In May 2024, CC organized a strategic workshop in Lisbon to develop a roadmap for future action to advance our work towards a UNESCO instrument on open cultural heritage. In this blog post, we share the full report and some of its key highlights.

The post CC strategic workshop reveals big opportunities for open access to cultural heritage appeared first on Creative Commons.

Examining MicroStrategy’s record-shattering $21bn ATM Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter. History, they say, doesn’t repeat, but it often rhymes. Bitcoin-hodling MicroStrategy is an excellent example. In early 2000, MicroStrategy embodied the…

Donald Trump’s election victory has catapulted US stocks to fresh records and pushed the dollar to a two-year high. It’s anything but good news for the rest of the world. Most Read from Bloomberg Equities excluding the US are tumbling, with an MSCI gauge at its lowest in three months. An index of…

The City by the Bay will soon have a new leader, as Democrat Daniel Lurie was elected the next mayor of San Francisco on Nov. 7. Lurie, a political newcomer, beat a fellow Democrat, incumbent Mayor London Breed, to earn the city's top job. He won the mayoral race by a large margin; Lurie led…

"We Must Do Whatever It Takes!" - Netherlands Reinstates Temporary Border Controls To Curve Illegal Immigration Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News, The Netherlands has announced it will reintroduce internal border checks starting Dec. 9 in fresh efforts to manage illegal immigration. The…

The EU is considering replacing Russian liquified natural gas imports with US shipments — a move that could hit President Vladimir Putin's war chest. Contributor/ Getty Images Trump's presidency may pressure Russia's oil and gas industry. The EU is thinking about replacing Russian LNG with US…

Member of the European Central Bank (ECB) Governing Council and Bank of France Governor Francois Villeroy de Galhau indicated on Wednesday that more interest rate cuts could be on the horizon, noting ...

EU irate about geo-locked Apple IDs Ever try to change your account's registered country? It's nigh impossible The European Union has demanded more platform changes from Apple – this time accusing it of violating anti-geoblocking rules in several of its media services. The European Commission…

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Google DeepMind has unexpectedly released the source code and model weights of AlphaFold 3 for academic use, marking a significant advance that could accelerate scientific…

The US Consumer Price Index is set to rise 2.6% YoY in October, faster than September’s 2.4% increase. - Annual core CPI inflation is expected to remain at 3.3% in October. - The inflation data could significantly impact the market’s pricing of the Fed’s interest rate outlook and the US Dollar…

With the internet changing everyday staying on top of new trends and changes surrounding SEO should be a top priority of any professional SEO Company. Within the last year or more the SEO industry has changed immensely. Some of these changes include the Panda and Penguin filters and the recent changes of the exact match […]

This is some information I compiled surrounding domain names being purchased or expiring. I came across this on Google while doing some research on domain names and link building. Domain names that are expired are given a page rank (PR) of zero once they are expired. Now there are some time stipulations set on domain […]

Looking for the simplest Waldorf kite paper star pattern? You’ve found it! Anyone can make a beautiful sun catcher for their window out of translucent paper. This pattern gives young children the delight of creating their own decoration, while practicing fine motor skills. Please note though – it may be a bit tricky for kids […]

The post The Simplest Waldorf Star Pattern – Beautiful and Easy Decoration appeared first on Joyful Abode.

By Leo Babauta Something that has long been a struggle for me is when people complain a lot — I really don’t love the negative energy, and I tend to turn away from people who are complaining. So I’ve been examining this in recent years … and I’ve been learning a lot about myself. The […]

The post Transforming Our Complaints into Something Generative appeared first on zen habits.

Steph Caskenette made these awesome illustrations.

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ARCH, the National Respite Network and Resource Center in the United States of America identified that evidence-based research on respite care has, to large extent, been lacking. Across ages, needs and settings, respite is based upon the premise that providing caregivers periodic relief from daily, ongoing caregiving responsibilities will directly benefit them in terms of their physical health, immediate and long-term psychological health, and social-emotional relationships with family members. These benefits are assumed to result in secondary benefits for care receivers and even larger societal benefits in the form of cost benefits or improved employee productivity. Some research studies point to the merits of these assumptions. However, evidence-based research supporting this premise - or going beyond it to demonstrate how to best provide respite care that results in maximum benefits - has not been available. This report presents the findings of an expert panel composed of academics, researchers, service providers, advocates, policymakers and administrators representing a range of age groups, disabilities and professional disciplines. Over a period of 18 months the panel explored the current status of respite research, proposed strategies to overcome barriers to research, and developed a plan to encourage rigorous research in key areas.

The first Fox News contributor tapped to be part of the Trump administration is former acting director of ICE, Tom Homan.

This is the first of possibly many right-wing media operatives being put into key positions in the federal government under Donald Trump.

During a 60 Minutes interview aired on October 27th, 2024, Homan was asked about the astronomical coasts of carrying out Trump's plans and how families could be torn apart. Homan's answer sums up the Trump administration and its xenophobic policies perfectly.

HOST: We have seen one estimate that says it would cost $88 billion to deport a million people a year.

HOMAN: I don't know if that's accurate or not.

HOST: Is that what American taxpayers should expect?

HOMAN: What price do you put on national security? Is that worth it?

HOST: Is there a way to carry out mass deportation without separating families?

HOMAN: Of course there is. Families can be deported together.

These deportations are going to be a huge sh*t show. We remember the suffering children separated from their families under Homan's preview.

The scum-sucking pea-head Stephen Miller must have an orgasm after watching Homan's response.

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A.J. Bayatpour, a reporter for Channel 58 in Milwaukee, interviewed a man identified only as Mattaeo, a Mexican-American man and who voted for Trump. Wait for his reasoning:

MATTAEO: You know, with the future of America, you know, with Trump, I feel like it's always been better. You look at the past four years, you know, of living here, you know, we've seen a bunch of migrants coming in and, you know, that as well is a big thing. If you, you know, go to Chicago or even in this area alone, you see a lot of immigrants coming in and not many things being done about it, so.

BAYATPOUR: People are going to watch this story, Mateo, and they're going to say, if you're Mexican-American, why are you against the migrants?

MATTAEO: Why am I against the migrants? It's because I'm not more or less against it, but I do think it's, everything has a system that needs to be in place, and a lot of the system isn't going to what we, the people, I think should be going for, you know, for people whose family does live here, and it's trying to get, you know, an alliance program with the U.S. government to get their families from Mexico to over here is getting pushed out by people that we don't even know who's coming into the country, you know, just a bunch of Venezuelans coming, refugees coming, and none of it is being passed through, like, you know, the system of how the people, you know, designed it to be, and I think that's one of the main reasons.

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Full Article

Prissydent-elect Donald Trump has picked South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, who penned the book 'No Going Back' that detailed her murdering a puppy, horses, and at least one goat, as his next secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

Hey, at least he didn't pick Ted Nugent, Kid Rock, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Catturd, or Steve Bannon for the role, all of whom allegedly have not shot a dog in the face -- yet.

CNN reports:

Noem will be tapped to take over the agency as two key immigration hardliners — Stephen Miller and Tom Homan — are slated to serve in senior roles, signaling Trump is serious about his promise to crack down on his immigration pledges. With his selection of Noem, Trump is ensuring a loyalist will head an agency he prioritizes and that is key to his domestic agenda.

The department saw an immense amount of turmoil the last time Trump was in office. Then, DHS had five different leaders, only two of whom were Senate-confirmed. The agency has a $60 billion budget and hundreds of thousands of employees.

Noem, who previously was a South Dakota representative, will now be tasked with overseeing a sprawling agency that oversees everything from US Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the US Secret Service.

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"The Blue Team is protected by the sheer audacity of their betrayal of Americans. For most, their approach is literally beyond belief." — Bret Weinstein

Looking for a hugely entertaining alphabet book that also has an uplifting message of empowerment for young readers? I highly recommend T. REXES CAN'T TIE THEIR SHOES by Anna Lazowski and Steph Laberis, launching June 29th, 2021 from Doubleday Books For Young Readers. The back matter also has an alphabetized factoid list of "all the amazing things animals CAN do!"

This is an alphabet book that can be appreciated by grown-ups as well as young readers, with lots of potential discussion points. The illustrations of animals in ridiculous situations are so SOOOOO FUN --- omigosh, even as I'm writing this post, I went back to look through the digital ARC and can't decide which is my favourite, though I'm leaning toward the "Cheetahs can't chew bubble gum" page.

I asked debut picture book author Anna Lazowski if she had any advice for young writers, and here's what she said:

"Write what you want to write, because as you move through the publishing process, it will become incredibly important for you to truly believe in your work. The rejections in this industry are endless, and they come at every stage. Critique partners might reject elements of your manuscript, agents will reject your work, and once you're on submission to editors, they will reject your work. Then once you're finally published, some reviewers will reject your work. If you don't fully believe in your stories, this will be extremely hard to take. It's hard as it is, so make sure you're all in on the work you're doing. It will make the rest a little bit easier to navigate."

Wise advice. Thank you, Anna! And congrats to you and Steph on your upcoming launch!

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Also see other Advice For Young Writers and Illustrators From Children's Book Creators and my other Interviews With Children's Book Creators.

Image at the top of this post was created for my new #BookADay book journal. For more info about Donalyn Miller's #BookADay challenge, see Donalyn's post in the Nerdy Book Club blog.

Hazel Mitchell has helped create more than twenty children's books, including her award-winning picture book Toby (Candlewick Press). Her illustrations appear in books by Cynthia Lord, JaNay Brown-Wood (Imani's Moon was mentioned on the Stephen Colbert show!), Lynn Parrish Sutton, Liza Gardner Walsh and others. You can find out more about Hazel and her work at HazelMitchell.com, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Synopsis of SWEET PEA SUMMER (Candlewick):

During her mother’s absence, a young girl discovers the joys of gardening—and the rewards of persistence and a sharp eye—in a sweet intergenerational story. With warm, child-friendly illustrations and a simple narration, Hazel Mitchell tells a timeless story about holding on to hope in hard times and finding the strength and determination to see it through. A brief author’s note at the end offers a bit of history and a few details about sweet peas for aspiring gardeners.

Q. What inspired you to write Sweet Pea Summer?

My inspiration for the book were memories I have from staying with my grandparents when I was little (4-6 years old). They lived in a row of mill cottages in a Yorkshire town called Huddersfield. The town was born out of the wool trade and had many factories and tall towers, but was surrounded by beautiful countryside. I started to sketch my memories of staying with them - the cottage, the garden, the countryside with the moors and mill chimneys, the cats that were always scampering around, the long road that stretched away up a sloping hill to the town itself.

My granddad was an excellent gardener. I suspect this came from the war years in Britain when everyone grew their own food as much as possible. In my memory the garden was so, so long with a little greenhouse and was stuffed with veggies and flowers. Of course, my memory exaggerated everything. I was seeing through a small child's eyes. I even googled the road on Google Streetview and the cottage and the garden are still there, just much smaller than I recalled.

I decided there was a story in these sketches and my rememberings. I find that I'm often inspired by childhood memories, places and real life things, like my own dog who is the main character in the book 'Toby', also from Candlewick Press. I've even been known to use my house in books, or feature the landscape of Maine, where I live, and sometimes I draw objects from my home. it gives authenticity I think.

Q. What was the writing and illustration process like?

After some note making, more doodles and musing I decided on the main character of a girl. She's not exactly me. My sister also went to stay with my grandparents when my mother was ill and that was really the nugget that set me rolling. The girl is sad and missing her mother, so Grandpa invites her to help in the garden and, in particular, to look after the sweet peas. (My own grandfather grew chrysanthemums, but I decided children would relate more to sweet peas. Plus it is easier to say!).

The grandparents do not look like my grandparents and even though the child is not really me, I guess she shares some of my personality characteristics and DO I love gardening! (Although I always fail with sweet peas, which is ironic). I found I had all the inspiration I needed to get started on roughing out a story.

Writing and illustrating Sweet Pea Summer was a long process, as most books tend to me. There are a lot of images in the book, which is kind of graphic novelish in a way, with multiple images on some pages that follow a grid layout. Although I did preliminary character and setting sketches, I then spent time writing scene progressions and story boarding before I was ready to do the first full dummy.

I've found this saves me time in the long run, when I finally start to sketch I can be pretty certain I have the rudimentary story arc and length of book down. We had 2-3 edits and rehashes before my editors, art director and myself were all happy to go to finals. Finals are always the very long and arduous stage of the book for me. The first spark of story and hashing it out is the inspirational bit.

I did all the art for Sweet Pea in pencil and watercolor (usually I colour an under painting digitally), but I felt this book needed a traditional watercolour feel. It was a longer process for sure! Along the way I did a good amount of picture research especially on the landscapes and the flowers - plus the process of growing them, which features in the story. The parallel between the illness of the m/c's mom and the flowers failing to open was important to me. didn't want it to be too obvious to the reader.

My editor, Liz Bicknell at Candlewick Press, was very helpful, as always, keeping the story on track. Pam Consolazio was my art director, and her nickname was Sweet Pea as a child! it is lovely when you find unexpected connections. I scan my own artwork, which gives me the luxury of making any tweaks to the final art. I think the whole book took about 2 years, including edits etc.

It's wonderful when your book finally arrives in your mailbox! (Just like any birth, the pain recedes!) It was especially concerning in this time of the pandemic, but everything went well and the books arrived in time for publication.

Q. What advice do you have for young writers and illustrators?

My advice to young writers and illustrators is always work on stories that you love and feel an emotional response to whether, happy, sad, funny or just that you just love and know the subject. It will always show in your work!

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For more insights from book creators, see my Inkygirl interview archives.

Just read (and loved) a fun reimagining of the classic fairytale Goldilocks and the Three Bears: GOLDIBOOKS AND THE WEE BEAR, written by Troy Wilson and illustrated by Edwardian Taylor, published earlier this year by Running Press Kids.

Here is Troy Wilson's advice for young writers:

"My advice? Write badly. Badly, badly, badly. Include words and ideas that shouldn't be there. Leave out words and ideas that should be there. Put things in the wrong order. Have your protagonist act wildly out of character. Why? Because that is what your favorite author does.

"You don't see your favorite author's horrible first drafts. Or horrible second drafts. Or horrible third drafts. For that matter, you don't see their attempted books that never, ever turned out at all. (Some things are just dead ends, even for your favorite author.) No, you only see their final, super-duper-polished work, after they got lots and lots of great feedback.

"Everyone starts with bad writing. Every single writer, every single time - no matter how long they've been doing it. You can't avoid your own bad writing. You can't go around it or over it or under it. You have to go through it. Just get it onto the page or screen. You can always fix it later. Except if you let the bad writing - or the fear of bad writing - stop you from writing. Because you can't fix what isn't there."

Thanks, Troy! 

Related links:

Publisher page about Goldibooks and the Wee Bear

More about Troy Wilson at TroyStory.ca, Twitter and Facebook.

More about Edwardian Taylor at EdwardianTaylor.com, Twitter and Instagram.

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Find more advice for young writers and illustrators from children's book creators.

I’ve always had a soft spot for the IKEA MALM. Its sleek, unfussy look is right up my alley. But for many, the minimalist style can be a bit boring. That’s probably why it’s been the subject of so many hacks over the years. And let me tell you, I’ve seen my fair share. I’ve been collecting IKEA MALM hacks for ages and I thought I’d seen it all. Apothecary style? Check. Chinoiserie? Yup. Vinyl wrap, built-ins, metal accents, even […]

The post How to Give Your MALM Dresser a Rattan Upgrade appeared first on IKEA Hackers.

Commercial software can be expensive. Can you just pirate software if you can't afford it? You can guess my answer, but even better: theft isn't necessary.

Why Can’t the Poor Just Pirate Software? from Ask Leo!.
Get the Confident Computing weekly newsletter: https://newsletter.askleo.com

On this episode of the Arsenal Women Arsecast, Tim is joined by Max Radwan from the Pot Shot Podcast to discuss Arsenal’s Conti Cup Final win over Chelsea. Tim and Max talk about the line up choices, the performances of Victoria Pelova and Emily Fox, match winning moments from Manu Zinsberger and Stina Blackstenius, Emma Hayes’ comments about Jonas Eidevall post-match, the celebratory scenes between the players and supporters and whether this victory can be a launchpad for a better campaign next season.

You can follow Max on Twitter Max_Rads and subscribe to his Arsenal Women newsletter here :: You can follow Tim on Twitter @Stillmanator

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Canadian government on Wednesday ordered ByteDance-owned TikTok to dissolve its operations in the country, citing national security risks, but stopped short of instituting a ban on the popular video-sharing platform. "The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada's security and intelligence community and other

The threat actors behind the AndroxGh0st malware are now exploiting a broader set of security flaws impacting various internet-facing applications, while also deploying the Mozi botnet malware. "This botnet utilizes remote code execution and credential-stealing methods to maintain persistent access, leveraging unpatched vulnerabilities to infiltrate critical infrastructures," CloudSEK said in a

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a new phishing campaign that spreads a new fileless variant of known commercial malware called Remcos RAT. Remcos RAT "provides purchases with a wide range of advanced features to remotely control computers belonging to the buyer," Fortinet FortiGuard Labs researcher Xiaopeng Zhang said in an analysis published last week. "However, threat actors have

Cybersecurity researchers have flagged a new ransomware family called Ymir that was deployed in an attack two days after systems were compromised by a stealer malware called RustyStealer. "Ymir ransomware introduces a unique combination of technical features and tactics that enhance its effectiveness," Russian cybersecurity vendor Kaspersky said. "Threat actors leveraged an unconventional blend

Cybersecurity researchers have disclosed new security flaws impacting Citrix Virtual Apps and Desktop that could be exploited to achieve unauthenticated remote code execution (RCE) The issue, per findings from watchTowr, is rooted in the Session Recording component that allows system administrators to capture user activity, and record keyboard and mouse input, along with a video stream of the

From 1997 to 2012 just 1% of VC funded companies had female founders. Three of those companies were mine. People tell me it’s much better for women now, but statistically, this is BS. I raised money for a startup recently, and here’s what I found works best for female founders: Get a male cofounder. Women raising money without […]

The post How to get funding from deluded, self-congratulating investors appeared first on Penelope Trunk Careers.

The post Soulful Christmas Tree Decorations appeared first on English Russia.

The post Russian Space Corporation Dives Into Fashion appeared first on English Russia.