breaking

Vettel takes record-breaking pole in Brazil

Sebastian Vettel took his 15th pole position of the season at the Brazilian Grand Prix, breaking Nigel Mansell's record for the most in a season from 1992 and lining up on the front row alongside Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber




breaking

Breaking Down the Huawei v. Pentagon Dispute

If nothing else, the long-running Huawei situation shows the importance of considering the supply chain when it comes to cybersecurity. Huawei being the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker basically banned by the federal government. Bruce Schneier joins Host Tom Temin on Federal Drive.




breaking

Breaking the Ice: How France and the UK Could Reshape a Credible European Defense and Renew the Transatlantic Partnership

History is replete with irony, but rarely more poignantly than in the summer of 2016 when, on 23 June, the UK voted to leave the European Union and the next day, 24 June, the EU published its Global Strategy document asserting its ambition of “strategic autonomy.” Whither Franco-British defense cooperation in such chaotic circumstances? This paper attempts to provide the outline of an answer to that question.




breaking

Breaking the Ice: How France and the UK Could Reshape a Credible European Defense and Renew the Transatlantic Partnership

History is replete with irony, but rarely more poignantly than in the summer of 2016 when, on 23 June, the UK voted to leave the European Union and the next day, 24 June, the EU published its Global Strategy document asserting its ambition of “strategic autonomy.” Whither Franco-British defense cooperation in such chaotic circumstances? This paper attempts to provide the outline of an answer to that question.




breaking

Breaking Down the Huawei v. Pentagon Dispute

If nothing else, the long-running Huawei situation shows the importance of considering the supply chain when it comes to cybersecurity. Huawei being the Chinese telecommunications equipment maker basically banned by the federal government. Bruce Schneier joins Host Tom Temin on Federal Drive.




breaking

Breaking the Ice: How France and the UK Could Reshape a Credible European Defense and Renew the Transatlantic Partnership

History is replete with irony, but rarely more poignantly than in the summer of 2016 when, on 23 June, the UK voted to leave the European Union and the next day, 24 June, the EU published its Global Strategy document asserting its ambition of “strategic autonomy.” Whither Franco-British defense cooperation in such chaotic circumstances? This paper attempts to provide the outline of an answer to that question.




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20 years after Clinton’s pathbreaking trip to India, Trump contemplates one of his own

President Trump is planning on a trip to India — probably next month, depending on his impeachment trial in the Senate. That will be almost exactly 20 years after President Clinton’s pathbreaking trip to India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan in March 2000. There are some interesting lessons to be learned from looking back. Presidential travel to…

       




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Breaking bad in the Middle East and North Africa: Drugs, militants, and human rights

The Middle East and North Africa are grappling with an intensifying drug problem—increased use, the spread of drug-related communicable diseases, and widening intersections between drug production and violent conflict. The repressive policies long-applied in the region have not prevented these worsening trends.

      
 
 




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20 years after Clinton’s pathbreaking trip to India, Trump contemplates one of his own

President Trump is planning on a trip to India — probably next month, depending on his impeachment trial in the Senate. That will be almost exactly 20 years after President Clinton’s pathbreaking trip to India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan in March 2000. There are some interesting lessons to be learned from looking back. Presidential travel to…

       




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The Marketplace of Democracy: A Groundbreaking Survey Explores Voter Attitudes About Electoral Competition and American Politics

Event Information

October 27, 2006
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT

Falk Auditorium
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC

Register for the Event

Despite the attention on the mid-term races, few elections are competitive. Electoral competition, already low at the national level, is in decline in state and primary elections as well. Reformers, who point to gerrymandering and a host of other targets for change, argue that improving competition will produce voters who are more interested in elections, better-informed on issues, and more likely to turn out to the polls.

On October 27, the Brookings Institution—in conjunction with the Cato Institute and The Pew Research Center—presented a discussion and a groundbreaking survey exploring the attitudes and opinions of voters in competitive and noncompetitive congressional districts. The survey, part of Pew's regular polling on voter attitudes, was conducted through the weekend of October 21. A series of questions explored the public's perceptions, knowledge, and opinions about electoral competitiveness.

The discussion also explored a publication that addresses the startling lack of competition in our democratic system. The Marketplace of Democracy: Electoral Competition and American Politics (Brookings, 2006), considers the historical development, legal background, and political aspects of a system that is supposed to be responsive and accountable, yet for many is becoming stagnant, self-perpetuating, and tone-deaf. Michael McDonald, editor and Brookings visiting fellow, moderated a discussion among co-editor John Samples, director of the Center for Representative Government at the Cato Institute, and Andrew Kohut and Scott Keeter from The Pew Research Center, who also discussed the survey.

Transcript

Event Materials

     
 
 




breaking

Ollie the jailbreaking bobcat on the lam from National Zoo

The 25-pound lady bobcat was last seen on Monday morning.




breaking

195 nations agree to groundbreaking Paris climate deal

Today, the United Nations climate talks reached an agreement, and committed to fighting devastating levels of climate change.




breaking

Is LEED Breaking Up with FSC-Certified Wood?

After a long-lasting and loving monogamous relationship between the US Green Building Council and the Forest Stewardship Council, it seems the USGBC is considering, not a break up, but definitely thinking




breaking

Breaking the seed bank to feed the future

Can science use the genes engineered by nature instead of genetic engineering in the face of a pending food crisis?




breaking

Ron Wallace is the 'Lord of the Gourd' with Record-Breaking Giant Pumpkin

How would you like to carve a Jack-o-lantern from one of these three record-breaking pumpkins from this weekend?




breaking

Dolphins are breaking into nets to steal fish thanks to overfishing

Why does this not surprise me?




breaking

Indian state aims to plant record-breaking 50 million trees in one day

Uttar Pradesh is going to be looking a lot greener after a marathon 24-hour tree-planting frenzy.




breaking

Photographer’s tribute to his dog is heartbreakingly beautiful

The story combines the beauty of nature, wanderlust, and the deep love that can exist between human and dog.




breaking

Record-breaking inflatable wind turbine to float 1000 feet above Alaska

Fairbanks, Alaska, will be home to the demonstration project of the next generation Buoyant Airborne Turbine, which will fly 1000 feet off the ground.




breaking

Olga Sasplugas on TreeHugger’s first post and breaking even

When TreeHugger first launched, Olga Sasplugas was the go-to woman for ad sales, accounting and even the occasional photo shoot. We caught up with her on Skype to talk about the site’s early days.




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'Mixed messages': UK government's strategy fuels fears of rule-breaking

Critics of No 10 warn U-turns undermining efforts to keep public safe from coronavirus

First people were meant to stay at home to save lives, and then government sources raised the prospect of picnics with pals and sunbathing in the park just before a sunny bank holiday weekend.

Boris Johnson told the nation that scientists thought face masks might help stop the spread of the disease, but no change was made to the government advice that they were not needed outside medical and care settings.

Continue reading...




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Groundhog day getting you down? Here's my trick for breaking the monotony | Hadley Freeman

For a while supper and wine were sufficient; now I’m watching every adaptation that is better than its source material

I suspect I’m not alone in this but, at some point in the past two weeks, I hit my lockdown wall. Not literally, although apparently the “banging one’s head against the kitchen wall” phase kicks in on the eighth week, so that’s something to put in the diary. But last week I felt really, really over it. Enough with every day being the bloody same; enough with watching my children become increasingly fretful because they haven’t seen their friends in over a month, the equivalent of five years to a pair of four-year-olds. But unless you want to be one of those delightful people protesting the lockdown in the US, clothed in stars and stripes, AK-47s across their backs, what choice do we have? So, like Bill Murray, we grind out the same day, again and again and again.

The trick is to invent things to look forward to. For a while, “supper” and “wine” were sufficient, but repetition has dulled their efficacy. So I set myself challenges, driven on by the thrill of completion. Some people hear the word “challenge” and think, “Fitness!” Those people are not me. “Rewatch the entirety of 30 Rock” is more my speed. It is so soothing to watch a show about a luxuriantly bouffanted New York tycoon who isn’t a moron. In a just world, Jack Donaghy would be the US president instead of, well, you get the point. Then, sparked by his brilliant turn as Chris Tarrant on the ITV drama, Quiz, my next challenge was, “Watch every Michael Sheen performance in which he plays a real person”. This was deeply enjoyable, even if, in my lockdown-confused mind, I now think Brian Clough interviewed Richard Nixon on TV and Kenneth Williams was prime minister when Diana died.

Continue reading...




breaking

Yes, the dam is breaking. The exploding reaction to the polyam 'House Hunters' episode




breaking

Friday Polynews Roundup — Quarantine keeping and breaking, a research call, poly films, and more.



  • Friday Polynews Roundup

breaking

Trump laments ‘heart-breaking' killing

The 25-year-old was jogging in Georgia when he was shot dead, in a video the president described as disturbing.




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Ramadan and Coronavirus: Breaking my fast on Zoom

How fasting in lockdown and isolation has changed Ramadan for young Muslims this year.




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47 days to go: Record-breaking volunteers head to Russia

FIFA.com has begun the countdown to the FIFA Confederations Cup 2017 in Russia, and from now until the start we will share an interesting fact about the tournament every day. Today we turn the spotlight on the volunteers who will assist the organisers in the running of the tournament.




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Rafiq Bhatia's 'Breaking English' questions the need for musical boundaries

Accepting the futility of genres, of boxing songs into different compartments like stacked products in supermarket shelves, seems to be at the forefront of Rafiq Bhatia's musical endeavour. The 30-year-old American of Indian descent is the guitarist for a New York-based indie outfit called Son Lux. But it's his recent solo album, Breaking English, which makes the listener really question the need for musical boundaries, of sticking labels to a composition as if it's packaged meat.

The title track of the album, for instance, is not jazz, is not electronica, is not lounge, but all of these generic classifications rolled into one lush sound with a coherent narrative, where Bhatia's melancholic guitar plays the role of the protagonist. Each sonic detail in the track is well-defined, to the point where even though fellow Son Lux member Ian Chang's drum beats seem dissonant, they fit like a glove into the overall musical fabric. Bhatia describes this sensibility when he tells us over the phone from Berlin, where he's on tour, "Ryan (Lott, the vocalist for Son Lux) would say that instead of building a house, designing a room and then placing a chair in it, why don't we start with the chair first, and then design the room around it before building the house. There is a theory in poetry called organicism, where the poet lets each individual verse define the form that the poem will take. That is kind of similar to what I'm trying to do with my music."

He further explains his musical process when he narrates a story about one of his influences, Sam Rivers, the late American jazz great. "I've read that he would attend the concerts of all his peers, and purposely study their music to understand what they were trying to do. But this wasn't to replicate what they were playing. Instead, it was to consciously avoid it. Similarly, John Coltrane took the music of his predecessors and retooled the entire musical vocabulary keeping a similar underlying foundation, but with new pathways built on top of it," he says, giving us an indication of how he doesn't hesitate to flush rule books down the toilet.

Hybridity, in fact, lies at the core of Bhatia's creative evolution. The basis for this, he says, might well be his mixed identity. Born in North Carolina, he has never really fit in to any particular community. For, even though his parents are of Gujarati origin, they grew up in Tanzania, before moving to London and then finally to the US. So, while his brown skin stood out among the white kids in his school, he didn't feel completely at home among the Indian community either. "Everybody thinks that I am something else. So, my music is a result of a need to express my identity. It's a form of therapy at some level, because it's also a way of accepting who I am," he says.

He adds that this therapy started early. When he was about eight or nine, the older desi kids in Bhatia's neighbourhood would pick him up in a car and stop at a parking lot, listening to the hip-hop albums that became one of his earliest influences. Was he drawn to them because of the political overtones that such songs often embody? "Not really," he answers, adding, "I was only in the third grade at the time, and I couldn't even understand the words. So it was the musicality that I fell for. But the deeper question is, why were a bunch of brown kids sitting in a car in a parking lot and empathising with hip-hop music? What is it that was drawing them to the words? So you see, it's difficult to disentangle the politics from the music."

It follows thus that an intertwining of politics and music sometimes features in his own compositions. For example, Hoods Up, a complex instrumental piece, drew its inspiration from Trayvon Martin, a black teenager who was cruelly shot down because of a case of mistaken identity. The guitarist says, "I feel some amount of compulsion to express my [political] ideas. But sometimes, it's easy to get carried away with being overtly political because there is so much to be angry about, and often the responsibility falls on artistes to emphasise it. So I would say that politics is a general part of what inspires my music, because there are so many other facets of my personality that also make their way in."

Essentially, then, what Bhatia wants to keep doing is create genre-defying tracks where attention to detail is of paramount importance. "When you take the details and all the generalities of music for granted, that's when your songs start sounding more like other people's music. That doesn't mean you can't make great tracks. It's just that the less you consider those things, the less is the chance that you will make music that departs from convention. The flip side is that when you think actively about each decision, and each one comes from a place of individuality, it becomes hard to find a coherent logic that ties all those things together. And that ends up being the riddle that I am constantly trying to solve with my music."

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates





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Vinay Pathak on Irrfan Khan's demise: It's really heartbreaking

Khosla Ka Ghosla and Bheja Fry famed actor Vinay Pathak bid an emotional goodbye to actor Irrfan Khan, who passed away this morning due to cancer and colon infection-related complications.

"I am very numb right now. I don't know what to say, I am devastated. It's really heartbreaking. I can only imagine what his wife and kids must be going through. I can't talk much, I am sorry," said Vinay, when we contacted him for his reaction.

On the subject that Irrfan's demise is a big loss for the industry, he said: "All these are conversations. This is someone's personal tragedy because this news has shaken his family, his friends, and people like us who were very close to him. This we will debate after one month, on what the industry has lost. In my eyes, he was one of the most gifted and talented actors today," said Vinay.

Irrfan passed away in the wee-hours of Wednesday in Kokilaben Dhuribhai Ambani Hospital.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

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This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever




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Anushka Sharma's pet Bruno passes away, actress shares heartbreaking post

In a heartbreaking piece of news, Anushka Sharma's pet Bruno passed away and the actress took to her Instagram account to announce this. It was a throwback picture that had her, Bruno, and Virat Kohli in one frame.

Writing Bruno, RIP, she also commented with three hearts. For all those who have pets at their homes, this news will surely pierce you. Have a look at the post right here:

 
 
 
View this post on Instagram

♥️ Bruno ♥️ RIP ♥️

A post shared by AnushkaSharma1588 (@anushkasharma) onMay 5, 2020 at 8:39pm PDT

And the post attracted a lot of celebrity reactions and they all had their hearts for the actress and her pet. Priyanka Chopra, Alia Bhatt, Sonali Bendre, Diana Penty, and Zoya Akhtar commented with a heart.

Even Kohli, who was very close to Bruno, commented with a heartfelt tribute on his Twitter account and wrote- "Rest in peace my Bruno. Graced our lives with love for 11 years but made a connection of a lifetime. Gone to a better place today. God bless his soul with peace." (sic)

Have a look right here:

As we stated above, for all those who had or have a pet at home, they will surely be left teary-eyed.

Catch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here. Also, download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news




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Coronavirus Lockdown: Photo of sad dog looking at children playing from balcony is breaking hearts online

A photo of a sad bulldog looking at children playing from the balcony and not being able to join them in their games has gone viral amid the Coronavirus lockdown and is breaking hearts online.

Rebecca Ellis, the owner of the dog named Big Poppa said on Twitter that he loves playing with children and he is sad that he is not able to play with them due to the lockdown imposed to contain the deadly virus, but she has been trying to cheer him up.  "I've been trying but he loves children more than anything and not being able to play with them daily but he can see them... I think its taking a toll on him," she said.

In the caption of the photo, Ellis said, "Big Poppa has been so sad today, I think he miss(es) playing with the kids in the building.  He just watches them from the patio." The photo that has attracted attention from international celebrities too, got more than 656,100 likes and was retweeted over 72,300 times.

Among the users commenting on the photo is Game-of-Thrones fame Maisie Williams and popular TV show host Ellen Degeneres. The photo has been melting hearts with many asking the owner to hug the dog to cheer him up and introducing their pets to him.

What do you think about the dog’s photo?

Catch up on all the latest Crime, National, International and Hatke news here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.

Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@middayinfomedialtd) and stay updated with the latest news





breaking

OECD welcomes ground-breaking peer reviews by China and US of their fossil fuel subsidies

The OECD has welcomed the release by China and the US of peer reviews of their fossil fuel subsidies.




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Ground-breaking multilateral BEPS convention signed at OECD will close loopholes in thousands of tax treaties worldwide

Ministers and high-level officials from 76 countries and jurisdictions have signed today or formally expressed their intention to sign an innovative multilateral convention that will swiftly implement a series of tax treaty measures to update the existing network of bilateral tax treaties.




breaking

Breaking the shackles: zombie firms, weak banks and depressed restructuring in Europe

This paper explores the connection between “zombie” firms (firms that would typically exit in a competitive market) and bank health and the consequences for aggregate productivity in 11 European countries.




breaking

The key to breaking cycle of poverty in Israel lies in education

Inequality and relative poverty in Israel remain high, particularly among Arab-Israelis and Haredim (Ultra-Orthodox).x




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Japan Imports - Making & Breaking Elec. Circuits Apparatus

Imports - Making & Breaking Elec. Circuits Apparatus in Japan increased to 49101.70 JPY Million in March from 33979.76 JPY Million in February of 2020. Imports - Making & Breaking Elec. Circuits Apparat in Japan averaged 25033.77 JPY Million from 1988 until 2020, reaching an all time high of 56325.62 JPY Million in November of 2017 and a record low of 2340.21 JPY Million in April of 1988. This page includes a chart with historical data for Japan Imports of Making & Breaking Elec. Circuits Appar.




breaking

Bang on a Can Marathon — six hours of music from the boundary-breaking group

The annual parade of work by living composers went online, performed from living rooms




breaking

Largest US meat company warns food supply chain is breaking

Tyson chairman flags shortages as slaughterhouses and processing plants are forced to shut




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The record-breaking US economic recovery in charts

Longest expansion in modern American history is also the weakest




breaking

Breaking down the eurozone’s worst recession in history

Commission warns pandemic will wipe out growth in all member states and result in an uneven recovery




breaking

BRIAN VINER: El Camino's Breaking Bad Movie reveals what happened next

BRIAN VINER: Jesse is on the run, needing money to fund a new identity, the instinct to stay alive and ahead of the law just about overcoming the travails of post-traumatic stress disorder. It sounds grim.




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World's fastest sailboat set to arrive in London after record breaking round-the-world trip

The world's fastest sailboat is set to complete its record-breaking journey around the world this week, making its arrival through the Thames. The IDEC Sport's crew are led by Francis Joyon.




breaking

AJ Pritchard reveals the heartbreaking reason he wanted to take part in The Hunted

AJ Pritchard has revealed his own personal incentives for swapping Strictly Come Dancing for The Hunted.




breaking

Laverne Cox says she failed a driving test after breaking up with boyfriend of two years 

Cox said while she spends most of her time in Los Angeles, she got her learner's permit in New York, and was intent on taking her driver's test while she was in town last month.




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Made In Chelsea's Alex Mytton shares a heartbreaking tribute to his late mum on Mother's Day 

The Made In Chelsea star has shared a heartbreaking tribute to his late mum who passed away last April following a 'brief battle' with brain cancer.




breaking

Stormzy on his groundbreaking Glastonbury performance

The rapper said he wanted to "cry so bad" when his in-ear monitors blew twice during his historic set, and that he was certain it would be the end of his career.




breaking

Tones and I sets sights on breaking Ed Sheeran's record of longest running No.1 artist in Australia

She went from busking in Byron Bay to topping the charts with her catchy tune Dance Monkey in just a matter of months.




breaking

Ronda Rousey stays in character after breaking TWO fingers mid-scene on set of 9-1-1

Ronda Rousey managed to stay in character after breaking her middle finger and fracturing the tip of her ring finger while shooting a scene on 9-1-1 in Mexico last week.




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Heartbreaking photo of a quarantined bulldog looking dejected on his balcony goes viral

Rashida Ellis, 38, from Atlanta, Georgia, took to Twitter on Tuesday to post a snapshot of her three-year-old dog Big Poppa looking sad.