Robin-Valana Pearman, a Bermuda women’s youth international football player, was instrumental in assisting her Mount Kelly School teammates win the United Kingdom’s Independent Schools Football Association National Cup on April 25th and the Chelsea Foundation Cup on May 20th. A spokesperson said, “Playing from her center-forward position Robin-Valana stuck the third and dagger goal to […]

Chare Smith and his Uphill Castle Cricket Club teammates defeated Long Sutton Cricket Club Southampton by 4 wickets. Long Sutton won the toss and elected to bat, they were bowled all out for 211, Joseph Martins was the top scorer with 80, while Ashley Allen was the pick of the Uphill Castle bowlers with figures […]

Alyssa De Silva and her Loughborough Team 5 are headed into the EHC England Hockey Cup Final after they defeated the Guernsey Ladies 1st team in their semi-final. De Silva — who is captain of the team — will lead them into the final on May 6th against Lee Valley. The score in the semi-final […]

The Ministry of Public Works said they are “actively maintaining the Island’s roadways, with crews from the Department of Works and Engineering recently trimming trees and clearing overgrown vegetation at various locations across the Island.” A Government spokesperson said, “This effort is part of an ongoing programme to manage roadside vegetation, enhancing road safety and […]

Jonathan Land Evans has recently published ‘The Lordly Wadson Collection,’ an expanded omnibus of humorous stories set in 1930s Bermuda. Mr Evans explained that ‘The Lordly Wadson Collection’, is enlarged from his 2018 book ‘Lordly Wadson’, and gathers together all fourteen of his humorous Lordly Wadson stories, set in 1930s Bermuda and whose main character is […]

Camiko Smith leads the Butterfield Bermuda Championship local qualifier after the first round at a rain soaked Port Royal Golf Course. Smith shot a round of 3-under par 68 to lead by four strokes over a three-wat tie for second place between Oliver Betschart, Damian Palanyandi, and Adam Perry who all shot a 1-over par […]

The Bermuda Police Service [BPS] has issued another warning to residents about fake social media adverts that use the likeness of local public figures and mimic local news outlet designs. A police spokesperson said, “The Bermuda Police Service [BPS] reminds residents to be wary of fake social media adverts promising quick financial gains or other […]

Gavin Dorvil has been held without bond after pleading not guilty to vehicular homicide in the Florida crash that led to the deaths of Lisa Jackson and Geraldine Francis. A South Florida Sun-Sentinel story said, “The teenage driver accused of being behind the wheel of a speeding Tesla that struck an SUV two weeks ago, […]

A man appeared in the Supreme Court in connection with the murder of Daunte Woods, who was fatally stabbed in October 2020 in Sandys. 29-year-old Jahmari Beach pleaded not guilty to the unlawful killing of 27-year-old Daunte Woods, and he also denied a charge of carrying a knife in a public place. The matter was adjourned until […]

34-year-old Melvin Holdipp pleaded guilty to 10 counts of burglary and 4 counts of theft and was remanded into custody. A police spokesperson said, “Between the 30th of August 2022 and the 11th of October 2022, the Bermuda Police Service [BPS] investigated the reported burglaries of several local businesses, namely: Price Rite in Warwick Robin […]

A 38-year-old man appeared in the Supreme Court today [Feb 22], where he pleaded guilty to murder. Anthony Davis admitted to killing 28-year-old Morissa Moniz in November 2021. Puisne Judge Shade Subair-Williams set a sentencing date of March 27th and Davis will remain in custody. The police previously said that Ms Moniz was “found in an unresponsive […]

What kind of page is traversol.co[.]in?

While investigating suspect sites, our researchers discovered the traversol.co[.]in rogue page. After inspecting this webpage, we learned that it endorses browser notification spam and redirects users to different (likely untrustworthy/hazardous) websites.

The majority of visitors enter traversol.co[.]in and pages of this kind via redirects caused by sites that utilize rogue advertising networks.

I’ve been following the press and social media coverage of Apple’s pricey new Vision Pro Augmented Reality headset, which now totals hundreds of stories and thousands of comments and I’ve noticed one idea missing from all of them: what would Steve (Jobs) say?  Steve would call the Vision Pro a “hobby,” just as he did with the original Apple TV. You know I’m correct about this. And the fact that Apple hasn’t gone for the H-word and no other writers are suggesting it is the topic of this column, not the Vision Pro, itself. It would appear that nobody at Apple has the balls to call the Vision Pro a hobby, which is to say it is not expected to make a profit for the […]

The post Apple’s Vision Pro headset is a hobby. Why won’t Tim Cook say that? first appeared on I, Cringely.






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Eeeeeeee! Just saw that THE SPELLSHOP is a nominee for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2024!!! Thanks so much! This makes my day! I'm so thrilled and so grateful! Voting is open now! 

https://www.goodreads.com/choiceawards/readers-favorite-romantasy-books-2024

Nomadland [US, Chloé Zhao, 5] When her town closes down in the wake of its gypsum mine’s closure, a self-reliant widow (Frances McDormand) moves into her van and joins the ranks of the nomad subculture, people who rove the US, taking whatever hard work they can get and living out of their vehicles. Rooted in social realist cinema, marked by a triad of transcendent qualities: poetic visual beauty, an indelible central performance and a deep love for the characters from the writer/director.

This is from Searchlight, formerly Fox Searchlight, now part of the Disney empire, so you’ll get a chance to see it. Likely as part of awards season, whatever the heck that’s gonna look like this year. Normally I don’t spend festival slots on titles with distribution but that’s out the window in the COVID-verse.

(At the moment cinemas are open, with distancing, here in Ontario but if you look at the numbers we’re in the early denial phase of a reimposition of lockdown measures. Whatever the deal is I don’t plan to be inside a theater in any foreseeable time frame.)

Her next project is a huge pivot from poetic verite dramas like this and The Rider— Marvel’s The Eternals. 

Memory House [Brazil, João Paulo Miranda Maria, 1] Racist harassment from German co-workers drives dairy worker to vengeance. Blunts the political anger of its subject matter with enervating pacing.

Another Round [Denmark, Thomas Vinterberg, 4.5] Burned out high school teacher (Mads Mikkelsen) embarks with three colleagues on an experiment to enhance their performance by maintaining a blood alcohol level of 0.5% throughout their days at work. Not only an original booze movie, but a big one, full of turns and ambiguities, and an utterly masterful performance from Mikkelsen.

Shadow in the Cloud [New Zealand, Roseanne Liang, 4] When an WWII RAF Flight Officer (Chloe Grace Moretz) boards a Samoa-bound cargo plane bearing a mysterious package, a monstrous gremlin on board is just one of the surprises. Enclosed space horror-action thriller tips an 80s-style hat to Carpenter and Cameron.

---

Capsule review boilerplate: Ratings are out of 5. I’ll be collecting these reviews in order of preference in a master post the Monday after the fest. Films shown on the festival circuit will appear in theaters, disc and/or streaming over the next year plus.

Providence Friars' Bensley Joseph found Corey Floyd Jr. for a tough alley-oop dunk against the Hampton Pirates.

Hunter Dickson led No. 1 Kansas to an impressive win over Michigan State, while Mark Pope aced his first big test as Kentucky's head coach.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW carbonite Han Job $14,000-$20,000

AI-powered search engine Perplexity says it’ll begin experimenting with ads on its platform starting this week. Ads will appear in the U.S. to start, formatted as “sponsored follow-up questions.” (E.g., “How can I use LinkedIn to enhance my job search?”) Paid media will be positioned to the side…

Today, we’re going to finish up the embroidery on the sample leaf for Harvest Hues. If you’re just joining in, …

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Everything I know about making grissini. These beloved, pencil-thin Italian breadsticks are made with just five ingredients. No mixer is needed and you don’t need to proof your yeast.

Continue reading Grissini (Italian Breadsticks) on 101 Cookbooks

Oh dear, busy me, four months since I've posted here. Lots of quilting, a little beading, some travels, and recently several sets of house guests have made "retirement" a bit of a joke. For now, since the La Conner Quilt Festival is just around the corner (October 2-4), my subject is one small exhibition on the first floor at the Museum, which is currently up, and will remain through the Festival.

Last year at the Festival (and again this year!) Sue Spargo taught workshops on her wool applique embroidery methods. Those of us who were lucky enough to get in were invited by the Museum to exhibit our finished pieces. These marvelous creations are the subject of this post. Uneven lighting makes it difficult to get good photos, so please forgive poor color or tone on some of these photos.

In case you are unfamiliar with Sue's work, below is an example of her work. Students in her class could choose to make chicks, circles, or flowers. Most chose the chicks. Eight of her students are showing their work in the current exhibit.

My vote for the most awesome-creative piece goes to Bunny Starbuck for She Has Flown the Coop! Here it is:

Having put my chicks all in neat rows similar to Sue's example, I find it amazing that Bunny's mind took the idea and made a whole different story of it... a coop full of chicks, with two in line on the roof ready to follow the one already in the air. Don't you just love the way the lines divide the space?!




Note Bunny's use of whispy yarn to suggest little chick feathers, her use of snaps for eyes, the one chick turned full front, the one with a bead-tassled braid and glasses, and the one with beaded loop fringe and a gathered yellow ribbon (?) yo-yo. I love them! I'm in awe, Bunny!

Below is Chicks on Parade by Dorie Benson. It's so fun the way they are so close together, with two of them going in a different direction, just as you might see in a little cluster of chicks. If you click the photo to enlarge it, you can see some of Dorie's excellent stitching and hand quilting!

The next one is Chicks by Glenys Baker, who not only did all 36 chicks but also made a second quilt featuring circles (shown further down). Awesome work, Glenys!

And next is Birds of a Feather Can Dance Together by Lorraine Jones. The fun of the title is matched by the fun of Lorraine's embellishments, including her border treatment. (You'll have to see this one in person, because the light from a table lamp, made the lower corner of the photo look terrible.)

I guess most of us like to "swim the other way," as you can see in the next piece, Chickadees, by Carrie Unick. I thought many of Corrie's embellishments were especially fun and creative, so I've also included a couple of detail photos.



Last of the chicks is my piece, simply named Chicks. It was so much fun, that I made another small piece (also in the exhibition), shown at the top of this post. Both are displayed in shadow-box type frames to protect them from dust and moth damage.
Glenys Baker, in one year, made not only a 36-chicks quilt (shown above), but also a 48-circles quilt, Circles. How she keeps thinking of new embellishment variations I can't imagine. Yet each of her circles is completely unique! Her choice of border fabrics is perfect for the quilt, complimenting the flow of color among the circles.


I love the fun color combinations and the way the beads enhance her embroidery on Nancy Anders' Bodacious Blooms, a joyful wall quilt if ever there was one! (Again, I couldn't quite get the color right in the photo, so you'll just have to go to the Museum to see it in person.)


The name of Roberta Roberts' flower quilt, Memories, invites us to look closely at the flower with three ladybugs. I don't know the story, but I can tell there is one here... and I love that. Her embellishments are varied and fun as well.



There you have it... 10 quilts by 8 students who learned some methods of wool applique and embroidery from Sue Spargo, last year at the La Conner Quilt Festival. I'm so grateful to be one of them!

A look at the latest gear to cross our desks.
( Photos: 18, Comments: 88 )

The spreadsheet control within Repeat Signage software allows you to display existing Microsoft Excel .xlsx files and allows you to use the built in editor to create spreadsheets within your presentations. You can also create and display spreadsheet graphs from your information. This gives you an easy way to display formatted information in grids and you also have the ability to insert pictures as well.

By Jason Cohen Former MSNBC host Chris Matthews on Wednesday criticized Democrats for their “open border” policy following Vice President Kamala Harris’ loss to former President Donald Trump. Trump clinched the required 270 electoral votes early Wednesday, winning Georgia, North Carolina and Pennsylvania, according to multiple forecasters. Matthews, on “Morning Joe,” argued that Democrats’ lenient […]

The post ‘A Lot Of People Are Very Angry’: Chris Matthews Unloads On Dems Over ‘Open Border’ Policy After Harris Loss appeared first on Liberty Unyielding.

Ethiopia is not a very free country. It ranks low on measures of economic and political freedom. It also is fairly poor: Incomes in Ethiopia are 86% lower than the world average. But it is a good neighbor. It has approved a $738 million loan to its more backward neighbor, South Sudan, to build a […]

The post Ethiopia helps neighboring countries with electricity and roads appeared first on Liberty Unyielding.

A group of teenagers in Fife have been making a documentary about the impact of disposable vapes.

India travel to Australia for their five-Test series - here's everything you need to know including the schedule, squads and how to follow on the BBC.

Organised crime gangs are thought to be behind a rising number of cheese thefts.

Meta is taking the European Union a little more seriously, as the EU has requested the US-based company to put… Continue reading Meta and the EU butt heads again amid changes to ads

The post Meta and the EU butt heads again amid changes to ads appeared first on ReadWrite.

The advertising world is uncomplicated at its core, and utterly bewildering when seen from the outside. The easy bit stems from a simple axiom: Wherever you can find the attention of potential customers, you pay to get your message in front of them. That’s the essence of advertising: paying for attention. It gets complicated by … Continue reading "Ads, Ads Everywhere"

Expert

Courtney J. Fung

Alison M. Kurimchak
Dec 1, 2020; 19:2068-2089
Research

We have observed overexpression of PACS-1, a cytosolic sorting protein in primary cervical tumors. Absence of exonic mutations and overexpression at the RNA level suggested a transcriptional and/or posttranscriptional regulation. University of California Santa Cruz genome browser analysis of PACS-1 micro RNAs (miR), revealed two 8-base target sequences at the 3' terminus for hsa-miR-34a and hsa-miR-449a. Quantitative RT-PCR and Northern blotting studies showed reduced or loss of expression of the two microRNAs in cervical cancer cell lines and primary tumors, indicating dysregulation of these two microRNAs in cervical cancer. Loss of PACS-1 with siRNA or exogenous expression of hsa-miR-34a or hsa-miR-449a in HeLa and SiHa cervical cancer cell lines resulted in DNA damage response, S-phase cell cycle arrest, and reduction in cell growth. Furthermore, the siRNA studies showed that loss of PACS-1 expression was accompanied by increased nuclear γH2AX expression, Lys382-p53 acetylation, and genomic instability. PACS-1 re-expression through LNA-hsa-anti-miR-34a or -449a or through PACS-1 cDNA transfection led to the reversal of DNA damage response and restoration of cell growth. Release of cells post 24-h serum starvation showed PACS-1 nuclear localization at G1-S phase of the cell cycle. Our results therefore indicate that the loss of hsa-miR-34a and hsa-miR-449a expression in cervical cancer leads to overexpression of PACS-1 and suppression of DNA damage response, resulting in the development of chemo-resistant tumors.

Sphingolipids have become established participants in the pathogenesis of obesity and its associated maladies. Sphingosine kinase 1 (SPHK1), which generates S1P, has been shown to increase in liver and adipose of obese humans and mice and to regulate inflammation in hepatocytes and adipose tissue, insulin resistance, and systemic inflammation in mouse models of obesity. Previous studies by us and others have demonstrated that global sphingosine kinase 1 KO mice are protected from diet-induced obesity, insulin resistance, systemic inflammation, and NAFLD, suggesting that SPHK1 may mediate pathological outcomes of obesity. As adipose tissue dysfunction has gained recognition as a central instigator of obesity-induced metabolic disease, we hypothesized that SPHK1 intrinsic to adipocytes may contribute to HFD-induced metabolic pathology. To test this, we depleted Sphk1 from adipocytes in mice (SK1^fatKO) and placed them on a HFD. In contrast to our initial hypothesis, SK1^fatKO mice displayed greater weight gain on HFD and exacerbated impairment in glucose clearance. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and neutrophil content of adipose tissue were similar, as were levels of circulating leptin and adiponectin. However, SPHK1-null adipocytes were hypertrophied and had lower basal lipolytic activity. Interestingly, hepatocyte triacylglycerol accumulation and expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines and collagen 1a1 were exacerbated in SK1^fatKO mice on a HFD, implicating a specific role for adipocyte SPHK1 in adipocyte function and inter-organ cross-talk that maintains overall metabolic homeostasis in obesity. Thus, SPHK1 serves a previously unidentified essential homeostatic role in adipocytes that protects from obesity-associated pathology. These findings may have implications for pharmacological targeting of the SPHK1/S1P signaling axis.

Endometrial carcinoma (EC) is the most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States, with limited effective targeted therapies. Endometrial tumors exhibit frequent alterations in protein kinases, yet only a small fraction of the kinome has been therapeutically explored. To identify kinase therapeutic avenues for EC, we profiled the kinome of endometrial tumors and normal endometrial tissues using Multiplexed Inhibitor Beads and Mass Spectrometry (MIB-MS). Our proteomics analysis identified a network of kinases overexpressed in tumors, including Serine/Arginine-Rich Splicing Factor Kinase 1 (SRPK1). Immunohistochemical (IHC) analysis of endometrial tumors confirmed MIB-MS findings and showed SRPK1 protein levels were highly expressed in endometrioid and uterine serous cancer (USC) histological subtypes. Moreover, querying large-scale genomics studies of EC tumors revealed high expression of SRPK1 correlated with poor survival. Loss-of-function studies targeting SRPK1 in an established USC cell line demonstrated SRPK1 was integral for RNA splicing, as well as cell cycle progression and survival under nutrient deficient conditions. Profiling of USC cells identified a compensatory response to SRPK1 inhibition that involved EGFR and the up-regulation of IGF1R and downstream AKT signaling. Co-targeting SRPK1 and EGFR or IGF1R synergistically enhanced growth inhibition in serous and endometrioid cell lines, representing a promising combination therapy for EC.

Turkey at a crossroads 4 May 2023 — 6:00PM TO 7:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 4 April 2023 Chatham House and Online

What is at stake in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections?

Turkey is heading towards a fateful presidential and parliamentary elections in May 2023. These elections are taking place against the background of a deepening economic downturn and a devastating earthquake. The elections will bear a major impact on the future of Turkish democracy, economy and foreign policy. At stake is the nature of Turkey’s political system, its geopolitical identity and the health of its democracy.

To unpack the significance and implications of this election, this event aims to address the following questions:

• What kind of political visions do the main presidential candidates offer for the country?
• How do they differ on the main domestic and foreign policy issues?
• How do the presidential candidates feature in public surveys?
• What does this election mean for Turkey’s foreign policy?
• What is the likely impact of the election on Turkey’s place in the transatlantic alliance and its relations with Europe?

As with all members events, questions from the audience drive the conversation.

Russia and 9/11: Roads not taken Expert comment NCapeling 9 September 2021

Many Russia watchers recall the fleeting moment 20 years ago when the country could have moved away from a path of confrontation with the US.

On 12 September 2001, Russian president Vladimir Putin was the first foreign leader to call George W. Bush to express his condolences – and to offer him support.

Just the previous year, Putin had said Russia joining NATO was a possibility and it suited Russia to draw parallels between the terrorist attacks on the US and its own ‘anti-terrorist’ campaign in Chechnya at the time.

Even though much of the Russian commentary about 9/11 professed empathy rather than sympathy, in their eyes the US was both a victim – as Russia likes to see itself – and ‘had it coming’ while Russia was blameless.

At that time, many in the West were still tempted by the idea Putin’s Russia might develop in a liberal direction, and Putin himself wanted to be seen as constructive especially after Chechnya. He may also have also assumed that, if Russia joined the international alliance, it would be as a co-leader with the US.

An offer which was never stated

Whether he was sincere in his condolences or not, Putin was of course not offering something for nothing – but then few countries ever do. Although less than one-tenth into his time in control of Russia (so far), Putin was still feeling his way but was not a naive president having already been through the controversial sinking of the Kursk submarine.

His first move was to facilitate access to bases in Central Asia for the US campaign in Afghanistan – vital initially but less so later. Apparently, this offer was against the wishes of many of his senior military commanders – although the extent to which it was in his gift to grant such access is questionable.

The quid pro quo, unstated and only dawning on Washington much later, was for the US to keep out of what Russia saw – and still sees – as its backyard. Putin probably misjudged that the US would have neither the inclination nor the capacity to be in that region for anything other than supply chain purposes. And he hoped America now needed Russia after the humiliations of the 1990s.

Common interests could once have been the basis of a partnership with Russia; but to Moscow that meant a partnership of equals which recognized the Kremlin’s self-declared right to conduct out-of-area operations. But the US took a different view and, with nothing written down and no memorandum ever signed, the ensuing disappointment for Russia was gradual but inexorable.

A purely practical reason for declining the ‘offer’ was that, despite its own illusions, Russia had little to bring to the table which was useful and could be offered on acceptable terms. Subsequent initiatives – from specific joint terrorism initiatives to a ‘grand reset’ – could not narrow differences to the point where the character of the relationship changed.

The Northern Distribution Network for supplying US forces in Afghanistan – Russia’s most practical contribution to the notional common cause – took almost a decade to be established and was plagued by problems which often come with a dependence on Russian goodwill.

The Kremlin also had the pleasure of watching US hubris lead to failure in Iraq. And, although knowing the US intervention in Afghanistan would never end well, even Russia could not have foreseen the scale of the defeat and humiliation of chaotic withdrawal.

US achievements with Russia’s neighbours

When it comes to Russia’s post 9/11 ‘offer’ and subsequent expectations, many of the other newly independent countries might never have achieved what they have over the past 20 years if the US had agreed – tacitly or otherwise – to sit back and accept Moscow’s droit de regard over them.

From the Kremlin’s perspective, these states were Russia’s ‘kith and kin’ but it underestimated US willingness to support smaller states over a ‘great power’ – especially as George H.W. Bush pleaded to those states not to go too far too fast. Albeit uneven, most have benefitted from US support for their own independence as well as practical assistance to strengthen their institutions and diversify external relationships.

The three Baltic states consolidated their democracies while their economies, which severed many ties with Russia early, are flourishing and prosperous in contrast to those still in the Russian orbit. They are not only members of NATO and the European Union (EU) but have on occasion been moral leaders as in the case of Lithuania facing down both Belarus and China.

Ukraine has undergone two revolutions in attempting to follow the paths of the Baltic states that continues today. After many false starts Moldova has undergone a similar change recently but at the ballot box not on the streets, to give itself another shot at the prize of true democracy and international acceptance.

Georgia conducted the most radical governance reforms seen in the region after its own revolution although it has taken a few steps backwards of late. Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have strengthened their independence since then and adjusted their modus vivendi with Russia to their advantage. Putin would hardly be able to give the same assurances about use of bases there today – and indeed reportedly brushed off a request by Biden to use them in the current withdrawal.

Only a minority of formerly Soviet republics have made no progress whatsoever at the governmental level – Belarus and Turkmenistan for sure, perhaps Azerbaijan and Tajikistan too depending on the criteria.

The roads not taken

America’s failure was not so much rejecting Russia’s offer of partnership but failing to pay sufficient attention to it because Russia was still regarded as weak despite being relatively strong in its immediate neighbourhood.

The question of whether it was worth alienating Russia is a moral one. Refusing to sign the Paris Charter – which recognizes the right of independent states to form their own alliances – would have been a further betrayal of people who have long been subjected to their future being decided by stronger powers around them. But Russia may have chosen a path of confrontation anyway as, for the Kremlin, suzerainty over its former republics is considered an entitlement which comes with being a great power.

Although impossible to conclusively prove, all previous frameworks of Russian assumptions and habits of Russian behaviour indicate Moscow would have pocketed the deal and simply moved on anyway. It certainly seems likely that Russia’s other outrages and offenses over the years – from the murders of Litvinenko and Skripal in the UK to the manipulation of information and elections – would still have occurred even if a shabby deal had been made over the heads of the new states on Russia’s borders.

The atrocity of 9/11 was really an opportunity for Russia, a genuine potential turning point and a chance to create a new relationship with the outside world – but its expectations were unrealistic. Russia blew it with demands at the time that could not be met – and rightly were not met. The US rarely receives credit for withstanding Russian blandishments at a moment when its own aura of strength had been so cruelly and effectively punctured by the most brazen of attacks.

Limited expectations as Scholz heads to Kyiv and Moscow Expert comment NCapeling 14 February 2022

After heavy criticism for an initially timid response, the approach of Germany’s new government to the Ukraine crisis is improving as its position on Russia evolves.

Olaf Scholz is a famously quiet and cautious communicator and, as concerns mounted in Washington and London about the possibility of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, the new German chancellor remained silent.

This time his silence reflected the fact that his government was unprepared for its first major foreign policy test, with marked divisions between the SPD and the Greens on how to manage a rapidly deteriorating relationship with Russia.

When he did speak, Scholz caused dismay in several NATO capitals by defending the controversial Nord Stream 2 pipeline. He called it ‘a purely private economic project’ even though the company building the pipeline is a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned Gazprom.

The absence of crisis management from Berlin was a stark reminder of the gap left by Angela Merkel. Her knowledge of Russia and Ukraine, and her personal experience of dealing with Vladimir Putin, were key assets in 2014 in developing a unified western response to Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its destabilization of south-eastern Ukraine.

Germany has coordinated with its allies

Scholz has prepared the ground carefully for his visits to Kyiv and Moscow, extensively coordinating with NATO allies, such as France and Poland – as part of the Weimar Triangle – and the three Baltic states. His inaugural visit to Washington helped align positions on US-EU efforts to develop an economic deterrent against further Russian intervention in Ukraine.

Scholz has also repeated Merkel’s language from 2014 to signal to Moscow that Germany and its partners are ‘united and determined’ to stand their ground. And he has spoken of Germany’s continuing double strategy of ‘clear announcements’ to Moscow of the price it would pay for further aggression accompanied by a readiness to use all possible channels of dialogue to preserve peace.

The continuation of Germany’s established policy will not surprise Moscow. But under the surface Germany’s discourse on Russia is evolving as the political class internalizes the fact that the current Russian leadership is openly threatening to use military force to impose its will on Ukraine and re-configure Europe’s security arrangements.

Despite deep concerns about Germany’s dependence on Russian gas – more than half of the gas it consumes comes from Russia – there is broad acceptance that Nord Stream 2 cannot go ahead if Russia invades Ukraine. But typically, Scholz has not yet said as much publicly, limiting himself to stating ‘all options are on the table.’

Robert Habeck, Germany’s vice-chancellor as well as economic affairs and climate action minister, says the ‘geopolitical situation’ requires Germany to diversify its gas supplies and infrastructure for importing gas. For years, a strong pro-Russian gas lobby has dominated the thinking of the Economics Ministry and one consequence is the complete absence of facilities to import liquefied natural gas.

The German debate on Russia is shifting

A public debate has also started about weapons deliveries to Ukraine, even though this runs counter to deeply embedded pacifist tendencies in German society. Some MPs, former diplomats, and experts have begun to make the case for Germany to supply weapons to Ukraine so it can exercise its right to self-defence and deter military attack.

Christoph Heusgen, a former long-standing foreign policy adviser in the Federal Chancellery, says Berlin’s decision not to deliver arms to Ukraine to avoid endangering the Minsk peace process requires revision now Moscow has abandoned the path of negotiation.

Despite its mantra that there is no alternative to the Minsk Agreements, Berlin now admits these currently offer no prospect of resolving the war in Donbas because Russia is not prepared to implement them properly.

Other taboos are also being broken inside Germany. Heavyweight left-of-centre Die Zeit published the first results of its investigation into the SPD’s links with Russia and their place in Russia’s channels of influence in Germany. And even the SPD’s Sigmar Gabriel, an outspoken champion of Nord Stream 2 during his time as a government minister, has raised the question of Germany terminating energy imports from Russia if there is a drastic deterioration of the security situation.

Oct. 16, 2024 — Xsight Labs, a leading fabless semiconductor company providing end-to-end connectivity solutions for next-generation hyperscale, edge, and AI data center networks, has announced the tape-out of the […]

The post Xsight Labs Launches E1 SoC Built on TSMC’s 5nm Tech for AI Workloads appeared first on HPCwire.

Oct. 24, 2024 — The San Diego Supercomputer Center (SDSC), part of the School of Computing, Information and Data Sciences at UC San Diego, has been leading the Open Storage Network (OSN) program for years, and along […]

The post SDSC Leads Expansion of Open Storage Network to More Campus Computing Sites appeared first on HPCwire.

TEL AVIV, Israel and MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 30, 2024 — NextSilicon, a pioneer in high-performance computing (HPC) innovation, today announced its emergence from stealth with the launch of Maverick-2, the industry’s first […]

The post NextSilicon Launches Maverick-2, Introducing Software-Defined Acceleration for HPC Workloads appeared first on HPCwire.

A Maryland Lottery player said following a friend's advice led to her winning a $30,000 prize from a Fast Play game.

A North Carolina woman made a stop for orange juice and ended up winning $250,000 from a scratch-off lottery ticket.

SAN ANTONIO, Nov. 5, 2024 — Rackspace Technology has announced the expansion of Rackspace Spot with a new geographic location and an on-demand GPU-as-a-Service powered by NVIDIA. The expansion comes […]

The post Rackspace Expands Spot Platform with On-Demand NVIDIA GPU-as-a-Service for AI Workloads appeared first on HPCwire.

FREMONT, Calif., Nov. 6, 2024 — AMAX, an AMD Elite Partner and a global leader in end-to-end GPU cluster solutions and advanced cooling technologies, announced its latest lineup of servers powered […]

The post AMAX Expands Server Portfolio with New AMD EPYC 9005 Series Processors for AI and HPC Workloads appeared first on HPCwire.

Data center infrastructure running AI and HPC workloads requires powerful microprocessor chips and the use of CPUs, GPUs, and acceleration chips to carry out compute intensive tasks. AI and HPC […]

The post QCT QoolRack: An Optimized Liquid Cooling Solution for HPC/AI Workloads appeared first on HPCwire.