In the age of complexity and turbulence, resulting from unpredictable factors coming together, one must develop the capability to think, strategize, plan, execute & lead successfully. Globalization, digital technology and a new demographic are colluding to create a new environment of complexity and are demanding new ways of thinking. Inculcating & imbibing Life skills in addition to engineering knowledge is essential, desirable & vital in addressing current and future challenges. Engineering is not just about designing, planning, implementing, executing and measuring the impact of various technologies. A good engineer needs to be a perfect amalgamation of the knowledge in his discipline and life skills. Life skills bring tremendous refinement in professionals' and engineers' behaviour, prepare them for the change and the way to approach their professional work, job market and finally their life. Inculcating Life skills can make youth, students and engineers more positive in their attitude and will bring overall wellbeing to them.
The youth, students and engineers will find this Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Life Skills more informative and engaging. It will run over six to seven weeks for each Level and requires approximately three to five hours of time each week. Designed to accommodate learners' busy schedules, the course offers flexibility with options for learning the content. The learner will learn from readings, videos, discussions with co-learners and instructors, meaningful exercises, quizzes and short assignments. Certification is available for those who wish to complete all required exercises and quizzes.
This course is open to All but will bring greater benefits to engineering students and in-service engineers.


text:
import React from 'react';
import PropTypes from 'prop-types';
import styled, { keyframes } from 'styled-components';

const offset = 187;
const duration = 1.4;

const rotator = keyframes`
    0% { transform: rotate(0deg); }
    100% { transform: rotate(270deg); }
`;

const colors = (props) => {
    return keyframes`
    	0% { stroke: ${props.colors[0]}; }
    	25% { stroke: ${props.colors[1]}; }
    	50% { stroke: ${props.colors[2]}; }
    	75% { stroke: ${props.colors[3]}; }
        100% { stroke: ${props.colors[4]}; }
    `;
}

const dash = keyframes`
    0% { stroke-dashoffset: ${offset}; }
    50% {
        stroke-dashoffset: ${offset / 4};
        transform:rotate(135deg);
    }
    100% {
        stroke-dashoffset: ${offset};
        transform:rotate(450deg);
    }
`;

const SpinnerRotate = styled.svg`
  animation: ${rotator} ${duration}s linear infinite;
`;

const SpinnerPath = styled.circle`
  stroke-dasharray: ${offset};
  stroke-dashoffset: 0;
  transform-origin: center;
  animation:
    ${dash} ${duration}s ease-in-out infinite,
    ${colors} ${duration * 4}s ease-in-out infinite;
`;

const Spinner = ({ colors, width, height, borderWidth }) => {
    return (
        <SpinnerRotate
            width={`${width}px`}
            height={`${height}px`}
            viewBox={`0 0 ${width+1} ${height+1}`}
            xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"
        >
            <SpinnerPath
                fill="none"
                strokeWidth={borderWidth}
                strokeLinecap="round"
                cx={(width+1)/2}
                cy={(height+1)/2}
                r={(width - borderWidth) / 2}
                colors={colors}/>
        </SpinnerRotate>
    );
}

Spinner.propTypes = {
    colors : PropTypes.array,
    width : PropTypes.number,
    height : PropTypes.number,
    borderWidth : PropTypes.number,
};

Spinner.defaultProps = {
    colors: ['#4285F4', '#DE3E35', '#F7C223', '#1B9A59', '#4285F4'],
    width: 65,
    height: 65,
    borderWidth : 6,
};

export default Spinner;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
The Earth Traveler Travel Supplier and Travel Outfitter
We are a travel supplier with travel goods, travel supplies,travel books and anything else you need to make your travels to complete.
So think of
The Earth Traveler
for all your travel supply needs.
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Explore the world of wildlife tourism
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Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Akshay Kumar's new film Kesari which is based on the 1897 Battle of Saragarhi, just dropped its first posters and they are so darn intriguing. "On Saragarhi Day, here's the first look of Kesari - our humble tribute to the martyrs of Saragarhi. 'Aaj meri pagdi bhi Kesari... Jo bahega mera woh lahu bhi Kesari... Aur mera jawaab bhi Kesari'," tweeted the 51-year-old actor on Wednesday, 12 September, the day the battle was fought between 21 Sikh soldiers of the British Indian Army and 10,000 Afghan intruders 121 years ago. "Today we remember the heroes! Circa 1897. 21 Sikhs vs 10,000 Afghans. The bravest battle ever fought," tweeted Karan Johar, whose Dharma Productions produces the movie.


Meetings. Compliance Seminars. Partner Meetings. Agent Events.
If you need us to plan a meeting for your company, you can't find a better partner. From a meeting with experts, a meeting with potential clients in a region or country, a Compliance Day with experts, presentations and panels, where we invite regulators, law enforcement, your clients, agents or correspondents, investors: we can do it for you. Training Sessions for Agents, Product or Services roll-outs, we can handle it. We might find ways to find sponsors that might help with the costs, or experts that might not charge to come, participants that will pay a registration fee… we will design a strategy for you. We can also help your best employees to make excellent presentations.
We can build a conference for you. From the ground up. We partner with IMTC's Team for a number of these services. Their experience is unmatched in this industry.


text:
Broken Hill Spared From Pipeline Price
The Nationals in Government have announced that Essential Water customers in Broken Hill won't pay for the cost of the River Murray pipeline, should the Independent Pricing and Regulatory Tribunal (IPART) determine that the cost be passed on, as the last of 22,000 pipe sections are laid.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the Nationals in Government had provided certainty of supply of water for the Broken Hill community and were now providing certainty of pricing, ensuring any determination from IPART to pass on extra costs would be absorbed by the Government.
"No matter where you live in NSW, access to clean and affordable water is non-negotiable," Mr Barilaro said. "The Wentworth to Broken Hill pipeline is the crucial link in securing a clean supply of water to Broken Hill, in perpetuity. This announcement to cap water prices will ensure that families and residents in Broken Hill pay a fair amount for the water they use.
"People in regional NSW want to know that when times are tough we have their back. That is why we are building a pipeline to deliver clean water to Broken Hill and that is why we are making sure that water is affordable, unlike Labor which simply walked away in Broken Hill when things got tough.
"The Nationals can give the Broken Hill community an iron-clad guarantee that water bills for the first four years will not go up because of the pipeline," Mr Barilaro said.
Minister for Regional Water Niall Blair said the Nationals in Government were delivering on a 2015 commitment to the people of Broken Hill that their town would be drought-proofed.
"This project has been delivered by WaterNSW ahead of time, under budget and has provided a much-needed economic stimulus to the local community, with more than $35 million injected into local businesses during construction," Mr Blair said. "We've already seen the immediate benefits a project like this can have – with more than 150 local people employed and on-the-job training for local youth."
NSW Nationals Candidate for Barwon Andrew Schier said water security was no longer a pipedream but a reality for the community.
"I am so thankful to see this project ahead of schedule, especially given there have been no inflows into Menindee Lakes since May and I look forward to seeing the first water in the coming months," Mr Schier said. "A safe and secure water supply is the foundation of a better quality of life for the people of Broken Hill and the future generations who will make their home in this city."
The NSW Government subsidy will cover the period of the IPART 2019 – 2020 to 2022 – 23 price reviews for the WaterNSW Murray River to Broken Hill pipeline due for public release in May 2019.


text:
Colonia Máximo de la Cruz är en ort i Mexiko, tillhörande La Paz kommun i delstaten Mexiko. Colonia Máximo de la Cruz ligger i den centrala delen av landet och tillhör Mexico Citys storstadsområde. Orten hade 429 invånare vid folkmätningen 2010.

Referenser

Orter i La Paz, delstaten Mexiko

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A Clane golfing society is celebrating 30 years of existence this year.
Despite its association with a well known social establishment in the town, many founding members of the Jones Golfing Society are still standing.
Speaking to the Leader last week, current captain, Martin Ennis, said he was honoured to captain Jones Golf Society for its 30 year celebration.
Martin said they have enjoyed some wonderful days including recent at the beautiful Killarney Golf and Country Club. On July 21 they recalled all deceased members of the society with their Memorial Cup, won by Fergus Smith.
The Captains Prize event in September will be at one of Martin's favourite Irish coursesl Bunclody Golf and Fishing Club.
It has not been all fun and games for the Jones members, who come from Clane, Rathcoffey and Prosperous, mainly.
Recently in conjunction with Eileen Dunne, captain of the Manzors Ladies Golfing Society, and its members, they raised €2,400 which went to three group, Little Way Cancer Support Services, Clane Youth Services and Tig Linn.
Martin said that in Jones GS, members sponsor the prizes for the most part. He also said he was probably one of the first captains not have had to cancel an event due to weather.
"The Clane spirit of community and fulfilment is very much core to its success," he said.


Australia is considered as one of the major producers and exporters when it comes to agricultural products. While there's a wide belief that Australia's environment is generally made out of dry lands that are generally unsuited for most crops, agriculture possesses a booming economical value for the country. Most of areas of Australia consist of the outback which is dry and usually barren, inhabited by different kinds of animals.
However, what the people did is utilize a combination of dry land farming and an innovative way for irrigating the land to keep their crops well-hydrated. This is to counteract the naturally dry atmosphere of the lands of Australia and promote the growth and cultivation of crops even in a hot environment with limited water supply and lesser occurrences of rain.
The agricultural area of Australia is divided into three main zones, namely: Tasmania – a zone with high rainfall and a narrow coastal zone; a zone for raising sheep and growing wheat; and a pastoral zone with lesser rainfall, the soil is less fertile and animals are allowed to graze freely.
With Australia's geographical characteristics, it experiences problems when it comes to its agricultural economy. Several factors influence the growth of their crops and the annual yield of their different products. Here are some common problems faced by Australia in terms of their agriculture.
Similar to other regions with the same climate and weather patterns, Australia possesses regions with low soil fertility. This leads to lower yields compared to other farmlands that have well-nourished soil. What farmers do is cycle planting of crops so that the soil does not run out of nutrition. With the limited space that fertile soil has in the region, farmers also maximize the area by cutting off trees in the middle of planting fields. Most farmers use chainsaws to easily chop down trees.
It's no surprise that the regions of Australia experience drought from time to time. This usually occurs during the summer when the heat is at its peak. What usually happens during a drought is crops quickly wilt and die from dehydration. It is unwise to raise crops and other plants that require a high demand of water in the farming lands of Australia. This would lead to inefficiency in their cultivation and would just be a waste of time, money and hard work in raising them. Add to that the limited water supply in Australia; farmers can't just use a hefty amount of water in their crops. Raising a farm in those lands needs to be in an efficient manner wherein there's little waste in resources but still producing a high yield of products.
To fight off these problems, farmers use an irrigation system which delivers a measured amount of water for their crops. This results in a manageable amount of water being used for farmlands and still save the water supply in the process. The crops used in these farms also play an important factor. Instead of using crops that need a lot of water to survive, they raise crops which are easily cultivated and manageable in Australia's type of environment. Crops like wheat, oats, barley, cotton seeds and sunflowers are raised in the country which is abundantly produced annually.


Whether you're a real estate professional or an owner, there are benefits in selling to us.
We buy single family homes, multifamily residences, apartment buildings, commercial property, vacant land, and even individual condominium units. There is never any need to reinvest in improvements before selling to us because regardless of the type of property that you are looking to sell, we will buy any kind of real estate "as is." We buy buildings—with or without tenants—that are red tagged (i.e. condemned), boarded up, in need of repairs, have fire damage, are abandoned, or show evidence of squatters or criminal activity. We also buy vacant land, even if it is completely raw.
Our primary interest is in buying and flipping single family residences with deferred maintenance in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, and Riverside. We prefer houses with more functional floor plans, but have plenty of experience with quirky, nontraditional layouts. We also prefer fixer uppers with enough room for improvement that a basic rehab will create enough value to make a purchase worthwhile. However, we are more than happy to add living space square footage to increase the value where appropriate.
We are also interested in buying multifamily units and apartment buildings for longterm hold. We buy units that are distressed and in need of repairs, but are willing to pay a premium for units in better condition. Moreover, we will buy units with tenants or units that are completely empty—occupancy does not matter to us.
We don't make as many land deals as we used to, but from time to time, we buy and develop vacant land that can be subdivided into residential tracts.
We have existing relationships with several real estate agents and brokers in Southern California and have done multiple deals with each of them. The reason that we do repeat business with agents and brokers is that we provide them with a valuable resource and do so in a way that benefits them as well as their clients.
Our agents and brokers know that we're not right for every property that comes across their desks, but they know that we buy all cash and close quickly—in as little as seven days. We can close so quickly because we have no need to obtain hard money loans; we always have the necessary funds on hand!
We also appreciate agents and brokers that bring us business. Whenever a real estate professional brings us a deal, we retain them to represent us as our selling agent, allowing them to double end their commission. Moreover, when that property has been brought up to peak market value and is ready to be resold, the agent that initially brought us the deal also gets the first shot at listing it for us.
As with agents, we know that we're not the right buyer for every property owner looking to sell. For an owner that is looking to grind it out for months, trying to squeeze every penny out of their property before selling, we're simply not a match because we're not retail buyers; we need to be able to resell property for a profit.
What we can offer a property owner is simplicity. A property owner selling to us does not need to hire a contractor, make any repairs, hire a real estate agent, list the property, market the property, wait months for offers, endure a long escrow process, or help with closing costs—all the while making mortgage, insurance, and tax payments.
When we make an offer on a property, we pay all cash and close in a matter of days, not months! Moreover, that offer is a net offer; there are never any hidden costs, fees, or commissions. All costs are paid by us, so that the amount we offer you is the amount you take home—often in as little as seven days.


text:
Some principals let lots of teachers work from home. Others don't let any.
Many principals being intentionally obstinate, union says
Andrew Marra
It's been a month of mostly good news for Royal Palm Beach High School teachers who asked to work from home this fall. Of the 27 eligible educators with health complications, 19 have been approved to teach classes remotely.
But at Park Vista High 14 miles away, teachers have not been so lucky. Of the 36 who were eligible, not one has received remote-work privileges from their principal, district records show.
More and more teachers are obtaining permission to work remotely as Palm Beach County public schools enter their fifth week of in-person classes. By the middle of last week, 488 campus teachers — 25 percent of those eligible — were teaching from home to reduce their exposure to the coronavirus.
But the district's efforts to extend the benefit to more teachers with health complications have been hampered by dozens of principals who refuse to approve any remote-work requests, an analysis of remote-work approvals shows.
More:'I'm disgusted': School board skewers district's treatment of high-risk employees
More than a third of the district's principals have declined to approve a single request, including several who have received more than two dozen from eligible teachers, according to district records.
The refusal to do so has led to accusations from the teachers union and some school board members that many principals are being intentionally obstinate, rejecting requests that would protect teachers whose health problems put them at higher risk from COVID-19.
"Schools refusing teachers remote work where it is feasible is shameful," said Justin Katz, president of the county teachers union. "Principals basically seem to have license to make zero effort which is in direct conflict with the school board's directives and harsh demands."
Some principals and administrators dispute that. They say it's difficult to promise remote-work privileges when the number of students showing up on campus can change and more students are returning to campus each week.
Some principals also said the district's records do not reflect all the remote positions they had approved. James Thomas, principal of L. C. Swain Middle, said the district recorded no approvals on his campus, but he had approved nine.
Gonzalo La Cava, the district's human resources director, said the district's records would not reflect remote-work approvals that principals neglected to report in the district's personnel system.
At Limestone Creek Elementary in Jupiter, more than 75 percent of students have returned in person, making it difficult to arrange remote-work opportunities, the principal said.
"We want to support teachers, but when you say all students can come back and so many do, it's difficult," said Limestone Creek Principal Maria Lloyd, who district records showed had denied six requests. "My decision was based solely on the numbers."
But principals have also rejected dozens of requests on campuses where few students have returned for in-person classes.
At West Boca Raton High, for example, just 17 percent of students were attending classes in person as of two weeks ago. Still, the school denied all its teaching staff's 39 remote-work petitions, records show.
After this article was published online, Capitano followed up to say he had approved remote-learning requests for multiple teachers on his campus but may have failed to alert district administrators that he had done so, meaning those teachers would not be reflected in official district figures.
Principal Edmund Capitano initially declined to comment for this article but, after it was published online, said that the district's records did not reflect multiple remote-work positions he had approved. He said he may have neglected to report them to the district.
"I can tell you that I do have teachers working remotely," he said.
More:Affluent campuses are filling with kids. The poorest schools remain mostly online.
Privately, many principals have complained about having to choose between accommodating teachers concerned about their health and students on who need a teacher in their classroom.
To take pressure off them, some board members asked Superintendent Donald Fennoy to have district administrators make the final call. Board Chairman Frank Barbieri has repeatedly criticized Fennoy for declining to do so.
"I feel bad for our principals," Barbieri said at an Oct. 7 board meeting. "This board made it very clear that principals were not to be put in a position to have to make decisions on who gets distance [teaching] and who didn't."
Fennoy responded that principals knew best the needs on their campuses and needed to make those decisions themselves.
"That is the decision that the principals must own, is what's available in their campuses," Fennoy said.
Deputy Schools Superintendent Keith Oswald said many principals' hesitancy is driven by uncertainty about the needs on campus.
Though many campuses sit mostly empty, students are expected to gradually start returning, making many principals reluctant to commit to remote-work assignments.
"They didn't know what their situation would be week to week," Oswald said.
Campuses that do accommodate the requests are doing so in different ways.
In many cases, Oswald said, schools are grouping all of a school's in-person students into one teacher's class, then letting others who teach the same subject or grade level handle the virtual students in separate, online-only classes.
In high schools, some teachers are teaching entire classes from home, including students on campus. Students who would normally be in a classroom instead log onto the virtual class from an "overflow room" such as a school cafeteria or auditorium.
More:Lock in school attendance choice by Oct. 14, board decides
The vast majority of schools have not approved all of their requests, but three schools have, including Palm Springs Middle, which granted all 14 of the requests as of last week.
John I. Leonard High, the county's most populous school, has granted more than any other campus with 24, though its approvals total less than half the number submitted.
Parents have been asked to lock in their choice between online and in-person classes for the second grading period beginning next month.
Doing so will stabilize schools' rosters, which administrators and teachers say they hope will allow principals to allow more remote-work assignments.
"We do expect more will be created," Katz said. "Hopefully the district delivers."
Palm Beach Post staff writer Sonja Isger contributed to this story.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article misstated student attendance at West Boca Raton High School. Two weeks ago, 17 percent of students there were attending classes in person, not virtually.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This article has been updated.
amarra@pbpost.com
@AMarranara


text:
Venezuela's glimmer of hope – global issues
Even as the IUCN Conference concludes, the conservation debate – global issues is heating up
Multiple Reports of Alleged Human Rights Violations in Tigray – Global Issues
in a update for the United Nations Human Rights Council (OHCHROn the situation in the northernmost regional state of Ethiopia, Ms. Bachelet said the conflict...
Eliminating the practice of crop burning – global issues
Saturday 21 August 2021 UN News Across the world, people are preparing to make their way through the so-called "smog season," when farmers burn their...
For Women in E-Commerce, "Entrepreneurship Means Freedom" – Global Issues
Pierangela Sierra has created an e-commerce platform in Ecuador called Tipti to make shopping easier but also to save people's time. Ms. Sierra has spent...
Combating Hate-Driven Movements, Guterres Urges, Think About the Rwanda Genocide – Global Issues
in a Message In commemoration of the 1994 International Day of Reflection on the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres He emphasized...
United Nations Resident Coordinator Blog – Global Issues
A common excuse is that finding panellists is a little more difficult. Well, board organizers have to look a little trickier. Mannells is a deviation...
World Bank Looks to Trains in Argentina's Battle on Climate – Global Issues
A view of the Retiro Central Hall, one of the four main stations in Buenos Aires, which receives passengers from the municipalities of the northern...
Is freedom of the press incompatible with gender empowerment? Global Issues
Women journalists in Kabul, June 2019.Credit: UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) / Fardin Waezi By Thalif Deen (United nations) Sunday 02 May 2021 Inter...
Where are UN diplomats hiding during the politically sensitive poll? Global issues
By Thalif Deen (New York) Thursday, February 11, 2021 Inter Press service (Excerpts from a book just published, No Comment – Don't Quote Me on...
The worst is yet to come – global issues
A relative wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) attends the funeral of a family member who died of COVID-19, at one of the largest crematoriums in...
Over 170 children feared missing after volcanic eruption in Goma – Global Issues
The sky turned red and lava scattered from the volcano on Saturday, causing thousands to flee the city of two million people just south. News...


How to troubleshoot system halt on launching Space (file preview) on file but doing <any key> before preview in Debian?
Press space to preview a file, etc a big .ppt/.pdf/... file.
Try to move away from the file, while the system is loading the preview.
Result: keyboard is not sensititive any more, only mouse moves, but no TTY switch works etc. Any active process will keep going on the system etc sounds but you cannot interact with them at all anymore: keybord stops working, but mouse works but does not interact with anything.


Former deer in the headlights when it came to public speaking & videos, now teaching others how to speak with confidence and impact in all conversations, presentations and videos.
Elsewine is from the Netherlands and as a student she was so afraid to speak in public and on videos. It was an interesting journey of weekly debates in two (English speaking) clubs and national/international tournaments, overcoming blocks & fears with kinesiology and learning how to master her Presence that helped her overcome these fears.
She now works with entrepreneurs and professionals who want to feel more confident and be charismatic and convincing when they speak. She works with a lot of experienced speakers too, both in person and online.
She is a total Switzerland fan and loves to hike in the mountains (and it's a perfect place to find chocolate too – she loves dark chocolate!!). Elsewine lives in the centre of the Netherlands with her husband, 2 daughters & 2 cats.


Coach Inc (NYSE:COH) will buy women's luxury footwear company Stuart Weitzman Holdings LLC, as it looks to expand its high-end offerings to better compete with rivals such as Michael Kors Holdings Ltd (NYSE:KORS) and Kate Spade & Co (NYSE:KATE).
Companies such as Michael Kors and Kate Spade have eaten into New York-based Coach's market share in North America with their affordable and trendier handbags and accessories.
Coach is realigning its business by cutting promotions and shuttering underperforming stores.
The company said on Tuesday it would make initial cash payment of about $530 million to Sycamore Partners and pay up to $44 million on achievement of certain revenue targets over the three years after the acquisition closes.
Sycamore Partners acquired Stuart Weitzman last year as part of its $2.2 billion purchase of Jones Group Inc, the fashion company that owns retail chains Nine West and Jones New York.
Reuters reported on Monday that Coach was nearing a deal to buy Stuart Weitzman.
The Wall Street Journal first reported that the two companies were close to a deal.
Coach's shares were up 1.5 percent at $37.27 in premarket trading on Tuesday.


text:
SmartNews Hidden Gems from 2015
No Comments on SmartNews Hidden Gems from 2015
We all remember the biggest stories of 2015, El Chapo's escape, Ronda Rousey's KO, and who can forget The Dress? In the spirit of discovery, we at SmartNews would like to highlight the stories that you might have missed. Following on the hidden gems theme, I took a look at each of the SmartNews categories and looked for the outliers. My somewhat unscientific methodology looked for stories from sources that would not normally appear in the category but were picked up and featured based on a topic analysis, hopefully introducing a source to a new audience that would not normally be exposed to that publication.
GQ describes itself as a men's fashion and style magazine. When Marshall Sella tests the Bitcoin waters, SmartNews puts his piece in front of the Business readers. Marshall describes his time with Charlie Shrem, an early Bitcoin entrepreneur (bitrepreneur?) whose LinkedIn profile now shows him cooling his heels at Lewisburg Federal Prison.
It's not often that Scientific American shows up in the Entertainment section. Cindi May's The Problem with Female Superheroes took a look at how characters such as Storm and Dazzler in the recent X-Men films may be adversely affecting the young audiences who watch them. "Saving the world in spiked heels" may not be giving young girls a realistic expectation of their abilities. We hope the upcoming Dawn of Justice does a better job.
We all cringed when we saw the video of the 12-year-old boy who tripped and punched a hole in the 350-year-old painting valued at $1.5 million. Oliver Holms of The Guardian covers the restoration effort (thankfully it was insured) and points to other mishaps such as when a pair of Qing dynasty Chinese vases and a Picasso did not fare as well. SmartNews placed this one in the Lifestyle section which is where our Art & Culture are featured.
"I thought it was a CIA surveillance device," said Brett McBay in Modesto, California after instructing his son to shoot his neighbor's drone from out of the sky with a 12-gauge shotgun. Cyrus Farivar at Ars Technica brought up a number of issues including the right to privacy (the skies around your home) and the respect for private property, (Eric Joe's homemade hexacopter drone), and of course the right to fire off buckshot into the sky. SmartNews to placed this story into the US category where much of our gun violence stories have been running. Inquiring minds want to know if this Brett McBay of Modesto is the same Brett McBay whose twitter profile states he is the District Representative for a California State Assemblymember.
SB Nation covers sports and, yes, there is a basketball in this bit but it's used to explain the Magnus Effect from physics and, for that reason, this article showed up in Science.
The Nation likes to dig (and sometimes poke) which usually lands them in the US section for political coverage. Back in May, Dave Zirin asked why mainstream sports sites were not covering the case of NBA player Thabo Sefolosha, who was tackled by NYPD outside a nightclub, injured, and subsequently missed the playoffs with his team. This story introduced Sports readers to The Nation style of media inquiry. Seven months later ESPN published an in-depth investigative piece on this same story.
Finally, in Technology, there's this fun piece blowing the cover on arcade claw machines. Did you know that they were rigged? Phil Edwards at Vox posts PDFs from the operator manuals to prove his point and caused great consternation in the gaming industry.
We hope you had a great 2015 and learned something new. Stay curious and see you in 2016.
Tags hidden gems, SmartNews
San Francisco Accelerated
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I had no idea San Francisco was such a bustling city.
This film from the hyperlapse ninjas at PermaGrin Films is almost two years old. On their site you can see some of their more recent films such as a 4k stop-motion collaboration with Rind Raja
Tags hyperlapse, san francisco
Cracking the Code of Local News
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In his opening remarks, Rich Jaroslovsky, VP for Content and Chief Journalist at SmartNews, said that Local News is something that everyone has tried but, "nobody has fully cracked the code." Backfence, Topix, Patch, and countless other valiant efforts have taken a run at it but failed to sustain. "Local News is still a huge opportunity because of the intensity for what people want," Rich continued. Sharing a datapoint from SmartNews, we see almost double the CTRs on our local channels (the SmartNews app has 23 existing with several more in development).
With this context, SmartNews and Pocket hosted the first New News meetup. The founding principal is to discuss the evolution or tell the story about a particular aspect of the News business. The inaugural meetup held last week was about Local News, its opportunities and challenges.
Sponsors from Say Bubble and Townsquared generously supplied the food and drinks. The panel of guests included:
Hoodline – Eric Eldon
The Bold Italic – Sunil Rajamaran
SF Chronicle – Jess McCuan
SF Public Press – Lila LaHood
From left, Lila LaHood of SF Public Press, Jess McCuan of SF Chronicle, Sunil Rajamaran (speaking) of The Bold Italic, and Eric Eldon of Hoodline
Each panelist presented a distinct business model for local news.
After writing for the tech press (VentureBeat, TechCrunch) Eric joined Hoodline where he is the Editor-in-Chief. Hoodline has built their own CMS and is using this technology to differentiate themselves. They have soft-launched an events listing service and will be using hyper-focused local reporting (i.e. Change is afoot at Rising Star Laundromat) to draw attention to those listings.
Sunil found out from a Facebook comment thread that The Bold Italic was abruptly shutting down last April. Someone from TBL reached out to him and within 8 weeks he made an offer that was accepted by the previous owners, Gannett. Sunil, a co-founder of Scripted.com, a freelance writer marketplace, took on The Bold Italic as new project. The challenge is to maintain high quality content at "1/25th the budget" which he aims to do by focusing on "evergreen" pieces (i.e. An Open Letter to Anyone Moving to San Francisco for a Tech Job) and leaving the resource-heavy "news" stories to other sites. Sunil comes across as very business-savy and he has brought the site back up to a half-million pageviews/month with just 3 editors on staff. If he can source writers from his freelance community at a price that makes economic sense, he could come up with a model that can be replicated in other metro areas.
Jess stated clearly that the 150-year old SF Chronicle, "is not a start-up" but with it's deep archive and extensive resources plays to its strengths. Jess' team of 10 reporters, 2 editors and dedicated copy-editors & designers cover tech in the Bay Area and balance the spark and flash of the beat with the sober need to inform the public. Not many people know that SF Gate and SF Chronicle are not only two different sites but also two different organizations with different missions. "If you want to read about Justin Bieber's butt, come to SF Gate, it's the candy." SF Chronicle is the premium content site, "the medicine" where they feature high-quality journalism about money, politics, tech, and other important forces changing the landscape of the Bay Area.
Lila describes the non-profit SF Public Press as an online & print version of NPR. They sell memberships to their quarterly newspaper but also raise funding from grants and donors. They are admittedly "slow news" and focus on big investigative reports which take many weeks to put together pulling data from FOIA document requests, interviews, and data analysis to create meaty articles featuring beautiful visualizations and maps (i.e. Building on the Bay, Sea Level Rise Threatens Waterfront Development). As a non-profit they need to work with like-minded organizations such as the local public radio stations, Mother Jones magazine, Bay Nature, Earth Island Institute, and the Center for Investigative Reporting to amplify their stories and get the word out about their stories.
Geography defining communities
A member of the audience wanted to know how each site covered issues which cut across geographic boundaries. Hoodline has a "density formula" to determine which neighborhoods to cover but Eric was quick to note that when it came to certain issues such as gentrification it was important to maintain objectivity to build trust.
Sunil noted the monetary challenge of local which limits The Bold Italic's attractiveness to national advertisers. Jess touted the Chronicle's deep archive of coverage of big national stories such as the LGBT community which helped them put together an impressive package of historical pieces for their Marriage Equality Act issue which went on to become one of their best-selling issues.
The focus on a pieces that resonate with a local audience but tell a good story about an important national trend is what makes Jess most proud. The Chronicle has ambitions to be a national paper and she is aware that, in many aspects, the world is paying disproportionate attention to the Bay Area as a leading indicator of national trends that are impacting the rest of the United States. Tech touches on important issues regarding privacy, security, First Amendment rights, and the sharing economy. Many of the global players are here.
When a new batch of census data came out showing the rise in median income from 2009 to 2014 there were numerous local angles to the story. The piece that struck home was a piece by local reporter Joaquin Palomino about a local bakery in the Mission that had been selling the local community empanadas but recently switched to vegan carrot cake and organic coffee in order to stay in business.
Events or No?
Because media companies are in the business of aggregating audiences and connecting them with their sponsors, events are a logical way to bring together their audience in real life. Events were an important part of The Bold Italic's previous business model and were the #1 source of revenue. In reality, Sunil admitted, the margins were "razor thin" so, going forward, events will not be part of "the new iteration" of TBL.
Eric from Hoodline also has experience with events in his previous life at VentureBeat and TechCrunch where large events such as The Crunchies and Disrupt were important but ultimately a "distraction" from the reporting and building product.
Jess stated emphatically that the SF Chronicle, "is not in the events business" but did share a preview of an upcoming documentary film they are producing about men living with HIV that will have a opening night event at the Castro Theatre.
By contrast, the SF Public Press looks at events as an important fundraising activity and has the occasional open house and has hosted hackathons such as the recent Hack the Housing Crisis conference to engage with the local community to address a specific concern.
Is Local Profitable?
To everyone's surprise the local papers are turning a profit. The Bay Area News Group, with 14 daily and 32 weekly newspapers, is an important targeting vehicle for local business.
Showing that he's well aware of what he's getting into with reviving The Bold Italic, Sunil said that you need to build a site that is profitable from the first pageview. "ADD is the challenge," you cannot rely on your readers for that elusive second click and certainly should not predict revenues based on that. Social platforms such as Pinterest have added "buy" buttons in attempts to monetize the attention they are getting but with mixed results as their audiences have not yet migrated their intentions when they visit the site from browsing to buying. The big ticket acquisitions of Bleacher Report and HuffPo from the last up cycle show that there is an appetite for media acquisitions but he is patient to wait out this current downturn and is prepared to patiently build up a sustainable business for the long term.
The SF Public Press is having fun with experimentation. Because they have less to lose, they have a larger appetite for risk. "Constraints inspire creativity but more resources would be better!"
The SF Chronicle knows they will always be outgunned by the national tech press in sheer resources but celebrate their victories which effect real change. Jess shared the story of "soft-spoken Wendy Lee" who worked on a story about bus drivers for Apple, eBay, and Genetech who were forced to sleep in their minivans because they didn't earn enough to live in the Bay Area. The front page story was a wake up call to the PR departments of the high tech giants "scared to death" of it becoming a national story and quickly turned things around and gave their drivers raises.
Strong local stories draw attention and the paper is cashing in on its readership. Poytner recently reported that the San Francisco Chronicle is profitable thanks to an in-house ad agency that provides, "Madison Avenue-type marketing consultancy and advertising agency services at a palatable price for a large regional brand."
Who else is doing good work?
Each of the panelists shared other companies and organizations doing good work.
DNA Info for New York and Chicago local news.
Corner Media Group for their coverage of Brooklyn.
Institute for Non-profit News for their support of investigative reporting.
LION (Local Independent Online News publishers) is a great resource for local news providers to meet each other.
ONA (Online News Association) is another organization with many local chapters.
The Atlantic was highlighted for their top notch journalism and Quartz was mentioned as having mobile particularly well done.
ProPublic is also doing great investigative journalism.
Sunil pointed to Mic as brilliantly designed to draw you deeper into the site and view more pages. He went on to note that while Buzzfeed does great with its viral content, it's news vertical is not getting traction.
Other Coverage:
Meetup Page – Join the New News meetup group to learn about future events. The next meetup on (Jan. 21st, VR Storytelling) is already being planned
The New News @tnnsf
Flickr Photoset
Tags local news, news, publishing, the new news
Matter 5 Demo Day
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Attended the Matter 5 demo day today. Here's a curated selection of tweets.
[View the story "Matter 5 startup showcase" on Storify]
Tags matter, matterdemoday
WordPress 4.4 Embed test
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Just upgraded everwas.com to WordPress 4.4. Let's see how the embed feature works.
WordPress 4.4 "Clifford"
Nifty!
Tags Wordpress
Recommended from SmartNews
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SmartNews has built a sophisticated, duplicate content filter so that when the latest press release from a presidential candidate, disaster, crime, or culinary sensation hits the proverbial viral loop, the breaking news from multiple outlets does not overwhelm the app and crowd out other stories. SmartNews strives to promote only the best and unique stories to our readers.
But there are times when you want to dig deeper on an issue or read an alternative take. Introducing the Recommended widget.
You can find the Recommended widget at the bottom of the SmartView of any article in the SmartNews app. Swipe left on any article to get to the simplified SmartView of that article. Scroll down to the bottom of the article to get to the Recommended widget.
Take, for example, the recent Rolling Stone story about Ringo Starr auctioning off his personal copy of The Beatles' White Album.
The first three headlines (in purple) are from the publisher of the original piece (Rolling Stone). If the publisher has continued coverage of the story, you'll see past stories about the topic giving you deeper context around what you just read. In this example, there is a link to an earlier story about the auction followed by an interview with Ringo Starr and then a piece about The Beatles and their album Rubber Soul.
The bottom two headlines (in green) are culled from our daily crawl of 10 million+ headlines and matched entirely based on a custom SmartNews algorithm. Here we see two other stories about the Ringo Starr auction, one from The Guardian and the second from NME.
How do we do it? That sophisticated de-dupe filter we built to reduce articles that are too much alike? Turn it around and it makes a fantastic related-articles algorithm!
Each article is automatically "read" and key terms, companies, people, and other entities are extracted along with data around the author, publisher, length of the piece and many other factors that are used to make a data representation of the article. When two representations overlap significantly we give them a similarity score. The higher the score, the more similar the two articles are for the purposes of filtering or recommending.
I like to think of the Recommended widget as a jumping off point for further exploration. Headlines 1-3 go deeper into the past with a specific source while headlines 4 & 5 go broader along the same topic but across different publications. Choose your adventure.
The similar articles feature is not new. I use a WordPress plugin on this blog to power the Related box you see below each post. Most news sites have something similar, usually driven by keyword or tag matching, against a limited content set. SmartNews has a more sophisticated matching algorithm across a much broader universe of articles and I think you'll notice the difference right away.
Download SmartNews have fun exploring and let me know what you think!
Superman v Batman, Marvel v DC
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I love that my daughter is really into comic book characters. She prefers Marvel over DC but, after she showed me this trailer, said she may change her mind. Wait for the final scene, it's worth it.
Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice hits theaters on March 25th.
Tags batman, dc, marvel, superman, wonder woman
Volvo Truck, meet Sophie
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Volvo Trucks is at it again with another promotional video for their trucks. This one features 4-year old Sophie who "drives" an 18-ton truck through an obstacle course using a remote control.
This is the latest in a brilliant series which, back two years ago featured Van Damme doing an Epic Split.
Tags advertising, volvo
Because. . .Baseball
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It's not often that the Cubs make it to the post season so when they do, something's gotta give. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign student Ben Larson asks his professor if he could take a make up exam and the professor's response is priceless.
Tags baseball
1 Comment on Ghost in the Machine
There are at least two sides to every story. The Planned Parenthood videos were a polarizing topic that monopolized the news cycle several weeks ago. How do you teach an algorithm a point of view? How do you optimize for discovery and strike the right balance for diversity while avoiding duplication?
SmartNews is a news aggregation app driven by machine learning algorithms. The platform is tuned for discovery (as opposed to personalization). After using it regularly, I began collecting screenshots of my favorite examples when the app taught me something new or showed me two items side-by-side that suggested a subtle intelligence.
Two candidates and their technology.
The science and application of artificial intelligence to personalization is well understood. From Amazon's people-that-bought-this-also-bought-that to Pandora's Music Genome Project, software has been recommending what you'll like next best based on what you've liked so far for years.
The new frontier in artificial intelligence is machine learning. Companies such as Spotify and Netflix are hard at work trying to predict future tastes based on an evolving understanding of collective tastes. Sure, learning assumes knowledge of the past, but projecting that learning into the future is much harder as you build a model based on an understanding of something that does not exist. Rather than showing you something we know you'll like based on what you liked in the past, machine learning discovers things you didn't know you would like.
First a little context. SmartNews, while deceptively simple, has a lot going on under the hood. At any time, the SmartNews app shows around 250 headlines across 8 categories. These headlines are selected from millions of stories that are scanned each day. In order to ensure that the stories featured in the app are the most important and interesting, a number of things must take place.
After harvesting URLs, the text of each article is run through a classifier that examines things such as the headline, author byline, publication date, images and video embeds. These pieces are analyzed by a semantic engine that extracts data so the algorithm can map the article to a topic cluster and place it into the appropriate subject category. (I wrote about how this is done in an earlier post)
Importance estimation is where we rank an article and determine where it will go in the app relative to other articles. Does it go towards the top of a section or towards the bottom? If the top, does it deserve featured treatment? Maybe it's so topical it needs to be pushed to the Top page, which is reserved for only the most important stories of the moment.
Finally, diversification ensures there is a good mix of stories in each category. If there are 40 stories about guacamole and peas, here's where we determine which to show and which to push to the background. If there's a new development on a story, the update will push its way in and take prominence over an older story.
These are just details to give you context. The most amazing thing to me is when the app surfaces a "hidden gem" that I would not normally run across if I were using an RSS reader hard-coded to a collection of feeds, or a social network that is limited to news shared by my friends.
The best way to appreciate SmartNews as a discovery engine is to use it daily, but if you haven't had a chance, here are a few more of my favorite Gems below:
While the Center for Medical Progress' undercover video interviews with Planned Parenthood staffers may have been shocking, the representation of two points of view helped me see both sides of the issue. What was interesting was the Cosmopolitan article (a source I normally do not read) had the best measured rebuttal.
Much of the climate change news ends up in the Science category. As that story grows in relevance to us all, more publications dig into it. If you haven't read this terrifying Rolling Stone piece, read it now.
Here's an example of a developing story getting an update. ESPN reports that WWE is cutting its relationship with Hulk Hogan his comments that were offensive. People Magazine follows up with the story of his apology. Oh, also notice that the algorithm put both stories into the Entertain section.
As news of the killing of Cecil the Lion went viral, the algorithm was smart enough to surface a side of the story from a local Minnesota paper.
The screenshot above, more than any of the others, shows the freaky intelligence working behind the scenes. Like those times when an algorithmically generated playlist just nails the transition of one song into the next, drawing the causality between gun violence in the US to how such an environment might have prepared an off-duty soldier to do the right thing shows how a well-designed system can be greater than just the sum of its component parts.
Do you use SmartNews? Have you had the same experience? Send along some of your own Hidden Gems and I'll add them to the gallery.
Tags hidden gems, Machine Learning, SmartNews


Is there a way to alert if there have been less than (x) number of syslog messages from a host within a (x)-hour time period?
Basically I want to alert if my syslog forwarder program has stopped working on a host.
Is that just for 1 specific node? I want to be alerted if any node hasn't sent any syslog messages in 48 hours. Not sure what the variables are in your SQL statement.
Open the Alert manager and change it to custom SQL sub type Node, it fills out the "Select Blah from blah", but then allows you to choose where and/or joins to get the data you want.
That querry would alert individually for each Node that doesn't have records in syslog for x period - you case might be to replace <_X_HOURS> with 48 and <_X_NUMBER> with 0, although sence you now are saying "any syslog messages" vs "been less than (x) number of syslog messages", it might be better to use "SELECT distinct IP FROM SysLog where [DateTime] > DATEADD(HOUR,-<_X_HOURS>,GETDATE())" so SQL doesn't need to count the records.
if you want specific nodes, you could limit it down by adding " and Caption in ('routera','serverb','firewallx') "
lots of math up there.
just add a field to the nodes table that stores the date/time of the last syslog you recieved from that address.
Well, that works, let me throw another wrinkle in here for you. Sorry about adding additional criteria, I guess I originally didn't have a good focus on exactly what I wanted, and as things came into focus and I started seeing results, then there were some things I needed to refine.
2- This will only work for nodes that have previously sent in a syslog message within the table trim period. If I add a host and it never has sent a syslog message then it won't show. There has to be a way to cross reference results to the existing nodes in the Nodes table.
Urgh. Getting more complicated than I originally thought. Isn't that always the case though?
I appreciate the responses. Please help with this one last (I promise!) teensie weensie little hurdle.
I don't trust syslog to resolve the hostname, but it can't mess up the IP, but you can change it if you like.
Okay, that works in SQL, but not in Orion. WTF?
In SQL I get the correct results. When I setup the alert in Orion it triggers on all the hosts. WTF?
And I get 15 results, all valid.
It's triggering on all the hosts. Help!
Nevermind. I'm dumb. My first go around with Custom SQL Alerts. I didn't notice the select statement at the top was already there. Working correctly now!
The thing I like the most about the Orion products is that the only limit is how imaginative you can get, the product can do it as long as you find the right spot to tweak.
Plus this forum has so many good idea's in it that you can tweak and steal for oneself.


This looks so cool, doesn't it? The hearts in the 'O's, the baby being held by her hip daddy---how could we disagree with the slogan: 'The Common Good Trumps Individual Self-Interest'?
This image is from an article in Nation of Change by Jim Hightower, a populist Texan writer. Hightower's message is that it takes a village, more or less. He adds in a few homilies but his main commentary is that in order to make a society we have to be thinking about others and make it possible for them to excel. That's great, isn't it?
There is a difference between society and government. Our government was created to protect our individual rights. Through the government we are able to build roads and bring water to our homes, and protect ourselves against those who would do us harm both as individuals and as a nation. We have a three branch government designed to keep any one branch (legislative, judicial, or executive) from gaining too much power.
Society, on the other hand, is not codified. Its rules and laws are of custom, and are not enforced by government. This is why the censorship laws have largely disappeared, and why the right to marry (a legal contract) is being disputed. These issues are social issues, not issues that government should be involved in. The government is founded on recourse to damages--whether to your person or to your property.
The confusion that Progressives have is that they are trying to get the government to control and dictate their social good. Their Common Good is their 'vision' of the common good whether you like it or not. Now, if you're a member of a church and the church makes a rule that you don't like, you can leave the church. We have only to look at centuries of European rulership to see the consequences of having the church be the government. Our nation was founded on religious freedom in order to avoid the misery of religious war. Progressives are gripped with a sort of religious fervor in their effort to mandate giving up individual rights for the common good. The Common Good is in the eye of the beholder and is not delineated. It's a sort of 'known' in the way that 'being good' in a religious sense is 'known.' But if you're in a Muslim country, being good might mean keeping your hair covered, praying 5 times a day, and being submissive to your husband.
Communitarianism is dependent on social pressure in order to function. That pressure can make you do things that you don't like, that you don't agree with, that violate your principles, because you feel shame or embarrassment or you might be ostracized. This kind of behavior is actually a primitivist concept. It is a sort of tribal attitude that does not allow for individuals to go their own way and answer to their own 'vision.' Self interest is not wrong. Individualism is mental, physical, and spiritual freedom. Each individual determines how he or she would like to contribute to the productivity of the larger social structure. But the idea that your concerns for yourself and your family would be TRUMPED by the 'common good' is a dangerous one. That slogan subsumes the individual into the greater whole and reinforces a mentality that finds comfort in totalitarianism.
If you work with a group do it as an individual, and always stay true to your individual values. Be careful not to lose yourself in the group.
Awareness is the first step in the Resistance. Be aware of your own actions and your desire to impose your version of the 'common good' on others.


Every 3 minutes a cancer diagnosis is made in Ireland.
The disease impacts the lives of everyone in Ireland in some way, making it the number one killer in the country.
Eurovision legend Paul Harrington knows all too well about the devastation the illness can leave in its path, having suffered tragic loss in his family over the last 16 years.
Paul appeared on the latest episode of new podcast Grief Encounters, hosted by Q102's Venetia Quick and Sasha Hamrogue, to discuss how his life was impacted by the deaths of his father (1999), his mother (2002), his brother Robert (2003) and his sister Siobhán (2005) to cancer.
Paul explained "This programme is called Grief Encounters and you do encounter grief way sooner than you think you will and this is the thing."
Musician Paul Harrington lost four loved ones to cancer.
Speaking about his experience with grief, Paul explains "I just keep fighting it. You know how hard it is. It's tough... You're running the equivalent of a marathon every day when you're carrying that in your head and in your heart."
Paul added "It's probably the best advice anyone can every give to you: Take care of yourself."
Cancer affects us all, and on this week's episode of Grief Encounters, Paul Harrington joins Sasha Hamrogue and Venetia Quick in studio for a powerful discussion on how the illness has devastated his family over the past 16 years.


text:
Types of documents
TRIPS Notifications
Laws or Regulations under Art. 63.2
Checklist of Issues on Enforcement under Art. 63.2
Contact point for IP enforcement under Art. 69
Contact point on technical and financial cooperation
Notifications related to the use of the Special Compulsory Licensing System
Other Notifications
TRIPS Review Materials
Review of TRIPS Implementing Legislation
Review under Art. 24.2 – checklist
Review of Provisions of Art. 27.3(b) – checklist
TRIPS-related Reports
Developed Country Members' Reports on Art. 66.2 (Technology Transfer to LDCs)
Reports on Technical Cooperation Activities under Art. 67
TRIPS Council
TRIPS Council Minutes
TRIPS Council Special Session Minutes
TRIPS Review Materials and Checklist on Enforcement
List of Members having submitted relevant documents
Text of the TRIPS Agreement
Unamended version
As amended on 23 January 2017
TRIPS News
WIPO Directory of Intellectual Property Offices
Minutes - TRIPS Council - View details of the intervention/statement
1. Meeting date
2. Chairperson
H.E. Ambassador Dr. Lansana GBERIE
3. Intervention by
4. Agenda item
11 PARAGRAPH 8 OF THE MINISTERIAL DECISION ON THE TRIPS AGREEMENT ADOPTED ON 17 JUNE 2022
5. Statement/summary of statement
126. Our country has a direct interest in matters relating to the equity and affordability of, and easy access to, goods and services developed on the basis of patents and other intellectual property tools in order to combat COVID-19. Uruguay, as a net importer of medical technology, welcomes document , which was circulated today. 127. We stand ready to hold discussions with the proponents of the document on the inclusion of aspects relating to COVID-19 diagnostics and treatments in the Ministerial Decision adopted in June, with a view to securing an outcome prior to 17 December 2022. However, given the urgent nature of the matter, we understand that the flexibilities provided under the TRIPS Agreement and voluntary licensing must be used as a matter of priority to meet Members' needs.
6. Documents referred to in intervention
This Council took note of statements made and agreed to revert to this matter at its next meeting.
8. Summary of the agenda item (if available)
52. The Chair recalled that on 17 June 2022, the 12th Ministerial Conference had adopted a Ministerial Decision on the TRIPS Agreement which aimed to improve the capacity of developing country Members to produce and supply COVID-19 vaccines to other eligible Members. Paragraph 8 of the Decision provided that no later than six months from the date of this Decision, Members would decide on its extension to cover the production and supply of COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics.
53. The Chair recalled that barely three weeks had passed since the Ministerial Conference, which was concluded on 17 June, and that some were still recovering from the intense negotiations. He did not expect that Members had had time to prepare an in-depth position on the complex question of extending this decision to additional products, such as therapeutics and diagnostics. He also recalled from the negotiations during the 12th Ministerial Conference, that one reason for postponing a decision on extension to 6 months after adoption was that certain Members did not have a mandate to consider covering diagnostics and therapeutics, and that they would need the six months for discussions in their domestic arena to obtain such a mandate. He therefore assumed that Members would need time to prepare their engagement in this regard. and what could be expected at this first consideration of the topic would be a sharing of views on how best to approach the matter going forward.
54. The representatives of South Africa; Uruguay; Pakistan; Maldives; Ukraine; Egypt; Tanzania; Bangladesh; Indonesia; Argentina; Sri Lanka; China; India; the Russian Federation; Hong Kong, China; Chile; Bolivia, Plurinational State of; Australia; Brazil; the United Kingdom; Singapore; Norway; Canada; Japan; Korea, Republic of; the European Union; Malaysia; the United States; New Zealand; Nicaragua; Thailand; Switzerland; Panama; Mexico; and Peru took the floor.
55. The Chair said he had carefully listened to Members' views on how work in the Council should proceed on this very important matter. He said he recognized, as many delegations had, that this was a ministerial decision with a tight timeline and that the matter therefore needed to be treated with urgency. He also recognized that a number of delegations needed to consult with their capitals in order to agree on a proper framework for this decision.
56. He confirmed that there was a commitment by the Council to keep this matter alive until the decision was finalized. As regards reporting to the General Council, he noted that the next meeting was scheduled for 25-26 July, which was only 20 days away, and that therefore chances were slim that the TRIPS Council would have a lot to report by that time, given also that other meetings like the WIPO Assemblies were taking place in the meantime. Against this background, he suggested that it would be the best use of time if Members themselves brought their assessment of the discussions to the attention of the General Council during the next meeting.
57. With respect to continuing discussions, which he as Chair was committed to, he said it was important for meaningful discussions to start as soon as delegations were ready to engage on the substance of this rather complex question. It was important to carefully balance the urgent need to take this decision before the deadline in December as well as the time for domestic consultations necessary for some to proceed. In designing the proper framework on how to engage in this process it was also important to ensure that discussions were open, inclusive and transparent - as had been emphasized by many delegations.
58. He said that the experience of the negotiations leading to the Ministerial Decision suggested that, in the meantime, bilateral discussions and small group discussions could be extremely helpful to work out a proper framework around which a decision could be constructed by consensus – which remained an absolute requirement with respect to decisions by the Council and by the WTO. He therefore encouraged bilateral and small group meetings in the meantime, and said that this certainly remained a very active matter, that it would be properly discussed and the decision arrived at within the timeframes set by the ministerial decision.
59. This Council took note of statements made and agreed to revert to this matter at its next meeting.
9. Document symbol and date of distribution
IP/C/M/105, IP/C/M/105.Add.1, IP/C/M/105/Corr.1
© World Trade Organization 2023
ver 2.0.2.17029 (26/08/2022 10:49 AM)


CHRIS SUTTON is always up for a good laugh and he saw the funny side of a picture doing the rounds today after Celtic's Glasgow rivals fell from the top of the league after just three days.
The celebrations undertook by their manager and many of their players after their result at Tynecastle when they went top of the league because Celtic had a game in hand was quite incredible.
So incredible in fact you would have thought Celtic won the Cup and their Ibrox rivals won the league on Sunday past.
However, they have fallen from their position after just three days, losing at home to the ten men of Aberdeen.
While Sutton was keen to stress he has been impressed by Steven Gerrard's season so far the picture below did make him chuckle.
This should be out just in time for Christmas!


Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a small saucepan, scald the half & half. (Heat it until a skin forms on top, but do not boil.) In mixing bowl, combine the sugar, salt and spices. Add the pumpkin, sorghum and eggs; mix well. After removing the skin off of the half & half, add it to the mix. Blend in a mixer for at least 2 minutes. Pour into prepared, uncooked crust in a 9 inch pie pan.


text:
September 27, 2022 Alison Chabloz20 Comments
As predicted, April 14th 2022, the day of my sentencing for again causing gross offence with a satirical song, I was handed almost the maximum term: 22 weeks, eleven of which to be served at HMP Bronzefield near Heathrow, west London, and the rest 'on Licence'.
Exactly the same as last year: sent to jail on Maundy Thursday, meaning that my first week was spent without access to my own money, without canteen supplies and, worst of all, without access to a telephone.
I repeat: exactly the same scenario as last year. I was unable to reach my family for almost an entire week and only found out after Easter that my mother had been rushed into hospital – as had happened also last year.
My plea for bail, pending Appeal — — including two official complaints to the Lord Chief Justice — took an extraordinary six weeks to be heard, and was rejected on grounds that I would be eligible for early release 'on tag'.
Again: exactly the same as last year, no tag was granted and I was kept behind bars until the end of June. Following this latest unsuccessful bail hearing, my Appeal against both conviction and sentencing was listed to be heard at Southwark Crown Court, the day following my release, June 30th.
It quickly became apparent during my stay that efforts were afoot to bait me into committing some further offence, for some form of 'racism', whilst inside. Mindful of events that affected author, Hervé Ryssen, during his spell in prison in France, I stood my ground, clarified in writing my position and made sure to keep a record of events.
My final ten days were spent in isolation owing to an outbreak of the flu' (now rebranded as Covid19.) On day five, mass testing on my wing returned a positive Lateral Flow test.
The day of my release, after being forced under duress to sign five pages' worth of ultra-strict Licence terms basically insinuating that I would be a terrorist, I was told that I would have to wait till lunchtime for a medical certificate stating my 'Covid' status, because the Head of Health Care hadn't yet arrived for work…
Finally, I made it to my first meeting with Probation and was told to go home and rest, and that they would call me.
I was quite poorly for the next few days, with sickness and vomiting – as if I had been poisoned. But I survived.
My initial sentence is now fully served, although I am bound by Standard Licence until September 2023 – unless I am successful on Appeal, now adjourned until November 3rd – thanks to Covid.
Many thanks also to all for your messages of love and support. I will get round to replying to everyone, eventually.
In light of the total silence from certain prominent individuals representing groups here in England, who claim to champion rights to free expression, I accepted to work on new lyrics penned by my long-time co-author, the hugely talented Gerard Menuhin.
The new song is a follow-up to an earlier number, produced in November 2020. Something of a marathon at eight minutes long, I sing the role of Michele Mainwaring, aka Countess Griaznoff, aka "Lady" Michele Renouf.
Politics, they say, is a dirty business. The question needs to be asked: why is it that my former associates belonging to the Britnat Social Club (including leaders of Patriotic Alternative) have nothing to say about my latest conviction?
The unavoidable conclusion is that they have been working alongside my accusers from the start.
The song that saw me jailed again from Easter to the summer solstice was about Tommy Robinson – despite the judge's remarks. Only recently did I learn that Robinson's wife is, apparently, a niece of the late Richard Edmonds… This would explain why, following my first conviction, Edmonds' advice to me was that I should try to rejoin the Labour party(!). It also helps to clarify his later hatchet job, published by Hope Not Hate satellite mag, Heritage and Destiny, shortly before another of my Court hearings back in 2019.
News of Renouf's latest gallivanting in fancy dress occasionally soils my inbox. No surprise that these forwarded messages urge correspondents to share some self-publicising clip on Twitter.
Gerard's latest lyrics were sent to me whilst I was in prison. His and other letters were – exactly the same as last year – withheld by 'security staff' who found the content 'inappropriate.' Perhaps the c word? I don't know.
Learning the lyrics by heart and filming (in a wig!) was fun, as have been my few private performances for friends. This version is far from perfect, but it's a decent enough performance with just a couple of snags towards the end that I managed to patch up using equipment that I currently have at hand.
It is surreal enough, being the granddaughter of a British soldier who fought and died for his country and having been sent to jail for testing the limits of free speech – for which, I was always told, my grandad sacrificed his life. Those so-called patriots who decided to throw me under the bus are, to reuse a term employed by Labour deputy, Angela Rayner, scum. Despite all their posturing, it seems not in their (financial) interest to actually want to challenge the prescribed narrative concerning WW2.
I have now been jailed twice for singing satirical songs. My right to express myself publicly (and indeed online) as a performing artist has been taken away. This removal of my rights under law has been rubber-stamped by a corrupt Criminal Justice System, and ignored by 'patriots' who appear to still believe that Tommy Robinson is the messiah.
If Tommy had any mettle about him in this case, then he might, as one Twitter user suggests, offer to pay my fine. Tommy supported Count Dankula aka Marcus Meecham, yet has nothing much to say about my unique case. Asides the gaslighting and slurs, labelling me a 'retard' is unhelpful, as well as downright hypocritical.
Contrary to the facts, several of my original accusers — among whom are two of those who testified against me in Court — now seem to be suggesting that I was jailed for harassment, rather than for causing gross upset with satirical songs. This and other issues not mentioned above are due to be raised with the relevant authorities prior to my November appeal. Until then, once again many thanks to all those with the guts and gumption to lend their support. I hope you enjoy the new song.
Covid-19, France, Freedom of expression, History, Humour, music, nationalism, Politics, Revisionism, Social media, Tradition, UK, UK law, Video, WW2Chabloz sings Menuhin, Tell Me More Lies
On the importance of birthdays and why social club nationalism is a blot on our lands
February 25, 2022 February 25, 2022 Alison Chabloz8 Comments
During the past twelve months and more of effectively being barred from publishing content on my own web page, some might be wondering, asides the obvious, how I managed to fill my time. It takes a while to get back to normal (or rather the new normal) after being incarcerated.
Above: tomatoes, potatoes, cabbage, onions can all be grown in containers.
Since my arrest in April 2020 (for which I am due to stand trial for causing gross offence with another parody song); since that arrest two years ago just as the first Lockdown began, I have learned how to grow vegetables and flowers in containers. A real Christmas tree is flourishing, as well as salads, root veg, onions and herbs. My most successful crop so far is Swiss chard, variety Bright Lights. Spring onions and carrots also did well.
Covid-19, France, Freedom of expression, History, Humour, nationalism, Nature, Politics, UKAlison Chabloz, baking, birthday, container garden, honeytrap, sourdough, woke
Accused without being served
February 20, 2022 February 21, 2022 Alison Chabloz17 Comments
Court double-faults with poor service
Despite various excuses made over the past four months by the Courts and Tribunals Service as to why I had not received any official notification for the new trial against me, supposed to begin Friday, February 18th, the fact remains that the document delivered electronically, last Thursday 17th, with less than a day's notice, was the first time I had set eyes on any official summons to attend trial.
Anti-revisionist law, Covid-19, Freedom of expression, Humour, music, Politics, Social media, UK, UK law, VideoAlison Chabloz
My humble apologies for not being Jimmy Carr
I humbly apologise to everyone for being me.
Perhaps, if I had told a joke about the Roma Holocaust — or sanctioned a millennia-old goblin-banker stereotype for Hollywood movies based on a children's book series — things might be different: I would not again be facing jail time for causing 'gross offence' with another parody song.
Freedom of expression, Germany, History, Humour, music, nationalism, Politics, Revisionism, Social media, UK, UK law, WW2Alison Chabloz, comedy, Count Dankula, Jimmy Carr, JK Rowling
Offensive speech: viral Netflix sales or jail?
February 6, 2022 March 6, 2022 Alison Chabloz4 Comments
Readers will have no doubt seen the latest Cancel Culture Controversy concerning British comic, Jimmy Carr. I won't go into details here, only to point out that Carr has been criticised and condemned, whilst no doubt laughing all the way to the bank.
Coming shortly after wokedom's outrage over Whoopi Goldberg's comments on race, it seems that cancel culture is truly out of hand.
For something different and distant from all the noise, here is a song I wrote in 2009. Let Love In is a Latin number; the lyrics speak for themselves and have, at least from my own perspective, stood the test of time quite well.
Let Love In – Music and lyrics ©2009 Alison Chabloz
Covid-19, Freedom of expression, Humour, musicAlison Chabloz, Autumns Here, Cancel culture, Covidism, EdFringe, England, Girl with the Guitar, Jimmy Carr, Jonathan Prager, Let Love In, My Damage Is My Gift, Netflix, Tell Me More Lies, Whoopi Goldberg
Belated Happy New Year To All
February 3, 2022 February 3, 2022 Alison Chabloz4 Comments
I'm back. For how long is uncertain but, for now, I am once again at liberty to express myself in my own home country. This new-found liberty is necessarily tempered by way of another upcoming trial for another satirical song, rendering the art of expression somewhat limited. I'm sure you get my drift.
Above: keeping busy with sourdough, making preserves and tending to my little garden.
Freedom of expression, Humour, UK lawAlison Chabloz, baking, Crown Prosecution Service, quince jelly, rye bread, sourdough, winter salad
Pimp my offense: anti-fascist charity launches new reality game show
Hope Not Hate's Matthew Collins has been up to his usual tricks recently, apparently paying a photographer to camp outside my door. As well, despite one official complaint in 2018 to his bosses at Hope Not Hate, he is again flirting with unlawfulness by reproducing screenshots sent to him by one of his little spies on Facebook. Collins of course is no stranger to intimidation, threats, violence – even against women. It would be no surprise if the person feeding him juicy tidbits from my Facebook page publicly parades as a far right nationalist and probably even chats to me regularly on Facebook. Vermin.
Last Monday, a month or so after Collins' latest antics, Hope Not Hate (HnH) published its annual edition of State of Hate. Rather than asking the obvious question (Why no "zero tolerance" when it comes to Michele Renouf's 'historic acquittal' in Dresden last October?), the author instead presents what could be a passable script for the latest edition of Eastenders Nationalism. Either that or it's a pitch for a new game show 'Pimp My Offense'.
Like any TV production team, HnH may have the funding, but do they have the talent? Some of the information is correct, regarding both Renouf and myself. The character smears, however, come straight from the mouths of the Lidy and her long time, dashing companion, the oh-so-gallant Captain Clever-Clogs himself. In short, HnH once again are merely confirming that they are in choppy waters, using any distraction to try and convince readers of my awfulness.
Both camps will be anxiously following my upcoming cases with a great deal of interest. Not long to wait. My next trial opens this coming Tuesday, March 30th at 10 am, Westminster Magistrates Court, London. Whatever the outcome, HnH will be blaming me, for years to come, for 'starting a cat-fight' which they helped engineer.
If I do lose my case, then it will be just one more instance showing that, as far as seeking justice is concerned, Anything Goes.
Anti-revisionist law, Freedom of expression, Humour, Politics, Social mediaAlison Chabloz, Hope Not Hate
Prohibition Mission
January 24, 2021 Alison Chabloz2 Comments
A fourth and final Covid-19 ditty, featuring a live vocal performance to a backing track that was created after much deliberation with lyricist Gerard Menuhin on the choice of music.
Gerard's first suggestion was to use the Dave Clarke Five's 'Glad All Over', in particular for the bass drum that is part of the hook line: 'Because I'm BOOM BOOM glad all over'.
In the end, I adapted that idea to a composition of my own, that nevertheless pays tribute to DC5 in the middle eight.
The sound is decent this time round, but the lighting could be better. Composition of some songs – e.g. my previous number 'Caught Covid From The Cat' – can be completed within a day, although there may be some minor changes whilst recording, etc.
Prohibition Mission was supposed to be the third number of a Covid EP. I wanted a catchy melody without the restrictions of a repetitive chord structure, as with blues or rock n roll. Here's the final result.
Covid-19, Humour, music, VideoAlison Chabloz, Covid-19, Gerard Menuhin, musical satire, Prohibition Mission, TMML Productions
Caught Covid from the Cat!
January 16, 2021 January 16, 2021 Alison Chabloz8 Comments
Original musical satire, courtesy of Chabloz & Menuhin.
For some reason, my audio editing software failed to capture a L/R stereo track with separate channels for vocal and keys.
The audio is therefore mono, meaning less possibilities to edit and remove, for example, plosives and other parasitical noises.
My performance is 100% live, to camera, with the absolute minimum of post-production trickery.
The theme is humorous. No offence is intended towards pet owners or their pets or indeed anyone else. Enjoy!
Humour, music, VideoAlison Chabloz, comedy, Covid-19, Gerard Menuhin, musical comedy, pets, satire, TMML Productions
Vaccination Nation
January 9, 2021 January 9, 2021 Alison Chabloz2 Comments
Have you had your jab?
Here's TMML Productions latest jab – at the jab, and at the obedient masses, living in hope that their jab will enable them to get back to "normal".
A back-to-the-old-days live demo. Quality is now better than it was few years ago, although my means for such a production are limited to what you see in the video: my Yamaha arranger-keyboard, my 30-year old Shure SM58 (easy to see that my Sony headphones have lasted only a fraction of the time) and the Zoom H4n Pro device, partially seen, in the lower left-hand corner. This piece of kit is ideal for home-studio recording, as well as for capturing audio outside. It can be used as a condenser mic, as a four-track mixer and – my favourite setting – as an audio-interface, once connected to a laptop via USB.
For such a live demo, using the Zoom H4n Pro as my audio interface, it's only possible to record one stereo track (left/vocals, right/keys). This track then has to be mixed and rendered to two separate mono tracks, and then re-mixed, in order to get a decent balance.
The musical inspiration (excepting the middle eight) – as well as the lyrics – comes once again from Gerard Menuhin, who proposed the famous blues number Work Song. For years, as a classroom music teacher, I used the Monty Alexander Live in Montreux version for music & movement exercises. My students were kept on their toes.
Meanwhile, Gerard and I are on a covid roll. Watch this space.
Covid-19, Humour, music, VideoAlison Chabloz, Gerard Menuhin, Live in Montreux, Monty Alexander, Work Song, Yamaha arranger keyboard, Zoom H4n Pro


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JV partners putting the wheels into motion for FPSO replacement off Nigeria
(OEM) In a bid to increase production capacity, joint venture (JV) partners in a field located in the Offshore Mining Lease no. 113 (OML 113) off Nigeria have decided to forgo a long-term extension for the current floating, production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessel operating on this field, as they plan to replace it in line with their redevelopment plans.
As part of long-term development plans for the surrounding OML-113 lease, the JV partners in the Aje field are actively looking to replace the current FPSO Front Puffin to increase capacity, revealed ADM Energy, which holds 9.2 per cent interest in the field, on Thursday, 23 June 2022.
Nigeria's Yinka Folawiyo Petroleum (YFP) operates the Aje field in Nigeria's OML 113 offshore license. This field is "rich in gas and condensate reserves," according to ADM Energy. The field was discovered in 1996 and, following several appraisal wells, the field started production in May 2016 via the FPSO Front Puffin.
In addition, the company outlined that the field is "strategically" located 24 km offshore Lagos where it "benefits from increasing local energy demand, particularly for gas, which is viewed as a replacement fuel for diesel and commands a premium." Additionally, the field is within close proximity to the West African Gas Pipeline which presents a potential opportunity for gas monetisation in neighbouring countries such as Benin and Togo.
Since December 2020, oil production from the Aje field (Aje-4 and Aje-5) continued at an average of 1,117 bopd while the total gross production volume amounted to approximately 407,705 barrels of oil. ADM Energy outlines that the drop in volume reflects the JV partners' decision to continue a "more thorough and extended" period of maintenance on the FPSO while oil prices were depressed at the beginning of the year and due to the limited gas handling capacity of the FPSO.
Aje field; Source: ADM Energy
ADM Energy disclosed that the JV partners have determined that the current FPSO is "not suitable for the long-term development plans for OML-113," thus, they are progressing plans to replace the current FPSO to increase capacity. As a result, the JV partners declined to commit to a long-term extension of the current FPSO contract, thus, the current FPSO operator will stop production in preparation for demobilisation from the field.
"This temporary suspension is a necessary step to ensure future production is not limited by FPSO capacity and production issues. The JV Partners are working towards securing an optimum FPSO that will match plans to significantly increase production from the redevelopment of the Aje field," based on ADM Energy's statement.
The company also informed that a "crucial step forward" in the future development of this field came in January 2022 when Panoro Energy announced that all government approvals were received for the sale of shares in its fully-owned subsidiaries – holding 100 per cent of the shares in Pan Aje – to PetroNor.
Upon completion of the deal, the ownership of Aje Petroleum is to be shared between the OML 113 operator, YFP, and PetroNor on the basis of a 55 per cent and 45 per cent shareholding, respectively, with PetroNor assuming the role of the technical operator.
ADM Energy stated that PetroNor and Panoro are "progressing the final stages and have agreed a long-stop date to complete the transaction at 30 June 2022. PetroNor's decision to take a significant stake in the Aje field is a strong endorsement of the potential of the asset."
The firm expects that the completion of this transaction will accelerate the JV partners' final investment decision (FID) on the long-term development plans for the field while PetroNor's "experience in development and production will play a key role in the next phase of Aje's development."
The field development plan, which includes the potential drilling of three new wells, "could significantly increase production of oil and gas liquids at a time nations around the world are seeking new sources of oil and gas," elaborated ADM Energy.
Dr Babatunde Pearse, Chief Engineer on the Aje Development, is expected to lead not only the planning and development but also to oversee FEED studies to support the FID.
"PetroNor coming on board is a great endorsement of Aje's potential and if, as is expected, PetroNor completes the formalities of the acquisition, it adds a heavyweight partner that will be keen to extract further value from the asset," concluded ADM Energy.
Africa, Deepwater, Offshore Activity, Operators, Suppliers
Offshore Wind Vessels Get 'Vessel of National Interest' Designation by U.S. MARAD
Seismic Firm TGS Launches Takeover Offer for OBN Specialist Magseis Fairfield


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Witness: RealNetworks bowed out of competition
RealNetworks responds to a Microsoft exec's testimony that the streaming firm intended to stop promoting its products in return for the software giant's investment.
WASHINGTON--A Microsoft executive testifying at the company's antitrust trial here said that RealNetworks intended to stop promoting its Web audio streaming products in return for the software giant's investment and help with marketing.
Paul Maritz, group vice president for platforms and applications at Microsoft, contended that executives from RealNetworks, then known as Progressive Networks, told his company in 1997 it would not compete with Microsoft in the market for mainstream Net audio products and instead would develop enterprise software.
But Steve Haworth, a spokesman for the streaming firm, told CNET News.com today that "RealNetworks did not agree not to compete in the streaming media business."
He added that the firm has "vigorously, and, I might add, successfully competed with [Microsoft] in that space."
Maritz's testimony disputes key allegations made previously in the trial, now in its fourth month. The Justice Department (DOJ) and 19 states allege that Microsoft proposed dividing markets with Netscape Communications and other companies, a claim that Microsoft denies. The government alleged also that Microsoft's dealings with RealNetworks are part of a broad pattern of conduct that violates antitrust laws.
Referring to internal Microsoft documents that appeared today's testimony, Justice Department lead prosecutor David Boies challenged Maritz, the highest-ranking Microsoft executive scheduled to be called as a witness in the trial.
"At that time you did a deal with RealNetworks, was it your understanding that [RealNetworks] was going to get out of the base media-streaming business?" Boies asked.
"They told me that was a possibility. We certainly hoped they would do that," said Maritz, now in his third day on the stand.
When pressed for a straight answer, Maritz said that he did believe Real Networks would bow out of the consumer Net streaming race.
Microsoft saw RealNetworks as a viable competitor to products it acquired when it bought VXtreme in August of 1997. Bill Gates was quoted in a June 1997 email as stating: "This is a strategic area and we need to win it," and authorizing Microsoft to make a $65 million bid to acquire streaming technology.
In the same memo, Microsoft executive Bob Muglia said: "[RealNetworks] is like Netscape, the only difference is they have a chance to start the battle earlier in the game."
During today's proceedings, Maritz also confirmed that Microsoft viewed Intel software for improving multimedia presentation on earlier versions of Windows as a problem for the forthcoming release of Windows 95. Microsoft said the issue was capability, but the move also was perceived as Intel's first foray into designing operating system software.
"Microsoft doesn't want Intel to be in the system software business," stated a Microsoft email memo. "We don't want the OS to be a commodity."
Intel eventually dropped development of the technology, known as native signal processing or NSP, on its own, Maritz said, because the chip giant was eager to work with Microsoft on Windows 95 for the good of the whole industry. But the government asserts the decision was due to pressure from Microsoft.
"Did Microsoft tell OEMs not to use NSP?" Boies asked.
"Yes, we believed it would create an operating problem," Maritz answered.
The government also said that Microsoft tried to keep Intel from endorsing Netscape's browser--an allegation that goes to the heart of the government's case against Microsoft. The cross-examination today focused on revealing a pattern in Microsoft's "deals" and "bargains" with firms the company saw as competitors.
"Did Microsoft try to get Intel to agree not to publicly endorse Netscape's browser?" Boies asked.
"That may have been one of the things Mr. Gates was concerned about," Maritz said, referring to Bill Gates, Microsoft's chief executive and the world's wealthiest person.
But in a Microsoft internal memo introduced into evidence, Gates stated that "it was important that [Intel] NOT ever publicly say they are standardizing Netscape's browser."
Boies also pressed Maritz about a memo he and a Microsoft executive received from Gates saying that Microsoft would not support competing multimedia technology from Advanced Micro Devices in return for Intel turning away from Sun Microsystems' Java programming language.
"If Intel has a real problem with us supporting this, then they will have to stop supporting Java multimedia the way they are," Gates wrote in the February 1997 email. "I would gladly give up supporting [AMD 3DX] if they would back off from their work on Java, which is terrible for Intel."