear to be related doesnt mean that A caused B to happen. Statisticians and chart nerds love to point out this fallacy by setting up patently absurd correlations, like matching up the divorce rate in Maine with per capita consumption of margarine . Nobody would seriously believe that eating margarine causes divorce. If, after scanning that graph, you cant help but think that higher housing prices are somehow causing women to have fewer babies well, you wouldnt be alone. Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West, two researchers at the University of Washington, think that the very layout of the graph itselfone set of numbers laid out horizontally, another set arranged verticallymay be partly to blame. That classic X vs Y axis graph, known as a scatterplot, is a workhorse visualization in science and statistics. Researchers use it to explore how closely two sets of measurements are related to each other. Scatterplots make this exploration easier, because the correlations literally line up as visual patterns right in front of your eyes. The trouble, says Bergstrom, is that these correlation-only scatterplots follow exactly the same visual conventions as graphs that are explicitly intended to show causation. According to Bergstrom, pretty much every one you saw in high school. Whether we were fussing with f(x)s in geometry class or filling out lab reports in chemistry, for those of us whose visual-statistical education ended shortly after senior prom, the entire idea of plotting data on an X-Y grid means this thing causes that thing. Because of conventions that the horizontal axis variable influences the vertical axis variable, we are trained or at least habituated to think in causal terms when looking at scatterplots, Bergstrom says. But Bergstrom and West dont want to rebuild graphing from the ground up: We are stuck with with the norms we already have, they write. Keep the same Cartesian grid system we all learned on in high school, but display it at a 45-degree angle to create what they call a diamond plot. Heres that graph about home prices and fertility again, redisplayed according to Bergstrom and Wises scheme: The correlations themselves still form clear visual patterns on the grid, just like the did in old-fashioned scatterplots. But with both sets of numbers tilted at symmetrical angles, neither axis appears to take causal priority over the other. In other words, the layout of the graph doesnt nudge you to project nonexistent storylines onto the data.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90245830/could-a-simple-design-tweak-fix-one-of-data-vizs-big-problems
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What happened between Gemma Collins and Jason Gardiner on Dancing On Ice?
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Gemma Collins lashed out at Jason Gardiner following her performance on Sunday night (Picture: Rex) All eyes will be on Dancing On Ice this weekend when Gemma Collins once again comes face to face with Jason Gardiner. Last weekends show saw a harsh exchange of words between the pair as Gemma accused him of selling stories about her following his criticism of her Marilyn Monroe-inspired routine. Things got so heated that Ofcom received over 200 complaints about the clash both for Jasons comments towards Gemma and her outburst towards him. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Well following her performance to Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend on last Sundays musicals-themed show Jason told her: Gemma, I know you were channelling Marilyn but we ended up with Anna Nicole Smith and that was because there wasnt any elegance. Advertisement Advertisement Like you were saying in the VT, she had to be elegant, shes a woman whos in control of her femininity, you were all over the place still hun and as Ashley [Banjo] said, theres not enough skating content still and this is your second skate now. You need to up the ante because were not going to see big lifts from you. Jason was criticising Gemmas skating before things started to get awkward (Picture: ITV) Gemma hit back saying: Can I just say one thing, maybe if you didnt sell stories on me maybe I wouldnt have been so upset this week. So take that. Defending his corner, Jason replied: I dont have to sell stories, Im talking about your performance darling. After Gemma branded him boring, Jason added: This doesnt help your cause. Youre just a brat before presenter Phillip Schofield promptly intervened to defuse the situation. Gemmas boyfriend James Arg Argent has since revealed just how much of an effect the incident had on her, admitting the controversy has put a strain on their relationship. In an interview with The Sun, Arg said: Gemma has absolutely stolen the show and Im not just being biased. But Im not going to lie it has impacted on our relationship because Ive been too emotionally involved. Advertisement Advertisement The show has put her under a lot of pressure and stress, and shes been trying so hard. All eyes have been on her and although I knew the show was going to be a challenge for us, that it would be tough, I didnt expect it to be this tough. Gemma made it through last weeks show following the row and will skate again tonight (Picture: Rex Shutterstock) With Gemma also revealing her upset at remarks made by Holly Willoughby over claims about her backstage behaviour on the show,Jason spoke out about the reality star before last Sundays show suggesting she could turn it into a pantomime. The 47-year-old who according to The Sun is planning legal action against the reality star made reference to her in a previous interview with the paper. If you really want people to see a different side of you, this is a great opportunity to do that, rather than saying this is too uncomfortable for me, Im not the star attraction any more, Im bored then quit, Jason said The 47-year-old also took a pop at the cult of reality fame as he said: When I grew up people were bloody good at what they did. They were exceptional at something, so you were inspired by people on TV. Now we celebrate mediocre in this country, he added. That, it seems, has become the new celebrity. Ouch. Dancing On Ice continues on Sunday night on ITV at 6pm. If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. MORE: James Argent defends girlfriend Gemma Collins after she lays into Jason Gardiner on Dancing On Ice MORE: Matt Evers confirms he had little rehearsal time with Gemma Collins amid Dancing On Ice feud
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https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/27/what-happened-between-gemma-collins-and-jason-gardiner-on-dancing-on-ice-8399673/
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Where is Ryan Sidebottom as he misses this weeks Dancing On Ice?
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There wont be any skating for Ryan Sidebottom this week (Picture: Rex Shutterstock) While Dancing On Ice might be down to its top 10 couples, only nine will take to the rink to perform their latest routines in this weeks show. Thats because cricketer Ryan Sidebottom will be absent from the line-up as the remaining couples make their bid to impress judges and viewers and remain in the competition. Well unfortunately for him and for his skating partner Brandee Malto hes had to pull out of this weeks edition of the show due to injury. The sports star has suffered a Grade I adductor strain thats a groin strain, to give it its less medical term and has been ruled out of skating as a result. Hi everyone Me & @YayItsBrandee are gutted not to be able to perform this weekend. Focusing on being back next week. Thank you for the overwhelming support youve shown us, and feel extremely grateful.Look forward to Cheering everyone on tomorrow night as they work so hard x pic.twitter.com/Q9HmGbH9GC Ryan Sidebottom (@RyanSidebottom) January 26, 2019 Me and Brandee are of course very gutted not to be able to perform this weekend, but Im focusing on getting back on the ice as quickly as I can. I want to thank everyone who has championed us so far, the support has been overwhelming, Ryan later said. Advertisement Advertisement Im also extremely grateful for all the support from my fellow contestants and I cant wait to watch them all perform tomorrow night in the studio. Ill be cheering them on! ! He later took to Twitter to thank his fans for their support. Ryan and Brandee have had mixed fortunes on the ice so far, finding themselves in the very first skate off of the series ultimately being saved by the judges over Mark Little and Brianne Delcourt, who became the first couple to be eliminated. However they fared better in the following weekends musicals special with a Beauty And The Beast-inspired routine which saw them voted through to this week. Ryan has been given a bye to next weekends show in light of his injury. Dancing On Ice is on Sunday nights on ITV at 6pm. If you've got a story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk Entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page - we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Towies Arg claims Dancing On Ice has put strain on Gemma Collins relationship but vows to stand by her MORE: Gemma Collins having nightmares about Jason Gardiner fight as she prepares for Dancing on Ice return
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https://metro.co.uk/2019/01/27/where-is-ryan-sidebottom-as-he-misses-this-weeks-dancing-on-ice-8398853/
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Could There Be a Starship Troopers TV Series In The Works With the Original Film Cast?
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Fans of the 1997 action film Starship Troopers can start getting excited (again) as a TV series with the original cast is reportedly in the works. Screenwriter Ed Neumeier revealed the news during a recent interview with HN Entertainment. Neumeier, who penned the screenplay for all three of the live-action movies as well as the animated Starship Troopers: Traitor of Mars, inferred that a TV series reboot of the franchise could become a reality in the near future. When asked about a potential reprise with the original cast attached, Neumeier was vague but hinted at the strong possibility. Well, I think they can. I dont want to jinx anything, but we are talking about trying to do a television show that is based on that idea, he said. Since a reboot of the franchise would likely attract massive viewership, its likely that a streaming platform such as Netflix or Hulu would jump at the opportunity to produce it. However, this is all presumptuous since it appears all parties involved are simply in talks at this point. The original film starred Casper Van Dien, Denise Richards, Neil Patrick Harris, Dina Myer, Jake Busey, Patrick Muldoon, Clancy Brown, and Michael Ironside. Producer Neal H. Moritz previously talked about a reboot of the franchise in the form of a feature length film or a TV series, but nothing ever came out of it. In November 2016, however, writers Mark Swift and Damian Shannon began scripting a a remake of the film, however Neumeier and director Paul Verhoeven had expressed their skepticism. Well, I have mixed feelings about it (the reboot) because I think that what we did with the first Starship is almost not repeatable in a way I based the structure of Starship Troopers when I was writing it, the structure of WWII propaganda films that the studios made between 1941 and 1944, said Neumeier. We dont really talk about those movies anymore, but that had a very particular structure and they were made during a conflict and they didnt have an end-point as with Starship ends theyll keep fighting. While the original movie received mostly negative reviews from critics, it has gained a strong cult following over the last 20 years and was even nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. Lets keep our fingers crossed that the TV series becomes a reality. Michael is a music and television junkie keen on most things that are not a complete and total bore. You can follow him on Twitter @Tweetskoor WHERE TO STREAM STARSHIP TROOPERS
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https://decider.com/2019/01/27/could-there-be-a-starship-troopers-tv-series-in-the-works-with-the-original-film-cast/
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When did the PDP start loving and respecting debates?
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By Sharon Faliya Cham VIEWPOINT IN BRIEF Performance over talking For the 1999 presidential election, General Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP refused to debate with Chief Olu Falae of the APP/AD coalition Obasanjo won the election! For the 2003 presidential election, President Olusegun Obasanjo of the PDP refused to debate with General Muhammadu Buhari of the ANPP Obasanjo won the election! For the 2007 presidential election, Alhaji Umaru Musa YarAdua of the PDP refused to debate with General Muhammadu Buhari of the ANPP YarAdua won the election! For the 2011 presidential election, President Goodluck Ebele Nnamdi Azikiwe Jonathan of the PDP refused to debate with General Muhammadu Buhari of the CPC Goodluck Jonathan won the election! For the 2015 presidential election, General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC refused to debate with President Goodluck Ebele Nnamdi Azikiwe Jonathan of the PDP after it emerged that the organizers of the debate have carefully leaked all the debate questions to President Jonathan General Buhari won the election! The fact that the PDP left 27 states broke to the point that they owed workers salaries for upwards of 14 months despite selling crude oil at $142 per barrel and Buhari came and bailed them out with oil selling at $27 per barrel has made the PDP lose whatever debate they want! In just 3 years out of PDPs 16 years ruinous rule, the PDP under the presidency of Goodluck Ebele Nnamdi Azikiwe Jonathan purportedly spent about 700 billion naira on their so called SURE-P Programme, which is almost the annual budgets of about 10 states in Nigeria, but no one has seen the fruit or results of this monumental investment in our economy no industries were built by any of the beneficiaries and neither has it translated into the diversification of the countrys economy through agriculture and other production sectors, just as it has not resulted in the revamping of the textile factories and other industries that were alive and productive when the PDP took over from the military. In the end, PDPs unexplained use of such humongous sums of our countrys finances over time resulted in Nigeria now becoming the poverty capital of the world! Very poignantly, just today, the day of the so called presidential debate, President Buhari commissioned a water port at Baro, Niger State, which is the first of its kind in northern Nigeria, a successful programme that will ease the movement of heavy industrial goods and equipment to the northern part of the country through ships, which then boosts the local economy of the north and hence that of Nigeria in general. Equally important is, while the PDP is polluting Nigerias healthy airspace with hypocritical noises about a debate, work on the Second Niger Bridge in Southeastern Nigeria is in full progress under the leadership of President Buhari. So many questions over the 16 wasted years of the PDP at any debate but serious Nigerians are more focused on fixing and clearing the pungent rot they created and left behind than wasting more precious time in debating on live TV! President Buharis superlative performance in just three years has defeated PDPs 16 years absence at debates and their grossly poor performance for Nigerians!
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https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/01/when-did-the-pdp-start-loving-and-respecting-debates/
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Should the U.S. Supreme Court have term limits?
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If Brett Kavanaugh, who is 53, is appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court, its likely that he will be there for the next 30 or even 40 years. The same is true of Neil Gorsuch, who was 49 years old when he was confirmed in 2017. Life tenure isnt doing much to ensure that the justices remain above politics, says Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, a nonpartisan, grassroots organization that is calling for several reforms of the court. The group is advocating for a new system: Justices would serve 18-year terms, and presidents could appoint a new justice every two years. The proposal, drawn from recommendations from law professors, aims to lower the stakes in a way that would make each nomination seem less like partisan Armageddon, Roth says. In the current system, political parties have no incentive to find a judge who is actually most qualified for the job. Theyre incentivized to find the youngest, most partisan nominee that they believe can get 51 votes in the Senate, he says. So there are plenty of jurists in their late fifties, early sixties, who may have more experience or a better temperament to be on the Supreme Court, but theyre getting passed by because every appointment became a generational opportunity. Right now, justices have an incentive to stay on the bench until a president with their own views is elected. The new system would make departures more predictable. If justices didnt serve for 20 or 30 years at a stretch, it might also help keep the court a little more in touch with the current world (just look at what happens when the current justices try to make sense of modern technology). And critically, if political parties knew that their time would soon comeand that the policy future of the country didnt depend on the chance of a death or retirement when a particular president was in officethe nomination process might be less of a political circus. The change could happen with a new law rather than a constitutional amendment, Roth says. The Constitution says that justices shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour. The first five justices served an average of nine years; there was no expectation that they would serve for life. (More recently, the average tenure has been 25 years.) A new law could specify that someone could be a federal judge for life, but could only serve 18 years on the Supreme Court. I think 18 years makes sense because its long enough to establish yourself on the court, to have impactful opinions, to have a legacy, but its not so long that it seems feudal or anti-democratic, says Roth. Others have advocated for 10- or 12-year term limits.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90244093/should-the-u-s-supreme-court-have-term-limits
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Are Millennials Killing Harley-Davidson?
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Harley-Davidson is struggling to stay afloat, and some say the culprit is millennials. Harley Davidson sales have taken a significant hit over the last four years, and the company is struggling to attract new and younger customers. A survey of 2,100 U.S. adults over the age of 21, cited in a note published by UBS research analyst Robin Farley, found a generational divide in the ways young people think about motorcycles compared to older generations, CNBC reported. Whereas older generations purchased motorcycles recreationally, or as a hobby, people between the ages of 21 and 34 would consider purchasing motorcycles for ease of transportation, the survey found. That is, younger people would be motivated to purchase a motorcycle specifically for practical reasons. We believe this significant divergence in incentives to buy a new bike could be what is partly behind Harleys and the broader heavyweight motorcycle industrys challenge to tap into a new segment of younger riders to drive growth, said Farley. So unless there is a generational shift among younger riders to see motorcycling as a hobby vs. means of transportation, the outlook for the heavyweight industry could continue to be more dependent on an aging demographic. It may not be just a generational shift in outlook thats killing the industry, however. Younger generations might have different attitudes toward purchasing motorcycles than older generations because they cant afford such a hobby. Average Harley-Davidson consumers are married men in their early 50s with a household income of $90,000 or higher, according to CNBC. On the other hand, a report by economists at the Federal Reserve found that, Millennials are less well off than members of earlier generations when they were young, with lower earnings, fewer assets, and less wealth. In an effort to attract a new generation of riders, Harley-Davidson introduced its first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, earlier this year. The bike will be available at U.S. dealerships this summer. In a statement to CNBC, the company said, Our advanced analytic capabilities allow us to deeply understand rider migration trends. In fact, our knowledge of riders informed our strategy to build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders globally, which we launched in early 2017.
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http://fortune.com/2019/01/27/millennials-harley-davidson-motorcycles/
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Could space mice help us develop anti-aging treatments here on Earth?
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Share We know that microgravity, the low levels of gravity found in space, has strange effects on plants and the way that they grow. Now new research is looking at how microgravity affects animals and in particular the way that they age. The International Space Station (ISS) will be playing host to a group of mice to see how a stint in microgravity affects their aging. The experiment, called Rodent Research-8, is using mice to understand the physiological changes associated with aging that are caused by time spent in low gravity environments. The objective is to expose the mice to microgravity and track physiological changes, Michael S. Roberts, deputy chief scientist at the U.S. National Laboratory, said in a statement. The scientists will keep one group of young mice between 10 and 16 weeks old and one group of older mice between 30 and 52 weeks old in the ISS for different periods of time between 30 and 60 days. Then they can see how active each group of mice is to determine whether some of them experienced accelerated aging. Activity is known to decline over time so it should provide a measure of aging effects. This research is important because previous research has shown that spending time in microgravity can cause a range of issues like bone density loss, immune dysfunction, cardiovascular issues such as stiffening of arteries, and loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength in astronauts. These changes are similar to the aging process that happens on Earth, but sped up. We are trying to get down to the molecular basis for what is happening, Roberts said. To use mice or other organisms as models for studying humans, we need to understand whether the effects of space exposure have the same causes and outcomes as conditions in humans on Earth. We want to see if the same things happen in mice and whether the rate of change is affected by the age of the mouse at exposure. Not only could this research help protect astronauts from the deleterious effects of space travel, it could even pave the way to lessening the effects of aging on Earth by developing countermeasures and therapies that protect astronauts and people with age-related health conditions.
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https://www.digitaltrends.com/cool-tech/mouse-microgravity-aging-study/
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Where in the world are kids most optimistic about the future?
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Young people in lower- and middle-income countries may lack the comfort or material wealth that kids in more economically stable places have, but theyreimpressivelycurrently leading in a different metric: positivity that progress is possible. Overall, 79% of people between the ages of 12 and 24 in Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Mexico, Nigeria, and Russia say they feel optimistic about the direction of the world, compared to only about half of those in far more well-off places like Australia, France, Germany, Great Britain, and Sweden. In the United States, the number is 63%. The obvious reason is that poverty and inequity in many of these places has been reduced dramatically in recent years. The number of those suffering from extreme poverty has dropped by more than 1 billion people total, according to a recent report from The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation that is part of the funders efforts to track world progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. But economic improvement has an obvious psychological effect on the people it reaches. To show that, the Gates Foundation commissioned the Global Youth Poll, a survey of more than 40,000 respondents of all ages internationally. That effort was run by Ipsos, an independent market research company, and showed another powerful result: People in lower- and middle-income countries are more likely than those in higher-income spots to support the idea that their generation can have more impact on the world than their parents did. Its 63% to 39% respectively. The question now is how can that optimism be harnessed to keep creating positive change. In lower- and middle-income countries, the top quality of life issues deal with securing better educational opportunities, continued reductions in poverty, and creating more accessible good jobs for everyone. Part of that may happen through political involvement. In India, Kenya, and Nigeria, for instance, more than two-thirds of young folks believe that they can help influence how their countries are governed. (In the U.S., less than half of all young people agree with that statement.) It may also happen through a rising professional class: Its very common for folks in improving places to report wanting to become doctors, engineers, and teachers. (For comparison, the U.S. also ranks the best job as doctoralthough thats followed closely by gamer.) The report data shows that the governments, companies, and individual philanthropists in higher-income countries in particular should probably do more, too. Over half of both younger and older populations in Australia, Great Britain, and the U.S. were unaware of the sustainable development goals. And the U.S. government, at least, continues to score low in its overall commitment to sustainable development and has backed away from global commitments to counter climate change. In a way, this poll may help shift that perspective and awareness. Its hard to push others toward continued progress if you dont understand why its so important.
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https://www.fastcompany.com/90241302/where-in-the-world-are-kids-most-optimistic-about-the-future
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Who Is Playing Angel Dumott Schunard In Rent?
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Valentina, former star of RuPauls Drag Race, will be starring in FOXs live production of Rent. Valentina will play the role of Angel Dumott Schunard. In the story, Angel is a young drag queen and street percussionist whos living with AIDS. Valentina, born Andrew James Leyva in 1981, began performing in drag by late 2016. In an interview with Los Angeles Weekly, Valentina said that she wants to use her drag as a means of representing her pride in her Latin American culture. Im trying to show the glamour, the elegance, the sophistication, the intellectual, romantic, beautiful side of Latin culture that needs to be respected, she revealed. Drag Queen Valentina Will Be Playing the Role of Angel Dumott Schunard Especially in such a tough time when the community of mine has been considered bad people, illegal immigrants, rapists and criminals, all I can really do is show how much love and admiration I have for my community and my culture, she added. Through the show and through what I do, [I hope to] be a little beacon of light for those people who have been feeling really down and make them feel represented in a very positive way. Valentina is openly gay and non-binary, and goes by she/her pronouns when she is in drag. I was called in because one of the casting directors was a fan of mine from Drag Race, she told NBC News. Without even knowing if I knew how to sing or if I had the experience or the potential for this, they invited me to come in and audition. They saw something in me. Valentina went on to say that while her audition was not her finest moment as a performer, the producers saw something in her. Valentina Was Born Andrew James Leyva In Los Angeles [I] wasnt really hitting the notes she admitted. I just said, Hey look, if you guys need me to do anything or you want to correct me on anything, feel free to let me know. She added that after a series of workshops, she was awarded the part. Valentina personifies all the qualities we associate with Angel heart, energy, vulnerability and excitement, said original Rent casting director Bernie Telsey. We saw many, many people for the role, but no one was better. As fans of Drag Race know, Valentina, even while reading lines or singing songs, has a personality that is magnetic. Valentina Hopes That Her Performance Will Help Spark Discussions About Gender Identity When asked about what drew her to the role to Angel, Valentina said that she hopes she can help spark a discussion about gender identity. I hope that people, especially in the LGBTQ community, take away that weve really come a long way since the 90s and since the AIDS epidemic, she revealed. Not only with science, with things like PrEP, but just topics of conversation, like gender identity. Angel really is like an angel, because he came in so quick and turned all these peoples lives around and showed them what its like to be compassionate and selfless, Valentina added. Like the kind of person that just walks into the room and changes all the energy, you know?
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https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/valentina-drag-queen-angel-rent/
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Is Singer Mario Dewar Barrett Married? Have a Wife?
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Mario Dewar Barrett, known simply as Mario, will appear as one of the cast members on FOXs production of Rent. Mario will play landlord Benjamin Benny Coffin III opposite the likes of Vanessa Hudgens, Kiersey Clemons, and fellow singer Tinashe. Marios high-profile role has led many to wonder whether hes currently married to anyone, or at the very least, in a relationship. According to Celebrity Biography, Mario is not married. In fact, the singer has never been married or engaged. The most prominent relationship he had was when he dated Jillian Barberie in 2004. Hes currently single. In a recent interview with Rap-Up, Mario said that he doesnt use dating apps, but due to his status as a popular R&B singer, theres no shortage of women who reach out to him on social media. I dont use dating apps, but my Instagram is a dating app, he said. You dont need a dating app when your DMs is poppin. Mario Has Never Been Married & Is Currently Single In a separate interview with Vibe, Mario spoke on the kind of woman that usually attracts him. For me, its kind of easy to balance that out, he explained. Im not really out in the club every single night or trying to be that guy who f**king with all the latest models just to be able to say I bagged her, I dont care about stuff like that. So you not going to find any gossip out about me and I dont deal with crazy girls out here, I dont have time for none of that. :You gotta be in your square as a woman, I need a conscious woman, he added. I didnt bring myself this far Im not judging anyone, but if you want to be a writer then you should probably hang around writers or someone that can write better than you. So if Im going to be intimate with a woman, I want to make sure Im okay with being that person. Take on that vibration of whatever they got going on and if not, just because I understand whats happening, a lot of people dont understand whats happening during exchanges of sexual energy. So its like for me, you arent going to find me acting crazy. He Claims That Celibacy Has Strengthened His Outlook On Romance The singer has also spoken at length about being celibate for a year, and how it changed his outlook on romance and dating. I was celibate for almost a year. It works, he told Hot 97. It strengthens your spirit. I mean more than anything, when you really start to understand the physical experience that we have as individuals, you understand that the spirit is way stronger than the physical but if you feed your physical more than [the mental], thats going to dominate. So, I experimented with that and its something that I really wanted to go to a higher level spiritually, he added. I felt like it would affect my music differently. It would affect my career, my surroundings, the people, and it has.
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https://heavy.com/entertainment/2019/01/mario-dewar-barrett-married-wife/
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