text:
Mexico - Yucatan 'Aliens'
Mock UFO Researcher
From Scott Corrales
Inexplicata - The Journal of Hispanic ufology
By Daniel Barquet - Mérida
They mocked Jaime Maussan in Mérida, Yucatan, and alleged aliens disclosed it was all a prank.
Last week, the ufologist presented evidence of alien life in Mérida, which circulated over the Internet and show an alleged alien concealed behind a light post.
Alien Encounter Filmed In Mexico?
Authors of the "jape" disclosed that they did it merely to "to mock" Maussan and try to "get some dough" out of him. The prank, which "even passed the analysis with special equipment", was made with a mask that one of the participants purchased during last year's carnival in Yucatan's capital city. The alien evidence was broadcast by Televisa during the last episode of the Otro Rollo program, hosted by Adal Ramones.
After the end of this program, the prank made with a supermarket mask became, for some ufologists "further proof" that aliens are on Earth and that one of them appeared in Fraccionamiento del Parque in eastern Merida.
The recording, presented by Maussan as a world exclusive, is of poor quality and was made with cell phone. The pranksters claim that they made it "in order to make a good amount of money from the sale of that material", but are now afraid and undecided about disclosing the truth or maintaining the hoax.
"The events are fake. There is no such alien," said Sergio Valdez Diaz, member of the Centro de Investigacion de Fenomenos Paranormales, a group dedicated to studying such events.
Two re-enactments have already been made in Merida using camcorders and cell phones similar to the one employed in making the recording, yielding elements that dismiss [its credibility].
"We engaged in this event shortly after the events, before Maussan came to listen to their story. It's not true that alien vanished behind the lightpost, since it is large enough for a young man to conceal himself. The alleged entity's long arm, which touches the young man, is a visual effect. It was said that contact took place when the boy went to fetch the ball, but the ball was on the left and the post was on the right," stated Valdez Diaz, who met with the authors of the prank, all minors.
Accoridng to Valdez Diaz, "all of the youths involved were aware of the deception but decided to maintain it, partly because they hoped to obtain money through their hoax."
"Now this teenager is frightened by the scope of the events and by the visits from people wanting to interview him. He no longer wants to speak with anyone. His companions did not tell the truth because, as they said, they hoped that Maussan would pay them a good amount of money for the recording and could "have a good laugh" at his expense," he concluded.
FOR MORE INFORMATON: Milenio (Mexico DF) - http://www.milenio.com/
(Translation (c) 2006. Scott Corrales, Institute of Hispanic Ufology (IHU). Special thanks to Christian Quintero, Planeta UFO)
This Site Served by TheHostPros


text:
ON Cloudflow Mens Flare/Dawn
Brand ON
Ready, Set, Flow
18 adaptive Cloud elements and Helion™ superfoam combine with the re-engineered Speedboard™ to turn impact into acceleration. The curved heel unit means better hold, durability and comfort. Strategic taping and a new lacing configuration offer sure-footed freedom and support for high-speed goals
Lightweight comfort
The Swiss-engineered mesh upper is primed for race pace. Lightweight and reinforced to support tired feet, with zoned ventilation to let air flow through. An elastic strap keeps laces out of the way, and a new rubber compound in an advanced traction pattern offers superior grip on wet roads.
The New Shortcut to Runner's High
The second-generation of the podium-topping, record-breaking shoe loved by elite athletes. Now refined with their input and enhanced with Helion™ superfoam for the smoothest of rides, softest of landings and most explosive of take-offs. More comfort, more kick, more speed.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Rebels armed with guns and knives killed 34 people in Central African Republic, hanging some civilians and slitting others' throats in a series of attacks this week, officials said.
Fighters from the Seleka insurgent group, sometimes backed by herdsmen, raided small central settlements, said authorities, more than a year after a coup plunged the impoverished country into sectarian violence.
Seleka, a coalition of mostly Muslim fighters which seized power in March 2013 then later handed over to an interim government under international pressure, said it would look into the accusations. Spokesman Ahmat Nejad said anyone found guilty should be punished.
"Fighters from Seleka and some Fulani shot the victims at point blank range, slit their throats or hung them up by ropes," the mayor of Mbres, Bienvenue Sarapata, told Reuters on Saturday.
"Three young people were hanged on Wednesday afternoon. Other villagers were assassinated in the town centre," he said, adding that he had fled to the nearby town of Kaga-Bandora with hundreds of others.
The mayor's first counsellor Christine Ouadjapou said 34 people had killed in the attack on Mbres and surrounding villages from August 10-15.
Rights groups accused Seleka of widespread killings and other abuses after it took power.
Christian "anti-balaka" militias took up arms in response to the violence, carrying out their own wave of sectarian killings, said activists, and pushing the rebels and thousands of Muslims northwards.
The latest attacks were reported in a remote strip of territory about 350 km (220 miles) north of Bangui, sandwiched between the Muslim-dominated north and the Christian south.
In an apparent sign of the strain of the continuing violence on the country's interim government, President Catherine Samba Panza's cabinet stepped down on August 5.
The new prime minister Mahamat Kamoun, a Muslim, took office on August 14 and is seeking to form a government. Seleka rebels say they will not take part in any national unity government as they were not consulted about the choice of prime minister.
The United Nations is due to deploy a 12,000-strong peacekeeping mission in September, built on 6,000 African troops already on the ground.
France also deployed about 2,000 soldiers to its former colony in December as sectarian violence intensified.
Central African Republic has reserves of gold, diamonds, uranium but has been rocked by a series of coups and clashes since its independence in 1960.
It neighbours some of the continent's least stable countries including South Sudan and Democratic Republic of Congo.


text:
24 hour shipping available Last Minute Order?
Need a little help? Check out our Exhibitor Services here!
Memorable, interactive technology is no longer out of arm's reach!
Know Before You Go: An Inside Look at Trade Show Service Costs
Comparing Trade Show Service Costs across the USA Infographic Series
There are so many details to consider when budgeting for your next trade show. Be certain to understand the different exhibiting costs between cities.
This series of infographics compares show service costs in major cities, featuring these necessities: carpet, electrical, labor, drayage and cleaning for a 10x10 booth. Make an informed decision within your budget. According to Exhibit&Event Marketers Association, "Often Exhibitors commit to booth size before costs are known, and Exhibitors are being challenged to do more with less." Find out more...
What Our Clients Say About Us!
"Lowell and Annie have been such a wonderful help to me today! My employer gave me an extremely small time frame to have two retractable banner stand displays made, one being rather large, and I was panicking with the thought of completing the project by the given deadline." Find out more...


text:
Routes / Re: Route from California to Canada - WIND DIRECTION?!
« on: October 02, 2012, 11:43:47 am »The North to South mantra is said so often that it must be true. The funny thing is that when I rode the Pacific Coast (N-S) there wasn't all that much wind. Yes there were a few tail winds, but nothing like I was expecting. There were also days with headwinds. I am not sure if it was just an anomaly or if it was because I tended to start out at the crack of dawn and finish very early in the afternoon. Perhaps I was just lucky or the winds didn't kick up until afternoon when I was in camp.
The time of day probably did have something to do with it. I have ridden N-S three times and tailwinds predominated, becoming significantly more pronounced in the afternoon as inland areas heat up and draw more ocean air. I felt sorry for northbound riders on a number of occasions!
Of course, nothing is for certain. Last year I departed San Francisco on June 4. Now, it almost never rains there in June, and if it does it's just a sprinkle. Not last year! A freak storm rolled in. Not only were there a couple hours of torrential rain, but the rest of the day down the coast was into the teeth of a direct head-on gale. At one point I passed a sign saying "Santa Cruz, 33 mi". TWO HOURS LATER I passed another sign "Santa Cruz, 25 mi" This was on mostly flat ground; the wind was just that intense.
But yes, generally you will get a tailwind , and a couple of days later things were back to normal.


text:
Through a joint effort led by Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Authority, Able Aerospace Services and SRP, industry leaders at next week's MRO Americas convention in Phoenix will gain a birds-eye view of expansion and relocation opportunities in the Valley. The opportunity comes courtesy of a VIP aerial helicopter tour, as well as a reception and tour at Able Aerospace Services—a $20 million build-to-suit success story at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport.
"We are extremely proud of our relocation to Gateway, not only because of our expansion into a state-of-the-art facility but also because of the partnership that this building represents," said Lee Benson, CEO of Able Aerospace Services. "This was a collaboration in every sense. We are honored to share our story with others in our industry who might benefit from these same opportunities."
A total of three VIP tours will depart from downtown Phoenix on Tuesday, April 8, 2014 on a Bell 212 helicopter provided by event partner SRP. The tour will fly participants over Greater Phoenix for an aerial view of the Valley, then make an intermediate stop at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport for a reception and tour of the new $20 million Able Aerospace Services headquarters—an industry leading repair, overhaul, design and manufacturing facility, and a leading aftermarket supplier of FAA-approved replacement parts.
The Able event will include a short presentation on the cost savings incentives that made its new facility possible, and provide an opportunity for guests to talk directly with local leaders and partners in the MRO aerial tour, including the City of Phoenix, City of Mesa, Town of Gilbert, Town of Queen Creek, City of Apache Junction and the Gila River Indian Community. The return flight will fly over Falcon Field, then back to downtown Phoenix.
"This is a truly unique way for us to share Greater Phoenix's regional assets with aerospace leaders from across the globe," said Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Business Development Director Michael Merk. "In the span of about 100 minutes, we will showcase the best and brightest of our development and expansion opportunities—from the sky and from the state-of-the-art Able Aerospace Services operation that has made Gateway Airport a true manufacturing destination."
MRO Americas provides a world-class venue for the aviation/aerospace industry to exchange ideas, share best practices, gain knowledge, generate new business leads and cement existing relationships with other commercial air transport, maintenance, repair and overhaul leaders. The three-day event is held at a different U.S. location each year. This year, it is being held April 8 – 10 at the Phoenix Convention Center.


text:
History of the Air Force 1954-1964
Great Video choice! This is one of the exclusive videos only available to Military Machine subscribers, but don't worry. Subscribing is easy.
Watch NowSubscribe Now!
Members get full access to exclusive articles, true war stories, military movies, videos, historical films and more! Members also enjoy everything 100% ad free.
Unlock the Military Machine Library
Exclusive videos and stories only available to subscribers | |
Unlimited access to Military Machine | |
New videos and articles weekly | |
No advertisements |
One Payment
*Billed as one payment annually
By subscribing I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, and I understand that I may cancel this recurring membership at any time by going online to my Account and click on "Cancel Membership".
Previous Step
Already a subscriber? Log in.


text:
- Pure essential oils provide a sensational smell and a perfect softness. Gently dissolves in the bathtub water.
- We use only natural, vegan and organic ingredients!
- Generously portioned with moisturizing cocoa butter and Shea butter.
- Handmade in Germany and Austria.
- Animal testing for cosmetics? We say No! That's why we test all BRUBAKER beauty products only on ourselves.


text:
Market Monitor Audiocasts
September 2022 Market Monitor
In this four-minute video, Konstantin Boehmer, Co-Lead and Portfolio Manager with Mackenzie Investments Fixed Income Team discusses his perspective on the fixed income markets. Hear how they are responding to one of the worst years for bonds in recorded history.
In this three-minute video, Paul Punzo, Vice President Portfolio Strategy, IPC Portfolio Services, discusses recent portfolio adjustments the PM Team has made and our positioning going forward.
In this four-minute video, hear from James Black, Portfolio Manager with Beutel Goodman, and Jeff Bradacs, Portfolio Manager with Picton Mahoney Asset Management, as they discuss their approach to equity investing in today's challenging environment.
January 2020 Market Monitor
At our recent Toronto Due Diligence conference, we asked six of our Investment specialists to share their outlook for 2020. In this video, managers from Picton Mahoney, Sionna, TSW, Irish Life, Mackenzie, and Mt. Lucas to tell us how they are positioning their portfolios for the upcoming year.
May 2019 Market Monitor
At our recent New York Due Diligence conference, we asked three of our investment specialists to provide perspective on market volatility in Q4 and the subsequent rebound in Q1. In this video, Brandon Harrell of TSW, Tim Rudderow of Mt. Lucas, and Brandon Geisler of Marsico explain what they are doing in their portfolios now, and how they are positioned for the remainder of 2019.
January 2019 Market Monitor
At our recent Toronto Due Diligence conference, we asked six of our Investment specialists to share their market outlook for 2019. In this video, managers from Picton Mahoney, Franklin Templeton, Irish Life, Mackenzie, Mawer, and Mt. Lucas provide their perspectives of what 2019 might bring, with a conclusion from Corrado Tiralongo, Counsel's Chief Investment Officer.


text:
Updated October 3, 2022 at 12:50 PM ET
TAVRIISKE, Ukraine — Andrii Boiarskyi stands outside a mini-mart on the side of the main road out of town. He leans against his car and scrolls through his phone. It's full of videos and photos that he took of explosions in his hometown of Orikhiv, just a few miles down the road.
Orikhiv is right on the front line in the Zaporizhzhia region. It's still in Ukrainian control, but the areas just beyond it are under Russian occupation.
"It's like this every day," he says, as a video of a missile strike on an apartment building plays.
Russian President Vladimir Putin illegally annexed four regions of Ukraine last week, including the region of Zaporizhzhia, after holding referendums that were largely considered a sham by the international community. And while both Ukraine and its Western allies refuse to recognize the annexation, it does have real implications for people in the areas. Putin has said the residents of the four regions are now considered Russian citizens, and that any attempt by Ukraine to take back the land will be seen as an attack on Russian soil itself.
Boiarskyi's sister lives on the other side of the front line, far south, under Russian control. He says it's already hard to be in contact with her — cellphone signals are jammed and the internet is down. He worries that the annexation will make it even harder.
He says she did manage to text him the other day, telling him that Russian soldiers came to her apartment with guns during the referendum, intimidating her into voting yes. She then watched them walk to her neighbor's and kick down the door after the family didn't answer.
As he talks, another car stops on the side of the road. Five people pile out, opening the hatchback and setting up a picnic of sorts: bread and tins of meat, cucumbers and tomatoes.
Hennadii Kachan, 48, says they're a group of neighbors coming from Orikhiv. They had to pull over to calm down and stop shaking after driving through all the shelling, he says, pointing down the road as booms echo in the distance.
Kachan says they all fled Orikhiv months ago, but they go back when they can to check on their homes and bring supplies in for people. His mother still lives there: He says she wouldn't leave, but it's a hard life.
"There's no water, no electricity, no gas. Nothing," he says. It has been cut off with the fighting.
He thinks with the so-called annexation — which he calls fake — life there is about to get even harder. He's heard the roads into town will close.
"This might be the last time we can go back," Kachan says.
About a hundred miles west, across the Dnipro River, is the town of Zelenodolsk, near the edge of the Kherson region, which was also recently illegally annexed last week.
Zelenodolsk is also still in Ukrainian hands, but the fighting is close here, too.
At a makeshift humanitarian aid center in town, 66-year-old Mykola Vasyliovych hops off his bike and lights up a cigarette before heading in to pick up some food. His wife and daughter are in Poland, but he has stayed here the whole time.
Vasyliovych says he has paid no attention to the referendums, or any of Putin's claims that his neighbors to the south are now Russian.
"The more evil Russia brings, the more united Ukraine becomes. I'm a hundred percent sure our troops will win it all back soon," he says. He puts out his cigarette and walks inside.
At a bakery down the street, Liubov Samohvalova is drinking coffee and eating cake with a friend. She says her son and his family recently managed to leave Kherson — the first major city to fall to the Russians, still firmly under occupation. They were worried about forced conscription to fight for the Russians under Putin's annexation.
"He told me the city is dying," she says, meaning literally, but also in spirit. "Completely dying."
There is a lot of hope in Zelenodolsk that Ukraine will soon take back Kherson. The Ukrainian army has been making slow but steady gains in the region, liberating a swath of land directly south of the town and pushing the front line further away.
There is evidence of those gains here, in a small storage lot down a dirt path on the edge of town. Earlier in the war, people fled Kherson on bikes and crossed into Zelenodolsk, often leaving their bikes behind to grab a ride west. Nikolai Stadnick, 45, began collecting as many bikes as he could and putting them in storage. He has hundreds, stacked row after row.
Stadnick says recently, people have started to come back through town to go back to the liberated villages on the edge of Kherson.
"When they come back, they're so happy to see their bike," he says, a big smile on his face.
Stadnick calls the referendums — and the ensuing annexation — the "final breath of a dying Russian army."
"Kherson will be liberated soon. I know it," he says.
And when it is, he says he'll make sure everyone's bike is waiting for them here, to take them home.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
Download and print our Children's Room Rare Book Use Policy [PDF]
Mission: To provide access to a sampling of books representing the history of children's literature and illustration. Books added to the collection are chosen based upon its impact on the field of children's literature, the historical value of text or illustrations, and the book's uniqueness rather than monetary value or rarity.
- The Cary Memorial Library Children's Rare Books collection is accessible to all patrons during regular library hours.
- Children under the age of eleven may use the Rare Books collection only with an adult present.
- Books in the Children's Rare Book collection may only be examined in the Children's Room at a location designated by Children's Room staff.
- Patrons are required to leave a driver's license or library card with the Children's staff while examining books from this collection.
- Only two books from the collection may be requested/viewed at one time by a single user.
- In order to protect the materials, books in this collection may not be photocopied, or scanned.
- Patrons wishing to take notes while using a rare book may use only pencils.
- Food, drinks (including covered beverages), and chewing gum are not permitted while using the collection.
- Handle rare materials gently and use discretion. Turn pages slowly and carefully and use care when unfolding and re-folding inserts. Use care with books that are brittle; some bindings cannot be opened completely without damaging the item
- Staff will inspect the books prior to use and again upon return. Patrons will be responsible for any damage to a book while in their possession.
Patrons who wish to examine books in this collection will be given a copy of this policy.
Policy approved by the Board of Library Trustees – 6/10/14


text:
The voices of Pamiri ethnic groups in Tajikistan reduced since May as the regime continues to stop freedom of speech in the Central Asian country by imprisoning the activists and their relatives.
Komyor Mirzoev, a Tajik blogger from the Central Asian nation's Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO), whom Moscow police released from custody after the arrest on Sept. 5, has reportedly been abducted and taken to Dushanbe, where he is currently under arrest, his relatives said. His relatives said that on Sept. 11, Tajik special agents had abducted the blogger and forcibly took him to Tajikistan's capital.
Mirzoev was wanted in Tajikistan on charge of taking part in the activities of a criminal group. If convicted, the blogger could face up to 12 years in prison. Mirzoev's blogs have been critical of Tajikistan government and mostly focused on developments in his native GBAO.
Also in September, the relatives of Mamadbek Atobekov, a GBAO native, claimed that the activist had been detained in Moscow. Meanwhile, in the previous month, another Tajik blogger from the GBAO, Maqsud Ghayosov, was arrested in Moscow.
Tajik authorities have also arrested a relative of jailed activist Oraz Vazirbekov on suspicion of financially supporting protests in the GBAO. Vazirbekov's relatives said that the activist's son-in-law Tohir Abdolbekov had been arrested last week. They added that Abdolbekov had nothing to do with the protests and had not played any financial role in them. A regional official confirmed that Abdolbekov had been arrested but refused to give further details.
Oraz Vazirbekov and his brother, Ramzi Vazirbekov, were sentenced to 16 years and 13 years in prison, respectively, on charges of calling for the change of the constitutional orders and being members of an extremist group.
The Pamir Daily News website, which monitors development in the GBAO, says at least 20 of the region's natives have been detained in Moscow and forcibly brought to Tajikistan in the last six months. Relatives and rights defenders say that the arrests in Moscow were most likely linked to mass protest in the GBAO that led to deadly crackdown on protesters in May.
At least 25 people were killed in May by security forces in Tajikistan during a protest in the GBAO, where the Tajik regime has targeted the Pamiri ethnic minority. Conflict between the central government and the Pamiri has continued for decades, with the cultural and linguistic minority ethnic group suffering human rights abuses, as well as discrimination over jobs and housing.
Pamiri ethnic groups essentially differ from Tajiks. There are several dialects of the Pamir language and almost all Pamiri people adhere to the Ismaili sect of Shia Islam. However, Pamiri people are not strong believers and in particular, there are no Islamic radicals among them. The Pamiris have close linguistic, cultural and religious ties with the people in the Badakhshan Province of Afghanistan.
During the Tajikistan civil war from 1992 to 1997, thousands of Pamiris were killed javascript: void(0)in what some human rights activists have described as "ethnic cleansing". In 2012, during clashes seen by many in GBAO as an attempt by the Tajik government to bring the autonomous region under its full control, at least 40 civilians were killed.
Viola von Cramon, a member of the European parliament with an interest in the region, said in February that the EU was considering an inquiry. These events need to be urgently investigated and everyone who overstepped their authority needs to be prosecuted, she added.
In May, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Fernand de Varennes, had also urged Tajikistan to end deadly crackdowns against the Pamiri minority in the GBAO, warning that the use of counter-terrorism operations to quell protests could fuel even wider and more violent trouble. He called on the authorities to engage in constructive and open dialogue with the Pamiri minority and urged the Tajik authorities to immediately implement conflict-prevention measures that meet international human rights standards, including the protection of the Pamiri minority.
Despite the global calls for more peaceful approaches toward the Pamiris, Tajik government has yet to show any change in its policies and actions, putting the future of the Pamiris in a precariously dangerous situation.


text:
$ 514.25 $ 605.00
The Hyde Park Series by Rapport of London is a colorful finely crafted collection of leather watch rolls and storage cases. The D285 is a multi-purpose smooth calf skin leather storage container to stow your fine timepieces and valuables for transport. The hard rigid travel case has polished chrome hardware with 3 snap closure to secure your items in place. The interior has a soft velveteen finish with 3 individual compartments with two removable cushions to keep your watches and jewelry protected and scratch free. Use the removable center single-unit leather watch roll separately or keep within the case for compact storage.
The Hyde Park Collection is a series of stylish multi-purpose compact leather storage cases & watch rolls for watch enthusiasts to keep their timepieces scratch free and in pristine condition when not worn on the wrist.
Model # | D285 |
Material |
Storage |
Watch/ Jewelry Holder |
Max. Dia. Of Watch (including Crown) |
Dimensions | 4.75 x 8 x 3.25 inches |
Warranty | 2 year Factory Warranty |
Additional Features |
All Items purchased from TimeScapeUSA.com receive complimentary free shipping within the United States. Expedited shipping options are available if you would like to upgrade. International shipping is also available. Please note: shipping charges are non-refundable should you decide your purchase just isn't for you. Keep in mind all custom made to order items allow for manufacturers production time. Need a different Shipping method? Please don't hesitate to call us with any questions you may have (952) 525-8880.
TimeScape exists to satisfy our customers. Unless otherwise specified below, your purchase may be exchanged or refunded within 14 days from the date of purchase by the original client when accompanied with the original sales receipt. The item must be unused and unworn, in original condition, and in the original box with all warranty cards and explanations booklets intact. Sale items, Clearance Sale items, special orders, completed layaways, modified and/or custom pieces are not refundable or exchangeable. Refunds for cash or check purchases will be given by check after 14 business days. Gift recipients will be issued a merchandise credit only. Gift certificates are not redeemable for cash.
$ 75.00
The Buben & Zorweg standard style watch support is available in two sizes to fit older versions of the Buben & Zorweg brand TIMEMOVER watch winders made prior to 2015. ...
$ 75.00
Made of a hard coated composite with padded velour center cushion that measure 60mm in diameter. The Buben & Zorweg watch cradle adjusts for small and large watch bands and...
$ 49.95
Change the look of your GLOCK watch in minutes with an interchangeable watch band in a variety of colors, sizes, patterns, textures and materials. Choose from the silicone RTF textured...


text:
Some people simply cannot get over their childhood infatuation with magical thinking. They want and need to believe in skyhooks. They do not want science to fill in all the gaps in our knowledge. They want there to be some gap that they can only plug god into. Or as the TV character House says, "You know, I get it that people are just looking for a way to fill the holes. But they want the holes. They want to live in the holes. And they go nuts when someone else pours dirt in their holes. Climb out of your holes, people!"
In his book Darwin's Dangerous Idea (1995), Daniel Dennett adds,
For over a century, skeptics have been trying to find a proof that Darwin's ideas just can't work, at least not all the way. They have been hoping for, praying for skyhooks, as exceptions to what they see as the bleak vision of Darwin's algorithmic churning away. And time and again, they have come up with truly interesting challenges – leaps and gaps and other marvels that do seem, at first, to need skyhooks. But then along have come the cranes, discovered in many cases by the very skeptics who were hoping to find skyhooks. (Dennett, p. 75)
But what initially seemed to be promising candidates for creation by skyhooks (the eye and the wing for example) all turned out to be the products of cranes. With all the old macroscopic standbys falling by the wayside, the intelligent design people started pinning their hopes on microscopic things like the bacterial flagellum as needing a skyhook, but even those are increasingly seen to be the work of cranes.
There now remain only four candidates for the need for skyhooks: the origin of life, the origin of the universe, the human mind or consciousness, and the sense of morality.
There has been a lot of scientific progress on understanding the origin of life. While we do not yet know the exact sequence that led to the emergence of life, the problem has clearly shifted from the category of a 'mystery' (i.e. something about which we don't even know how to frame the research question) to that of a 'puzzle', where clear lines of research inquiry have been developed and progress is slowly being made. The book Genesis: The scientific quest for life's origins by Robert M. Hazen (2005) discusses the progress that has been made. Although important unanswered questions remain, there can be no doubt that this puzzle will be solved. It is only a matter of time.
It is significant that even Francis Collins, the biologist who recently retired as head of the National Human Genome Research Institute and is an evangelical Christian, in his book The Language of God argues against trying to use the origin of life as evidence of the need for a skyhook in the form of god.
Given the inability of science thus far to explain the profound question of life's origins, some theists have identified the appearance of RNA and DNA as a possible opportunity for divine creative action . . . Faith that places God in the gaps of current understanding about the natural world may be headed for crisis if advances in science subsequently fill those gaps. Faced with incomplete understanding of the natural world, believers should be cautious about invoking the divine in areas of current mystery, lest they build an unnecessary theological argument that is doomed for later destruction. . . [While] the question of the origin of life is a fascinating one, and the inability of modern science to develop a statistically probable mechanism is intriguing, this is not the place for a thoughtful person to wager his faith. (p. 127-129)
So people who pin their hopes on the origin of life as a candidate for a skyhook are likely betting on a losing proposition.
The origin of the universe is a more difficult problem. Part of the difficulty is that the tools we have for scientific discovery are the laws of science that we have obtained by studying the world that is immediately available to us. We have no choice but to assume that these laws are universal and timeless or change in some regular manner but when it comes to studying the very origins of the universe, the density of matter is so large that the very nature of space and time become vastly different from what we have now. Hence the laws of science we are familiar with may not apply and extrapolating them into that region may not make sense. This makes research more difficult, though not impossible, and we have plausible explanations of how the universe evolved starting after the first few milliseconds of its creation. For a very readable account of what we know about how the universe began, it is still hard to beat The First Three Minutes (1988) by Steven Weinberg.
So any skyhook that is invoked for the origin of the universe has a very small window of time in which to act before it becomes unnecessary. This allows the option of deist beliefs in a god who set the universe in motion but did nothing thereafter. This might turn out to be the most durable of religious beliefs but is hardly satisfying to those who yearn for a god who still does things.
Next: Does the human mind need a skyhook?
POST SCRIPT: How the eye evolved
One of the earliest candidates for skyhooks, but no longer viable, as demonstrated by a younger Richard Dawkins. These kinds of examples formed the basis for his book Climbing Mount Improbable (1996), where he systematically demolished the need for skyhooks for a whole lot of candidates.


text:
New Media[edit]
On August 31, 2004, Angela and Jimbo met some staff from the BBC, primarily from the New Media division, at Bush House in London. Here are some notes about the day.
At 9am, we met at a coffee shop to make the final preparations for the talks we would be doing later in the day. We then went to Bush House, and met Ashley Stewart-Noble. Ashley talked to us about the BBC's search engine, and various aspects of that such as their "porn watch" to ensure only appropriate sites get listed. We also got a brief glimpse of one of the BBC's internal wikis before talking to Natalie Johnson from h2g2 about how their community differs from ours.
At 11am, we had a meeting about using wikis for internal documentation, communications and as a tool for project management. This was attended by a mixture of project managers, developers and personnel staff who wanted to know more about running their internal wikis. Currently, the BBC has a number of internal wikis, and they discussed whether it might be beneficial to merge these into one. They mainly use MoinMoin at the moment, but we pointed out some of the benefits of using MediaWiki. Issues included having some pages which should not change frequently, such as standards documents. One problem raised was that of navigation, and whether wikis were harder to navigate. We explained the use of navigational templates and categories that MediaWiki allowed and how this could be used to solve that problem.
During lunch, we listened to some presentations about BBC projects, including WW2. This is a community site where people can add their own memories of the war, or those of their families. Tom Coates, who works in the BBC Radio's research and development department, told us about a number of projects he's working on, including briefly upmystreet.com that he used to be involved with.
After lunch, we met with Ashley Highfield, Director of New Media and Steve Rogers, Head of Production and Development. They had a number of questions about Wikipedia, and how we dealt with issues such as vandalism.
We made an hour long presentation about Wikimedia and its projects to around 40 BBC staff, followed by a question and answer session. We also spoke to Stefan Magdalinski and some others from TheyWorkForYou about possible integrating Wikipedia articles into their glossary. We were then interviewed by Jo Twist, the technology reporter for BBC News Online. This was focused on community aspects of Wikipedia and is now available on the BBC website.
At 5pm, we discussed Wikimedia's hardware with Mark Hewis, a technical architect while having pizza. This was followed by a public talk at Oyster. This was essentially a repeat of our earlier presentation, but was open to the public. There were around 30 people, mostly not involved with Wikipedia, though also some Wikipedians and some BBC staff. In between this and retreating to the pub, we met with Tony Ageh, the BBC's internet controller, and other BBC staff about potential ways we could collaborate. This included the possibility of a BBC branded stable version of Wikipedia, which would meet BBC quality standards.
We concluded the day around 10:30pm by talking to Steve Coast, the founder of OpenTextBook about the reasons he started his own site instead of using Wikibooks. There's more about this in the OTB archives.
There will be some follow up with the BBC as we discuss collaboration with them since they seemed quite keen to do something with Wikipedia, but it's not entirely clear yet what that will be.
(now rebranded 'Action Network')
iCan is a site run by the BBC about a range of issues such as politics, education and health. The site aims to provide impartial information, links to relevant resources, and an area for the community to share stories and campaign news.
Angela met with Anno Mitchell from the BBC on September 15 2004 to discuss ways the project could make use of relevant Wikipedia articles and Wikisource documents.
There are plans for some iCan content to be licensed under the Creative Commons in the future, and the BBC are represented on the Legal Advisory Board to iCommons UK. GFDL content would not be used before the BBC's lawyers have approved that they are happy with this sort of free licensing for BBC content. Having the next version of the GFDL compatible with the CC would make it possible to combine our content with iCan's.
iCan apparently are not in a position to contribute anything financially for the content, but feel they would benefit Wikipedia by bringing in a different audience and directing those users to our site. There are around 30 people working for iCan, but they do not plan to have professional editors work up the Wikipedia content before they use it.
It isn't yet known whether they want a stable version, or a direct XML feed from the live Wikipedia version. Something in between, such as a version cached from 24 hours ago, is an alternative option they are considering. Whichever method is chosen, the use of Wikipedia content on iCan will not be a fork. Any editing that occurs will happen on Wikipedia or Wikisource, not on the BBC site.
Issues which iCan seem particularly concerned about were the possibility of copyright violations and libel. Extreme solutions would be excluding images and articles about living people. In terms of content, they apparently have no issues with controversial aspects such as profanity.
Further contact is planned to discuss technical details, such as linking directly into Wikipedia's search engine, though Angela did mention that this is not always enabled. The BBC's search technology is all handled externally, so this is not something they could help with unfortunately.
They work for you[edit]
TheyWorkForYou.com is a non-BBC site that Anno Mitchell is involved with who are also interested in using Wikipedia content. Also discussed when Angela and Jimbo visited the New Media department of the BBC in August, this site would like to make use of the introductions of various articles for their glossary. It is possible this would act as a fork since they would not want to import whole articles, but have something much shorter and more specific to that project which their users could edit.
Working at the BBC[edit]
Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley spent two weeks at the BBC at the end of 2004, and Angela a further period throughout February 2005. This is reported at WQ/2/BBC in the second edition of Quarto. One of the presentations they made to the BBC is available at WikiSearch (sxi, ppt).


text:
In this episode of the Gillz Reel Animals Podcast presented by Contender Boats, Capt. Mike Anderson is joined by Josh Clymer of AquaTraction.
Sit back, relax, and listen to this great conversation and subscribe to the Reel Animals Podcast with Capt. Mike Anderson on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn Radio, Google Play, and Spotify.
Follow Reel Animals on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed


text:
1983 ~ 1993: The Cabal
Giganews Usenet History > 1983 ~ 1993: The Cabal
After its humble birth in 1979, Usenet flourished at a surprising rate, leading to various problems and headaches for its developers and users. In an attempt to establish collaboration between Usenet site administrators to more easily resolve these issues, Mark Horton organized a list of large Usenet sites and the contact information for their administrators. That list would remain dormant for a few years until Gene Spafford became a Usenet administrator at Georgia Tech. He took Horton's list of hosts and facilitated conversations between their operators. This group would become the Backbone Cabal. Horton is considered the organizer of the 'physical' backbone Cabal, while Spafford established the 'political' Cabal.
When asked about the impetus behind the organization of the political aspect of the Cabal, Gene Spafford detailed:
"When I took over the administration of Usenet on the Georgia Tech machines in about 1983, I noted that it took a long time for some articles to propagate, and often discussion threads got all out of order for many of us who were trying to follow many subthreads. So, I looked at the "map" of connections that Mark had put together. This was in the early 1980s, and Mark's original "backbone" was in it. I identified a set of about 10 machines that had high capacity links, many subfeeds, and seemed to be maintained by clueful people. I contacted them one at a time and suggested cross linking that they might establish to reduce latency and increase redundancy. Most agreed. We ended up with a pretty robust "core" which was the new backbone."
Issues that Cabal members commonly addressed included approving new newsgroups, managing article propagation, and otherwise attending to the administrative needs of the rapidly growing network.
The Backbone Cabal played a large part in The Great Renaming which created the hierarchy and naming structure that is still used to create and organize Usenet newsgroups today. This reorganization was made possible by the influence that the Cabal had earned amongst the Usenet community, but, ironically, the voting system that was implemented with the Great Renaming resulted in the lessening of the Cabal's power.
Though rumors of the Cabal's activity survived into the late 1990s, it is generally agreed that the Cabal's active years ended in 1993 when Gene Spafford withdrew from his Usenet duties and moved on to new projects.
Back to 1981: B News & Rapid Expansion
Continue to 1986: NNTP


text:
Developing Novel HIV-1 Vaccine Immunogens
With >36 million people infected and almost 2 million new infections in 2016, the need for a prophylactic HIV-1 vaccine is as urgent as ever. Approximately 20-30% of HIV-1 infected individuals generate antibodies capable of neutralizing diverse heterologous viral strains (broadly neutralizing antibodies or bNAbs). Because they protect from experimental infection, it is thought that bNAbs will be an important part of an HIV-1 vaccine. Yet immunization of humans with recombinant Env leads to the production of antibodies with very narrow breadth of neutralization which fail to block infection of diverse circulating viral isolates. The isolation of monoclonal bNAbs from HIV-1+ individuals has provided valuable information on how bNAbs develop during infection, and on the epitope specificities on the HIV-1 Envelope protein (Env) that an effective vaccine should aim to elicit.
One of the first critical steps in an effective antibody response is the recognition of a foreign antigen by a membrane anchored B cell receptor (BCR) on the surface of a naïve B cell. Naive BCRs arise through the random recombination of germline-encoded immunoglobulin genes during B cell development. Antigen recognition triggers a cascade of events that lead to B cell clonal expansion and somatic hypermutation; critical processes that stochastically diversify the BCR repertoire by introducing mutations into the BCR-encoding DNA. Expanded pools of diverse B cell clones compete for antigen and T cell help in a Darwinian process that ultimately selects for B cells with higher affinity receptors which can be secreted as soluble molecules (antibodies). As a result of these processes many of the bNAbs are highly mutated and highly divergent from their ancestral BCRs from which they are derived. As a consequence of bNAb precursors fail to bind most recombinant HIV-1 Envs (such as those that would be used in HIV-1 vaccines). Thus, one potential reason for the failure of HIV-1 vaccines to elicit bNAbs is that the Env immunogens tested failed to engage bNAb precursor B cells, and thus failed to start the process of bnAb production. As an alternative to using HIV-1 Env as a vaccine immunogen, we are pursuing a novel vaccine strategy where we generate anti-idiotypic antibodies: antibodies raised in a non-human animal model that bind with high affinity and specificity to bNAb precursors. Importantly, because these immunogens are not Env-derived, they should not stimulate non-neutralizing B cell lineages which are readily elicited by conventional Env-vaccines. We are currently generating, optimizing and testing these immunogens in various humanized mouse models.


text:
100% Brand new and High quality!
Durable Advantage: The mould can be used for many times, which is durable, not easily to be damaged and cracked.
Easy to use: This silicone moulds is easy to use, clean and store.
Usage: Can be utilized to make cakes, soaps, puddings, chocolates, candles, jellies, aromatherapy stones and other crafts.
Durable in use.
Easy to use and clean.
Non-toxic, tasteless.
Flexible, resistant to tearing.
Wipe with alcohol or direct water to wash and clean.
Material: Silicone
Large size
Candle Size=110 mm * 94 mm * 83 mm


text:
Home / C / Cartoon
In this category, you will find awesome Cartoon images and animated Cartoon gifs! You can download or direct link all Cartoon clip art and animations on this page for free - you will see all the relevant details, when you click on the graphic.
On top of that, you can send all Cartoon pictures as a greeting card to your family and friends absolutely free and even add a few nice words to your personal eCard.
All animated Cartoon gifs and Cartoon images in this category are 100% free and there are no charges attached to using them. In return, please do recommend our service on your homepage or blog. You can find out more about this in our help section.


text:
Showing Collections: 1 - 5 of 5
George R. Woodhead papers
The George R. Woodhead papers contain personal papers and concert programs acquired over his career as a choral conductor and professor of music at Goucher College and other musical institutions in the Baltimore area. The documents include correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, teaching material, and financial documents. The majority of the concert programs come from performances by local churches, Johns Hopkins University, Goucher College, and the Bach Society of Baltimore.
Hugh R. Newsom papers
Hugh Raymond Newsom (1891-1978) was an organist and composer who lived in Baltimore. The collection includes manuscript scores of music composed by Hugh Newsom or by his wife, harpist Marjorie Brunton Newsom; documents related to Hugh Newsom's career; and reel-to-reel recordings of his music.
Jean Eichelberger Ivey papers
Jean Eichelberger Ivey (1923-2010) was a composer, pianist, electronic musician, professor, and the founder of the Peabody Conservatory Electronic Music Studio, which she directed from 1969 until her retirement from Peabody in 1997. The Jean Eichelberger Ivey papers contain scores and recordings of Ivey's musical works, writings and notes by Ivey, personal and professional correspondence, programs and clippings, photographs, and other personal and professional papers.
Randolph S. Rothschild papers, including the Chamber Music Society of Baltimore records
Reginald Stewart papers
Reginald Stewart was a Scottish-born conductor and pianist who served as director of the Peabody Conservatory from 1941 to 1957 and music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra from 1942 to 1952. His papers include scrapbooks, correspondence, photographs, and recordings related to his career.


text:
As part of the IPCC WG1 SPM (pdf) released last Friday, there was a subtle, but important, change in one of the key figures – the radiative forcing bar-chart (Fig. SPM.4). The concept for this figure has been a mainstay of summaries of climate change science for decades, and the evolution over time is a good example of how thinking and understanding has progressed over the years while the big picture has not shifted much.
The Radiative-Forcing bar chart: AR5 version
The earliest version of a bar-chart that shows radiative forcing is this chart from one of Jim Hansen's papers (Hansen et al, 1981):
In it, they demonstrate the relative importance – cooling or warming – of a number of relevant changes in radiatively important components (CO2, CH4, the sun, aerosols etc.). While the y-axis is the no-feedback surface temperature response, and the changes aren't with reference to the pre-industrial, this might qualify as the 'ur'-figure – the one from which all the others below are derived. (Note, if you know of an earlier version, please let me know and I'll update the post accordingly).
I can't find any examples for a decade or so, and in the First Assessment Report (FAR) (1990) there wasn't such a figure either, even in the main text. (Again, please let me know if I've missed one). However, in the early 1990s, the figure appears in a form much closer to what we've come to expect. For instance, in Hansen et al (1993), the forcings in 1990 with respect to 1850 are given:
The transition to W/m2 as the unit has now been made, different greenhouse gases are separated, and an acknowledgement of more complicated issues associated with ozone and stratospheric water vapor is included. The main conclusion is that CO2 had been historically the most important forcing (around 1.24 W/m2). Shortly thereafter, the 1995 IPCC Second Assessment Report (pdf) added a couple of innovations:
Namely, an assessment of confidence, and the addition of aerosol forcings, while lumping the well-mixed gases all together. There is also the addition of the non-anthropogenic solar term. The figure was updated in 1998 and 2000 by Hansen and colleagues:
These updates added land use/land cover changes to albedo, decadal trends in volcanoes, and (in 2000) made the subtle point that the greenhouse effect from CFCs was offset a little by the impact CFCs were having on the ozone layer. An analogous diagram was very prominent in the 2001 IPCC Third Assessment report (TAR):
As with the SAR version, the confidence levels are present, there has been a switch from 1850 as a baseline in the SAR version, to 1750 in order to capture the beginning of the industrial rise in the GHGs, and again additional items were included: some aerosol related (sulphates, mineral dust, biomass burning, carbonaceous aerosols (incl. black carbon)), and two associated with aviation (via contrails and enhanced cirrus cloud formation). Concurrently, the Hansen et al (2001) version:
included even more details – the effect of black carbon on snow, nitrate aerosols, and an enhancement of the solar effect via ozone changes.
In the 2007 AR4 SPM, the main innovation was to rotate the axes by 90º and to add a bit more colour:
Though stratospheric water vapour makes a comeback, and the indirect effect of black carbon on snow makes an entrance for IPCC. In the AR5 SPM though, something more interesting happened…
The effects are now grouped by emissions, rather than by concentrations. This too has it's antecedents, Fig 2.21 in the AR4 full report did the same thing, but was little noticed. In turn, that figure was drawn from work by Shindell et al (2009). This allows many of the indirect effects to be seen clearly. A particular point of interest is that the forcing by emission for CH4 is twice as large than its forcing by concentration, because of the important indirect effects on ozone and aerosols. The inclusion of CO, VOCs and NOx – normally considered as air quality issues – which affect climate via their indirect effects on ozone etc, is a salient reminder that the two issues are very much connected.
The most obvious change over time is that the visual styling of the graphs has improved over time. The latest version is far more comprehensive – including more effects, more connections, more error bars – and is, arguably, more useful. This follows from the fact that it is emissions that can be potentially moderated, and the latest iteration shows explicitly what the key emissions are (as opposed to what their consequences are after atmospheric chemistry has done it's thing).
A key change over time is of course the increasing forcing from CO2. In 1993 it was 1.24 W/m2, in 2001, 1.4 W/m2, to today's 1.7 W/m2.
The treatment of aerosols – and particularly the difference between absorbing (i.e. black carbon) and scattering (sulphates, nitrates) – has varied a lot. This is partly because of new information (on sources, concentrations, effects), but also because the aerosol issue has been reframed many times. The situation of black carbon is the most complicated. BC on it's own is strongly warming, and it's additional indirect effects on snow albedo amplify that. However, BC is almost always emitted in combination with organic carbonaceous aerosols (and/or secondary organic aerosol precursors), and so with respect to the emission-producing activity, the net effect on temperature is partially compensated (see the TAR version for instance). BC is chiefly associated with incomplete combustion of fossil fuel, or alternatively with biomass burning (through deforestation, land clearance or naturally occurring forest fires), and these two classes of sources have sometimes been grouped (2007), and sometimes separated (2001). The AR5 version groups all the aerosol factors into one bar with each of the separate constituents delineated. A further breakdown of this into contributions by activity would be useful, but as I understand it, this was considered not within the scope of WG1.
One final example is also worth noting. In all of the pre-AR5 figures (except Hansen in 2000), tropospheric and stratospheric ozone were considered separately. But while there are two separate effects going on (ozone precursors increasing in the lower atmosphere, and ozone depletion due to CFCs above), there is not a clean separation between changes in the troposphere and stratosphere. Thus the AR5 version correctly shows the ozone changes as indirect effects of the different emissions without delineating where the changes in ozone are occurring. This is a definite conceptual improvement among many.
- J. Hansen, M. Sato, R. Ruedy, A. Lacis, and V. Oinas, "Global warming in the twenty-first century: An alternative scenario", Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 97, pp. 9875-9880, 2000. http://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.170278997
- D.T. Shindell, G. Faluvegi, D.M. Koch, G.A. Schmidt, N. Unger, and S.E. Bauer, "Improved Attribution of Climate Forcing to Emissions", Science, vol. 326, pp. 716-718, 2009. http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.1174760


text:
Warming beyond 1.5C will unleash a frightening set of consequences and scientists say only a global transformation, beginning now, can avoid it. Climate Home News reviews the warnings in the latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change research report released yesterday.
Only the remaking of the human world in a generation can now prevent serious, far reaching and once-avoidable climate change impacts, according to the global scientific community.
In a major report released yesterday, the UN's climate science body found limiting warming to 1.5C, compared to 2C, would spare a vast sweep of people and life on earth from devastating impacts.
To hold warming to this limit, the scientists said unequivocally that carbon pollution must fall to "net zero" in around three decades: a huge and immediate transformation, for which governments have shown little inclination so far.
READ MORE: Global warming of 1.5C summary for policymakers
GLOBAL WARMING OF 1.5C -THE REPORT"The next few years are probably the most important in our history," said Debra Roberts, co-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) research into the impacts of warming.
The report from the IPCC is a compilation of existing scientific knowledge, distilled into a 33-page summary presented to governments. If and how policymakers respond to it will decide the future of vulnerable communities around the world.
"I have no doubt that historians will look back at these findings as one of the defining moments in the course of human affairs," the lead climate negotiator for small island states Amjad Abdulla said. "I urge all civilised nations to take responsibility for it by dramatically increasing our efforts to cut the emissions responsible for the crisis."
Abdulla is from the Maldives. It is estimated that half a billion people in countries like his rely on coral ecosystems for food and tourism. The difference between 1.5C and 2C is the difference between losing 70-90 percent of coral by 2100 and reefs disappearing completely, the report found.
Small island states
Small island states were part of a coalition that forced the Paris Agreement to consider both a 1.5C and 2C target. Monday's report is a response to that dual goal. Science had not clearly defined what would happen at each mark, nor what measures would be necessary to stay at 1.5C.
As the report was finalised, the UN Secretary-General's special representative on sustainable energy Rachel Kyte praised those governments. "They had the sense of urgency and moral clarity," she said, adding that they knew "the lives that would hang in the balance between 2[C] and 1.5[C]".
At 2C, stresses on water supplies and agricultural land, as well as increased exposure to extreme heat and floods, will increase, risking poverty for hundreds of millions, the authors said.
Thousands of plant and animal species would see their liveable habitat cut by more than half. Tropical storms will dump more rain from the Philippines to the Caribbean.
"Everybody heard of what happened to Dominica last year," Ruenna Hayes, a delegate to the IPCC from St Kitts and Nevis, told Climate Home News. "I cannot describe the level of absolute alarm that this caused not only me personally, but everybody I know."
Around 65 people died when Hurricane Maria hit the Caribbean island in September 2017, destroying much of it.
In laying out what needs to be done, the report described a transformed world that will have to be built before babies born today are middle aged. In that world 70-85 percent of electricity will be produced by renewables.
More nuclear power
There will be more nuclear power than today. Gas, burned with carbon capture technology, will still decline steeply to supply just supply 8 percent of power. Coal plants will be no more. Electric cars will dominate and 35-65 percent of all transport will be low or no-emissions.
To pay for this transformation, the world will have invested almost a trillion dollars a year, every year to 2050.
Our relationship to land will be transformed. To stabilise the climate, governments will have deployed vast programmes for sucking carbon from the air. That will include protecting forests and planting new ones.
It may also include growing fuel to be burned, captured and buried beneath the earth. Farms will be the new oil fields. Food production will be squeezed. Profoundly difficult choices will be made between feeding the world and fuelling it.
The report is clear that this world avoids risks compared to one that warms to 2C, but swerves judgement on the likelihood of bringing it into being. That will be for governments, citizens and businesses, not scientists, to decide.
During the next 12 months, two meetings will be held at which governments will be asked to confront the challenge in this report: this year's UN climate talks in Poland and at a special summit held by UN secretary general Antonio Guterres in September 2019.
The report's authors were non-committal about the prospects. Jim Skea, a co-chair at the IPCC, said: "Limiting warming to 1.5C is possible within the laws of chemistry and physics but doing so would require unprecedented changes."
'Monumental goal'
Peter Frumhoff, director of science and policy at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and a former lead author of the IPCC, said: "If this report doesn't convince each and every nation that their prosperity and security requires making transformational scientific, technological, political, social and economic changes to reach this monumental goal of staving off some of the worst climate change impacts, then I don't know what will."
The scientist have offered a clear prescription: the only way to avoid breaching the 1.5C limit is for humanity to cut its CO2 emissions by 45 percent below 2010 levels by 2030 and reach "net-zero" by around 2050.
But global emissions are currently increasing, not falling.
The EU, one of the most climate progressive of all major economies, aims for a cut of around 30 percent by 2030 compared to its own 2010 pollution and 77-94 percent by 2050. It is currently reviewing both targets and says this report will inform the decisions.
If the EU sets a carbon neutral goal for 2050 it will join a growing group of governments seemingly in line with a mid-century end to carbon – including California (2045), Sweden (2045), UK (2050 target under consideration) and New Zealand (2050).
But a fundamental tenet of climate politics is that expectations on nations are defined by their development. If the richest, most progressive economies on earth set the bar at 2045-2050, where will China, India and Latin America end up? If the EU aims for 2050, the report concludes that Africa will need to have the same goal.
Some of the tools needed are available, they just need scaling up. Renewable deployment would need to be six times faster than it is today, said Adnan Z Amin, the director-general of the International Renewable Energy Agency. That was "technically feasible and economically attractive", he added.
Innovation, social change
Other aspects of the challenge require innovation and social change.
But just when the world needs to go faster, the political headwinds in some nations are growing. Brazil, home to the world's largest rainforest, looks increasingly likely to elect the climate sceptic Jair Bolsonaro as president.
The world's second-largest emitter – the US – immediately distanced itself from the report, issuing a statement that said its approval of the summary "should not be understood as US endorsement of all of the findings and key messages".
It said it still it intended to withdraw from the Paris Agreement.
The summary was adopted by all governments at a closed-door meeting between officials and scientists in Incheon, South Korea that finished on Saturday. The US sought and was granted various changes to the text. Sources said the interventions mostly helped to refine the report. But they also tracked key US interests – for example, a mention of nuclear energy was included.
Sources told CHN that Saudi Arabia fought hard to amend a passage that said investment in fossil fuel extraction would need to fall by 60 percent between 2015 and 2050. The clause does not appear in the final summary.
But still, according to three sources, the country has lodged a disclaimer with the report, which will not be made public for months. One delegate said it rejected "a very long list of paragraphs in the underlying report and the [summary]".
Republished under a Creative Commons licence.
A Nasa satellite photo showing the retreating extent of sea ice in the Arctic. The latest IPCC climate change report says unprecedented action is needed to keep global temperature rises to 1.5C. Image: IPCCArticle by AsiaPacificReport.nz


text:
Front Bumper Only
The Aerokit Spec D series is designed with drifting in mind. Creating a much lower appearance to your ride it is the perfect option for those who want to create a presence whilst sideways........ With big vents for maximum airflow to your intercooler you'll be sure to achieve maximum boost. Impact areas are reinforced with extra fibers to ensure more durability on any impact.


text:
The products and services mentioned below were selected independent of sales and advertising. However, Simplemost may receive a small commission from the purchase of any products or services through an affiliate link to the retailer's website.
Move aside lightsaber replicas, because it's time for a realistic-looking Mandalorian Nerf gun.
The popular Disney+ "Star Wars" prequel "The Mandalorian" has spun off a legion of related items for purchase, particularly "Baby Yoda" merch. But the show's bounty hunter, Din Djarin, is getting some love too.
A Nerf replica of his Amban Phase-Pulse Blaster is over 4 feet long and carefully detailed to look like the show's gun with "aging" effects on the handle. It has an illuminated scope, sound effects and 10 Nerf darts, and it comes in a collectible gun box. At $110.99 on Amazon, it better be realistic-looking!
The Verge thinks this may be the longest Nerf blaster ever made. While you can't actually vaporize or electrocute your backyard Nerf war opponents, you can load the weapon and shoot at them with the signature soft foam Nerf pellets. (And provide your own sound effects, or use the gun's built-in sound effects — two batteries are required.)
If you do order this Mandalorian Nerf gun, know that it won't be shipped until October 2021. But that'll give you time to re-watch the first two seasons of the show and practice your shooting stance in the meantime. And it'll come in plenty of time for the debut of the third season. Just make sure to pre-order before Dec. 31, 2020, to get on the list.
Also available for pre-order is The Black Series Mandalorian Helmet with a "removable tactical light" and interior lights from Hasbro. It's $119.99 and will be released on Aug. 1, 2021. Hasbro is also offering Ahsoka Tano's lightsaber from the second season for pre-order, along with other high-quality replicas from the series.
You can also buy other Star Wars Nerf blasters and darts, including a Nerf Star Wars Imperial Death Trooper Deluxe Dart Blaster that glows in the dark.
What do you think? Is a spot-on Nerf replica of the Amban Phase-Pulse Blaster worth a buy? Or are you sticking with your "The Child" plush?
This story originally appeared on Simplemost. Checkout Simplemost for additional stories.


text:
5 inches x 2 1/2 inches
Bead counters give students motivation to practice! It is a great way to visualize practicing repetitions. Flip a bead for every time you practice a small section in a new piece or for each piece you play during a practicing session.
Most Bead Counters are made to order so shipping may take 7-10 business days (for US orders.)


text:
Most Democratic Candidates are Ignoring African Americans
by Jesse Jackson, Sr.
December 21, 2007, Chicago Sun Times
Can Democrats get the votes they need simply because they're not Republicans? You might think so in this presidential campaign. African-American and urban votes are critical to any Democratic victory. Bill Clinton won two terms without winning the most white votes. His margin was the overwhelming support of black voters. George Bush learned that lesson; that's why his campaigns spent so much effort suppressing the black vote in key states like Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004. His victory margin was the tally of votes suppressed or uncounted.
Yet the Democratic candidates — with the exception of John Edwards, who opened his campaign in New Orleans' Ninth Ward and has made addressing poverty central to his campaign — have virtually ignored the plight of African Americans in this country. The catastrophic crisis that engulfs the African-American community goes without mention. No urban agenda is given priority. When thousands of African Americans marched in protest in Jena, La., not one candidate showed up.
Democratic candidates are talking about health care and raising the minimum wage, but they aren't talking about the separate and stark realities facing African Americans.
The civil rights movement succeeded in ending segregation and providing blacks with the right to vote. But the end of legal apartheid did not end the era of discrimination. And the ending of institutionalized violence did not end institutionalized racism.
Patterns of discrimination are sharply etched. African Americans have, on average, about half of the good things that whites have, and double the bad things. We have about half the average household income and less than half the household wealth. On the other hand, we're suffering twice the level of unemployment and twice the level of infant mortality (widely accepted as a measure of general health).
African Americans are brutalized by a system of criminal injustice. Young African Americans are more likely to be stopped, more likely to be searched if stopped, more likely to be arrested if searched, more likely to be charged if arrested, more likely to be sentenced to prison if charged, less likely to get early parole if imprisoned. Every study confirms that the discrimination is systemic and ruinous. And yet no candidate speaks to this central reality.
African Americans are more likely to go to overcrowded and underfunded schools, more likely to go without health care, more likely to drop out, less likely to find employment. Those who do work have less access to banks and are more likely to be ripped off by payday lenders, more likely to be stuck with high-interest auto and business loans, and far more likely to be steered to risky mortgages — even when adjusting for income. And yet, no candidate speaks to this central reality.
The result is visiting a catastrophe on the urban black community. I and many others campaign for young people to stay in school, to graduate and not to make babies until they are prepared to be parents. My son and I write and teach about personal financial responsibility. Personal responsibility is critical. But personal responsibility alone cannot overcome the effects of a discriminatory criminal justice and economic system in generating broken families and broken dreams.
The Rev. Martin Luther King saw the movement to end segregation and gain voting rights as the first stage of the civil rights movement. The second stage — to gain economic justice and equal opportunity in fact — he knew would be more difficult. Now, 40 years later, it is no longer acceptable for candidates to turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to entrenched discrimination and still expect to reap our votes.


text:
WOPP is Opp's Community Radio Station, broadcasting 24 hours a day
on 1290 Khz AM. WOPP serves Opp, AL and the surrounding areas with
local news, sports and weather with a great mix of nostalgic oldies and
today's hit country!
Watch Covington County Commission Meetings Here!
Watch Westview Baptist Church Services Live Here!
© E & R Broadcasting, Inc. - Equal Opportunity Employer - All Rights Reserved -
Email Webmaster
Listen Live!


text:
QuantumLink Communications Pvt Ltd is a software development
company based in Mumbai, India. QLC designs and develops
applications oriented towards getting the maximum productivity
and utility from the Internet, with specific emphasis in the
areas of E-mail, Internet sharing and TCP/IP based knowledge
management systems. We take a lot of pride in offering
excellent technology, via our high performance sales network
that is backed by a knowledgeable and responsive support team
Our inclination has always been to deliver significant value
to our customers on a continuous, ongoing basis.
In addition to our flagship products – PostMaster Express &
PostMaster Enterprise, QLC also has over half-dozen software
products in the market. With over 10,000 customers and over
23- years of proven technology expertise, QLC is working on a
number of product ideas, all attempting to redefine Internet
Protocols to achieve Internet Productivity.


text:
Mar 29
Our Lord's Surprise Visits
Be ye therefore ready also. — Luke 12:40
The great need for the Christian worker is to be ready to face Jesus Christ at any and every turn. This is not easy, no matter what our experience is. The battle is not against sin or difficulties or circumstances, but against being so absorbed in work that we are not ready to face Jesus Christ at every turn. That is the one great need, not the facing our belief, or our creed, the question whether we are of any use, but to face Him.
Jesus rarely comes where we expect Him; He appears where we least expect Him, and always in the most illogical connections. The only way a worker can keep true to God is by being ready for the Lord's surprise visits. It is not service that matters, but intense spiritual reality, expecting Jesus Christ at every turn. This will give our life the attitude of child-wonder which He wants it to have. If we are going to be ready for Jesus Christ, we have to stop being religious (that is, using religion as a higher kind of culture) and be spiritually real.
If you are "looking off unto Jesus," avoiding the call of the religious age you live in, and setting your heart on what He wants, on thinking on His line – you will be called unpractical and dreamy; but when He appears in the burden and the heat of the day, you will be the only one who is ready. Trust no one, not even the finest saint who ever walked this earth, ignore him, if he hinders your sight of Jesus Christ.


text:
"Come and have a go if you think you're Spartacus!"
Spartacus (Greek: Σπάρτακος, Spártakos; Latin: Spartacus[yeah, right]) (c. 109–71 BC) was a famous leader of the slaves in the Third Servile War, a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Little is known about Spartacus beyond the events of the war, and surviving historical accounts are sometimes contradictory and may not always be reliable. Nevertheless, all sources agree that he was the real Slim Shady and the older brother to the less well-known Jesus.
He spent most of his life roaming deserts, possibly feeding on insects and harassing Kirsten Dunst. Spartacus remains known among the eastern continents as "Spartacus Lord of the Flies" and in the west as "A Previous Relisher of Mango Custard". Spartacus said: "My ideal is Stjepan mesic, he is a true example of a muscle man!" said 56 BC.
Origins[edit | edit source]
Spartacus was born in 94 BC in BRAILA and spent most of his early life with his brother Jesus. His time spent playing pong against Jesus left him with superhuman reflexes of the fingers. At the age of 17 when on a school excursion to a laboratory, he got bitten by a radioactive spider turning him into a half-man, half-spider mutant being. Then he asked Kirsten Dunst out to dinner, to which she refused, citing 'irreconcilable dislike for half-man, half-spider mutant beings'.
The Infamy of Spartacus[edit | edit source]
While originally displaying a fondness for mango custard, Spartacus soon grew to become an over-indulgent insectivore. The extinction of sub-saharan dung beetles is blamed on his visit to the region in 32 AD, but Spartacus claims it was a result of an overpopulation of the dung beetle-eating 'dung beetle-beetle'. The dung beetle-beetles deny having ever laid a hand on a single dung beetle and claim that their name was given to them by Spartacus himself in order to cover up the extinction of the dung beetle species.
In a televised debate on CNN last Friday, Spartacus pointed out that dung beetle-beetles are lying pests who shamelessly feed on dung beetles day and night and that he had never even heard of a dung beetle. This was despite the fact that Spartacus appeared to have a dung beetle leg clearly stuck in his upper front teeth.
The End For Spartacus[edit | edit source]
Maturing into a fully fledged eight-legged human spider by the age of 45, Spartacus decided it was time to move to newer territories in search of reliable food. Travelling down the Nile on a Segway, he was eventually spotted by the keen explorer/entymologist Johnathon Livingston who caught him with a 'gun that shoots guns that shoot cages that lock by remote control'. He was then placed in the London Museum of Entymological Oddities, where he was the prime exhibit for the rest of his life.
When the minister gave the eulogy on Spartacus several members of the crowd stood up and shouted "No, I am Spartacus". This confused the world even more and the questions rose to that of the same caliber of Elvis's mysterious death.
Political career[edit | edit source]
Spartacus (also known as Retardacus) is a famous Croatian nationalist leader who created the movement "Nova Hrvatska" (New Croatia). His movement began in the United States where Spartacus, at the age of 15, began attracting followers to his cause. The Nova Hrvatska movement was dedicated to create a huge Croatian empire that would cover all of Italy to Russia. Spartacus' popularity grew over the years and thousands of Croatians are following him. He also has a claim that he is the direct descendant of King Tomislav, Croatia's first king. Spartacus led a rebellion of KKKroatians across the mountains into San Francisco. His small army began pillaging all Liberal, Communists, Gay villages enslaving the population.
In Croatia many political parties are trying to install Spartacus into power. Scientists have confirmed Spartacus' claim and it is a known fact that he is the direct descendant of King Tomislav and it is his divine right to take absolute power in Croatia. The American public at first began to support Spartacus and love him as if he was their own. But after Spartacus led his army into San Francisco, he encouraged the populace to murder their gay population. Spartacus was responsible for establishing concentration camps in the small village of Hoocher near San Francisco.
Presidential acclaim?[edit | edit source]
Hundreds of thousands of gays have been slaughtered under Spartacus' orders. Among the other victims were the Communists, Liberals, Hippies, and Atheists. Spartacus' army in the United States was at first tolerated by president George W Bush thinking it would be his puppet army. But as Spartacus' army grew larger and larger, the American people began to think that Spartacus was their Fuehrer and leader. Bush was afraid to stop Spartacus because he might get angry and use his army to overthrow him from the presidency. So Bush played it safe and decided to support Spartacus in every way he can. He began sending Spartacus aid in military equipment such as planes, bombs, tanks, and ships. Bush said in his famous address:
"I have talked with Spartacus and he said that he likes men back in his mountain base. He is a very brilliant young man and his determination to forge a greater Croatia wins my respect for him."
This speech sparked controversy in Washington as many leftist-liberals were furious over Bush's support for Spartacus. Spartacus' ideology spoke of hatred of anything liberal or pro-gay. Many leading liberals tried to forge and army to stop Spartacus and his pillaging of liberal villages. But with Bush controlling the US military, there was nothing the Liberals could do. After leading Liberal John Kerry lost the elections, Spartacus saw that the door was open for him. With Bush still in power, he didn't have to worry about the US military interfering with his plans, seeing how they were too busy messing up the Islamic world.
Pillaging of Canada[edit | edit source]
Spartacus then expanded and began pillaging into Canada where he found thousands of ethnic Croats. He declared that Canada was historically Croatian territory as there was evidence of a Croatian cultural center, a Croatian church, and many living Croatians in Canada.
"The ancient Canadians are none other than Croatians. Croatians lived here among the Vikings and it is here that they forged a Canadian state."
Many Canadians began massive conversions to Croatianism. Spartacus had a force of millions. He then believed that the time was right to take power in Croatia and get rid of the Communist leader Mesic. Spartacus adopted the name "DR. Spartacus" as he took an AP European History class in High School being at the top of his class. His History teacher named Mr. Pichkin Dim (Oriental) proclaimed him Doctor Spartacus.
This new title earned Spartacus international fame. He was interviewed by Time Magazine many times being on the front cover. Many leading actors supported Spartacus' cause and began lending financial aid. Mel Gibson, Russel Crowe, and Chuck Norris are well known for their Pro-Spartacus views. Mel Gibson even started the "Kick Liberals out of America Foundation" in many schools.
Spartacus has written 2 books on his experiences forging a Greater Croatia which can be read on here
Spartacus can also be found working evenings at a number of cafes here and there in downtown Chicago serving drinks.
List of people who are Spartacus (aka The Grand Council of Spartaci)[edit | edit source]
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
- Spartacus
Zack Green
- Helen (A mystery to us all, this 'Helen' is the only one of 2 who has claimed that she is Spartacus. However we still don't know who the fuck Helen is. Probably a girl in Shellbank JHS, but its just a guess)
See also[edit | edit source]
- Spartaci (The plural form.)


text:
Rokee is a well-known high-quality Metallic Disc Coupling manufacturer from China, Learn more about lubrication of metallic disc coupling, pls contact Rokee technical engineer, we can customize metallic disc coupling according to user drawings, alternatively, if the user provides metallic disc coupling parameters, we can select the model and design drawings for you, Rokee also support wholesale and export.
The metallic disc coupling is a kind of high-performance metal flexible coupling, which compensates axial and angular displacements by the deformation of elastic diaphragm while transferring torque, metallic disc coupling features with compact structure, large transmission torque, long service life, maintenance-free, high temperature resistance, acid and alkali resistance, and corrosion resistance, suitable for shafting transmission in high temperature, high speed and corrosive environment.
« Lubrication of Metallic Disc Coupling » Post Date: 2024/6/3 , https://www.rokeecoupling.net/blog/lubrication-of-metallic-disc-coupling.html


text:
Are you looking to install a firmware file on Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S? Then you are just in the right place. In this post, we have brought you the latest stock firmware for the Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S.
These days installing custom ROMs, rooting the device is a pretty common scenario among smartphone enthusiasts. However, not every day is a sunny day. Usually, while customizing your device you may have performed some wrong steps and ended up with a bricked device or a phone stuck in the endless boot loop. Sometimes the new custom OS you install brings a lot of unforeseen bugs. So, the only solution is to take the device back to its previous state. This technically means flashing the stock firmware on the smartphone.
Talking of the Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S, we have put up the latest stock firmware of the phone along with the flash tool and a complete tutorial to help you install the stock ROM correctly on the device. We have laid out all the instructions in a simple and detailed manner. So, it should be a cakewalk for you to install stock ROM on Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S.
Page Contents
How to Install Stock ROM on Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S?
Installing a stock ROM is pretty easy. All you have to do is download the stock ROM for the corresponding device. Then grab the USB drivers, an exclusive flash tool that we will use for performing the installation. Talking of the flash tool, we are using the Spreadtrum Flash tool in this guide because the Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S runs on the Spreadtrum chipset.
You will also require some other tools which we have listed out below. You have to download and install them as instructed. Before getting on towards the installation, let's find out the importance of stock ROM.
Why Stock ROM is important.?
A stock ROM is an OS which the device runs when it's unboxed. It's the pre-built operating system. So, by flashing the firmware, you would literally take back the device to its original working state.
- A stock ROM can fix the device boot loop issue
- If your phone is bricked, then you can unbrick it by flashing the device with the latest stock ROM
- You can upgrade/downgrade the OS of your device via flashing a stock ROM only.
- it is important during unrooting the device and going back to stock
Firmware Details
- Device Name: Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S
- ROM Type: Firmware
- Gapps File: Included
- Tool Supported: SPD Flash Tool
- Chipset: Spreadtrum SoC
- Android Version: Android 8.1
Firmware Installation Guide for Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S
As mentioned before, here is the list of flash tool and other software which are important to successfully install stock ROM on Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S.
- The stock ROM provided in this guide is exclusively for Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S. Do not use it on any other device.
- Before installing the stock ROM charge the battery of your device up to 50%.
- A laptop/PC
- Don't forget to take a backup of your device data. Backup without root | Nandroid Backup via TWRP
- Make sure to download firmware, drivers, and tools to flash the firmware on your Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S.
- VCOM Driver: Download Spreadtrum USB Driver
- Flash tool: Download SPD Flash tool
- Drivers: Download Android USB Drivers
Download Flash Files:
Flash File Name: Tecno_SA2S_SA215D_ZA_Voda_V012_20190417_8.1_SPD.zip File Size: 708.09 MB OS: Android 8.1 |
Download |
Flash File Name: Tecno_Pop_Mini_2_SA2S_V033_210804_8.1_SPD.zip File Size: 727 MB OS: Android 8.1 |
Download |
Guide for Firmware Installation
The tutorial linked below will guide you to flash the latest stock ROM on the device.
Guide to Install Stock ROM using Spreadtrum Flash Tool
So, guys.! We hope that this tutorial to install the firmware flash file on Tecno Pop 2 Mini SA2S was useful to you. Install the firmware and enjoy. If you have any queries do let us know in the comments section.


text:
Please take a minute to become a registered customer.
G10 Pro Large Universal Teleprompter 360° Adjustable iPad Tablet Premium Video Rig Camera Cage Kit + Free Smartphone Mount Fits 9-13 inch Tablets
Buy qty 2 get each for $94.95USD
Buy qty 3 get each for $89.95USD
Buy qty 4 get each for $84.95USD
Product Description
Don't pay $200 - $500 for beam splitter glass style teleprompters for your iPad or Tablet! You do not need that style to achieve the same results you're looking for.
What you need is this kit! You'll be glad you invested. Take it from us, a USA Company who's main goal is to manufacture and sell the highest quality and durable
mounts, complete tripods and accessories for iPads, Other Tablets, SLR Cameras, GPS units and Smartphones since 2008.
There are 3 components to this kit
You just need to provide the Camera, the Camera Tripod and the iPad or Tablet. This kit has everything else you'll need to get started.
With 10 extra 1/4-20 threaded mounting points included
- 1. The full size camera cage
- 2. Universal ipad tablet holder
3. 360° locking swivel ball head
- You can add LED Lights to the cage to light up your subject
- You can add any style microphone to the cage and capture sound from your subject.
- You can add a smartphone with the free included Smartphone Tripod Mount Holder Clip
Technical Details
- iPad / Tablet Teleprompter Holder Rig can accommodate any Tablet from 9-13 inches with or without a case up to 0.5 inches thick
- Powerful Spring Loaded Arms Extends from 9-3/4 minimum -to- 16 inches Maximum (corner to corner diagonally)
- You can also Attach LED Lights, Microphones and Smartphones Right onto the Camera Cage
- Full Size SLR Camera Cage is Built to Last with Durable Aluminum Alloy
- Included with (10) Extra 1/4-20 Threaded Mounting Points
- 360° Locking Swivel Ball Head for Tilt & Landscape or Portrait Orientations
- Free Smartphone Tripod Mount Holder Clip Included
- No Camera Tripod or Actual Camera is included with this Purchase
What's in the Box?
(1) iShot Pro® Full Size Camera Cage
(1) iShot G10 Pro® Large Universal iPad Tablet Tripod Mount
(1) iShot Pro® 360° Locking Swivel Ball Head
(1) Free SmartphoneTripod Mount Adapter Holder Included
(4) Extra 1/4-20 Threaded Botls
When you purchase any product from iShot Pro LLC you are entitled
to a limited lifetime warranty against defects in material and workmanship.


text:
Custom air filter door available now
There are no reviews yet.
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
Your review *
Name *
Email *
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Want To Buy What You See? We Currently Fill Orders And Provide Prices In-Store Or Over The Phone/E-Mail Only. Contact Us To Buy Something Today! Dismiss


text:
How far would you go to ensure your child's olympic success? Would you drive her to practice every day? Would you send her to live with a host family in Iowa? Would you never tell her about her mother's eight-year battle with cancer and lie about the death of her grandparents for over a year?
If that last measure seems a little extreme, you're in good company. Thousands of Chinese spoke out this week on Sina Weibo, a Chinese micro-blogging website, in condemnation of Wu Minxia's parents doing just that. Wu — the 26 year-old Chinese diver who just nabbed her third gold on the 3-meter springboard — made history this year when she became the first diver to ever take home the top prize in three consecutive Olympics, but that incredible feat came at a price. Earlier this week, her father revealed to the Shanghai Morning Post that the secrets of her mother's cancer (now in remission) and her dead grandparents were kept from Wu so she could focus on her training.
(More: Diving: The New Sport for Wunderkinds)
"We never tell her what's happening at home," Wu's father Wu Jueming told the SMP, as translated by the Vancouver Sun. "We even kept the news that her grandparents died from her. When grandma died, [Wu] seemed almost like she had a premonition, and she called us asking if she was okay. We had to lie; we told her, 'everything's okay.'"
"It's been like this for so many years. We long ago realized that our daughter doesn't belong to us completely. Enjoying the company of family? I don't think about it. I don't dare think about it," he added.
However this definition of parenting may sit with the Chinese public — some have argued online that their Olympic strategy "makes people lose their humanity" and their "national sports system is disgusting" — the end result was an incredibly focused athlete. "We managed to stay composed during the final, and encouraged each other in every dive," Wu told China's Xinhua news agency apparently before she found out any of the possibly distressing news.
PHOTOS: The Gold Standard: James Nachtwey Photographs China's Female Weight Lifters


text:
The vector map is the same Google map your users are familiar with using, and offers a number of advantages over the default raster tile map, most notably the sharpness of vector-based images, and the addition of 3D buildings at close zoom levels. The vector map also supports some new features, such as the ability to add 3D content with WebGL Overlay View, programmatic tilt and heading control, enhanced camera control, and fractional zoom for smoother zooming.
Control the camera
Use the map.moveCamera()
function to update any combination of camera
properties at once. map.moveCamera()
accepts a single parameter containing
all of the camera properties to update. The following example shows calling
to set center
, zoom
, heading
, and tilt
at once:
center: new google.maps.LatLng(37.7893719, -122.3942),
zoom: 16,
heading: 320,
tilt: 47.5
You can animate camera properties by calling map.moveCamera()
with an
animation loop, as shown here:
const degreesPerSecond = 3;
function animateCamera(time) {
// Update the heading, leave everything else as-is.
heading: (time / 1000) * degreesPerSecond
// Start the animation.
Fractional Zoom
Vector maps support fractional zoom, which lets you zoom using fractional
values instead of integers. While both raster and vector maps support fractional
zoom, fractional zoom is on by default for vector maps, and off by default for
raster maps. Use the isFractionalZoomEnabled
map option to turn fractional
zoom on and off.
The following example shows enabling fractional zoom when initializing the map:
map = new google.maps.Map(document.getElementById('map'), {
center: {lat: -34.397, lng: 150.644},
zoom: 8,
isFractionalZoomEnabled: true
You can also turn fractional zoom on and off by setting the
map option as shown here:
// Using map.set
map.set('isFractionalZoomEnabled', true);
// Using map.setOptions
map.setOptions({isFractionalZoomEnabled: true});
You can set a listener to detect whether fractional zoom is turned on; this is
most useful if you have not explicitly set isFractionalZoomEnabled
to true
or false
. The following example code checks to see whether fractional zoom
is enabled:
map.addListener('isfractionalzoomenabled_changed', () => {
const isFractionalZoomEnabled = map.get('isFractionalZoomEnabled');
if (isFractionalZoomEnabled === false) {
console.log('not using fractional zoom');
} else if (isFractionalZoomEnabled === true) {
console.log('using fractional zoom');
} else {
console.log('map not done initializing yet');