text:
Leaders can choose to prevent pandemics
Correction 11 November 2022
Heads of state, prime ministers and presidents have the power to guard against inevitable future pandemics.
Joanne Liu0,
Helen Clark1 &
Michel Kazatchkine2
Joanne Liu
Joanne Liu is director of the Pandemic Emergency Readiness Lab at McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Helen Clark
Helen Clark was co-chair of the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, and is the former prime minister of New Zealand.
Michel Kazatchkine
Michel Kazatchkine is the special adviser to the joint United Nations programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) for Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
You have full access to this article via your institution.
Prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, speaks during the United Nations General Assembly.Credit: Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
In the past two decades, the time between deadly international disease outbreaks has shortened, and the human and economic cost of these outbreaks has grown. In 2002, severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) led to 800 deaths and US$40 billion in economic losses. The 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa caused more than 11,000 deaths and $53 billion in economic and social losses. In early 2020, COVID-19 spread rapidly worldwide, and is estimated to have contributed to more than 17 million deaths, with economic losses estimated to reach $12.5 trillion by 2024. Delays in alerting the world to these threats led to wider spread and more loss of life.
The next infectious-disease threat could be even more deadly and costly. Political leaders can choose to prevent it. In May 2021, we and our colleagues on the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response published an evidence-based package of actions for transformational change that could make COVID-19 the last pandemic of such devastation (see go.nature.com/3iqfqhm). In short, we recommend a change in mindset towards faster detection and reporting of outbreaks and threats by an independent, well-financed World Health Organization (WHO). Presidents and prime ministers would lead a council to coordinate multisectoral action and promote accountability. Medical countermeasures would be available everywhere they are needed. This transformed system would be backed by an international fund that finances measures to prevent and respond to new health threats.
Part of Nature Outlook: Pandemic preparedness
To stop the next health threat, heads of state and government must lead — nationally, and in solidarity. With some exceptions, the COVID-19 pandemic has been characterized by too many words and not enough action, despite its clear threat to global health, economies and security. The global COVID-19 summits have brought welcome funding announcements and leaders have spoken at WHO gatherings, but action has not been sustained.
We think that a leader-level global council is required to identify gaps in preparedness and response, mobilize finances, hold public and private stakeholders accountable, and provide leadership at the first hint of a threat. This council should be established by a political declaration negotiated by the United Nations General Assembly.
Global pandemic prevention is estimated to cost $10.5 billion each year — a sizeable sum, but a fraction of the cost of not being prepared. A new fund for pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, approved by the board of the World Bank in June, is too new to evaluate properly. However, early signs indicate that it is based on an outdated 'donor–beneficiary' model, with high-income countries having too much influence and insufficient money being pledged. Instead, we recommend an inclusive, global public investment funding model that gives lower-income countries a seat at the table and disburses funds based on a country's needs and finances.
The role of the WHO must also be considered. If it is to remain the coordinating authority for global health, member states must give it the authority, independence and funding to perform that role well. The WHO was too slow to declare a public-health emergency of international concern (PHEIC) when the SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged. Work is now under way to amend the international health regulations, which govern global responses to international public-health threats, to give the WHO clear authority to communicate freely on disease outbreaks, declare a PHEIC based on evidence and investigate without hindrance. However, these amendments are not scheduled to be accepted until May 2024, and changes won't come into force until even later. This creates a dangerous interim period, during which the WHO must be bold and sound the alarm should new threats arise. The relative speed with which it called a PHEIC for the current monkeypox outbreak was encouraging, although some think it should have come sooner.
More from Nature Outlooks
The area of reform that faces the most resistance, from industry and some countries, is the guarantee that appropriate medical countermeasures be available where they are most needed. Vaccines and therapeutics are a global common good — they are meant to slow the spread of disease and protect lives during a health emergency, not be a profit-making opportunity. Countermeasures should be equitably distributed on the basis of public-health need, and research and development must be tailored to the settings in which these products will need to operate — 'ultra-cold chain' vaccines, for example, cannot be easily delivered in warm, lower-income countries.
Evaluating the successes and failures of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, an initiative launched in April 2020, should reveal the practical next steps to achieve an equitable system. The pandemic preparedness treaty currently being negotiated at the WHO could also ensure an end-to-end system for medical countermeasures, from research and development to delivery, that considers the public-health needs of countries of all income levels. These considerations must include support for manufacturing worldwide, to prevent wealthy countries prioritizing their populations during a health emergency at the expense of lower-income nations.
These recommendations are not exhaustive. Other actions, such as building trust in public-health interventions, and investing in strategies to minimize the risk of pathogens moving from animals to humans, are also essential. Political leaders now have a clear choice: to watch while a new disease with pandemic potential emerges and spreads, or to lay the foundations required to thwart it. Given the damage done by COVID-19, it's hard to fathom why this is a choice at all.
Nature 610, S37 (2022)
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-03355-7
This article is part of Nature Outlook: Pandemic preparedness, an editorially independent supplement produced with the financial support of third parties. About this content.
Updates & Corrections
Correction 11 November 2022: An earlier version of this Outlook article was too definitive in its prediction of the impact of the pandemic preparedness treaty. Because the treaty is still being negotiated, there is no guarantee that it will ensure an end-to-end system for medical countermeasures. The text has been modified accordingly.
Preparing the world for the next pandemic
Mastering the art of persuasion during a pandemic
Preparing health-care systems for future pandemics
On the lookout for viruses that could leap from animals into humans
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Why climate change matters for pandemic preparedness
Disinfecting the air with far-ultraviolet light
How to eradicate the next pandemic disease
Five ways to prepare for the next pandemic
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2 story masonry building currently used as a personal training facility. Includes male and female restrooms with shower facilities, large open design on each floor with several smaller training/meeting rooms. Rear parking with 18± spaces.


This project is designed to examine how appropriate use of informatics methods and in-depth knowledge of health care delivery can allow electronic health record data to expand our understanding of the pathway from screening to cancer diagnosis, and why patients choose certain treatments.
Primary mentors are Harold S. Luft, Ph.D., PAMFRI, and Andrea LaCroix, Ph.D., University of California San Diego.
Investigators: Su-Ying Liang, Ph.D., Ellis C. Dillon, Ph.D., Harold (Hal) Luft, Ph.D.
Purpose is to use EHR to understand the management of major depressive disorder in a large healthcare system, to incorporate pt-reported data in care workflow.
Use healthcare data to personalize the healthcare experience for people with inflammatory bowel disease.
Investigators: External PI, Principal Investigator, Jiang Li, Ph.D., MPH, Sukyung Chung, Ph.D.


By the second day, after I first met Evi Dimitriadou, I felt a big difference around my neck. The exercises are simple and understandable, gradually improve my posture and help in recovering my upper back mobility. After only 4 sessions I have a clear picture of exactly what I should do at home, without having to worry that I do something wrong. The way she explains the techniques leave no room for questions. I appreciated a lot her ability to adapt the program to my individual needs, watching me very carefully and asking for the feelings generated after each exercise.


Why Should I Prefer Logitech 4K Pro Webcam?
On your MacMost Recommended Products page, you tell us that you (recently) switched from the Logitech 920c to the Logitech 4K Pro Webcam.
1) Considering that you make a lot of training videos with picture in picture, do you think the switch was a good move? Is the difference noticeable?
2) Do you still use Webcam Settings application with your new webcam (compared to the software provided by Logitech)?
The price is the same ($199 as of today).
Yes, definitely a big difference. The Logitech 4K "Brio" camera I have been using for some months is 4K video, which is much higher quality than the 1080 of the 920c. That alone makes it worth it.
Yes, I still use Webcam Settings. I use the Logitech software too as it has the setting to adjust the viewing angle.
The thing I am worry about is the great amount of negative comments from Mac users who bought the Brio webcam.
On Amazon, we can read comments like: "Don't buy if you're using a Mac. There are threads everywhere detailing the pleas from users to Logitech to get their support up to par for OSX 10.13 High Sierra..
Did you have any problem with the installation of this webcam on your Mac? Did the fact that you are an experienced programmer help you?
Vincent: I took a look at those reviews. There were only 3 of them that mentioned it not working on the Mac, and lots of others that said it did. I'm not sure what problem those people had. It works fine on my Mac Pro — plug and play. I didn't have to do anything special.


Once you enter a location, no matter how general, a screen with an embedded Google Map pops up. You can then move the location around at will, allowing you to more precisely select exactly where Keep will remind you.
The only other addition to the change log for Keep version 3.1.204 is the usual "bug fixes and performance improvements." The Keep Play Store page updated a couple of days ago, but if you still don't have the latest release, it's available on APK Mirror below.


I know you?re used to getting the nitty gritty lowdown on the latest comic gossip here at the ATR, but this is my first time at the helm, and I?m going to change things up a bit! It?s state fair time here in Texas, the state where everything is bigger and better, and since every state fair always features at least one showcase of something (cars, livestock, etc.), I figured, what?s better than a Texas sized showcase of comic talent? You?re not going to believe the range of projects here, folks! So, without further ado, here we go!
Oh, and just so I don?t lose the diehard fans of juicy stories, I?ve got some deep fried treats for you as well! The Texas State Fair isn?t the home of the corn dog for nothin?, ya know!
Last week, ATR reported that the Spike TV series Blade would not be getting picked up for a second season.
NEW LINE are still behind the show and are currently shopping for a new home, so things may start a fresh elsewhere.
Vlad Tepes is not Dracula and is not a vampire. In fact, he's hunting the vampires. But that doesn't mean that Vlad is a good guy?
Other than the fact that sunlight kills them, none of the "traditional" vampire rules apply. Crosses, holy water and garlic do nothing. However, if you can shoot a vampire in the head, it dies.
The problem is that the vampires are shadow creatures, and when they're shadows, the only thing that can harm them is pure iron. Everything else passes through them harmlessly. Complicating matters is that the vampires can turn the shadows into tentacles that grab people, tear them apart and slide through cracks.
New York City is utterly destroyed within two days.
There are none of the wimpy "Anne Rice-style vampires" in IMPALER. The vampires in IMPALER are monsters, plain and simple.
Issue # 1 goes on sale on October 25th for $2.99.
Christos Gage will be writing a 5 issue Quasar mini series for Marvel spinning out of Annihilation. The mini will be edited by Andy Schmidt. Andy has spoken of a new Quasar costume design by Gabriele Dell'Otto, so look for that sometime in 2007.
The Fantastic Four?s leader, Reed Richards, has accidentally punched a hole into an adjacent universe in a desperate bid to gain the knowledge he needs to cure his friend Ben Grimm?The Thing. But something has come through the aperture from a realm known as the Supremeverse: The Squadron Supreme! They are angry and here to arrest young Reed for high crimes against their world. You must not miss the crossover of the decade! The first issue goes on sale this Wednesday, October 11.
Bestselling novelist Jeff Mariotte's critically acclaimed, historically authentic horror/western series returns with a four-issue miniseries about buffalo, the past, the future, and the mysteries of the universe. In the debut, Clay runs into an old adversary, Brood gets naked, and Geronimo sends the group on a mission. With brilliant art by Alberto Dose, this installment is a must for old fans and new readers alike.
FC ? 32 pages ? $3.99, will be released in January, 2007.
Dean is keeping busy working on a kids? book with legendary underground cartoonist, Jay Lynch, edited and book-packaged by Francoise Mouly for Raw Jr., while also drawing another story for Harvey Pekar's AMERICAN SPLENDOR, currently published by Vertigo.
From Bob Montana to Dan DeCarlo, Archie has historically been drawn in a humorous style. What would Archie look like if drawn by a Super Hero Artist? Rumor is that Steven Butler (Spider-Man, Silver Sable, Sonic) is drawing the Riverdale gang in a more serious style. This different look for Archie will be seen next year in some of the digests and in a TPB.
In other Archie news, word is that the Saturday morning sensation, the Slumber Party Girls, will be stopping by Riverdale to be seen in the pages of a Betty & Veronica Double Digest. Release date unknown.
Another distribution system for comics? For years you could either get your comics on the newsstand or for you local comic shop. Now you can get them in the Library.
After initial success with library promotions between Mimi Cruz' Night Flight Comics and the Salt Lake City Public Library, Archie is eyeing different kinds of library promotions. Archie is trying to find ways to get libraries to cross promote with local comic shops, and Archie is in the process of producing hard covers trades especially for libraries. This is in addition to their promotion deal with PTOs across the county.
ATR is pleased to present two covers for upcoming Ron Marz series. The first is the cover to Dark Horse?s Samurai: Heaven and Earth Vol. 2, #3, written by Ron Marz, with cover art by Luke Ross and color by Rob Schwager. This is set to be released in January of 2007.
The second is a new color version (so to speak) of the cover to Desperado/Image?s Russian Sunset #2, a new creator-owned series written by Ron Marz, with cover art by Luke Ross and color by Rob Schwager, and interior art by Mirko Colak. This is also set to be released in January of 2007.
Well kiddies, I hope you?ve enjoyed my inaugural venture into All The Rage! Feel free to toss an email my way and let me know what you thought! I just got back from the fair after being the only one there wearing a Florida Gators jersey in the midst of the OU and Texas fans, and it was a blast! Check out the fried Coke!
Go Gators, and Go SBC!!


Sweeet AS98 Sparrow ankle boots with a slightly higher heel. Side zipper, distressed grunge style beaten leather, and faux half-spat look. Ankle has a rivetted top strap that hangs down the back, and rivets along the top of the wooden heel. For dancing on the wind, and riding in the stars.
It's hard to find boots that aren't made by unfair labour somewhere in the world. Fashion forward, well-made shoes are a revelation! Anik has worn these pretty much everywhere but SUP boarding, and they have stood up to all the hard mountain living she can throw at them. There is nothing like the quality of handmade…and no landfill plastic, or child labour. They are worth every penny we think!
In this case, you really do get what you pay for.


The Agriculture Department's monthly Livestock, Dairy, and Poultry Outlook, issued November 15, mirrored milk price and production projections in the November 8 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report.
Meanwhile; September milk use was up from September 2017. Demand for cheese was mostly higher, while NFDM and butter were lower.
September American cheese demand was down 2.2 percent from a year ago and down 7.8 percent versus previous-month levels. Demand for the "other" cheese category increased 2.0 percent from 2017 but was 1.7 percent lower than August. Total cheese use was up 0.3 percent from a year ago but 4.1 percent below August. American cheese use was up 2.7 percent and other than American cheese was up 2.8 percent, which put total cheese use up 2.7 percent.
September nonfat dry milk use slipped 0.7 percent and butter demand was down 8.6 percent from a year ago. Month-to-month, commercial disappearance of butter was down 8.0 percent while nonfat dry milk dropped 18.2 percent. But, nonfat dry milk use was up 8.6 percent in 2018 and butter was up 2.0 percent.
CME dairy prices strengthened the week before Thanksgiving. The 40-pound Cheddar blocks fell November 12 to $1.35 per pound, lowest price since May 25, 2016, then rebounded and closed Friday at $1.4525, up 7 1/4-cents on the week but 16 3/4-cents below a year ago. The 500-pound Cheddar barrels finished at $1.36, up 5 1/2-cents on the week, 26 3/4-cents below a year ago, and 9 1/4-cents below the blocks. 28 cars of block were sold on the week and 11 of barrel.
The strong value of the dollar is not helping with international sales either. In addition, the weaker euro value and existing trade tariffs on U.S. products are pushing some buyers and end users toward European markets. Processors hope that as the holidays get closer they will be able to sell more product and decrease the inventories they are currently holding, according to DMN.
CME butter jumped 3 1/4-cents Monday, dropped 2 1/2-cents Tuesday, then regained 4 cents Wednesday, a jump some attributed to a fire at a butter plant in Wisconsin, and closed Friday at $2.2750 per pound, up 8 1/4-cents on the week and 6 cents from a year ago. 18 cars traded hands on the week.
Western butter makers report that print orders have maintained a strong pace but warn that the current swiftness will not likely continue to the end of the year. Some contacts feel the holiday pipeline is getting filled and a slower tempo is near. Cream supplies have tightened in the West, but are still adequate. Butter makers, trying to manage inventories, are weighing options, looking to find the right balance between churning and selling cream. Some manufacturers are finding a market for bulk butter further east, where cream is less available.
Cash Grade A nonfat dry milk closed Friday at 88 1/2-cents per pound, 2 1/2-cents higher on the week and 16 cents above a year ago, with 13 cars finding new homes on the week.
Speaking of powder; the EU Commission accepted bids to sell 30,067 metric tons of skim milk powder (SMP) out of its intervention program last week for the tender closing Tuesday, Nov. 6. The lowest accepted bid was about 65 cents per pound. Up until this point about 190,000 metric tons or about 419 million pounds have been sold out of intervention. This older product may be keeping fresh powder prices contained, says FC Stone.
The infant cash dry whey market slumped to 42 1/2-cents per pound on Wednesday, lowest price in 16 weeks, but closed Friday at 43 cents per pound, down a half-cent on the week, with a hefty 32 cars trading hands on the week.
The latest Crop Progress report shows 84 percent of US corn is now harvested as of the week ending November 11, up from 76 percent the previous week and 81 percent a year ago, and compares to 87 percent for the five-year average.
Soybeans are at 88 percent harvested, up from 83 percent the previous week but compares to 93 percent a year ago and 93 percent in the five year average.
Cotton is at 54 percent harvested, up from 49 percent the previous week and compares to 63 percent a year ago, and 61 percent for the five year average.
The nation's Number 1 milk producing state became a part of the Federal Milk Market Order system on November 1. California will see its first Federal Class I milk price on November 21 and next month will its Class 4a and 4b prices become Federal Class III and Class IV prices.
Looking globally, the EU continued efforts focused on enhancing dairy trade with other countries. The International Trade Committee of the European parliament voted in favor of ratifying the EU-Japan agreement and the EU-Singapore agreement. January through August EU cheese output increased 1.8 percent from the same period last year, according to Eurostat.
"New Zealand has experienced not only higher milk production than had been projected, but high levels maintaining longer than had been expected," according to DMN. "There was a high production peak, which has probably passed, but higher than normal milk volumes are continuing, even as production seasonally goes down. By some measures higher milk production is beneficial, but now that is weighing on New Zealand dairy producer pay prices.
A secondary factor is that the sustained higher milk output has led to scheduling more production of higher volume dairy powders to absorb the milk volumes.
Speaking of international markets; Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) members accepted 20 offers of export assistance this week from CWT to help capture contracts to sell 2.048 million pounds of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, 606,271 pounds of butter and 879,645 pounds of whole milk powder.
The product is contracted for delivery in Asia, Central America, the Middle East, North Africa, Oceania and South America through April 2019 and brings CWT's 2018 export sales to 53.777 million pounds of American-type cheeses, 13.842 million pounds of butter (82 percent milkfat) and 52.823 million pounds of whole milk powder to 36 countries on five continents.
Lastly; the U.S. International Trade Commission held a two-day hearing this week to investigate the likely impact of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) on the American economy, specific industry sectors and consumers. The agreement still has to be approved by Canada and Mexico plus Mexico has yet to remove its 25 percent tariff on U.S. cheese exports.
A total of 45 industry groups and stakeholders were invited to provide testimony, including Michael Dykes, D.V.M., president and CEO of the International Dairy Foods Association.
Dykes outlined the importance of global trade and new free trade agreements to the U.S. dairy industry. He noted that the U.S. now benefits from a dairy trade surplus of more than $2 billion, after being a net importer of dairy products only a decade ago, and that American companies export dairy products to more than 140 countries.


text:
Q: Limit of the reciprocal without proving its existence Suppose $\lim_{x\to c}f(x)=\infty$ and $\lim_{x\to c}g(x)=\infty$. Also, $\frac{d}{dx}f(x)=g(x)$ and $\frac{d}{dx}g(x)=f(x)$. If I apply L'Hospital's rule: $$L=\lim_{x\to c}\frac{f(x)}{g(x)}=\lim_{x\to c}\frac{g(x)}{f(x)}=\frac{1}{L}$$ Is this sufficient to say that $L=1$ or do I have to prove that both limits exist?

A: If $f'=g$ and $g'=f$, then $f''=f$ so
$$f(x) = Ae^x + Be^{-x}$$
For constants $A,B$ are the only functions verifying your hypothesis. So you're actually looking at the limit
$$\lim_{x\to c} \frac{Ae^x + Be^{-x}}{Ae^x - Be^{-x}}$$
If $c$ is finite, the value is 1 only if $B=0$.

A: You will indeed have to prove that the limit exists, L'Hôpital's rule rule only says that $\lim_{x\rightarrow c}\frac{f(x)}{g(x)}=\lim_{x\rightarrow c}\frac{f'(x)}{g'(x)}$, iff the second limit exists.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Q: Regarding separable points of a a geometrically reduced integral affine scheme of finite type over a field I want to prove that if $X$ is a geometrically reduced integral affine scheme of finite type over $k$ (not necessarily algebraically closed), then the set of points of $X$ for which the residue field $\kappa(x)$ is a separable extension of $k$ is nonempty. (This are the so-called 'separable points' of $X$)
I have no idea how to proceed. I have found something close to it in Milne's notes on Algebraic geometry, but I can't make anything out of it. Any help would be appreciated.

A: Mohan has given a big hint towards the answer in comments.
Related to Mohan's comment: note that geometrically reduced (for a finite type $k$ scheme) implies the existence of a smooth dense open subset, and a
smooth $k$-scheme always has a dense set of separable points (e.g. because the theory of etale local coordinates shows that it is covered by open subschemes each of which admits an etale map to an affine space).
[Recall that over an algebraically closed field, or more generally over a perfect field the smooth locus in a variety is always dense (if you look in the proof of
this result in Hartshorne, you'll see the necessity of extracting $p$th
roots of certain coefficients in the positive char. case), but this need not hold over a non-perfect field.]
Indeed, one way to give a complete proof of the statement is to use that the smooth locus is open, and then to use Mohan's comment to show that it contains the generic point, and so is non-empty, thus dense.   (And now invoke the above result about separable points in smooth $k$-schemes.)

A: Here's a sketch of the proof. Let $X$ be integral and geometrically reduced over $k$. Then there exists a transcendence basis $t_{1},\ldots,t_{d}$ for $k(X)$ over $k$ such that $k(X)$ is separable over $k(t_{1},\ldots,t_{d})$ (such a basis is called a separating transcendence basis, and $k(X)$ is said to be separably generated over $k$). This means that $X$ is birationally equivalent to a hypersurface $f(T_{1},\ldots,T_{d+1})$, $d=\dim X$, such that $\partial f/\partial T_{d+1}\neq0$. It follows that the points $x$ in $X$ such that $\kappa(x)$ is separable over $k$ form a dense subset of $\left\vert X\right\vert $. In particular, $X(k)$ is dense in $\left\vert X\right\vert $
when $k$ is separably closed.


achievement of energy efficiency targets and emission reductions in the buildings sector.
GHG emission reductions, however, are necessary to meet the climate targets of each country.
energy emissions in transport, buildings (heating), industry, and agriculture.
as aspects related to the ease of use of low and zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs).
including agro-food industry, agro-logistics and a range of primary agro-producers.
efficiency investments in the existing building stock is a major task in climate and energy policy.
government announced that it will ban the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles from 2040 onwards.
transferability to the German context.
about the energy performance of buildings in the housing and buildings market.


Yes I realize that December is almost halfway over. And yes I realize this post is about the month of November. But since I took half of the month of November off, it lead to a lot of November posts being written in December. Oh well.
So November was a good month. Filled with lots of celebrating and Minnesota time. My favorite kind of month.
We celebrated Thanksgiving like it should be done every year....with a photo booth. My family loved it and I am so happy that I made the decision to do it.
We celebrated Richard's birthday with about five celebrations. I think we should just have declared November to be a month long celebration of his birthday because that is basically what we did.
We celebrated with our friends in Louisiana.
Then with some of our friends in Minnesota.
And then with his family with cake and ice cream in the mix as well.
We also celebrated my nephew's first birthday.
And my sister's 21st birthday (even though her actual birthday was in June).
We celebrated Christmas by going to the Holidazzle and Santaland.
And we celebrated great friendships with some amazing people.
And since it is the middle of December I am not going to make goals for this month because let's face it, I will not accomplish any of them. This time of year is too crazy so I will just review my goals from last month.
Go to a Shooting Range: Nope. I had planned on doing this, but we could not make it work. Another month.
Get haircut and eyebrows waxed: Yes I did. And I am loving it so far. Although it looked better before I got back to this crazy humidity.
Celebrate Anna's 21st birthday: As seen above this was completed finally!
Eat at Noodles and Company: I am ashamed to say how many time I ate there.
Take Picture for Christmas Card: Nope. We just ran out of time. Maybe next year.
Keep Car Clean for One Month: Ha. I forgot this was even a goal.
Complete One Pinterest Project: The one I had in mind ended up not working out because of a fabric fiasco that I do not want to get into. But a lot of the stuff from baby D's party was pinterest inspired. Check it out.
I was also able to cross 4 things off my 101 things in 1001 days list so I am pretty pumped about that!


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Bala is a compact rural community in the township municipality of Muskoka Lakes, District Municipality of Muskoka in Central Ontario, Canada. It is well-known for the Bala Falls, the source of the Moon River, which flows from Lake Muskoka to the Georgian Bay.

It is considered one of the hubs of cottage country located north of Toronto. Thus, its year-round population of several hundred is increased by thousands of seasonal residents and weekend day-trippers during summer months. It is known as the Cranberry Capital of Ontario, as the province's largest cranberry farms, Johnston's Cranberry Marsh and Former: Wahta Iroquis Growers (closed in 2017), are located nearby. It was once the smallest incorporated town in Canada until it was amalgamated into Muskoka Lakes Township.

History
Bala was settled by Thomas Burgess in 1868. Thomas Burgess opened a sawmill and store to serve the area's scattered settlers. Thomas Burgess named it after the town of Bala in Wales with which it is officially twinned. Located on the Canadian Shield, it proved unsuitable for farming, and its fortunes declined as logging became less economically viable. Railway connections helped to re-establish the village as a popular location for summer resorts.

In 1914, the town incorporated with Burgess's son as the first mayor, making it the smallest incorporated town in Canada.

Geography

Located at the west end of Lake Muskoka, at the foot of Bala Bay, the prominent geographical feature of the town are the many bare outcroppings of the Canadian Shield. Carved out of the Shield is Bala Falls, the only outlet for Lake Muskoka. That allows water to empty from the Muskoka River watershed into the Moon River and eventually Georgian Bay; however, the falls were at a low elevation and for many years the water levels of Lake Muskoka were known to fluctuate eight or nine feet every season, between the spring runoffs and the late fall. That led to many navigation problems both for the timber industry and the settlers. In 1873, a control dam was built at the Bala Falls, which still exists in an upgraded form and is known as the North Falls. However, the dam worked too well and led to flooding, which forced the construction soon after of a large flood control dam and channel, known today as the South Falls.

A further channel north of the North Falls was created in the 1880s to power a sawmill and later reused as the water intake channel for a hydroelectric station built in 1917. The station, operated by the Bala Electric Light and Power Company to supply electricity as far as MacTier and Port Carling was retired in 1957 but then returned to active use as a small remotely-operated station in the 1990s. It remains in use today.

A second station operated between the North and South Falls from 1924 to 1957 but was later demolished because it was uneconomical. A new generating station is being built at the site, a project that caused much local controversy.

Transportation

Bala was well connected and once was connected only to other Muskoka communities via the steamship lines that plied the Muskoka Lakes. The Cherokee, Islander and Segwun were frequently seen at the dock below the CPR station, and the Ahmic was based on the other side of Bala Bay in Torrance. Steamships have been unable to visit Bala since 1964, when the swing bridge at Bala Park Island was sealed shut. A portion of the former steamer dock remains, maintained for many decades by the MNR and today by the Township of Muskoka Lakes.

In 1907 the Canadian Pacific Railway opened a prominent "summer" station at the harbour, complete with freight elevator (a "winter" station was located a half-mile north). There was also a seasonal Grand Trunk Railway (later CN) station across the bay on Bala Park Island. In 1927, six CPR train routes each way served Bala, four on a daily basis. With the influx of many American cottagers, Bala even became a Customs Port of Entry. The Bala Weekend trains continued to serve the tourists until 1963, when the station was demolished.

The settlement-era Musquosh Road from Gravenhurst arrived in the 1880s and fed further development after the heyday of the railways as the route was eventually upgraded from a rough trail into first the Rama Road, then the provincial Highway 69 (later renumbered to Highway 169, then to Muskoka Road 169). A postwar bypass was created for the highway to avoid the original Musquosh Road bridge and single-lane rail underpass at the South Falls, but that also had the effect of removing traffic from Bala's former main street south of the Falls, severely impacting businesses on that section and concentrating commercial activity along the highway north of the Falls.

Services
In 1971, the town was amalgamated with other townships and municipalities to form the Township of Muskoka Lakes; the Chamber of Commerce office is in Bala; other civic functions are located in Port Carling.

Bala was the location of the first detachment of Ontario Provincial Police in 1921. A small modern station remains just north of the main part of town (run by the Bracebridge detachment part-time). The Canada Post Post Office has been relocated to share space with the police station.

Accommodations
Until changes in transportation and development led to most seasonal visitors staying in private cottages, Bala offered summer lodging at a large number of tourist resorts over the decades. For example, Windsor Park is on the site of the former Windsor Hotel. Located on River Street were Bala Cozy Cabins and Roselawn Lodge. The Bala Bay Inn (formerly the Swastika Inn until a postwar name change) remained as an active hotel until 2016. Built in 1910, it is Muskoka's oldest brick hotel. The original tin ceiling and mahogany staircase still grace the front lobby.

Culture and entertainment

Since 1942, under various management and names, the community and the surrounding area was offered live musical entertainment. In the 1940s and '50s, Big Bands like Mart Kenney, Cab Calloway, Tommy Dorsey, Jimmy Dorsey, Glenn Miller, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Woody Herman and Louis Armstrong played at Dunn's Pavilion. Since the 1960s, rock musicians like David Wilcox, Kim Mitchell, The Ramones, April Wine, Burton Cummings and Jeff Healey played at The KEE to Bala. More recently, bands such as Sum 41, The Tragically Hip, The Sam Roberts Band, Hinder, Finger Eleven, Three Days Grace, Sloan, Tim Hicks, Hedley and Theory of a Deadman have graced the stage at The KEE to Bala. In the 1980s, Bala and Port Carling were also featured in a skit by The Frantics on Boot to the Head. In the skit, a man on his way to Bala bores his companion to distraction in part by endlessly enumerating the communities' features. Most recently Bala is home to The New Actor's Colony professional Theatre company who perform seasonally in the summer in the local curling rink.

Lucy Maud Montgomery, author of the Anne of Green Gables books, visited Bala in 1922. The area made a sufficient impression on her that she based the novel The Blue Castle on the area, her only novel not set in Prince Edward Island. Based on the connection to a beloved Canadian author, Bala's Museum, a privately run museum featuring Montgomery, was opened in the 1990s.

Bala hosts the Bala Cranberry Festival annually on the weekend after Canadian Thanksgiving, attracting thousands of people to the town.

Bala is home to Muskoka Lakes Winery, the Muskoka region's only winery, which specializes in cranberry and other fruit wines.

Once a week in the summer months, students from a nearby water ski school perform aquatic stunts for audiences at a local park. Students form pyramids, jump obstacles, ski barefoot, and occasionally ski while they wearalpine skis.

Bala Bay remains a sailing hotspot in Muskoka due to its excellent and consistent winds. A local sailing club organizes Saturday races.

See also

 List of unincorporated communities in Ontario

References

External links

Communities in the District Municipality of Muskoka

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HomeWooCommerce Partners With Square to Expand Services for CBD Merchants
March 5, 2020design tips
WooCommerce, the open-source eCommerce platform developed and supported by Automattic, announced a partnership with Square payment solutions yesterday. The partnership expands services for merchants who are selling CBD products online. While it is a small step toward making it easier to sell CBD products, there are still many restrictions and pitfalls that merchants must overcome.
Cannabidiol, known as CBD, was removed from the U.S. federal list of controlled substances in December 2018. It is one of 100s of identified cannabinoids in cannabis plants and does not have the psychoactive effects of THC. The Farm Bill (Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018) removed some restrictions and provided a regulated path for farmers and merchants to sell CBD-based products.
CBD exists in a legal gray area in some jurisdictions in the U.S. State and local laws may still ban selling CBD and other substances (for example, I live in Alabama where we have some "dry" counties where selling alcohol is illegal). Therefore, merchants need to be aware that there are legal issues to consider, despite it being legal at the federal level. They should always check their local laws.
Other hurdles include finding a payment processor, web host, shipping company, and bank that don't have internal policies that forbid CBD products or at least working within any guidelines they do have. WooCommerce's partnership with Square may help U.S. merchants at least tackle the payment processor part of the equation.
"WooCommerce is proud to offer CBD merchants secure, efficient services that enable business owners to focus on improving consumers' lives," says Paul Maiorana, General Manager of WooCommerce.
By using Square, U.S. merchants can also use other Automattic services such as Jetpack for backups and malware scanning, WooCommerce Shipping for printing labels, and WooCommerce Tax for automatically calculating sales tax at checkout.
"Because it's still a highly-regulated substance, CBD products sold online require adherence to a special set of rules," wrote Lynn Jatania in a how-to post for WooCommerce merchants. In the post, she describes steps sellers must follow and issues they may encounter.
Restrictions on Automattic-Hosted or Connected Stores
The version of the WooCommerce software available through WordPress.com or WooCommerce.com forbids the sale of CBD products because it is hosted by Automattic. Merchants must use the WooCommerce plugin from WordPress.org and run their stores on a third-party host that allows selling CBD products.
The WordPress.com store guidelines state:
For example, you may not sell (or facilitate the sale of) any of the following in (or through) your store:…Controlled and highly-regulated substances (including alcohol, marijuana, cannabidiol or CBD, and other cannabis-derived products)
Self-hosted WooCommerce stores also have restrictions if they wish to connect their stores to any of Automattic's services. This became a source of confusion in June 2019, when a self-hosted WooCommerce merchant was informed they could not connect to WordPress.com via Jetpack while selling CBD products. The WooCommerce team updated its guidelines to better clarify what is allowed when using Automattic's services.
The policy is nearly the same today. However, the partnership with Square loosens the rules to a degree. Currently, only U.S. stores are allowed to sell CBD products while connected to WordPress.com. They are also required to use Square for payment processing.
From the WooCommerce Guidelines for CBD and Other Hemp-Derived Products:
Square has a vetting process for stores selling CBD and other hemp-derived products, so we currently require Square as the payment provider if you'd like to connect your store to Jetpack, WooCommerce Tax, and WooCommerce Shipping. We may approve additional payment providers in the future.
Using Square is not as simple as signing up. To sell CBD products, merchants must go through an application process to make sure they are selling CBD products with approval. The industry is heavily regulated, so this process may take some time.

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Posts Tagged As: Nikolai Alekseev
European Court on Human Rights Rules That Moscow Gays Have Right To Pride
In a historic ruling today in the case of Nikolai Alexeev v. Russia, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Russia violated the European Convention on Human Rights with the banning of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Moscow Prides. The court awarded 12,000 euros in damages to Moscow gay rights advocate and Pride organizer Nikolai Alexeev and a further 17,500 euros in costs.
Alexeev told Moscow News, "This is the first ever decision of the European Court of Human Rights which concerns freedom of assembly in Russia. It guarantees everyone freedom of expression without special permission."
In a statement released earlier this morning, Alexeev hailed today's verdict as cause for celebration. "We declare October 21, the Russian LGBT Liberation Day and we will celebrate it every year from now on with public demonstrations," he said.
The European Court ruled that Russian authorities violated three specific articles of the European Convention, namely Article 11 (freedom of assembly and association), Article 13 (right to an effective remedy) and Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination). Of the last violation, the court wrote:
It has been established above that the main reason for the ban imposed on the events organised by the applicant was the authorities' disapproval of demonstrations which they considered to promote homosexuality. In particular, the Court cannot disregard the strong personal opinions publicly expressed by the mayor of Moscow and the undeniable link between these statements and the ban. In the light of these findings the Court also considers it established that the applicant suffered discrimination on the grounds of his sexual orientation and that of other participants in the proposed events. It further considers that the Government did not provide any justification showing that the impugned distinction was compatible with the standards of the Convention.
On the issue of freedom of assembly, the court took a particular slap at former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov:
The mayor of Moscow, whose statements were essentially reiterated in the Government's observations, considered it necessary to confine every mention of homosexuality to the private sphere and to force gay men and lesbians out of the public eye, implying that homosexuality was a result of a conscious, and antisocial, choice. However, they were unable to provide justification for such exclusion. There is no scientific evidence or sociological data at the Court's disposal suggesting that the mere mention of homosexuality, or open public debate about sexual minorities' social status, would adversely affect children or "vulnerable adults". On the contrary, it is only through fair and public debate that society may address such complex issues as the one raised in the present case. Such debate, backed up by academic research, would benefit social cohesion by ensuring that representatives of all views are heard, including the individuals concerned. It would also clarify some common points of confusion, such as whether a person may be educated or enticed into or out of homosexuality, or opt into or out of it voluntarily. This was exactly the kind of debate that the applicant in the present case attempted to launch, and it could not be replaced by the officials spontaneously expressing uninformed views which they considered popular. In the circumstances of the present case the Court cannot but conclude that the authorities' decisions to ban the events in question were not based on an acceptable assessment of the relevant facts.
The foregoing considerations are sufficient to enable the Court to conclude that the ban on the events organised by the applicant did not correspond to a pressing social need and was thus not necessary in a democratic society.
The Moscow Times also notes that this ruling comes on the first day in which Moscow's new mayor, Sergei Sobyanin, replaced outgoing mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who was fired last month by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Luzhkov had previously denounced Gay Pride parades as "Satanic" and vowed that he would never allow one to take place during his administration.
Tags: Moscow, Nikolai Alekseev, Russia
Russian LGBT Activist Arrested Again, This Time At Moscow Rally
LGBT Activist Nikolai Alekseev has had a busy week this week. He was among eleven activists who were arrested yesterday during a banned protest outside of Moscow City Hall. All eleven activists have been subsequently released. The activists were protesting against Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, whose recent remarks about "faggots" were ruled by a Moscow court as not being hate speech. The protesters had chained themselves to a railing outside of city hall.
Luzhkov abruptly left Moscow to "vacation" at a home in Austria. He is under widespread pressure to resign his post amid widespread allegations of corruption and incompetence. Independent observers believe that some in Russia's central government see Luzhkov's power base in Moscow city government as potential threat.
Alekseev has recently been released following a bizarre kidnapping by Russian security forces at week at Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport as he was about to board a flight to Geneva. He was held for two days as his captors demanded that he withdraw his lawsuits against Russia lodged at the European Court of Human Rights. They also demanded that he cancel yesterday's protest at city hall. At one point, his captors used his mobile phone to put out false text messages that Alekseev had fled to Belarus and demanded political asylum. You can read about Alekseev's account of his ordeal here.
Russian Activist's Whereabouts Still Unknown
The web site of GayRussia.ru, which reported that Moscow-based LGBT activist Nikolai Alekseev has been detained by the FSB (the former KGB) appears to have been crippled as of this writing, possibly as a result of some some sort of attack. Meanwhile, several of us have received an email from Alekseev's email account saying that he is "relatively free" somewhere outside of Moscow and is safe. However, it is believed that the FSB has access to his computer and email address list, so such messages are being taken with a huge grain of salt.
UK Gay News was able to obtain an English translation of a note that had been posted to GayRussia.ru before the web site became crippled. The entire translated note has been posted on UK Gay News:
MOSCOW, September 16, 2010 (GayRussia) – Russian authorities have detained the organiser of Moscow Gay Pride, Nikolai Alekseev, and are requiring him to abandon a picket, demanding the resignation of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.
The authorities are also demanding that he withdraws lawsuits lodged with the European Court of Human Rights over the banning of Moscow Gay Prides over the past five years.
"They demanded of me to give up on the picket Luzhkov and withdraw a complaint by the gay pride of European court" Mr. Alekseev said today at 6:00 am.
Later, at 8 am, he clarified that he is no longer held in Domodedovo Airport, where he was detained at the airport yesterday evening.
"I cannot say where [I am], but not in Moscow," he said when asked about his whereabouts.
It is unclear from that post how Alekseev was able to communicate the GayRussia.ru reporter. One Russian-language news report says that Alekseev is being held in Minsk.
LGBT activist Nikolai Baev suggested that Alekseev's detention is linked to announced plans to hold a demonstration calling for the resignation of Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov. who has consistently denied the group permission to hold Gay Pride rallies for the past several years. Luzhkov has denounced homosexuality as "Satanic" and insists that there will never be a gay pride march in Moscow. Russian activists have lodged a lawsuit with the European Court of Human Rights over the parade bans.
Alekseev was detained yesterday at Moscow's Domodedovo International Airport as he was about to board Swiss Air flight LX 1337 to Geneva. According a news report conveyed by the LGBT website Anti-Dogma, Russia's Interior Ministry told ITAR-TASS that Alekseev was detained by airport security following an incident that he supposedly instigated at the airport. Baev told GayRussia.ru that he suspects that Alekseev may be undergoing psychological pressure and possible torture in an attempt to get him to drop the lawsuits.
Tags: Nikolai Alekseev, Russia
Nikolai Alekseev Believed Held By Russia's Secret Police
Nikolai Alekseev
In an update to our earlier report concerning Russian LGBT-advocate Nikolai Alekseev's detention, the following notice was posted on GayRussia.Ru's web site:
Nikolai Alekseev was arrested tonight at the Domodedovo Airport in Moscow where he was supposed to board the flight LX 1337 from Swiss Air Lines to Geneva.
His arrest took place right after the passport control. The border police asked Swiss Air Lines to cancel his boarding pass and to offload his luggage from the plane.
He had time to call a friend as well as the news agency Interfax. Reports of his arrest have been republished in the evening through the Russian media.
As he told his friends and the media, no explanation was given to him on the motive of his arrest.
Airport security and Moscow police both deny holding Alekseev. One office told Alekseev's friends that Alekseev may have been held by FSB agents (the successor to the former Soviet-era KGB) for interrogation at its headquarters in Lubyanka in central Moscow.
Activists at GayRussica applied for a permit yesterday to hold a demonstration on Sept 21 on under the title of "Luzhkov — Gomiki." That is in reference to Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov, who has consistently denied the group permission to hold Gay Pride rallies for the past several years. "Gomiki" is the Russian word that translates roughly as "faggot." Russia's officially controlled news channels have lately accused Luzhkov of corruption, leading to speculation that he may be forced to step down.
This latest development with Alekseev's detention is worrying. According to GayRussia.Ru, the Russian government recently passed a law reviving FSB detention practices that had been routine during the KGB era. The FSB has reportedly declined to comment on whether they are detaining Alekseev.
Moscow Pride Elude Police, Pride March Goes Ahead Undisturbed
In defiance of yet another ban against holding a Gay Pride march by Moscow city authorities, and in yet another display of LGBT activists' incredible organizing abilities, a march by LGBT advocates and allies took place this afternoon on Moscow's main Leningradsky Avenue undisturbed. Pride organizer Nikolai Alexeyev pulled off this feat after luring hundreds of riot police and undercover officers to a different location:
"We want to show that the peaceful march of gays and lesbians in this city is possible," Alexeyev told AFP after the protest. "You saw we didn't disrupt any traffic, we didn't disrupt any rights of other citizens."
"Unfortunately we are obliged to do some kind of military operation to make sure that this event takes place."
A single police car arrived ten minutes after the protest ended and no-one was arrested.
Organisers had changed the location at the last minute and bussed reporters on a twisting two-hour route to evade a heavy police presence in central Moscow.
In a diversion tactic, Alexeyev on Wednesday told journalists the protest would be held outside the European Commission's office in central Moscow. Police and riot police gathered at the announced location, organisers said.
Riot Police Break Up Pride Events in Minsk
Reuters reports:
Belarussian police on Saturday broke up a gay and lesbian pride demonstration by about 20 participants who defied an official ban to gather on a side street in central Minsk and march with bright rainbow flags.
Some carried handwritten signs saying, "Today they ban gays, tomorrow they will ban you," in a short-lived protest that was the first of its kind organized by the Russian and Belarussian Slavic Pride rights group in the capital.
Police wearing black berets and armed with batons moved in after the protesters advanced about 300 meters down the street. They tore away the flags and hauled off the marchers, some of whom had traveled from Russia for the event.
"The police reaction was completely disproportionate to the threat which they thought the protesters posed," Russian activist Nikolai Alekseev told Reuters.
UK Gay News anticipated the potential trouble in Minsk and has been live-blogging Pride events the entire weekend. Here's their description of the crackdown:
Minsk had its gay pride march. For just 10 minutes, 40 Belarusians and Russians waived a 12 meters long rainbow flag for a short march of approximately 200 meters. They were at first met by a large group of journalists, photographers and TV crew. But when they reached the first crossing point, they were trapped by several vans of anti-riot police. Suddenly, the doors of the vans opened and anti-riot officers ran towards the participants. "I never saw anything of the kind" said Nikolai Alekseev by mobile phone. "They were brutal and violent" he added. Another participant who did not want to be named said: "It was like a group of wild dogs". The march ended with most of the participants being arrested and violently beaten. A few managed to escape but the police ran after them.
Twelve people were reportedly detained by police. It appears that at least eight of them have been released, but must appear in court on Monday.
The planned march, which had been banned by Minsk authorities, was just one of several events planned by the Minsk LGBT community. Other private events, including a dance scheduled for Saturday night, appear to have gone on without incident, and sometimes with police protection from skinhead protesters.
Here is video of the march:
Tags: Belarus, Minsk, Nikolai Alekseev
Two Views On Moscow Court Hearing on Marriage Case; European Court Seeks Answers on Pride Bans
In the post about the Moscow court that denied a marriage license to a Russian lesbian couple, I neglected to give a hat tip to Russian LGBT activist Nikolai Alekseev. In an email, he offered two interesting insights into the goings-on in the court building that day, in the chambers and outside:
During the hearing, the Judge asked Irina S. "Are you husband or are you wife?" which already showed at the time that she was not neutral. But perhaps the biggest surprise came later while we were waiting for the decision: A Court employee came to talk with us and told us that he simply could not understand why the couple was not allowed to marry.
He also notes that the case has received widespread notice in Russian media, much of it relatively positive.
On another note, the European Court of Human Rights has given Russia until January 20 to answer for the bans of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Moscow Pride marches. This action results from a complaint filed before the court by human rights activists following the bans on some 163 different LGBT events. Alekseev, who is one of the plaintiffs and chief organizer for Moscow Pride, hopes that a decision comes down before the next scheduled Moscow Pride on May 29, 2010.
Moscow Court Denies Marriage Bid
Last May, Irina Fedotova-Fet and Irina Shipitko strode into a Moscow registry office and sought a marriage license. The office director denied their request, saying that Russian law only recognizes a marriage between a man and a woman. The couple took their case to court, which this week upheld the registrar's ruling:
Irina Fet and Irina Shipitko had asked the Tverskoi district court to overrule a decision by a registry office which refused to endorse their marriage in May. It quoted Russian laws which describes a marriage as a "union between a woman and a man."
"The judge refused their request," spokeswoman Alexandra Berezina said without giving further details.
According to Moscow LGBT activist Nikolai Alekseev, who served as their attorney, the couple plan to fight the ruling. They also plan to go go Canada later this month and marry there.
Moscow Protest By LGBT Advocates Called Off
Russian gay activists have cancelled a planned July 7 protest in Moscow which was intended to coincide with a visit by President Barack Obama. Moscow authorities banned the protest in front of the U.S. Embassy, but that's not why organizers called it off. Organizer Nikolai Alekseev cited increased security and safety fears as factors:
He said: "In the context of another unlawful ban by the authorities on a public event as well as the special measures taken in the Russian capital during the visit by U.S. President Barack Obama, we have decided to cancel the event due to concerns over the safety of our members."
Moscow had banned an earlier Pride march that was set to coincide with the Eurovision Song Contest taking place in Moscow in May. That peaceful Pride march went ahead, but was quickly broken up within minutes by riot police.
Tags: Barack Obama, Moscow, Nikolai Alekseev, Russia
Russian LGBT Advocates To Picket Obama In Moscow
U.S. Embassy in Moscow.
Nikolail Alekseev, organizer of Moscow's Gay Pride events, has announced that they plan to stage a protest in front of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on July 7 during a state visit of U.S. President Barack Obama. They plan to press Obama on same-sex marriage:
"We want to express our solidarity with US gay activists who are planning similar protests in Washington DC, Chicago and other cities in the coming months," he said.
Andy Thayer of Chicago\'s Gay Liberation Network commended the Russian protest. ""This international support for our equal rights is particularly commendable in light of the fact that most LGBT groups in the U.S. continue to fail to help LGBTs outside of the U.S," he told a Russian LGBT web site. Thayer participated in last month's Slavic Pride which was broken up by Russian riot police.
Alekseev will apply for permission with Moscow authorities to hold the picket in front of the embassy. He characterizes the likelihood of receiving the proper permits "highly unlikely," and doesn't say what he will do if the permits are denied.
LGBT Russians Peacefully March in St. Petersburg, other cities
Rainbow Flash Mob in St. Petersburg (Valentin Ilyushin/Fontanka.ru)
In sharp contrast to yesterday's aggressive breakup of a peaceful Slavic Pride march in Moscow by riot police, a "Rainbow flash mob" of between 100 and 250 LGBT people and supporters marched peacefully today in St. Petersburg.
The flash mob gathered at Ligovsky Avenue and walked from there to Nevsky Prospect, remaining on the sidewalk and off of the street. Police reportedly gathered to monitor the situation but made no moves to hinder the march. Once the group reached Nevsky Prospect, they released hundreds of balloons into the air with notes attached.
Balloon release in Chelyabinsk (Anti-Dogma)
There were much smaller balloon releases in other cities and towns across Russia, all coordinated to take place at 2:00 p.m. local time. In the southern Ural mountains city of Chelyabinsk, a man holding a half dozen colorful balloons walked down the rain-soaked streets of the main commercial district. His balloons stood out on the drab gray afternoon and attracted the attention of a couple of women. Impressed with the "positive energy" of the colorful balloons and the message of equality and freedom for LGBT people they represented, the two agreed to lend their support and helped to release the balloons.
Perhaps the most impressive accomplishment these balloon releases achieved was the widespread favorable coverage in the Russian press. The balloon releases were organized as part of the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO).
Meanwhile back in Moscow, all of the participants arrested in yesterday's march have been released. Six, including march organizer Nikolai Alekseev, were held overnight and released at noon today.
[Hat tip: Anti-Dogma]
Tags: Chelyabinsk Russia, Nikolai Alekseev, Russia, St. Petersburg Russia
Russian Riot Police Break Up Slavic Pride
Nikolai Alekseev being arrested by OMON riot police.
Police in riot gear swept in and forcibly broke up an attempted Slavic Pride march near Moscow State University shortly after noon today just as the march was getting underway. Between twenty and forty people were arrested in all.
The march had only been underway for about a minute when OMON rushed in and began hauling off marchers to waiting buses. Riot police then began detaining other gay activists who appeared shortly after and were speaking with media. They were arrested even though they hadn't participated in the march itself. There are reports that as police hauled away Ksenia Prilebskaya, they ripped off her shirt and bra and roughly pushed her into a police bus.
Moscow authorities had earlier denied permission to hold the march, and they vowed to break up any attempt by activists to march without permission. Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov has described Pride marches as "satanic," and his spokesman yesterday said the march sought to "destroy the moral foundations of our society."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzZWGUnVbM0
Among those in custody are Slavic Pride organizer Nikolai Alekseev and Chicago LGBT activist Andy Theyer. Alekseev and another activist were were at an adjacent park popular with newlyweds dressed as a groom and bride while giving interviews with media when police spotted and arrested them. Alekseev was held down by five riot police as he was arrested. British activist Peter Tatchell was arrested but has since been released. One activist has already been taken before a judge who pronounced him innocent, but he still remains in police custody.
There is currently no word from Alekseev since his arrest. He has reportedly been segregated from the other arrested activists and his cell phone has been confiscated.
The detentions come as Moscow prepares to host the final round of the Eurovision Song Contest, Europe's most prestigious pop music event. Russia had reportedly spent some 24 million euros on the contest in an attempt to bolster its international image. Some singers had threatened to boycott the wildly popular world event if the Slavic Pride march was broken up. Today's arrests are highly embarrassing for the Eurovision organizers, which has a big gay following across Europe. According to the U.K.'s Telegraph:
Advance questions about the march drew embarrassed silence from Graham Norton, the BBC's commentator for the competition, and Andrew Lloyd Weber, who co-wrote the song for Britain's contestant, Jade Ewen. Both men claimed not to have heard of the protest, while Lord Lloyd Weber suggested that it might have been banned to avoid traffic congestion.
A few hours earlier, Russian Orthodox nationalists held a counterdemonstration against Slavic Pride. That counterdemonstration was held with the approval of Moscow city authorities. Demonstrators there chanted "Glory to Christ! Death to the Antichrist!."
UK Gay News continues to provide hour-by-hour updates on the situation.
Tags: Moscow, Nikolai Alekseev, Peter Tatchell, Russia
Russian Police Vow To Break Up Tommorow's Slavic Pride March
Moscow authorities have vowed to clamp down on any gay pride march which LGBT advocates try to hold on Saturday. Organizers of Slavic Gay Pride had planned on holding a march on Saturday to coincide with the high visibility of this year's Eurovision Song Contest, which is being held in Moscow. The Dutch contestants have already threatened to boycott the Eurovision Finals if the Gay Pride march is not allowed to go ahead. the French Eurovision delegation have announced their intent to join the march while displaying their Eurovision credentials. U.K. LGBT activist Peter Tatchell has also arrived in Moscow to participate in Pride activities.
According to continually-updated reports at UK Gay News, Slavic Gay Pride organizers have gone into hiding as police try to track them down and arrest them. One Moscow daily has reported that police are planning to arrest Moscow Pride leader Nikolai Alekseev. For his part, Alekseev isn't deterred. Speaking from his secret location, he declared:
"Everyone is very excited about tomorrow and more than ever ready to go in the street despite the threats reported by the Moscow police tonight. It is just hard to believe that despite we are organizing the action for the 4th time, we have this year 55 activists from several regions of Russia and Belarus who checked in for the event and who since Thursday are just working on it and who more than everything want to march tomorrow. For the forth time, we are just showing to Russian that gays and lesbians are not cowards and that they are not scared to march for their rights. And looking at the high number of reports in the Russian media, the message is delivered!"
The situation is getting very tense. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office in UK has issued a "travel advisory" for LGBT visitors in Moscow. Russian Nationalists have already announced their own brand of an "ex-gay cure":
Russian nationists are threatening to "cure" anyone who takes part in Saturday's Slavic Gay Pride Parade in Moscow. "We will cure them for sure. We will help them to the hospital to be treated by the doctors. They are ill people," Alexei Samsonov, a right-wing activist, told Reuters.
Last year's Moscow Pride was conducted in a similarly clandestine manner, as Alekseev and other activists pulled off several different Pride activities while Moscow police scampered like Keystone cops. In 2007, an unauthorized march ended in violence and massive arrests.
Moscow Pride Organizers Jubilant
Organizers of yesterday's Moscow Pride events consider yesterday's actions a tremendous success. Throughout the day, they were able to stage two highly visible demonstrations garnering local and international media attention while eluding police. Police had tried to preemptively detain Moscow Pride organizer Nickolai Alekseev earlier that morning, but he was able to get away.
No one was hurt during the events, but five activists were ultimately detained. One was briefly held but let go, while the four who unfurled the banner from an apartment across from Moscow City Hall were released by the court the following Monday morning.
With the release of those four activists, Alekseev declared the event over and hailed the event a success:
"Our people showed that we are not only a force for gays but a political force and won't compromise on our rights," he told AFP.
Alekseev elaborated further in an email:
"No human rights group or opposition [has] ever humiliated the Moscow authorities so much.
We wanted to defy the Mayor in front of his office. Not only [has the] homophobia of Mayor Luzhkov been advertised today, but also the full collapse of his administration to prevent gays and lesbians [from] realiz[ing] their constitutional rights to march.
Today, we showed that our group is powerful not only in gay and lesbian aspects, but in general. Our fight is only at its beginning."
[Hat tip: Bob Schwartz, Gay Liberation Network]
Moscow's Banned Pride Day Becomes Pride Month
Russian gay rights advocate Nikolai Alexeyev's bid for a gay pride parade during the May Day holidays was rejected by Moscow mayor Yuri Luzhkov. Segei Tsoi, the mayor's spokesman, warned that if they went ahead with the march, there "could be blood, which no one wants. He also accused Alexeyev of trying to "spoil" a traditional labor holiday, a charge which Alexeyev adamantly rejected:
"As if gays don't support peace and don't work," said an incredulous Alexeyev. "Don't we pay the taxes that support this government? I don't understand this at all."
In response, Alexeyev has announced that he will submit notifications for five marches per day for each day in May on different streets around Moscow's city center. Anticipating that none of these marches will be permitted to take place, Alexeyev says it will demonstrate to the Council of Europe that "homosexuals are not allowed to freely express their opinions in Moscow — in any day in any form, in any street and in any time." Russia is a member of the Council of Europe and a signatory to the European Convention of Human Rights, which obligates Russia to observe the rights to peaceful assembly and demonstrations. A complaint has been filed in the European Court in Strasbourg.
Mayor Luzhkov has branded gay pride parades as "satanic" and vowed that they would never be permitted in the capital.
Last year's Moscow Pride gathering was broken up by violent thugs, Russian Orthodox clergy and police. None of the anti-gay assailants who instigated the violence were arrested. Instead, police hauled off Alexeyev, British gay rights advocate Peter Tatchell, Right Said Fred singer Richard Fairbrass, Italian Member of European Parliament Marco Cappato, German Member of Parliament Volker Beck, and 27 others.
Homosexuality was legalized in Russia in 1993, but discrimination against gays and lesbians remains widespread.
Tags: Moscow, Nikolai Alekseev, Russia, Yuri Luzhkov


text:
You sound so "white": How code-switching is symptomatic of racial prejudice
Photo courtesy of Mr. Seafall, Wikimedia CommonsBy Tyler Kwon
By Tyler Kwon
Imagine some of the individuals you see at school on a daily basis, whether they be the ones you bump into during passing period, the members of your English class, or even those you call your best friends.
Latino, white, Asian, and black kids all make up part of the most basic mental image we have of our peers. As a result, we often take the great diversity of our school for granted, sometimes forgetting that regardless of how diverse our student body is, students of different racial backgrounds are still subject to vastly different experiences.
One of the major factors that shapes the experiences of minorities today is the way that they speak.
Many of us have had a friend pull out his or her "white voice" while speaking to a stranger on the phone. A casual tone of voice and everyday utterances, such as "ay," "nah," or "wussup" might be traded in for their more proper-sounding counterparts in front of certain people.
This behavior is called code-switching, which in its broadest sense, occurs when people change the way they express themselves.
"We're hop-scotching between different cultural and linguistic spaces and different parts of our own identities," race reporter Gene Demby said to National Public Radio.
Every individual code-switches, but according to many students and professionals alike, the behavior carries much more pressing implications on the way minorities are perceived and treated by those around them.
Although this definition steps away from its traditional meaning, the act of switching multiple languages within a single conversation reflects the same cultural shape-shifting that minorities or people of any disadvantaged background may face today.
"At my job, I usually speak to the customer in a whiter tone of voice rather than in my casual tone of voice, which can be considered more 'urban' or even obnoxious. When I do speak in a more white tone it's in situations where I'm trying to give off a good impression or speaking to someone much older than me," Mexican-American junior Michelle Villalobos said.
Villalobos is one of many who often feel pressured to alter the way they speak in order to appear more refined to or be accepted by others. According to Dr. Delfin Carbonell, who has a PhD in Philology, the study of language, language discrimination is a widespread and serious issue which often subconsciously devalues certain people and their abilities based on the way they speak.
In this sense, code-switching can be seen as a method of avoiding language discrimination. By altering the way the way they speak, and in turn changing part of their identity, many people of color escape the negative views associated with their cultures and the languages that accompany them.
Whether or not this behavior should be considered acceptable is still up for debate. Black junior Aaminah Babatunde-Bey believes that in regards to the lives of disadvantaged minorities, code-switching is not only unfair, but symptomatic of a widespread distaste for people of colored communities.
"I think it says a lot about how we view minorities and the way they speak in this country. Code-switching in and of itself doesn't imply cultural shame and it's totally normal for people to switch back and forth. But sometimes, the reasons why we do it can come from a place of feeling like you don't belong, and that's not acceptable," Babatunde-Bey said.
Posted in FeatureTagged Tyler Kwon
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2.016 Hydrodynamics- Why study Marine Hydrodynamics?
Description: This PDF which is provided by Study India contains notes on 2.016 Hydrodynamics- Why study Marine Hydrodynamics?, Fall 2005, Department of Mechanical Engineering, MIT. These notes are based on Why study Marine Hydrodynamics?, Hydrodynamics v. Aerodynamics, Basic Fluid Properties, Units of Measurement, Dimensional units, Physical Properties of a Fluid, Figure 2: Boundary Layer Schematic and Surface tension in a blob of water.


text:
Election Day 2018: Dead brothel owner, reality TV personality, Dennis Hof wins Nevada election
What You Need to Know: Dennis Hof
By Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Despite dying last month, Dennis Hof won his race for Nevada's 36th Assembly District.
Hof ran on a ticket that promoted himself as a Donald Trump-style Republican candidate, The Associated Press reported.
Hof was found dead at one of his brothels called the Love Ranch, which is an hour outside Las Vegas. He was found dead on Oct. 16 by Ron Jeremy and a prostitute at the location, the AP reported.
He had been celebrating his 72nd birthday in a series of parties of the weekend. Officials are awaiting a cause of death ruling, but don't suspect foul play, the AP reported.
Explore>>Read: Vegas brothel owner, GOP candidate Dennis Hof found dead
It is the same brothel where NBA player Lamar Odom was found unconscious in 2015.
Hof had starred in the series "Cathouse" on HBO and wrote the book "The Art of the Pimp," a play on the title of Trump's book, "The Art of the Deal."
Hof ran as a Republican in Tuesday's election, beating his opponent, Lesia Romanov. County officials will appoint another Republican to fill the seat in the highly Republican district, the AP reported.
Hof had run in 2016 as a Libertarian, but lost that election.
FILE - In this June 12, 2018, file photo, Nevada brothel owner Dennis Hof, second from right, celebrates with Heidi Fleiss, right, and others after winning the primary election in Pahrump, Nevada. Hof won the general election Tuesday. (David Montero/Los Angeles Times via AP)
Natalie Dreier, Cox Media Group National Content Desk


text:
'What if' game will haunt Davis Thompson after brutal birdie miss off flagstick costs him at the Amex
It's unlikely Davis Thompson will ever again leave in a flagstick. Not after what happened Sunday on the Stadium Course at PGA West. The 23-year-old PGA Tour rookie was battling shot-for-shot with juggernaut Jon Rahm late in the final round of The American Express in La Quinta, Calif., when the unluckiest of circumstances changed everything.
Thompson was just one stroke back while playing the par-3 17th hole, his tee shot finding land on the treacherous island green but some 50 feet from the hole. His birdie putt came off nicely, rolled smoothly to the hole and … clank. The ball appeared as if it was going directly into the middle of the cup, but it ricocheted off the pin and ended a couple feet away.
There were collective gasps. Thompson dropped his putter and put his face into his hands. All anyone could wonder was if the ball would've dropped had the pin been pulled.
Thompson made the easy par. Rahm, who had a 20-foot birdie putt of his own, made par, too, leaving him one ahead with one to play.
When the two reached the home hole, Thompson's approach on the par 4 went over the back of the green. His chip for birdie was a good one, but he settled for par to finish one shot behind Rahm, who has now won both his starts this year, following a victory two weeks ago at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
"I usually always leave the stick in from a long distance," Thompson said after shooting a three-under 69 for a 26-under 262 total. "I feel like it helps me with my speed. I'll probably play the 'what if' game in my head for a long time, unfortunately.
"I had a great read. I probably hit it too firm. If it had great speed it would have just hit the flag and dropped. But we'll never know. I'm proud of myself for this week."
And he should be. As Rahm was in the midst of claiming his ninth tour title, Thompson was playing in only his seventh PGA Tour event since earning status off the Korn Ferry Tour last summer, and just the 20th of his career. Thompson's total earnings on the PGA Tour before this week were $611,871 (his runner-up check was worth $872,000).
That's not to say Thompson shouldn't have had big expectations. He was a winner on the Korn Ferry Tour in 2022 and a two-time first-team All-American during his college days at the University of Georgia who also topped the World Amateur Golf Ranking for eight weeks in 2021.
"What a heck of a player he is, he's doing all the right things," Rahm said of Thompson. "I wouldn't be surprised if he wins soon. He gave me a real battle today. It was a lot of fun. I'm sure there will be many to come."
This week in the desert, Thompson opened with 62-64 to jump into contention. A third-round 67 put him in the final grouping with Rahm and J.T. Poston. He made three birdies in the opening nine holes with one bogey, and after birdie on the par-5 11th hole, Thompson found himself on the par train for the remainder of the round with seven consecutive to close.
"I had a great week," Thompson said. "Competing against the best in the world is my dream and I did that today and proved that I can hang with 'em. It was a lot of fun."
This article was originally published by Golfdigest.com. Read the original article here.
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Posted in FDA, Health reform, Healthcare, uncategorized, Updates	; Tagged: Antibiotic resistance, Campaign on Human Health and Industrial Farming, Eric Lander, Everytown for Gun Safety, Gun Safety, Mary Woolley, Presidential Advisory Council, Research!America.
Posted in FDA, Global Health, Healthcare, Resources, WHO	; Tagged: Antibiotic resistance, global health, superbugs, WHO.
Posted in FDA, Global Health, WHO	; Tagged: Antibiotic resistance, Antibiotics, FDA, pathogens, WHO.
Posted in FDA	; Tagged: animal, Animal Health Institute, Antibiotic resistance, Antibiotics, Bayer, Center for Veterinary Medicine, drug, drug companies, drug resistance, drugs, Elanco, infectious diseases, Johns Hopkins, Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, Merck, Novartis, Pharmaceuticals, public health, Sanofi, Zoetis.


text:
Southern Maryland Parks
Point Lookout State
Park Point Lookout, MD
Open all year for camping. Beaches, Fishing, Boat Rental, Smith Island Cruise, site of Fort Lincoln, Civil War Museum. For information about Point Lookout State Park, call the Park at 301-872-5688 or, write Point Lookout State Park, P.O. Box 48, Scotland, Maryland 20687.
Bay Front Park
Chesapeake Beach, MD 20732
Enjoy the bay at this uncrowded beach complete with a fishing pier. The beach is open during daylight hours and there is no admission fee. No glass or grills are allowed on the beach and you must take your trash with you when you leave. Pets are allowed on a leash, but don't forget to bring your pooper-scooper.
Breezy Point Public Beach
Open May 1 – October 31.
This public beach features picnic tables, swimming, fishing, and crabbing.
Calvert Cliffs State Park
http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/southern/calvertcliffs.html
Lusby, MD 20657
The cliffs which dominate the shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay for thirty miles in Calvert County, were formed over 15 million years ago when all of Southern Maryland was covered by a warm, shallow sea. Over 600 species of fossils have been identified from these cliffs, with the teeth of various species of shark as the most abundant fossils. The park is 14 miles south of Prince Frederick on Maryland Routes 2 & 4.
Cedar Point Beach
Patuxent River, MD 20670
Staffed with trained lifeguards. Open everyday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Bathrooms, outdoor showers and a playground. Use is limited to personnel with access to the Patuxent River Naval Air Station.
Elms Public Beach
Dameron, MD 20628
Located on the Chesapeake Bay, Forest Road in Dameron. Pavilion, portable toilets, no running water, field for team sports, picnic tables, swimming. Open weekends only.
Flag Ponds Nature Park
http://www.calvertparks.org/Parks/FlagPonds/FPhome.htm
Flag Ponds Parkway
410-586-1477 (info)
410-535-5327 (reservations)
Named after the abundant Blue Flag Iris, this parkland has been set aside by the County to preserve a portion of the natural beauty of the area. There are a variety of trails through the park – a half-mile trail to the beach and a fishing pier – longer trails through the park to two freshwater ponds. The area had been a sheltered harbor, supporting a fishery. One of the fishermen's shanties still remains, housing an exhibit on the Chesapeake's old-time fishing industry. If you take the several trails through the wooded area, you are likely to meet woodchucks, rabbits, and raccoons that inhabit the preserve. You can also see an occasional bald eagle, as well as ducks and other water fowl.
North Beach Public Beach
http://www.ci.north-beach.md.us/
This beach offers a fishing and crabbing pier, swimming, snack bar and boardwalk. The pier closes at midnight. No pets or glass containers allowed. There is an admission fee.


text:
Q: Version conflict updating to 8.4.0 Error:

Execution failed for task ':app:processDebugGoogleServices'. Please
  fix the version conflict either by updating the version of the
  google-services plugin (information about the latest version is
  available here)
  or updating the version of com.google.android.gms to 8.3.0.

I've done all the things I've found.
  dependencies {
            // This does not break the build when Android Studio is missing the JRebel for Android plugin.
            classpath 'com.zeroturnaround.jrebel.android:jr-android-gradle:1.0.+'
            classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.0.0-alpha3'
            classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:2.0.0-alpha3'

            // NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
            // in the individual module build.gradle files
        }

And in the app gradle
    compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:8.4.0'

A: This seems to be fixed with version 3.0.0 of Google Services plugin (and version 9.0.0 of the Google Play Services library). So with this
top level build.gradle
dependencies {
    classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:3.0.0'
}

app level build.gradle
apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

dependencies {
    compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:9.0.0
}

Quick Side Note: If you are updating to version 3.0.0 of the google-services plugin, make sure to regenerate your configuration file as it has new fields (explained here).
Edit (2016-06-20): While this does compile and run, I just noticed that in the build logs it does specify to put the plugin at the bottom of the file, or the default (9.0.0) will be used. So in the situation above this isn't a problem since I am using version 9.0.0, but this can be problematic when updating the dependency. Here's the log:
google-services plugin could not detect any version for com.google.android.gms or com.google.firebase, default version: 9.0.0 will be used.
please apply google-services plugin at the bottom of the build file.

A: In the application's module (build.gradle)
Moving :
apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

to the last line solved the issue.

A: For me works only this:
Top level.
dependencies {
    classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.1.0'
    classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:3.0.0'
}

App level:
dependencies {
    compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-gcm:9.0.1'
    compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:9.0.1'
}

// should be at the bottom
apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

A: found in official example
in project gradle
// Top-level build file where you can add configuration options common to all sub-projects/modules.

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.0.0-alpha9'
        classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:2.0.0-alpha9'

        // NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
        // in the individual module build.gradle files
    }
}

allprojects {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }
}

in app gradle
apply plugin: 'com.android.application'

android {
    compileSdkVersion 23
    buildToolsVersion "23.0.2"

    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "com.google.samples.quickstart.signin"
        minSdkVersion 18
        targetSdkVersion 23
        versionCode 1
        versionName "1.0"

        testInstrumentationRunner "android.support.test.runner.AndroidJUnitRunner"
    }

    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
        }
    }

    packagingOptions {
        exclude 'LICENSE.txt'
    }

    // Resolve dependency differences between app and tests
    configurations.all {
        resolutionStrategy.force 'com.android.support:support-annotations:23.1.1'
    }
}

dependencies {
    compile fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar'])
    compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.1.1'
    compile 'com.android.support:design:23.1.1'

    // Dependency for Google Sign-In
    compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-auth:8.4.0'

    // UiAutomatorTesting
    androidTestCompile 'com.android.support.test:runner:0.4.1'
    androidTestCompile 'com.android.support.test:rules:0.4.1'
    androidTestCompile 'com.android.support.test.uiautomator:uiautomator-v18:2.1.2'
    androidTestCompile 'com.android.support:support-annotations:23.1.1'
}

apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

A: Use these dependencies for the project build.gradle
dependencies {
    classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.0.0-alpha3'
    classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:2.0.0-alpha3'
}

and put this at the end of the app-level build.gradle file (after the dependencies).
apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

I have no clue why putting this at the end (and not at the beginning ) solves the error.
EDIT 5/1/2016
Ok… So trying to put an end to all problems you guys have faced with my solution
This is my final app level gradle
apply plugin: 'com.android.application'

android {
    compileSdkVersion 23
    buildToolsVersion "23.0.2"

    defaultConfig {
        applicationId "your-app-name"
        minSdkVersion 16
        targetSdkVersion 23
        versionCode 1
        versionName "1.0"
    }
    buildTypes {
        release {
            minifyEnabled false
            proguardFiles getDefaultProguardFile('proguard-android.txt'), 'proguard-rules.pro'
        }
    }
}

repositories {
    jcenter()
}

dependencies {
    compile fileTree(dir: 'libs', include: ['*.jar'])
    testCompile 'junit:junit:4.12'
    compile 'com.android.support:appcompat-v7:23.1.1'
    compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:8.4.0'
    compile 'com.android.support:design:23.1.1'
    compile 'com.mcxiaoke.volley:library:1.0.6@aar'
}

apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'

and this is my final project level gradle
// Top-level build file where you can add configuration options common to all sub-projects/modules.

buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.0.0-alpha3'
        classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:2.0.0-alpha3'

        // NOTE: Do not place your application dependencies here; they belong
        // in the individual module build.gradle files
    }
}

allprojects {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }
}

Compare this with your own gradle files, and add or modify any values which are different from what I've written.

A: I have updated in app build.gradle
dependencies {
....
compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-auth:9.0.0'

and app build.gradle
  dependencies {
    classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.1.0'
    classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:3.0.0'
}

Its working for.

A: In my caseI have removed the "apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'"
from the end of the gradle.build and its working fine.

A: Do the following:

*

*Put the following in your build.gradle(Application level gradle file)
dependencies {
      classpath 'com.android.tools.build:gradle:2.0.0-beta2'
      classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:2.0.0-beta2'
}

Please check here for latest version as this keep on changing.

*If you get the below error message than you need to upgrade your gradle wrapper to latest in gradle-wrapper.properties. I'm using 2.10.

Plugin is too old, please update to a more recent version, or set ANDROID_DAILY_OVERRIDE environment variable

*Put the following line at the bottom of your build.gradle(module level gradle file)
apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services

A: The important thing is to set Gradle to Version 2.10
https://stackoverflow.com/a/35188079/570168

A: I Was serching... at the Google page there is the solution...https://developers.google.com/android/guides/google-services-plugin#introduction
Add dependencies for basic libraries required for the services you have enabled. This step requires that the apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services' line be at the end of your app/build.gradle file so that no dependency collisions are introduced. You can see the result of this step by running ./gradlew :app:dependencies.

A: There is no meaning in moving apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services' to the end of build.gradle. It is same as not defining it.
Just remove this line and make sure apply plugin: 'com.android.application' is there
Use:
compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-gcm:8.4.0'
compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services:8.4.0'

it will compile.

A: In project gradle
buildscript {
    repositories {
        jcenter()
    }
    dependencies {
        classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:2.0.0-alpha6'
    }
}

in app/module gradle
apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services'
android {
    ...
}

dependencies {
    compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-analytics:8.3.0'
}

A: Here is my instruction to fix it.

*

*Change to use compile 'com.google.android.gms:play-services-location:8.3.0' in app build.gradle

*Move apply plugin: 'com.google.gms.google-services' to the end of app build.gradle

*Use classpath 'com.google.gms:google-services:2.0.0-alpha3' in project build.gradle dependency

*Change to use gradle-2.8 in gradle/wrapper/gradle-wrapper.properties

A: In project gradle:
       compileSdkVersion 23

It is working.