PMillera4 has added a photo to the pool:

SARAJEVO, 9 June 2016 – The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), in co-operation with the Fojnicani-Maglaj Association, facilitated today a visit to the National Museum of BiH in Sarajevo for 50 students and teachers of Zepce’s Fra Grga Martic and Maglaj primary schools and their branch schools in Bradici and Tujnica.

The aim of the excursion, a rare opportunity for the children to visit the capital, was to promote cultural values and help build a more tolerant and cohesive society in the Maglaj and Zepce municipalities.

During their visit, the students and school principals had the opportunity to meet with Jonathan Moore, Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina. “We should invest more effort in creating opportunities for children to spend time with each other and learn from each other,” said Moore.

“The children visited the Museum, which is always very inspirational for our pupils. They get creative and express their impressions in the classroom through essays and art projects,” said Ivo Bilonic, Principal of Fra Grga Martic primary school from Zepce.

Osman Mujdza, Principal of Maglaj primary school, said: “Our school has had a very successful co-operation with the OSCE Mission to BiH so far. This activity enables the children not only to familiarize themselves with the cultural and historic heritage of BiH but also to forge closer ties among each other.”  

Strengthening multi-ethnic co-operation and tolerance in local communities is an important part of this visit. “We want to contribute to developing a culture of peace and creating better conditions for those living in rural areas,” said Davor Supukovic, member of the Steering Board of the Fojnicani-Maglaj Association.

The visit was organized as part of the OSCE Mission’s efforts to create closer links between schools and local communities through education about the diversity of the peoples, religions and traditions of BiH as a source of respect and pride.

Related Stories

• Visit to Jajce of international community representatives led by OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Political science students discuss youth participation in security policy development at OSCE-supported meeting in Bosnia and Herzegovina
• Special Representative of OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office on Gender Issues Verveer to visit Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1 to 4 July

VIENNA, 13 April 2016 – As Poland takes over the rotating Chairmanship of the OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation (FSC), Under-Secretary of State with the Foreign Ministry Marek Ziółkowski said that one of the main tasks of his country will be to strengthen confidence- and security-building measures by revitalizing the Vienna Document 2011. Moving this process forward and including regional perspectives into the security dialogue with the focus on some areas including the Baltic Sea region, Central and Eastern Europe are the priorities of Poland’s Chairmanship of the FSC.

Opening the 815th meeting of the Forum for Security Co-operation Ziółkowski said: “Poland believes that risk reduction is one of the pillars of the Vienna Document-based co-operation. And nowadays the relevance and usefulness of risk reduction mechanisms are growing.”

He noted in particular the proposal made jointly by Poland and other OSCE participating States to improve co-operation regarding hazardous incidents of a military nature.

Poland’s Chairmanship will put an emphasis on regional perspectives in the security dialogue in the OSCE area. Political-military aspects of security in Georgia and Tajikistan as well as Montenegro’s Demilitarization Programme (MONDEM) will also be topics of discussion.

Regarding the crisis in and around Ukraine, the Under-Secretary of State drew attention to the lack of progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements and further deterioration of the security situation in Donbas. “The OSCE must retain its focus and resolve to facilitate a peaceful and lasting resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. We see room for the FSC to play a more prominent role here. For example, the applicability of the existing set of confidence- and security-building measures could be re-examined and further explored,” Ziółkowski said.

Poland is taking over the Chairmanship of the Forum for Security Co-operation from the Netherlands and preceding Portugal. Ambassador Adam Bugajski of Poland will chair the FSC till the end of the summer recess.

Related Stories

• OSCE confidence- and security-building measures must be adapted to current security challenges, says Polish Foreign Ministry Under-Secretary of State
• Dialogue for enhanced European security in focus at joint session of OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation and Permanent Council
• Greater international efforts needed to address challenges to stable security in Georgia, say participants of OSCE Forum for Security Co-operation

VIENNA, 21 July 2016 – The mass cancellation of broadcasting licenses, criminal investigations against, and dismissal of, hundreds of journalists at the state broadcaster, and blocked websites are the latest, severe challenges to freedom of expression and media freedom in Turkey, Dunja Mijatović, the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, said today.

Fully aligning herself with the statement made by the Chairperson-in-Office and German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, and OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier on 16 July, strongly condemning any attempt to change the democratic order of Turkey through the use of force (statement available at www.osce.org/cio/254431), the Representative said:

“Democratically elected governments must be safeguarded, but they in turn must protect media freedom and support the role journalists play in ensuring and strengthening democracies,” Mijatović said.  “Fully recognizing the difficult times that Turkey is going through, the authorities need to ensure media freedom offline and online in line with their international commitments.”

On 19 July, the Radio and Television Supreme Council of Turkey (RTÜK) cancelled the licenses of radio and television stations that allegedly support the Gulen movement. The following television channels are currently affected: STV, Samanyolu Haber, Samanyolu Haber Radyo, Can Erzincan TV, Kanal 124, Yumurcak TV, Hira TV, MC TV, Dünya TV, Kanal Türk, Bugün TV, Mehtap TV, Berfin FM, Kanal Türk Radyo, Burç FM, Samanyolu Haber Radyosu, Radyo Mehtap, Haber Radyo Ege, Dünya Radyo, Radyo Küre, Merkür TV, Esra Radyo, Tuna Shoping TV, and Radyo Anadolu.

“Using the full force of my mandate, I urge the authorities of Turkey to ensure that pluralistic debate, diverging views and safety of journalists are respected,” Mijatović said, adding that the deteriorating media freedom situation in Turkey have been subject to numerous interventions from her Office in the past few years (available at www.osce.org/fom).

Also on 19 July, the Ankara Public Prosecutor’s Office launched an investigation against 370 staff members of the state broadcaster TRT, for their alleged links to the Gulen movement.  

Further, the Representative expressed concern about the rapidly growing number of blocked websites in Turkey. In the past few days, dozens of websites suspected for endangering national security and public order have been blocked. More than 112.000 websites are reported being blocked in the country today.  

Mijatović noted with deep concern reports about death threats being made in social media against journalists critical to the authorities, and emphasized the importance of journalists’ safety. She also recalled warnings in several major media outlets announcing the possible arrests of members of the media on terrorism charges. She said that Turkey holds more journalists in prison than any other OSCE participating State – a fact her Office continuously raises attention to, by regularly publishing a detailed table on imprisoned journalists.

“Freedom of expression does not stop at views deemed appropriate by the government,” Mijatović said. “It remains the role of journalists to inform people of public issues, including highly sensitive ones, and it remains the role of the authorities to ensure that journalists can do so freely and safely.”

The Representative offered the continued assistance and expertise of her Office to the authorities in Turkey ensuring that media freedom and freedom of expression are protected, even under difficult circumstances.

The OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media observes media developments in all 57 OSCE participating States. She provides early warning on violations of freedom of expression and media freedom and promotes full compliance with OSCE media freedom commitments. Learn more at www.osce.org/fom, Twitter: @OSCE_RFoM and on www.facebook.com/osce.rfom. 

Related Stories

• OSCE Representative welcomes revision of Law of War manual in USA improving protection for journalists
• South Caucasus conference remains an important forum for discussing media freedom challenges in the region, says OSCE Representative
• OSCE Representative condemns murder of journalist Pavel Sheremet in Ukraine

US President-elect Donald Trump has named Elon Musk to a role aimed at creating a more efficient government, handing even more influence to the world’s richest man who donated millions of dollars to helping Trump get elected.

Technology entrepreneur Elon Musk, the founder of Tesla, SpaceX and The Boring Company, gives a rapt audience a preview of gaming in Tesla cars, and described which failure most helped his career. - REUTERS

To prevent the gravest human, ecological and economic toll, it is crucial to cut emissions before it’s too late. Without investing in adaptation measures that fortify nations against the impacts of climate-driven events such as hurricanes and droughts, widespread damage becomes inevitable. The greater the damage, the more it will cost countries to rebuild. Prevention is preferable to cure, but our planet is already ailing. Immediate action is crucial to halt further decline.

Not only is such funding necessary, it is possible. This has been done before: when struck with another crisis, Covid-19, advanced economies marshalled $8tn over the course of just 48 months to support their citizens and businesses. The challenge of the day was met. We must treat climate change with the same urgency.

https://www.politico.eu/article/keep-using-fossil-fuels-hungarys-orban-tells-cop29-climate-summit/ Excerpt: BAKU, Azerbaijan — Let’s continue using oil and gas, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told world leaders at the United Nations climate summit today. “We must continue advancing the green transition while also maintaining our use of natural gas, oil and nuclear energy,” Orbán said. His remarks stand in stark contrast to the […]

James Gunn got his start at Troma, and the skills he acquired there can help make the DC Universe (and future superhero movies in general) a success.

The new Rollins Museum of Art building planned for Winter Park received a $750,000 national grant and approval of the building's design.

Disney World: Getting the new Tron roller coaster online is a matter of timing.

SeaWorld Orlando's Viva la Musica concert lineup include Melina Leon, Jon Secada, Grupo Mania, Rey Ruiz

Alphabeats, pioneers in mental and focus training by fusing music with neurofeedback technology, have teamed up with Muse to bring music-driven mental training to their consumer electroencephalogram (EEG) platform. This partnership lowers the price barrier to a wider spectrum of users, undercutting Alphabeat's current BrainBit headband setup

Requirements for an information service of objects in museums

While Donald Trump has announced a few people who will be part of his new administration, when it comes to Cabinet appointees, things appear to be ramping up fast. Trump has named people to several roles, including chief of staff and border czar, and media reports in the past 24 hours have leaked a number of potential Cabinet appointments–with more to come.

On Monday night, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was expected to name Florida Senator Marco Rubio as his Secretary of State—the first of the 15 Cabinet posts to be filled. And on Tuesday South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was tapped to head Homeland Security. Trump also confirmed that former Rep. Lee Zeldin would be his EPA administrator and that John Ratcliffe, the one-time director of National Intelligence during the final year of Trump’s first term and a former congressman who is unflinchingly loyal to Trump, is his pick to lead the CIA. Trump also surprised many with his pick of Fox News host Pete Hegseth for Defense Secretary.

The job of Cabinet secretaries is to advise the president on issues that are related to their office—and whoever fills those must first be confirmed by the Senate . . . at least, for now. Trump is already calling on the Republican-controlled Senate to change those rules and let him appoint nominees without a Senate vote.

Nominees for Cabinet positions are normally trusted advisors, experts in their field, and sometimes major donors. Tesla CEO and Trump backer Elon Musk also may or may not be involved: He recently put out a call on X saying it “would be interesting to hear recommendations for roles in the new administration for consideration by the President.”

Whether those recommendations will carry any weight is, of course, unknown, but given how close Musk and Trump are now—and Trump’s fondness for social media feedback—it can’t be discounted entirely.

That said, here are some of the leading and potential candidates for select Cabinet posts:

Attorney General

Senator Mike Lee: Considered by some as the leading candidate, the Utah Senator aided efforts to overturn the 2020 election. He has also spread conspiracy theories about the January 6 attack on the Capitol. That’s a big turnaround from 2016, when he did not vote for Trump.

Jeffrey Clark: Known best as the assistant Attorney General who pressured officials in the Justice Department to overturn Trump’s loss in 2020, Clark is currently under indictment in Georgia for his role in that election. Three months ago, a disciplinary committee in Washington, D.C., said Clark should be disbarred for two years for efforts to interfere with election results.

Treasury Secretary

Scott Bessent: The former Soros Fund Management executive (and founder and CEO of Key Square Group) is reportedly Trump’s “go-to economic advisor” and has become the frontrunner in the race for Treasury Secretary after John Paulson removed himself from consideration Tuesday.  He has known the Trump family for decades and is friends with JD Vance. Bessent has expressed concerns about the country’s debt levels and believes the way to correct that is by increasing growth. Asked about a possible Treasury secretary role by CNBC, he said, “I’m going to do whatever Donald Trump asks.”

Howard Lutnick: While Lutnick, who is CEO of investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, might be under consideration, he’s busy right now leading the Trump transition team with Linda McMahon (who was administrator of the Small Business Administration, 2017-2019, during Trump’s first term). Lutnick and Trump have been friends for more than 20 years and he raised or donated more than $75 million for Trump’s reelection bid.

Larry Kudlow: Best known as a Fox Business financial commentator, Kudlow served as director of the National Economic Council during the Trump Administration, 2018-2021. Throughout this election cycle, Kudlow has been a vocal supporter of Trump and his economic policies on Fox.

Wild cards

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: While Kennedy has said Trump “promised” him “control of the public health agencies,” the exact role he will play in the administration (if any) is still very much up in the air. Asked by CNN in August if he would appoint the independent politician to his cabinet, Trump said “he probably would,” but public criticism of Kennedy’s stance on vaccines and water fluoridation has grown considerably since then.

Elon Musk: Musk has stuck close to Trump since the election, even sitting in on a call with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Musk has, however, taken himself out of the running for any Cabinet positions, according to Trump. “He doesn’t want to be in the Cabinet, he just wants to be in charge of cost-cutting. We’ll have a new position, secretary of cost-cutting—Elon wants to do that.” On Tuesday, Trump announced that Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would indeed head a new agency called the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to cut government spending, although a new agency cannot be created without Congress.

Update, November 12, 2024: This article has been updated with Trump’s picks for CIA and Defense Secretary, and announcement about Musk and Ramaswamy.

In the last eight years, my posting habits have become pretty sparse, to say the least. Starting and running a school…it’s a lot. It keeps me busy and thoroughly exhausted. I miss it. I miss the cadence of posting regularly and interacting with my education friends virtually. I miss swapping ideas and being thoroughly steeped...

"I am still alive": Users say T-Mobile must pay for killing "lifetime" price lock arstechnica.com
Fans who use IPTV to illegally stream sport at risk of '10 year prison sentence' as organised crime warning sent sportbible.com
FCC Issues Inquiry Designed to Improve Provider Customer Service telecompetitor.com
AT&T vs. Verizon: Who's leading the convergence race? lightreading.com
Fractured Streaming So Bad Injured NFL Players Turn To Illicit Streams To Watch Their Own Teams techdirt.com
A US federal judge allows 150+ cases from school districts against Meta, Google, and Snap alleging their apps contributed to students' mental health crisis bloomberg.com
read comment(s)

I want these AI-Mushroom Sleeping bags to be a real thing. Please!

President-elect Donald Trump announced Elon Musk will head a new U.S. Department of Government Efficiency ("DOGE").

Philanthropy Must Update Its “This Is Fine” Approach to Technology  Inside Philanthropy

Watch Bitcoin Pulls Back, Other Musk Investments | Bloomberg Technology  Bloomberg

Health Technology and Enterprise Modernization  Maximus

VivaCity’s Anna Keren discusses the tech and capital challenges of the transport-tech scene.

Read more: ‘Tech strategy must evolve as the organisation grows and adapts’

Colorado Custom Metal Inc. was selected as the roofing contractor to reroof the museum with help from S-5! for snow retention.

El multimillonario ha afirmado que este vehículo revolucionará el transporte de personas porque su coste por kilómetro será 20 centavos, una quinta parte del de un autobús público Leer

Las acciones del fabricante de vehículos eléctricos se han revalorizado un 35,1% desde el miércoles, llevando la fortuna de Musk hasta los 320.200 millones de dólares. Leer

     Una de las estrofas de ese himno de la Goliardía, que lo es, urbi et orbi, por antonomasia, reza, en el macarrónico latín que lo caracteriza: Vivant omnes virgines, / fáciles, formosae! / Vivant et mulieres / tenerae, amables, / bonae, laboriose... 

      ¿Mujeres vírgenes, fáciles, guapas, tiernas, amables, bondadosas y trabajadoras? ¡Mirlos blancos, tréboles de siete hojas, tan difíciles hoy de encontrar como los ángeles de la guarda! 

Probablemente se acuerden de los dibujos del periódico danés que enfurecieron a muchos en el mundo musulmán [...] Actualmente hay 16 millones de musulmanes en la Unión Europea viendo como sus hermanos están siendo masacrados en países como Túnez, Egipto, Bahrein y ahora Libia. [...] Así que ¿por que no organizar mainfestaciones contra ellos?

Muchos ejecutivos televisivos ante semejante idea sólo saben decir que no. No hay nadie que la haya visto y no le diga sí. Leer

Carmen Pellicer organiza una red de solidaridad por toda España. "No es fácil sostener la solidaridad en el tiempo", admite Leer

Ocupa el puesto 19 de la clasificación de Helltides, una web que recoge algunas de las mejores puntuaciones. No es la primera vez que el magnate presume de ser un jugador avanzado Leer

Su labor, sin formar parte del Ejecutivo, deberá concluir a más tardar el 4 de julio de 2026, en el 250 aniversario de la fundación de EEUU Leer

Un grupo de científicos anuncia un estudio de ADN de las pruebas de la existencia del Yeti. Sólo hay un problema: el hombre de las nieves es una leyenda.

No veo la necesidad de mantener un programa que no ha brindado ningún beneficio. Más valdría dedicar el dinero a mejorar la Educación.

[Nile Post] The First Lady and Minister of Education and Sports is set to grace the first-ever Ugandan National STEM Education and Vex Robotics Championship.

[Capital FM] Nairobi -- Passengers entering Kenya will soon be required to declare their mobile phones, including their International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers, as part of a new compliance measure by the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA).

“Instant gratification” isn’t a phrase typically associated with Bollywood’s methodical star Ayushmann Khurrana — except when he’s talking about live performance. Speaking with Variety ahead of his November U.S. tour with band Ayushmann Bhava, the actor-singer opens up about his return to American stages after an eight-year hiatus. “As an artiste, I always look forward […]

President-elect Donald Trump assigned Elon Musk on Tuesday to “dismantle” the U.S. bureaucracy, and named a longtime Fox News host, Pete Hegseth, to lead the Pentagon. Musk, the billionaire CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, had offered himself during the campaign as someone who could cut waste out of the federal budget. In late October, he […]

Air freight will play a pivotal role in achieving Britain’s future trading ambitions post-Brexit, according to FTA, so it must be placed front and centre of the government’s aviation strategy. Responding to the consultation, Aviation 2050 — the future of UK aviation, FTA is calling for a dedicated freight chapter in the White Paper; the government must set out a clear and ambitious vision for air freight.

Ireland’s food retail and wholesale company, Musgrave, went operational at the end of last year with an integrated warehouse solution from Vanderlande, which includes the ADAPTO shuttle-based automated storage and retrieval system (AS/RS). The solution has been installed in Musgrave’s facility in west Dublin to support the company’s future growth ambitions and the need to manage labour scarcity issues.

The debt ceiling deal has come with just days to spare before a potential first-ever government default. On Sunday, President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a final agreement and they are urging Congress to quickly pass it. Biden pronounced the development “good news” in remarks at the White House announcing the agreement. This followed a tentative compromise announced late Saturday. The deal risks angering some Democratic and Republican lawmakers as they begin to unpack the concessions, which include spending cuts. McCarthy and Biden spoke Sunday evening as negotiators drafted legislative text. They face a June 5 deadline when Treasury says the U.S. would risk a debt default.

The post Biden and McCarthy reach a final deal to avoid US default and now must sell it to Congress first appeared on Federal News Network.

Dana Laake and her special guest Michael S. Tyrrell will discuss the benefits of therapeutic music for healthy sleep. Michael S. Tyrrell has dedicated over 4 decades to the study of music. Michael discovered specific…

The post Benefits of Therapeutic Music for Healthy Sleep first appeared on Federal News Network.

In a park amid Manhattan skyscrapers, a gem has emerged: a posh public bathroom complete with fresh flowers, imported tiles, classical music and artwork

The post No dump here: Posh public bathroom pops up, with music, art first appeared on Federal News Network.

The Smithsonian said in a statement that its “top priority is to protect the health and safety of its visitors and staff.” No reopening date is scheduled.

The post Smithsonian closing museums and zoo again amid virus spike first appeared on Federal News Network.

Europe must back Biden in suspending patents for COVID-19 vaccines | View

Meteorite that crashed into English driveway is now at London's Natural History Museum

Tesla shares leap as Trump win sets stage for Musk's EV business

Elon Musk joining Trump's team would not impact EU Commission's X probes

Musk's backing of Trump sees Tesla's value rise above the trillion dollar mark

Burundi’s musical greeting akazehe tries to resist modernisation