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Book Review-Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
Home Book Review Professional Book Review-Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World
Book Review, Professional
It was 7th grade. My science teacher wasn't interested in science. It was where he got assigned to teach. It was his first year. He would read a chapter or two ahead of the class so that he could teach us. He was a good man but was in a bad spot. One day, he was teaching about how heat was an invisible liquid. I – quite untactfully – told him he was wrong. I told him what I knew that heat was the kinetic energy of molecules bumping into one another. He responded well, but honestly, what can you do when you're embarrassed in front of the class?
Well, in this case, you offer the student the opportunity to play with radioactive materials in the teacher's work area in the science department. You hand them a Geiger counter and say, "Go have fun." The radioactive materials were very low-grade materials (as one would expect in a junior high school) so I wasn't in any danger. However, I didn't forget the lessons I learned from that teacher. I learned that learning was fun. It was more fun than I knew to that point.
Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World isn't about the people who get sent out of the class by their teachers. It's about how people decide to be original and why the "originals" are so desperately needed.
Conformity and Originality
There are, according to Grant, two paths to achievement. The first is conformity, and the second is originality. Conformity is the easy way. We're wired with the need for social connection. We're wired for conformity. Being different – being original – is risky. If you were original, you ran the risk of being run out of the community; historically, that was a death sentence. As much as we would like to believe that we're independent today, as humans we've always been social – and we continue to need that social connection.
Changing Systems
Steve Jobs came back to Apple to save the organization he started from the failure of his NeXT project, which wasn't exactly a roaring success. The campaign that he and his team created to revitalize the company was "Think Different." That's what originals do: they think different. But there's more to it than that. A reasonable man recognizes that his views are incompatible with the world and changes them. An original sees that the world is incompatible with his views and sets out to change the world. Jobs described this as putting his "ding" on the universe.
Originals realize that the world is a series of systems, and if you can find the right lever, you can move the world. This is a reference to Archimedes, who said, "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world." Originals look for the systems in things – beyond the mechanical world as Archimedes understood it – and seek to make the right changes in the system to get the resulting changes they want. (See Thinking in Systems for how systems work.)
Vuja De
There's a running joke around my house that my neighborhood has the fastest home builders. On our walks, my wife is constantly talking about all the new houses that are being built in the neighborhood. Ours is an established neighborhood that finished any meaningful construction over 40 years ago. However, as we're walking and talking and exploring new ideas, she's seeing the neighborhood with new eyes and seeing houses differently. These "new" houses aren't new construction but are a new construction – or awareness – in her mind. She's literally seeing the same things differently.
We've all heard of déjà vu, where we experience something like it happened before; but originals experience "vuja de," where they experience the same thing differently. It might be a walk in the park, a warm cup of coffee, a Monday morning staff meeting, or some other mundane, trivial experience that we all have. However, they experience it differently.
Bearer of Risk
I've been in business (this time around) for over a dozen years. By now, it's become just what I do. It's the only world I've known for most of my career. Frequently, when I talk to someone, particularly someone in a large corporate job, they say, "I could never do that. There's too much risk." I get a similar response when I explain that I took a standup comedy course. (See I Am a Comedian.) The thing is, I don't perceive my world to be particularly risky.
The word "entrepreneur" was coined by economist Richard Cantillon. It literally means "bearer of risk." An entrepreneur literally bears the risk for some endeavor. The degree to which they and others, like investors, bear the risk may be up for debate, but inherently entrepreneurs bear risk.
The funny thing is that all the entrepreneurs I know are risk-avoidant. They've got it coming out their ears and they're sick of it. The guys and gals I know work very hard to systematically reduce, eliminate, and mitigate risk. Entrepreneurs may be the bearers of risk, but they're willing to get rid of it at a moment's notice if they can.
Idea Selection
There's a popular myth that original people, or creative people, have better ideas. I'd say that this is false. What originals have is more ideas, or, more properly, they have more ideas they allow to flow and be shared. Originals don't self-censor themselves out of the ideas in their head. They share them, adapt them, and build upon them.
Ed Catmull, in Creativity, Inc., shares how at Pixar all movies suck to start. It's not that the mastery of Toy Story comes fully-formed out of the mental womb. The process that Pixar uses is designed to refine and improve the story until it's good. Other organizations employ filtering mechanisms to reduce the abundance of good ideas into a set that can be considered for implementation.
Truly original people can have a dozen ideas that they share while sitting at breakfast. Two things separate the successful entrepreneur original from the rest. First, they let the ideas flow. Second, they select the few best ideas and they execute on them.
Entrenched in Our Ideas
Jim Collins, in Good to Great, explains the Stockdale paradox. It is unwavering faith and the willingness to listen. On the one hand, remaining committed to the original idea; on the other hand, being aware of the absolute need for other people's perspectives, so that we can inform our direction and our actions.
The problem with all of us is that, as we become experts, we build schemas in our minds – mental models – of how the world works. (See The Art of Explanation for more on our schemas.) More experience means a richer model. The problem is that our models are necessarily incomplete and in some places incorrect. However, the more time that we spend building our model of how the world works, the less likely we are to change it.
Whether it's the model that the sun revolves around the Earth, or that the world is flat, or something more mundane, our view of the world can make it hard to see it as it really is. It means that experts have a hard time contributing anything new to their disciplines after the first few years. Einstein said that if someone hadn't contributed to science by the age of 30, they never will. While this is potentially outdated and over stated, the point remains that it's very difficult to shake up the establishment when you are a part of it.
Playing the Portfolio
How do originals avoid the risk and avoid getting entrenched in ideas? The answer is that they intentionally pull in ideas from multiple disciplines. Edison brought in experts in gas lighting, metallurgy, and dozens of other areas of expertise to create his light bulb. He wanted this diversity of thought both externally in the case of experts, but also internally as he sought to build expertise in multiple domains.
By building expertise in multiple domains, he could allow the mental models of the established professions to gently – and sometimes violently – collide and disrupt the idea that there was one right way of viewing the world.
Originals frequently put down multiple bets on the table to spread their risk around.
Playing the Field
Imagine for a moment a roulette wheel like none you'll ever find in Las Vegas. A roulette wheel can have 38 positions that the ball can fall into (in the US). What if you were guaranteed to get a 70:1 return on your bets? The problem is you can only bet on 10 positions at a time. What would you do?
A typical safe-bet-type person wouldn't play. They'd look at their odds and say, "I have only a 10:38 (or 1:3.8) chance of winning – those aren't good odds. I don't want to risk it." An original says, "As long as I'm willing to stay at the table for six or eight turns, I'll come out ahead – way ahead." The odds are substantially in their favor that, over the long run, they'll more than double their money. An entrepreneur makes the 10 bets each time. For each square, they place 1:60th of what they're willing to lose.
Odds are that, within the first four games, they'll have received their payout. Entrepreneurs use this to change how much they bet.
Pitch Imperfect
Colonel Sanders, the founder and icon of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is said to have heard "no" to his pitch for a chicken franchise 1,009 times before he heard a "yes." He is said to have pitched his chicken restaurant franchising concept more than 1,000 times before he got the pitch right. (See Pitch Anything if you want more to learn more about pitching.) What did he learn the first thousand times? Like Edison, he learned what didn't work. Through purposeful practice and deliberate attempts, he eventually found an approach that worked. (See Peak for more on deliberate practice.)
Colonel Sanders was an original not in his idea of franchising. He wasn't an original in his spices – though they were original. He was an original because he was willing to work hard to execute on his one idea.
In general, procrastination is viewed negatively. We believe that "the early bird gets the worm" and other clichés that have been around since Ben Franklin's time. However, what if procrastination had a purpose? There is anecdotal evidence and research that, in some cases, procrastination may be a better option if you're looking for creativity.
It's important to point out that it's a specific kind of procrastination. It's procrastination which is not trying to force a solution before it's right. It's starting to process the work to be done and allowing the fact that your solution is incomplete to trigger the Zeigarnik effect. That is, things that are left incomplete and undone have a greater impact in our brains. Our subconscious continues to mull over the problem looking for a solution, even while our conscious processing is otherwise occupied. Our subconscious looks for that bit of dopamine we'll get when we solve the puzzle.
The Secret to Success is Timing
The argument could be made that Colonel Sanders didn't improve his pitch. The argument could be made that it was just the right time. When you accept that life isn't deterministic but is instead probabilistic, as explained in The Halo Effect, you consider that sometimes there's just a right time for things. You throw the dice and hope for the right results, sure. However, you've also got to wonder whether some of what's happening is just based on timing.
Many of the entrepreneurs I know will admit to a degree of luck and probabilistic determination that allowed them to succeed. A few more recognize that there are times when ideas will work and when they won't. For instance, when gas prices are low, we can consider transportation optimization solutions. Organizations in general have available funds to make investments. However, the oil and gas industry shuts down all elective projects, because they don't have the available capital to invest in optimizations.
Friends and Frenemies
We may have been told to keep our friends close and our enemies closer, but what happens when you can't tell one from the other? The research points to increased anxiety. When our friends seem to randomly betray us, the result is stress. If we know someone is not to be trusted, that's easy. We may not like it, but we understand where we stand. However, when someone acts like Brutus and stabs us in the back while pretending to be our friend, our anxieties are raised.
If we want to lower the stress in our world, it is through escaping (or jettisoning) the so-called "friends" who can't consistently be real with us by supporting us when appropriate and challenging us appropriately when necessary.
The Gilded Frame
When trying to get buy-in for an original idea, sometimes the direct approach is not the best approach. (See Buy-In for more ideas on how to get buy in for your ideas.) Sometimes we need to package our idea in a way that helps others see that achieving our goals is a way of achieving theirs. People are more likely to support us when they believe that it serves their own needs and values.
Sometimes our ideas are so "out there" that we must create a bridge from where we want to go to where people are now. That bridge can be their goals; it can also be moderating the original idea to the point where it becomes more palatable with the expectation that we'll be able to reveal more of the idea as things happen. This makes the "crazy" original idea easier to accept and allows people to start walking the path to understand where things should lead – not just how different and scary the world might look.
The Logic of Appropriateness
If one were to use the logic of consequences, no one would ever do anything original. It's simple. Conformity isn't risky. Originality is. Conformity is the only choice if you're evaluating from the lens of consequences. However, that is not the only perspective. Another perspective that breathes life into those who would be called "original" is the lens of appropriateness. From this perspective, we have the option of looking not at the risk of the situation but the need for impact, the need to change the world to make it more appropriate.
Originals look for appropriateness over consequence. They choose to stand out and stand up when it's appropriate (and necessary) to make the world a better place.
Order of Originality
Just as age impacts our beliefs over time, so to do things like birth order. If you want to make someone care more about relationships, tell them they have only a few years to live, either through a specific communication like the diagnosis of a mortal illness or through the constant subtle reminder of their age. The result is a greater emphasis on relationships and a deemphasis on things. That isn't to say that the natural biases built up over a lifetime are wiped from the slate, it's just that a bias is introduced.
So, too, can birth order subtly shift perceptions and lead towards, but not to, different outcomes. Later in birth order, children grow up with fewer rules than their older siblings. In fact, it may be that older siblings are providing some of the child-rearing and in doing so tend to be more lenient.
The impact of these differences in their upbringing seems to be that they are more original. It seems that children who are later in the birth sequence tend to be more original than their older siblings. It's not that all first-born children are not original or that all later-in-birth-sequence children are original, it's just that they trend in that direction.
Character Praise, Skill Praise
Carol Dweck's work on mindset cautions us about instilling a fixed mindset into our children by complementing them for their achievements. (See Mindset for more.) However, the growth mindset that we seek to instill is primarily focused on the ability to help children know that their results can be changed with hard work, and that it's not some inherent capability that they can't change.
However, there are some places where introducing some fixed qualities around character can be valuable. Even Dweck recommends praising children for their hard work. This is really to say that we're praising the child's character by saying they're a hard worker. We can similarly praise their courage in being a non-conformist. We can encourage their honor by recognizing their honorable actions and pointing to their character.
Establishing a high moral bar takes advantage of the fact that children tend to rise to the level to which they've been labeled. If they're labeled as a good student, they live that label until they're challenged. If they're labeled as a hard worker, they can carry that forward forever.
Cohesion, Collaboration, and Conformity
Richard Hackman talks about challenging intelligence community-based collaboration in Collaborative Intelligence. He speaks of the need for teams to be cohesive and have direction and a level of permeability. He suggests that there needs to be the right level of discomfort in the group coupled with a great deal of trust and respect.
There has been some discussion about how close a group should get with one another for the risk that Irving Janis' groupthink would show up – however, Hackman doesn't see it this way. He sees the need for diversity of thought, and that a group would eventually start to think alike not because they got too friendly, but because they had the same experiences.
The idea that groups can become too collegial and unwilling to push back on each other has been refuted, but it's important to recognize that Hackman's suggestion for regular small changes to bring in fresh perspectives is important.
Thoughtful Disagreements
"The greatest tragedy of mankind," says Dalio of Bridgewater Associates, "is the inability for people to have thoughtful disagreements about what's true." I'd encourage you to pick up Originals and develop a disagreement about what's true.
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Iran: Cartoonist, lawyer cleared from charge of "illicit relationship"
Imprisoned civil activist and cartoonist Atena Faraghdani and her lawyer, Mohammad Moghimi, were exonerated from the charge of "illicit relationship short of adultery", for shaking hands at the start of their meeting in prison.
The decree issued on October 19, 2015, was recently made public by human rights activists.
Moghimi is a lawyer and an expert on human rights who had been arrested on June 13 and transferred to Gohardasht Prison in Karaj, west of Tehran, after meeting and shaking hands with Ms. Faraghdani, his client. Moghimi was released on June 17 on a 20m-touman bail.
However, Ms. Faraghdani went on a three day hunger strike in protest to the new charges raised against her.
Faraghdani was arrested in September 2014 and imprisoned in Evin's ward 2A, controlled by the Revolutionary Guards. She spent two months in detention, 20 days of which was in solitary confinement. She was deprived of having a lawyer or any family visits. In prison, she found out that she was being monitored by closed-circuit cameras installed in the restrooms and showers, and said she was placed under physical and psychological harassment by prison guards. She went on a long hunger strike in protest, which led to her hospitalization on February 26, 2015, and subsequent transfer to Evin on March 3, 2015. She is presently imprisoned in Evin's women's ward.
Iran: Women's social participation stands at 15%

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Data Structures and Algorithms - Coursera

## Course 1 - Algorithmic Toolbox
* Welcome
* Introduction
* Greedy Algorithms
* Divide-and-Conquer
* Dynamic Programming

## Course 2 - Data Structures
* Basic Data Structures
* Dynamic Arrays and Amortized Analysis [external video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5XKyIVy2Vc)
* Priority Queues and Disjoint Sets [min-heap visualization](http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/Heap.html) - [tutorial](https://www.topcoder.com/community/data-science/data-science-tutorials/disjoint-set-data-structures/)
* Hash Tables [pdf](https://www.cs.cmu.edu/~dga/15-744/S07/lectures/16-dht.pdf)
* Binary Search Trees [Notes](http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/classes/223/notes.pdf) - [visualization](https://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/AVLtree.html)
* Binary Search Trees 2 [Notes](http://www.cs.yale.edu/homes/aspnes/classes/223/notes.pdf) - [visualization](http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/SplayTree.html)

## Course 3 - Algorithms on Graphs
* Decomposition of Graphs 1 [Section on graph representation ](https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-science/algorithms/graph-representation/a/describing-graphs) - [Depth-first search](http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/DFS.html)
* Decomposition of Graphs 2 [DFS](http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/TopoSortDFS.html) - [Indegree](http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/TopoSortIndegree.html) - [Connected Components](http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/ConnectedComponent.html)
* Paths in Graphs 1 [Breadth-first search ](http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/BFS.html)
* Paths in Graphs 2 [Dijkstra'a algorithm ](http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/Dijkstra.html)
* Minimum Spanning Trees [Kruskal's algorithm](http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~galles/visualization/Kruskal.html)
* Advanced Shortest Paths Project (Optional) [visualizations](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DINCL5cd_w0) - [A* search algorithm ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A*_search_algorithm)

## Course 4 - Algorithms on Strings
* Suffix Trees
* Burrows-Wheeler Transform and Suffix Arrays
* Knuth–Morris–Pratt Algorithm [Knuth-Morris-Pratt algorithm](http://algo-visualizer.jasonpark.me/#path=string/knuth_morris_pratt/substring_search)
* Constructing Suffix Arrays and Suffix Trees

## Course 5 - Advanced Algorithms and Complexity
* Flows in Networks
* Linear Programming
* NP-complete Problems [The international SAT Competitions](http://satcompetition.org/)
* Coping with NP-completeness
* Streaming Algorithms (Optional)

#### Taught by:
#### Daniel M Kane, Assistant Professor - Department of Computer Science and Engineering
#### Pavel Pevzner, Professor - Department of Computer Science and Engineering
#### Michael Levin, Lecturer - Computer Science
#### Neil Rhodes, Adjunct Faculty - Computer Science and Engineering
#### Alexander S. Kulikov, Visiting Professor - Department of Computer Science and Engineering

### Rating :full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::new_moon::new_moon::new_moon:
### Difficulty :full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::full_moon::new_moon::new_moon::new_moon:

### Created By Bilal Cagiran | [E-Mail](mailto:bcagiran@hotmail.com) | [Github](https://github.com/extwiii/) | [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/in/bilalcagiran) | [CodePen](http://codepen.io/extwiii/) | [Blog/Site](http://bilalcagiran.com) | [FreeCodeCamp](https://www.freecodecamp.com/extwiii)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


While no French Bulldogs have ever been involved in the sort of military mission recently making the news, Frenchies still had a small but important role in military history.
The recent FDA letter isn't the first time that Illinois pet food company Evangers has tangled with the Food and Drug Administration. Back in 2008, the FDA issued an "Order of Need for Emergency Permit", after Evangers failed to follow the prescribed method of production for their canned raw pet food products.
Then, as now, Evangers handled it pretty much exactly how you do NOT want to see a pet food company deal with a recall.
https://i0.wp.com/www.bullmarketfrogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/rawfood.jpg?fit=1200%2C908 908 1200 Carol http://www.bullmarketfrogs.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/bullmarket-logo.png Carol2011-05-19 22:22:182013-06-15 17:56:50What the hell, Evangers?


I love making lessons hands-on and engaging for my students. To truly drive home the concept of subtraction, I went with a Montessori-inspired center. During my guided math groups, I presented them with the lesson.
For the lesson I needed items that were easily found in my house or school: 3 bowls, (2 that were the same size and 1 that was a different size), beads, and subtraction cards that I made.
When I taught the lesson, I explained to my students that subtraction means that you are taking something away. I had my students hold out their hands and I gave them all some beads. I asked them to count them. They happily obliged as they felt the weight of the heavy glass beads I had selected to use in my lesson. (I purposefully chose them because they are enticing to look at and fun to count with!) Next, I took some beads away from all of my students. I asked them if they now had more or less beads. "LESS!!" they easily exclaimed. I then made the connection to what had just happened with the beads to subtraction in math.
To present the lesson I set out a tray in front of my students. On the tray I set three bowls, the glass beads, and two containers that had the equations and the answers. I placed the equation we were working on in front of my students. I taught them how to read the equation and reviewed that the symbol for subtraction meant take away.
Next, I had one of my students count out ten glass beads and put them in the first bowl.
My next student then re-read the equation. (10 take away 7) I had him take seven beads out of the first bowl and put them in the middle bowl. We called that bowl the "take away" bowl.
My students then counted how many beads we had left. "THREE!" they said! My students then moved the three beads to the final bowl and looked for the answer to our equation.
They asked if they could do another one and we placed the entire equation to the right of our tray and got started on our next equation.
I am so happy with the outcome of this lesson. Not only did my students enjoy the process of learning how to subtract, they have been happily picking this center during choice time and math centers. They also have a very concrete understanding of what subtraction is!


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journalism | science | tech
sci | tech
mickey pallas
News art
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TrackerNews (archive)
archived faves
Global Gridlock: Traffic, Opportunity, Public Health, Weeds and A Road Not (Yet) Taken…
If cars and trucks could reproduce, they would surely rank as the planet's dominant species. From the tiniest Tata Nano to the most massive of monster mega-trucks, guesstimates for the the global fleet now approach, if not exceed, one billion. By mass and weight, humans were left in the CO2-laced dust a long time ago. Nothing in the history of history, short of an asteroid, has ever had such a speedy and profound global impact. It is a car & truck world. And we have to live with it.
Or at least try to make the best of it.
In Jakarta, where "total traffic" (all rush hour, all the time) is expected by 2011, some have found a bit of gold in the gridlock. Passengers-for-higher called "jockeys" hustle for pick ups from drivers needing to fill seats to qualify for slightly speedier high occupancy lanes.
In Sao Paulo, where traffic jams can stretch well over 100 miles and commute times average between two and three hours a day, the tale is told of a lovesick soul who threw a cell phone through the open window of a neighboring car to ask a girl for a date. Alas, the car-crossed lovers probably spent most of their courtship simply trying to rendevous.
In Cairo, the Egyptian Horatia Alger is Nasser Sedky, a budding valet parking tycoon who had some business cards printed up for $10 and now runs a mini-empire of 50 professional parkers.
In Chicago, parking pays the bills: The city recently leased its meters to meet a budget shortfall: $1.16 billion for 75 years.
In San Francisco, cars have become data points for a team at UC-Berkeley testing a system to crowdsource traffic reports via GPS-enabled driver cell phones.
WHEN COPING ISN'T ENOUGH: TRAFFIC AS A MALARIA-LEVEL KILLER
Making the most of a bad situation still leaves a bad situation. According to the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration, more people die each year from traffic accidents (~1.2 million) than from malaria (~1 million). Millions more are injured and maimed, which is several orders of magnitude more than are killed and wounded by land mines. Not surprisingly, most the carnage is in the developing world where vehicles tend to be older, roads worse and health care systems beyond overburdened. 85% of the deaths are in low and middle-income countries, leaving a trail of wrecked lives and nicked GNPs (estimate: 1% to 1.5% of gross national product). Young people are particularly at risk, with traffic injuries listed as one of the leading causes of death for between the ages 5 to 25 years-old.
In short, traffic isn't just inconvenient, but a full-out, top-tier global public health disaster. If nothing is done, the numbers are expected to double by 2030. Does the World Health Organization have a scale for that?
George Robertson, chair of the U.K.-based Commission for Global Road Safety (CGRS), points out the irony of spending millions in development aid while ignoring things as basic, if mundane, as building better roads and investing in traffic signs:
Our overseas aid is devoted to improving life chances for education, for health. Dangerous roads damage this effort, killing the young and productive, disrupting commerce and trade. They impose a high burden on under-funded health services. They make the daily journey to school a high-speed life or death lottery for millions of children. Worse, many of these dangerous roads are being built with our taxes. Roads are being funded by our governments' international development agencies, the World Bank and EU with one objective; to speed traffic and increase trade flows, but without sufficient attention to road safety safeguards or the needs and views of local communities.
"The killer we know too well: roads" / The Guardian
A new report by CGRS, "Making Roads Safe," proposes a UN-sponsored "Decade of Action for Road Safety" to start in 2010, with the goal cutting the death rate by half. The cost – $300 million to save 5 million lives – is positioned as a bargain. By comparison, the annual cost of traffic deaths and injuries is tallied at $100 billion, "equivalent to all overseas aid from OECD countries."
THE ROAD TO CLIMATE CHANGE…IS PAVED
But roads are only part of the problem. To the extent they contribute to the urban heat island effect, they are a problem all by themselves. Dark hard surfaces soak up heat, making cities several degrees warmer than surrounding areas. This local warming, seasoned with CO2 from the city's million-plus tail pipes, has given scientists a way to see into the future.
In 2002, Lewis Ziska, a scientist with the USDA Agricultural Research Service, planted three plots of weeds: one on a farm, one in the suburbs and one near Baltimore's inner harbor. Not only was the temperature at the Baltimore plot 3 to 4 degrees warmer, but CO2 levels averaged 450 parts-per-million – roughly the middle-case scenario projected for the planet as a whole in 30 to 50 years. The city weeds dwarfed their suburban and country cousins, producing more allergy-inducing pollen in the process.
As much as the weeds may have reveled in the smoggy muck, it hasn't been all that good for us. Air pollution from cars and trucks has been linked to childhood asthma and other respiratory illnesses.
OPTIONS?
Two words: Drive less. Even an electric car requires urban-warming roads, so it is not just a question of trading up to a cleaner power source, but of rethinking the entire transportation equation. A billion cars and trucks, and the massive infrastructure that supports them, are not (short of an asteroid) going to disappear overnight. We have built our world and designed our cities based on their existence.
But what if we didn't have to drive so much? Could we begin to chip away at some of the 12,000 pounds of CO2 each car adds to the atmosphere each year? (U.S. figures) Are there ways to better mix and match transportation options?
In Vauban, Germany, an upscale suburb of Freiberg, most residents don't even own a car. This modern throwback to simpler village life was laid out for walking and bicycles. Rental cars and car-sharing clubs are used for longer trips.
More and bigger garages near commuter train stations can make it easier for drivers to split commutes, dramatically reducing the number miles spent in stalled traffic. For extra green points, build garages using CO2-negative cement and landscape with green roofs that help keep cities cooler.
Duel mode transportation schemes envision cars that can be hooked up to tramways where strings of cars form trains.
No matter how we wriggle out of global gridlock, benefits will be dramatic and immediate. Fewer traffic deaths. Healthier air. Improved prospects on the climate change front. Insti-savings from reduced fuel bills. Quieter, cleaner, cooler cities. Notbeing stuck in "total traffic." Blue skies (an unexpected bonus for Mexico City during the recent swine flu shut-down). Now wouldn't that be something?
"Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do and What It Says About Us" by Tom Vanderbilt (book website)
"A Comprehensive Guide for Road Safety for Parents" (website)
NPR Science Friday and Fresh Air interviews with Tom Vanderbilt (audio)
"Transportation Futuristics" (web exhibition)
"The Lincoln Park Pirates" by Steve Goodman (for all the Chicagoans / ex-pat Chicagoans out there….)
The TrackerNews Project was a demo aggregator I developed for InSTEDD, an independent spin-off of Google.org's humanitarian practice. It covered health issues, humanitarian work and technology.
Instedd
Water Borne Disease
Water-borne Disease
J.A. Ginsburg


I have an old russian Sinclair Spectrum clone called Урал 8/64K (Ural 8/64K). It used to cost 998 roubles at the time of its release, in 1991. It has a Z80 CPU, 48KB of RAM and 16KB ROM containing a BASIC interpreter.
Similar to the original Spectrum, it connects to a TV for video and audio output and to a magnetic casette recorder for saving and loading user programs. But there is a slight difference: it has RGB and video sync (RGBs) outputs, instead of the more usual composite or RF modulated video. The hardware manual contains schematics that describe a way to modify a "third-generation" russian TV to accept the input.
The computer was given to me as a birthday gift at a very young age. I was never able to use it because I didn't have a modified TV, but I read the manuals thoroughly, learned its BASIC dialect and imagined the programs I could write. Recently I dug it out of the closet determined to make it work.
First I tried to replace the DIN-7 connector on the TV cable with a SCART connector (which can carry RGBs), and connect it to a TV. That didn't work, probably because I got the DIN pinout wrong.
Then I asked ioch to use his Rigol DS1052E oscilloscope to look at the signals, hoping to understand them better.
I managed to make the frame processing to be done in real time at the speed of about one frame per second, which was interesting for some exploration, but not usable enough. The next thing I'll try is fixing the SCART interface.


text:
Q: How to fix "Cannot find a differ supporting object " I want to display date from mySql table.
I got api which gets from DB actual table.
This is my service (auth.service.ts)
getAliases(): any {
    this.loadToken();
    const headers = new HttpHeaders({
      Authorization: this.authToken,
      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    });
    return this.http
      .get('http://localhost:8080/aliases/aliases', { headers: headers })
      .pipe(map(res => res));
  }

This is my aliases.js
router.get('/aliases', function (req, res) {
    con.query('SELECT * FROM virtual_aliases', function (error, results, fields) {
        if (error) throw error;
        return res.send({ error: false, data: results, message: 'aliasy.' });
    });
});

This is my component.ts
import { Component, OnInit } from '@angular/core';
import { AuthService } from 'app/services/auth.service';
import { Router } from '@angular/router';

@Component({
  selector: 'app-dashboard',
  templateUrl: './dashboard.component.html'
})
export class DashboardComponent implements OnInit {
  aliases: any = {};

  constructor(private authService: AuthService, private router: Router) { }

  ngOnInit() {

    this.getAliases();
  }

   getAliases() {
    this.authService.getAliases().subscribe(
      res => {
        this.aliases = res;
        console.log(this.aliases);
      },
      err => console.error(err)
    );
  }
}

and my component.html

      ID
      DOMAIN_ID
      SOURCE
      DESTINATION

      {{ id }}
      {{ domain_id }}
      {{ source }}
      {{ destination }}

I want to display everything from my table.
Output from my Api is Json like:
{
  "error": false,
  "data": [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "domain_id": 1,
      "source": "test@testone.com",
      "destination": "dest@testone.com"
    },

and there is an error from console
DashboardComponent.html:7 ERROR Error: Cannot find a differ supporting object '[object Object]' of type 'object'. NgFor only supports binding to Iterables such as Arrays.

A: You need to access the data property of the response which is an array,
this.aliases = res.data;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
Logan Paul Addresses Suicide Forest Video In New Interview: 'It's Not Like I'm A Bad Guy'
By Emily Surpless/Feb. 1, 2018 1:15 pm EST
The YouTube vlogger just opened up about the backlash he faced after he posted a disturbing video featuring a suicide victim.
On Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018, Logan Paul appeared on Good Morning America for his first sit-down television interview since his infamous suicide forest vlog in late December 2017. "It's been tough, ironically, because I've been told to commit suicide myself," Paul told GMA co-anchor Michael Strahan. "Millions of people tell me they hate me, to go die in a fire. The most horrible, horrific things."
As Nicki Swift previously reported, Paul was heavily criticized after he uploaded a video to YouTube that showed a dead body in Japan's Aokigahara, a forest where many people go to take their own lives. In the video, which he's since taken down, Paul appears to make light of the situation, laughing at certain points with his crew. Paul later apologized for the video, stating, in part, "I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought 'if this video saves just ONE life, it'll be worth it,' I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video."
In January 2018, Paul shared a suicide awareness video, weeks after releasing another public apology.
"I believe it happened for a reason," Paul told Strahan, regarding his discovery of the suicide victim. "I think that reason is so I could take this experience, learn from it, spread the message — the right way — about suicide prevention and suicide prevention awareness."
When asked if he'd ever questioned his decision to post the original video, Paul, who was dropped by Google Preferred as a result of the vlog, admitted that he had. "The idea was to shock and show the harsh realities of suicide and get people talking about something that I don't think people are talking about much. And still, that's the goal today," he said.
On the topic of parents' responsibilities to pay attention to the content their children watch, Paul said, "I think that parents should be monitoring what their children are watching more. Every parent I meet whose kids are under the age of 12, I go, 'Hey, you let your kids watch my stuff?' And they go, 'Yeah, what am I gonna do?'"
He added, "But at the same time, it's not like I'm a bad guy. I am a good guy who made a bad decision."
Paul, who called the past few months, "the hardest of my life," told Strahan that he will learn from his past mistakes and become a better person in the future. "I've never been hated by the whole world, and it's been definitely something to overcome," he explained. "I will think twice in the future about what I post, probably three times."
Watch the full interview below:


text:
Q: Python Random Function without using random module I need to write the function -
random_number(minimum,maximum)

Without using the random module and I did this:
import time

def random_number(minimum,maximum):
    now = str(time.clock())
    rnd = float(now[::-1][:3:])/1000
    return minimum + rnd*(maximum-minimum)

I am not sure this is fine.. is there a known way to do it with the time?

A:
The thing is I need to do something that somehow uses the time

You could generate randomness based on a clock drift:
import struct
import time

def lastbit(f):
    return struct.pack('!f', f)[-1] & 1

def getrandbits(k):
    "Return k random bits using a relative drift of two clocks."
    # assume time.sleep() and time.clock() use different clocks
    # though it might work even if they use the same clock
    #XXX it does not produce "good" random bits, see below for details
    result = 0
    for _ in range(k):
        time.sleep(0)
        result <<= 1
        result |= lastbit(time.clock())
    return result

Once you have getrandbits(k), it is straigforward to get a random integer in range [a, b], including both end points. Based on CPython Lib/random.py:
def randint(a, b):
    "Return random integer in range [a, b], including both end points."
    return a + randbelow(b - a + 1)

def randbelow(n):
    "Return a random int in the range [0,n).  Raises ValueError if n<=0."
    # from Lib/random.py
    if n <= 0:
       raise ValueError
    k = n.bit_length()  # don't use (n-1) here because n can be 1
    r = getrandbits(k)          # 0 <= r < 2**k
    while r >= n: # avoid skew
        r = getrandbits(k)
    return r

Example, to generate 20 random numbers from 10 to 110 including:
print(*[randint(10, 110) for _ in range(20)])

Output:
11 76 66 58 107 102 73 81 16 58 43 107 108 98 17 58 18 107 107 77

If getrandbits(k) returns k random bits then randint(a, b) should work as is (no skew due to modulo, etc).
To test the quality of getrandbits(k), dieharder utility could be used:
$ python3 random-from-time.py | dieharder -a -g 200

where random-from-time.py generates infinite (random) binary stream:
#!/usr/bin/env python3

def write_random_binary_stream(write):
    while True:
        write(getrandbits(32).to_bytes(4, 'big'))

if __name__ == "__main__":
    import sys
    write_random_binary_stream(sys.stdout.buffer.write)

where getrandbits(k) is defined above.

The above assumes that you are not allowed to use os.urandom() or ssl.RAND_bytes(), or some known PRNG algorithm such as  Mersenne Twister to implement getrandbits(k).

getrandbits(n) implemented using "time.sleep() + time.clock()" fails dieharder tests (too many to be a coincidence).
The idea is still sound: a clock drift may be used as a source of randomness (entropy) but you can't use it directly (the distribution is not uniform and/or some bits are dependent); the bits could be passed as a seed to a PRNG that accepts an arbitrary entropy source instead. See "Mixing" section.

A: Are you allowed to read random data in some special file? Under Linux, the file `/dev/urandom' provides a convenient way to get random bytes. You could write:
import struct
f = open("/dev/urandom","r")
n = struct.unpack("i",f.read(4))[0]

But this will not work under Windows however.

A: Idea is to get number between 0 and 1 using time module and use that to get a number in range.Following will print 20 numbers randomly in range 20 and 60
from time import time

def time_random():
 return time() - float(str(time()).split('.')[0])

def gen_random_range(min, max):
 return int(time_random() * (max - min) + min)

if __name__ == '__main__':
 for i in range(20):
     print gen_random_range(20,60)

A:
here we need to understand one thing that
a random varible is generated by using random
values that gives at run time. For that we need
time module
time.time() gives you random values (digits count nearly 17).
we need in milliseconds so we need to multiply by 1000
if i need the values from 0-10
then we need to get the  value less than 10 that means we need below:
time.time%10 (but it is in float we need to convert to int)
int(time.time%10)

import time

def rand_val(x):

    random=int(time.time()*1000)

    random %= x

    return random

x=int(input())

print(rand_val(x))

A: Use API? if allowed.
import urllib2

def get_random(x,y):
    url = 'http://www.random.org/integers/?num=1&min=[min]&max=[max]&col=1&base=10&format=plain&rnd=new'
    url = url.replace("[min]", str(x))
    url = url.replace("[max]", str(y))
    response = urllib2.urlopen(url)
    num = response.read()
    return num.strip()

print get_random(1,1000)

A: import datetime
def rand(s,n):
    '''
    This function create random number between the given range, its maximum range is 6 digits
    '''
    s = int(s)
    n = int(n)
    list_sec = datetime.datetime.now()
    last_el=str(list_sec).split('.')[-1]
    len_str=len(str(n))
    get_number_elements = last_el[-int(len_str):]
    try:
        if int(get_number_elements)<=n and int(get_number_elements)>=s:
            return get_number_elements
        else:
            max_value = int('9'*len_str)
            res = s+int(get_number_elements)*(n-s)/(max_value)
            return res
    except Exception as e:
        print(e)

A:
finding random values between in a range(x,y)
you need to subtract low range from high store at x
then find random from 0-x
then add the value to low range-> lowrange+x(x is random)

import time
def rand_val(x,y):
   sub=y-x
   random=int(time.time()*1000)
   random %=sub
   random+=x
   return random
x=int(input())
y=int(input())
print(rand_val(x,y))


Osborne says bombing Syria has given Britain its mojo back – what does that tell you about HIM?
Someone on Twitter compared George Osborne with Austin Powers – a relic from a bygone era who gets his kicks by ****ing everything he can. Fair comment?
Bombing Isis in Syria has given Britain its mojo back, George Osborne has said.
Speaking to a thinktank in New York during a visit to the US, the chancellor said it was a "source of real pride" that the UK had joined nations launching air strikes against the terror group in Syria.
Hardly surprising – the man doesn't care about how many people have lost their jobs, homes and lives in this country – no reason he'd care about the lives of people abroad.
Rather than going to the US to spout absolute dribble. Why does he not put his wellies on and spend some time clearing the mess up in Cumbria and Carlisle.
See how how his fellow people are suffering rather than inflicting bombing on innocent people abroad.
He undoubtedly needs medical help a danger to our society if ever there was one.
Proud of the blood shed! It is sickening and saddening, according to the online Oxford Dictionary mojo means "A magic charm, talisman, or spell" likely from moco (witchcraft). Very apt!
Perhaps he wanted to beef up his Mr. Bean lookalike image with some macho speak. He still looks like a wimpish accountant definitely not prime minister material.
What sane individual would ever applaud actions involving violence and war? I don't know about you but I've always thought that George Osborne has exhibited many personality traits associated with the psychopath.
There must be some explanation as to why Osborne has done the terrible things that he has done and, in my opinion, it might be psychological. The guy seems to have a personality disorder of the first order.
Well it would appear that his economic policy is based on the supernatural, 'bout right really, it's not based on anything else.
To George Osborne: Not everyone has something to prove George, in fact, most of us would be happy if you actually had an iota of intelligence. Bombing a derelict oil field demolished back in October and a Syrian Arab Army base IS NOT something to brag about. It's sadly pathetic in an epic way. The rest of the country live real lives, not your phoney head in the clouds tiptoe through the tulips love affair with yourself. You are a twerp of the highest order and wouldn't know what Britain feels or thinks, so far out of touch with us, are you. Get a life and let others have one.
Boy, George Osborne is a simpleton!


text:
The upcoming, unthinkable American war on Iran, from Peter Myers
(1) US considering attack on Iran - Jerusalem Post(2) Trump as the new Esther - Mashed Potato and Another War for Israel(3) Luxembourg Court refuses US ruling to seize Iranian assets(4) War against Iran threatens $ Hegemony - Barry Eichengreen(5) US sanctions on Iran are contributing to development of a Yuan block(6) Iran Claims Arrest of 290 CIA Agents; U.S. Sends 2 Aircraft Carriers(7) Iran says Mossad 'fabricating intelligence' on oil tanker attacks(8) For Iran to torpedo ships in Gulf would give USA an excuse to attack; therefore Iran did not do it(1) US considering attack on Iran - Jerusalem Posthttps://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Iran-News/UN-officials-US-is-planning-a-tactical-assault-in-Iran-592832June 20 2019|Sivan, 17, 5779U.N. officials: U.S. planning a 'tactical assault' in IranThe military action under consideration would be an aerial bombardment of an Iranian facility linked to its nuclear program, the officials further claimed.By SHLOMO SHAMIR/MAARIV ONLINEJune 17, 2019 20:05Is the US going to attack Iran soon?Diplomatic sources at the UN headquarters in New York revealed to Maariv that they are assessing the United States' plans to carry out a tactical assault on Iran in response to the tanker attack in the Persian Gulf on Thursday.According to the officials, since Friday, the White House has been holding incessant discussions involving senior military commanders, Pentagon representatives and advisers to President Donald Trump.The military action under consideration would be an aerial bombardment of an Iranian facility linked to its nuclear program, the officials further claimed."The bombing will be massive but will be limited to a specific target," said a Western diplomat.The decision to carry out military action against Iran was discussed in the White House before the latest report that Iran might increase the level of uranium enrichment.The officials also noted that the United States plans to reinforce its military presence in the Middle East, and in the coming days will also send additional soldiers to the area.The sources added that President Trump himself was not enthusiastic about a military move against Iran, but lost his patience on the matter and would grant Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who is pushing for action, what he wants.Pompeo has repeatedly made statements against Iran in recent days. He claimed that there is no doubt that the recent explosions in tankers in the Gulf were carried out by Iran.The possibility of a US attack came at the time of the deterioration of relations between the United States and Iran, against the backdrop of the US's withdrawal from the nuclear agreement a year ago, and the sanctions on the economy of the Islamic Republic.In recent days, Iran has announced that it intends to deviate from the nuclear agreement signed in 2015 and to enrich uranium at a higher level than the maximum it has committed to within the framework of the nuclear deal.In addition to the confrontation over Iran's nuclear program, the United States accuses Tehran of trying to extend its arm across the Middle East and destabilize the region from Yemen to Syria.Among other things, the White House blamed Iran for the attack on several oil tankers in recent weeks in the Persian Gulf and even published a video showing Iranian fighters apparently removing a mine that did not explode from a ship that was attacked.For its part, Iran is threatening to continue countering the US sanctions, as long as the other signatories to the nuclear agreement do not compensate for the economic damage caused to it, and even to withdraw from the NPT (Non-Proliferation Treaty), which prevents countries from developing nuclear weapons.(2) Trump as the new Esther - Mashed Potato and Another War for Israelhttp://www.unz.com/ldinh/mashed-potato-and-another-war-for-israel/Mashed Potato and Another War for IsraelLINH DINHJUNE 19, 2019Done with my article on walking, I rewarded myself by heading to the local Popeyes. Yes, there's one in District 6, within walking distance of my mosquito netting. Though any Saigon lunch beyond two bucks will cause me infinite, enduring pain, florid self-recrimination and post-traumatic stress disorder, I manned up and handed the young, angelic cashier $3.50 [82,000 ??ng], then patiently and humbly waited for this ethereal, merciful being to somehow yield to my disgusting, pitiful self two pieces of fried chicken, plus a jivey biscuit that was vaguely coated with something distantly related to honey, a Coke and, what I so shamelessly craved, some mashed potato!!!I manhandled that mash alright, dove headfirst right into it, to make up for all those mashless months. Just give me that mash! Give it up!In my Tri-Cities Postcard, I quoted a Vietnam vet, Pablo, "When I came home, my father asked me about Vietnam, and I said, 'It has become a part of me!' Every place you go becomes a part of you, so Vietnam has become a part of me. It's inside me!"Very true, so Tacoma, Salem, San Jose, Northern Virginia, Philadelphia, Certaldo, Norwich and Leipzig, etc., are my ingredients, to be stirred up as a craving for a certain dish, and it's always something very simple, such as mashed potato, which I was introduced to at elementary school cafeterias in Tacoma, Washington. Even at age 55, I distinctly remember mispronouncing it as "smashed potato," to my classmates' amusement.My first two months in Tacoma, I lived in a house owned by an American colonel and his Vietnamese war bride, who was actually half British, half Chinese. Her dad had been my English tutor back in Saigon. My father, brother and future stepmother were also in this home.A native of Montana, the colonel was a thin, wiry man who usually wore a red plaid shirt and blue jeans. He was twice his wife's age, and Annette was so young, he enrolled her in Lincoln High School. She was petite, pretty and often looked bemused. This marriage didn't last. Annette ended up with a Vietnamese man.During my stint in the colonel's house, I often saw him eating canned baked beans or canned chili con carne. Trying both, I found the chili OK, but the baked beans, I thought preposterous. In Philadelphia, however, I always had baked beans in my cupboard.In 2015, I visited my friend, Daniel Kane, in Hove, England, just down the beach from Brighton. (Daniel is the author of All Poets Welcome: The Lower East Side Poetry Scene in the 1960s.) Daniel told me about a guest who stayed in his house, alone, for a weekend. When Daniel came back, he found his trash bin filled with cans of baked beans, and nothing else, "So the guy ate nothing but baked beans for the entire weekend! Can you imagine that?! It's, like, he gave up on life!"The guy's a Brit, and that's his comfort food, obviously. Towards the end of his life, Duchamp ate nothing but spaghetti with pats of butter. Even if that's not entirely true, I like the thought.In Philadelphia during the late 80's, I had a chemist friend from Thailand, Somchai, who ate a Wawa Italian hoagie for just about every meal, and this was no bizarre self-punishment or performance art. As a Philadelphian, Somchai just loved Wawa Italian hoagies.Marty told me that, after an evening of drinking at the Friendly Lounge, all he wanted was a roast pork sandwich from Pat's, three blocks away, so he had had hundreds of them. Still working as a plumber and electrician at 75, Marty deserved a $10 sandwich at the end of the night. He started his working life dressing corpses.Relating these tepid nonstories, I'm suggesting that it really doesn't take much to make a man content. As long as he's free from immediate danger, pain, strife, stress or hunger, even a can of Budweiser or Miller, basically the worst beers in the world, will make him happy. All too often, though, a poor, simple man can't be left unmolested to enjoy his falafel.This morning, I emailed Chuck Orloski, "It sure looks like the Jews will get the world embroiled in another war. I'm still hoping it won't happen… If only life could be as simple as enjoying a Coney or Chinese food on Main."Chuck answered, "I miss you, & Keystone Restaurant & the Chinese Restaurant on Main are regular stops, mighty fine. Am very afraid for what ZUS has planned for Iran."For just $5.25, you can get a lunch special at New Foliage, and though its hot and sour soup, egg roll and sweet and sour pork will probably be spat at by any New York Times food critic, it's mighty fine to sit in there, like Chuck said, and stuff your face with so much homey comfort. Done, you can mosey down to the Lounge on Jackson, and knock down a few with some of the finest folks anywhere.Since we're in the endless war era, another war for Israel is on the horizon, but hardly anyone seems alarmed, least of all Americans, for they've come to see themselves, quite casually and indifferently, as only asskicking agents of war, and never its victims. Conditioned by Hollywood, many Americans also find mass violence exciting, so as another bloodbath looms, some joke that they're getting out the popcorn to enjoy the fireworks.Not even two decades ago, an American war still needed elaborately concocted justifications, but now, any throw away lie will do, for hardly anyone is paying attention, preoccupied as he is with selfies, duck faces and hazy, indeterminate genitalia, and where to gently tuck them without incurring wrath and censure.So let me get this straight: As the Japanese Prime Minister was visiting Iran, two Japanese tankers were supposedly attacked by Iran. This is like sending your son out to scratch up your buddy's SUV while he's inside your living room, drinking a friendly six pack with your sorry ass.Discounting Muslims, Japanese have the absolutely lowest opinion of Israel, with one poll showing 55% negative, and only 3% positive, so is someone sending a message here?Getting out the popcorn, we want to see explosions and hear reports of mass casualties, for the thought of so many people being blown up can't help but cheer us up, for we're not in harm's way, and since these people are so evil, as our televisions relentlessly tell us, they fully deserve this destruction. Plus, this war will give us another viewing option, for just a baseball game each night can get a bit tedious.Above, I named Jews as the instigators of war against Iran, which made some readers cringe, I'm sure, for you're only supposed to point a finger at Israel or Zionists, at most, and never say anything negative against Jews, though it's fine to accuse, say, whites, Russians or just men, as a sex, of numerous sins. Thanks to the gaseous Holocaust's swarming shadow, the worst ism ever is anti-Semitism, so a Jew's feeling is much more inviolable than, say, a Muslim body.In 1941, Charles Lindbergh opposed the Jewish push to get the United States into World War II, and for this, he was "attacked on all sides—Administration, pressure groups, and Jews, as now openly a Nazi, following Nazi doctrine," as noted by his wife, Anne, so she concluded, "I say that I would prefer to see this country at war than shaken by violent anti-Semitism. (Because it seems to me that the kind of person the human being is turned into when the instinct of Jew-baiting is let loose is worse than the kind of person he becomes on the battlefield.)" She identified and was concerned with the agents of war, not its many more victims.So even millions of deaths, hundreds of cities pulverized and dozens of nations dragged through hell are preferable to Jews being scrutinized and held accountable. Again, Anne may just get her wish.Lindbergh's key point was that the United States and whites in general should look out for their own interests, not Jewish ones. Jews, however, will insist that Jewish values are universal, and what's good for Jews is perfect for humanity.Jews' hatred of Persians has only been festering for two millennia and a half, ever since a Persian vizier Haman informed Persian king Xerxes, "There is a certain people dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of your kingdom who keep themselves separate. Their customs are different from those of all other people, and they do not obey the king's laws; it is not in the king's best interest to tolerate them. If it pleases the king, let a decree be issued to destroy them […]" (Esther 3). Though the Jewish concubine, Esther, got Xerxes to impale Haman and his ten sons, on top of allowing his Jewish subjects to annihilate all their enemies, Jews won't let this thwarted and amply revenged threat be forgotten. (Germany, then, can count on several more thousand years of Jewish hatred.)On March 31, 2019, the Jerusalem Post asked the American Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, "Today being Purim, a celebration, Jews worldwide and here in Jerusalem are talking about the fact that Esther 2,500 years ago saved the Jewish people with God's help from Haman. And now, 2,500 years later, there's a new Haman here in the Middle East who wants to eradicate the Jewish people like just like Haman did: the state of Iran. Could it be that President Trump right now has been sort of raised for such a time as this, just like Queen Esther, to help save the Jewish people from the Iranian menace?"Pompeo answered that it was quite possible that Trump is the new Esther. Though without the curves, he's indeed a Jewish whore.Genocide is at the heart of the Jewish consciousness, you see, but it's usually done on their behalf, as recounted in Exodus 12:12, "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt." Exodus 23:23, "My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out." Deuteronomy 20:17, "Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you."In our era, Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Iran have been in the Jewish crosshairs, and much of the world has gone along with this genocidal plan, because to cross Jews is much worse than to have oceans of blood on your hands.Masters of inversion, Jews accuse everyone else of a racial hatred they epitomize, but it's all fine, for their genocidal Yahweh has assured their ancestors, "This very day I will begin to put the terror and fear of you on all the nations under heaven. They will hear reports of you and will tremble and be in anguish because of you."Linh Dinh's latest book is Postcards from the End of America. He maintains a regularly updated photo blog.(3) Luxembourg Court refuses US ruling to seize Iranian assetshttps://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-iran-luxembourg-reactions/iran-welcomes-luxembourg-court-decision-on-us-seizure-of-iranian-assets-idUKKCN1R90BZMARCH 28, 2019 / 2:34 PMIran welcomes Luxembourg court decision on U.S. seizure of Iranian assetsLONDON (Reuters) - Iran welcomed on Thursday a Luxembourg court's decision to refuse to reinforce a U.S. ruling that would have helped families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks claim Iranian assets held by a Luxembourg-based clearing house.The court ruled on Wednesday that there were no grounds in international law to uphold in Luxembourg a 2012 U.S. court decision to strip Iran of sovereign immunity.Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi said the decision showed the world still had courts that adopt independent decisions."The era of totalitarian and bullying behaviour of America toward other countries is over and it can no longer raise such groundless accusations," Qasemi was quoted as saying by state news agency IRNA.The governor of Central Bank of Iran, Abdolnasser Hemmati, called the decision "an important legal victory for Iran".President's deputy for legal affairs Laya Joneidi was quoted by IRNA as saying that the lawyers won the case by arguing that Sept. 11 attacks were not related to Iran.Seven years ago, a New York court found there was evidence showing that Iran provided "material support and resources to al Qaeda for acts of terrorism". The militant group carried out the hijacked plane attacks on New York and Washington.That court awarded the plaintiffs damages of over $7 billion. Families of victims are seeking access to $1.6 billion of Iranian funds in Luxembourg, which were frozen as part of international sanctions over Iran's nuclear programme.UK parliament to debate Brexit on Friday, exact format unclear However, the Luxembourg court said the plaintiffs could not continue their legal case to seize Iranian assets in the country.Iran has denied any links to al Qaeda or any involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks.Reporting by Bozorgmehr Sharafedin; Editing by Richard Borsuk(4) War against Iran threatens $ Hegemony - Barry Eichengreenhttps://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2018/10/19/commentary/world-commentary/the-dollar-and-its-discontents/The dollar and its discontentsBY BARRY EICHENGREENOCT 19, 2018https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/dollar-could-lose-global-hegemony-by-barry-eichengreen-2018-10BRUSSELS - U.S. President Donald Trump's unilateralism is reshaping the world in profound and irreversible ways. He is undermining the working of multilateral institutions. Other countries, for their part, no longer regard the United States as a reliable alliance partner and feel impelled to develop their own geopolitical capabilities.Now the Trump administration is eroding the dollar's global role. Having unilaterally reimposed sanctions on Iran, it is threatening to penalize companies doing business with the Islamic Republic by denying them access to U.S. banks.The threat is serious because U.S. banks are the main source of dollars used in cross-border transactions. According to the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication (SWIFT), dollars are used in nearly half of all cross-border payments, a share far greater than the weight of the U.S. in the world economy.In response to the Trump administration's stance, Germany, France and Britain, together with Russia and China, have announced plans to circumvent the dollar, U.S. banks and U.S. government scrutiny. "Plans" may be a bit strong, given that few details have been provided. But the three countries have described in general terms the creation of a stand-alone financial entity, owned and organized by the governments in question, to facilitate transactions between Iran and foreign companies.Those companies will presumably settle their claims in euros, not dollars, freeing them from dependence on U.S. banks. And insofar as the Europeans' special-purpose financial vehicle also bypasses SWIFT, it will be hard for the U.S. to track transactions between Iran and foreign companies and impose penalties.Is this scheme viable? While there is no purely technical obstacle to creating an alternative payments channel, doing so is certain to enrage Trump, who will presumably respond with another round of tariffs against the offending countries. Such, unfortunately, is the price of political independence, at least for now.Having learned a painful lesson about dependence on the dollar, will other countries move away from it more generally? The fact that the dollar is used so widely makes doing so difficult. Banks and companies prefer using dollars because so many other banks and companies use dollars and expect their counterparties to do likewise. Shifting to another currency would require coordinated action. But with the governments of three large European countries having announced just such coordination, such a scenario can no longer be excluded.It is worth recalling how the dollar gained international prominence in the first place. Before 1914, it played essentially no international role. But a geopolitical shock, together with an institutional change, transformed the dollar's status.The geopolitical shock was World War I, which made it hard for neutral countries to transact with British banks and settle their accounts using sterling. The institutional change was the Federal Reserve Act, which created an entity that enhanced the liquidity of markets in dollar-denominated credits and allowed U.S. banks to operate abroad for the first time. By the early 1920s the dollar had matched and, on some dimensions, surpassed sterling as the principal vehicle for international transactions.This precedent suggests that 5-10 years is a plausible time frame over which the U.S. could lose what Valery Giscard d'Estaing, then France's finance minister, famously called the "exorbitant privilege" afforded it by issuing the world's main international currency. This doesn't mean that foreign banks and companies will shun the dollar entirely. U.S. financial markets are large and liquid and are likely to remain so. U.S. banks operate globally. In particular, foreign companies will continue to use dollars in transactions with the U.S. itself.But in an era of U.S. unilateralism, they will want to hedge their bets. If the geopolitical shock of Trump's unilateralism spurs an institutional innovation that makes it easier for European banks and companies to make payments in euros, then the transformation could be swift (as it were). If Iran receives euros rather than dollars for its oil exports, it will use those euros to pay for merchandise imports. With companies elsewhere earning euros rather than dollars, there will be less reason for central banks to hold dollars in order to intervene in the foreign exchange market and stabilize the local currency against the greenback. At this point, there would be no going back.One motivation for establishing the euro was to free Europe from excessive dependence on the dollar. This is likewise one of China's motivations for seeking to internationalize the renminbi. So far, the success of both efforts has been mixed, at best. In threatening to punish Europe and China, Trump is, ironically, helping them to achieve their goals.Moreover, Trump is squandering U.S. leverage. Working with the Europeans and the Chinese, he could have threatened Iran, and companies doing business there, with comprehensive and effective sanctions had there been evidence that the country was failing to live up to its denuclearization obligations. But working together to ensure Iran's compliance was, of course, precisely what the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, renounced by the Trump administration earlier this year, was established to do.Barry Eichengreen is a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. His latest book is "The Populist Temptation: Economic Grievance and Political Reaction in the Modern Era." © Project Syndicate, 2018(5) US sanctions on Iran are contributing to development of a Yuan blockhttps://www.scmp.com/week-asia/economics/article/3007906/weaponisation-us-dollar-end-its-economic-ascendancy-asia-chinasby Tom HollandThe weaponisation of the US dollar is the end of its economic ascendancy in Asia – with China's yuan ready to fill the voidHawkish US sanctions on Iran have had an unanticipated side effect – they're helping to promote the formation of a new informal Asian monetary bloc centred on the yuan, at the expense of the US dollar.Published: 8:30am, 29 Apr, 2019It seems the Iran hawks have prevailed over the petrol-price doves; last week the United States government announced it would grant no more exemptions from its sanctions on Iranian oil exports."We're going to zero across the board," said US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, declaring his intention to halt Iranian oil shipments entirely.China, the biggest buyer of Iranian oil, immediately protested, insisting its purchases of Iranian exports are perfectly legitimate and should continue.Yet despite the vehemence of its complaints, in the near term China will have no option but to comply with US demands and stop buying crude from Iran.That compliance will allow the hawks in Washington to congratulate themselves for successfully implementing what Donald Trump has described as the "toughest ever" sanctions regime against Iran. Yet far from being a triumphant exercise of US influence, in the longer run the ability of Washington to compel China's compliance with its wishes will only lead to a diminution of American power, and hasten the end of US economic and diplomatic primacy in Asia.The reason China has no choice but to comply with US sanctions is that in recent years the US government has increasingly weaponised the US dollar to serve its political aims.Each year China imports almost US$250 billion worth of oil and another US$150 billion or so of iron ore, copper, coal and soy beans. And because those vital commodities are priced and traded in US dollars internationally, China has to pay for its imports in the American currency.That means China's transactions are ultimately settled through the US financial system, which gives the US authorities a huge degree of leverage over what China buys and – more importantly – from whom. In recent years, the US authorities have made it clear they are quite ready to use the leverage that the US dollar's international status gives them.For example, they have hit non-US banks such as Standard Chartered and BNP Paribas with huge fines for conducting US dollar transactions with Iranian counterparties, even though the banks broke no laws in the countries where the deals were done.In Europe, China's economic cold war with the West is over before it's begun If China were now to continue to buy Iranian oil in defiance of Washington, it could find its companies and banks hit with secondary sanctions aimed at disrupting their ability to make or receive international payments in US dollars. For businesses operating in US dollar-denominated global energy and financial markets, such sanctions would be crippling. As a result, China and Asia's other big buyers of Iranian oil – South Korea, India and Japan – will reluctantly decide to wind down their purchases in favour of crude from other suppliers. But short-term compliance does not imply longer-term acquiescence. Quite the reverse; the US move to scrap Iranian sanction waivers, using its weaponisation of the US dollar as an implied threat to ensure compliance, will only encourage China and others to seek an alternative to the US dollar as the currency of denomination for their future international trade and investment flows.Establishing an alternative will not be easy. Much like a dominant computer operating system, the US dollar has all the advantages of incumbency as the world's currency of choice. The reason companies use Microsoft is that other companies use Microsoft, plus they have accumulated years of knowledge and experience of using Microsoft. So, for another operating system to replace Microsoft Windows, the new system can't just be marginally better – it has to be miles better. But by weaponising the US dollar, Washington has made the search for an alternative more urgent. And over the last few years, Beijing has done much of the groundwork needed to promote the yuan to the rest of the world as a potential challenger.To encourage other countries to begin using the yuan as a trading currency, the Chinese government has improved access to yuan financing by allowing a pool of offshore liquidity to develop in Hong Kong. But the big step will be for Beijing to persuade commodity exporters, and oil exporters in particular, to accept payment for their shipments in yuan. To do this, Beijing must convince producers that they can do more with the yuan they earn than simply use it to buy manufactured goods from China.In other words, Beijing has to offer a stable, secure "risk-free" asset denominated in yuan, with plentiful liquidity and a guaranteed exit route, to provide the world with a viable alternative to US Treasury bonds as a safe store of value. ...Tom Holland is a former SCMP staffer who has been writing about Asian affairs for more than 25 years(6) Iran Claims Arrest of 290 CIA Agents; U.S. Sends 2 Aircraft Carriershttps://www.activistpost.com/2019/05/media-blackout-us-iran-tensions-rise-iran-claims-arrests-290-cia-agents-u-s-sends-2-aircraft-carriers-to-mediterranean-bolton-pompeo-issue-threats.htmlMAY 7, 2019By Aaron KeselU.S. and Iranian tensions are rising at a rapid rate. National Security Adviser John Bolton has publicly acknowledged deploying the U.S.S Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and a bomber task force to the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) region as a "clear and unmistakable message to the Iranian regime that any attack on United States interests or on those of our allies will be met with unrelenting force."However, this follows reports on April 22nd that the U.S.S. John C. Stennis and Abraham Lincoln carrier strike groups have joined the US Mediterranean 6th Fleet for the first time in more than two years, as DEBKAfile reported. For those unaware, DEBKA is used by Mossad intelligence very frequently to get their news/intelligence within the Middle East.An earlier report by the Navy's military site actually announced the deployment in early April.This means that the U.S. may have two carrier strike groups within striking distance of Iran, not just one as the U.S. media is reporting, and DEBKAfile may have leaked intelligence (archived.) Although Vice Adm Lisa Franchetti is the source of the story, this writer couldn't find a source for any of the quotes external to DEBKAfile.Vice Admiral Franchetti commented that it was a rare opportunity for two strike groups to work together alongside key allies and partners in the region. Our sources say she was referring to British, French and Israeli naval forces. The vice admiral, who has served as 6th Fleet commander since early 2018, added: "The dual carrier operations in the Mediterranean showcase the flexibility and scalability maritime forces provide to the joint force, while demonstrating our ironclad commitment to the stability and security of the region."One day prior on April 21st, the Trump administration announced it would end its waiver program for countries importing Iranian oil. The Trump administration is now warning it will start imposing sanctions on countries such as India, China, and Turkey that buy Iranian oil as part of its "maximum pressure" campaign. ...Eight countries — China, Greece, India, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey — were initially given six-month reprieves after the United States reimposed sanctions on Iran in November, following President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw from the 2015 nuclear accord which Activist Post reported. Those reprieves expired on May 2nd according to a Bloomberg report.China, arguably one of the largest buyers of Iranian oil, reiterated its opposition to unilateral sanctions and accused the U.S. of reaching beyond its jurisdiction. "China's cooperation with Iran is open, transparent, reasonable and legitimate, and should be respected," Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said in response to a question on the waivers at a briefing in Beijing, CNN reported.Iran has called the sanctions "illegal" according to a statement by the foreign ministry, Ewn.co.za reported."Since the sanctions in question are principally illegal, the Islamic Republic of Iran did not and does not attach any value or credibility to the waivers given to the sanctions," the foreign ministry said in a statement issued on its official website.Reuters reports that,If China does not cut Iran oil purchases to zero, the Trump administration may have to make a decision on blocking Chinese banks from the U.S. financial system. That could have unintended consequences for finance and business between the world's two biggest economies, already in negotiations over trade disagreements. ...(7) Iran says Mossad 'fabricating intelligence' on oil tanker attackshttps://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2019/06/iran-uae-fujairah-oil-tankers-sabotage-zarif-mossad-unsc.htmlAl-Monitor StaffJune 6, 2019Iran's foreign minister has condemned the UNSC meeting that will discuss UAE claims about oil tanker attacks.Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif has condemned the June 6 meeting between the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) and Saudi Arabia, Norway and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), regarding the attacks on three ships in the Persian Gulf off the coast of the UAE.The UAE, Norway and Saudi Arabia, whose oil tankers were slightly damaged in the May 12 attacks off the port of Fujairah, will present their findings to the UNSC. United States officials tried to point a finger at Iran immediately after the attacks, with US national security adviser John Bolton — who has long sought a military conflict with Iran — accusing Iran or groups linked to Iran of being behind the attacks, though he has not provided proof. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the attacks were an attempt to raise the price of oil.In response to the meeting, Zarif tweeted, "The B-Team boys who cry wolf are crying once again." The B-Team is Zarif's moniker for Bolton, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Zayed and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who are all strategically aligned against Iran and advocated for the US exit from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action and a more hostile US approach toward Iran. Zarif's tweet continued, "This time, Mossad is fabricating intelligence about Iran's involvement in sabotage in Fujairah. I've warned of 'accidents' and false flags — we know what happens when you believe their lies. We've been here before, haven't we?"Zarif's reference to Mossad, the national intelligence agency of Israel, is based on Israeli media claims that the organization presented evidence to the United States of Iran's involvement in the attacks on the oil tankers. The source told Israeli media that the attack was a "pretty good commando operation."Iran's government immediately condemned the attacks on the tankers. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Mousavi called them "worrying and unfortunate." He called for an investigation that would "make clear all of the dimensions of the incident." Mousavi also warned of any "adventurism" from foreigners as a result of this incident.The attacks took place just one week after Bolton announced that a US carrier was being sent to the Persian Gulf due to Iranian threats. Later it was reported that the carrier was already scheduled to be deployed, but Bolton had used the occasion to issue a public statement against Iran. It was reported June 4, however, that the USS Abraham Lincoln had never actually entered the Persian Gulf and remained off the coast of Oman in the Arabian Sea. The commanding officer of the Lincoln, Capt. Putnam Brown, told the Associated Press, "You don't want to inadvertently escalate something." In addition to the carrier, the United States also sent B-52 bombers and will be sending an additional 900 troops to the region.(8) For Iran to torpedo ships in Gulf would give USA an excuse to attack; therefore Iran did not do ithttps://www.rt.com/news/461873-iran-attack-oman-blame-war/Cui bono? Iran has 'no reason' to torpedo oil tankers in Gulf of Oman & 'go to war'Published time: 14 Jun, 2019 13:58Despite accusations from Washington, Iran has no motive for instigating the attack on oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman, analysts told RT, stressing that the suspicious incident has harmed, rather than helped, Tehran.Iran rescued 44 sailors from two tankers, 'Front Altair' and 'Kokuka Courageous,' after the vessels came under attack on Thursday. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was quick to pin the blame for the incident on Iran, claiming that the Islamic Republic was "lashing out" in frustration over Washington's draconian sanctions regime.Analysts who spoke with RT, however, questioned Pompeo's line of reasoning.'Why would Iran do it?'Tehran has nothing to gain from attacking the oil tankers, defense analyst and retired Lt. General Amjad Shoaib said."Why would Iran do it? They have no reason to go to war and they have no reason to escalate the situation," he stressed.Tehran has adamantly denied any involvement. Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif described the incident as highly suspicious, adding that Washington's evidence-free accusations are designed to "sabotage" Iran's diplomatic efforts.Experts noted the strange timing of the attack, which came as Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was meeting with Iran's Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, marking the first time in 40 years that a Japanese leader had visited Tehran. Coincidentally, one of the oil tankers targeted in the attack was Japanese-owned.The Japanese firm, Kokuka Sangyo Co, said on Friday that its tanker had been attacked by two "flying objects" but that there was no damage to the ship's cargo of methanol.Kourosh Shamlou, an attorney and Middle East specialist, told RT that it would be completely illogical for Iran to quite literally torpedo such a historic summit, especially since doing so would play into the hands of Washington's anti-Iran hawks."I'm an attorney. You have to know for whom a crime is beneficial. We can see the geopolitical situation of Iran and the US in the Persian Gulf. We can say that the Iranians are not going to torpedo a ship that will lead to the Americans attacking them. It's going to give the Americans an excuse to attack Iran. So it cannot be the Iranians."In fact, the incident has already had negative economic consequences for Iran, Hamed Mousavi, professor of political science at the University of Tehran and visiting professor at Carleton University, noted to RT."Iran's currency lost five percent of its value today just because of talk of escalating tensions as well as perhaps the possibility of war. I think right now Iran wants to de-escalate the situation with the United States," said Mousavi.'Mainstream conspiracy theory'It's not surprising that media outlets are dutifully relaying Pompeo's accusations against Iran without questioning his logic – or asking for evidence, observed political analyst Shabbir Razvi."As soon as something happens in the Gulf region, particularly over the last few months in the Persian Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, it's immediately blamed on Iran," he said, describing the phenomenon as a "mainstream conspiracy theory" being pushed by Washington and uncritical media.Razvi stressed that without evidence, it would be irresponsible of Washington – or anyone else – to put forward theories about who was responsible for the attack. However, there's at least one country that has a documented history of fabricating scenarios to justify military action, Shamlou noted."All of a sudden, an accident happens, and [the United States] starts saying 'it's the Vietnamese, it's the Iraqis, it's the Iranians.' And then they have a legitimate cause for their people to attack."