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Azerbaijani activists, journalists targeted online, Amnesty International says
March 10, 2017 by administrator
Amnesty International says human rights activists, journalists, and dissidents in Azerbaijan have been targets of fraudulent computer-based campaigns aimed at gaining access to personal information and private communications, RFE/RL reports, citing the organization.
In a report issued on March 10, Amnesty said the "spear-phishing" attacks had been directed at government critics during the past 13 months.
Victims of the practice have told the watchdog group they believe Azerbaijani authorities are behind the attacks.
Amnesty said it presented its findings to Azerbaijan's government, which said the cases documented had not been reported to Azerbaijani authorities and, therefore, had not been investigated.
Amnesty senior technologist Claudio Guarnieri said, "Our research reveals that a targeted and coordinated cybercampaign is being waged against critical voices in Azerbaijan, many of whom are longtime victims of government repression."
"The malware used has been designed with the express intention of gathering as much private information as possible about a target," Guarnieri said. "Given the profiles of those targeted, it is not hard to see why victims believe the authorities are responsible."
The Amnesty International report details how victims have been targeted using a practice known as "spear phishing," which involves an e-mail with an attachment containing a virus being sent to a target from a fake address.
Amnesty said it was not able to trace the cyberattacks directly to any government officials or agencies.
However, it said, some of the attacks used an IP address from a block of addresses that predominantly host government institutions, such as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, and state-owned television.
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Activists, Azerbaijani, online, tergeted
Netherlands prosecution demands punishment for inciting violence against Armenians
March 5, 2017 by administrator
The court trial took place—on Friday, in Almelo, the Netherlands—against Ilham Askin, Chairman of the Turkish Azerbaijani Cultural Association in The Hague.
Askin is prosecuted for having chanted, "Karabakh will be the grave of the Armenians," during a Turkish rally in Almelo. With this statement, according to the prosecutor, he has incited violence against and has insulted a group of people because of their Armenian origin.
On June 1, 2014, a Turkish demonstration took place in Almelo, and against the Armenian Genocide memorial that was erected on the yard of the Armenian Apostolic Church in this city. The Armenian community, namely the Federation of Armenian Organisations in the Netherlands (FAON) and the Dutch Armenian Committee for Justice and Democracy (Hay Tad), had filed a police report against the statements made during this demonstration.
The court session in Almelo lasted for two hours. It was attended by many Armenians and Turks as well as Dutch, Armenian, and Turkish media. During the session a video clip of the demonstration was played, and which shows Askin chanting, "Karabakh will be the grave of the Armenians" several times, and a few thousand people repeating the chant.
Askin, who was assisted by attorney Plasman, answered questions by the court and the public prosecutor. He stated, however, that he does not consider his statements to be an offence. He said his expressions relate to a specific region where, due to the current situation, war will possibly break out and blood will be shed. He added that he has not done anything wrong. And when asked, he declared that he does not regret his statements.
The prosecutor extensively explained the process of examination of this case, and motioned for 80 hours of community service and a suspended imprisonment of two weeks with probation of two years, since a strong signal needs to be given. The prosecution's motion also takes into consideration the fact that Ilham Askin did not show any insight into this case and that there is a danger of recidivism.
The court judgment is expected on March 17.
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: against Ilham Askin, Azerbaijani, Netherlands, prosecution
Azerbaijan mainly sends representatives of ethnic minorities to its frontline positions_ Shahin Mirzoev
February 15, 2017 by administrator
"70-80 percent of the Azerbaijani servicemen serving in the frontline are representatives of ethnic minorities. It can be stated that they are drafted to the army forcefully being immediately sent to the frontline. This is the reason why the majority of the killed soldiers are Talysh people, Tatars and Udis, as it can be inferred from their names," member of Talish Cultural Council, participant of Talish freedom movement, reporter of "Tolishi Sado" newspaper Shahin Mirzoev, who fled to Armenia from Azerbaijan with his family, told the aforesaid to the reporters, Panorama.am reports.
He was taking part in the international conference titled "Breaking the Siege of Stepanakert: 25 years later" underway in Yerevan.
He noted that only some 20-30 percent of the Azerbaijani servicemen are so called locals, who call themselves Turks. They serve at warehouses or are cooks.
Asked whether they can reject to serve in the frontline, the participant of Talish freedom movement noted that in that case they would put their lives at risk. "They will be detained at least. In addition to that, their entire family will face hardships. Currently I am in Armenia and there they have forced my 92-year old father to refuse from me," he added.
Shahin Mirzoev said that he and his family are feeling fine in Armenia. He said that on the next day of their arrival his wife, who suffers from oncological disease, was hospitalized.
To note, Shahin Mirzoev has requested a temporary asylum from the Armenian authorities, as being a member of Talish Cultural Council, participant of Talish freedom movement, reporter of "Tolishi Sado" newspaper he was obliged to flee from Azerbaijan due to the persecutions against ethnic and religious minorities and gross violations of their rights. The Armenian authorities have reacted positively Shahin Mirzoev's request.
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Azerbaijani, frontline, minority
One Armenian serviceman killed, another wounded in Azeri firing
February 8, 2017 by administrator
Contract serviceman of the NKR Defense Army Gegham Manukyan (born in 1979) has been killed as a result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side in the northern direction of the Defense Army at about 11:00 today, the NKR Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Investigation into the details of the incident is under way.
"The NKR Defense Ministry shares the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses support to the serviceman's family and friends," the Ministry said.
The Ministry said another soldier, private of the NKR Defense Army Koryun Kirakosyan (born in 1988) was heavily wounded in Azeri firing in the Martakert direction at about 12:00 today.
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Azerbaijani, Karabakh, Killed, soldier
Armenia hands over body of Azerbaijani serviceman to his homeland
The Armenian authorities have handed over the body of dead Azerbaijani serviceman Chingiz Gurbanov to his homeland through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The body was handed over at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on Sunday, the press-service of the Armenian Defese Ministry reports.
Chingiz Gurbanov (born in 1994) was killed on December 29 during the diversionary infiltration attempt initiated by the Azerbaijani side on the border with Armenia. A forensic expert examination of Gurbnov's body was commissioned within the framework of the infiltration attempt and the death of three Armenian servicemen. Upon the completion of the examination, the body of the Azerbaijani citizen was handed over to his country.
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Armenia, Azerbaijani, serviceman
Armenia retaliates against Azerbaijani aggression; 4 killed last night ten soldiers in two days
December 30, 2016 by administrator
Last night saw follow-on to Azerbaijan's provocation on Thursday: the Armenian troops retaliated killing four Azerbaijani troops, Artsrun Hovhannisyan, Spokesman for Armenia's defense office, wrote on his Facebook page.
"In fact, the enemy's military gamble has claimed the life of more than ten soldiers in two days. Armenia's Ministry of Defense has repeatedly confirmed that it has at its disposal undeniable facts of great losses suffered by Azerbaijan."
The Collective Security Treaty Organization's (CSTO) secretary general, Nikolay Bordyuzha, described the incident as a provocation in recent comments.
"The CSTO Secretariat is seriously concerned over the incident in the vicinities of the village Chinari. We treat those actions on the territory of a CSTO member state as provocation, especially against the background of the heavy incidents in Nagorno-Karabakh in April this year, which saw heavy weaponry used.
"The efforts by the two sides, as well as several other states, seemed to be conducive to an active process towards eventually settling the conflict. But the recent reports from the region, particularly the December 29 incident that claimed servicemen's lives, are a serious concern.
Filed Under: News Tagged With: 10, Azerbaijani, Karabakh, retaliates, soldiers
Do Azerbaijani Dictator planing Erdogan Like fake coup? Activists Stage Rare Mass Protest In Baku
September 17, 2016 by administrator
Azerbaijani opposition activists held a rare mass protest in Baku, one of the largest ever seen in the country. The National Council of Democratic Forces called for the cancellation of a September 26 referendum which would strengthen the authority of President Ilham Aliyev, and likely prolong his rule. (RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service)
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Activists, Azerbaijani, opposition, protestBaku, rare mass
Azerbaijani Soccer Player Jailed In High-Profile Journalist Killing Case
June 2, 2016 by administrator
Azerbaijani midfielder Cavid Huseynov plays in the Euro 2016 qualifying match against Croatia in Osijek on October 14, 2014.
By RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service
BAKU — A top Azerbaijani soccer player has been sentenced to four years in jail in connection with the high-profile beating death of a journalist.
A district court in Baku on May 31 found Cavid Huseynov guilty of failing to warn authorities of the planned attack on Rasim Aliyev.
The court then sentenced Huseynov, who plays for Qabala FK and has represented Azerbaijan as well.
Huseynov has denied any wrongdoing.
Aliyev, 30, died in a Baku hospital on August 9, 2015, after being beaten the previous day.
The journalist said while in hospital that he was attacked by Huseynov's supporters in retaliation for criticism of Huseynov that Aliyev posted on his Facebook page.
Huseynov was not among the attackers.
In April, five men were found guilty of beating Aliyev to death. They were sentenced to prison terms ranging from nine to 13 years.
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Azerbaijani, jailed, player, soccer
Israeli MP calls Lieberman an Azerbaijani agent
May 27, 2016 by administrator
Head of Israel's Meretz party Zehava Gal-On accused head of "Our Home Israel" Avigdor Lieberman of being a foreign agent. This happened at a meeting of the Knesset Committee on legislation, which discussed the draft law on transparency of NGO funding.
In response to the statement that "activists of these organizations are foreign agents in Israel", Gal-On said that "a foreign agent will soon head the Ministry of Defense", NEWSru reported.
A similar incident occurred in February 2016, when Gal-On said that the representatives of "Our Home Israel" are agents of the Azerbaijani government, and receive all kinds of benefits from Baku. According to her, during his tenure as a foreign minister, Avigdor Lieberman promoted the interests of the companies owned by the Azerbaijani government.
"You are striving for non-recognition of the Armenian genocide, because you are 'agents' of the Azerbaijani government. How can you demand 'transparency' from the non-governmental organizations after that?" she asked.
Filed Under: News Tagged With: agent, Azerbaijani, Israeli MP, Lieberman
Armenian serviceman killed by Azerbaijani bullet in Nagorno-Karabkakh
A serviceman of Nagorno-Karabakh's Defense Army was fatally wounded in a northern military unit on Friday night, amid intensive ceasefire violations incited by Azerbaijan's armed forces.
The escalation increased on the frontline after 7:30 Yerevan time as the adversary released fire from weapons of different calibers, grenade- and mine-launchers in violation of the recently agreed verbal truce.
The deceased serviceman is reported to be Armen H Martirosyan, 20.
A probe has been launched into the incident.
In its official statement released Thursday morning, the Ministry shares the heavy grief of the loss, extending its solidarity to the family and fellow servicemen of the deceased.
The Ministry says that its Defense Army's frontline military units managed to silence the adversary thanks to adequate retaliatory operations.
Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Armenian serviceman, Azerbaijani, bullet, Killed, Nagorno-Karabkakh
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Kevork on WSJ. A single day shakes two presidencies, two parties and one nation to the core.


Could the adoption of NFPA 805 impact public health and safety?
What is probabilistic risk assessment?
Does a risk-informed, performance-based fire protection program provide an acceptable level of protection of public health and safety compared to deterministic requirements?
What incentive do licensees have to adopt NFPA 805?
How does a licensee transition to NFPA 805?
How does the NRC determine that a licensee can transition to NFPA 805?
How long does it take to transition to NFPA 805?
How are plants inspected during the transition?
How are plants inspected after the transition?
Recently, the NRC updated the triennial fire protection inspection procedures to address the increased scope of fire protection program elements that deal with Explosions and Large Fires. Will the inspection procedures be updated to address other changes in fire protection program elements, like those for plants that transition to NFPA 805?
It can absolutely improve an already safe operating environment. Fire risk analysis and fire science has evolved in the last 2 decades and we now know how to make already safe plants safer by using what we learned. Early fire protection regulations were developed without the benefit of quantitative estimates of risk and before recent advances in performance-based methods such as fire modeling.
Probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) is a mature technology that can provide a quantitative assessment of the risk from accidents in nuclear power plants. The NRC and the nuclear industry use PRA as one way to evaluate overall risk.
Absolutely. What we have now is safe but the risk-informed method will take safety to a higher level. In a risk-informed approach, risk insights are considered with other factors to establish requirements that better focus licensee and regulatory attention on design and operational issues according to their importance to public health and safety.
In a deterministic approach, fire protection requirements are based on accepted national standards and established prescriptive regulatory requirements.
It will make the plants safer and at the same time reduce undue regulatory burden. NFPA 805 will also enhance safety by using risk-informed, performance-based fire protection methods in the fire protection programs.
The transition is voluntary. Once the decision has been made to transition a licensee will submit a letter of intent (LOI) to the staff outlining a transition plan and a schedule including a schedule for a self-assessment period and submittal of a license amendment request (LAR). During the self-assessment period, a licensee is expected to evaluate its existing fire protection program, review fire protection exemptions in effect at the time of the application to determine continued validity, and resolve potential non-compliances with existing prescriptive fire protection regulatory requirements by either performing physical plant modifications that meet the regulatory requirements or perform engineering analyses that verify that the risk of the potential non-conformance is acceptably low. The NRC allows a licensee up to 3 years after the submittal of the LOI to perform its self-assessment. In order to assist licensees in performing their self-assessments, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) developed a guidance document which the NRC has endorsed with additional guidance.
The NRC reviews the transition plan and schedules. If the plans and schedules are approved, the licensee then submits a license amendment request (LAR) that requests use of an NFPA 805 licensing basis. The staff reviews the LAR and writes a safety evaluation report approving or disapproving the license amendment. Throughout the transition period, the NRC grants the licensee enforcement discretion, which means that the licensee will not receive violations for those potential noncompliances found during the transition that are not of high safety-significance.
The NRC allows a licensee up to 3 years to submit the LAR to transition to NFPA 805. During the transition and subsequent LAR review period, the NRC continues to monitor individual licensee actions to address plant-specific fire protection technical issues through its Reactor Oversight Process (ROP).
The NRC continues its regularly scheduled inspections as defined in the ROP.
After the transition, the regional inspectors perform the fire protection inspections on the schedule outlined in the ROP. The inspection procedure will be amended to reflect specific inspection modules applying only to plants that have transitioned to NFPA 805.
Recently, the NRC updated the triennial fire protection inspection procedures to address the increased scope of fire protection program elements that deal with Explosions and Large Fires (i. e. security-related fires). Will the inspection procedures be updated to address other changes in fire protection program elements, like those for plants that transition to NFPA 805?
Fire protection inspections remain a priority for the NRC and the fire protection inspection procedures have been updated for NFPA 805 plants.


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Home / News / Videos
Here's how the "Forza Horizon 5" team recorded audio for every car
Stephen Edelstein August 1, 2021 Comment Now!
An important part of any automotive video game is recreating the sounds of the cars depicted. This video shows how Playground Games did it for "Forza Horizon 5," which is due to be released November 9.
First, you need a lot of cars. The "Forza" games have long car lists, and each car featured in a game needs authentic audio. The sample shown here includes everything from a Jaguar XJ220 and Lancia Stratos to a GMT400 pickup truck and Mk7 Volkswagen Golf R, plus a pair of A80 Toyota Supras. Each vehicle got mic'd up and was driven around a test track.
Recording sessions included the expected burnouts and fast drive-bys, but also recordings of engines idling and at startup, covering every scenario that might appear in the game.
"Forza Horizon 5" takes place in Mexico and will feature the arcade-style gaming of previous "Horizon" titles, as opposed to the more realistic racing-simulator setup of the main "Forza Motorsport" series. A trailer released earlier this year showed a wide variety of terrain, ranging from rainforests to deserts—all rendered in 4K.
Based on the trailer, players will have a wide assortment of cars to choose from as well. A special Forza Edition of the Mercedes-Benz AMG One hypercar will be in the game, along with many off-road vehicles, including the Ford Bronco R and Land Rover Defender.
A new "Forza Motorsport" is on the way as well, although it may not be released until after "Forza Horizon 5." Announced last year, it will also feature 4K graphics, as well as software to render light and shadows more realistically.
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


A mermaid? in the Mermaid Cave.
39年ぶりにヌウアヌパリに行ってみた。懐かしい眺め。Nu'uanu Pali Lookout. Can't believe 39 years have passed since I last visited this place!
着いたらレンタカーして早速Kapoleiへ。そしてL & Lで腹ごしらえ!やはりKalua pork とLaulau ! Ono !


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Home > Antiquities Collections > The Horse in Chinese Art and Culture
Throughout China's long past, no animal has affected its history as greatly as the horse. Ever since its domestication in north-eastern China around 5,000 years ago, the horse has been an integral figure in the creation and survival of the Middle Kingdom.
Its significance has been such that as early as the Shang Dynasty (ca. 1600-1100 BC), horses were entombed with their owners for the afterlife.
During the Western Zhou Dynasty (ca. 1100-771 BC) military strength was measured by the number of war chariots available to a particular kingdom. As the military significance of the horse increased, so did its role in court recreational activities.
Social status and power were displayed by the number of horses owned and their appearance in lavish public displays. "Dancing" dressage horses delighted emperors in court ceremonies as early as the Han Dynasty, reaching their peak with the elaborate performances of the Tang Dynasty. During the Tang Dynasty, both polo and hunting from horseback became fashionable for both sexes. From this period, female court attendants on horses appear in art and in tomb sculpture.
China created three of the most important innovations in equestrian history: the horse collar, the stirrup and a reliable and effective harnessing system based on the breast strap. One of the great paradoxes of Chinese history is that despite the horse's significance to the survival of the empire, domestic horse-breeding programs were rarely successful. As a result, China was forced to import horses from its nomadic neighbours throughout most of the imperial period. Silk had been traded for horses during the Han Dynasty (157 – 87 BC). Tea was the commodity of trade during the Song Dynasty (681 – 907), and so began the history of 'Tea for Horses' markets. Tea production was controlled by China and they attempted to maintain the prices of tea at an artificially high level in order to acquire more horses.


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Articles and Views Museveni: The de facto president of South Sudan By: Weirial Gatyiel Pu
Museveni: The de facto president of South Sudan By: Weirial Gatyiel Pu
Weirial Gatyiel Puok Baluang
Museveni: The de facto president of South Sudan
By: Weirial Gatyiel Puok Baluang
South Sudan has over 65 different tribes who speak different languages. These people are known for their diversity, hard work, courage, hospitality, and many other unique cultural norms. The idea that a plan created by a Ugandan dictator can succeed in South Sudan is absurd. Yoweri Museveni must first study the people of South Sudan, and only then can he be sure of what to do. The South Sudanese are brave people and are afraid of no man but God. Therefore, dictator Museveni, who established himself as the teacher of a Kiir in Africa's newest nation, must bear in mind that he lost the direction; Dr. Machar the forced rebel cannot be like the rests of east African leaders who fear him. The south Sudanese (Nuer) whom he is trying to massacre again apart from Kiir's 16, 17, 18, and 19 massacres are afraid of no man on earth but almighty father. They were massacred because it was planned for almost eight years and they were not in power. That was the reason that they lost more than 4000 innocents Nuer civilians in vain, not because their cowardice.
The involvement of Ugandan dictator Museveni is not a surprise to me since I had known him as the only leader in the whole world who has been ruling our country after the death of our late hero Dr. John Garang Demabiour indirectly.
The fact that President Museveni sent Uganda's soldiers officially into South Sudan to fight alongside Kiir against the forced rebel Dr. Riek Machar Teny (the only threat to KiirandMuseveni) is ironical. The international community and South Sudanese must know that the Ugandan president is the one who gave all these ill-guidance to Kiir and he is now assisting him with covert military assistance intended to deal away with Dr. Machar's Prodemocracy SPLA who are the south Sudanese at the same time.
Museveni and his Kiir are the one responsible for the massacre of more than 4000 innocents Nuer civilians who had nothing to do with the SPLM issues and most of them had never known about SPLM let alone its activities. Now dictator Museveni is again touching the same wound that they have caused some times back by sending his troops to fight alongside Kiir'Gelweng against the prodemocracy fighters and the Nuers as a result of tribal cleansing. The Nuer whom some of them have been murdered by the two Godly friend ( MuseveniandKii) are not'' WEWES''(Ugandans)
Appalling crimes have been committed against the Nuer civilians for no reason than their ethnicity by the two friends (MuseveniandKiir)
To the best of my knowledge the involvement of this dictator will not be the solution but fueling it to the maximum
It is a shame for the two presidents (MuseveniandKiir) to fights against south Sudanese with Jets and Helicopter in the civil war!
Where were this Uganda president and his jets Helicopters during the south Sudanese agains Sudanese army war in heglig?
Dictator Museveni doesn't want to lose the free oil money that he takes from his friend Kiir's administration since 2005 unknowingly. Kiir thinks that Museveni is freeing him by fighting alongside him but Kiir may be a slave to Museveni in case the two united forces UPDFand pro Dictatorship SPLA of Museveni and Kiir respectively wins the military war against Dr. Machar's prodemocracy SPLA. This is a true analysis because in economics, when you are owed or you are given money for borrow by somebody than failure to pay them back in the due time you will automatically become the slave to the creditor. It is ironical for any foreign country to exercise his/her military against our people (South Sudanese)
Kiir shows the signs and the symptoms of the weakest leader in the globe due to the fact that he is helped by the outsiders against his own people. South Sudan is nothing to the eyes of the world because of our weak and coward president Kiir mayardit who turned to be one of the sons of dictator museveni.
The world, and the South Sudan in particular, must know that the Ugandan president is not an expert in any good governance; he is only an expert in dictatorship. I want the good people of South Sudan to understand that Museveni is an experienced killer in Uganda, and we must tell him to stay out of our home dealings or else our nation will be another Somalia in our beloved Africa. The people of Uganda are our African brothers and sisters; but Museveni is separating the two friendly countries by fueling the current crises in our country that he has created.
Dictator museveni is putting the south Sudan and Uganda future relation at doom due to the fact that his days on the earth are numbered because of the blood of the people he has killed in cool blood. The bloods of our great leaders Dr. John Garang, George Athor and the rests will drive him to the grave as soon as possible.
South Sudan have got a well-qualified leaders unlike Uganda that has only one man (the so-called Museveni)
I came across the world history but I have never seen a foreign intervention in other country's affairs directly like what have been done by dictator Museveni of Uganda.
Museveni doesn't like president kiir as seen in the entire step he has taken, museveni a foreign president declare the capture of jameiza by his forces not the SPLA, what a shame to our president!!!
If all presidents were like my president kiir than there would been no need of creating the country boundary. Museveni must not compare the south Sudanese with Ugandans, we the strong people of south Sudan we fought 22 Arab countries during the liberation days but we had never surrendered yet we gains our independence .
In conclusion,
I as a patriotic son of this expensive nation, I appeal for my brothers and sisters in south Sudan and in diaspora to strongly condemn the direct involvement of president Museveni of Uganda which has a bad contribution on our future generations. Remember our population during the 2008 census was less than Ten million but it will decrease in and increasing rate if this dictator Museveni involved militarily.
Furthermore, Ugandans must put in mind that their friendship with the south Sudanese got spoiled completely.
The author is concerned citizen of south Sudan: he can be reach through [email protected]


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Home / Technology / Xiaomi's Mi 8 could be his previously outrageous iPhone imitator – TechCrunch
Xiaomi's Mi 8 could be his previously outrageous iPhone imitator – TechCrunch
May 31, 2018	Technology 14 Views
Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi, which is on its way to going public in Hong Kong, today unveiled its latest flagship smartphone and a range of other products at a launch event in Shenzhen.
Xiaomi has long been accused of copying Apple, but in recent years, the design has seemed a bit more independent. Well, that changes everything with the Mi 8, which – design-wise – is clearly focused on the iPhone X.
The Mi 8 is Xiaomi's first cell phone, which is one step higher. While it's true that many in the industry have copied Apple so mercilessly that the score is virtually standardized, Xiaomi's latest device has more than an apparent resemblance to the iPhone X.
Xiaomi's Mi 8 on the left, against Apple's iPhone X on the right
Xiaomi has also pulled an Apple by naming it. Just as Apple jumped onto the iPhone X (10) for the tenth year as a phone maker, Xiaomi has moved from his former Mi 6 mode to the Mi 8 to celebrate his eighth birthday as a company. [196592002] Beyond the score, the dual back cameras are placed almost identically, there is a glass panel back and aluminum side frames. On the software side, even the placement of the Telcom signal, the power strip, and the Wi-Fi signal indicator are identical to the iPhone X. The high-end Mi 8 also includes iOS-like Animojis and a face unlock, both developed by Pioneer Apple has been using the iPhone X.
These similarities will inevitably annoy Apple and purists, but this is not Xiaomi's first rodeo. With the Mi 8, it does what it does best, inviting comparisons with Apple and then packing impressive technology (and a price) that will attract favorable attention from its fans and those who are unwilling to pay $ 1,000 for it Spokesman spokesman did not comment when we asked if the company wanted to talk about the similarity of the Mi 8 with the iPhone X.
The Mi 8 packs a [6,21-Zoll] AMOLED screen from Samsung that includes a 20-megapixel selfie camera and infrared technology inside the slot, unlocking the phone by scanning the user's face. There is an Apple-like dual-camera array with two 12-megapixel cameras.
The device is one of the first in the world to ship with Pzazz and (probably impressive) speed with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 845 chipset. It also uses dual GPS, which makes positional data more precise.
Xiaomi said the phone will go on sale in China on June 5 and 8 with three different versions offered. International expansion dates have not been announced, as is customary for Xiaomi. The standard Mi 8 costs more than 2699 RMB ($ 420) with a smaller 5.88-inch SE model of RMB 1799 or $ 280.
For those who wanted more, the company also announced a souped-up & # 39; Explorer on & # 39; version, which has a pressure-sensitive finger scanner and the iPhone X-like face unlock feature. In addition, the back is transparent, which promises a pretty nice look.
The Mi 8 Explorer Addition
Xiaomi is actively expanding to Europe, expanding to Italy, France and Germany, but one has to wonder if a device like the Mi 8 could spur the US North America where it recently met on his smart home products. CEO Lei Jun said recently that it could start selling smartphones in the US before the end of this year, but you'd imagine that certain Apple-like devices are not on the starting list if the schedule goes according to plan. 19659002] This may not come as a big surprise, as Xiaomi's Redmi series, which costs around $ 150, has generated most of its revenue, especially in expansion markets like India.
Tags imitator iPhone Mi outrageous previously TechCrunch Xiaomi39s
The massive Walmart sale continues today – perfect if you missed the Prime Day
Google Fi reduces Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL by $ 300


Does BitGo support concurrent sends?
Note that BitGo does not currently support sending multiple transactions simultaneously. This is due to an issue with the selection of unspent outputs - it's not possible for BitGo to know that specific unspent outputs are about to be spent while creating a transaction and thus if a second process queries us for unspent outputs, we may return some that are already about to be spent by a process that only queried for them milliseconds earlier.
As a result, if you have two different processes creating transactions within the period of a second or two, it's possible that the second process will attempt to double spend some of the same unspent outputs as the first process and BitGo will reject the second transaction.
We recommend that API users serialize their transaction sending through a single queue / process in order to only send one transaction at a time. While we may some day create unspent output locking functionality in order to prevent this race condition, the main reason this is not considered a high priority is because the entire bitcoin network is only capable of processing ~3 transactions per second.


Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader is well at the moment. He may return to the country at the end of April. Obaidul Quader's family source said this.
It was known, at present he walks a slight bit. Passing his time by chatting with near and dear ones living around him. It is his long time habit of getting up early in the morning. His day begins with the sun rise. His wife Isratunnesa Quader is accompanying him round the clock. Besides three to four personal officers are looking after him.
Obaidul Quader's bypass surgery was performed on March 20 at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. After that he was at the Intensive Care Unit for one week. Then spent one more week in the cabin. After being discharged from the hospital he moved in a rented house. A cook from Bangladesh is also serving him.
Obaidul Quader was admitted at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University hospital on March 3 with complains of breathing problems. There he was diagnosed with three coronary artery blockages. Then on March 4 he was shifted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore boarded on an air ambulance.


It all began in St. Petersburg. Yes, the first stage of Russian Poker Tour took place in the northern capital in the icy winter of 2009. Players were welcomed by real Poker Stars - Vanessa Rousso, Alexander Kravchenko, Ivan Demidov (and not only) – there was big money at stake. Oleg Suntcov then won almost $300,000, everything went like clockwork.
In spring, the second phase of RPT took place in Moscow. The winner of the Main Event was Vitaly Lunkin, one of the Russian poker veterans, he took the biggest jackpot in the history of the series - $ 450,000.
But in the summer as a bolt from the blue poker in Russia suddenly was equated to gambling, so RPT had to find a new home.
The Ukraine hosted Russian Poker Tour mostly often – in Kiev, Odessa, Yalta. With gambling it was not so easy, but poker, oddly enough, is legal there, even cash games are carried out without any problems.
The capital of the Ukraine became a home place for a series long time ago, the Grand Final is traditionally held in Kiev, it is the culmination of the entire season.
RPT has also been to Minsk and Tbilisi. Recently the geography has greatly expanded: Montenegro, Cyprus; RPT "made" new friends - Lebanese Poker Cup and LIVE Events.
Life of any tour consists of bright, juicy moments interspersed with unsuccessful ideas and events. This thesis fits Russian Poker Tour very well, the series still exists in quite extreme conditions.
In the summer of 2012, the stage of RPT in Odessa was closed by strange "people in plain clothes." And it happened despite all the previously obtained permission – there appeared the so-called external factor, which is not subject to control. It was unpleasant.
Fortunately, such incidents are very rare.
In the winter of 2014 RPT was subjected to the most serious test ever. The anniversary stage had to be in Kiev, but at that time Maidan was raging. The "Khreschatyk" Club was just a couple of houses from the place of wild events. In the end, the stage had to be canceled, the players stuck at the club.
Even in such an extreme situation, organizers were not scared and did everything possible to save their players.
In its time on the Russian Poker Tour there successfully performed (or still perform): Belarusian Vadim Markushevski; Ukrainians Igor Regi Yaroshevskii Alexey Kovalchuk and Alexander Dovzhenko; Russians Dmitry Vitkind Alexander Hoffman and many others.
High Rollers tournaments: in Lebanese Poker Cup Event buy-in is $ 3,300, and one of the latest innovations - $ 10,200 Biggest Match.
Young Guns: tournaments for "the smallest", with the most democratic buy-ins - at around $50, maybe less.
Main Event: well, and, of course, the main event, with the usual guarantee of $ 100,000.
Of course, the schedule of each Event is much longer and is often "updated" with new interesting things. At the end of each stage, a traditional Russian Poker Tour party takes place, including famous karaoke battles.
The history of Russian Poker Tour is incredibly saturated, and the significance of a series is incredibly high. It seems that after all the troubles this tour has nothing to be afraid of. And while there is RPT, native poker is in safety.


Norris has had trouble staying healthy since joining the Tigers organization in 2015, throwing only 44 1/3 innings last season after groin surgery.
Detroit — Daniel Norris was in a laughing, smiling mood Saturday at TigerFest, even participating in a fun Bad Jokes Challenge with fellow pitcher Matt Boyd. The rules: Whoever laughs most, loses.
"Did you know I used to hate facial hair?" Norris deadpanned.
Boyd cracked up, even before the punch line was delivered, given Norris is sporting a wildly bushy beard.
"Then," Norris said, "it grew on me."
Now, laughs haven't been the easiest to come by lately for Norris, a former second-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays who figured he'd be an established major-league pitcher right now — and not someone entering spring training on the outside looking in at a rotation spot.
But a series of setbacks over the last several seasons — from surgery to remove bone spurs from his elbow in October 2014, to surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his throat in October 2015 (he's now cancer-free) to groin surgery last spring that limited him to just 44.1 innings for the Tigers in 2018 — it's been a patience-testing journey.
And last year was easily the worst of it.
"Probably like a 15 out of 10," Norris said, when asked what his frustration level was in 2018. "Nah, I kid about that. I went through it for a reason.
"But I'm not going to lie, it was very frustrating, just because I wanted so badly to be healthy and to pitch, and frankly it wasn't happening."
.@mattboyd48 and @DanielNorris18 tried to make each other laugh in the Bad Jokes Challenge at #TigerFest.
When Norris was acquired in a July 2015 trade with the Blue Jays — the Tigers got Norris and Boyd for David Price — Norris came with the higher expectations, though has steadily been passed by Boyd, who might just be considered the ace of Detroit's staff right now.
That's not to say Boyd has the better stuff. It's good, but he's also stayed healthy, and thus developed into a solid major-league starter.
Norris has the arm to be a major-league ace — in the minors, he's been more than a strikeout-per-inning pitcher, and in a couple shortened major-league seasons with Tigers, he's eclipsed that benchmark, too — but you've gotta be on the field to do it. Obviously.
"He's not a fully established pitcher yet," general manager Al Avila said. "His injuries have kept him from, quite frankly, developing.
"There's still some time there, but he needs to stay healthy."
Avila's right. Time is still somewhat on Norris' side. He's only 25, and isn't 26 until late April. That said, he's arbitration-eligible for the first time next season, and a free agent two years after that. At some point, the Tigers will have to determine if the rising cost and and Norris' health align to consider a long-term investment.
Detroit also has a number of highly acclaimed pitchers rising through the minors, and some could start finding their way to Comerica Park this fall.
Given the Tigers have Boyd, Michael Fulmer, Jordan Zimmerman and free-agent pickups Tyson Ross and Matt Moore in the mix for the 2019 rotation, it's on Norris to not just stay healthy, but perform and win a spot in the rotation.
"It's all on his shoulders," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "It's not on anybody else's but his.
"We know he has stuff ... he can get major-league hitters out, but you have to be able to do it on a consistent basis, and every fifth day."
Norris is optimistic his time is finally coming, especially after a promising offseason that included game action — he made starts in the Dominican, then pitched in relief for a United States team of major-leaguers that played a two-week run in Japan — and a productive workout regimen, some in Lakeland, most in California, that included Yoga and Taekwondo, and training time with MMA fighter Keith Olson. Unlike the previous offseason, which centered on groin-strengthening (he hurt it originally in 2017), this winter he was able to focus in general teams, just on getting stronger and more athletic.
What the offseason didn't include, though, was much if any time off, which is fine with Norris, given all the time off he had during the season in 2018.
After spring groin surgery, he went through a 12-week recovery and rehab program that also included setbacks, including ripped scar tissue and calf strains.
It was quite the test for a guy who admits he's not the most patient person.
"But I think I've been forced to be patient in my career," Norris said. "I've learned to be patient, trust God's plan and just feel OK with where I'm at and also just force myself to get past whatever it is.
"Obviously, I didn't think I would be here (in this position). I didn't think I would miss seasons with injuries and whatnot. Having said that, I'm here for a reason, and I know if I come in and show what I'm capable of or what I've shown before, then everything will take care of itself."


text:
Kook Science
Isopsephic Cipher Engine
About KSRA
Arcane Societies
Crypto-Hominids
Nostrums
Lemurian Fellowship
From Kook Science
The Lemurian Fellowship is a religious organisation, originally founded in 1936 by Robert D. Stelle, Howard Zitko, and others, first active at Chicago, Illinois and Milwaukee, Wisconsin before settling in California, where it was incorporated as a state nonprofit (C0190792) on 9 June 1942. The fellowship offers courses based on "revealed" teachings of claimed Mukulian-Lemurian origin from its headquarters at Ramona, San Diego county, California.
Lemurian Fellowship, lemurianfellowship.org, https://www.lemurianfellowship.org
Retrieved from "https://hatch.kookscience.com/w/index.php?title=Lemurian_Fellowship&oldid=26670"
California, San Diego Co.


Bring back the c64 experience with just a c64 keyboard and shell. No more physical floppy drives or 5 1/4 inch disks!
My first real computer was a c64 purchased in 1985 but regrettably I sold all of my c64 hardware in a garage sale 10 years later. Almost 20 years since that bone-headed garage sale and I've finally found the perfect way to bring it back to life, and do it in a way that almost makes you forget that you're running it on an emulator!
(C) 1 Rasberry Pi (I used a model B) - easily fits into the c64. I mounted it with a bottom half of a Pi case and mounted it into place with that thick double sided 3M tape. A hot-Glue gun should also work well.
(D) 1 Rasberry Pi compatible 5v 1a AC adapter with a micro SD plug.
(F) 1 standard Joystick from that era, I use one from an old Atari 2600.
(H) 1 RCA 4 port jack Panel (I purchased it from Radio Shack - all you need are three ports but it could be cool to rewire the power adapter for the 4th one). I used a hot-glue gun to secure it into place.
(J) 1 3.5 audio jack cable that splits into the Right and Left (Red and White wires) channels (I purchased an audio jack to RCA ended Y connector and cut off the RCA ends to solder its wires to the Red and white jacks on the 4 port RCA panel.
(K) 1 RCA male ended cable (single signal wire. It was one of the RCA ends from the Y cable I cut off in step J above) I and soldered the wire end to the Video (yellow) RCA port on the 4 Port RCA panel.
1. I added this image to the 8GB SD card and booted it up on the Pi. Use a tool like Win32DiskImager.exe to write the image to your SD card from your PC.
2. I edited the /home/pi/.profile with the command to pipe the sound to the 3.5 audio port.
4. I edited the /etc/init.d file to remark out he line out that executes the pimame movie at boot time. Boots faster and feels more like an actual c64 without the reminder that it is emuation.
1. The Keyrah v2 has two modes, when you select the c64 emulation mode the red LED is lit on the top of the c64 keyboard.
2. Launch the VICE configuration screen by using a normal Keyboard and pressing F12. Since the Model B Pi lets you connect two USB devices, you can have both the Keyrah and the Normal keyboard connected at the same time.
3. Connect your joystick to the Keyrah (either port - I prefer the top one).
4. Select the configuration save settings option, then select the UI settings option, from here you can remap the keys needed to open and browse these setting menus to the joystick and I added the launch option to the pound key since I see no other real use for it :) I also mapped the cancel option to the left arrow key and the exit option to the Run/Stop key.
5. Once these are mapped you can go into the machine settings and map the joysticks using the joystick settings Define Keyset option, then enable the top joystick (Port 1) to keyset 1 and the bottom (Port 2) joystick to Keyset 2.
7. Now you should be able to disconnect the standard keyboard and exclusively use the c64 keyboard and joystick to operate the emulator and its configuration menu.
8. Install your ROMS, I put them into the /user/pi/roms/c64 folder. Create a c64 sub folder in teh roms folder. To make this your default rom browsing folder see tip 3 below. You can use a FTP client to connect to your Pi to upload them (login pi, password raspberry).
9. You can now button up your c64 (3 screws on bottom) and its ready to play.
1. To load a ROM use pound key to launch the config menu and select the top Autoloader option to browse to and select your desired ROM.
2. To increase load speed, use the drive settings menu to turn off Real Drive Emulation option.
sudo x64 -chdir roms/c64 -config roms/c64/settings1 # note you are starting from your '/home/pi' directory so teh paths are relative from there.
4. Its a good idea to backup your SD card using a tool like Win32DiskImager.exe and read it into a file on your PC.
5. The Pi cas a capacitor just behind the micro USB power adapter (C6) - be careful when plugging it in, it is easy to miss and break off this component if you miss the port. It isn't vital and the Pi will work without it for our purposes but if you have dirty power in your home, I'd suggest using a protective surge filtered power strip. Also it is simple to solder back on as it is surface mounted.
6. If you wish you can wire up a normally open (NO) reset button to the Pi as it has two holes on it to attach a 2 pin header or simply attach the wire tips to it. This is for advanced hackers and you can find out their exact location elsewhere on the internet. You can see that I added one in the video.
7. The 4 RCA female jack panel I used had no actual colors associated with the jacks. I used markers to add color to their default white plastic. The 4th I colored black with a permanent market for a possible power cable mode later.
8. I oriented the Pi so I can insert and remove the power and SD card once the case is put back together. I had to cut off some of the original plastic between the two c64 serial port holes to make a wide (pi friendly) single hole.
9. You can even add additional HDMI, 2nd USB and 4J45 extension cables for the other Pi ports if you wish, there's plenty of room in these older c64's. The case only has 3 screws, so I find it wasy to access them if I ever need to.


text:
Ubisoft Forums > Assassin's Creed > Assassin's Creed - General Discussions > What to do against shooting guards?
View Full Version : What to do against shooting guards?
In past games you could pick up another guard as human shield, but no longer. So basically as soon as even one guard decides to get out his pistol, I'm guaranteed to get hit and one shot dead.
MnemonicSyntax
Roll.
When? How do I know how to time that?
There is a target reticule "warning" on the screen and when it turns bright glowy red, you need to roll or you'll get hit.
Scottoest
I don't think you should be getting one-shot by a pistol, unless you're taking on enemies that are way higher than the "level" of your gear. If you're taking on a pack of "five diamond" guys in "two diamond" gear, you kind of get a predictable outcome.
But yeah, rolling or closing distance to interrupt them are the only real options. And of course, you can just hit up on the D-pad and heal yourself at any point, if you're feeling lazy and just want to take the hits. And don't forget smoke/stun will interrupt too.
Marcus101RR
Half the time, the reticle don't show up when they are about to fire. I ended up dieing then and there...3 snipers. The stealth in this game is near-impossible to be honest. I have yet to complete a mission where they don't detect me or even think they see me (Yellow warning).
Anykeyer
The stealth in this game is near-impossible to be honest. I have yet to complete a mission where they don't detect me or even think they see me (Yellow warning).
Its not impossible, just different
You have to rely on disguise skill and a combination of cover kills with cherry bombs luring.
I'm having a lot of trouble getting guards to come with cherry bombs, any tips on where to throw them to guarantee they come close?
Guards dont react to cherry bombs if you just throw them at your feet while hiding behind a cover. Its stupid bc they explode with a loud bang, but thats how it works in this game. You have to throw it somewhere in their line of sight (the direction that guards are facing doesnt matter). Get to cover, then hold and aim.
Anonua
Take your time and utilize eagle vision. Also remember that there is more often then not, multiple ways to approch your target. If you want to avoid conflict explore around and find another way in. (Also stealth based gear will help you achieve this easier)
solDieR166
I have learned to use eagle vision as much as possible and look to the roofs more than anything, if on a mission I take out all the roof guards first thing. I find if you don't do this they will kill you, I have seen the reticule pop up but it is extremely hard to time the roll and if they are far enough away you can't even see it. I have to agree with an above post, the stealth is near impossible and I don't think it's because it is different,.
Kytr
Part of the reason for that is that slipping from cover to another location is clunky, and you can't edge around cover. Added to this, any time you take an action against a guard (say shooting him with a phantom blade from cover), every guard in the area knows instantly that it happened and where you shot from. Even if EVERYTHING is happening behind their backs.
For that matter guards just seem too hype aware overall. I have been spotted on a roof 2 stories above a guard who is not even looking in my direction. In other places, guards have spotted me through intervening cover, while facing the other direction. Then there's the miraculous turnarounds just before you get to a guard, who never turns around unless he is about to die.
For stealth to really work, it has to be possible to avoid guard's attention when you are hidden and to act against a guard without being instantly spotted by everyone within 30 meters. Just a little reasoning behind those rules would help.
Defalt221
No listen. U can't roll if you're not on combat stance. If this issue happens just drop a smoke bomb on yourself and look out for a nearby cover that can block your line of sight from the enemy. If that doesn't work out, I'm afraid you're doomed like me. The game is programmed such that if the "gun indicator" glows bright red when a sniper aims at you, he'll one shot kill you no matter where you are. Even if you're in a cover. That's the most annoying thing I faces while playing. This game forces stealth play. Best you gear up with "thick skin" and better armor. Or just shoot them when they aim at you (if you've fast reflexes like me)...


This one of a kind necklace is made by Native American Artist Don "Standing Bear" Forest. The necklace is made up of glass and nickel beads with moose bone hairpipes. The hand carved turtle is carved out of moose bone by Don. This is a one of a kind piece that would be suitable for either a man or woman.
This necklace is approximately 23 inches in length.


text:
Q: Swift firebase search is one reload behind I have a search function in my app which works perfectly except for the fact that it seems to be one reload behind. For example if I type in 'S' nothing will show but if I then type an 'a' after all the results for 'S' will show up. I tried adding collectionView reload at the end of the fetch function but if I do that nothing shows up period.
@objc func textFieldDidChange(_ textField: UITextField) {
    guard let text = textField.text else { return }

    if text.count == 0 {
        self.posts.removeAll()
        self.filteredPosts.removeAll()
    } else {
        fetchSearchedPosts(searchTerm: text)
    }
    self.collectionView.reloadData()
}

func fetchSearchedPosts(searchTerm: String) {
    self.collectionView.refreshControl?.endRefreshing()

    let ref = Database.database().reference().child("posts").queryOrdered(byChild: "title").queryStarting(atValue: searchTerm).queryEnding(atValue: "\(searchTerm)\u{f8ff}")
    ref.observeSingleEvent(of: .value) { (snapshot) in

        if !snapshot.exists() { return }

        guard let dictionaries = snapshot.value as? [String: Any] else { return }
        self.posts.removeAll()
        dictionaries.forEach({ (key, value) in

            guard let postDictionary = value as? [String: Any] else { return }
            guard let uid = postDictionary["uid"] as? String else { return }

            Database.fetchUserWithUID(uid: uid, completion: { (user) in

                let post = Post(postId: key, user: user, dictionary: postDictionary)

                let nowTimeStamp = Date().timeIntervalSince1970
                let dateTime = post.endTimeDate
                let timeStamp = dateTime.timeIntervalSince1970

                    if nowTimeStamp < timeStamp {

                    post.id = key
                    self.posts.append(post)

                    } else {
                        return
                    }
            })
            self.posts.sort(by: { (post1, post2) -> Bool in
                return post1.title.compare(post2.title) == .orderedAscending
            })
        })
        self.collectionView.reloadData()
    }
}

A: You need a DispatchGroup as you have nested asynchronous calls
func fetchSearchedPosts(searchTerm: String) {

    self.collectionView.refreshControl?.endRefreshing()
    let ref = Database.database().reference().child("posts").queryOrdered(byChild: "title").queryStarting(atValue: searchTerm).queryEnding(atValue: "\(searchTerm)\u{f8ff}")
   ref.observeSingleEvent(of: .value) { (snapshot) in

    if !snapshot.exists() { return }

    guard let dictionaries = snapshot.value as? [String: Any] else { return }
    self.posts.removeAll()
    let g = DispatchGroup()   ///// 1

    dictionaries.forEach({ (key, value) in

        guard let postDictionary = value as? [String: Any] else { return }
        guard let uid = postDictionary["uid"] as? String else { return }

        g.enter()   ///// 2
        Database.fetchUserWithUID(uid: uid, completion: { (user) in

            let post = Post(postId: key, user: user, dictionary: postDictionary)

            let nowTimeStamp = Date().timeIntervalSince1970
            let dateTime = post.endTimeDate
            let timeStamp = dateTime.timeIntervalSince1970

                if nowTimeStamp < timeStamp {

                    post.id = key
                    self.posts.append(post)

                } else {
                    g.leave()   ///// 3.a
                    return
                }
            g.leave()   ///// 3.b
        })
    })

    g.notify(queue:.main) {    ///// 4
      self.posts.sort(by: { (post1, post2) -> Bool in
           return post1.title.compare(post2.title) == .orderedAscending
       })
       self.collectionView.reloadData()
     }
  }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
What's The Worst That Could Happen?
Genre(s): Comedy
Directed By: Sam Weisman
Written By: Donald E. Westlake, Matthew Chapman
Domestic Distributor: MGM
Cast: Martin Lawrence, Danny DeVito, John Leguizamo
Financed by: MGM; Hyde Park Entertainment
Domestic Gross: $32,269,834 Overseas Gross: $6,194,297
What's The Worst That Could Happen? How about MGM posting a quarter loss of $61.3 million and taking an unspecified write-down on What's The Worst That Could Happen? and Josie And The Pussycats — with the combined loss of the two pictures expected to be north of $40 million.
What's The Worst That Could Happen? was co-financed by MGM and Hyde Park Entertainment for $42 million. Hyde Park's first slate of films were all MGM releases and all flops, with Antitrust as their first picture, followed by What's the Worst That Could Happen?, Original Sin and then Bandits capped off their awful 2001.
MGM dated this stinker for June 1st, which was the same weekend the previous summer that Martin Lawrence's Big Momma's House opened to strong business. What's The Worst That Could Happen? bowed against another critically reviled comedy The Animal, which ate into Worst's box office. It pulled in a soft $13,049,114 — placing #5 for the weekend led by the holdover Pearl Harbor. What's The Worst That Could Happen? sank 58% the following weekend to $5,476,007 and bombed out of theaters with $32,269,834. MGM would see returned about $17.7 million after theaters take their percentage of the gross, which would not cover P&A expenses or touch the budget.
MGM executives Gerry Rich, president of worldwide marketing, and Larry Gleason, president of worldwide theatrical distribution were replaced three weeks after this opened and both positions were filled by Robert Levin. The Martin Lawrence vehicle Black Knight flopped five months later.
The movie saw a small release overseas, where it cumed just $6.1 million.


Hello, glorious "repugnants", excuse me, Republicans. We have had a fabulous month since I last updated you. We have gotten our finest troll onto the Supreme Court which will guarantee that our corporate donors will reap huge benefits and profits from poisoning the environment, overcharging customers, underpaying workers and the other losers.
As you well know, we are approaching the midterm elections and the hateful demicrats are rigging elections, wholesale. Just last month they filed lawsuits to overturn our "patriotic" voter integrity laws(voter suppression) based on some flimsy excuse that it prevents people of color from voting. I don't remember that being illegal in our party platform.
We are moving forward on ending the oppressive regulations that have hamstrung our nuclear industry friends. Just last week I loosen the rules on setting radiation levels. Our donations from them have doubled as a result. Also, we have continued to abolish the tyrannical Obama rules on pollution, ocean drilling, and those pesky renewables.
In recent days, we have identified some more traitors to the cause. You all know who I am talking about the despicable, Taylor Swift, who has urged people to register and vote against us. TRAITOR!! It is all a grand conspiracy by the commie ME TOO movement.
The "fake news" libtard media recently published a smear article about my successful dealings in business and with the IRS. They actually implied that I am a tax cheat while everyone knows that I used my great brain to steal my money from the suckers.
In foreign affairs, our grand ally the Saudis have shown the world what to do with pesky journalists as opposed to the stuck-up Germans who continue to harass our right-wing friends protesting the Merkel dictatorship.
And finally, our, great legs, UN ambassador has resigned and I think Ivanka will be a great replacement; she is so knowledgeable about foreign affairs since she has been contracting with sweatshops all over Southeast Asia making her grand clothing lines.
Good bye good people and remember your neighbor might be a demicrat so watch him.


text:
Sustainable Development (130)
(-) General UNECE (59)
Circular Economy (40)
Economic Cooperation and Integration (19)
Sustainable Energy (16)
Digitalization (4)
Environment and Gender (2)
THE PEP (1)
(-) SDGs
(-) UN/CEFACT
After COP26, we need less talk and more action
COP26 was a positive step forward in the fight against climate change, but as the UN Secretary General pointed out in his comments: "it is not enough. We must accelerate climate action to keep alive the goal of limiting the global temperature rise…
Hydrogen can be part of the solution to decarbonize our economies
Over the last two weeks at COP 26, governments, the private sector and a wide range of actors have unveiled plans for climate action in crucial areas ranging from methane, to forests, finance, fashion, transport and far beyond. As US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry put it in our…
UNECE initiates work on Innovation for Sustainable Development Review of Armenia
A decade after independence, Armenia embarked on a radical reform path to create a vibrant, market economy – triggering substantial economic growth, often reaching double digits. As recent trends and volatility indicate, sustaining such growth requires addressing a range of structural challenges…
UN/CEFACT international standards pave the way for paperless trading
The COVID-19 pandemic restrictions have brought the benefits of paperless trading to the forefront of attention. Many countries are considering issuing, accepting and exchanging electronic documents for paperless trading. Issues related to paperless trading are also at the core of World Trade…
UNECE and UN Geneva present exhibition of urban sketches by Architect Norman Foster
An exhibition of urban sketches by Architect Norman Foster is opening today at the Palais des Nations on the occasion of the UNECE Ministerial Meeting on Urban Development, Housing and Land Management (6-8 October). The sketches present visions of city planning that incorporate concepts of…
Scale up carbon dioxide removal to achieve climate targets, urge United Nations regional leaders
In a joint statement, the Executive Secretaries of the United Nations Regional Commissions have called for enhanced regional cooperation to develop nature-based and technological solutions for capturing CO2 emissions from the atmosphere and ensuring its long-term storage. …
New generation digital UN/CEFACT standards for multimodal transport will facilitate safe, secure and efficient international trade
The need to digitalize information flows in international supply chains became clearer than ever during the pandemic, thanks to the reduced person-to-person contact this allows, on top of important efficiency gains. However, efforts to date have been fragmented. UNECE and its subsidiary body UN/…
Time to reform our food systems
With the UN Food Systems Summit taking place next week under the auspices of the UN General Assembly (23 September 2021), we must recognize that the food systems we have built over recent decades are unsustainable. The food choices we make…
Forest restoration is key to prevent the multiplication of wildfires and strengthen climate action
August is wildfire season in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Many areas in the UNECE region, including North America, Siberia, and Mediterranean countries have experienced unusually hot and dry weather this year, and with that some of the biggest wildfires on record. Areas burned in Turkey…
Counting the cost: UNECE guide enables continued production of price statistics during COVID-19 lockdowns
The new UNECE Guide on producing CPI under lockdown, published today, helps national statistical offices to produce the Consumer Price index (CPI) under periods of lockdown and other emergencies. The…
UNECE adapts statistical support to countries in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic
Developing the capacity of statistical systems to respond to ever-changing demands is a core component of UNECE statistical work, linked directly to several of the targets of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Key tools used for capacity development have traditionally been face-to-face…
Joint efforts for the circular economy will drive a sustainable COVID-19 recovery and boost climate action
A coordinated response is necessary for promoting and implementing the circular economy agenda globally. Concrete commitments from governments, businesses, international organizations, civil society and other stakeholders will be key to building the sustainable, resilient and low-carbon economy…
Fundamental Principles remain key for official statistics to navigate times of change
In 2022, we will celebrate 30 years since the formulation of the Fundamental Principles of Official Statistics and their adoption by UNECE. The Fundamental Principles were subsequently adopted in 1994 by the …
Connecting expertise for environmental governance: lessons from 25 years of UNECE Environmental Performance Reviews
By Ms. Olga Algayerova, UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of UNECE, and Ms. Elisabete Quintas da Silva, Head of Department, Sustainable and Efficient Use of Resources Operational Programme, Government of Portugal, and Chair of the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy. This…
New framework sets out a strategic approach to statistical communication
Statistics are all around us. All the more since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Rarely do we see a news story, political debate, press conference or even a social media debate that doesn't reference statistics. In this environment, the custodians of the figures—the national statistical offices (NSOs…
Leveraging diaspora for Innovation for Sustainable Development
Migration is an old and growing phenomenon – the United Nations Populations Division estimates that around 266 million people live outside their country of origin. In the UNECE region, by 2019 there were around 45 million people from Eastern Europe and Central Asia living abroad, with more than…
Innovation and PPPs central to accelerating the circular economy transition and sustainable development in the context of post-COVID 19 recovery
Both innovation and Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) are essential drivers of economic development, environmental sustainability and social inclusiveness. The UNECE region was hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis, not only because of the health crisis itself but also, even as the threat recedes…
New ways of working call for new ways to measure work: UNECE-led statisticians investigate
A team of expert labour statisticians is to be convened by UNECE for the Conference of European Statisticians, to investigate how to reflect new ways of working in the employment figures we use every day. Over the past year the work-from-home orders and business closure rules issued by many…
Advancing next generation standards to digitalize data and document exchange in multimodal transport and trade, leveraging UN/CEFACT norms
The economic and sanitary crisis caused by the pandemic calls for new ways of doing business. We need to digitalize data and document exchange in cross-border transport and supply chains to avoid person-to-person contacts, while increasing the efficiency of trade and transport operations. However,…
UN Alliance supports Moldova's efforts to turn its fashion industry into a driver of sustainable development
At the informal virtual policy dialogue on fashion in Moldova hosted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) on 19 May 2021, members of the UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion and stakeholders of the Moldovan fashion industry came together to discuss the potential of this…


is a residential neighbourhood and resort of Ciudad de la Costa in Canelones, Uruguay.
This resort is located just east of the Carrasco neighborhood (barrio) of eastern Montevideo, on the Río de la Plata coast. According to the census of 2004, its population was 7,798. The name of the resort is in association with the saline waters of the lake just north of Avenida Luis Giannattasio (lake by the sea, sea being the Rio de la Plata). Lagomar was created as a resort in 1952 and was developed as part of the Costa de Oro near Montevideo and Canelones. It changed its profile from the 1970s, when it gradually reached a breaking point because of population pressure, becoming a permanent residential area for the middle and upper middle classes. Between 1985 and 1996 the population grew 42%. To meet this population increase, in the second half of the 1990s it became further urbanized with shops and facilities. The resort became part of the Ciudad de la Costa by Act of October 19, 1994.


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By Dilia Narduzzi
In June of 2021, the world's largest meat packer, JBS, was hit with a ransomware attack which shuttered plants in Canada, the US, and Australia. After news of the attack became public, the company admitted to paying $11 million to the Russian group who took responsibility, REvil. While the amount paid is likely a drop in the bucket for a company that sells in the billions, this is still a cautionary note that food companies' computer systems need to upgrade their technologies to protect themselves and, by extension, the global food system. This may be the largest attack to date, but JBS isn't the only food company that recently had ransomware installed in its systems. Other food companies suspected to have been hit with ransomware include Molson Coors, food supplier Edward Don, and beverage company Arizona Beverages, famous for its iced teas.
Ransomware is "a special kind of malware – bad stuff that gets into your computer. Ransomware either encrypts your files or appears to encrypt your files," says Thomas Patrick Keenan, a Fellow of Centre for Military, Security and Strategic Studies at the University of Calgary.
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Tag: Larry Wilmore
MasterClass Announces Issa Rae to Teach Creating Outside the Lines
The American actress shares inspiring lessons on finding your own unique story and paving your own path.
MasterClass, the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world's best across a wide range of subjects, today announced that Issa Rae will teach a class on creating outside the lines. Through a series of empowering lessons, the Emmy® Award-nominated star and creator of HBO's Insecure uses her signature do-it-yourself ethos, humor, and voice to offer members the motivation and tools they'll need on their creative journey, from developing their own voice to taking ideas to the next level. Rae's class is now available exclusively on MasterClass, where subscribers get unlimited access to all 100+ instructors with an annual membership.
"Issa is one of the most celebrated creators in recent history because of her authenticity and unflinching boldness when it comes to storytelling," said David Rogier, founder, and CEO of MasterClass. "Her MasterClass at its core is about inspiring action and not being discouraged by roadblocks; our members will walk away feeling motivated and ready to act on the ideas and stories that have been brewing within them."
In her MasterClass, Rae will empower members to stop waiting for the right opportunity to land at their feet and instead share their stories by collaborating, using available resources, and finding the right platforms. Breaking down scenes from her series The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl and Insecure, Rae will teach members how to develop a pilot, build multidimensional characters and dialogue, and work with and through feedback. She will also share practical advice and exercises to help members shape their creative process, establish good writing habits, and get started on their writing journey. With engaging, candid storytelling, Rae shares anecdotes of personal failures and past disappointments to help inspire and push members to pursue turning their vision into a reality.
"A lot of people enter the industry thinking their ideas have to be perfect and fit into a specific kind of box, but that's never been part of my process," Rae said. "In my MasterClass, I want to tell you everything that I've gone through, every mistake that I've made, and everything that I've learned so far so that you can do better than I did. If you have a desire to create, this class is for you."
Rae jump-started her career in 2011 with the award-winning web series and accompanying New York Times bestselling book of the same name, The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl. Originally launched on YouTube, the series quickly generated critical and commercial acclaim. It won a Shorty Award for Best Web Series in 2012. The series laid the foundation of success for Rae to write and produce her own award recognized HBO series, Insecure. Working as co-creator with award-winning host and producer Larry Wilmore, Rae set out to make a series that examined "the complexities of 'Blackness' and the reality that you can't escape being Black."
With its unique humor and authenticity, the show has been celebrated for the relatable and often-overlooked portrayals of the Black experience. Rae has opened a range of new doors in the acting space, making her film debut in the acclaimed drama The Hate U Give and later Netflix's romantic comedy Lovebirds. Recently she appeared in HBO's political-satire drama Coastal Elites. Outside of her screen credits, Rae has been honored for her influence and impact as a Black creator. In 2018, she was named one of Time magazine's most influential people in the world.
Launched in 2015, MasterClass is the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world's best. With an annual membership, subscribers get unlimited access to over a hundred instructors and classes across a wide range of subjects, including Arts & Entertainment, Business, Design & Style, Sports & Gaming, Writing, and more. Step into Anna Wintour's office, Ron Finley's garden, and Neil Gaiman's writing retreat. Get inspired by RuPaul, perfect your pitch with Shonda Rhimes, and discover your inner negotiator with Chris Voss. Each class features about 20 video lessons, at an average of 10 minutes per lesson. You can learn on your own terms—in bite-size pieces or in a single binge. Cinematic visuals and close-up, hands-on demonstrations make you feel like you're one-on-one with the instructors, while the downloadable instructor guides help reinforce your learning. Stream thousands of lessons anywhere, anytime, on mobile devices, tablet, desktop, Apple TV®, Android™ TV, Amazon Fire TV®, and Roku® players and devices.
Posted on January 13, 2021 January 13, 2021 by Pugsley McFlyPosted in News, Press ReleaseTagged David Rogier, Emmy, HBO, Insecure, Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, Larry Wilmore, MasterClass, Netflix, New York Times, YouTube. Leave a comment


ABSTRACT A vast majority of citizens and firms in most developed countries are within the tax base for both direct and indirect taxes, as compared to developing countries. Establishment of a sound public finance system is faced with social, political and administrative difficulties in developing countries, leading to tax evasion and avoidance activities by individual taxpayers and corporations. This explains why there is a huge difference between developed and developing countries in mobilization of resources. To curb these difficulties, some developing countries have committed to automate their tax administration to promote ease of doing business. In Kenya, one such reform has been to establish an automated filing system. This study aimed at investing factors influencing the adoption and use of online tax filing system at Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA). It also aimed at determining the role of demographic user characteristics, security, technology and organizational set up in the adoption and use of the KRA online tax-filing system. Stratified random sampling was used in recruitment of 2014 registered tax payers who had already embraced the online tax filing system as well as those who have not shifted from the manual mode of filing in North Nairobi. Semi-structured questionnaires were administered to collect data. Almost half (46.7%) of the respondents used the internet almost every day. They perceived themselves as computer literate, were aware of the on-line tax filing system and that training was necessary. Past experience was also identified as an important aspect to determine the respondents' perception of on-line tax filing system. The study found security to be crucial in the adoption and use of on-line tax filing system as most respondents perceived the system as credible, though they also agreed that encryption threats, hacking and exposure to tax audits were major determinants in adopting and using on-line tax filing system. Education through mass media, internet connectivity,software use, lack of technical support and maintenance of ICT were identified as major drivers for adoption and use of on-line tax filing system. Organizational set up also played a crucial role in the adoption and use of on-line tax filing system. Pearson Correlation Coefficient Matrix revealed that user characteristics, security, technology and organizational set up significant positive correlation with the adoption and use of on-line tax filing system. The study concludes that user characteristics, security, organizational set-up and technology play a crucial role in adoption and use of online tax filing system at KRA.


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Works by John Smythies
( view other items matching `John Smythies`, view all matches )
Disambiguations Disambiguations:
John Smythies [14] John R. Smythies [7] John Raymond Smythies [3]
The Functional Neuroanatomy of Awareness: With a Focus on the Role of Various Anatomical Systems in the Control of Intermodal Attention.John Smythies - 1997 - Consciousness and Cognition 6 (4):455-81.details
This review considers a number of recent theories on the neural basis of consciousness, with particular attention to the theories of Bogen, Crick, Llinás, Newman, and Changeux. These theories allot different roles to various key brain areas, in particular the reticular and intralaminar nuclei of the thalamus and the cortex. Crick's hypothesis is that awareness is a function of reverberating corticothalamic loops and that the spotlight ofintramodalattention is controlled by the reticular nucleus of the thalamus. He also proposed different mechanisms (...) for attention and intention . The current review presents a new hypothesis, based on elements from these hypotheses, includingintermodalattention and olfaction and pain, which may pose problems for Crick's original theory. This work reviews the possible role in awareness and intermodal attention and intention of the cholinergic system in the basal forebrain and the tegmentum; the reticular, the intralaminar, and the dorsomedial thalamic nuclei; the raphe and locus coeruleus; the reticular formation; the ventral striatum and extended amygdala; insula cortex, and other selected cortical areas. Both clinical and basic research data are covered. The conclusion is reached that the brain may work by largely nonlinear parallel processing and much intramodal shifts of attention may be effected by intracortical, or multiple corticothalamic mechanisms . But this is constrained by the functional anatomy of the circuits concerned and waking "awareness" is modulated by the many "nonspecific" systems . But the principal agents for intermodal attention shifts, the "searchlight," may be two key nuclei of the cholinergic system in the mesencephalon. Clinical loss of consciousness results from damage to these nuclei but not from damage to the cholinergic nucleus basalis of the basal forebrain. (shrink)
Neurobiological Theories and Models of Consciousness in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Brain and Mind.John R. Smythies - 1965 - New York: Humanities Press.details
Mind-Brain Identity Theory in Philosophy of Mind
Consciousness: Some Basic Issues- a Neurophilosophical Perspective.John Smythies - 1999 - Consciousness and Cognition 8 (2):164-172.details
This paper concentrates on the basic properties of ''consciousness'' that temporal coding is postulated to relate to. A description of phenomenal consciousness based on what introspection tells us about its contents is offered. This includes a consideration of the effect of various brain lesions that result in cortical blindness, apperceptive and associative agnosia, and blindsight, together with an account of the manner in which sight is regained after cortical injuries. I then discuss two therories of perception-Direct Realism and the Representative (...) Theory. This includes a discussion of the concept of the body-image, phantom limbs, the alleged projection of sensations, the ontological status of phenomenal space, the homunculus argument, the validity of topographic coding, the difference between the stimulus field and the visual field, and two theories of brain-mind relationship-the Identity Theory and the Bohr-Heisenberg theory of brain-mind complementarity. Finally I suggest that the binocular rivalry obtained in the case of the stroboscopic patterns that result from intermittent photic stimulation of one eye, when used in animal expeiments with unit recording, offers a good experimental method of investigating the binding problem. (shrink)
Binocular Rivalry in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Consciousness and Neuroscience, Foundational Issues in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Beyond Reductionism, New Perspectives in the Life Sciences [Proceedings of] the Alpbach Symposium [1968].Arthur Koestler & John R. Smythies - 1972details
Reduction in General Philosophy of Science
Shipwreck of a Grand Hypothesis (Francis Crick, The Astonishing Hypothesis).John R. Smythies - 1994 - Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 37 (2):267-281.details
Shipwreck of a Grand Hypothesis.John R. Smythies - 1994 - Inquiry: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Philosophy 37 (2):267 – 281.details
Philosophy of Consciousness in Philosophy of Mind
Direct Versus Indirect Realism: A Neurophilosophical Debate on Consciousness.Robert French & John R. Smythies (eds.) - 2018 - Elsevier.details
Commentary on Crooks.John Smythies - 2003 - Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology 23 (2):149-156.details
Mark Crooks effectively demolishes Dennett's theory by concentrating on its internal defects. In which case I would like to contribute to this discussion by examining some scientific evidence that may be relevant. Dennett claims that hallucinations do not involve any actual sensory element but only a change in our beliefs. A schizophrenic does not actually hear the voices he complains about--he develops the false belief that he is hearing something. This puts hallucinations on a par with the patient's delusions e.g. (...) his false belief that other people are persecuting him. The majority view, in contrast, is that hallucinations represent defective function in the sensory system. In this impasse, evidence from functional magnetic resonance imaging studies should help. These allow us to identify those areas of the brain that are activated under the conditions we are interested in. If the majority are right, then a subject having hallucinations should show increased activity in some part of his sensory brain. On the other hand, if Dennett is right, the subject should show no such increased activity but, instead, possibly abnormal activity in the part of the brain related to the formation of delusions. To answer this question I performed a Medline search of the literature on imaging studies in hallucinations occurring under various circumstances. The results were interesting. 2012 APA, all rights reserved). (shrink)
Husserl: Philosophy of Mind in Continental Philosophy
Beyond Reductionism: New Perspectives in the Life Sciences.Arthur Koestler & John R. Smythies (eds.) - 1969 - London: Hutchinson.details
Philosophy of Biology, General Works in Philosophy of Biology
Reduction in Biology in Philosophy of Biology
Beyond Reductionism New Perspectives in the Life Sciences [Proceedings of] the Alpbach Symposium 1968; Edited by Arthur Koestler & J.R. Smythies.Arthur Koestler & John Raymond Smythies - 1969 - Hutchinson.details
A Critique of Revonsuo's Theory of Consciousness.John Smythies - 2009 - Philosophical Psychology 22 (1):99 – 106.details
Representation in Cognitive Science in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Brain and Consciousness: The Ghost in the Machines.John Smythies - 2010 - Journal of Scientific Exploration 23 (1).details
This paper reviews four current theories of brain-consciousness relations—classical Cartesian Dualism, the Identity Theory, Eliminative Materialism, and a new form of Substance Dualism that includes a modified form of the Cartesian theory. This entails a critical examination of our basic concepts of what consciousness is, of the nature of the body image, and the relation of phenomenal space to physical space. This investigation reaches the same result as that attained recently by the physicist Bernard Carr —that what is needed is (...) a paradigm shift in our basic concepts of the geometry of the Universe. In order to understand phenomenal consciousness we need to replace the present four-dimensional model with a higher-dimensional structure, in which a phenomenal space and physical space are different cross-sections of a higher-dimensional space. Keywords: brain—consciousness—mechanisms—substance dualism—brane theory. (shrink)
Consciousness and Higher Dimensions of Space.John Smythies - 2012 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 19 (11-12):11-12.details
This paper reviews the present status of the material dualist theory of brain-consciousness relations. I cover first the history of its development by Priestly, Broad, Price, Carr, Jourdan, and myself. The theory is then described with its basis in higher-dimensional geometry, the phenomenology of consciousness, the neurological concept of the body image, and the application of Leibniz's Law to the current dominant identity theory of brain-consciousness relations. A model based on Flatland is developed to illustrate the theory followed by a (...) discussion of its application to recent findings in NDE cases together with the use by Jourdan and Brumblay of higherdimensional geometry to account for the remarkable phenomenology revealed. Finally I discuss possible ways to test the theory by experiment. (shrink)
Higher-Order Theories of Consciousness in Philosophy of Mind
Consciousness and Introspection: How We Get to Know the Inner World.John Smythies - 1999 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 22 (6):971-972.details
We can in fact obtain scientific information about the contents of consciousness by the methods of introspectionist psychology. An example comes from the author's work on the stroboscopic patterns and from the way psychedelic drugs alter color perception.
Introspection and Introspectionism in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Reality and Virtual Reality Mechanisms in the Brain and Their Significance.John Smythies - 2009 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 16 (4):69-80.details
This paper presents the results of some recent experiments in neuroscience and introspectionist psychology that reveal the role of virtual reality in normal visual perception, and the use of television information compression technology by the visual brain. This involves particularly the cholinergic system in the forebrain. This research throws new light on the nature of consciousness, in particular in connection with the debate between Naïve Realists and Physiological Realists.
Perception in Philosophy of Mind
The Fight for the Truth.John Smythies - 2010 - Journal of Scientific Exploration 22 (1).details
The Neural Control of Mood: The Possible Role of the Adrenergic System in the Medulla.John Smythies - 2011 - Consciousness and Cognition 20 (3):489-493.details
Mood in humans is a complex phenomenon that integrates emotion , cognition, perception, ideation, and action in a coherent manner. In bipolar disorder extremes of mood occur outside the normal range, in which all the above functions are coherently affected. Mood is controlled by a series of separate but interactive brain circuits that involve much of the brain, but particularly the limbic system. The question addressed in this paper is whether the coordination of all these separate systems into one coherent (...) functional mood is mediated by non-linear dynamics acting between these systems as equal participants; or whether it is affected by a single master regulator controlling the others. The possible roles, as master regulators, of non-linear dynamically linked populations of neurons, and of the C1–C3 adrenergic nuclei in the medulla is discussed. (shrink)
Bipolar Disorders in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Consciousness and Psychology in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Mental Illness in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Philosophy of Neuroscience, Misc in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
Science of Consciousness in Philosophy of Cognitive Science
The Nature of Consciousness and its Relation to the Brain: The Pith of a Formidable Problem and its Possible Solution.John Smythies - 2014 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 21 (1-2):183-202.details
This paper presents an enquiry into the essential nature of phenomenal consciousness and its relation to the neural correlates of consciousness in the brain . It first combines critical accounts of current ideas about the nature of NCCs themselves and about what constitutes phenomenal consciousness. This is followed by an examination of how these two may be related with a particular focus on pointing out the defects in the currently most popular hypothesis in this field, namely the identity theory. The (...) conclusion is that we need a better theory. A candidate for this theory is presented in some detail that involves higher-dimensional geometry. (shrink)
10 The Ontological Status of Qualia and Sensations: How They Fit Into the Brain.John Smythies - 2008 - In Edmond Wright (ed.), The Case for Qualia. MIT Press. pp. 191.details
Aspects of Consciousness in Philosophy of Mind
Qualia in Philosophy of Mind
The Role of Acetylcholine in Hallucinatory Perception.John Raymond Smythies - 2005 - Behavioral and Brain Sciences 28 (6):773-773.details
This commentary reviews and extends the target article's treatment of the topic of the role of acetylcholine in hallucinatory experience in health and disease. Particular attention is paid to differentiating muscarinic and nicotinic effects in modulating the use of virtual reality mechanisms by the brain. Then, attention is drawn to the similarities between these aspects of brain function and certain aspects of television digital compression technology.
The Walls of Plato's Cave the Science and Philosophy Of.John R. Smythies - 1994details
What Neuronal Activity Constitutes the NCCs?John Smythies - 2013 - Journal of Consciousness Studies 20 (3-4):3-4.details
This paper reviews the evidence, from studies of acute denervation plasticity, that NCCs in the sensory cortex are composed of particular patterns of intracolumnar excitation in a certain type of neuron, and not of specific anatomically identified neurons. This leads to an enquiry as to what the microneurological basis of NCCs in general may be. Further evidence is examined as to the possible NCCs of the stroboscopic patterns. The hypotheses are presented that the geometrical bright phase patterns arise as dissipative (...) structures generated by interacting cortical rhythms; whereas the non-geometrical dark phase patterns have as their NCCs dendritic potentials in the GABAergic gap-junction linked network in layers II and III of the visual cortex. (shrink)
Beyond Reductionism New Perspectives in the Life Sciences. Edited by Arthur Koestler & J.R. Smythies. --. SymposiumAlpbach, Arthur Koestler & John Raymond Smythies - 1970 - Macmillan.details
Philosophy of Biology, Miscellaneous in Philosophy of Biology