ev Ex-Mets reliever Turk Wendell enjoying the good life on his Iowa farm: ‘I’ve kind of been quarantined my whole life in the offseason’ By www.nydailynews.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 17:57:39 +0000 At first, it was hard to hear what Turk Wendell was saying from atop his tractor. Full Article
ev Ex-Mets reliever Turk Wendell enjoying the good life on his Iowa farm: ‘I’ve kind of been quarantined my whole life in the offseason’ By www.nydailynews.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 17:57:39 +0000 At first, it was hard to hear what Turk Wendell was saying from atop his tractor. Full Article
ev Domino’s deliveryman says he’s forever scarred after being robbed of e-bike in Manhattan: ‘You remember something like this for the rest of your life’ By www.nydailynews.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 21:16:36 +0000 Edwin Cabrera, a father of two, was unlocking his e-bike after dropping off a pizza on Fort George Hill near Fairview Ave. on May 3 when two suspects jumped out of the shadows and attacked him around 9 p.m. Full Article
ev Summer 2020: quarantine move will trigger 'bank holiday traffic every day' as prices soar above £2k for a week at Center Parcs By www.independent.co.uk Published On :: 2020-05-09T17:20:00Z Exclusive: 'As well as staggered working hours we need to stagger holidays,' says AA president Edmund King Full Article
ev Updated: Unilever recalls Wall’s Mini Calippo multi-packs because they may contain small pieces of metal By www.food.gov.uk Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 00:00:00 +0100 Unilever is recalling Wall’s Mini Calippo (Orange and Lemon-Lime) multi-packs because they may contain small pieces of metal. The presence of metal makes this product unsafe to eat. Full Article
ev Tracking every case of COVID-19 in Canada By www.ctvnews.ca Published On :: Fri, 13 Mar 2020 12:17:00 -0600 Visit CTVNews.ca for an interactive record of the COVID-19 outbreak in Canada. Full Article
ev Coronavírus avança mais rápido em cidades pequenas, mostra levantamento By www.bbc.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 17:59:16 GMT Estudo da Fiocruz aponta aumento em torno 50% de novos casos nos municípios com até 20 mil habitantes nas duas últimas semanas. Full Article
ev Purdue basketball enters July evaluation period with 2019 recruiting foundation in place By rssfeeds.indystar.com Published On :: Wed, 11 Jul 2018 17:58:30 +0000 Purdue coach Matt Painter and staff will explore the July evaluation period over the next three weeks. But the recruiting foundation for 2019 is set. Full Article
ev For IMS, Brickyard weekend means several contingencies, but focus is 'May in August' for Indy 500 By rssfeeds.indystar.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 19:39:38 +0000 Decision makers at Penske Entertainment are beginning to chart the course for a historic summer of racing at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Full Article
ev Man Sues Teenager's 'Crew of Evil Computer Geniuses' Over Crypto Heist By rss.slashdot.org Published On :: 2020-05-09T22:37:00+00:00 Cryptocurrency investor Michael Terpin sued AT&T over a SIM card attack in 2018 that lost him control over $23 million. Now Bloomberg reports that he's suing the "15-year-old hacker and his crew of 'evil computer geniuses'" behind the attack. (Alternate source) Terpin, the founder and chief executive officer of blockchain advisory firm Transform Group, is suing Ellis Pinsky, now 18, for $71 million under a federal racketeering law that allows for triple damages. "Pinsky and his other cohorts are in fact evil computer geniuses with sociopathic traits who heartlessly ruin their innocent victims' lives and gleefully boast of their multi-million-dollar heists," Terpin said in his complaint filed Thursday in federal court in Manhattan. Pinsky, of Irvington, New York, couldn't be reached for comment.... According to Terpin. Pinsky's ring identifies people with large cryptocurrency holdings and gains control of their phones by bribing or fooling employees of their wireless carriers. The hackers are then able to intercept authentication messages, gain information and drain the victims' cryptocurrency accounts. Pinsky has boasted to friends that, starting at age 13, he stole more than $100 million worth of cryptocurrency, hundreds of thousands of dollars of which has been converted into cash stored in his bedroom, the lawsuit alleges. Terpin also claims that, after confronting Pinsky about his alleged role in the theft, the teenager sent him cryptocurrency, cash and a watch with a combined value of $2 million. He claims this was an admission by Pinsky that he had stolen from Terpin. Read more of this story at Slashdot. Full Article
ev Messi or Ronaldo? Your best Ballon d'Or winner of Premier League era revealed By www.bbc.co.uk Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 06:55:34 GMT In the latest MOTD podcast the experts discussed the top 10 Ballon d'Or winners of the Premier League era - and here's how you ranked them. Full Article
ev Match of Their Day: Phil Neville picks his classic games By www.bbc.co.uk Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 06:58:00 GMT In this week's Match of Their Day, former Manchester United and Everton player Phil Neville selects his three favourite Premier League games. Full Article
ev Newcastle Utd: How Kevin Keegan's 'Entertainers' fell agonisingly short of glory By www.bbc.co.uk Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 06:56:01 GMT A classic rant, touchline despair and ultimate failure but mixed in with breathtaking attacking play - Kevin Keegan took Newcastle on a thrilling rollercoaster ride. Full Article
ev Newcastle takeover: Moral values should prevail, Khashoggi's fiancee says By www.bbc.co.uk Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 23:01:47 GMT The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi says Newcastle United and the Premier League must put moral values ahead of financial gains. Full Article
ev The Tech Stuff You Use Everyday is Dirtier Than You Think! By labnol.tumblr.com Published On :: Sun, 27 Nov 2011 17:22:35 +0530 The Tech Stuff You Use Everyday is Dirtier Than You Think! Full Article
ev The Tech Stuff You Use Everyday is Dirtier Than You Think! By labnol.tumblr.com Published On :: Mon, 28 Nov 2011 09:44:45 +0530 The Tech Stuff You Use Everyday is Dirtier Than You Think! Full Article
ev Match of Their Day: Phil Neville picks his classic games By www.bbc.co.uk Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 06:58:00 GMT In this week's Match of Their Day, former Manchester United and Everton player Phil Neville selects his three favourite Premier League games. Full Article
ev 'Moral values should prevail on Newcastle takeover' By www.bbc.co.uk Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 23:01:47 GMT The fiancee of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi says Newcastle United and the Premier League must put moral values ahead of financial gains. Full Article
ev Where to Ski In Every State and 16 Ski Vacations Near Big U.S. Cities By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 05 Dec 2013 11:29:00 EST Filed under: Skiing, North America, United StatesSquaw Valley The period after Thanksgiving isn't just the start of the holiday shopping season, it's typically the start of the ski season as well. To that end, AOL Travel has posted these two guides to ski vacations: 16 Easy Ski Vacation Ideas from U.S. Cities 50 Ways to Ski in 50 States Now you'll be able to cross off Ski in Alabama on your bucket list.Where to Ski In Every State and 16 Ski Vacations Near Big U.S. Cities originally appeared on Gadling on Thu, 05 Dec 2013 11:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Full Article Skiing Weekend Getaways
ev London, Rome, Paris Top TripAdvisor's Most-Reviewed Cities List By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:11:00 EST Filed under: Europe, North America, France, United Kingdom, United States Alamy The litany of year-end travel-related lists continues. Today, it's TripAdvisor, which unveiled its most reviewed cities. Leading the way: London, Rome and Paris, according to the Telegraph. The top U.S city was New York, which ranked fourth overall -- a stunning blow for American exceptionalism.Continue reading London, Rome, Paris Top TripAdvisor's Most-Reviewed Cities ListLondon, Rome, Paris Top TripAdvisor's Most-Reviewed Cities List originally appeared on Gadling on Tue, 17 Dec 2013 14:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments Full Article Las Vegas London New York New York City Paris Rome The Telgraph TripAdvisor
ev The top 7 movies on Netflix this week, from 'Den of Thieves' to 'Dangerous Lies' By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 13:54:00 -0400 This week's most popular movies on Netflix include its original thriller "Dangerous Lies" and "Den of Thieves." Netflix introduced daily top lists of the most popular titles on the service in February. Streaming search engine Reelgood keeps track of the lists and provides Business Insider with a rundown of the week's most popular movies on Netflix every Friday. Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories. The Netflix action movie "Extraction" is pacing to be the streaming giant's biggest movie premiere ever, but it was dethroned this week as the service's most popular movie. Another Netflix original, "Dangerous Lies," stole the crown. Netflix introduced daily top 10 lists of its most viewed movies and TV shows in February (it counts a view if an account watches at least two minutes of a title). Every week, the streaming search engine Reelgood compiles for Business Insider a list of which movies have been most prominent on Netflix's daily lists that week. On Reelgood, users can browse Netflix's entire movie library and sort by IMDb or Rotten Tomatoes ratings. This week's list also includes "Den of Thieves," another movie starring Gerard Butler after his "Angel Has Fallen" enjoyed a few weeks on the list. But the real winner this week is Netflix itself, as five of the seven movies on the list are Netflix originals. Below are Netflix's 7 most popular movies of the week in the US: SEE ALSO: Insiders say major questions hang over DC Universe as its parent company prepares to launch Netflix rival HBO Max 7. "The Willoughbys" (2020 — Netflix original) Netflix description: "Four siblings with horribly selfish parents hatch a plan to get rid of them for good and form a perfectly imperfect family of their own." Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89% What critics said: "Though the film-makers are indebted to Edward Gorey and Lemony Snicket — and pay musical homage to Mark Mothersbaugh's work on The Royal Tenenbaums — they find their own voice, when it counts." — London Evening Standard 6. "Murder to Mercy: The Cyntoia Brown Story" (2020 — Netflix original) Netflix description: "After 16-year-old Cyntoia Brown is sentenced to life in prison, questions about her past, physiology and the law itself call her guilt into question." Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 75% What critics said: "A moving reflection of what criminal justice reform means in personal terms." — New York Times 5. "Arctic Dogs" (2019) Netflix description: "When he stumbles upon evil Otto Von Walrus's scheme to melt the Arctic, ambitious delivery fox Swifty assembles a ragtag crew to protect the planet." Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 13% What critics said: "There's really not much to recommend about this film: the animation lacks texture, the score is overwrought, the plotting is scattershot, and the character design is uninspired." — AV Club 4. "Den of Thieves" (2018) Netflix description: "A highly skilled crew of bank robbers plotting a heist at the supposedly impenetrable Federal Reserve faces off against an elite unit of L.A. cops." Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 41% What critics said: "It often resembles a men's rights bonding weekend more than it does a movie." — Guardian 3. "Extraction" (2020 — Netflix original) Netflix description: "A hardened mercenary's mission becomes a soul-searching race to survive when he's sent into Bangladesh to rescue a drug lord's kidnapped son." Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 68% What critics said: "Illustrates an important principle in escapist entertainment: you don't have to one-up your predecessors. Sometimes, it's enough to replicate what made them successful." — Newsday 2. "All Day and a Night" (2020 — Netflix original) Netflix description: "While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime." Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 56% What critics said: "'All Day and a Night' lingers and sometimes meanders in that gray zone, where the story can accrue texture and feeling and emerge as more than the sum of its plot mechanics." — Los Angeles Times 1. "Dangerous Lies" (2020 — Netflix original) Netflix description: "A broke caregiver unexpectedly inherits her patient's estate, but dark secrets swirl around her newfound wealth, tangling her in deceit and danger." Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 39% What critics said: "Looks like it cost the amount of your monthly Netflix subscription and is as satisfying to watch as it is paying that particular bill." — Globe and Mail Full Article
ev News24.com | Adriaan Basson: The revolution inside and hope's enduring ambition By www.news24.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 15:46:48 +0200 We reassessed our hierarchy of needs, and survival always outweighs the rest. To be blunt, we would rather have load shedding than risk dying, writes Adriaan Basson. Full Article
ev Special event helps children of single mom's show their appreciation By edmonton.ctvnews.ca Published On :: Sat, 9 May 2020 18:23:00 -0600 Some kids took advantage of the opportunity to show their appreciation for their moms on Saturday afternoon at the Love You Mama event. Full Article
ev Sport24.co.za | PGA event to use radio frequency identification chips to track fans By www.sport24.co.za Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 07:09:00 +0200 The PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament will use radio frequency identification chips in spectator badges to ensure fans maintain social distance. Full Article
ev Sport24.co.za | UFC: Justin Gaethje scores surprise victory at fan-free event By www.sport24.co.za Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 10:07:00 +0200 American Justin Gaethje scored a surprise technical knockout victory over Tony Ferguson to win the interim lightweight title at UFC 249. Full Article
ev Every country in the United Nations agreed to a global ceasefire during the pandemic — except the United States By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 11:34:26 PDT After six weeks of negotiating, the UN Security Council was close to agreeing on a resolution for a global ceasefire during the Covid-19 pandemic. Seems fair, right? Let's agree to stop killing each other for a while, so we can focus on the virus that's killing us instead? China proposed that the text explicitly mention a commitment by member nations to support the efforts of the World Health Organization — who Donald Trump has blamed (without evidence) for withholding information on the coronavirus outbreak. So the US looked at the resolution and said "LOL no," despite last minute efforts to reach a compromise. As The Guardian reports: On Thursday night, French diplomats thought they had engineered a compromise in which the resolution would mention UN “specialized health agencies” (an indirect, if clear, reference to the WHO). The Russian mission signaled that it wanted a clause calling for the lifting of sanctions that affected the delivery of medical supplies, a reference to US punitive measures imposed on Iran and Venezuela. However, most security council diplomats believed Moscow would withdraw the objection or abstain in a vote rather than risk isolation as the sole veto on the ceasefire resolution. While everyone else seemed game to go along with these compromises, the US insisted it was one big Chinese trick. As one diplomat told CNN: "This discussion has been taken hostage by issues that do not have to do with the real issues at stake. Instead it has been transformed into a fight between the US and China. Read the rest Full Article Post ceasefire coronavirus COVID-19 donald trump has tiny hands and a tiny ego global resolution pandemic un security council United Nations war
ev Mark Levin on Michael Flynn Bombshell Documents: This Is “Barack Obama’s Blue Dress” Without The DNA By 100percentfedup.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 18:01:57 +0000 The following article, Mark Levin on Michael Flynn Bombshell Documents: This Is “Barack Obama’s Blue Dress” Without The DNA, was first published on 100PercentFedUp.com. Mark Levin nailed the importance of the newly released documents that cleared Michael Flynn and pinned Obama to the wall. He says that the documents are “Barack Obama’s Blue Dress” without the “DNA” alluding to the blue dress from Monica Lewinsky that proved Bill Clinton’s guilt. Levin begins by praising AG Bill Barr and then […] Continue reading: Mark Levin on Michael Flynn Bombshell Documents: This Is “Barack Obama’s Blue Dress” Without The DNA ... Full Article Breaking Featured Politics
ev Putin Has Suffered a Severe Blow By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 06 Mar 2014 15:54:59 +0000 6 March 2014 Professor Marie Mendras Former Associate Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme With his swift seizure of Crimea, Vladimir Putin looked to be playing a strong hand in the stand-off over Ukraine’s future. But recent events have shown the brittleness of his power in the face of international condemnation and the calm determination of Ukrainians. 20140306putinsad.jpg Russia's President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Community 29 April 2014, Minsk, Belarus. Photo by Sasha Mordovets/Getty Images. On 3 March, 14 members of the UN Security Council denounced the 15th member, Russia, in unprecedentedly strong terms for the violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and use of military intimidation. Even China followed suit.The Russian ambassador, Vitaly Churkin, who is used to getting his way in the Security Council, was dumbfounded. With surprising confidence, Churkin had asked for the emergency discussion over Ukraine. Each of his arguments was swiftly dismissed as inacceptable with regard to international law, or in bad faith. He got his way with a shameful nyet to Security Council resolutions on Syria, but not here.The Russian state has been facing growing criticism from many governments and multilateral organizations since it launched an armed incursion into Crimea. NATO, the OSCE, the EU and the Council of Europe have condemned Russia’s resort to military force in Crimea. Sanctions are being discussed very seriously. And the economic and financial backlash is hurting the Russian currency, treasury and major corporations. The Kremlin has stumbled on international legal norms, which it wrongly believed it could interpret in its own free manner, with the support of China.On 4 March, President Putin chose to express himself on Ukraine, at last. He looked nervous even though he was addressing a small and carefully selected group of young journalists for a ‘discussion-like press conference’. He told an odd story of the war he had threatened everyone with, but had never intended to wage. He repeated arguments that Churkin had already lost in New York the day before. And, with his never-abating desire to rewrite recent history, he condemned both Ukraine’s independence and the Orange Revolution of 2004.He kept changing his mind about deposed Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich’s position. He first said that Yanukovich was ‘politically dead’, but later justified Russian military ‘protection’ of Crimea’s population with Yanukovich’s supposed written request to Moscow on 1 March. Such a pretext is less convincing to the US and Europe by the day, just like Yanukovych’s use of a hastily passed anti-terrorism law to attempt to justify his order to shoot at civilian protesters on the Maidan. Today, Yanukovich is a former despot on the run. The Kremlin’s propaganda has backfired.Negotiation is now beginning to reassert itself over confrontation. The Russian and Ukrainian governments have just renewed a fragile communication line. Kyiv and Simferopol are setting up a commission to discuss a common strategy out of the military standoff, and the status of the autonomous republic of Crimea in the Ukrainian state. The war scare is not quite over, but it now looks clear that Moscow bears the responsibility for raising the stakes all the way to the brink of armed struggle, with civilians as potential victims. Most powers, together with international organizations, agree that Russia’s behaviour has been dangerous and that the new interim Ukrainian government is legitimate.The priority, now that armed violence is abating, is quick and robust support to the Ukrainian economy and society. And, as a necessary corollary, Western governments will have to devote time to helping the Russian president save face and stay quiet behind the Kremlin walls.To comment on this article, please contact Chatham House Feedback Full Article
ev Furthering Commitment to Africa: The US-Africa Leaders Summit in Review By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 02 Sep 2014 17:00:02 +0000 Invitation Only Research Event 8 September 2014 - 11:00am to 12:00pm Chatham House, London Transcriptpdf | 57.43 KB Event participants Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield, Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, US Department of StateChair: Dame Rosalind Marsden, Associate Fellow, Africa Programme, Chatham House Africa is now recognized for its vast potential as well as its political influence in international fora, and there has been a growing number of Africa-focused summits, with China, India, the European Union, South Korea and Turkey all hosting such events in recent years. The US has in the past given precedence to bilateral engagements in support of its ‘four pillars’ approach to implementing its Africa strategy. The first US-Africa Leaders’ Summit, held in August, marked a shift towards a complementary continent-wide engagement. At this roundtable, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield will discuss US policy and priorities in Africa and the significance of the summit for enhanced US-Africa relations.Attendance at this event is by invitation only. Department/project Africa Programme, Foreign Relations and Africa’s Agency in the International System Christopher Vandome Research Fellow, Africa Programme +44 (0) 20 7314 3669 Email Full Article
ev Xi Jinping and the Umbrella Revolution in Hong Kong By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 29 Oct 2014 11:49:02 +0000 29 October 2014 Professor Kerry Brown Associate Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme @Bkerrychina LinkedIn Google Scholar The recent protests in Hong Kong shed remarkably little light into the real soul of the current Chinese leaders. 20141029XiHongKong.jpg A child walks before a portrait of China's president Xi Jinping on a barricade outside the entrance to a road occupied by protesters in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong on 12 October 2014. Photo by Getty Images. The umbrella revolution in Hong Kong, precipitated by the announcement of the decision on how to hold the 2017 elections for chief executive in September, has now sprung several leaks. The passion of the initial protests which convulsed the centre of the city, and which even heavy downpours of rain could not dampen, has evaporated. Street protests only get you so far. The activists have to engage now in the delicate art of politics and compromise. This is where either the real achievements are gained or everything is lost. Street protests belong to the world of theatre. They only make a difference if they give impetus and energy to what happens afterwards, in the establishment of long term arrangements and real outcomes.The political vision of the leadership in Beijing about the Hong Kong issue is pretty clear. The idea that China talked about 'One country, two systems' on the basis of each part of this balanced clause having equal weight is now over. It was an illusion. In fact, for the Beijing leadership, there was only ever one important part of that four word phrase – the first two words. 'One country' trumps everything. And the preservation of their idea of that one country and its best future is key. A Hong Kong which would be able to march off with a political system increasingly at odds with that presiding just over the border was never on the cards.Now both the Hong Kongese democrats, and the outside world, are relieved of their illusions, how best to deliver a future for Hong Kong in an age when the airy empty promises of its old colonial masters, the British, are no longer relevant. First of all, there has to be a shift in thinking. Like it or not, Hong Kong figures as a province in the thinking of Beijing leaders around Xi Jinping – a special province, one that has a unique status, and significant value for them, but a province all the same. In that context, it lines up with all the other issues and problems they have to deal with, from restive western provinces to fractious and demanding central ones, to placating the demands for more freedom and space of boom towns like Shanghai or Guangzhou. Hong Kongese have to think about how they relate to all these domestic issues, and pragmatically accept that they are irrevocably tied to a system that has to handle these – its success or failure in the management of this is also their success or failure. Hong Kongese have a vested interest in the Beijing government. They have to start thinking of far smarter ways of being allies in this, rather than camping outside of it and resting on loud declarations of their privileges. A sense of entitlement inherited from the British will get them no traction in China anymore, where there are far larger priorities and battles going on.Current Chief Executive C Y Leung has been a failure in almost every respect. He has proven poor at promoting Hong Kong’s interests in Beijing, the one place where he needs to deliver – and even poorer at delivering palatable messages back in Hong Kong. That Hong Kongese at least have some form of representation in 2017 is not much, but at least it is something. A good politician could have made something of this, messaged it differently, and used it as a basis on which to build. But Leung simply wasn’t up to this. It is hard to see him having a political life after 2017. In many ways, he is already finished.For the protestors, they now need to think deeply about their future strategy. They have made their point, and at least proved that the myth of Hong Kong’s apolitical population can be safely consigned to a trash can. Having politicized the city, they now need to argue, mobilize and build constituencies to support developments beyond 2017. Business is important here – the one constituency the Beijing leadership probably listen to and take seriously – so having an engagement strategy with them is crucial. Framing a demand for better quality leadership in the future is all-important here, because business, political and social constituencies all want to see this. If the Xi leadership in Beijing insists on a system where only two or three people can go through and then be voted on by the electorate, then the protesters at least have the negotiation space to demand far better quality candidates than the ones that have led the city since 1997 and its reversion to Chinese sovereignty. All three of the chief executives so far have been disappointments. Hong Kong now has the right to ask for a better deal, and insist that the people put forward are at least up to the job asked of them – something that the current incumbent evidently is not.Does all this prove that Xi Jinping is a strong, forceful leader? Perhaps. Perhaps not. One could argue that a really strong leader would have had the courage and vision to let Hong Kong adopt a more open system in elections after 2017, and the confidence not to fear kickback from this into the mainland. What it does show is that, underneath all the heat and noise, Xi is as risk averse as his predecessor Hu Jintao, and has taken, at least domestically, a very safe option. If he had gone to Hong Kong and dared to explain directly to the people there what the Beijing government’s thinking was on this issue, that would have been even more impressive. At most, we can conclude that the Xi leadership is not radically different from their predecessors, but just aware of a vast menu of challenges they need to face domestically, of which Hong Kong is one of the least important. Beyond that, recent events over Hong Kong have shed little light into the real soul of the current Chinese leaders. At most it has proved what has long been known: that if you really want to see what they believe and what they want, then you cannot do that from Hong Kong but have to look at what they do over the border. In that sense, and only that sense, Hong Kong continues to occupy a unique position as the last place in China where its leaders can truly be themselves.This article was originally published by IB Tauris.To comment on this article, please contact Chatham House Feedback Full Article
ev Turkey’s Post-Coup Reverberations Are Just Beginning By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 21 Jul 2016 11:50:21 +0000 21 July 2016 Fadi Hakura Consulting Fellow, Europe Programme LinkedIn President Erdogan’s harsh crackdown is causing severe damage to the country’s political and social fabric. 2016-07-21-Erdogan.jpg People wave Turkish flags in front of a billboard displaying the face of Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a rally in Ankara on 17 July 2016 in Ankara. Photo by Getty Images. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has responded with an iron fist to last Friday’s failed military coup attempt in Turkey by detaining, dismissing or suspending, so far, 60,000 military officers, police and intelligence officials, judges, teachers, academics and civil servants, and imposing a widespread travel ban and a three-month state of emergency. He is vowing to reintroduce the death penalty, abolished in 2004 as part of reforms required for opening EU accession negotiations.This uncompromising approach in the post-coup period will have profound negative implications on Turkey’s domestic politics, security and foreign policy in the foreseeable future to the detriment of its stability and prosperity.Fractured politicsErdogan’s indifference to the unprecedented political unity against the coup is, regretfully, a missed opportunity to dilute the deepening polarization and divisiveness bedeviling Turkish politics. His determination to use the putsch to consolidate political power in the presidency and to erode or eliminate the secular character of the Turkish state by means of a new constitution will widen the ideological and ethnic divide between, respectively, secular and conservative Turks and Turks and Kurds. Just a few months ago, Ismail Kahramam, speaker of the Turkish parliament and Erdogan ally, exhorted that ‘secularism cannot feature in the new [religious] constitution’.His policies and rhetoric, in other words, will undermine even more the almost imperceptible presence of ‘interpersonal trust’ in Turkish society - the willingness of one party to rely on the actions of another party – seen as incongruent with a robust polity and cohesive society. According to a 2010 OECD survey Turkey’s levels of interpersonal trust are considerably lower than OECD averages and it stands out among the 20 surveyed countries as the only one where higher educational attainment correlates with lower feelings of trust. That posture can only breed even more discord and mistrust between the different segments of the Turkish electorate and entrench personality-based and top-down politics, the root cause of political turmoil in Turkey.Diminished state capacityTurkey’s NATO partners fear that the purges of experienced military and security personnel have the potential to diminish its capability to thwart the threat posed by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) and other militant groups and to better manage its long and porous borders with Syria and Iraq. Thus far, Turkish authorities have incarcerated nearly one-third of Turkey’s senior military commanders and more than 7,000 police and intelligence officials. This constitutes a major loss of expertise and institutional memory at a time of heightening security challenges. After all, Turkey witnessed 14 bomb attacks over the last year, many of them carried out by ISIS or the separatist Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).Similarly, the removal of tens of thousands of school teachers, both in private and state schools, university academics and education ministry officials will severely disrupt the provision of adequate educational services to enable future generations to succeed in an increasingly complex global economic environment. This ‘cleansing’ operation did not spare even the elite and renowned state and private universities considered bastions of liberalism and cosmopolitan values in Turkey.In all probability, the government’s replacements of key staff with less qualified loyalists will rupture the institutional integrity and professionalism of the military establishment and the state institutions. Such a hollowing out process was already underway prior to the coup but post-coup decision-making has greatly accelerated the speed. Sadly, under the best case scenario, it will take Turkey years, if not decades, to restore a modicum of rule of law and public services’ delivery at pre-coup standards to which the Turkish citizenry have been accustomed.Foreign policy challengesErdogan’s endorsement of the death penalty might signal the end of Turkey’s (already nearly non-existent) EU accession prospects and a more troubled relationship with Europe and the US. He was, before the coup, a prickly and challenging partner for the US and NATO to handle, a recalcitrant member of the US-led anti-ISIS coalition and vociferously against the US cooperation with PKK-affiliated Syrian Kurdish fighters targeting ISIS in northern Syria. After the coup, he will probably become more disagreeable to US and European foreign policy and security objectives.His disagreeability will probably extend to Turkey’s deal with the EU to stem the flow of Syrian migrants across the Aegean Sea and Greece into mainland Europe, which looks increasingly unsustainable. A pugnacious Erdogan may utilize the forthcoming EU refusal to abolish visas for Turkish travellers to the Schengen borderless zone by end-October to wring out more concessions from an Erdogan-sceptical Europe. Despite their exasperation, they should decipher from his rapprochement with Israel and Russia that he tends to compromise with muscular diplomacy as opposed to diplomatic niceties. Turkey will be so convulsed and self-absorbed by internal political machinations and its security and military capabilities so compromised that it cannot afford to deploy sizeable assets to promote regime change in Damascus. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his Russian and Iranian backers are, naturally, the prime beneficiaries while the armed largely Sunni opposition are the biggest losers. Arguably, Assad must now feel very secure in power and confident that he will enlarge his territorial acquisitions at the expense of the Sunni groups. Equally, the Syrian Kurds will seek to strengthen and, perhaps, extend the quasi-autonomous zone along the Turkey−Syria border commensurate with Turkey’s declining influence in the Syrian quagmire.Europe’s lessonTurkey is a bitter testimony to the ill-effects of sacrificing progressive values to political expediency, fear and interests. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French president Nicolas Sarkozy demonstrated a lack of strategic foresight by stymying Turkey’s desire to join the EU in 2005. Had the EU engaged Turkey in a credible accession process, however arduous it may have been, the coup would probably have never occurred. Turkish political leaders would have been forced to implement deeper and wider reforms to strengthen democracy, secularism, human rights and a functioning market economy. Instead, Europe is reaping what it sowed: a coup-rattled and more unstable Turkey on its doorstep.To comment on this article, please contact Chatham House Feedback Full Article
ev Review article: Understanding change and continuity in India’s foreign policy By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 06 Jan 2017 10:22:18 +0000 6 January 2017 , Volume 93, Number 1 Aseema Sinha The field of Indian foreign policy is rich and wide ranging, offering new empirical material across a broad array of topics and relationships. This article reviews three recent books on the subject, with an eye towards evaluating change amid continuity in the pursuit of Indian foreign policy. This scholarship calls out for a new paradigm to understand India’s changing position and actions at global, regional and domestic levels. I argue that Indian foreign policy can and should be seen through the prism of an open border, interdependence framework, wherein both the domestic and global levels are analysed in a linked manner. While the literature surveyed here does not yet offer a new paradigm, some common findings suggest the need for new approaches. We also need to find and use new sources of data and seek ways to measure institutional effects in foreign policy. The task of measurement and theoretical modelling is made more challenging by the need to theorize the linkages across levels and to measure foreign policy variables in different countries simultaneously. Related documents INTA93_1_11_Sinha.pdfpdf | 80.92 KB Full Article
ev What is your favorite movie ever ? By forums.digitalpoint.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 19:14:00 +0000 Full Article
ev My Lead Gen Secret review needed By forums.digitalpoint.com Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 07:47:34 +0000 Full Article
ev Don't even think of it By www.flickr.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 22:49:17 -0700 captain_j03 posted a photo: Wish me a happy mother's day and I'll slit your guts like a ripe melon. My mood is not the best today - my sister woke me at 6 AM for said reason. On a sunday. And guess what - I am not even a mother. Toy Project Day 1746 Full Article
ev Roosevelt the Snailien By www.flickr.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 23:46:26 -0700 ridureyu1 posted a photo: Wearing only the best hi-tech snail shell! Full Article
ev Roosevelt By www.flickr.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 23:46:26 -0700 ridureyu1 posted a photo: Too bad he's named after FDR and not Teddy. Full Article
ev Development of a novel {beta}-1,6-glucan-specific detection system using functionally-modified recombinant endo-{beta}-1,6-glucanase [Methods and Resources] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-04-17T00:06:05-07:00 β-1,3-d-Glucan is a ubiquitous glucose polymer produced by plants, bacteria, and most fungi. It has been used as a diagnostic tool in patients with invasive mycoses via a highly-sensitive reagent consisting of the blood coagulation system of horseshoe crab. However, no method is currently available for measuring β-1,6-glucan, another primary β-glucan structure of fungal polysaccharides. Herein, we describe the development of an economical and highly-sensitive and specific assay for β-1,6-glucan using a modified recombinant endo-β-1,6-glucanase having diminished glucan hydrolase activity. The purified β-1,6-glucanase derivative bound to the β-1,6-glucan pustulan with a KD of 16.4 nm. We validated the specificity of this β-1,6-glucan probe by demonstrating its ability to detect cell wall β-1,6-glucan from both yeast and hyphal forms of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Candida albicans, without any detectable binding to glucan lacking the long β-1,6-glucan branch. We developed a sandwich ELISA-like assay with a low limit of quantification for pustulan (1.5 pg/ml), and we successfully employed this assay in the quantification of extracellular β-1,6-glucan released by >250 patient-derived strains of different Candida species (including Candida auris) in culture supernatant in vitro. We also used this assay to measure β-1,6-glucan in vivo in the serum and in several organs in a mouse model of systemic candidiasis. Our work describes a reliable method for β-1,6-glucan detection, which may prove useful for the diagnosis of invasive fungal infections. Full Article
ev Inhibition of glycosphingolipid biosynthesis reverts multidrug resistance by differentially modulating ABC transporters in chronic myeloid leukemias [Cell Biology] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-08T03:41:14-07:00 Multidrug resistance (MDR) in cancer arises from cross-resistance to structurally- and functionally-divergent chemotherapeutic drugs. In particular, MDR is characterized by increased expression and activity of ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily transporters. Sphingolipids are substrates of ABC proteins in cell signaling, membrane biosynthesis, and inflammation, for example, and their products can favor cancer progression. Glucosylceramide (GlcCer) is a ubiquitous glycosphingolipid (GSL) generated by glucosylceramide synthase, a key regulatory enzyme encoded by the UDP-glucose ceramide glucosyltransferase (UGCG) gene. Stressed cells increase de novo biosynthesis of ceramides, which return to sub-toxic levels after UGCG mediates incorporation into GlcCer. Given that cancer cells seem to mobilize UGCG and have increased GSL content for ceramide clearance, which ultimately contributes to chemotherapy failure, here we investigated how inhibition of GSL biosynthesis affects the MDR phenotype of chronic myeloid leukemias. We found that MDR is associated with higher UGCG expression and with a complex GSL profile. UGCG inhibition with the ceramide analog d-threo-1-(3,4,-ethylenedioxy)phenyl-2-palmitoylamino-3-pyrrolidino-1-propanol (EtDO-P4) greatly reduced GSL and monosialotetrahexosylganglioside levels, and co-treatment with standard chemotherapeutics sensitized cells to mitochondrial membrane potential loss and apoptosis. ABC subfamily B member 1 (ABCB1) expression was reduced, and ABCC-mediated efflux activity was modulated by competition with nonglycosylated ceramides. Consistently, inhibition of ABCC-mediated transport reduced the efflux of exogenous C6-ceramide. Overall, UGCG inhibition impaired the malignant glycophenotype of MDR leukemias, which typically overcomes drug resistance through distinct mechanisms. This work sheds light on the involvement of GSL in chemotherapy failure, and its findings suggest that targeted GSL modulation could help manage MDR leukemias. Full Article
ev Endorepellin evokes an angiostatic stress signaling cascade in endothelial cells [Glycobiology and Extracellular Matrices] By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: 2020-05-08T03:41:14-07:00 Endorepellin, the C-terminal fragment of the heparan sulfate proteoglycan perlecan, influences various signaling pathways in endothelial cells by binding to VEGFR2. In this study, we discovered that soluble endorepellin activates the canonical stress signaling pathway consisting of PERK, eIF2α, ATF4, and GADD45α. Specifically, endorepellin evoked transient activation of VEGFR2, which, in turn, phosphorylated PERK at Thr980. Subsequently, PERK phosphorylated eIF2α at Ser51, upregulating its downstream effector proteins ATF4 and GADD45α. RNAi-mediated knockdown of PERK or eIF2α abrogated the endorepellin-mediated up-regulation of GADD45α, the ultimate effector protein of this stress signaling cascade. To functionally validate these findings, we utilized an ex vivo model of angiogenesis. Exposure of the aortic rings embedded in 3D fibrillar collagen to recombinant endorepellin for 2–4 h activated PERK and induced GADD45α vis à vis vehicle-treated counterparts. Similar effects were obtained with the established cellular stress inducer tunicamycin. Notably, chronic exposure of aortic rings to endorepellin for 7–9 days markedly suppressed vessel sprouting, an angiostatic effect that was rescued by blocking PERK kinase activity. Our findings unravel a mechanism by which an extracellular matrix protein evokes stress signaling in endothelial cells, which leads to angiostasis. Full Article
ev Classifying deaths from COVID-19: Why the official statistics will never reflect the true mortality from coronavirus, and how future studies could try to address this By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Friday, May 8, 2020 - 21:11 Full Article
ev Re: Prognosis of unrecognised myocardial infarction determined by electrocardiography or cardiac magnetic resonance imaging: systematic review and meta-analysis By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Saturday, May 9, 2020 - 18:01 Full Article
ev Call for a review of services for people with neurological disorders By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Tuesday, August 11, 2015 - 15:35 Full Article
ev Rising drug prices drive US manufacturers’ revenues, analysis finds By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Wednesday, October 7, 2015 - 10:46 Full Article
ev Seven days in medicine: 8-14 June 2016 By feeds.bmj.com Published On :: Thursday, June 16, 2016 - 23:16 Full Article
ev Migration and Development: Policy Perspectives from the United States By www.migrationpolicy.org Published On :: Wed, 01 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0400 The report examines U.S. immigration and international development policies, which have unique objectives and respond to distinct political and administrative constraints, and points out that international development has never been a U.S. immigration policy objective; nonetheless, it is an unintended consequence. Full Article
ev Migration and Development Policy: What Have We Learned? By www.migrationpolicy.org Published On :: Sat, 01 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0400 Migration and development have emerged as a pressing policy priority on the global agenda. This report identifies critical lessons from the past decade of policy experimentation and offers recommendations for migration and development policy. Full Article
ev Mandeville corporal injured in station brawl with woman inspector By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Sat, 09 May 2020 17:36:33 -0500 A Manchester corporal is now on sick leave after receiving several blows to his face allegedly by a woman police inspector at work yesterday. It is reported that the incident happened in the guard room of the Mandeville Police Station. Full Article
ev Andrews: We’ve never been approached for registration - Chairman says staff hurt by Fearon tragedy; ministry moving to certify 17 facilities By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 00:30:55 -0500 Declaring it has been “pained” by the Jodian Fearon situation, the embattled Andrews Memorial Hospital (AMH) is speaking out, saying it has never been approached for or rejected efforts at registration or certification since it began operating 76... Full Article
ev Costly no-shows - Cancellation of major entertainment events could have $10b impact By jamaica-gleaner.com Published On :: Sun, 10 May 2020 00:27:12 -0500 Losses within the entertainment industry are already estimated to be in the billions as the sector continues to reel from the impacts of COVID-19. Major events like Reggae Sumfest, which has already been cancelled this year, had an estimated... Full Article