co Confused on Finder display of external drives after attempted encryption & parti By www.bleepingcomputer.com Published On :: 2020-04-10T12:02:13-05:00 Full Article
co External hard drive recommendation? By www.bleepingcomputer.com Published On :: 2020-04-28T17:24:46-05:00 Full Article
co Understanding of magnetic ordering in Gd-rich compounds By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-05-21 Full Article text
co Deciphering the hydrogen-bonding scheme in the crystal structure of triphenylmethanol: a tribute to George Ferguson and co-workers By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-08-14 The crystal structure of triphenylmethanol, C19H16O, has been redetermined using data collected at 295 and 153 K, and is compared to the model published by Ferguson et al. over 25 years ago [Ferguson et al. (1992). Acta Cryst. C48, 1272–1275] and that published by Serrano-González et al., using neutron and X-ray diffraction data [Serrano-González et al. (1999). J. Phys. Chem. B, 103, 6215–6223]. As predicted by these authors, the hydroxy groups are involved in weak intermolecular hydrogen bonds in the crystal, forming tetrahedral tetramers based on the two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit, one of which is placed on the threefold symmetry axis of the Roverline{3} space group. However, the reliable determination of the hydroxy H-atom positions is difficult to achieve, for two reasons. Firstly, a positional disorder affects the full asymmetric unit, which is split over two sets of positions, with occupancy factors of ca 0.74 and 0.26. Secondly, all hydroxy H atoms are further disordered, either by symmetry, or through a positional disorder in the case of parts placed in general positions. We show that the correct description of the hydrogen-bonding scheme is possible only if diffraction data are collected at low temperature. The prochiral character of the hydrogen-bonded tetrameric supramolecular clusters leads to enantiomorphic three-dimensional graphs in each tetramer. The crystal is thus a racemic mixture of supS and supR motifs, consistent with the centrosymmetric nature of the Roverline{3} space group. Full Article text
co The many flavours of halogen bonds – message from experimental electron density and Raman spectroscopy By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-08-22 Experimental electron-density studies based on high-resolution diffraction experiments allow halogen bonds between heavy halogens to be classified. The topological properties of the electron density in Cl⋯Cl contacts vary smoothly as a function of the interaction distance. The situation is less straightforward for halogen bonds between iodine and small electronegative nucleophiles, such as nitrogen or oxygen, where the electron density in the bond critical point does not simply increase for shorter distances. The number of successful charge–density studies involving iodine is small, but at least individual examples for three cases have been observed. (a) Very short halogen bonds between electron-rich nucleophiles and heavy halogen atoms resemble three-centre–four-electron bonds, with a rather symmetric heavy halogen and without an appreciable σ hole. (b) For a narrow intermediate range of halogen bonds, the asymmetric electronic situation for the heavy halogen with a pronounced σ hole leads to rather low electron density in the (3,−1) critical point of the halogen bond; the properties of this bond critical point cannot fully describe the nature of the associated interaction. (c) For longer and presumably weaker contacts, the electron density in the halogen bond critical point is only to a minor extent reduced by the presence of the σ hole and hence may be higher than in the aforementioned case. In addition to the electron density and its derived properties, the halogen–carbon bond distance opposite to the σ hole and the Raman frequency for the associated vibration emerge as alternative criteria to gauge the halogen-bond strength. We find exceptionally long C—I distances for tetrafluorodiiodobenzene molecules in cocrystals with short halogen bonds and a significant red shift for their Raman vibrations. Full Article text
co Absolute structure of the chiral pyrrolidine derivative (2S)-methyl (Z)-5-(2-tert-butoxy-1-cyano-2-oxoethylidene)pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate, a compound with low resonant scattering By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2019-10-04 The enantiopure monopyrrolidine derivative (2S)-methyl (Z)-5-(2-tert-butoxy-1-cyano-2-oxoethylidene)pyrrolidine-2-carboxylate, C13H18N2O4, (1), represents a potential ligand and an attractive intermediate for the synthesis of chiral metal complexes. At the molecular level, the compound features an intramolecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond; neighbouring molecules interact via N—H⋯N contacts to form chains along [100]. Due to its elemental composition, resonant scattering of the target compound is entirely insignificant for diffraction experiments with Mo Kα and small even for Cu Kα radiation. A preliminary study with the harder radiation type confirmed the chiral space group and the suitability of the single crystal chosen; as expected, the results concerning the absolute structure remained completely inconclusive. A second data collection with the longer wavelength gave satisfactory quality indicators for the correct handedness of the molecule, albeit with high standard uncertainties. The absolute configuration has been assessed independently: CD spectra for both enantiomers of the target molecule were calculated and the spectrum for the S-configured stereoisomer was in agreement with the experiment. The Cotton effect of (1) may be ascribed to π–π* transitions from HOMO to LUMO and from HOMO to LUMO+1. As both independent techniques agree with respect to the handedness of the target molecule, the absolute structure may be assigned with a high degree of confidence. Full Article text
co A new hydrate of magnesium carbonate, MgCO3·6H2O By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-02-13 During investigations of the formation of hydrated magnesium carbonates, a sample of the previously unknown magnesium carbonate hexahydrate (MgCO3·6H2O) was synthesized in an aqueous solution at 273.15 K. The crystal structure consists of edge-linked isolated pairs of Mg(CO3)(H2O)4 octahedra and noncoordinating water molecules, and exhibits similarities to NiCO3·5.5H2O (hellyerite). The recorded X-ray diffraction pattern and the Raman spectra confirmed the formation of a new phase and its transformation to magnesium carbonate trihydrate (MgCO3·3H2O) at room temperature. Full Article text
co Tolerance factor and phase stability of the garnet structure. Corrigendum By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-02-27 An error in an equation in the paper by Song et al. [Acta Cryst. (2019), C75, 1353–1358] is corrected. Full Article text
co There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle – a new colour for Alfred Werner's isomer counting By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-03-11 Full Article text
co Conversion of 3-amino-4-arylamino-1H-isochromen-1-ones to 1-arylisochromeno[3,4-d][1,2,3]triazol-5(1H)-ones: synthesis, spectroscopic characterization and the structures of four products and one ring-opened derivative By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-04-20 An efficient synthesis of 1-arylisochromeno[3,4-d][1,2,3]triazol-5(1H)-ones, involving the diazotization of 3-amino-4-arylamino-1H-isochromen-1-ones in weakly acidic solution, has been developed and the spectroscopic characterization and crystal structures of four examples are reported. The molecules of 1-phenylisochromeno[3,4-d][1,2,3]triazol-5(1H)-one, C15H9N3O2, (I), are linked into sheets by a combination of C—H⋯N and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, while the structures of 1-(2-methylphenyl)isochromeno[3,4-d][1,2,3]triazol-5(1H)-one, C16H11N3O2, (II), and 1-(3-chlorophenyl)isochromeno[3,4-d][1,2,3]triazol-5(1H)-one, C15H8ClN3O2, (III), each contain just one hydrogen bond which links the molecules into simple chains, which are further linked into sheets by π-stacking interactions in (II) but not in (III). In the structure of 1-(4-chlorophenyl)isochromeno[3,4-d][1,2,3]triazol-5(1H)-one, (IV), isomeric with (III), a combination of C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π(arene) hydrogen bonds links the molecules into sheets. When compound (II) was exposed to a strong acid in methanol, quantitative conversion occurred to give the ring-opened transesterification product methyl 2-[4-hydroxy-1-(2-methylphenyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-5-yl]benzoate, C17H15N3O3, (V), where the molecules are linked by paired O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to form centrosymmetric dimers. Full Article text
co Synthesis of N-substituted 3-(2-aryl-2-oxoethyl)-3-hydroxyindolin-2-ones and their conversion to N-substituted (E)-3-(2-aryl-2-oxoethylidene)indolin-2-ones: synthetic sequence, spectroscopic characterization and structures of By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-04-20 An operationally simple and time-efficient approach has been developed for the synthesis of racemic N-substituted 3-(2-aryl-2-oxoethyl)-3-hydroxyindolin-2-ones by a piperidine-catalysed aldol reaction between aryl methyl ketones and N-alkylisatins. These aldol products were used successfully as strategic intermediates for the preparation of N-substituted (E)-3-(2-hetaryl-2-oxoethylidene)indolin-2-ones by a stereoselective dehydration reaction under acidic conditions. The products have all been fully characterized by 1H and 13C NMR spectroscopy, by mass spectrometry and, for a representative selection, by crystal structure analysis. In each of (RS)-1-benzyl-3-hydroxy-3-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-oxoethyl]indolin-2-one, C24H21NO4, (Ic), and (RS)-1-benzyl-3-{2-[4-(dimethylamino)phenyl]-2-oxoethyl}-3-hydroxyindolin-2-one, C25H24N2O3, (Id), inversion-related pairs of molecules are linked by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to form R22(10) rings, which are further linked into chains of rings by a combination of C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π(arene) hydrogen bonds in (Ic) and by C—H⋯π(arene) hydrogen bonds in (Id). The molecules of (RS)-1-benzyl-3-hydroxy-3-[2-oxo-2-(pyridin-4-yl)ethyl]indolin-2-one, C22H18N2O3, (Ie), are linked into a three-dimensional framework structure by a combination of O—H⋯N, C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π(arene) hydrogen bonds. (RS)-3-[2-(Benzo[d][1,3]dioxol-5-yl)-2-oxoethyl]-1-benzyl-3-hydroxyindolin-2-one, C24H19NO5, (If), crystallizes with Z' = 2 in the space group Poverline{1} and the molecules are linked into complex sheets by a combination of O—H⋯O, C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π(arene) hydrogen bonds. In each of (E)-1-benzyl-3-[2-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-oxoethylidene]indolin-2-one, C23H16FNO2, (IIa), and (E)-1-benzyl-3-[2-oxo-2-(thiophen-2-yl)ethylidene]indolin-2-one, C21H15NO2S, (IIg), the molecules are linked into simple chains by a single C—H⋯O hydrogen bond, while those of (E)-1-benzyl-3-[2-oxo-2-(pyridin-4-yl)ethylidene]indolin-2-one, C22H16N2O2, (IIe), are linked by three C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to form sheets which are further linked into a three-dimensional structure by C—H⋯π(arene) hydrogen bonds. There are no hydrogen bonds in the structures of either (E)-1-benzyl-3-[2-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-oxoethylidene]indolin-2-one, C24H19NO3, (IIc), or (E)-1-benzyl-5-chloro-3-[2-(4-chlorophenyl)-2-oxoethylidene]indolin-2-one, C23H15Cl2NO2, (IIh), but the molecules of (IIh) are linked into chains of π-stacked dimers by a combination of C—Cl⋯π(arene) and aromatic π–π stacking interactions. Full Article text
co Synthesis, decomposition studies and crystal structure of a three-dimensional CuCN network structure with protonated N-methylethanolamine as the guest cation By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-04-17 The compound poly[2-hydroxy-N-methylethan-1-aminium [μ3-cyanido-κ3C:C:N-di-μ-cyanido-κ4C:N-dicuprate(I)]], {(C3H10NO)[Cu2(CN)3]}n or [meoenH]Cu2(CN)3, crystallizes in the tetragonal space group P43. The structure consists of a three-dimensional (3D) anionic CuICN network with noncoordinated protonated N-methylethanolamine cations providing charge neutrality. Pairs of cuprophilic Cu atoms are bridged by the C atoms of μ3-cyanide ligands, which link these units into a 43 spiral along the c axis. The spirals are linked together into a 3D anionic network by the two other cyanide groups. The cationic moieties are linked into their own 43 spiral via N—H⋯O and O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, and the cations interact with the 3D network via an unusual pair of N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds to one of the μ2-cyanide groups. Thermogravimetric analysis indicates an initial loss of the base cation and one cyanide as HCN at temperatures in the range 130–250 °C to form CuCN. We show how loss of a specific cyanide group from the 3D CuCN structure could form the linear CuCN structure. Further heating leaves a residue of elemental copper, isolated as the oxide. Full Article text
co LaTe1.82(1): modulated crystal structure and chemical bonding of a chalcogen-deficient rare earth metal polytelluride By scripts.iucr.org Published On :: 2020-05-06 Crystals of the rare earth metal polytelluride LaTe1.82(1), namely, lanthanum telluride (1/1.8), have been grown by molten alkali halide flux reactions and vapour-assisted crystallization with iodine. The two-dimensionally incommensurately modulated crystal structure has been investigated by X-ray diffraction experiments. In contrast to the tetragonal average structure with unit-cell dimensions of a = 4.4996 (5) and c = 9.179 (1) Å at 296 (1) K, which was solved and refined in the space group P4/nmm (No. 129), the satellite reflections are not compatible with a tetragonal symmetry but enforce a symmetry reduction. Possible space groups have been derived by group–subgroup relationships and by consideration of previous reports on similar rare earth metal polychalcogenide structures. Two structural models in the orthorhombic superspace group, i.e. Pmmn(α,β,1 over 2)000(−α,β,1 over 2)000 (No. 59.2.51.39) and Pm21n(α,β,1 over 2)000(−α,β,1 over 2)000 (No. 31.2.51.35), with modulation wave vectors q1 = αa* + βb* + 1 over 2c* and q2 = −αa* + βb* + 1 over 2c* [α = 0.272 (1) and β = 0.314 (1)], have been established and evaluated against each other. The modulation describes the distribution of defects in the planar [Te] layer, coupled to a displacive modulation due to the formation of different Te anions. The bonding situation in the planar [Te] layer and the different Te anion species have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) methods and an electron localizability indicator (ELI-D)-based bonding analysis on three different approximants. The temperature-dependent electrical resistance revealed a semiconducting behaviour with an estimated band gap of 0.17 eV. Full Article text
co Open-access and free articles in Acta Crystallographica Section C: Crystal Structural Communications By journals.iucr.org Published On :: Full Article Still image
co Marvel teases reboot of their comics for the first time: What is 'Secret Wars'? By feeds.scpr.org Published On :: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 05:30:43 -0800 The covers to the last issues of the current runs of "Avengers" and "New Avengers," leading into "Secret Wars."; Credit: Marvel Mike RoeMarvel Comics held a press conference this week announcing details about "Secret Wars," a company-wide comic book crossover that they promise will change everything. Promises of change in comics often don't amount to much, but here's why this one just might, with Marvel teasing that it will produce a whole new world for its characters. "We see this as putting an endcap to decades of stories and starting a new era," said Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso. "And when you see the scope of the event, you see what we're doing, what we're willing to do, this is a place where we're going to be bringing new pieces onto the board and taking old pieces off. You guys will be yelling and screaming, you'll be loving, hating, and in equal measure." Reboot history Rival DC Comics has always been quick to have stories designed to streamline their history, with the "Crisis on Infinite Earths" being the most famous one — a story that destroyed the DC Comics universe of the time, birthing a new timeline that gave us the versions of DC's heroes we know today. Several minor and major reboots followed, with the biggest since then being 2011's New 52 (and a tease of another one with this April's "Convergence"). Meanwhile, Marvel still refers back to stories from their early days, beginning with the first issue of "Marvel Comics" in 1939, and more so since the launch of "Fantastic Four" and the interlinked Marvel Universe in the 1960s, led by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Marvel previously launched a line of comics meant to offer a fresh vision of the Marvel characters called Ultimate Comics, but now the worlds of those characters and the traditional Marvel universe are getting combined thanks to "Secret Wars." "The Ultimate Universe, the Marvel Universe, they're going to smash together," said Alonso. "This is the Marvel Universe moving forward." "We've never done anything like this, ever," said Marvel senior vice president and executive editor Tom Brevoort. "And what we're going to do to top it, I don't know. Hopefully that will be somebody else's problem." The stories leading to "Secret Wars," and what is Battleworld? The story that's been built up so far has to do with different universes colliding into each other — and in the first issue of "Secret Wars," the Marvel and Ultimate Earths collide, with the heroes of those worlds unable to stop it. What's left behind is what Marvel is calling "Battleworld," a patchwork planet with different parts of it inhabited by the characters from different famous Marvel crossovers of the past (you can see some of those past titles in the slideshow above). Marvel released this video to help you visualize what exactly Battleworld is: Battleworld video See a map of Battleworld here, showing the different worlds made up of old storylines to be explored in "Secret Wars" (and click to enlarge): Brevoort described Battleworld as "The little melting pot in which the new Marvel Universe will be created" after the Marvel and Ultimate versions of Earth are destroyed. He said that Battleworld is what Marvel is going to be "during, through and after" the beginning of "Secret Wars." "Once you hit 'Secret Wars' 1, there is no Marvel Universe. There is no Ultimate Universe. All there is is Battleworld, and a whole lot of empty void," Brevoort said. "Every single piece of this world is a building block for the Marvel Universe moving forward," Alonso said. "None of these stories are Elseworlds, or What Ifs, or alternative reality stories. They aren't set in the past or the future. They're not set in an alternate reality. They're set in the reality of the Marvel Universe." It's also a story that uses an old name — the original "Secret Wars" involved an alien taking heroes from Earth and forcing them into battle for the fate of the universe. It remains unclear if the villain from that crossover will play a role here. Why is Marvel rebooting? Observers were quick to speculate on some of the behind-the-scenes reasons for the change. Combining the Ultimate Universe with the traditional Marvel Universe would let them incorporate the half-black, half-Latino Spider-Man from the Ultimate line that grabbed headlines a few years ago. It would let them do something different with characters like the X-Men and the Fantastic Four, who have been a flashpoint for controversy due to Fox retaining rights in perpetuity to any films based on those characters. It also opens the door to a longtime comic book trope: Bringing back to life the dead. "If we were to want to resurrect Gwen Stacy, this would be the place to do it, wouldn't it?" Alonso said. What do creators and fans think about "Secret Wars"? Speaking of the death of Gwen Stacy, the writer who pulled the trigger on killing her, Gerry Conway, tells Newsarama that he's on board. "I think like with any idea, the execution will matter more than the idea itself. The idea of a reset is, by itself, not a bad idea," Conway said. One who's less on board with it: longtime Spider-Man artist John Romita. "My guess is new fans will be okay with it, and old fans will grumble," Romita told Newsarama. "I’m not a businessman, but I do know that comic companies, for almost 100 years now, do whatever they can for shock value. They grab attention. Personally, I hate all the goofy things they do. When I was there, I used to fight stuff like this. But you can’t stop them." Current Marvel writers have been sworn to secrecy about what happens once "Secret Wars" is done: Dan Slott tweet The lack of certainty about what this all means has led fans to wildly speculate, as well as poke fun at what might happen: Fan tweet 1 Fan tweet 2 It's a story that's been years in the making. "Every single time we've done an event, we've always had to be mindful of 'Secret Wars,' and we've had to make decisions based on the fact that we knew that 'Secret Wars' was headed our way," Alonso said. Brevoort said that Hickman proposed a version of "Secret Wars" years ago, but that vision has since become significantly larger. "It sounds like typical Stan lee hyperbole — and there's nothing wrong with typical Stan Lee hyperbole — but it is difficult to imagine something that would be larger in scope, in scale, than what we are doing with 'Secret Wars,'" Brevoort said. That father of the modern Marvel comics world, Stan Lee, tells Newsarama that the reboot is "probably good." "Anything they do that’s unexpected and different usually captures the attention of the fans," Lee said. "It sounds intriguing to me." Lee also tells Newsarama that if he were to do it all again, he'd do it basically the same, describing what he did as "the right way to go, and maybe sometimes, even the perfect way to go." "I liked making the Fantastic Four superheroes without a secret identity. I liked the tragedy of Spider-Man’s origin, the ‘with great power, there must also come great responsibility.’ I thought it was the right way of doing things at the time. And I still like what I’ve done," Lee said. "I can’t think, off the top of my head, of anything I’d really want to change." What does "Secret Wars" mean for fans? More details are promised in the weeks to come, with a free preview issue being released on Free Comic Book Day, May 2. While fans wait, they may want to heed the wait-and-see approach advocated by Conway and famed "Thor" artist Walt Simonson. "Maybe this is coming back out of my old geology days, but I try not to have instant reactions to things and say, ‘Oh my God! That’s terrible!’" Simonson told Newsarama. "My basic reaction is usually ‘let’s see the evidence in the field.’ Let’s come back in a year and see what we’ve got. That will tell the story.” And for those who say that Marvel is ruining their childhood by messing with the history of their favorite characters, Conway tells Newsarama: "I would say to them, no, your childhood is still your childhood. There’s a point to be made, and it’s a universal one: We have to see that there’s a difference between what people do today, and what they did yesterday. Yesterday still exists, those stories still exist. Now someone else is getting a chance at a new childhood. And that’s nice." Watch the full "Secret Wars" live press conference below: Secret Wars press conference video This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org. Full Article
co Jon Stewart is leaving 'The Daily Show'; who could take his place? By feeds.scpr.org Published On :: Tue, 10 Feb 2015 16:29:18 -0800 Host Jon Stewart of Comedy Central's "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" watches a video while taping "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Restoring Honor & Dignity to the White House" at the McNally Smith College of Music Sept. 5, 2008 in St. Paul, Minnesota.; Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images for Comedy Central Mike RoeHost Jon Stewart announced at Tuesday's "The Daily Show" taping that he is leaving the show. Comedy Central confirmed the news in a statement, saying that Stewart will be leaving later this year: "For the better part of the last two decades, we have had the incredible honor and privilege of working with Jon Stewart. His comedic brilliance is second to none. Jon has been at the heart of Comedy Central, championing and nurturing the best talent in the industry, in front of and behind the camera. Through his unique voice and vision, ‘The Daily Show’ has become a cultural touchstone for millions of fans and an unparalleled platform for political comedy that will endure for years to come. Jon will remain at the helm of ‘The Daily Show’ until later this year. He is a comic genius, generous with his time and talent, and will always be a part of the Comedy Central family." The news comes less than two months after Stephen Colbert brought "The Colbert Report" to an end in order to prepare for hosting CBS's "Late Show," replacing David Letterman after he leaves later this year. "The Daily Show" existed before Jon Stewart, hosted from 1996 until 1998 by Craig Kilborn, but Stewart took the show into a bolder political direction and made it a cultural landmark, becoming the go-to news source for numerous young people. Polls started to show Jon Stewart as being one of the most trusted newsmen in America. It's just over three weeks after Comedy Central launched "The Nightly Show" with Larry Wilmore and details have yet to be announced about the future of Comedy Central's late night lineup. The show has created hosts for other networks, with Colbert leaving for CBS after getting his start as a "Daily Show" correspondent and John Oliver, who served as a fill-in host while Stewart shot the film "Rosewater," left for his own weekly rundown of the news "Last Week Tonight" at HBO. The show's starmaking power also includes actors such as Steve Carell, Ed Helms and more, and new "Saturday Night Live" Weekend Update anchor Michael Che. Stewart didn't announce his plans for what comes next. He directed the 2014 film "Rosewater," based on journalist Maziar Bahari's memoir detailing his imprisonment in Iran following an interview with "The Daily Show's" Jason Jones. Stewart previously talked about "Rosewater" with KPCC's "The Frame," saying at the time that "The Daily Show" isn't all fun. "As sad as it sounds, people might say, 'Man, working at 'The Daily Show,' that's gotta be a blast. You just sit around and laugh all day,'" Stewart said. "And you're like, 'No, we have a meeting at 9, and the 9 meeting has to be over by 9:30, and the scripts have to be in by 11, because if they're not, then we miss this deadline.'" He also told the Hollywood Reporter last summer that he didn't know how much longer he would stay with the show. "I mean, like anything else, you do it long enough, you will take it for granted, or there will be aspects of it that are grinding. I can't say that following the news cycle as closely as we do and trying to convert that into something either joyful or important to us doesn't have its fraught moments," Stewart said. The show, one of Comedy Central's top franchises, will likely continue. John Oliver and Stephen Colbert would have seemed like the heirs apparent before they left; of the current staff, Samantha Bee, Jason Jones and Aaasif Mandvi are the longest-running correspondents, with Bee starting all the way back in 2003. Jones filled in for Stewart as anchor last fall, assisted by his wife Samantha Bee, when Stewart was out sick. The show has also pushed for expanded diversity in its own cast, along with launching "The Nightly Show" with a black host and a minority panel, so that could point to a more diverse host in the future. The show has also recently expanded its international perspective, with Trevor Noah covering international news, Hasan Minhaj as the new Indian correspondent and Egyptian satirist Bassem Youssef joining as a Middle East correspondent. Correction: An earlier version of this story referred to "Rosewater" as a documentary; it is a drama, based on Maziar Bahari's memoir. KPCC regrets the error. This story has been updated. This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org. Full Article
co Los Angeles comedian, 'Parks & Recreation' writer Harris Wittels, 30, dies in possible drug overdose By feeds.scpr.org Published On :: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 18:08:23 -0800 File: (L-R) "The Sarah Silverman Program" writer Harris Wittels, comedian Sarah Silverman, executive producer/head writer Dan Sterling and actress Laura Silverman, arrive at Comedy Central's Emmy Awards party at the STK restaurant Sept. 21, 2008 in Los Angeles.; Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images Mike Roe with Jennifer VelezHarris Wittels, a comedy writer who worked on "Parks & Recreation," has died at 30, the Los Angeles Police Department's Jane Kim tells KPCC. Wittels was discovered by his assistant around 12 p.m., Kim said, and was already dead. Kim said that Wittels' death was a possible overdose, but that the Coroner's Office would determine the cause of death. Wittels had attended drug rehab twice. Comedy Central, where Wittels worked on "The Sarah Silverman Program" and "Secret Girlfriend," confirmed Wittels' death, as did the comedy show he appeared at Wednesday night. Comedy Central tweet Meltdown Show tweet Wittels was also well known for his @Humblebrag Twitter account and later book, helping to popularize the idea online of the false modesty of bragging while trying not to look like you're bragging. Wittels had spoken about his struggles with addiction in places including Pete Holmes's podcast "You Made It Weird" in a November episode. "I just really stopped caring about my life," Wittels said on "You Made It Weird," explaining how he got into doing drugs. "I just really started to think, well, if I'm only here for 80 years, then who cares if I spend it high or not?" Wittels received his first big break when Sarah Silverman saw him performing comedy and gave him a job writing for her Comedy Central show. Wittels also wrote for HBO's "Eastbound & Down," several MTV awards shows and the American Music Awards. He had a recurring role on "Parks & Recreation" and was a regular guest on the "Comedy Bang Bang" podcast. Comedians, actors and fans mourned Wittels' death online. Harris Wittels Storify See Wittels in a scene from "Parks & Recreation": Wittels on Parks & Recreation Listen to Wittels on "Comedy Bang Bang": Wittels on Comedy Bang Bang This story has been updated. This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org. Full Article
co 'Ready Player One' was written using cheat codes — here are our 11 favorites By feeds.scpr.org Published On :: Thu, 26 Mar 2015 05:30:35 -0700 A Nintendo Entertainment System.; Credit: Mark Ramsay/Flickr Creative Commons Mike RoeThere have been plenty of video game movies over the years, but there have been far fewer actually good ones. "Ready Player One," based on the 2011 video game-inspired novel, has the chance to be a great one thanks to the announcement that Steven Spielberg has signed on to direct. That book was inspired by classic video games, and was written using classic video game cheats to play parts of classic games and write them into his book, author Ernest Cline said in a recent talk. That got us thinking about the classic video game cheats and secrets that stuck with us from our younger days playing classic video games — here's our top 11. 1. The Konami Code Up up down down left right left right B A start! This code became such a part of video game culture that it got its own name. It was popularized in various games made by Konami, particularly Contra, leading to it also being known as the "Contra Code" for its ability to give you 30 lives in the game. Before the Internet, it was spread through gaming magazines and word of mouth — it was so influential that there are still developers who put it in their games. (There's even an entire Wikipedia page of games, both from Konami and others, that use the Konami Code. It's even been used on some websites.) What is the Konami Code 2. Street Figher II Turbo's turbo The game that I actually used a code for the most as a kid, the Super Nintendo code down, R, up, L, Y, B on the second controller didn't give you any advantages — it just kicked the speed up. By default, you had a few selections for how fast the game would be, but you could multiple that several-fold with this code, letting you and your friends battle at what at the time felt unbelievably fast. 3. Super Mario Bros.'s Minus World This one doesn't involve a code, but players managed to discover what was deemed a glitch in the game that put you into a messed up version of another level, dubbed by fans the Minus World due to just "-1" instead of a full level number appearing at the top of the screen. There was no way to escape the glitched level, no matter how hard you might try, sending you to play it over and over again until your time ran out or you were killed by enemies. Still, modern players have found that you can go on thanks to various computer emulators and the like; see some of the worlds beyond below: Minus World video 4. Metroid and Justin Bailey Fans early on discovered that the password JUSTIN BAILEY allowed you to start with all of the available weapons along with plenty of life and ammo. Fans didn't know whether Justin Bailey was a reference to an actual person, just a code coincidence or something else, but that didn't stop them from eagerly playing through with this code. It also removed lead character Samus Aran from her armor, allowing players to discover that the game's star was an early female lead character, even if her armor didn't clue players in before the end of the game without the code. Justin Bailey video 5. Doom's God mode By typing the letters iddqd in PC game Doom, players could enable God mode, making them essentially invincible and letting them power through the early first-person shooter. The code had been available in developer id's earlier game Wolfenstein, but hadn't been quite as easily accessible. So, if you ever need a power boost when you're fighting on Mars, Doom has the answer. (Unfortunately, we don't believe this provides any extra protection for NASA's Mars rovers.) 6. Mortal Kombat's Reptile The developers of Mortal Kombat made a battle against Reptile unbelievably hard for Mortal Kombat fans, including putting some randomness into whether doing what you were supposed to do to unlock the character would even work. Still, players happily pumped in extra quarters for the chance to face off against Reptile, a character with a look that mirrored that of characters Sub-Zero and Scorpion, just with a different color. Players had to achieve a Double Flawless victory on the Pit level, finish the match using their fatality move, and there also had to be a silhouette flying past the moon in the background — which only happened every sixth game. Mortal Kombat: Reptile 7. The Legend of Zelda's Second Quest The Legend of Zelda was a pretty challenging early adventure game, one of the first releases for the Nintendo home video game console. When you beat the game, you were given the option to go on a "Second Quest," which was a tweaked version of the game you just played except waaaaay harder. However, if you thought you were the coolest kid on the block and were so awesome you didn't need a warmup, you could name your character "ZELDA" (in one of the more obvious cheats in video game history) and skip ahead to that Second Quest from the start. You would then likely cry from how hard it was and start another new game with a different name. 8. NBA Jam's celebrity secret characters A variety of celebrities from sports, music, and even politics were available by putting in various initials combined with buttons on the controller. These included then-President Bill Clinton, Al Gore, Warren Moon and more. That tradition has been continued in more recent NBA Jam games, with President Obama and others available for your video gaming pleasure. 9. GoldenEye's extra modes There were a wide variety of cheat codes for GoldenEye, widely considered one of the all-time great first-person shooters. Sure, you could use codes to unlock different levels, but the reason these codes are remembered is because it gave you all sorts of new ways to play against your friends. The game also had an actual cheat menu that would appear if you accomplished one of a variety of goals, and from that menu you could cheat extra hard by using your controller to unlock things like a paintball mode, turbo mode, modes with both giant heads and teeny-tiny James Bonds and more. 10. Sonic The Hedgehog 2's Debug Mode The Sonic debug mode is the perfect example of why so many games included cheats back in the day: They were often for the developers to be able to more easily play the games while looking for bugs and doing other testing. Sonic 2 let you get to an actual debug mode by playing various sounds from the level select screen (1, 9, 9, 2, 1, 1, 2, 4, for your reference), then pressing start and holding the A button. Developers later put them in for fun and intended them for the players to discover, but some of the early cheat codes were just meant for developers — but players proved more intrepid than they may have anticipated. Sonic debug mode 11. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out: Go straight to Mike Tyson There was actually a password mode in this game — before games had the option to save, plenty of games gave you codes that let you get back to where you were before. This is one of the examples from that darker time, where whether you played through opponents like Glass Joe and Bald Bull or not, you could try your changes against Lightning Mike (at least until the video game's license ran out and he was replaced in future editions with the way less exciting "Mr. Dream"). You better have had a pen and paper ready when your friend started yelling at you 007 373 5963 for you to use on your own copy of the game — no sharing. The game is hard enough that even Mike Tyson had some trouble fighting himself: Mike Tyson vs. Mike Tyson Let us know in the comments the classic video games — and the classic cheat codes and secrets — that inspired you. This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org. Full Article
co Wrestlemania 31 weekend: Jim Ross continues an epic career of storytelling By feeds.scpr.org Published On :: Fri, 27 Mar 2015 05:30:27 -0700 Jerry "The King" Lawler with Jim Ross.; Credit: WWE Mike RoeJim Ross is the most famous pro wrestling play-by play commentator of all time. He's a native Californian, but grew up in Oklahoma and took his trademark drawl into doing commentary. He's worked in wrestling for more than 40 years, calling matches on shows seen by millions of people around the world. This weekend, he's in the Bay Area for Wrestlemania weekend (the first Wrestlemania in Northern California, and the first in California in 10 years). Ross no longer commentates for WWE, but he's still a storyteller, online and in person. He hosts regular live storytelling shows with stories from his decades-long career and a bit of comedy, along with a live guest, and he also has a huge online presence including a podcast that went to number one in sports its first week out. Ross has been watching wrestling since he was a kid. "My dad wasn't a big fan of it. He missed the point. The point is not whether it's real or if it's staged. The point is, are you entertained by it, or not? And I was," Ross said. He's been at ringside for numerous historic matches, helping the wrestlers to tell their stories ever since he got his first job in wrestling out of college at 22. "The greater the star, the easier it is to tell their story," Ross said. "Those participants make music. They make different kinds of music, and the announcers, the broadcasters, have to be able to provide the adequate lyric to the competitors' music." Ross's voice is so powerful that it's become a meme online to pair his voice with another dramatic footage, from sports and beyond — you can even find it paired with dramatic moments from shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Game of Thrones." Ross says that the first time he saw someone do that was with a hit by Michigan running back Jadaveon Clowney, a video which went viral and sparked others to do likewise. The JR Treatment "I get sent these memes all the time. 'Hey JR, check this one out.' Or people will say, somebody will make a great dunk at an NBA game, and somebody will say 'I can't wait to see this get the JR treatment.' And now there are major sports websites that will send out a tweet, 'Here's a great play from Sunday's 49er-Charger game that's got the JR treatment.' So now it's got a name. 'The JR Treatment.'" Those viral videos have even helped him land new commentating roles since leaving WWE. He did a call of a fight between NASCAR drivers for the Daytona 500 for a special pre-show video, and it's led to him having opportunities in traditional sports. "It's been done in boxing, and MMA. Believe it or not, I've gotten feelers that we're entertaining now from a variety of combat sports entities that actually heard what my call would sound like doing their product," Ross said. "It had my tone, had my inflection, had my level of enthusiasm." Ross also played a huge role behind the scenes, working as WWE's executive vice president of talent and signing future stars like the Rock, Mick Foley and more. He says that Mick Foley's match against the Undertaker in 1998's Hell in a Cell match was his most memorable to call. "I have people walk up to me and start quoting my commentary when Undertaker threw Foley off the Hell in a Cell, this massive cage with a roof on it, that was about 17 feet high from the roof to the floor," Ross said. "It looked like no human being, quite honestly, could survive that fall. You don't practice falls like that in wrestling school." Ross has managed to stay relevant with the help of a popular podcast and 1.3 million followers on Twitter, where he regularly dispenses his thoughts on wrestling and beyond. He started doing that podcast after being lobbied to do it by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and continues to try new things. "I was very reluctant to engage in social media, and primarily because we sometimes get set in our ways, especially the older we get," Ross said. "But change, for any of us, in any walk of life, whether it's your diet, it's your relationships, the way you approach your job, or any changes that you need to affect, whether it's on doctor's orders, your significant other's suggestions — change is not always a negative thing. So I got on Twitter, and then Twitter connected me to so many people." While some may feel that pro wrestling, given its predetermined results, doesn't need real athletes, Ross disagrees and says there are plenty of reasons to want real athletes. "They're competitive. They don't want to be on the second team. They want to be in the game. And they've been in that mindset since some of them were in little league, or Pop Warner football, or elementary school wrestling, or whatever it may be." He says they also understand how to be coached and how to play well with others, as well as handling the bumps and bruises that come with the territory and the difficult travel schedule. "I don't know that anybody in any entity, unless you're the most well-traveled comedian or entertainer, has that. Because the thing about pro wrestling is it doesn't have an off-season, so you don't get a chance to really go recharge your batteries. You've got to maintain that competitive edge to survive." Ross says there's one match he wishes he had another shot at calling: Ric Flair's retirement match against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 24 in Orlando at the Citrus Bowl. While Ross has traditionally been a play-by-play commentator, that night he was assigned to be a color commentator, which gave him some different challenges. "I thought I had great stories to tell because of my relationship with Ric — I've known him for 25 years — and I didn't think that I contributed as much to that match from an emotional standpoint as I could. I was obligated to get in soundbites and get in, get out," Ross said. "That's the biggest match at the biggest stage, and I love both those guys, and I really wanted to be extra special that night, and I just don't know in my heart that we got there." He says California has its own wrestling legacy to be proud of. The California Wrestlemania match that Ross says he'll always remember: Bret Hart versus Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 12 in Anaheim, where two now wrestling legends wrestled for more than an hour. He also thinks the economics of Wrestlemania make a lot of sense for whichever city hosts it, thanks to the travelers it draws in from around the world. Cities now bid to try to bring in Wrestlemania, Ross says. With Los Angeles gearing up to build a new stadium, Ross has a Wrestlemania prediction for that stadium. "I will bet you money — I will bet you some of my barbecue sauce — if L.A. builds a stadium, that Wrestlemania will be one of the first non-football events in that stadium. And they will sell it out. They'll fill every seat. And it'll be great for the city, and the businesses of Los Angeles. Ross says that what made him a great broadcaster is the same thing that can make someone a success in wrestling or anywhere else — most importantly, don't talk down to your audience. "You have to be a fan of the genre, or a fan of the game, and you have to be willing to prepare and be ready for your broadcast," Ross said. "You have to be willing to tell the story that the average fan — not the hardcore fan, but the average, casual fan can understand and relate to. ... You know, we're storytellers, and some people are just natural-born storytellers." Ross plans to continue telling stories for the foreseeable future, on stage, online, calling matches in the legit sports world and wherever else his life takes him. He's even gotten into acting — you can see him in the new film "What Now." "I think retirement is overblown. How many days can you go fishing? How many rounds of golf can you play?" Ross said. "I had the idea when I left WWE after 21 years, I'm going to reinvent myself. I'm not going to become a trivia answer. ... I don't think you're going to read anywhere, anytime soon, that Jim Ross has finally retired — until you read my eulogy." Listen to the audio for the full hour-long interview with Jim Ross, talking his career past, present and future — along with the origins of his signature barbecue sauce. This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org. Full Article
co WonderCon Anaheim 2015: 7 things you absolutely shouldn't miss By feeds.scpr.org Published On :: Fri, 03 Apr 2015 05:30:29 -0700 A cosplay gathering in the Anaheim Convention Center's Grand Plaza during WonderCon Anaheim 2014.; Credit: Kevin Green/SDCC Mike RoeFor all the sad comic book and pop culture fans who weren't able to get tickets to San Diego Comic-Con, we've got good news for you: They run another convention, and it's closer to Los Angeles. Their little brother WonderCon Anaheim has been growing, with some comparing it to the Comic-Con of old — before it got way too crowded. It's this Friday through Sunday, April 3-5. They're starting to have big stars and lots of great panels, so if you want to get your geek heart sated, here are some of the events you won't want to miss. Warner Bros. Presentation: San Andreas, Mad Max: Fury Road San Andreas trailer The most highly anticipated event at this weekend's convention, Warner Brothers is putting on a special presentation with footage from these two upcoming action films. They haven't announced which stars will be on hand, but these panels often surprise with star power, so you may get a visit from stars like "San Andreas's" Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson or "Mad Max: Fury Road's" Tom Hardy or Charlize Theron. At the Comic-Con panel last year for the "Mad Max" flick, the director talked in detail about the film, so you'll probably at least get his take on the franchise and its resurrection. DC Comics TV shows: The Flash, Gotham, iZombie The Flash trailer While Marvel has been dominant on the big screen, DC has put out a diverse slate of TV shows, with "The Flash" being the biggest hit among them. It's among those getting a spotlight at WonderCon, with creators and stars dishing on the programs that have captured the imaginations of TV fans and comic fans alike. All three shows are also getting special video presentations, likely showing clips of what you can expect the rest of this season. And in case you didn't already know, "iZombie" comes from "Veronica Mars" creator Rob Thomas, so come find out about his latest project. World Premiere: Batman vs. Robin Batman vs. Robin trailer It's become a tradition at both WonderCon and San Diego Comic-Con for DC Comics to debut their latest animated movie, and the new one is based on the critically acclaimed "Court of Owls" storyline by writer Scott Snyder. (Be sure to check out our previous interviews with Snyder — he's even an NPR fan.) The original story is based on how Batman thinks he knows everything there is to know about Gotham City and faces the discovery that there are deep secrets about the city that he had no idea about, and the film also emphasizes him fighting his son Damian. Sing-alongs: Dr. Horrible & Batman's The Music Meister Batman: The Brave and the Bold: Drives Us Bats People go to comic conventions to geek out, and what's geekier than a good old-fashioned singalong? In addition to one for geek god Joss Whedon's much loved Web series "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog," they're also doing one for the musical episode of animated series "Batman: The Brave and the Bold" — which, just like "Dr. Horrible," features singing by the one and only Neil Patrick Harris. In the Batman cartoon, he plays the Music Meister, a Batman villain who makes both heroes and villains sing, as he drops some tunes of his own. Superman: The Richard Donner Years Celebrity Super Reunion Superman: The flying sequence There's a reunion of stars from the first two of the classic Christopher Reeve Superman movies, including Lois Lane herself, Margot Kidder. You can also see the actors who played characters like Jimmy Olsen, several of the villains and more, as well as two of the producers. Find out what you don't know about the movie that broke ground when it came to depicting flight on-screen and, like the ads promised, made you believe a man could fly. TV writing panels Two panels will give you a peek into the world of the writers who write some of the hottest shows on TV: "TV Guide Magazine's Fan Favorites Showrunners" and "Inside The Writers' Room: Earth's Mightiest Writers Re-Assemble Redux." The first of those includes legendary TV showrunners like Dan Harmon of "Community" and the minds behind shows including "Orphan Black," "The Goldbergs" and more. Meanwhile, at the writers room panel, you'll get writers who've worked on shows like "Lost," "Firefly," "Heroes," "The Big Bang Theory," "Agent Carter" and more. Fan culture programming track This includes a lot of different panels, but it's a sign of the way fandom is shifting — it's a lifestyle that's far more diverse than it used to be, with a lot more gender parity. This track includes panels on topics like body confidence in cosplay, fashion, fitness, race and more. See what sparks your interest and might invite you into having an identity as a fan being a bigger part of your life while not letting anyone make you feel excluded. There's so much more, like Will Forte doing a panel promoting his new show "The Last Man On Earth," the annual cosplay masquerade and so much more. Tickets are sold out for Saturday, but at press time, tickets were still available for both Friday and Sunday at WonderCon. This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org. Full Article
co Comparison of azimuthal plots for reflection high-energy positron diffraction (RHEPD) and reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) for Si(111) surface By journals.iucr.org Published On :: Features of azimuthal plots for RHEED and its new counterpart, RHEPD, are discussed. The plots, for both electrons and positrons, are determined using dynamical diffraction theory. Full Article text
co Texture corrections for total scattering functions By journals.iucr.org Published On :: The Debye scattering equation (DSE) is generalized and augmented in order to account for moderate texture effects, yielding the differential cross section as a function of atomic coordinates and texture coefficients subject to symmetry constraints. Implications for the evaluation of the pair distribution function (PDF) as a direct transform of powder diffraction data from textured samples are also discussed. Full Article text
co The quaternion-based spatial coordinate- and orientation-frame alignment problems By journals.iucr.org Published On :: Quaternion methods for obtaining solutions to the problem of finding global rotations that optimally align pairs of corresponding lists of 3D spatial and/or orientation data are critically studied. The existence of multiple literatures and historical contexts is pointed out, and the algebraic solutions of the quaternion approach to the classic 3D spatial problem are emphasized. The treatment is extended to novel quaternion-based solutions to the alignment problems for 4D translation and orientation data. Full Article text
co Direct recovery of interfacial topography from coherent X-ray reflectivity: model calculations for a one-dimensional interface By journals.iucr.org Published On :: The inversion of X-ray reflectivity to reveal the topography of a one-dimensional interface is evaluated through model calculations. Full Article text
co New kind of interference in the case of X-ray Laue diffraction in a single crystal with uneven exit surface under the conditions of the Borrmann effect. Analytical solution By journals.iucr.org Published On :: The analytical solution of the problem of X-ray spherical-wave Laue diffraction in a single crystal with a linear change of thickness on the exit surface is derived. General equations are applied to a specific case of plane-wave Laue diffraction in a thick crystal under the conditions of the Borrmann effect. Full Article text
co The Fedorov–Groth law revisited: complexity analysis using mineralogical data By journals.iucr.org Published On :: Using mineralogical data, it is demonstrated that chemical simplicity measured as an amount of Shannon information per atom on average corresponds to higher symmetry measured as an order of the point group of a mineral, which provides a modern formulation of the Fedorov–Groth law. Full Article text
co Forthcoming article in Acta Crystallographica Section A Foundations and Advances By journals.iucr.org Published On :: Full Article Still image
co GiG receives ISO 27001 certificate on Core platform and data warehouse By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 14 Oct 2019 09:36:00 +0200 (The Paypers) Gaming Innovation Group (GiG) has achieved ISO 27001 certification for the second year running. Full Article
co Cybersec company Sophos bought by Thoma Bravo for USD 3.8 billion By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 16 Oct 2019 09:58:00 +0200 (The Paypers) Full Article
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co US to borrow USD 3 tln for coronavirus-related relief By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 14:24:00 +0200 The US has declared intentions to borrow USD 3 trillion in the second quarter of 2020, as coronavirus-related... Full Article
co Sopra Banking, Centric to deliver core banking platform and could solutions to FIs By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 07 May 2020 07:17:00 +0200 Sopra Banking Software (SBS), a global digital banking... Full Article
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co Blockpass, Tozex partner for KYC, AML compliance of crypto trading By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 11:33:00 +0200 Blockpass and crypto asset platform Full Article
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co US Federal Reserve sets up new community for upcoming instant payment offering By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 08 May 2020 13:07:00 +0200 The US Federal Reserve has created a new group to advise on its planned faster payments service, the FedNow... Full Article
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co Teachers union declares impasse in LAUSD contract talks By www.scpr.org Published On :: Wed, 18 Feb 2015 19:08:34 -0800 UTLA says it is at an impasse with the Los Angeles Unified School District over a new contract for its 31,000 teachers. ; Credit: File photo by Letsdance Tonightaway/Flickr Creative Commons Sandra OshiroThe United Teachers Los Angeles declared an impasse Wednesday in its talks with the Los Angeles Unified School District. The action opens the way for a mediator to be brought in to help bring about a settlement. Contract talks have been ongoing since July, UTLA said on its website. "There is still a significant gap between the two sides on compensation," the union stated. UTLA is seeking an 8.5 percent, one-year increase; LAUSD has offered a 5 percent increase. The union said the district is "refusing to bargain in good faith on student learning conditions, and threatening educator layoffs as a scare tactic." LAUSD Superintendent Ramon Cortines said in a statement that the district agrees the talks are at an impasse. "I've been disappointed and frustrated by the lack of progress toward an agreement," he said. "It's my hope that the appointment of a mediator will lead to an expeditious settlement that ultimately supports our students and the District at large." UTLA represents 31,000 members, including teachers and health and human service professionals. The differences between the two sides amount to more than $800 million, the district said in its statement. Cortines has maintained that the district is facing a deficit. The union insists the district has money. Other issues dividing the two sides include class room size and teacher evaluations. This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org. Full Article
co Miramonte students seeking more from LAUSD in compensation By www.scpr.org Published On :: Thu, 19 Feb 2015 05:30:24 -0800 Parents of students at Miramonte Elementary School escort children out of school on Feb. 6, 2012.; Credit: Grant Slater/KPCC Annie GilbertsonA lawyer representing 58 students who settled a lawsuit related to the Miramonte sex abuse scandal two years ago said his clients are owed more money because another group of students who settled their lawsuit last fall for $139 million may be paid more, and that violates the terms of the first group's settlement. A total of more than 100 students and parents sued the district after former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt was charged with 23 counts of committing lewd acts, including feeding students cookies laced with semen. Berndt is serving 25 years in prison. Attorney Paul Kiesel's clients were among the first group of students who settled in 2013 for $470,000 each, a total of $30 million. In a claim submitted to the district on Feb. 6, Keisel argues that settlement prohibits other students from receiving more than his clients. The settlement for Kiesel's group states that it is the intent of the parties that any future Miramonte-related settlements pay less per plaintiff than the $470,000 figure. In the case of the suit that was settled for $139 million, a judge is deciding how much each plaintiff will receive; it is expected that some of the students will receive more than $470,000. Kiesel's complaint seeks the difference between what his clients were paid and the highest amount awarded to students in the second group. The $139 million settlement was the largest of its kind in Los Angeles Unified School District history. If Kiesel's clients prevail, the district's overall tab for the Miramonte case could significantly increase from the $170 million in settlements awarded so far. The school district has yet to respond to the claim and declined to comment for this story. Kiesel would not discuss the claim in greater detail, but attorney Raymond Boucher, who also represented students in the initial settlement, characterized its language limiting the size of future settlements as a "fairness clause. "We are talking about a number of young children and you want to make sure they are all treated fairly and equally," Boucher told KPCC. Attorney Vince William Finaldi, who represented some of the students in the group that settled for $139 million last November, argued that the earlier settlement would need to include a "most favored nation clause" to prevail in court. "It needs to have two elements," Finaldi said. "The first element is a statement by the settling party that 'we agree not to pay anyone else more than X amount.' It also needs a second clause which states, 'in the event we do pay someone more than X amount, then we'll pay you Y amount," Finaldi said. The settlement for Kiesel and Boucher's clients does not include language stipulating what would happen if a future settlement pays out more money per plaintiff. If L.A. Unified rejects Kiesel's claim, then he could ask a mediator or a court to resolve the dispute. This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org. Full Article
co Election 2015: iPad controversy looms large in LAUSD District 3 board race By www.scpr.org Published On :: Fri, 20 Feb 2015 05:30:26 -0800 At a recent LAUSD District 3 school board debate, teachers dressed as FBI agents in protest of board member Tamar Galatzan's support of the iPad program.; Credit: Annie Gilbertson/KPCC Annie GilbertsonAs the city's March 3 primary election draws near, Los Angeles Unified school board candidates are blasting incumbents for the controversial iPad program. Opponents sharply criticized the $1.3 billion bond-funded program at a debate Tuesday in West San Fernando Valley, where District 3 school board member Tamar Galatzan was elected in 2007. "Galatzan said the district is going in the right direction," declared candidate Carl Petersen, a parent and businessman. "I don’t know how anyone can look at the events of the past year and come to that conclusion." RELATED: LAUSD District 5 school board candidates face off in debate The program attracted national attention last December when the FBI raided district offices and carted off 20 boxes of bids, evaluations and correspondences with executives at Apple and its subcontractor Pearson, the manufacturer of the learning software loaded on to each device. The investigation is ongoing. At the debate, teachers dressed in dark windbreakers with FBI plastered on the back in protest to Galatzan's support of the program. (They have not held similar demonstrations at election events in East Los Angeles' District 5, where Bennett Kayser, a teacher union ally, is running for re-election.) Tom Richards, a Granada Hills parent, said he considers the iPad program a central issue as he weighs candidates. "I think it's absolutely ridiculous," Richards said. "I don't believe that's a good way to spend the money that they have. Looking at some really fundamental needs — we don't have a librarian, but we want to give iPads?" Galatzan was an early advocate for more technology in the classroom; it was her goal even before the iPad was on the market. "There is a whole world out there that can be accessed through technology, and we need to take advantage of that," Galatzan told KPCC. Her advocacy of technology hasn't always been controversial. Galatzan points to her 2010 initiative to fund school computer labs with a settlement from Microsoft. The school board's support of the iPad program varied the first year, but waned in August after KPCC published a series of emails showing district administrators had close ties with Pearson, calling into question whether the bidding process was fair. Problems with the rollout of the devices and the effectiveness of the software they contained also eroded support for the program. Still, school board members unanimously approved more iPad purchases after the FBI investigation came to light. Superintendent Ramon Cortines said the tablets were necessary for new digital state tests scheduled this spring and offered to purchase them under a different contract with Apple to avoid complications involving the federal probe. If the candidates' positions are a measure of support for the program, it's unpopular at best. All of Galatzan's opponents are against it. When asked in a KPCC election survey conducted if he supported the iPad program, Scott Schmerelson, a retired administrator and District 3 contender, responded: "Not when you are paying for them from LAUSD Bond Money! The taxpayers generously supported the bond issue with the belief that the money would be used to repair and modernize our schools." Candidate Ankur Patel said in his answer to the survey, "I oppose the LAUSD’s iPad program. Throughout the program, important questions were not asked enough, and when they were, they were not answered properly." Filiberto Gonzalez, another Galatzan challenger, said of the iPad project: "It was a mistake and ill-conceived from the very beginning. As was noted in the report by the U.S. Department of Education last month, the Common Core Technology Project (iPad program) lacked 'established metrics of success' and 'was difficult to show the impact of the investment.' Elizabeth Badger Bartels is also running for the District 3 seat, but did not respond to the survey by deadline. For more information on the school board candidates' positions and their backgrounds, read KPCC's 2015 Los Angeles primary election guide. This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org. Full Article