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James Besanvalle
National/ News/ Top Stories
Elizabeth Warren Promises Reparations for Same-sex Couples
James Besanvalle June 24, 2019
Presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren has promised reparations for same-sex couples.
The senior United States Senator from Massachusetts renewed her commitment to correct the 'wrongs' of the past.
'It wasn't until marriage equality became law that gay and lesbian couples could jointly file tax returns,' she wrote on Twitter yesterday (23 June). 'So they paid more in taxes.'
She then added: 'Our government owes them more than $50M for the years our discriminatory tax code left them out. We must right these wrongs.'
Elizabeth Warren✔@ewarren
It wasn't until marriage equality became law that gay & lesbian couples could jointly file tax returns—so they paid more in taxes. Our government owes them more than $50M for the years our discriminatory tax code left them out. We must right these wrongs.
Senator Warren is planning to introduce the Refund Equality Act, which was originally introduced in 2017 but failed to pass.
In 2013, the US Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act (DoMA), finding limiting marriage only to opposite sex couples as 'unconstitutional'.
But prior to this ruling, 10 US states had already legalized same-sex marriage. Because DoMA was in effect, same-sex couples were required to file their federal taxes as individuals. This meant they were paying more in taxes.
As a result of the 2013 Supreme Court's decision, same-sex couples became entitled to change their previous tax returns from individual to joint. However, this was only possible for the previous three years before the decision.
Senator Elizabeth Warren at Pride. | Photo: Elizabeth Warren / Flickr
Senator Warren's Refund Equality Act would see LGBTI couples allowed to claim joint tax return status for the full duration of their marriage.
This could amount to up to $57 million in reparations.
Senator Warren said in a statement last week (20 June): 'The federal government forced legally married same-sex couples in Massachusetts to file as individuals and pay more in taxes for almost a decade. It is only right that we change this tax code to make it fairer for all.'
Azerbaijan Police 'Broke the Law' in Randomly Detaining LGBTI People
James Besanvalle April 3, 2019
Azerbaijan police randomly began detaining LGBTI people on Monday (1 April) night.
LGBTI rights organization Minority Azerbaijan broke the news yesterday (2 April) morning, revealing shocking details of authorities 'hunting' transgender people, then handcuffing them and detaining them.
Now they confirm authorities detained at least 14 people and they can identify five.
Authorities fined two of them under Article 510 of the Code on Administrative Offenses – Minor Hooliganism.
While three detainees had official charges under section 535.1 (wilfully not obeying lawful orders of the police officer who engaged protecting of public order) of the Code of Administrative Offences.
Protest in Germany. | Photo: Ghvinotsdaati
Yesterday, the Binagadi District Court in Baku sentenced two detainees with 10 days and another one with 15 days of administrative detention.
Authorities are keeping the detainees in police custody at the Temporary Detention Centers of Police Departments (TDC).
Local sources explain TDCs should only hold people for 48 or 96 hours of detention.
'Therefore, it is wrong to keep persons who [have been] punished with more than 10 days of administrative detention in the TDC,' an anonymous source told Gay Star News. 'From this point of view, the conditions of the victims are inadequate in that place.'
The source then explained how authorities were illegally detaining LGBTI people.
'In general, the detainees are considered to be held administratively,' the local source explained. 'The law does not specify the compulsory examination of persons held in an administrative if it's not a criminal case.'
Authorities are also breaking the law in another way, with forced medical examinations of people living with HIV.
The source continued: 'The law… states that medical examinations to persons living with HIV cannot be accomplished by physical, psychological or moral pressure.
'But, when an HIV [positive] person posing a threat of infecting others or their legal representative does not agree to a medical examination, the medical examination for HIV-infected person is compulsory by court order in the manner prescribed by law,' the source explained.
According to eyewitness testimony, detainees did not receive any official request or signed paper before they had to undergo medical examinations.
'There was no court decision that justifies the examinations,' the source said. 'Therefore, under current conditions forced medical examination is not lawful.'
What's going on in Azerbaijan?
One report claims police are trying to 'hunt' transgender people via the internet. Police allegedly deceived a transgender sex worker, inviting them to a hotel to provide sex services.
Upon the trans person's arrival to the meeting place, 'they pulled out handcuffs' and took the trans person to the police station, according to local activists.
Brutality of Azerbaijan police in September 2017. | Photo: Aziz Karimov / supplied
Similar reports of authorities in Azerbaijan randomly detaining LGBTI people emerged in September 2017.
Eyewitness reports at the time claimed authorities detained LGBTI people, beat, verbally abused and forced medical examinations on transgender people. Some reports even suggest authorities shaved the hair of transgender women.
One gay man told how authorities beat, electrocuted and detained him for nine days.
The man – known only as Xeyal – said authorities beat with a baton on the head, knees, and arms. They also administered electric shocks to his head and body more than 30 times.
Police also tortured Xeyal into revealing names of former sexual partners. They then forced him to sign documents without reading them.
Azerbaijan is actually getting worse when it comes to LGBTI rights.
A ranking of 141 countries around the world found social attitudes to LGBTI people in Azerbaijan are declining, making it the worst performing country.
Although same-sex sexual activity is technically legal, Azerbaijan lags behind in anti-discrimination laws, parenting rights for same-sex couples, transgender rights and same-sex marriage.
Jussie Smollett Pleads Not Guilty to Lying about Hate Crime
James Besanvalle March 15, 2019
Empire actor Jussie Smollett has officially pleaded not guilty to charges he lied to police about a gay hate crime.
One of Smollett's lawyers, Tina Glandian, entered the plea at his arraignment in a Chicago courtroom this morning (14 March).
Smollett is due in court again on 17 April. He could face up to three years in prison.
Jussie Smollett: A background
This story began in late January when Smollett reported to Chicago police two men attacked him.
The investigation took a turn when police arrested two brothers. The brothers claimed Smollett paid them to help him stage the attack.
Jussie Smollett on Good Morning America | Photo: ABC
Earlier this month, a grand jury indicted actor Smollett on 16 felony counts.
The indictment stated Smollett filed a false report and then charged him with disorderly conduct.
According to CBS Chicago, the Cook County grand jury's indictment stated: 'Jussie Smollett knew that at the time […] there was no reasonable ground for believing that such offenses had been committed.'
Each of the counts covers various alleged false statements Smollett made to police officers. This includes alleged acts Smollett reportedly falsely described to officers, including two men attacking him and pouring a chemical on him.
Smollett was first charged with one count of disorderly conduct in February.
He continues to maintain his innocence as a victim and his attorneys said they would be mounting an 'aggressive defense'.
Gay Dads Are More Active in Parenting than Straight Men
James Besanvalle March 3, 2019
Gay dads are more active in child-rearing than heterosexual men, according to a new study.
Conducted by Éric Feugé from the Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM), the study is the 'first of its kind'.
It observed 46 families (including 92 gay fathers and 46 children – ages one to nine) over seven years.
The study analyzed the roles gay dads take in raising their kids and found the way they parent is 'very equitable'.
'We learned that gay fathers' sharing of tasks is very equitable,' Feugé told the Montreal Gazette. 'There was a high degree of engagement in all types of parental roles.'
Sam Blaylock and gay dads at Portland Pride 2017. | Photo: Sam Blaylock (@xxsamraiderxx) Instagram
He then added: '[Gay dads] have a larger palette than (men in) traditional heterosexual families.
'What's really interesting is that they don't conform to roles of conventional fathers. They were able to redefine and propose new models of cultural notions of paternity and masculinity.
'They could be playmates, caregivers, protectors, role models, morality guides,' he said.
The study found men with higher revenue were less invested in family life. It also found men with 'culturally defined feminine traits' were more involved in childcare.
Gay dads and stigma
Another recent study reported two thirds of gay dads have experienced stigma.
63.5% of 732 gay fathers from 47 US states reported facing stigma for being a gay dad. Furthermore, half of respondents (51.2%) reported avoiding situations for fear of stigma, in the last year.
Gay dads Wayne and Gus with their family, Lucas, Logan and Eva. | Photo: Stephanie Horn Photography
Most of this stigma comes from religious environments.
Stigma is defined as gay fathers 'made to feel uncomfortable, excluded, shamed, hurt, or unwelcome.'
Around a quarter of respondents also reported experiencing stigma in the past year from family members, neighbors, gay friends and/or service providers such as waiters, service providers, and salespeople.
According to the authors of the study: 'Ongoing health supervision should include discussions about stigma and help families learn strategies to counteract its corrosive effects.'
Another recent study found gay dads make better parents than straight dads.
Features/ HIV & AIDS/ Top Stories
Young Black Gay and Bisexual Men in US 16 Times More Likely to Acquire HIV
James Besanvalle December 5, 2018
Young black American gay and bisexual men are 16 times more likely to acquire HIV than white gay and bisexual men, according to a new study.
Northwestern University found black 16-29-year-old men who have sex with men (MSM) are the most at risk of HIV. This is despite reporting fewer sexual partners, more frequent testing and safer sex practises.
Researchers said this is because of 'more dense and interconnected social and sexual networks' within the black community.
There are also disparities with access to healthcare after an HIV diagnosis.
The study warned if the trend persists, one in two black men will acquire HIV at some point. This compares to one in five Hispanic men and one in 11 white men.
Senior study author Brian Mustanski said: 'Black young MSM engage in fewer risk behaviors but have a much higher rate of HIV diagnosis.
'Their social and sexual networks are more dense and interconnected, which from an infectious disease standpoint, makes infections transmitted more efficiently through the group.'
He then added: 'That, coupled with the higher HIV prevalence in the population, means any sexual act has a higher chance of HIV transmission.'
Researchers collected data from 1,015 men who have sex with men living in the Chicago metropolitan area.
Jesse Milan Jr. is the president and CEO of AIDS United.
He said in a statement to Gay Star News: 'This report demonstrates what we already knew to be true – that HIV has never affected all populations equally, having its greatest impact on society's most marginalized communities.
'The alarming disparities that we've seen in black gay and bisexual men have been so for decades. Despite recent progress in some populations, HIV continues to have a devastating and disproportionate impact on communities of color, especially black gay and bisexual men and transgender women.
'We have to do more to bend this curve. It's a moral imperative and its essential to ending the HIV epidemic in the U.S.
'We cannot end this epidemic without addressing the stigma, racial and socio-economic factors that fuel it,' he said.
Everybody's Business/ Features/ Top Stories
Twitter Now Protects Trans People from Targeted Misgendering and Deadnaming
James Besanvalle November 26, 2018
You can now report Twitter users for targeted deadnaming and misgendering.
Twitter updated its Terms of Service last night (23 November) to protect trans people from online abuse.
The new protection comes under the heading: 'Repeated and/or non-consensual slurs, epithets, racist and sexist tropes or other content that degrades someone.'
It continues: 'We prohibit targeting individuals with repeated slurs, tropes or other content that intends to dehumanize, degrade or reinforce negative or harmful steroetypes about a protected category.
'This includes targeted misgendering or deadnaming of transgender individuals,' it said.
Targeted misgendering is the process of deliberately using the wrong pronouns when addressing someone. While targeted deadnaming is deliberately using the birth name of someone who has legally changed their name to affirm their identity.
Twitter users can report these slurs by using the 'It's abusive or harmful' option, then 'Includes targeted harassment' or 'It directs hate against a protected category'.
Transgender advocates took to Twitter to commend Twitter for protecting trans people against online abuse.
One Twitter user wrote: 'GOOD. It's about time.'
Another tweeted: 'A nice thing for Friday.'
Another wrote: 'If we are going to have rules against harassment, these updated rules makes sense.'
San Marino Passes Civil Union Law for Same-sex Couples
The Republic of San Marino just passed civil union laws for same-sex couples.
Nestled within Italy, San Marino is the world's smallest republic and has a population of just over 33,000 people.
The Grand and General Council governs the people of San Marino and yesterday (15 November) it began to discuss the proposed Regulation of Civil Unions.
It was the second reading, after the Commission for Constitutional and Institutional Affairs approved the draft on 27 September.
Milan pride 2011. | Photo: Federico Moroni / Flickr
There are 14 articles in the law, but most notably one that states: 'A civil union is a contract stipulated by two legal adults of the same-sex or of opposite sex in order to organize their life together as a couple.'
The law passed today (16 November) with 40 votes in favor, four votes against and four abstaining.
There is currently no date planned for the law to come into effect.
Marco Tonti from Arcigay told Gay Star News: 'It is a historic step forward for San Marino since homosexuality had been criminalized until 2004.'
He then added: 'There are still many civil rights missing from the appeal, such as the voluntary termination of pregnancy.'
Last year, San Marino scored fairly low on a list of 49 European countries ranked on rights for LGBTI people.
It came in at number 44, with only 12% of LGBTI rights.
In fact, San Marino only six years ago struck down a medieval law that forbade same-sex couples to live together.
The small independent country wouldn't give visa rights to gay men and women living together as a couple.
The removal of the medieval law was an historic step forwards.
Michele Pazzini, secretary of the LGBT-San Marino association said at the time: 'This is a little step towards the full recognition of same-sex couples.'
Many Italians want to live in San Marino because of the very low taxation of the republic.
LGBTI Activist Zach Wahls Wins Iowa Senate Seat
James Besanvalle November 9, 2018
Zach Wahls just won a senate seat in the US state of Iowa.
The 27-year-old, who went viral in a video in 2011 defending his lesbian moms, took to Twitter last night (6 November) to announce his victory.
He tweeted: 'We won. Thank you, Iowa.'
Zach Wahls, who ran as a Democratic candidate, received 78% of the vote.
He will be one of the youngest people to ever serve in the state senate.
The young senator campaigned on issues like affordable health care, education, improved workers' rights and gun control.
'I hope tonight marks a fresh start for Iowa,' he said in a statement last night. 'We must all come together to bring real reform to our health care system, restore a tradition of excellence to our public education system and raise incomes for Iowa's working families.
'It's time to start thinking about the future of our state again,' he added.
Zach Wahls said his viral video in 2011 inspired him to run for office.
He said in his announcement at the end of last year: 'Two quick notes about how we're going to run this campaign.
'FIRST, I am incredibly conscientious of the fact that I am a straight white guy running in the #MeToo moment.
'I am running because I believe all Iowans need a seat at the table. That absolutely means more women running, it means more young people, it means more people of color.
'This is an all hands on deck situation that is going to determine the future of our state for generations to come — and all hands means all hands.
'I am going to listen to women.
'I am going to hold myself and the men around me accountable for our behavior. For our generation, this is a basic qualification, but I feel it is one that is important to name and to say out loud,' he tweeted.
Watch his viral video, with more than 19 million views:
UK Gay and Bisexual Men More Likely to Marry Later in Life
James Besanvalle September 16, 2018
Same-sex couples are more likely to marry later in life than opposite-sex couples, according to new data.
The Office of National Statistics commissioned a four-part series on young people in the UK, entitled Being 18 in 2018.
The series focuses on 18-year-olds since the start of the millennium.
In the UK, people can marry as soon as they turn 18. But since 1970, couples are waiting longer on average to tie the knot.
Single women marrying men are more likely to marry the youngest.
For example, the average age for women marrying men in 1970 was around 22 years old. For men marrying women, it was around 24 years old.
But since the introduction of same-sex marriage in the UK in 2014, we now have data on same-sex marriages.
In 2014, the average age for women marrying men jumped to 31, with men marrying women at 33.
But the average age of women marrying women was 35 and men marrying men was 38.
This may be because older LGBTI people, who couldn't marry before, can now tie the knot.
In 2015, the average age of men marrying men jumped up to almost 40.
The data also reveals 18-year-olds today are more likely to live two years longer than 18-year-olds in 2000.
It also states drinking and smoking seem to be in decline for 18-year-olds today.
Almost Half of Bisexual People in Utah Experience Sexual Violence
James Besanvalle May 18, 2018
Bisexual people in the U.S. state of Utah report the most incidences of sexual violence, according to a new survey.
The shocking new survey analyzes responses from about 10,000 Utahan adults collected in 2016.
It reveals 45.5% of bisexual people in Utah have experienced sexual violence. It also said 33.6% of lesbian/gay respondents reported sexual violence.
This compares to just 8.7% for straight people.
According to the survey, sexual violence is 'sexual activity (sexual touching, harassment or exposure to sexual content) that involves victims who do not consent, or who are unable to consent.'
Turner Bitton, executive director of the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault, said in a written statement: 'Sexual violence is rooted in the inequities of our society and disproportionately hurts those who have been pushed to the margins.'
He also said: 'Utah communities are counting on us to ensure that everyone is included in prevention efforts.'
Bitton calls for 'culturally specific prevention programming' in the state to combat the huge disparity.
Interestingly, other breakdowns of the statistics include disproportionate incidences among unemployed people, with 21.3%. 'Student' comes in second with 10.7% and 'employed' with 10%.
Sexual violence in Utah breaks down to affecting 3.1% of the state's male population and 16.4% of females.
Utah became the first Republican-held state to repeal gay propaganda laws last year.
Dubbed the 'no promo homo' law, it was a series of laws prohibiting the 'advocacy of homosexuality' in schools.
The original law as outlined in the Utah Code does not specify what exactly constitutes advocacy of homosexuality.
The Mormon religion heavily influences the state of Utah. In fact, it is the most likely state to search for Mormon gay porn.
According to PornHub statistics released last year, in searches compared with other US states, Utah is 845% more likely to search for 'Mormon'.


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MEG Renewables
MEG Renewables is a developer of small to medium scale renewable energy projects, focussing primarily on hydro schemes and to a lesser degree onshore wind sites, mainly within Scotland. It was established in April 2010 and is a wholly owned subsidiary of M&Co. It was formed for two reasons. Firstly, to provide a secure source of green energy for M&Co's UK network of stores, and in the process, providing a hedge against the increasing costs of electricity. Secondly, to create a diversified long-term income stream for M&Co.
Their current hydro projects range from 300kW up to 2MW and their wind projects range from single turbines of 500kW up to multi turbine developments of several megawatts. They operate with a small in-house team based at M&Co's Inchinnan Head Office and work in conjunction with specialist consultants to take projects from pre-feasibility all the way through to operation. They are always keen to hear from landowners who wish to explore opportunities on their land and they would be happy to provide a free initial site appraisal.
If you are interested in finding out more about MEG Renewables, please visit their website at www.meg-renewables.co.uk. You can also contact them directly on 0141 812 9000 or via e-mail at info@meg-renewables.co.uk
About M&Co
NSPCC Gift Appeal
Ethical Trade
Retirement Benefit Scheme
Mackays Stores Ltd Retirement Benefit Scheme
If you have any questions or
need help with your account,
you may Contact Us to assist you.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


I was watching an old rerun of House. His friend left, ostensibly because he was enabling House to "spread misery" since House couldn't get involved in any real relationships, etc. (all the things that make the unsocial out to be ogres, onerous and inhuman). I was wondering why I like House. I realize that the character, House, embodies everything "ideal" we find in our machines, our created intelligence robots with their perfect memory and recall, their ability to (re)search through associations and connectivity, their fantastic, unerring mechanical skills (we prefer them to a surgeon's hands when it comes to operating on our hearts), their ability to always win at any game, etc. Indeed, the reason these machines were created in the first place is to make up for what all we continuously err at, for what we lack (Could it be that they are lack? Why they are so desired?). Like House, they are always correct. Now put all those characteristics into a human and, voila, you have House. Previously, before shock and awe, budget accounting involving trillions, and global warming, you had Spock. And before Spock, there was Dr Who. And before that- I'm sure with research one could go on and on through the likes of Sherlock Holmes, etc. But now House is the center, the main character of this current narrative, this TV drama. In the original episodes of Star Trek, Spock was an adviser, an assistant, a "supporting" character to the central hero, the all too human William Shatner. Before that, Dr Who was a Rudy Maxa kind of travel guide. His compatriots would find themselves in totally bizarre and unknown locales which only Who knew how to navigate. These travelers primarily witnessed the drama that played out with every visit and encounter, like spectators at a sporting event. The events took center stage like tourist attractions but didn't actively engage the visitors (save to trap or threaten them). Like all good travel guides, from Hermes on down, Who facilitated this witnessing, and made it possible for us to immerse ourselves in the curiously imagined worlds at the center of this show. Unlike Spock, Who in no way advised or supported the human involvement in the unfolding of events. In House the human element is now relegated to the periphery, the margins, the contingent (everyone but House). Their story, or rather stories, swirl around his flawless functioning. The central, or essential, is now the perfection (that we all rely on in order to stay alive). This (new) center (or essential) is unbearable (why the friend leaves- because he "enabled" it). It is unbearable not because it is a lie, but because it exposes the lie. Of course, that is the whole attraction of the show. Through focusing on the unerring perfection of House's genius (comparable only to what we expect of our machine creations), the contingent humanity is exposed for what it is -the lie that is the cohesive thread for an identity that is not. The narrative does all this without ever naming or indicating it (the "essential" lie) as such.
Is everything described in waking, myth or history? Some say science is myth/history, that is, that it is subjective (myth and history are by definition subjective). Scientists claim they are objective; that the functions and interactions they describe are so regardless of any subject, like mathematics, they just are so (like the functions and interactions in my dream). What Lec wrote becomes relevant when one realizes the incredible effort being made to digitalize all description, so as to "marry" it to the objectivity of science in "real time" (since the digital code is a mathematical one and therefore is simply considered an extension of the objectivity of science). We all prefer a "scientific" doctor to treat us when we are ill; one who is not subjective but can deal with the objective "reality" of the physical body and whatever sickens it. My dream was of just such an objective, everyday, social reality. My feeling upon waking was as Lec described it. It all becomes interesting when one asks "why do we need myths and history to interact socially?" Why can't we simply interact objectively, like psychopaths without a social conscience, purely on empirical reasoning? For me, the answer to the last question is where my art interest lies- other artists who are dealing with this in their art, as well as my own. In what way does myth and history make social interaction possible; that without it, social existence becomes unbearable (why psychopaths are described as having no social conscience, no subjective connection to the "reality" of others)? I keep returning to Bakhtin and carnival and the circus and magic, where the focus and emphasis is on the subjective, NOT on the objective (Bakhtin's dialogic where another perspective is necessary in order to understand something, to know something, to experience something). Today the emphasis is gradually shifting, like the melting of the polar ice caps, to a more and more objective description, an objective reality.
This invites a strange combination for making art, almost in the binary sense. In making a drawing, the white and black interact to create the drawing. With this strange, meta-combination (of objective and subjective perspective), the objective is not eschewed. It is acknowledged, has the focus or priority. Yet at the same time, the subjective is not disavowed. It is allowed to play, to run riot. It is roughly parallel to Ranciere's emancipated art where the art object taps or unlocks capacities. With magic, the magicians focus the attention on one area, one thing, while something else occurs. With carnival, there is a thumbing of the nose at the rules or hierarchy of the preordained, legitimate reality. There is the (in)famous Bush "So what?" Objectivity, with its rules and hierarchy is not changed, but simply disregarded for what it is; the rules and hierarchy do not apply here, have no reach, are without power. With circus, there is a total and complete celebration of the subjective. There is a complete overturning of priorities. The objective plays a secondary, subliminal role. Yes, there is gravity. Yes, there is weight and volume, etc. What is central and overriding are the skill, daring-do, and the subjective ability to subordinate the body, nature, etc. (note that it isn't to subordinate the "laws" of nature but nature as a subjective entity). I'm thinking of a small bronze. It is entitled Three Figures with a Planar Surface. Three figures appear to be seated at a table, only the table has no legs, the figures have no chairs to support them. Acknowledgement of the objectivity of the material, the piece itself as an object, is given by there being no "table legs or chairs." That in itself says it is a bronze casting, an art object. The material (and the very process of production) is what holds this composition together. But the more one focuses on that, the more the subjective aspects of the arrangement of these figurative bodies in space, their juxtaposition with the flat surface, their gestures, comes into play. Yet there is nothing that references the subjective as primary, as origin, as focal point. The subjective is allowed to run riot, to play out as the viewer intends, much as Ranciere suggests.


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All The Gossip News For You
American artist Huey Lewis (real name Hugh Anthony Cregg III) shot to international fame in the mid-'80s after he and his band, Huey Lewis and the News, released their 3rd album "Sports" which included the rock and roll anthems "Heart and Soul," "If This Is It," "I Want A New Drug" and "The Heart Of Rock & Roll."
Huey Lewis and the News followed up their breakthrough record with the swinging single "The Power Of Love" that landed number 1 on the charts after it was featured on the iconic 1985 movie "Back to the Future."
Lewis continues to make music and even released the album "Weather" last year.
Guess what he looks like now!
TMZ Celebrity News for Music
Tagged 'MembaHueyLewis
'This Is Us' Actor Hannah Zeile on Kate's Big Secret & Her Reunion With Marc
Jason Cooke's Top 10 TV Shows of 2020
Taylor Swift Will Perform Old Hits at AMAs, According to Oddsmakers
Liam Payne confuses fans with studio announcement despite 'axing' album plans
Drake Removes Chair-Throwing Girl from Music Video
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PIIE/Jeremey Tripp
Secular Stagnation and the Future of Global Macroeconomic Policy
Lawrence H. Summers (Harvard University)
April 15, 2019 12:15 PM to 1:30 PM
REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
Some Big Changes in Macroeconomic Thinking from Lawrence Summers
Adam S. Posen
(PIIE)
Facing Up to Low Productivity Growth
Edited by Adam S. Posen (PIIE) and Jeromin Zettelmeyer (PIIE)
Secular Stagnation Requires Rethinking Macroeconomic Policy, Especially Fiscal Policy
Olivier Blanchard (PIIE) and Lawrence H. Summers (Harvard University)
Featuring Adam S. Posen (PIIE)
Sustaining Economic Growth in Asia
Jérémie Cohen-Setton (PIIE), Thomas Helbling, Adam S. Posen (PIIE) and Changyong Rhee, editors
Making Sense of the Productivity Slowdown
Keynote Speaker: Lawrence H. Summers (Harvard University) David J. Stockton (PIIE), John Fernald (Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco), Jaana Remes (McKinsey Global Institute), Peter Orszag (Citigroup), Jacob Funk Kirkegaard (PIIE), Kyoji Fukao (Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University), Marcel Fratzscher (European Central Bank), Sebnem Kalemli-Ozcan (University of Maryland), Chang-Tai Hsieh (University of Chicago) and Sir David Ramsden (HM Treasury)
Bank of Japan's policies have been a success
Book Release: Facing Up to Low Productivity Growth
Karen Dynan (PIIE), Jeromin Zettelmeyer (PIIE), Adam S. Posen (PIIE) and Anna Stansbury (Harvard University)
Public Debt: Fiscal and Welfare Costs in a Time of Low Interest Rates
Olivier Blanchard (PIIE)
Public Debt and Low Interest Rates
Asia at the Forefront: Growth Challenges for the Next Decade and Beyond
Changyong Rhee (IMF) and Adam S. Posen (PIIE)


Our studio enrolled Ann Megg, our art director, to the school of motion bootcamp. This was one of her assignments. The assignment was only to create the motion boards but our creative director decided to produce the video.
The idea is to make a logo reveal for Converse to use on social media. It needs to speak the Converse brand and appeals to millennials.
Images have been graciously provided by Shutterstock for use in the creation of course content and exercises.
Using the 3D model provided, Megg imported it to photoshop to apply color, material, lighting and textures to the 3D model. She used the stock photos in the background to show a bit of "social" side of Converse. She also applied color correction to the stock images to give it a modern feel.
Thank you for viewing and appreciating!


What could be better than Speedo's Pro Backpack? The new Teamster backpack! Classic shape and styling of the Pro Backpack with quality additions such as offset raised laptop sleeve to protect corners. Removable dirt bag to keep wet and dirty items away from electronics and clean clothes. Durable exterior shell is built tough with abrasion resistance for demanding athletes. Capacity 35 liters.


What is the climate for Competitive Intelligence?
I have previously discussed situations when there may be little or no demand for CI. Let me now get into more situations where the demand for CI may become diminished.
For the first, I saw in a recent issue of Fortune an article by Geoff Colvin – "The New Allure of Going Private" (June 1, 2016). In that article, the author discussed the disadvantages of going public, and the related benefits or going (or staying) private. Along them he noted that "the many disclosures required of public companies are rich with information for competitors to study." 1 point for staying private. Why give competitively sensitive data to your competitors if you do not have to?
The impact on CI? If you are private, consider staying private because you will release less competitively sensitive data. If your competitors are similarly situated, that may then create an atmosphere where all competitors in that market space see little need to develop or maintain CI capabilities, since the necessary data appears to be so hard to collect. By the way, that is not always the case.
A second situation arises out of the current state of the US economy. I have talked with many in business, and hear a common thread, particularly from those in the largest public firms. It is variously called caution, fear, reluctance, etc. It has as one of its characteristics the current positioning of many firms. The phrases used to describe that positioning include surviving, defensive, and avoiding risk. That language has replaced language such as positioning to grow faster, being more aggressive, and making more money. To put it bluntly, there is, in some cases, a loss of a sense of competing in the current economy. And, if your firm is not really competing, why, pray tell, would it feel that developing and using CI is a priority?


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Before you ship any parcel(s) from the United Kingdom to Switzerland, make sure you understand the responsibilities we outline on our website.
Regarding any UK originated parcels, European postage experts suggest avoiding controversial items and any chemically active materials. Swiss are known their respectfulness towards the law so they will not look for any compromises if something from the prohibition or restriction list is present in the package. In general, Swiss tend to dispose the shipment if something is done wrong or not according to the rules.
Once the shipments touch down on the Swiss soil, they are inspected by officers. The level of inspection is chosen at random, but these check-ups are present because the UK is not a part of the Schengen area. If the provided documents are accurate and officers have no reason to open up the parcel, it should clear customs very quickly, but in other situations, your parcel can get opened and looked at. Be careful and follow the guidelines we describe here or contact our team directly by e-mail so you can avoid unfortunate incidents.
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Shipping from the UK to Switzerland relies on your decision making. It can become swift and cheap with only a few clicks of a button. Parcelabc takes pride in giving the customer the power to determine the best way to ship his or hers packet. Choose from the options available and contact our team if any questions arise.
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Home » AIDS still a fact of life and death
AIDS still a fact of life and death
By Anglican Journal Staff on December 1, 2005
Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day. Seventeen years after the United Nations declared it as a day for remembering the victims, increasing awareness, and fighting prejudice against HIV-AIDS, the disease has not gone away.
As Canadian Anglicans join churches and advocacy groups around the world in marking World AIDS Day, the Anglican Journal gathered some figures and facts about the disease.
The Caribbean has the world's second highest HIV prevalence rate; the highest HIV-infection levels among women in the Americas are in the Caribbean;
HIV-AIDS has become the leading cause of death in the Caribbean among people aged 15-44;
95 per cent of people living with HIV-AIDS come from low and middle-income countries;
The fastest-growing AIDS epidemics are in East Asia (a rise of 50 per cent from 2002-2004), Eastern Europe, and Central Asia (a rise of 40 per cent from the same period);
The number of people living with HIV continues to grow – from 35 million in 2001 to 38 million in 2003, to 39.4 million in 2004;
Between 80 and 85 per cent of HIV-AIDS cases are the result of unprotected sexual intercourse;
High-risk behaviour is on the rise in high-income countries, where the antiretroviral therapy is widely available, and new infections are being noted. In North America, the number of HIV-positive people was estimated at 950,000 in 2001; in 2003, the number was one million. Europe saw an increase of 40,000 new cases (from 540,000 in 2001 to 580,000 in 2003);
A 20 per cent increase in HIV-positive tests have been reported in the last five years in Canada (from 2,111 in 2000 to 2,529 in 2004);
Over one quarter of HIV-positive test reports in Canada in 2004 were among women, a notable rise from the years prior to 1995, where they represented less than 10 per cent;
The proportion of HIV-positive mothers receiving antiretroviral therapy in Canada reached a high of 96 per cent in 2004.
39.4 million, the number of people around the world living with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) that causes AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome);
25 million of people living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa; 10 million of them are young people aged 15 to 24; this region holds just over 10 per cent of the world's population but is home to more than 60 per cent of HIV cases and more than three quarters of all women living with HIV;
More than 20 million people have died of AIDS since it was first identified in 1981;
15 million children have been orphaned by HIV-AIDS;
12 million new infections are estimated in Asia between 2005 and 2010; Asian nations have huge populations that even low national HIV prevalence translates into millions of people living with HIV;
5 million, the number of people newly infected with HIV in 2004 alone;
3 million, the number of people who died of HIV-AIDS in 2004;
57,674, the number of HIV-positive cases in Canada from November 1985 to December 2004;
13,500, the number of new HIV infections per day around the world;
2,005 infants in Canada have been identified as perinatally exposed to HIV, born between 1984 and 2004. HIV-exposed infants reported per birth year has increased from 87 in 1993 to 163 in 2004. HIV-exposed infants whose mothers' HIV status was attributed to exposure through heterosexual contact constituted 70.6 per cent of cases; 27.7 per cent were attributed to injecting drug use;
Only 1 in 5 people have access to basic HIV prevention services;
Only 1 in 10 people living with HIV have been tested for the virus;
Only 1 million people living with HIV are receiving antiretroviral therapy in developing countries, which means that only 15 per cent of those needing treatment receive it;
$22 billion would be needed in 2008 to reverse the spread of AIDS in the developing world.
Sources: UNAIDS, CIDA, Reuters Alertnet, Public Health Agency of Canada
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The Dairy Alliance
For more information about The Dairy Alliance, please visit their website.
Mary Martin Nordness, MA, RD, LD, CHES
Director of Nutritional Affairs
Mary Martin Nordness is a registered dietitian and certified health educator. She serves as nutrition affairs director for The Dairy Alliance, where she conducts television, radio and print interviews on nutrition throughout the Southeast. Nationally, she has been interviewed for WebMD, Cooking Light, Teen Vogue and Eating Well. In addition, the National Dairy Council tapped Mary Martin to serve as National Dairy Council Ambassador for several years.
Prior to joining The Dairy Alliance, Mary Martin had extensive experience as a medical nutrition therapist in Baton Rouge, La. While serving as community wellness coordinator, she appeared in numerous media segments, planned health education programs and conducted health screenings throughout southern Louisiana.
Mary Martin received her Bachelor of Science degree in nutrition from Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. She completed her dietetic internship at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and earned a Master of Arts degree in health and kinesiology from Southeastern Louisiana University, where she was recently named health and kinesiology alumni of the year. She is an active member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and serves as past-president of the Alabama Dietetic Association. In 2011, Mary Martin was named "Emerging Dietetic Leader" by the Alabama Dietetic Association and Outstanding Dietitian in 2013. Most recently, she was honored as Spotlight Alumni by the College of Public Health at Samford University in 2015.
5340 W. Fayetteville Road
Atlanta, GA 30349-5416


The Number Of Calories In Foods, Fruits, And Vegetables.
It is important to understand the total number of calories contained in foods. This will be able to determine the amount of food that a person can consume. Understanding the amount of calories in vegetables is important as well. While most vegetables have low amounts of calories, different vegetables will have different calorie amounts.
As an example, carrots have about 52 calories. This refers to one cup of chopped carrots. On the other hand, every 100 grams of broccoli contains only about 34 calories. This just goes to show how low the amount of calories in vegetables is low. Consuming more vegetables is encouraged. Here you will find valuable information for some of the most common vegetables.


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Unit 6-8 Trackside Business Centre, Abbots Close
Modern industrial/warehouse unit
Secure fenced yard
5.15m eaves
Unit - 6-8 21,684 2,014.51 Available
Unit 6-8 is of steel portal frame construction with metal cladding under a dual pitched roof. The building is to undergo a refurbishment programme throughout to provide a single unit serviced by a secure fenced yard.
Trackside Business Centre is situated in a prominent location fronting Byfleet Road and is adjacent to Byfleet & New Haw railway station. The A3 which is accessed via the A245 is approximately 3 miles to the south east.
The property is equidistant (4 miles) from junctions 10 and 11 of the M25. The estate sits within the wider Byfleet industrial area which is home to a number of national occupiers including: Amazon, John Lewis, BAE Systems, TNT and AIM Aviation.
industrialUnit 10 Trackside Business Centre, Abbots CloseKT14 7JN West Byfleet


This hotel enjoys a delightful setting in Calis, lying in a peaceful, residential area. The hotel is located just 3 km away from the centre of the market town of Fethiye. The hotel is situated just 1.5 km away from Calis Beach. Guests will find themselves just a short walking distance away from links to the public transport network, as well as a choice of shops, restaurants and bars. The hotel is located within easy driving distance of the Oludeniz Lagoon, the old Greek village of Kayakoy and Butterfly Valley. This charming city hotel comprises superbly-appointed guest rooms, which blend contemporary style with elegance. Guests can indulge in an invigorating massage or spa treatment, for the ideal way to unwind. The hotel features conference facilities, for the convenience of business travellers.


berhanmqo3 69 days ago News https://issuu.com Discuss Published New Discard Success!
42 years old Urban and Regional Planner Jarvis Mosby from Brandon, has many passions which include quick cars, sape links and walking. Identified some interesting spots following 4 days at Old Towns of Djenné.


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Q: Use of undefined constant user - assumed 'user using php7.2 i using PHP v7.2 , i using auth , and when i use function login with postman, i am getting error like this

Use of undefined constant user - assumed 'user' (this will throw an
  Error in a future version of PHP)

in AuthController.php line 41
this is my AuthController..
public function login(Request $request)
{
    $user = User::where('email', $request->email)->where('password', app('hash')->make($request->password))->first();

    if(user == NULL)
    {
        return response()->json(['status'=>'error', 'message'=>'token invalid'], 400);
    }
    else
    {
        return response()->json(['status'=>'succes', 'user'=> $user], 200);
    }
}

where my code wrong ?

A: Change if(user == NULL) to if($user === null). The error came from missing $ on user variable

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Mustang - Part II
Life began very soon after the Earth was formed according to current understanding. Within 500 Million years of it's formation, the Earth was infested with living things. As the Earth changed over time, things that could not adapt to changing conditions died out, and things that could adapted and bore progeny.
When man arose new capabilities arose with him. We took tool use to a whole new level, and used the scientific method to create a body of knowledge others could learn instead of having to invest in experiment to acquire. Today we have proven able to adapt to every potential habitat for living things on Earth, at least on a temporary basis, by using tools to create human habitable spaces in the deepest ocean trench and the most frigid polar wasteland - and even off world.
Around ~7 Billion of us live today, a significant percentage of biomass on the planet, and we have developed means of domesticating or preying on most of the ecosystems profitable for the purpose. We alone, of the perhaps dozens of species of hominid that arose, survive today. Our species features eusociality, unique amongst hominids, and rare in species.
Combined with our technological abilities, eusociality is particularly empowering. While we number today in the billions, other hominids never approached such populations. Estimations of Neanderthal populations range in the tens of thousands of individuals, which is all the explanation necessary for their disappearance soon after we began entering their habitat.
Neanderthals weren't eusocial. It is unlikely they coordinated their lives anything like what we do. War probably didn't happen between Neanderthal villages or groups, and war is practically a defining characteristic of H. sapiens. The domestication of various species that we have long undertaken is another defining characteristic of our species, and it is also something we have done to ourselves.
It is the nature of eusociality that the individuals of the species serve the species, and we see that men no less than chickens or horses are actually domesticated. But we are a diverse species. In fact most of us not in Africa are hybrids of H. sapiens and either H. neanderthanlensis or H. denisova.
We are like domesticated dogs that have interbred with wolves, like domesticated horses that have been bred by Mustang stallions. Neanderthals were not domesticated, were probably barely social, and genetic studies reveal how this affected their evolution with both inbreeding and broad diversity between widely separated populations.
IMG source - OPB - Wild Horses in Crisis
Archaeologists claim that technology advanced but slowly for tens and hundreds of thousands, even millions of years. When some wild hominid savant, driven by need and lacking the power of the horde, made some leap in technology, the lack of society prevented adoption of that novelty by others. H. sapiens was not particularly innovative, simply organized into large non-family groups. This membership in a horde actually suppresses novelty, which disrupts the horde. Not until hybridization occurred did both individual inventiveness and a society capable of multiplying novel development occur together and the true advance of technology begin.
As a result, not all of us today are as domesticated as most of us. Some of we hybrids tend more to be Mustangs than draft animals. We chafe at the bit. We leap the fences and escape corrals, depriving our masters of harvesting our production. This is a good thing for civilization, though the shepherds rage.
It is that impulse to escape the obedient herd that causes us to explore, to invent, to create improvements. Were we all completely domestic animals, there would be no potential for technological advance. Like ants or wasps, we'd merely prey and compete with our neighbors, developmentally static, just filling our ecological niche.
It is our Mustangs that provide our true purpose: to continue to improve technology so that life can transcend Earth.
[I note there is a similarity to Steem in this paradigm. Whales capture the vast majority of rewards, and lament the escape of rewards to creators, just as shepherds do feral cattle. Just as the advance of civilization depends on Mustangs, so does the value of Steem depend on rewards escaping whales and encouraging creators to produce content. Similarly to Mustangs driving innovation that potentiates escape from our natal gravity well, it will be Mustangs in the Steem ecosystem that create communities and deploy SMTs that enable Steem to escape the whale's wallets and give Steem more value. The whales will rage at their lost ROI, yet the real ROI of capital gains will be driven by those escaped rewards that enable Mustangs to create new vectors for profits, like whole new planets to develop.]
According to our best understanding, life probably began with one creature that was able to replicate. Due to evolutionary pressure, mutation, and hybridization, it's offspring diversified into multiple species. Yet this means that all life is one organism: an unbroken chain of living cells from every extant clump of them today back to the original primal creature. Death is the end of a clump of cells having independent agency, but the whole organism lives on, and each newborn is simply a new clump organized by some spore, or sperm and egg that did not die when it's parent clump did, but lived on to organize a new clump.
Evolution does not merely happen physiologically, but behaviorally. It is not just our forms that evolve, but our actions. Humanity is the cutting edge of evolution in that sense, and there are unique pressures on our species that no other species has ever faced. These are consequences of novel abilities we deliver to the living organism that is life on Earth.
Eusociality is not novel. Intelligence is not novel. Tool use is not novel. It is the concatenation of them that is novel, and it is the Mustangs among us that push the envelope of novelty into the unknown, that extend our capabilities and multiply our problems.
Mustangs are wild men, seething with disdain for their domesticated fellows, raging with frustration at their lack of freedom, compelled to escape the power of overlords and break the boundaries of behaviour that enable those overlords to profit from the production of their chattel. While the draft animals amongst us produce the surplus goods, the feral among us make those goods more valuable by transcending the limits of what can be done with them.
No plow horse will win the Kentucky Derby, and no wild Mustang will either. But the mix between them has produced that most valuable of race horses that can. I do not think our species is well named. Homo sapiens. Wise man. Ha! We are for the most part H. vulgaris, common or domesticated man. But not all of us are as domesticated as the rest, and some of us, hybrids between domesticated and wild men, extend the capabilities of all of us, overlord and slave. It is those Mustangs alone that will enable us to transcend our little plot on Earth for the wild pastures across the galaxies, wherever and whatever they may be.
Thank our wild progenitors for the feral blood in our hybrid veins that creates that potential. Neanderthals were all Mustangs, incapable of surviving captivity, and incapable of building their own cages and corrals as we have done, of producing hordes that create surplus. They were wild, most of us are domesticated, but some of us are feral hybrids, neither captive nor wild, testing the boundaries, breaking out, and coming back to visit our captive fellows, share our new knowledge, and enrich the genepool with our will to explore, innovate, and create new ways of doing things.
Neither total obedience to our masters, nor total freedom from overlords, can advance humanity to it's ultimate destiny as an interstellar species that allows Earth life to expand across the stars. It is our feral Mustangs that can do that, and them alone.
But, the overlords compete with each other for the profits from the herds, and Mustangs are lost productivity for them. Mustangs are in crisis today, both horses and men. We cannot lose our Mustangs, or we lose our future. We cannot have Mustangs without the wild blood singing in our veins.
End of Part II
lifesocietypeopleinformationwarpalnet
@valued-customer
libert
@tipu curate
tipu
Upvoted 👌 (Mana: 10/15 - need recharge?)
johano
Good morning, that is really strong tobacco for breakfast. Thanks and have a nice day.
valued-customer
I like my tobacco like I like my women: strong and on fire.
thoughts-in-time
I'm agnostic, but also do not subscribe or cling strongly to the theory of evolution. So I've never put much thought into the different types of Hominid. Nor am I particularly sold that humans come from apes absent some pretty radical and possibly extraterrestrial interventions. But that for me runs into the realm of wild and rampant speculation, leading me to a place where no solid conclusions can be obtained. Nevertheless, it's a fascinating read and good to get your ideas on the matter! You definitely took my mind somewhere it's never gone before.
Institutions have often performed no differently than cargo cults regarding religion. I appreciate we do have differing grasps of the world we share, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
: -) not sure I have a grasp at all, more of a constant state of flux.
I wanted to add some data regarding evolution by hybridization, as that better explains the fossil record, and what you describe as pretty radical interventions. www.macroevolution.net is the website where Dr. Eugene McCarthy, the author of the bible in it's field 'The Handbook of Avian Hybrids', explains his hypothesis, and reveals considerable evidence of radical interventions in evolution of species. One of the bizarre facts he discusses is the Platypus, that seems so like a hybrid between mammals and birds, and that the Platypus in fact has whole sections of both bird and mammal genes, almost impossible to believe that such DNA could arise by coincidence.
It's very interesting and you might be very glad to have a look.
Thank you, I'll take a look into that!
freebornangel
Owooo!
Wild beasts unite! O.0
In spirit at least.
dr-frankenstein
Thanks for the article,
Just a side question, what's your take on the question of determinism and indeterminism?
First, I am incompetent to judge things outside my tiny grasp of reality. Second, I don't care. I make the best decisions I can based on what I reckon is true. Whether that is all according to some master plan isn't relevant to anything I have any ability to control, or even influence. I have noticed that even when I have reasonable basis for expecting I am heading for rocky shoals, unless the reason I am heading that way is no longer superable, I'm heading there anyway. I just enjoy the ride.


What better way to tie together your bathroom than a matching set of our bathroom items. Although they are intended for the bathroom they look equally good in the kitchen. Dishwasher safe for an easy cleanup.


As I was writing this reflection, preparations were already being made for the great feast of the Black Nazarene. In fact, the image was already at the Quirino Grandstand and devotees from various places were already waiting for the yearly procession or translation from Luneta to the Quiapo Church, the home place of the image. January 9 is a great day for the Black Nazarene devotees all over the world.
Devotees don't want to miss this celebration for their own sake and for the sake of their own love ones. It is their own personal "panata" (vow) to join this yearly celebration believing that it will bring blessings, like healing or success in business or profession, for them and for their loved ones. No amount of hardships, injuries, or even death could ever discourage them from participating in this yearly ritual. As a matter of fact, reports show that Black Nazarene devotees are growing in number every year.
Now, it is significant to note that the Black Nazarene Festival is celebrated during the Season of Epiphany. This is the time when the whole Christian world celebrates the manifestation of God in Jesus Christ to the whole world. It is signified by the coming of the Wise Men from the East to the place where Christ was born and paying homage to him (cf. Mt. 2). But it is not just in the birth of the Christ, that God is manifested. Rather, God is shown in the whole of Christ's life and ministry.
For the devotees the Black Nazarene is in a sense God's manifestation. They truly believe God blessed them, because of their devotion to the image. Hence, they have to show their gratitude by being more devoted to the image. But, if they are not blessed, then perhaps their devotion may not be enough. And so, they have to show more devotion to the image.
Of course, we do not question the faith and sincerity of the Black Nazarene devotees. But perhaps we have to ask ourselves how do we manifest God in our lives? As Christians, we have to manifest God in our lives as Christ did. How did Christ manifest God in his life? Christ did not manifest God through devotion to an image, but rather through his love and service for the people, especially the last, the least and the lost.
That's why the Writer of I John wrote to the members of his church who were undergoing conflict and dissention: "If we say we love God, but hate others, we are liars; for we cannot love God, whom we have not seen, if we do not love others, whom we have seen. The command that Christ has given us is this: whoever loves God must love others also." (I Jn. 4:20-21).
And so, how do we manifest God in our time? Following the Christ model, we manifest God in our lives not through rituals and ceremonies, but rather by doing concrete acts of mercy and compassion for the marginalized. In the Final Judgment in the end times, the Great Judge of all would say to those before him, "What you have done to the least of my brothers and sisters, you have done it unto me." (cf. Mt. 25).
In the Magnificat, the Song of Mary, God is made manifest in "bringing down the mighty from their thrones and in lifting up the lowly, in sending the rich empty away and in feeding the hungry." (cf. Lk. 1:46-56).


text:
Home / NASA / NASA Just Confirmed There Are Water Plumes Above The Surface of Jupiter's Moon Europa
NASA Just Confirmed There Are Water Plumes Above The Surface of Jupiter's Moon Europa
by Admin on 8:38 PM in NASA
A team led by researchers out of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, has confirmed traces of water vapor above the surface of Jupiter's icy moon Europa.
And that's a big deal as the tiny space rock is one of the highest priority targets in NASA's search for extraterrestrial life, according to the agency.
"While scientists have not yet detected liquid water directly, we've found the next best thing: water in vapor form," lead researcher and NASA planetary scientist Lucas Paganini said in a NASA statement.
According to a paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy on Monday, the NASA team discovered enough water vapor being released from Europa to fill an Olympic-size swimming pool within minutes.
But while that sounds like a lot, it was only just enough to be detected from Earth.
Out of 17 observations by the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, which uses a spectrograph to detect the chemical compositions of other planets' atmospheres by scanning the infrared light they release or absorb, the scientists only spotted water vapor in one.
"We suggest that the outgassing of water vapour on Europa occurs at lower levels than previously estimated, with only rare localized events of stronger activity," Paganini and his team wrote in the paper.
For many years, scientists have suspected that there's water on Europa's surface, and several observations appear to back up that suspicion.
More than two decades ago, NASA's Galileo spacecraft found evidence of an electrically conductive fluid on the moon's surface. Then, a 2018 analysis of the data found evidence of massive plumes of liquid. Data previously collected by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope supported the existence of the plumes.
"We performed diligent safety checks to remove possible contaminants in ground-based observations," Goddard planetary scientist Avi Mandell said of the water vapor discovery in the statement. "But, eventually, we'll have to get closer to Europa to see what's really going on."
A mission to do just that is already lined up.
NASA's upcoming Europa Clipper mission will get a much closer look at the icy moon's surface as soon as 2023.
The spacecraft will feature a suite of cameras, spectrometers, and a radar to investigate the thickness of Europa's icy shell during 45 flybys — and perhaps yield further insights into the water vapor above the moon's surface while it's there.
This article was originally published by Futurism. Read the original article.
By Admin at 8:38 PM
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text:
Home » Daily Dispatches
''Midas'' commentary for May 31, 2001
Submitted by cpowell on Thu, 2001-05-31 07:00. Section: Daily Dispatches
http://www.goldensextant.com/OppositionDOJReply.html#anchor115099
PLAINTIFF'S QUALIFIED OPPOSITION TO REPLY MEMORANDA OF
PAUL O'NEILL, ALAN GREENSPAN, AND THE BIS IN SUPPORT OF
THEIR MOTIONS TO DISMISS
The plaintiff, Reginald H. Howe, submits this qualified
opposition to the separate motions of Paul O'Neill,
Alan Greenspan, and the Bank for International
Settlements for leave to file reply memoranda in
response to the plaintiff's consolidated opposition to
all defendants' motions to dismiss, including theirs.
Should the Court allow the filing of the memoranda
submitted with these motions, the plaintiff
respectfully requests that the Court also accept this
qualified opposition as the plaintiff's response
thereto.
Statement of the Case
From March 15 through April 10, 2001, the defendants
filed seven motions to dismiss and two related
procedural motions, all supported by briefs having a
total combined length of 126 pages, including 45 pages
from Messrs. O'Neill and Greenspan and 20 from the BIS
in support of their four motions. On April 19, 2001, in
response to the defendants' entire barrage, the
plaintiff filed a consolidated opposition (cited as
"CO") of 62 pages. Now, five weeks later, these three
defendants seek leave to file three additional
memoranda totaling 23 pages.
When reply briefs are allowed as of right in the
appellate courts, they must ordinarily be filed within
14 days of the principal briefs to which they respond.
Although these proposed reply memoranda thus stretch
reasonable limits of both total combined pages and time
for filing, the plaintiff does not urge their rejection
on these grounds if the Court believes that they might
nevertheless be helpful. However, since these reply
memoranda inaccurately, incompletely, or erroneously
describe important aspects of the matters addressed,
the plaintiff believes that they are unlikely to assist
the Court unless responded to in a way that not only
corrects these deficiencies but also may bring certain
key issues into better focus. Accordingly, that is the
purpose of this qualified opposition.
I. THE O'NEILL MEMO TRIES TO OBSCURE THE BASIC LEGAL
AND CONSTITUTIONAL ISSUE, WHICH IS WHETHER THE
SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY CAN USE THE EXCHANGE
STABILIZATION FUND TO MANIPULATE GOLD PRICES.
With respect to the Exchange Stabilization Fund, the
plaintiff does not rest his claim for damages against
former Treasury Secretary Summers simply on his use of
the ESF "to deal in gold" (O'Neill memo at 2), which
under certain circumstances and for certain reasons may
be permissible (CO 29), but on his use of the ESF for
the express purpose of manipulating gold prices. Nor
does the plaintiff assert "that the Constitution
forbids the government from acting to depress the price
of gold" (O'Neill memo at 3).
What the Constitution does forbid is what Congress has
not done: delegate to the president and the secretary
of the treasury authority to set the dollar gold price
in their uncontrolled and absolute discretion.
Far from questioning "the power of Congress to regulate
the dollar value of gold" (O'Neill memo at 3), the
plaintiff affirms this power. He asserts: 1) the
Constitution vests in Congress exclusive power to
determine the gold weight or value of the dollar (CO
25); 2) since 1971, Congress has by various acts
mandated that the gold value of the dollar be
determined solely by free market forces (CO 25-27); and
3) because of these actions by Congress, the president
and the secretary of treasury lack even colorable
authority to use the Exchange Stabilization Fund --
established in 1934 for the purpose of helping to
maintain the fixed $35/ounce gold price set by Congress
at that time -- to intervene in today's "free" gold
market for the purpose of manipulating, suppressing, or
otherwise affecting dollar gold prices (CO 27-29).
The O'Neill memo does not address any of these points,
and its silence on the last point is particularly
significant. Neither Secretary O'Neill nor the Justice
Department appears willing to argue publicly in
unambiguous language that former Treasury Secretary
Summers had authority, or at least a reasonable basis
to believe that he had authority, to use the ESF to
manipulate the free market price of gold. This
argument, could it be convincingly made, would undercut
the plaintiff's damage claims against Mr. Summers
because executive branch officials have a qualified
immunity for actions taken in a reasonable though
mistaken belief that they are constitutional (CO 24).
Failure to make this argument, however, supports the
plaintiff's assertion that Mr. Summers knew or should
have known that he lacked authority to manipulate gold
prices (CO 29-31).
The plaintiff's damage claims against Mr. Summers rest
on two causes of action that are also misstated in the
O'Neill memo.
The first arises under the Fifth Amendment, which
prohibits government officials from invading private
property rights without due process and supports a
direct private right of action for damages against
those who do so while acting beyond or abusing their
authority. Apparently because of the wealth of case
authority supporting this proposition (CO 23-24), the
O'Neill memo asserts that "Howe relies not on the Fifth
Amendment, but on Article 1, s. 8, of the Constitution"
and that "there is no judicial precedent recognizing a
private right of action under [this provision, which
grants Congress the power, inter alia, "To coin Money,
regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign coin."]
If Congress, acting under Article 1, s. 8, fixed the
dollar at a specified weight of gold and the secretary
of the treasury thereafter took action to cause the
plaintiff to receive fewer dollars for his gold than
the congressional parity required, the plaintiff
asserts that he would have a direct cause of action
against the secretary under the Fifth Amendment. That
is essentially what has happened in this case, except
that instead of setting a fixed dollar gold price,
Congress has mandated that gold should trade at free
market prices, which the plaintiff alleges were
manipulated downward by former Secretary Summers
through the ESF.
The plaintiff's second cause of action against Mr.
Summers arises under the Sherman Act for per se illegal
price fixing (CO 43-44). By eliminating any official
monetary role for gold and making it an ordinary
commodity under U.S. law, Congress made price fixing in
the gold market as wrongful as in any other market and
subject to the same statutory remedies. But here again,
instead of addressing the claim actually made by the
plaintiff, the O'Neill memo (at 3-4) sets up a
completely irrelevant straw -- i.e., that the plaintiff
must somehow be asserting a private right of action
under 31 U.S.C. s. 5302, which he is not, and then
proceeds to knock it down with recent Supreme Court
decisions limiting implied rights of action for
II. NO LIMITATIONS ON JUDICIAL REVIEW IN THE
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCEDURES ACT OR ELSEWHERE BAR THE
PLAINTIFF'S CLAIMS FOR INJUNCTIVE RELIEF TO PREVENT
MANIPULATION OF GOLD PRICES BY THE FED OR ESF BECAUSE
THESE CLAIMS ARISE UNDER THE CONSTITUTION AND GO TO THE
EXISTENCE OF AUTHORITY, NOT TO THE EXERCISE OF
DISCRETIONARY AUTHORITY.
Although for different reasons, both the O'Neill and
Greenspan memos argue that the plaintiff cannot obtain
injunctive or other declaratory under the
Administrative Procedure Act, 5 U.S.C. s. 701 et seq.
The APA is of no relevance to the plaintiff's claims
for damages, but does provide a basis for injunctive or
declaratory relief against Messrs. O'Neill and
Greenspan acting in their official capacities (CO 24).
The O'Neill memo (at 5-7), relying on the provision in
31 U.S.C. s. 5302(a)(2) that decisions of the secretary
under the ESF "are final and may not be reviewed by
another officer or employee of the government," argues
that s. 701(a)(1) of the APA, which makes it
inapplicable to cases where "statutes preclude judicial
review," precludes its application in this case. If a
district court judge is an "officer" of the United
States within the meaning of s. 5302(a)(2), so is a
justice of the Supreme Court, and the provision would
preclude review even by that court of decisions of the
secretary under the ESF, including claims of
constitutional violations such as the plaintiff makes
in this case.
In Califano v. Sanders, 430 U.S. 99, 109 (1977), the
Court recognized "the well-established principle that
when constitutional questions are in issue, the
availability of judicial review is presumed, and we
will not read a statutory scheme to take the
`extraordinary' step of foreclosing jurisdiction unless
Congress' intent to do so is manifested by `clear and
convincing' evidence." Indeed, where a statute must be
read to foreclose judicial consideration of
constitutional questions, the constitutionality of the
statute itself is brought into question. Johnson v.
Robison, 415 U.S. 361, 366-367 (1974). Accord, Webster
v. Doe, 486 U.S. 592, 603 (1988), and cases cited.
Accordingly, the word "reviewed" in 31 U.S.C. s.
5302(a)(2) should not be construed to include judicial
review, but only review by other officers of the
executive branch, such as inspector generals, auditors,
and the like.
Nor is there any practical need to construe s.
5302(a)(2) to bar all judicial review. As the O'Neill
memo (at 7-9) points out, s. 701(a)(2) of the APA also
makes it inapplicable to "agency action ... committed
to agency discretion by law." Thus, as the O'Neill memo
argues, the discretionary and foreign policy judgments
pursuant to which the ESF conducts interventions in the
foreign exchange markets may well be inappropriate
subjects for judicial review.
These, however, are activities for which the ESF
possesses well-recognized authority (CO 39). The gold
market is not the foreign exchange market. The
fundamental question in this case does not relate to
the exercise of discretionary authority admitted to
exist; it relates to whether any authority exists that
would permit the ESF to intervene in the gold market
for the purpose and with the intent of affecting gold
prices.
The O'Neill memo (at 7) correctly notes that 31 U.S.C.
s. 5302 requires the ESF to operate in a manner
"consistent with the obligations of the Government in
the International Monetary Fund on orderly exchange
arrangements and a stable system of exchange rates."
However, as the plaintiff has previously pointed out
(CO 26), Art. IV, s. 12(a), as amended, of the IMF's
Articles of Agreement commits members to "the objective
of avoiding the management of the price, or the
establishment of a fixed price, in the gold market."
The Greenspan memo (at 3-5) appears to argue that the
plaintiff's allegations of Mr. Greenspan's (or the
Fed's) involvement in manipulation of gold prices are
insufficient to establish a basis for relief against
Mr. Greenspan in his official capacity under the APA.
The factual bases for the plaintiff's claims in this
regard have been covered previously (CO 11, 13-19, 29-
31). In this connection, although the alleged statement
of Bank of England Governor and BIS director Eddie
George set forth at paragraph 55 of the complaint has
received wide circulation on the Internet and
elsewhere, the plaintiff has yet to be made aware of
any denials. In any event, there are none in any of the
defendants' briefs, where among all the flak about the
plaintiff's allegations lacking specificity, there is
not a single mention of this statement.
III. IF THE FED DOES NOT HAVE TO PURCHASE BANK FOR
INTERNATIONAL SETTLEMENTS SHARES, ITS CONTINUED
MEMBERSHIP IN THE BANK CAN REST ONLY ON CAPITAL
INVESTED IN THE BIS BY THE FORMER PRIVATE HOLDERS OF
THE AMERICAN ISSUE BUT NOT RETURNED TO THEM DUE TO AN
UNFAIRLY LOW FREEZE-OUT PRICE.
The proffered Greenspan reply memo (at 1-2) argues that
there is no plan for the Fed to acquire any shares in
the BIS, and that the Fed can continue to vote the
shares of the American issue even though they now
reside in the treasury of the BIS.
Every central bank member of the BIS has always had
capital invested in the Bank by one of two methods or a
combination thereof: directly for its own account or
indirectly through shares publicly subscribed in its
home country. Were capital investment in the Bank not
required by one or the other of these methods, there
would have been no need to subscribe the American issue
in the United States. The shares could have been sold
anywhere or to other central banks and the votes
assigned to the Fed. If as a result of the freeze-out,
holders of the American issue were paid full and fair
value for their shares, there is no current capital
investment in the Bank on account of these shares,
notwithstanding that they are held as treasury shares
instead of being canceled.
On the other hand, if the private holders did not
receive the full and fair value for their shares, as
the plaintiff contends, then there remains a residual
amount of American capital investment in the Bank that
theoretically could support the Fed's continued
membership. However, in that event, this residual
capital investment has effectively been transferred to
the Fed with no payment therefore to its prior owners,
including the plaintiff. Indeed, by acknowledging that
"the right to vote the shares of the American issue is
unrelated to their ownership" (at 2), the Greenspan
memo effectively concedes that the BIS lacked any sound
rationale for discounting the net asset value of their
shares due to their nonvoting status.
In any event, the argument that the Fed cannot purchase
the redeemed shares of the American issue because it is
not currently a "central bank shareholder" of the BIS
is a largely factual rather than legal assertion, and
thus not determinable on a motion to dismiss. The BIS
treats its Statutes essentially as corporate bylaws,
which it changes or disregards at its whim (CO 20, 54-
55).
In addition to whether the Fed's continued membership
is supported by any invested capital as is the case
with all other member banks, there are other factual
issues regarding the Fed's continued membership which
the plaintiff is entitled to explore: 1) the reasons
for permitting the Fed to remain the only member of the
BIS which has not accepted the jurisdiction of the
arbitral "Tribunal" (CO 51); 2) the rationale, if there
is one, under which Messrs. Greenspan, McDonough, and
Summers decided to continue U.S. membership in the
"new" BIS without complying with the constitutional
procedures through which the United States ordinarily
joins public international organizations (CO 31-33);
and (3) the efforts, if any, that Messrs. Greenspan and
McDonough made to fulfil their fiduciary duties to
private holders of the American issue in connection
with the freeze-out (CO 45-48), particularly since they
now concede that the nonvoting status of these shares
was not a valid reason for discounting their net asset
IV. THE ARBITRATION TRIBUNAL IS NEITHER DESIGNED NOR
CAPABLE OF FULLY AND FAIRLY ADJUDICATING THE ISSUES
RAISED BY THIS CASE.
The BIS reply memo (at 1-3) does not dispute that the
Tribunal, although established as a permanently sitting
body under the relevant treaty, did not exist when this
case was filed on December 7, 2000, and thus was
unavailable to the plaintiff at that time (CO 53). Nor
does the BIS anywhere suggest that the antiquated
procedural rules of the Tribunal meet modern due
process requirements, particularly for a case of this
type (CO 55-56).
Its argument (BIS reply memo at 3-6) that the Tribunal
should be treated as presumptively unbiased because it
was reconstituted in January 2001 by "governments" --
not by the central banks of those governments acting at
the request of the BIS -- is disingenuous. Two of those
governments, France and Belgium, have a direct interest
in the freeze-out since parts of their BIS issues were
involved. As for the United Kingdom, this case puts
squarely at issue the true reasons for the British gold
auctions, which the Bank of England has carried out
pursuant to orders from the British Treasury apparently
emanating directly from the prime minister (CO 12-13,
42-43). Whatever the theoretical possibility that the
Tribunal might hear some other case, it was recreated
after more than a half century of desuetude expressly
to hear disputes arising from the freeze-out.
With respect to the scope of the arbitration provision,
the BIS does not and cannot show: 1) that the U.S.
Federal Reserve or Messrs. Greenspan or McDonough are
in any way subject to the jurisdiction of the Tribunal
(CO 51); or 2) that the Tribunal has jurisdiction to
render judgment on any of the plaintiff's claims
relating to price fixing (CO 43-44, 54), securities
fraud (CO 44-50, 54), the constitutional requirements
for U.S. membership in the new, restructured BIS (CO
31-33, 54), or the misuse of the BIS by American
officials to manipulate gold prices (34-35). Other
arguments raised in the BIS reply memo relating to the
scope of the arbitration provision and the factual
disputes relating thereto are sufficiently covered in
the plaintiff's consolidated opposition and affidavit
filed in support thereof.
For the foregoing reasons, the plaintiff suggests that
the reply memoranda submitted by Messrs. O'Neill,
Greenspan, and the BIS are unlikely to be of much
assistance to the Court, takes no position on whether
the Court should grant the motions for leave to file
them, but requests that if leave is granted, the Court
also accept this qualified opposition as the
plaintiff's response thereto.
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text:
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Channel 1 Los Angeles October 21, 2020 October 22, 2020 Politics
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