Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Historic commercial flight from U.S. lands in Cuba
(latimes) - The first commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than half a century landed in the central city of Santa Clara on Wednesday morning, reestablishing regular air service severed at the height of the Cold War.
JetBlue Flight 387 from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., opens a new era of U.S.-Cuba travel, with about 300 flights a week expected to connect the U.S. with an island cut off from most Americans by the 55-year-old trade embargo on Cuba and formal ban on U.S. citizens engaging in tourism on the island.
"Seeing the American airlines landing routinely around the island will drive a sense of openness, integration and normality. That has a huge psychological impact," said Richard Feinberg, author of the new book "Open for Business: Building the New Cuban Economy."
The restart of commercial travel between the two countries is one of the most important steps in President Obama's 2-year-old policy of normalizing relations with the island. Historians disagree on the exact date of the last commercial flight but it appears to have been after Cuba banned incoming flights during the October 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry said on Twitter that the last commercial flight was in 1961.
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
US, India bolster ties, warn Pakistan over extremists
(yahoonews) - The United States and India urged Pakistan Tuesday to do more to counter extremist groups operating from its soil as the world's two largest democracies announced measures to strengthen security and energy ties.
Speaking on a visit to New Delhi, US Secretary of State John Kerry declared that ties once clouded by suspicion had progressed "amazingly" in the last two years and echoed President Barack Obama's description of their relationship as "the defining partnership of the 21st century".
India and the United States have a common goal in creating a counterbalance to the rise of China and hold regular top-level dialogue in Delhi and Washington under a formal strategic partnership.
But a flare-up in violence in Kashmir meant that India's arch-rival Pakistan featured prominently in talks between Kerry and his counterpart, Sushma Swaraj.
After Foreign Minister Swaraj reiterated long-running accusations that Pakistan was "providing safe havens to terror groups," Kerry also urged Islamabad to do more to combat extremists operating from its territory.
He said it was vital Islamabad moved to "deprive any group of sanctuary", highlighting the threat posed by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist group behind a string of anti-Indian attacks.
"We will not and we cannot make distinctions between good and bad terrorists... Terrorism is terrorism," Kerry said at a press conference alongside Swaraj.
Kerry said the US government had "had conversations with all members of the region frankly about efforts they need to take against terrorism which comes out of their country", adding that he had personally raised the issue with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
India has accused Pakistan of stoking a new bout of unrest in Kashmir, the troubled Himalayan region which has been divided between the two countries since independence in 1947 and is claimed in full by both.
Speaking on a visit to New Delhi, US Secretary of State John Kerry declared that ties once clouded by suspicion had progressed "amazingly" in the last two years and echoed President Barack Obama's description of their relationship as "the defining partnership of the 21st century".
India and the United States have a common goal in creating a counterbalance to the rise of China and hold regular top-level dialogue in Delhi and Washington under a formal strategic partnership.
But a flare-up in violence in Kashmir meant that India's arch-rival Pakistan featured prominently in talks between Kerry and his counterpart, Sushma Swaraj.
After Foreign Minister Swaraj reiterated long-running accusations that Pakistan was "providing safe havens to terror groups," Kerry also urged Islamabad to do more to combat extremists operating from its territory.
He said it was vital Islamabad moved to "deprive any group of sanctuary", highlighting the threat posed by Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistan-based Kashmiri separatist group behind a string of anti-Indian attacks.
"We will not and we cannot make distinctions between good and bad terrorists... Terrorism is terrorism," Kerry said at a press conference alongside Swaraj.
Kerry said the US government had "had conversations with all members of the region frankly about efforts they need to take against terrorism which comes out of their country", adding that he had personally raised the issue with Pakistan's Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
India has accused Pakistan of stoking a new bout of unrest in Kashmir, the troubled Himalayan region which has been divided between the two countries since independence in 1947 and is claimed in full by both.
Monday, August 29, 2016
Brazil President Dilma Rousseff takes stand in impeachment trial
BrasÃlia, Brazil (CNN) - President Dilma Rousseff insisted Monday she had committed no crime and said she was proud that she'd been "faithful to my commitment to the nation."
Brazil's post-Olympic high came to an end as Rousseff's impeachment trial began. Her remarks from the Senate floor suggested the suspended president had no intention of accepting the bid for her impeachment without a fight.
"I'll plan and fight for democracy," she said. "I don't fight for my term for the power, but I fight for the democracy for truth and justice and the people of my country."
It's not clear if an impassioned speech will do any good. The tide of opinion is against her, and the appearance is widely expected to be her last public address.
The impeachment process has dragged on for months, predating the Olympic torch lighting ceremony -- a glitzy showpiece that, despite orchestrating, Rousseff was barred from attending. It's a political crisis that ordinary Brazilians could do well without -- the country is trying to pick itself out of recession.
* * * *
RELATED: Dilma Rousseff: A Strong Independent Womyn Who Don't Need No One Brought Down by Brazil’s Meek Men
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Hungarian PM Orban urges EU to build an army of its own
WARSAW, Poland — Hungary's prime minister urged the European Union on Friday to make security a priority and build an army of its own.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke in Warsaw before heading into talks on EU's future with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of three other central European nations. The talks, in preparation for an EU summit next month, focused on security concerns and migrants.
"We must give priority to security and so let's start setting up a joint European army," Orban said.
He was seconded by Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who said building a joint army will not be an "easy project" but added that the 28-nation EU needed better cooperation on defense issues and border protections.
Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, meanwhile, called for setting up a European border guard to protect the external border.
Merkel said many security projects have been neglected, like registering travelers into and out of the visa-free Schengen zone.
Earlier in the day, Orban told Hungarian state radio that Hungary will build a new, "more massive" fence on its southern border to defend against a possible surge in the number of migrants. He has previously called migrants "poison."
Merkel's meeting in Warsaw with the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary came ahead of an EU summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, next month without Britain. One of the main topics was to discuss Britain's vote to leave the group.
The four central European nations have been critical of many EU policies, including ones pressing for nations to accept more migrants. They are also pushing for changes that would give individual EU members more leeway, saying that the EU's rigid policies have led to the British departure.
Merkel said holding a summit at a place different than Brussels will give EU leaders a better feeling for "what makes Europe." (FullText)
Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke in Warsaw before heading into talks on EU's future with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of three other central European nations. The talks, in preparation for an EU summit next month, focused on security concerns and migrants.
"We must give priority to security and so let's start setting up a joint European army," Orban said.
He was seconded by Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who said building a joint army will not be an "easy project" but added that the 28-nation EU needed better cooperation on defense issues and border protections.
Poland's Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, meanwhile, called for setting up a European border guard to protect the external border.
Merkel said many security projects have been neglected, like registering travelers into and out of the visa-free Schengen zone.
Earlier in the day, Orban told Hungarian state radio that Hungary will build a new, "more massive" fence on its southern border to defend against a possible surge in the number of migrants. He has previously called migrants "poison."
Merkel's meeting in Warsaw with the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary came ahead of an EU summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, next month without Britain. One of the main topics was to discuss Britain's vote to leave the group.
The four central European nations have been critical of many EU policies, including ones pressing for nations to accept more migrants. They are also pushing for changes that would give individual EU members more leeway, saying that the EU's rigid policies have led to the British departure.
Merkel said holding a summit at a place different than Brussels will give EU leaders a better feeling for "what makes Europe." (FullText)
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Facebook further automates trending topics, ditches human-written descriptions
Queue the Neoconservative meltdown..
(PCWorld) -
Facebook is a little closer to completely automating its trending topics feature. On Friday,the company announced that it would no longer have employees write short descriptions for each trending topic it displays.
Instead, the trending topics box will simply show how many people are discussing a topic. When you mouse over a topic, it’ll show a description that pulls from a news story on the topic in question.
According to Facebook, its “goal is to enable Trending for as many people as possible,” something the company says it wouldn’t be able to do if it stuck with human-generated descriptions.
“A more algorithmically driven process allows us to scale Trending to cover more topics and make it available to more people globally over time,” the company’s statement reads in part. “This is something we always hoped to do but we are making these changes sooner given the feedback we got from the Facebook community earlier this year.”
Facebook says that employees will still screen topics to make sure they’re newsworthy “The topic #lunch is talked about during lunchtime every day around the world, but will not be a trending topic,” the company notes.
The story behind the story: To end users, the change may be a small one, but trending topics is an issue that has caused Facebook some public relations headaches in recent months. In May, Gizmodo reported on accusations that the company “routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers” from appearing in its trending topics.
The company denied those accusations, but also said it would change its process “to minimize errors of judgment by individuals,” as our John Ribeiro reported at the time.
Although Facebook’s removal of human-written descriptions ostensibly has nothing to do with accusations of bias, Facebook does acknowledge the fact that the change eliminates one opportunity for human intervention and potential skewing of a topic. It seems to be only a matter of time, however, before Facebook hones its algorithms enough that it’s able to remove humans entirely from the process.
(PCWorld) -
Facebook is a little closer to completely automating its trending topics feature. On Friday,the company announced that it would no longer have employees write short descriptions for each trending topic it displays.
Instead, the trending topics box will simply show how many people are discussing a topic. When you mouse over a topic, it’ll show a description that pulls from a news story on the topic in question.
According to Facebook, its “goal is to enable Trending for as many people as possible,” something the company says it wouldn’t be able to do if it stuck with human-generated descriptions.
“A more algorithmically driven process allows us to scale Trending to cover more topics and make it available to more people globally over time,” the company’s statement reads in part. “This is something we always hoped to do but we are making these changes sooner given the feedback we got from the Facebook community earlier this year.”
Facebook says that employees will still screen topics to make sure they’re newsworthy “The topic #lunch is talked about during lunchtime every day around the world, but will not be a trending topic,” the company notes.
The story behind the story: To end users, the change may be a small one, but trending topics is an issue that has caused Facebook some public relations headaches in recent months. In May, Gizmodo reported on accusations that the company “routinely suppressed news stories of interest to conservative readers” from appearing in its trending topics.
The company denied those accusations, but also said it would change its process “to minimize errors of judgment by individuals,” as our John Ribeiro reported at the time.
Although Facebook’s removal of human-written descriptions ostensibly has nothing to do with accusations of bias, Facebook does acknowledge the fact that the change eliminates one opportunity for human intervention and potential skewing of a topic. It seems to be only a matter of time, however, before Facebook hones its algorithms enough that it’s able to remove humans entirely from the process.
Friday, August 26, 2016
US: Obama creates the largest protected place on the planet, in Hawaii
(WashingtonPost) - President Obama on Friday created the largest ecologically protected area on the planet when he expanded a national marine monument in his native Hawaii to encompass more than half a million square miles.
The president more than quadrupled the size of the Papahanaumokuakea (pronounced “Papa-ha-now-moh-koo-ah-kay-ah”) Marine National Monument to 582,578 square miles of land and sea in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.
President George W. Bush established the monument a decade ago, but Obama’s action Friday underscores the high priority he has placed on issues of conservation and climate change in his second term. The president has now used his executive authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to protect more than 548 million acres of federal land and water, more than double the set-asides of any of his predecessors.
Many scientists, environmentalists and Native Hawaiians have argued for more stringent protections for the biologically rich region, given important deep-water discoveries in the area and the dual threats of climate change and sea-bed mining.
“The oceans are the untold story when it comes to climate change, and we have to feel a sense of urgency when it comes to protecting the ocean that sustains us,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who helped broker a compromise with groups including Native Hawaiians and day-boat fishermen.
In his official proclamation, Obama declared, “It is in the public interest to preserve the marine environment.”
All commercial extraction activities, including fishing and future deep-sea mining, will be prohibited in the expanded monument area. However, recreational fishing, removal of resources for traditional Hawaiian cultural purposes and scientific research will be allowed with a federal permit.
Obama will highlight his action in an address Wednesday to the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, and will travel the following day to Midway Atoll, which is located within the current monument.
The president has unilaterally established more than two dozen national monuments, most of them in his second term. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama “would be happy to sign into law a piece of legislation that would have protected these waters, but we haven’t seen that kind of legislative activity in this Congress, and it means the president has had to make more effective use of his executive authority.”
Thursday, August 25, 2016
Back to school 2016: University of Chicago: ‘We Do Not Support So-Called Trigger Warnings’
(Time) - In a letter, the incoming class at the University of Chicago were given a strong mandate by the institution they have elected to join: “Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge and learn, without fear of censorship. Civility and mutual respect are vital to all of us, and freedom of expression does not mean the freedom to harass or threaten others. You will find that we expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion, and even disagreement. At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort.”
One way to ensure this, writes Dean of Students Jay Ellison in the letter obtained by Intellectual Takeout, is to eliminate “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces,” two topics of frequent discussion in recent years. A trigger warning is advance notice about subject material that may be difficult for certain students to read, hear or see; a safe space is a place they can go to avoid those subjects or heal after confronting them. Often used at least with the stated attempt of avoiding inflicting further trauma on victims, particularly those of sexual assault, the methods have also been criticized as means of preventing students and lecturers from exploring difficult issues together. As TIME reported in May, a Knight Foundation surveyshowed that “54 percent of students said the climate on campus prevents some people from saying what they believe because they are fearful of offending others.”
At Brown in 2015, a debate about sexual assault was questioned. At Oberlin, students have sought trigger warnings for Antigone; at Columbia, for Ovid’s Metamorphoses; at Rutgers, for Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. At Brandeis, an installation by the Asian American student association to show microaggressions often made against them (like remarks “Aren’t you supposed to be good at math?”) was shuttered after other Asian American students protested that the display itself was a microaggression. A professor at Harvard Law School has written about the near-impossibility of teaching rape law with trigger warnings.
The University of Chicago writes that it believes such actions do not foster intellectual freedom, but intellectual fear:
Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so called ‘trigger warnings,’ we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.
Fostering the free exchange of ideas reinforces a related University priority—building a campus that welcomes people of all backgrounds. Diversity of opinion and background is a fundamental strength of our community. The members of our community must have the freedom to espouse and explore a wide range of ideas.\
(Source)
One way to ensure this, writes Dean of Students Jay Ellison in the letter obtained by Intellectual Takeout, is to eliminate “trigger warnings” and “safe spaces,” two topics of frequent discussion in recent years. A trigger warning is advance notice about subject material that may be difficult for certain students to read, hear or see; a safe space is a place they can go to avoid those subjects or heal after confronting them. Often used at least with the stated attempt of avoiding inflicting further trauma on victims, particularly those of sexual assault, the methods have also been criticized as means of preventing students and lecturers from exploring difficult issues together. As TIME reported in May, a Knight Foundation surveyshowed that “54 percent of students said the climate on campus prevents some people from saying what they believe because they are fearful of offending others.”
At Brown in 2015, a debate about sexual assault was questioned. At Oberlin, students have sought trigger warnings for Antigone; at Columbia, for Ovid’s Metamorphoses; at Rutgers, for Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway. At Brandeis, an installation by the Asian American student association to show microaggressions often made against them (like remarks “Aren’t you supposed to be good at math?”) was shuttered after other Asian American students protested that the display itself was a microaggression. A professor at Harvard Law School has written about the near-impossibility of teaching rape law with trigger warnings.
The University of Chicago writes that it believes such actions do not foster intellectual freedom, but intellectual fear:
Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so called ‘trigger warnings,’ we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual ‘safe spaces’ where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.
Fostering the free exchange of ideas reinforces a related University priority—building a campus that welcomes people of all backgrounds. Diversity of opinion and background is a fundamental strength of our community. The members of our community must have the freedom to espouse and explore a wide range of ideas.\
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
Colombia reaches historic pact with rebels
(USAToday) - MIAMI — The longest-running armed conflict in the Western Hemisphere is coming to a close as the Colombian government reached a historic peace accord with rebel leaders Wednesday in Havana.
Negotiators read out a joint statement in Cuba, which has hosted most of the talks, after the final round of negotiations between the leaders of the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC.
"The termination of armed confrontation signifies, most importantly, the end of the enormous suffering the conflict has caused," read the joint statement. "We do not want there to be one more victim in Colombia. The end of the conflict will open a new chapter in our history."
The two sides have battled for five decades in the remote corners of Colombia's jungles and mountains, leaving more than 220,000 Colombians dead, forcing 360,000 to flee the country and displacing about 6.7 million Colombians from their homes.
President Obama called Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos on Wednesday to congratulate him on the historic deal and to pledge U.S. support as the country navigates the difficult road of implementing the peace plan.
The peace accord still must be certified in a national referendum, which will ask voters to approve or reject the deal.
Adam Isacson, who has visited and studied Colombia for nearly 20 years for theWashington Office on Latin America, said Colombians already showed their approval of the peace talks when they re-elected Santos in the 2014 presidential election overÓscar Iván Zuluaga, an outspoken opponent of the negotiations.
"Santos was re-elected in a referendum on the peace process," he said. (FullText)
Tuesday, August 23, 2016
FBI investigating Russian hack of New York Times reporters, others
(CNN) - Hackers thought to be working for Russian intelligence have carried out a series of cyber breaches targeting reporters at the New York Times and other US news organizations, according to US officials briefed on the matter.
The intrusions, detected in recent months, are under investigation by the FBI and other US security agencies. Investigators so far believe that Russian intelligence is likely behind the attacks and that Russian hackers are targeting news organizations as part of a broader series of hacks that also have focused on Democratic Party organizations, the officials said.
The FBI declined to comment and a spokesperson for The New York Times would not confirm the attacks or the investigation.
"Like most news organizations we are vigilant about guarding against attempts to hack into our systems," said New York Times Co. spokeswoman Eileen Murphy. "There are a variety of approaches we take up to and including working with outside investigators and law enforcement. We won't comment on any specific attempt to gain unauthorized access to The Times."
Attention has grown on the hacks thought to be carried out by Russians since Wikileaks released a trove of emails stolen from the DNC in the weekend before the Democratic Party's convention to nominate Hillary Clinton for president. US intelligence officials say there is strong evidence showing Russian intelligence behind the DNC hack. The Clinton campaign has claimed the hack as proof that the Russians are trying to aid the election of Donald Trump. (FullText)
The intrusions, detected in recent months, are under investigation by the FBI and other US security agencies. Investigators so far believe that Russian intelligence is likely behind the attacks and that Russian hackers are targeting news organizations as part of a broader series of hacks that also have focused on Democratic Party organizations, the officials said.
The FBI declined to comment and a spokesperson for The New York Times would not confirm the attacks or the investigation.
"Like most news organizations we are vigilant about guarding against attempts to hack into our systems," said New York Times Co. spokeswoman Eileen Murphy. "There are a variety of approaches we take up to and including working with outside investigators and law enforcement. We won't comment on any specific attempt to gain unauthorized access to The Times."
Attention has grown on the hacks thought to be carried out by Russians since Wikileaks released a trove of emails stolen from the DNC in the weekend before the Democratic Party's convention to nominate Hillary Clinton for president. US intelligence officials say there is strong evidence showing Russian intelligence behind the DNC hack. The Clinton campaign has claimed the hack as proof that the Russians are trying to aid the election of Donald Trump. (FullText)
Monday, August 22, 2016
KFC Is Making Sunscreen That Smells Like Fried Chicken
But you can’t eat it.
(Fortune) - If you’ve ever thought to yourself, “It’s great that this sunblock is keeping me from getting a sunburn, but I wish it would make me smell like a 12-piece bucket,” have we got news for you.
KFC YUM 0.55% is now making “Extra Crispy Sunscreen.” According to the fast food company, when you go out in the sun wearing this SPF 30 lotion, it smells just like fried chicken.
“We’ve had a lot of fun with our Extra Crispy Colonel campaign this summer and the sunscreen idea seemed like a natural fit,” a KFC spokesperson told Fortune. “Our chicken is hand breaded and freshly prepared in our kitchens all day every day, which makes the smell in our restaurants unparalleled. The Extra Crispy Sunscreen is a fun way to leverage that with our fans.”
But for those of you who can’t get enough of a good thing, be warned: Extra Crispy Sunscreen does not taste like fried chicken. It is not edible. In fact, you should never eat sunscreen, no matter what it smells like.
Sunday, August 21, 2016
Philippines' Duterte threatens to quit U.N. after drugs war censure
(Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte railed against the United Nations on Sunday after it called for an end to the wave of killings unleashed by his war on drugs, saying he might leave the organization and invite China and others to form a new one.
Two U.N. human rights experts last week urged Manila to stop the extra-judicial executions and killings that have escalated since Duterte won the presidency on a promise to wipe out drugs.
About 900 suspected drug traffickers have been killed since he came to power after winning the election on May 9.
Duterte on Friday denied that the government was responsible and in a middle-of-the-night news conference in his home town, Davao, said the deaths were not the work of the police and invited U.N. experts to investigate themselves.
The news conference was broadcast by local media and the full version was posted on Facebook by GMA news.
"I will prove to the world that you are a very stupid expert," he said, urging them to count not just the number of drug-related deaths but also the innocent lives lost to drugs.
He then launched an attack on the United Nations and its members - including by inference Manila's traditionally close ally, Washington - saying, it could not fulfill its own mandate but was "worrying about the bones of criminals piling up".
"I do not want to insult you. But maybe we'll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations," he said. "Why do you have to listen to this stupid?"
Criticizing the U.N. for not doing enough to address hunger and terrorism and for not being able to do anything about Syria and Iraq and allowing big powers to bomb villages and kill innocent civilians, he said he would invite China and African nations to form another global organization.
"You now, United Nations, if you can say one bad thing about me, I can give you 10 (about you). I tell you, you are an inutile. Because if you are really true to your mandate, you could have stopped all these wars and killing."
Asked about the possible consequences of his comments, he said: "What is ... repercussions? I don't give a shit to them."
He said the United Nations should have acted according to protocol by sending someone such as a rapporteur to talk to him.
"You do not just go out and give a shitting statement against a country," he said. (Source)
Two U.N. human rights experts last week urged Manila to stop the extra-judicial executions and killings that have escalated since Duterte won the presidency on a promise to wipe out drugs.
About 900 suspected drug traffickers have been killed since he came to power after winning the election on May 9.
Duterte on Friday denied that the government was responsible and in a middle-of-the-night news conference in his home town, Davao, said the deaths were not the work of the police and invited U.N. experts to investigate themselves.
The news conference was broadcast by local media and the full version was posted on Facebook by GMA news.
"I will prove to the world that you are a very stupid expert," he said, urging them to count not just the number of drug-related deaths but also the innocent lives lost to drugs.
He then launched an attack on the United Nations and its members - including by inference Manila's traditionally close ally, Washington - saying, it could not fulfill its own mandate but was "worrying about the bones of criminals piling up".
"I do not want to insult you. But maybe we'll just have to decide to separate from the United Nations," he said. "Why do you have to listen to this stupid?"
Criticizing the U.N. for not doing enough to address hunger and terrorism and for not being able to do anything about Syria and Iraq and allowing big powers to bomb villages and kill innocent civilians, he said he would invite China and African nations to form another global organization.
"You now, United Nations, if you can say one bad thing about me, I can give you 10 (about you). I tell you, you are an inutile. Because if you are really true to your mandate, you could have stopped all these wars and killing."
He said the United Nations should have acted according to protocol by sending someone such as a rapporteur to talk to him.
"You do not just go out and give a shitting statement against a country," he said. (Source)
Saturday, August 20, 2016
India non-serious in finding solution to Kashmir dispute: Maleeha Lodhi
It is obligatory upon the United Nations to persuade the Indian government for peaceful settlement of the long-standing Kashmir dispute, she said.
The envoy said that India's arrogance is deteriorating situation in the region that can be a threat to regional and international peace and security.
She said Pakistan is highlighting Kashmir issue at all forums to seek international attention and the letter of the UN Secretary General to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the issue is an evidence of the government’s efforts.
She said the Prime Minister s letter has been properly responded and circulated among the UNSC members.
In response to PM Nawaz‘s letter on Friday, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon deplored the ongoing killings in Indian held Kashmir as security forces there try to stamp out weeks of anti-government protests by Kashmiri civilians, and urged India and Pakistan to settle Kashmir and other issues through dialogue.
“I stand ready to offer my good offices, should it be requested by both sides, to facilitate dialogue in order to achieve a negotiated settlement,” he wrote in a letter he sent in response to a letter from Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif apprising the UN chief about the deteriorating situation in Kashmir and the large-scale violations of human rights being committed by Indian security forces.
“I deplore the loss of life and hope that all efforts will be made to avoid further violence,” the secretary-general said in his letter, obtained by Associated Press of Pakistan (APP).
At least 70 Kashmiri civilians have been killed and thousands more injured in Indian held Kashmir in clashes with security forces after the killing of a prominent Kashmiri youth leader, Burhan Wani, in a military operation on July 8.
In his letter on August 5, Prime Minister Sharif had called for efforts to end the persistent and egregious violation of the basic human rights of the Kashmiri people and also to implement the decades-old UN Security Council resolutions providing a framework for the settlement of Kashmir dispute through a plebiscite.
“I appreciated the continued commitment of Pakistan to the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute for the sake of regional peace and security, as you reaffirmed in your letter,” Ban said in his letter.
“The United Nations remains convinced that it is only through dialogue that the outstanding issues between Pakistan and India, including on Kashmir, can be addressed.”
The secretary-general said that he looked forward to meeting the Pakistani leader again during the upcoming seventy-first session of the United Nations General Assembly to “discuss matters of common interest.”
Friday, August 19, 2016
Satellite images of Earth help predict poverty better than ever
(TheVerge) - The newest way to accurately predict poverty comes from satellite images and machine learning. This imaging technique could make it easier for aid organizations to know where and how to spend their money; it may also help governments develop better policy.
We already know that the more lit up an area is at night, the richer and more developed it is. Researchers use this method to estimate poverty in places where we don’t have exact data. But “night light” estimates are rough and don’t tell us much about the wealth differences of the very poor. Scientists at Stanford University fed a computer three data sources — night light images, daytime images, and actual survey data — to build an algorithm that predicts how rich or poor any given area is. This method, described in a study published today in the journal Science, estimates poverty in more detail than we’ve had before.
It’s hard to measure poverty in the developing world. The best way is by looking at economic data — like household wealth and assets — collected through household surveys. Problem is, we don’t have these surveys for much of the world because they’re expensive, according to study co-author Neal Jean, a doctoral candidate studying machine learning at Stanford. “The idea is that if we train our models right, they help us predict poverty in areas where we don’t have the surveys,” he says, “which will help out aid orgs that are working on this issue.”
Using night lights to predict poverty provides important information about the economic growth of different countries, says Simon Franklin, an economics researcher at the London School of Economics who was not involved with the study. But they don’t show detailed levels of poverty within a country.
They don’t tell us whether a place is rural and densely populated, or wealthy and sparsely populated. A village near a lake and a village near a forest could both show up as having zero lights at night. But the two have access to different natural resources, and this affects how wealthy they are. “In Africa, a lot of these places that are the most poor are actually just uniformly dark at night,” says Jean. “So if you use nighttime lights only to try to find these people, since there’s no variation in nighttime lights you can’t predict any variation in poverty.” Daytime imagery creates a fuller picture.
We already know that the more lit up an area is at night, the richer and more developed it is. Researchers use this method to estimate poverty in places where we don’t have exact data. But “night light” estimates are rough and don’t tell us much about the wealth differences of the very poor. Scientists at Stanford University fed a computer three data sources — night light images, daytime images, and actual survey data — to build an algorithm that predicts how rich or poor any given area is. This method, described in a study published today in the journal Science, estimates poverty in more detail than we’ve had before.
It’s hard to measure poverty in the developing world. The best way is by looking at economic data — like household wealth and assets — collected through household surveys. Problem is, we don’t have these surveys for much of the world because they’re expensive, according to study co-author Neal Jean, a doctoral candidate studying machine learning at Stanford. “The idea is that if we train our models right, they help us predict poverty in areas where we don’t have the surveys,” he says, “which will help out aid orgs that are working on this issue.”
Using night lights to predict poverty provides important information about the economic growth of different countries, says Simon Franklin, an economics researcher at the London School of Economics who was not involved with the study. But they don’t show detailed levels of poverty within a country.
They don’t tell us whether a place is rural and densely populated, or wealthy and sparsely populated. A village near a lake and a village near a forest could both show up as having zero lights at night. But the two have access to different natural resources, and this affects how wealthy they are. “In Africa, a lot of these places that are the most poor are actually just uniformly dark at night,” says Jean. “So if you use nighttime lights only to try to find these people, since there’s no variation in nighttime lights you can’t predict any variation in poverty.” Daytime imagery creates a fuller picture.
Thursday, August 18, 2016
Ukraine’s President Warns Full-Scale Russian Invasion Possible
(Bloomberg) Ukraine’s leader warned of a possible invasion by Russia, further fraying nerves that have been on edge since President Vladimir Putin last week accused his neighbor of engaging in “terror” tactics in the Crimean peninsula he annexed in 2014.
The situation in eastern Ukraine is deteriorating and the military may consider instituting a draft should hostilities worsen, President Petro Poroshenko said Thursday in the western city of Brody. Earlier in the day, the army said the worst spate of shelling in a year by Russian-backed separatists killed three soldiers.
“The probability of escalation of the conflict remains very significant,” Poroshenko said in a televised speech. “We don’t rule out a full-scale Russian invasion.”
Rising tensions in Ukraine are heightening concern that the nation’s two-year-old conflict, which has killed almost 10,000 people, is in danger of boiling over once again. While Ukraine rejects allegations it sent saboteurs to Crimea and caused the deaths of two Russian servicemen, Putin has vowed to respond with “very serious” measures. Efforts to bring peace to eastern Ukraine have stalled, with Putin saying planned talks at next month’s Group of 20 summit in China would be pointless after recent events in Crimea. (FullText)
Wednesday, August 17, 2016
Bolivia opens 'anti-imperialist' military school to counter US imperialism
(Reuters) Bolivian President Evo Morales opened a military school on Wednesday which he said would teach an "anti-imperialist" doctrine to counter U.S. policies "based on fear."
"The United States created the School of the Americas to indoctrinate the armed forces on pro-imperialism," said Morales, a reference to the Cold War-era U.S. academy that trained Latin American dictators and their military in counter-insurgency and torture techniques.
"If the empire teaches domination of the world from its military schools, we will learn from this school to free ourselves from imperial oppression," he said.
Ex-coca grower Morales has been a long-time critic of U.S. foreign policy, one of the last leaders left standing from South America's once-dominant populist leftist bloc.
Earlier this week he traveled to Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro during the revolutionary leader's 90th birthday celebrations.
The military school will be located in eastern Bolivia, on the site of a former United Nations peacekeeping training center.
Up to 200 cadets will learn about history, geopolitics and military strategy, the government said. The school will be open to those from other countries in Latin America's leftist 'ALBA' bloc, which includes Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.
"The United States created the School of the Americas to indoctrinate the armed forces on pro-imperialism," said Morales, a reference to the Cold War-era U.S. academy that trained Latin American dictators and their military in counter-insurgency and torture techniques.
"If the empire teaches domination of the world from its military schools, we will learn from this school to free ourselves from imperial oppression," he said.
Ex-coca grower Morales has been a long-time critic of U.S. foreign policy, one of the last leaders left standing from South America's once-dominant populist leftist bloc.
Earlier this week he traveled to Cuba to meet with Fidel Castro during the revolutionary leader's 90th birthday celebrations.
The military school will be located in eastern Bolivia, on the site of a former United Nations peacekeeping training center.
Up to 200 cadets will learn about history, geopolitics and military strategy, the government said. The school will be open to those from other countries in Latin America's leftist 'ALBA' bloc, which includes Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba.
Tuesday, August 16, 2016
Poland wants jail time for reference to ‘Polish death camps'
(france24.com) - Poland's rightwing government on Tuesday said it would seek fines or jail terms of up to three years against anyone who refers to Nazi German death camps as Polish.
A legislative amendment to approve the proposal has to be approved by parliament and signed by the president, but a green light is expected from both.
"The new provisions penalise these insulting terms, which undermine Poland's reputation," a government statement said.
Poland was attacked and occupied by Nazi Germany in World War II, losing six million of its citizens, including three million Jews in the Holocaust.
Polish officials routinely request corrections when global media or politicians describe as "Polish" former death camps like Auschwitz set up by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland.
Even if used as a geographical indicator, Warsaw says the term can give the impression that Poland bore responsibility for the Holocaust, whereas it was one of the greatest victims of the slaughter.
"Poles' blood boils when they read, including in the German media, that there were 'Polish death camps', Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro told reporters on Tuesday.
US President Barack Obama used the term in 2012 and later expressed regret.
A Polish citizen sued the German newspaper Die Welt for referring in 2008 to the Majdanek concentration camp as "Polish", but a Warsaw court dismissed the case last year.
Under the new initiative, a "public attribution to Poland, in violation of the facts, of bearing joint responsibility" for Nazi Germany's crimes could result in jail time, as well as fines.
Monday, August 15, 2016
Babies often put to sleep in unsafe positions
(upi.com) - Despite decades of warnings from the "Back to Sleep" campaign, many parents are still putting their babies to sleep in ways that raise the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), a new study finds.
Each year in the United States, about 3,500 infants die suddenly, from no obvious cause, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A majority of those deaths are labeled as SIDS -- a phenomenon that researchers still don't completely understand.
One thing that's clear is that an infant's sleeping environment is key. Since the 1990s, doctors and public health experts have encouraged parents to put infants to sleep on their backs, keep soft bedding out of the crib, and take other "safe sleep" measures.
The new study, published Aug. 15 in Pediatrics, suggests that the message is not getting through.
"What we found was disturbing," said senior researcher Dr. Ian Paul, a professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, in Hershey, Penn.
Unlike past studies that have relied on surveying parents, this one used video cameras to record what parents were really doing at home. (The videos were taken with the parents' knowledge.)
It turned out that nearly all parents put their babies to sleep with items in the crib that can raise the odds of SIDS -- including pillows, loose bedding, and "bumper pads."
And, anywhere from 14 percent to one-third of babies were placed on their bellies or sides to sleep, rather than on their backs.
Paul said there could be a number of explanations.
"One could be parents' lack of knowledge," he said. "One could be parents thinking this [SIDS] won't happen to them. And then there's the fact that parents of young infants are exhausted."
That is, parents who just want their baby to be comfortable, and for everyone to get some sleep, may put them in risky positions -- such as in the bed with them. (FullText)
Each year in the United States, about 3,500 infants die suddenly, from no obvious cause, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A majority of those deaths are labeled as SIDS -- a phenomenon that researchers still don't completely understand.
One thing that's clear is that an infant's sleeping environment is key. Since the 1990s, doctors and public health experts have encouraged parents to put infants to sleep on their backs, keep soft bedding out of the crib, and take other "safe sleep" measures.
The new study, published Aug. 15 in Pediatrics, suggests that the message is not getting through.
"What we found was disturbing," said senior researcher Dr. Ian Paul, a professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, in Hershey, Penn.
Unlike past studies that have relied on surveying parents, this one used video cameras to record what parents were really doing at home. (The videos were taken with the parents' knowledge.)
It turned out that nearly all parents put their babies to sleep with items in the crib that can raise the odds of SIDS -- including pillows, loose bedding, and "bumper pads."
And, anywhere from 14 percent to one-third of babies were placed on their bellies or sides to sleep, rather than on their backs.
Paul said there could be a number of explanations.
"One could be parents' lack of knowledge," he said. "One could be parents thinking this [SIDS] won't happen to them. And then there's the fact that parents of young infants are exhausted."
That is, parents who just want their baby to be comfortable, and for everyone to get some sleep, may put them in risky positions -- such as in the bed with them. (FullText)
Sunday, August 14, 2016
National Guard Deployed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin Amid Unrest Over Fatal Police Shooting
(NewYorkTimes) - Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin activated the Wisconsin National Guard on Sunday to assist local law enforcement following a night of violence in Milwaukee that began hours after a police officer fatally shot a fleeing armed man there.
Angry crowds confronted the police in Milwaukee on Saturday night, setting fires and throwing rocks following the shooting that afternoon. One fire, at a gas station in the Sherman Park neighborhood, burned unattended while gunshots kept firefighters from extinguishing it. Other fires burned at an auto-parts store, a beauty supply company and a bank branch.
One police officer was hospitalized with a head injury after a brick was thrown through the window of his patrol car, Mayor Tom Barrett said at a news conference early Sunday morning. The police reported just before 3:30 a.m. that order was being restored to the area.
In a statement, Governor Walker praised volunteer clean-up efforts on Sunday morning.
“This act of selfless caring sets a powerful example for Milwaukee’s youth and the entire community,” he said. “I join Milwaukee’s leaders and citizens in calling for continued peace and prayer.”
Mr. Walker noted that, under Wisconsin law, the shooting was being examined by an independent investigation and asked that people give law enforcement “the respect they deserve for working so hard to keep us safe.”
Mr. Walker said he decided to make the National Guard available to provide assistance upon request after consulting with the Milwaukee mayor and Milwaukee County sheriff.
Three people were arrested on unspecified charges during the mayhem, in which crowds of at least 200 people flooded the streets, said Assistant Chief James Harpole of the Milwaukee police.
The shooting and protests come as communities across the nation scrutinize what many see as excessive use of force by law enforcement officers, particularly against black people. Protests broke out across the country last year after a police officer in Madison, Wis., fatally shot an unarmed biracial man.
The race and identity of the officer and the man shot and killed on Saturday were not immediately released.
Many of the protesters were black, and Alderman Khalif J. Rainey expressed the frustration within the community. “The black people of Milwaukee are tired,” he said. “They’re tired of living under this oppression.
“What has happened may not have been right,” Mr. Rainey said, “I’m not justifying that, but nobody can deny that there are racial problems here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that have to be rectified, because if you don’t, you’re one day away.”
Saturday, August 13, 2016
'I think it is a terrible mistake': Ex-Sears executive says Walmart just wasted $3 billion on Jet.com
(BusniessInsider) - Walmart's $3 billion purchase of Jet.com has largely been praised as a win for both companies, but not everyone believes it was a good idea.
Supporters say the acquisition should help Walmart improve its e-commerce business, which has been criticized in the past for falling so far behind Amazon.
Walmart's online sales were $13.7 billion in fiscal 2015, while Amazon's sales in 2015 were $107 billion.
The deal is also expected to give Walmart access to Jet's shoppers, who tend to be wealthier, younger, and more urban than Walmart's core customers.
But some people, like former Sears Canada CEO Mark Cohen, think the acquisition was a waste of money.
"I think they just spent $3 billion on an idea that they should have been able to create for themselves," Cohen, now the director of retail studies at Columbia Business School, said in an interview with Business Insider. "It looks and feels like a 'Hail Mary' pass. I think it is a terrible mistake."
Jet.com is not yet profitable, but it has grown exponentially — adding approximately 350,000 customers a month — since it launched last year.
The company, which sells household goods and groceries, offers lower prices than Amazon and free shipping on all orders over $35. By comparison, Amazon charges $99 annually for free two-day shipping as part of its Prime membership.
Jet has a unique business model — enabling customers to bundle items together or waive free-return privileges to save more money — but in Cohen's opinion, it doesn't have "any viability or any likely profitability."
"Anyone can offer prices lower than Amazon," but no one has figured out how to do as profitably as Amazon, Cohen said.
Some have speculated that the purchase of Jet.com was an expensive way for Walmart to get Jet's founder, Marc Lore, to run Walmart's e-commerce business.
In turn, Walmart could start attracting top tech talent away from Amazon, eBay, and other online retailers, according to UBS retail analyst Michael Lasser.
"Until now, Walmart probably faced some difficulty attracting the best & brightest engineers & [e-commerce] talent given its perception as a 'traditional retailer,'" Lasser wrote in a recent note to clients. "We think the addition of a rapidly growing and innovative retailer should enable Walmart to attract human capital and knowledge that it might not have otherwise been able to attain."
In announcing the news of the acquisition, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said Jet would help Walmart's website grow faster.
"Walmart.com will grow faster, the seamless shopping experience we’re pursuing will happen quicker, and we’ll enable the Jet brand to be even more successful in a shorter period of time," he said in a statement. "It’s another jolt of entrepreneurial spirit being injected into Walmart.”
But no one can be sure how it will all play out for Walmart and Jet.
"Whether it's the right strategy, or even the right company to acquire, remains to be seen," said Sucharita Mulpuru-Kodali, e-commerce analyst at Forrester Research.
(FullText)
Supporters say the acquisition should help Walmart improve its e-commerce business, which has been criticized in the past for falling so far behind Amazon.
Walmart's online sales were $13.7 billion in fiscal 2015, while Amazon's sales in 2015 were $107 billion.
The deal is also expected to give Walmart access to Jet's shoppers, who tend to be wealthier, younger, and more urban than Walmart's core customers.
But some people, like former Sears Canada CEO Mark Cohen, think the acquisition was a waste of money.
"I think they just spent $3 billion on an idea that they should have been able to create for themselves," Cohen, now the director of retail studies at Columbia Business School, said in an interview with Business Insider. "It looks and feels like a 'Hail Mary' pass. I think it is a terrible mistake."
Jet.com is not yet profitable, but it has grown exponentially — adding approximately 350,000 customers a month — since it launched last year.
The company, which sells household goods and groceries, offers lower prices than Amazon and free shipping on all orders over $35. By comparison, Amazon charges $99 annually for free two-day shipping as part of its Prime membership.
Jet has a unique business model — enabling customers to bundle items together or waive free-return privileges to save more money — but in Cohen's opinion, it doesn't have "any viability or any likely profitability."
"Anyone can offer prices lower than Amazon," but no one has figured out how to do as profitably as Amazon, Cohen said.
Some have speculated that the purchase of Jet.com was an expensive way for Walmart to get Jet's founder, Marc Lore, to run Walmart's e-commerce business.
In turn, Walmart could start attracting top tech talent away from Amazon, eBay, and other online retailers, according to UBS retail analyst Michael Lasser.
"Until now, Walmart probably faced some difficulty attracting the best & brightest engineers & [e-commerce] talent given its perception as a 'traditional retailer,'" Lasser wrote in a recent note to clients. "We think the addition of a rapidly growing and innovative retailer should enable Walmart to attract human capital and knowledge that it might not have otherwise been able to attain."
In announcing the news of the acquisition, Walmart CEO Doug McMillon said Jet would help Walmart's website grow faster.
"Walmart.com will grow faster, the seamless shopping experience we’re pursuing will happen quicker, and we’ll enable the Jet brand to be even more successful in a shorter period of time," he said in a statement. "It’s another jolt of entrepreneurial spirit being injected into Walmart.”
But no one can be sure how it will all play out for Walmart and Jet.
"Whether it's the right strategy, or even the right company to acquire, remains to be seen," said Sucharita Mulpuru-Kodali, e-commerce analyst at Forrester Research.
(FullText)
Friday, August 12, 2016
Major 7.2 magnitude earthquake strikes off Vanuatu - USGS
(Reuters) - A major earthquake with a magnitude of 7.2 struck about 535 km (330 miles) southeast of the South Pacific island nation of Vanuatu on Friday, the U.S. Geological Survey said, briefly triggering a local tsunami warning.
There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued a warning for areas close to the quake, although there was no Pacific-wide threat of a tsunami, the Hawaii-based centre said.
The tsunami warning, which had included coastal areas of Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji, including the Fijian capital, Suva, was later cancelled.
The shallow quake was measured at a depth of about 10 km (6 miles). It initially registered with a magnitude of 7.6 but was later downgraded.
The powerful quake triggered at least five aftershocks, ranging in magnitude from 4.7 to 5.4, the USGS said.
(Full Text)
Thursday, August 11, 2016
Donald Trump: I meant that Obama founded ISIS, literally
Trump was asked by host Hugh Hewitt about the comments Trump made Wednesday night in Florida, and Hewitt said he understood Trump to mean "that he (Obama) created the vacuum, he lost the peace."
Trump objected.
"No, I meant he's the founder of ISIS," Trump said. "I do. He was the most valuable player. I give him the most valuable player award. I give her, too, by the way, Hillary Clinton."
Hewitt pushed back again, saying that Obama is "not sympathetic" to ISIS and "hates" and is "trying to kill them."
"I don't care," Trump said, according to a show transcript. "He was the founder. His, the way he got out of Iraq was that that was the founding of ISIS, okay?"
Collins: Trump will make the world 'more dangerous'
Hewitt and Trump went back and forth after that, with Hewitt warning Trump that his critics would seize on his use of "founder" as more example of Trump being loose with words.
Clinton later hit back on Thursday on Twitter, saying it was Trump who was unfit to be president.
"It can be difficult to muster outrage as frequently as Donald Trump should cause it, but his smear against President Obama requires it," Clinton tweeted. "No, Barack Obama is not the founder of ISIS. ... Anyone willing to sink so low, so often should never be allowed to serve as our Commander-in-Chief."
Wednesday, August 10, 2016
Russia: Putin accuses Ukraine of trying to provoke a new conflict over Crimea
*yawn*
(Reuters) - Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine on Wednesday of using terrorist tactics to try to provoke a new conflict and destabilize annexed Crimea after Russia said it had thwarted two armed Ukrainian attempts to get saboteurs into the contested peninsula.
Russia's FSB security service said two people were killed in clashes and its forces had dismantled a Ukrainian spy network inside Crimea. Kiev denied the assertions, calling them an attempt by Moscow to create an excuse to escalate toward a war.
The Russian president accused Kiev of playing a dangerous game and said he saw no point in holding a new round of talks about the troubled peace process in eastern Ukraine on the sidelines of a G20 summit in China next month.
"The people who seized power in Kiev ... have switched to terror tactics instead of searching for ways for a peaceful settlement," Putin told a news conference, saying Russia would not let such actions pass without a response.
"The attempt to provoke an outbreak of violence, to provoke a conflict is nothing other than a desire to distract (Ukrainian) society from its problems," he added, calling Ukraine's actions "criminal."
Putin's comments will stir fears that Russia, which has been steadily reinforcing Crimea militarily, may be considering new military action.
"Putin wants more war. Russia escalates, desperately looks for a casus belli against Ukraine, tests the West's reaction," a spokesman for Ukraine's foreign ministry, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted.
The Russian allegations follow an uptick in Russian military activity in northern Crimea and heavier fighting in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian government troops are battling pro-Russian separatists. (Full Text)
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Emails: North Dakota faced complaints over Sioux image signs
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — North Dakota's Transportation Department was threatened with a civil rights complaint in the months before it decided to drop its nearly century-old image of a famous Sioux warrior from thousands of highway signs.
Department officials said the possible complaint played no part in their decision, but emails released to The Associated Press in response to a public records request showed that top officials closely monitored the progress of the complaint as well as a talk radio show where callers offered opinions on the image.
The Transportation Department this summer began replacing more than 4,400 state highways signs with the silhouette of Marcellus Red Tomahawk in favor of an outline of North Dakota. The effort will take up to a decade to fully phase out under the agency's sign replacement program that's funded at about $500,000 annually.
Transportation Director Grant Levi said Tuesday the threats and potential legal action had nothing to do with changing the signs.
"It was not the basis of our decision," Levi said.
He said the change was done to pay tribute to the agency's 100th birthday next year and get in step with other states' signage. He said the agency had internal discussions about the change months before it received any criticism about them.
Marcellus Red Tomahawk became the first elected chairman of the Standing Rock reservation, which straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border, in 1914. He is best known outside the tribe as a government policeman involved in the killing of Sitting Bull a quarter-century earlier during an attempt to arrest the Sioux chief, who defeated Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer at the battle of Little Bighorn.
His profile was featured on state road signs starting in 1923, and word of its removal dismayed some descendants and tribal members.
"The reason why Red Tomahawk is on those signs was to honor that tribal relationship," Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II said. "All of the sudden, they want to take that honoring away. We're not happy."
Documents obtained by the AP through the state's open record laws show the agency took complaints from Deborah Gaudet of Taos, New Mexico in 2015. Gaudet, a former North Dakota resident who is not Native American, began a letter-writing campaign in June of that year, calling for the Red Tomahawk signs to be replaced.
Gaudet called Red Tomahawk "merely an agent of a genocidal federal policy" for his role as a government policeman involved in the killing of Sitting Bull.
"North Dakota should want to symbolize itself with something other than a symbol of Sitting Bull's killer," Gaudet said in an interview. "It's a romanticized idea of the past, while Native people in North Dakota are still living in extreme poverty and without the buffalo."
Emails indicate Levi and troopers corresponded about criticism from Gaudet, who also called state officials several times.
"Did we get Civil Rights involved?" Levi asked in a June 2015 email. An official with the agency told him the Civil Rights department within the agency had "talked to her and documented her complaints."
Emails also show that top Highway Patrol officials made Levi aware of a Fargo-based radio talk show that aired shortly after Gaudet's letters appeared in some of the state's biggest newspapers, where callers were asked to give their opinions of the Red Tomahawk signs.
Department officials said the possible complaint played no part in their decision, but emails released to The Associated Press in response to a public records request showed that top officials closely monitored the progress of the complaint as well as a talk radio show where callers offered opinions on the image.
The Transportation Department this summer began replacing more than 4,400 state highways signs with the silhouette of Marcellus Red Tomahawk in favor of an outline of North Dakota. The effort will take up to a decade to fully phase out under the agency's sign replacement program that's funded at about $500,000 annually.
Transportation Director Grant Levi said Tuesday the threats and potential legal action had nothing to do with changing the signs.
"It was not the basis of our decision," Levi said.
He said the change was done to pay tribute to the agency's 100th birthday next year and get in step with other states' signage. He said the agency had internal discussions about the change months before it received any criticism about them.
Marcellus Red Tomahawk became the first elected chairman of the Standing Rock reservation, which straddles the North Dakota-South Dakota border, in 1914. He is best known outside the tribe as a government policeman involved in the killing of Sitting Bull a quarter-century earlier during an attempt to arrest the Sioux chief, who defeated Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer at the battle of Little Bighorn.
His profile was featured on state road signs starting in 1923, and word of its removal dismayed some descendants and tribal members.
"The reason why Red Tomahawk is on those signs was to honor that tribal relationship," Standing Rock Sioux Chairman Dave Archambault II said. "All of the sudden, they want to take that honoring away. We're not happy."
Documents obtained by the AP through the state's open record laws show the agency took complaints from Deborah Gaudet of Taos, New Mexico in 2015. Gaudet, a former North Dakota resident who is not Native American, began a letter-writing campaign in June of that year, calling for the Red Tomahawk signs to be replaced.
Gaudet called Red Tomahawk "merely an agent of a genocidal federal policy" for his role as a government policeman involved in the killing of Sitting Bull.
"North Dakota should want to symbolize itself with something other than a symbol of Sitting Bull's killer," Gaudet said in an interview. "It's a romanticized idea of the past, while Native people in North Dakota are still living in extreme poverty and without the buffalo."
Emails indicate Levi and troopers corresponded about criticism from Gaudet, who also called state officials several times.
"Did we get Civil Rights involved?" Levi asked in a June 2015 email. An official with the agency told him the Civil Rights department within the agency had "talked to her and documented her complaints."
Emails also show that top Highway Patrol officials made Levi aware of a Fargo-based radio talk show that aired shortly after Gaudet's letters appeared in some of the state's biggest newspapers, where callers were asked to give their opinions of the Red Tomahawk signs.
Monday, August 8, 2016
Russia Antitrust Body Opens Case Into Possible Price-Fixing Against Apple
(WashingtonPost) MOSCOW-—Russia’s federal antitrust body has opened a case into possible price-fixing by Apple Inc. and some Russian smartphone retailers, making the Cupertino, Calif., company the latest U.S. tech giant to draw attention from Russian regulators.
The Federal Anti-Monopoly Service said it was investigating a claim that Apple and 16 resellers colluded to fix prices of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus on the local market starting in October 2015. The agency said prices had been set at the same level across a majority of retailers and held there for some time.
“The FAS believes that such a coincidence could be the result of a coordination of the pricing of Russian resellers by the Apple group of companies,” the agency said in a statement on its website.
An Apple spokesman said the company had no immediate comment.
Andrei Filimonov, the head of the FAS’s anti-cartel unit, told Interfax news agency in February that the unit had begun looking into allegations of iPhone price-fixing. He said that the companies in question could be fined up to 15% of iPhone sales revenue.
U.S. businesses in Russia have come under increased scrutiny as relations between the U.S. and Russia deteriorated to their worst level since the end of the Cold War. The U.S. and European Union slapped sanctions on Russia following its annexation of Crimea in March 2014; Russia responded with an embargo on some food products.
In August 2014, Russia’s state consumer regulator temporarily shut down 12 McDonald’s restaurants and inspected 100 more outlets over alleged sanitary violations. The standoff later subsided, and in 2015 McDonald’s Corp. announced that it would continue to expand in Russia.
Technology companies have been a particular target of recent legislation, as the Russian government seeks to assert control over Russia’s largely unfettered internet.
A 2014 law required that foreign internet companies, such as Google Inc., Twitter Inc. and Facebook Inc., to store personal data of users from Russia within the country’s borders, but Western companies delayed full compliance and enforcement deadlines were repeatedly pushed back.
Earlier this year, a Russian court upheld an FAS decision against Google. The court said Google had used the dominant position of its Android mobile-phone operating system to effectively force retailers to preload the company’s apps and services on its devices.
Sales of smartphones in Russia fell 7% in 2015, according to research firm GfK, as Russia’s economy contracted 3.7% amid Western sanctions and a sharp drop in the price for crude oil, its main export. Retailer Svyaznoy said its research showed iPhone sales accounted for 27% of sales revenue for resellers, more than any other smartphone maker.
Dmitry Marinichev, Russia’s government-appointed internet ombudsman, criticized the decision to open a case. Mr. Marinichev, whose position allows for sector oversight but has no enforcement powers, said retailers could be punished for colluding on setting prices but Apple couldn’t.
“It won’t be possible to punish Apple,” he said in recorded comments posted on the news portal LifeNews. “It’s a commercial company and therefore it works on the free market and defines for itself what the pricing level should be for a given market.” (Source)
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Pensylvania: Philadelphia tells residents: Don't swim in dumpster pools
Dumpster diving?
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia is urging residents not to swim in dumpsters after a rented trash bin was filled with fire hydrant water and transformed into a pool.
The online news site Billy Penn first reported the shenanigans at a weekend block party. The party's organizers told the site they power-washed the dumpster, lined the bottom with plywood and tarps and cushioned the corners with pool noodles.
However, filling it with hydrant water caused the biggest issue with city officials.
The Department of Licenses and Inspections issued a statement saying the city won't issue permits for block party dumpster pools.
Agency spokeswoman Karen Guss said, "you would think this decision would not require an explanation."
Among the reasons: It takes water that should be available in the event of a fire; the strong water pressure could push someone into harm's way; and the huge amount of water released could cause a main break.
"We are not screwing around, Philly," Guss' statement reads. "The city strongly recommends that residents opt for recreational options that are safer, more sanitary and less likely to deplete the resources firefighters need in an emergency."
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia is urging residents not to swim in dumpsters after a rented trash bin was filled with fire hydrant water and transformed into a pool.
The online news site Billy Penn first reported the shenanigans at a weekend block party. The party's organizers told the site they power-washed the dumpster, lined the bottom with plywood and tarps and cushioned the corners with pool noodles.
However, filling it with hydrant water caused the biggest issue with city officials.
The Department of Licenses and Inspections issued a statement saying the city won't issue permits for block party dumpster pools.
Agency spokeswoman Karen Guss said, "you would think this decision would not require an explanation."
Among the reasons: It takes water that should be available in the event of a fire; the strong water pressure could push someone into harm's way; and the huge amount of water released could cause a main break.
"We are not screwing around, Philly," Guss' statement reads. "The city strongly recommends that residents opt for recreational options that are safer, more sanitary and less likely to deplete the resources firefighters need in an emergency."
Saturday, August 6, 2016
Former CIA Chief: Trump an unwitting agent of Russia
"The character traits he [Trump] has exhibited during the primary season suggest he would be a poor, even dangerous, commander in chief.".
(JerusalemPost) - In an op-ed written for the New York Times, former CIA Director Michael Morell denounced Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and deemed him a threat to US national security should he be voted into office.
"The character traits he [Trump] has exhibited during the primary season suggest he would be a poor, even dangerous, commander in chief," said Morell. "These traits include his obvious need for self-aggrandizement, his overreaction to perceived slights, his tendency to make decisions based on intuition, his refusal to change his views based on new information, his routine carelessness with the facts, his unwillingness to listen to others and his lack of respect for the rule of law."
These traits, he said, not only pose a future danger, but are already damaging US national security and being manipulated by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Putin, Morell pointed out, was a career intelligence officer "trained to identify vulnerabilities in an individual and to exploit them;" In turn, he used these skills to reel Trump in during the primaries via compliments, and Trump responded as Putin foresaw.
Trump referred to Putin as a "great leader" on the campaign trail, ignoring his less-than-exemplary human rights record and driving of the Russian economy downhill. Furthermore, by "endorsing Russian espionage against the US, supporting Russia’s annexation of Crimea and giving a green light to a possible Russian invasion of the Baltic States," his policy positions explicitly align with Russian, rather than American interests, Morell claimed.
On Wednesday, Trump suggested that Russia commit a cybercrime against Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, saying he hoped Russia would hack into Clinton’s private email server and recover some of her deleted emails.
"My training as an intelligence officer taught me to call it as I see it," Morell said. In this case, "We would say that Mr. Putin had recruited Mr. Trump as an unwitting agent of the Russian Federation."
Trump's flaws do not lie solely in his inability to protect US national security interests, though, Morell claimed. Further proof lies in his challenge of core US values, iterated in his calls to bar Muslims from entering the country - a statement that fundamentally "plays into the hands of the jihadist narrative that our fight against terrorism is a war between religions" - and desire to erect a separation wall on the US-Mexican border.
"As a government official, I have always been silent about my preference for president," Morell said. Yet now, he would make his from-from-neutral vote known. "I will vote for Hillary Clinton. Between now and then [the elections], I will do everything I can to ensure that she is elected as our 45th president." (Full Text)
Friday, August 5, 2016
Watch a sunflower dance in the sun: Now scientists know how it’s done
(WashingtonPost) - Young sunflowers follow the sun, their still-green buds arcing from east to west across the summer sky as dawn turns to noon turns to dusk. Each night they reverse their dance, swinging from west to east in order to be the first to see the sun when it crests over the horizon at daybreak.
But do you know they do it?
In a study published in the journal Science this week, researchers say they've found an answer: Sunflowers, like animals, have a circadian rhythm — an internal clock that can be set to the external world. During the day, this system sends messages to the eastern sides of their stems, telling those cells to grow slightly longer, which causes the sunflower to lean westward. At night, the message reverses, and the sunflowers tilt back toward the east.
"It's the first example of a plant's clock modulating growth in a natural environment, and having real repercussions for the plant," Stacey Harmer, professor of plant biology at University of California-Davis and senior author on the paper, said in a statement.
Even though they don't sleep, many plants have "clock genes" similar to those that direct the sleep-wake cycle in animals. For years, Harmer had been looking for a link between those genes and the release of a hormone called auxin, which controls stem growth.
Sunflowers seemed like a likely candidate to help that search. Scientists have known about the plants' sun-seeking behavior since 1898, when botanist John Schaffner described a summer he spent observing an especially "abundant and luxuriant crop of this characteristic western weed" for the journal Botanical Gazette.
So Harmer tasked a graduate student, Hagop Atamian, with putting the flowers through their paces. First Atamian staked the sunflowers so they couldn't move. The constrained flowers were smaller and frailer than their free-moving counterparts, proving that the flowers really do benefit from following the sun.
* * * *
Related - (Mentalfloss) 10 Glorious Facts About Sunflowers
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Red, white and huge — Americans are fatter than ever
(nydailynews.com) - Americans are living large — and not in a good way.
The body mass index — a measure of body fat based on height and weight — for people across the U.S. has blown up in men, women and children over the past 20 years, according to the latest National Center for Health Statistics bulletin released Wednesday.
Every family member has seen his or her waistband expand, although females are carrying more than their fair share (what else is new?). American women tip the scales some 16.2 pounds more on average than they did 20 years ago — and the heaviest ladies of all are the 20-somethings, averaging 20.7 extra pounds today.
Non-Hispanic white women in the U.S. tip the scales some 17.6 pounds heavier on average than they did 20 years ago, It’s even worse for non-Hispanic black women, who are on average 22 pounds heavier than they were two decades ago.
Men have put on 15 extra pounds overall, although seniors ages 60 to 69 were the heftiest fellas at nearly 17 pounds more.
And the numbers are just as scary in our kids, with 11-year-old boys weighing 13.5 pounds more than they did two decades ago, and girls the same age weighing 7.4 pounds more. At least the boys are growing into their weight a little bit, since they’ve added an inch of height on average over the previous generation. Girls have stayed the same.
Researchers compared measurements taken between 2011 and 2014 during the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and compared them to those taken during the CDC’s 1988 to 1994 report.
Overall, the average American man is now 5 feet, 9¼ inches tall and weighs 195.7 pounds, while the average woman stands 5 feet, 3¾ inches and weighs 168.5 pounds today.
This puts them both squarely in the overweight camp on the BMI scale, actually just a point or two away from being considered obese.
The body mass index — a measure of body fat based on height and weight — for people across the U.S. has blown up in men, women and children over the past 20 years, according to the latest National Center for Health Statistics bulletin released Wednesday.
Every family member has seen his or her waistband expand, although females are carrying more than their fair share (what else is new?). American women tip the scales some 16.2 pounds more on average than they did 20 years ago — and the heaviest ladies of all are the 20-somethings, averaging 20.7 extra pounds today.
Non-Hispanic white women in the U.S. tip the scales some 17.6 pounds heavier on average than they did 20 years ago, It’s even worse for non-Hispanic black women, who are on average 22 pounds heavier than they were two decades ago.
Men have put on 15 extra pounds overall, although seniors ages 60 to 69 were the heftiest fellas at nearly 17 pounds more.
And the numbers are just as scary in our kids, with 11-year-old boys weighing 13.5 pounds more than they did two decades ago, and girls the same age weighing 7.4 pounds more. At least the boys are growing into their weight a little bit, since they’ve added an inch of height on average over the previous generation. Girls have stayed the same.
Researchers compared measurements taken between 2011 and 2014 during the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, and compared them to those taken during the CDC’s 1988 to 1994 report.
Overall, the average American man is now 5 feet, 9¼ inches tall and weighs 195.7 pounds, while the average woman stands 5 feet, 3¾ inches and weighs 168.5 pounds today.
This puts them both squarely in the overweight camp on the BMI scale, actually just a point or two away from being considered obese.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Body Count Rises as Philippine President Wages War on Drugs
(NewYorkTimes) MANILA — Since Rodrigo Duterte became president of the Philippines just over a month ago, promising to get tough on crime by having the police and the military kill drug suspects, 420 people have been killed in the campaign, according to tallies of police reports by the local news media.
Most were killed in confrontations with the police, while 154 were killed by unidentified vigilantes. This has prompted 114,833 people to turn themselves in, as either drug addicts or dealers, since Mr. Duterte took office, according to national police logs.
Addressing Congress last week in his first State of the Nation address, Mr. Duterte reiterated his take-no-prisoners approach, ordering the police to “triple” their efforts against crime.
“We will not stop until the last drug lord, the last financier and the last pusher have surrendered or been put behind bars or below the ground, if they so wish,” he said.
But human rights groups, Roman Catholic activists and the families of many of those killed during the crackdown say that the vast majority were poor Filipinos, many of whom had nothing to do with the drug trade. They were not accorded an accusation and a trial, but were simply shot down in the streets, the critics say.
“These are not the wealthy and powerful drug lords who actually have meaningful control over supply of drugs on the streets in the Philippines,” said Phelim Kine, a deputy director of Human Rights Watch in Asia.
Critics of the president’s campaign have rallied around the case of Michael Siaron, a 29-year-old rickshaw driver in Manila, who was shot one night by unidentified gunmen as he pedaled his vehicle in search of a passenger. When his wife rushed to the scene, a photographer took a picture of her cradling his body in the street, and the photograph quickly gained wide attention.
Continue reading the main story
RELATED COVERAGE
Philippines’ New President, Rodrigo Duterte, Vows Tough Stance on Crime JUNE 30, 2016
Rodrigo Duterte’s Talk of Killing Criminals Raises Fears in Philippines MAY 17, 2016
DAVAO CITY JOURNAL
Welcome to Davao, the Philippine Leader’s Town: ‘No Smoking, No Crime’ JUNE 16, 2016
Rodrigo Duterte’s Many Sides: Brash and Crude or Tough and Shrewd MAY 10, 2016
Rodrigo Duterte, Philippines Presidential Contender, Likened to Donald Trump MAY 9, 2016
Scribbled in block letters on a cardboard sign left near his body was the word “pusher.” His family members insist that he was not involved in the drug trade, though they said he sometimes used meth.
Indirectly acknowledging criticism that his policies trample over the standard judicial process, Mr. Duterte said that human rights “cannot be used as a shield to destroy the country.”
He has called for drug users and sellers to turn themselves in or risk being hunted down, a threat backed up by the bodies piling up near daily on the streets of Philippine cities.
The approach appears to be driving down crime: The police say that they have arrested more than 2,700 people on charges related to using or selling illegal drugs, and that crime nationwide has fallen 13 percent since the election, to 46,600 reported crimes in June, from 52,950 in May.
Mr. Duterte’s crackdown has been hugely popular. Filipinos, pummeled by years of violent crime and corrupt, ineffective law enforcement, handed him an overwhelming victory in the May presidential election, and have largely embraced his approach. (FullText)
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
The Recall Movement Against Venezuela's President
The US already has his replacement..
(TheAtlantic) - Venezuela opposition lawmakers collected 1 percent of voter signatures in all 24 of the country’s states, completing the first step in the process to recall President Nicolás Maduro.
The country’s National Electoral Council approved the effort on Monday, which means opposition leaders can move on to the next step: gathering 20 percent of the country’s vote in favor of a referendum to recall Maduro.
As the BBC notes, timing is crucial:
... because if Maduro were to lose a referendum this year, as polls indicate he would due to an economic crisis, that would trigger a new presidential vote, giving the opposition a chance to end 17 years of socialism.
But should he lose a referendum next year, Maduro, 53, would be replaced by his vice president, maintaining the Socialist Party in power until the OPEC nation's next presidential election scheduled for the end of 2018.
The late Hugo Chávez picked Maduro as his successor in 2013. Not longer after, world oil prices crashed, and Venezuela’s oil prices dropped 50 percent. Oil makes up about 95 percent of the country’s export revenue, and 25 percent of all gross domestic product. That combined with drought has led to massive food shortages, and hospitals have run out of drugs to treat patients. As a result, citizens have held massive protests across the country. Grocery stores have been looted, and some people have snuck across the border into Colombia to buy food. Much of the blame for this has fallen on Maduro and his socialist party.
The date for another vote, which will require 20 percent of Venezuelans to favor the recall before a national referendum can take place, has not yet been announced.
(TheAtlantic) - Venezuela opposition lawmakers collected 1 percent of voter signatures in all 24 of the country’s states, completing the first step in the process to recall President Nicolás Maduro.
The country’s National Electoral Council approved the effort on Monday, which means opposition leaders can move on to the next step: gathering 20 percent of the country’s vote in favor of a referendum to recall Maduro.
As the BBC notes, timing is crucial:
... because if Maduro were to lose a referendum this year, as polls indicate he would due to an economic crisis, that would trigger a new presidential vote, giving the opposition a chance to end 17 years of socialism.
But should he lose a referendum next year, Maduro, 53, would be replaced by his vice president, maintaining the Socialist Party in power until the OPEC nation's next presidential election scheduled for the end of 2018.
The late Hugo Chávez picked Maduro as his successor in 2013. Not longer after, world oil prices crashed, and Venezuela’s oil prices dropped 50 percent. Oil makes up about 95 percent of the country’s export revenue, and 25 percent of all gross domestic product. That combined with drought has led to massive food shortages, and hospitals have run out of drugs to treat patients. As a result, citizens have held massive protests across the country. Grocery stores have been looted, and some people have snuck across the border into Colombia to buy food. Much of the blame for this has fallen on Maduro and his socialist party.
The date for another vote, which will require 20 percent of Venezuelans to favor the recall before a national referendum can take place, has not yet been announced.
Monday, August 1, 2016
McDonald’s works to create new food culture
(nationalrestaurantnews) - McDonald’s Corp. has removed all human antibiotics from its chicken supply, nearly a year ahead of schedule, the company said Monday.
The company made the announcement on the same day it said it was removing artificial preservatives from many of its products, and that it plans to stop serving buns made with high fructose corn syrup.
The shift to a more natural menu is part of a broad effort by the burger giant to improve its reputation among consumers who are increasingly concerned about the quality of their food.
“We’re creating a different food culture here at McDonald’s,” McDonald’s USA president Mike Andres told a gathering of media at the company’s soon-to-be-vacated headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill. “As a leader, we have an obligation to make big changes that impact the industry.”
Last year, McDonald’s vowed to remove human antibiotics from its chicken supply by March 2017, a significant commitment for the chain, which has 14,000 locations in the U.S. and is a major seller of chicken.
Antibiotic-free chicken is already available at McDonald’s, meaning the chain beat its goal by several months.
“It was something we knew we were going to be able to do,” said Marion Gross, McDonald’s chief supply chain officer. “We use antibiotics minimally in our supply chain.”
Gross said the company focused on chicken first, because it has a “fully integrated supply chain,” meaning it manages nearly every aspect of its chicken supply chain, “from egg to chicken.”
“We have more controls around chicken,” Gross said. “When you have strong collaboration with suppliers, you can make big things happen.”
At the same time, McDonald’s began working to remove some artificial preservatives, Gross said. (FullText)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)