The Chinese journalist Michael Anti had his Facebook account deleted in January. The reason Facebook gave was that Michael Anti isn't his real, government-recorded, name--which is true. Instead, Anti is the name that he has written under for almost a decade, on his own personal blogs, and in his writing for the New York Times and other publications. It's the name on his Harvard fellowship documents. It's what his public knows him as. It's what you would search for if you were looking for his writing, or aiming to get in touch.
Facebook's "real name policy" will not accept such a pseudonym as the primary name on his account, and Anti was unwilling to change his account to reflect his birth name. That led to the removal, not only of his account, but his links with a thousand or so contacts he had made on the service since 2007.
Facebook's real name policy is long-established, and strongly defended by the company. But its ramifications are subtle, and end up a long way from what Facebook claims when it says it leads to a safer online environment. When dealing with the pseudonymity and celebrity of journalists working in dangerous conditions, it can lead to the quite the opposite.
Anti's anger with Facebook grew when he heard that the company now had a page for founder Mark Zuckerberg's new dog, Beast. As Anti told The Associated Press: "My journalistic work and academic work is more real than a dog."
Like many commercial Internet giants, as Facebook has grown, it has taken on many more functions: some deliberately, and some as a result of its users adapting its features for their own needs. It has moved from a simple tool for college students, to a 600-million-strong forum for sharing personal and public news. Games and private messaging have become as vital parts of Facebook's economy as sharing personal details. Facebook groups like the million-strong ElShaheeed have become the struts behind revolutions. News items are published, read, and shared on Facebook just as they are on the open Web and e-mail.
Facebook's attempts to reflect these new uses have led to some subtle and byzantine rules and structures, often haphazardly enforced. Everyone is required to use their real name: but Anti used his account for three years, before anyone at Facebook challenged him. Zuckerberg's dog gets a free ride on the service without a "real name" because Facebook has declared him a "public figure." Zuckerberg's dog, like other "public figures," has a page that looks like a normal account page, but he doesn't have friends (you can "like" him instead). Such pages also can not send or receive Facebook messages.
That's okay for a dog--or a politician or a celebrity wishing to maintain a one-way connection with Facebook fans. But if you're a journalist working in a regime that is cracking down on press freedom, much of the point of maintaining a presence on social networks is to stay in close and constant touch with your readers, your sources and fellow writers. There's both a journalistic and a safety function to such connections. As Anti himself compellingly argued in a New York Times editorial about social media, news spread through even weak ties like Facebook contacts is vital for keeping the flow of news alive. Facebook posts act as on-the-ground news reports. Private messaging can allow sources to stay in touch--and enable warnings to be spread.
Such activity is happening right now in China. In the current clampdown on media coverage of the Egypt-related protests on the mainland, journalists and their sources are exchanging a flurry of warnings of places not to go, reports of colleagues who have been threatened as well as a vital exchange of story leads and eyewitness reports.
Perhaps, though, Facebook is simply not the best vehicle for such discussions? As a technologist, that would certainly be the advice I would give. Despite recent improvements, CPJ has had too many reports of direct interception and malicious information gathering via Facebook to recommend it as a truly secure medium.
But, practically, when the site has 600 million users, and heavily encourages those users to use its internal messaging system, avoiding Facebook is almost impossible when gathering and reporting news, even in China where the service is blocked.
For many Net users, Facebook has become the preferred and sometimes the only way to stay in contact. You can only reach out to these users if you stay a member of Facebook. If you leave or have your account deleted, Facebook will not provide you with any way to remain in contact with those you communicated with. Delete an e-mail account, and you can take away your e-mail address book. Throw away your phone, and you get to keep your friend's phone numbers. If you leave or are thrown off Facebook, as Anti was, you will lose all contact with anyone who chose to reach out to you on that medium. Facebook refuseniks have to deal with the reality that leaving Facebook not only isolates you, but isolates those of your audience who use Facebook as their primary communication: a minor irritation in some countries, but genuinely dangerous in others.
They may not even know you've gone. Anti the journalist may no longer have an account on Facebook. But Anti the "public figure" certainly does--in both English and Chinese.
Facebook, as is its right, scraped the information for both of those pages from public information on Wikipedia. The real Anti has no control over them.
Like Zuckerberg's dog, you can't message these Antis, or make friends with them. You can "like" them, though. Note, though, that Facebook recently changed what happens when you click on the "like" button. These days, it will automatically post a headline, blurb, and thumbnail to your profile.
Again, that's hardly a big change if all you are doing is liking a dog on the Internet. But "liking" Anti or other challenging journalists so publicly in China may not be a wise act under the current conditions.
It's the sort of subtle ramification of Facebook technology changes a tech-savvy local reporter like Anti might choose to inform and warn his readers about, especially on his own page. But the "real" Anti can't do that. He isn't real enough for Facebook. Instead, only these silent placeholders remain.
When I joined Facebook, I was forced to use a different name because the drones at Facebook didn't believe it was real. Every time I entered my name, a message would pop up: "Please enter valid name". This was thanks to their or their computer's inability to conceive of names other than Bobby-Joe or Betty-Sue and the like. Yet my name is perfectly common in Denmark. Friends with Indian or Indonesian names, who used initials or only had one name, had similar experiences. It was only after many months that FB finally allowed my name. Incidentally, I have seen many many people on FB who use outlandish names that are clearly not their own.
Also, there are tons of people here in Germany who use names that don't make sense at all, "Lay Down" and stuff like this. And Facebook always approves!
Here you go again with another anti-corporate issue imported from the "progressive" Electronic Frontier Foundation and Harvard Berkman Center agenda instead of sticking to the basic issues of a liberal human rights organization, which should provide you with enough to keep busy.
The heart of freedom of the press -- a heart that EFF has of course spent years chipping away at for ideological reasons - is the private media corporation -- the right to freedom of association, and freedom of expression (the desire for anonymous accounts) does not trump that right.
EFF and friends have done their best to destroy both the private-property and the profit model of media by aggressively collectivizing content on the Internet and claiming "information wants to be free," but despite the great destruction of the news, book, music and other businesses and now even US foreign diplomacy with WikiLeaks, the principles still remain valid: freedom of expression does not trump freedom of association. You cannot use one right to undo another under the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. You cannot *force* Amazon to store stolen classified government documents; you cannot *force* Facebook to accommodate the needs for anonymity of your opposition movement. You cannot tell corporations what to do based on your own whims. Yes, corporations are subject to law. Yes, corporations are vulnerable to pressure by civic groups invoking law.
But there isn't any international law or Constitutional principle that ensures the right to have a pseudonym. It's merely a social good that some find useful and therefore a function of freedom of expression -- which again, does not trump freedom of association.
Yes, we get it that corporations like Facebook that create platforms and communites for socializing are now huge and influential and even take the place of the "newspaper of record" or "the town hall" for many people. Long, long before EFF found it politically expedient, I criticized the overreach of Facebook on user-generated content copyright; its unconscionable TOS; its lack of due process; the California Ideology baked into its tools; the California Business Model involving looking the other way about hate speech and other TOS infringements while content is freely uploaded to help sell ads; the unfair promotion of its special friends into positions of power on a committee set up to feign "democratic" reforms a few years ago; the lack of privacy and many other things -- your focus on anonymity for the expedience of this or that movement you like is a selective focus on the problems of corporate management of society.
o it contains an obvious contradiction about the claim that a fan page or public figure page is somehow more injurious to casual followers than friendhip links, because for a figure trying to get influence, a friendship is just as visible as a like and therefore if he leaves his friendship ties open, the secret police could find them as damaging to those followers.
It's not Facebook's job to create a platform for your international cyber movement, Danny. If you want to create coercively open-sourced software platforms with a permissive anonymous environment, then go join Diaspora or work to create a "movement" platform that will accommodate all the radical agendas of various groups that find anonymity and lack of accountability valuable. This will include lots of indy media type of journalists who will find it useful. There is nothing to stop you from creating that utopia you seek. Just don't ask big business and the average mainstream customer to support you in that vision by sustaining the massive environment for your anonymous activists to purvey their message -- and then also sustain the massive abuse caused by tech thug movements like Anonymous. Freedom of the press does *not* mean creating an audience for you or anyone else. And what you do with your demand for FB to make anonymous accounts is demand that they turn their platform over to you or other groups for your goals. That's not acceptible in a large platform that increasingly in our time has to do double duty for the town hall and the town square that no longer exist in real life. No one expects to keep anonymity at a town hall; in fact, contrary to the edge cases you invoke, many, many human rights movements and independent journalists groups in repressive countries are predicated on the notion of identity and accountability despite the risks.
You make some excellent arguments as to why Facebook should not be required to implement anonymity, many of which I agree with.
Just to be crystal clear, I too believe that Facebook should not be required to implement anonymity.


Oh what a reading month. Read some really good books this month. Have noticed that my reading mood has been a lot darker than previously months with dark titles like Beartown, Shutter, The Fixer, Vigilante, The Sandman and to some extent also Goodnight Mr Tom. I still feel a little dark so I think my choice of reading material will continue in the month of May. That doesn't matter for me. I'm a mood reader and if i'm not in a mood for an genre, i wont read it. Its as simple as that. I'm also really happy that I did start and finish the book The Luminaries, which I had as a goal to do before my birthday this year.
How have your reading month been?
Favorite book this month: Beartown by Fredrik Backman.
Least favorite book this month: Shutter by Courtney Alameda.
Number of physical books: 4.
Genres: Fantasy, young adult, fantasy, fiction.
Book 1 in Percy Jackson and the Olympians.
Book 1 in Beartown series.
Genres: Paranormal, young adult, horror, fantasy.
Book 2 in The Spotless series.
Book 1 in the Knitting in the city series.
Book 3 in The Heroes of Evers, Texas series.
Genres: Historical fiction, romantic, fantasy, fiction.
Book 4 in The Outlander series.
Book 1 in the series about the Professionals.
Genres: Mystery, thriller, suspense, crime.
Book 4 in the series about Joona Linna.


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NBA Owner Furious After One Anti-American Anthem Protest Went Up In Smoke
Sports leagues seem determined to become vehicles for politics.
The NBA is perhaps the biggest example of this new normal.
And one NBA owner is furious after an anti-American anthem protest went up in smoke.
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban made the stunning move to stop playing the national anthem at the American Airlines Center.
The move by Cuban was the latest escalation in the NBA's role in the culture war.
The 2020 season was marred by anti-American and anti-police protests, which resulted in ratings for the NBA Finals cratering.
Commissioner Adam Silver countermanded Cuban's anthem ban, and now lawmakers in Texas went a step further and passed Senate Bill 4, also known as the Star-Spangled Banner Protection Act.
"In February, Mavs Owner Mark Cuban ordered stadium staff not to play the national anthem. Last week, Texas Republicans responded by passing a law requiring him to play it.
Now, all that remains is for Texas Governor Greg Abbott to sign it.
The bill…was made a legislative priority of Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick after Cuban canceled the anthem for 13 Mavericks preseason and regular-season home games earlier this year.
'Sell the franchise & some Texas Patriots will buy it. We ARE the land of free & home of the brave,' Patrick wrote on Twitter at the time."
If Texas governor Greg Abbott signs the bill and Cuban defies the law, then he would not be eligible for business relationships with the state.
State House representative Dustin Burrows said that the bill "does not violate free speech because teams can still choose not to play the anthem and forgo the funding and business relationship with the state."
Liberals who were appalled by the move were silent when a similar pressure campaign was applied to NFL owner Dan Snyder.
Under intense pressure from the Left, Snyder finally dropped the Washington Redskins moniker for the Washington Football Team.
Cuban's move to cancel the anthem at the stadium was the culmination of years of anti-American sentiment that started with former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
What started as one player kneeling for the national anthem turned into a cause célèbre for the Democrat Media Complex.
Kaepernick was turned into a cult hero, and many athletes followed along.
Even owners like Cuban have gone "woke."
Republicans willing to engage in the culture war is a good sign for the country.
For too long, the Right idly sat by as the radical Left systematically poisoned the culture and eroded the American ethic.
In five short years, players who refuse to kneel for the anthem are ostracized by the media.
That's what happened to Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac, who was peppered with questions for not kneeling alongside his teammates.
Some members of the press even reacted with glee when Isaac tore his ACL soon after the incident.
It's time for conservatives to take a stand for their principles.
Tags Dallas Mavericks Mark Cuban NBA sports
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How keen was Halle Berry to appear in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (out May 17)? According to director Chad Stahelski, the Oscar-winner expressed her interest in joining the action threequel's cast before the project even had a script.
Five months later, Stahelski decided to see if Berry was serious.
Watch the new trailer for John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum above.


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1. Finally winning Wijk! Wesley So presents his game against Wojtaszek and explains why victory in the classic tournament in the Netherlands was so important to him.
2. An "oddball" idea: Levon Aronian explains how with 8.Na3 in the Catalan he achieved a brilliant win against Giri.
3. French aggression: attack together with Simon Williams "Move by Move" – just like Ju Wenjun did in her victory over Hou Yifan!
4. Spanish temptation: let Rainer Knaak show you how to entice your opponent into the 7.Ng5 trap with 6...d7-d6.
5. "Raving Rooks": along with Oliver Reeh light some tactical fireworks with double threats and multi-purpose moves (interactive video).
6. For and against the Bogo-Indian: GM Postny sums up the trends of recent years and shows you what is at present recommended.
7. "Portuguese Scandinavian": let Petra Papp show you how best to meet the gambit 1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4.
8. A "mad way to win": Anish Giri explains how he got Andreikin into trouble with the Scotch and what brilliant engine move he missed at the end.
9. Fantastically shattered: enjoy Rapport's brilliancy against So in Daniel King's video analysis.
10. Surprise in the Queen's Indian: let top Swiss player Yannick Pelletier unravel Aronian's 9.Be1 (video).
Lampert: English A32 (Recommendation for White)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nf3 cxd4 4.Nxd4 e6 5.g3 Qc7
In this variation, classified under the English Opening, but more likely having arisen from a Declined Benoni, White usually sacrifices his c4-pawn. As Jonas Lampert demonstrates in his article, in return he obtains compensation or even something more.
Krasenkow: English A34 (Recommendation for Black)
1.c4 c5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5
As Michal Krasenkow explains, every fan of the Grünfeld has to be prepared for White choosing a different starting move order and delaying d2-d4 so as not to allow an original Grünfeld. One of these variations is the subject of the present article by our Grünfeld expert.
1.d4 f5 2.Nc3 d5 3.Bg5 Nf6 4.Bxf6 exf6 5.e3 Be6
Many completely avoid the position in the diagram (see Part 2 in CBM 172). But nowadays the variation is dealt with slightly differently: above all c7-c6 is absolutely avoided. Viktor Moskalenko evaluates the ensuing positions as slightly static but very playable for Black.
Papp: Scandinavian Defence B01 (Recommendation for White)
1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Bg4
Petra Papp has against the Portuguese Variation 3...Bg4 a clear plan which gives White an advantage in all lines. The very starting move 4.Bb5+ is in her opinion somewhat more accurate than the popular 4.f3.
Breutigam: Pirc Defence B08 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 d6 2.d4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.Nf3 Bg7 5.Be2 0-0 6.0-0 a6
The move 6...a6 in the Pirc Defence has been known for a long time, but now this interesting variation has been enriched by remarkable facet: the idea, after Nb8-c6 followed by d4-d5, of retreating with the knight to a7. Martin Breutigam is enthusiastic about it.
Petrov: Sicilian Defence B23 (Recommendation for White)
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nd4 4.Nf3
As Marian Petrov explains in his article, the whole variation is above all based on the fact that by playing the "natural" 4...Nxb5 Black brings difficulties down on his own head, because White takes advantage of his lead on development for a rapid d2-d4.
Szabo: Sicilian Defence B53 (Recommendation for Black)
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Bb5 Bd7
The Hungarian Variation 4.Qxd4 is employed above all to avoid the Najdorf System. Krisztian Szabo presents a plan for Black with which he obtains at least a level game against both 6.Bxc6 and the recently popular 6.Qd3.
Ris: French Defence C11 (Recommendation for White)
1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.f4 c5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Be3 a6 8.Qd2 b5 9.dxc5 Bxc5 10.Bd3
As Robert Ris explains, the main idea behind Karjakin's 10.Bd3 Qb6 11.Bf2! is above all that Black will have a few difficulties in the possible endgames. There may be quite good alternatives, but they too are not very easy to play.
Kuzmin: Queen's Gambit D37 (Recommendation for Black)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 a6
Facing the unusual 4...a6 White mainly transposes with 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 to an Exchange Variation. As Alexey Kuzmin shows in his article on the DVD, Black develops with 6...Be6 and obtains very playable positions, though perhaps not complete equality.
Marin: Slav/Grünfeld D90 (Recommendation for Black)
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 g6
Thje relationship to the Schlechter Defence cannot be missed, but White has not yet played e3 and has some additional possibilities. But as Mihail Marin demonstrates, there is no need for Black to fear these, though knowledge of the Grünfeld is required.
Stohl: Catalan E06 (Recommendation for both sides)
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Qc2
The immediate 6.Qc2 (instead of 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Qc2) is in no way a new idea, but some recent games (especially So-Wojtaszek, Wijk aan Zee 2017) have once again attracted attention to the whole variation. Igor Stohl sums up the latest state of affairs in his article on the DVD.
Enjoy the best moments of recent top tournaments (Norway Chess, FIDE GP Moscow, WCh Teams) with analysis of top players. In addition you'll get lots of training material. For example 11 new suggestions for your opening repertoire.
Enjoy the best moments of recent top tournaments (Shamkir, Paris and Leuven) with analysis of top players. In addition you'll get lots of training material. For example 13 new suggestions for your opening repertoire.


To teach students in learning music theory thru a string instrument.
Hathaway music teacher Amy Switzer recently secured a $1,000 Creative Classroom Grant for the purchase of 100 ukuleles. She is using these new instruments to teach her students about music theory.
Learning to play the ukulele opens the door to learning other string instruments such as guitar. It's one more way to engage students who may not otherwise be that interested in music other than listening to it at home. It is a connection to many of the songs they know from their own world and makes music lessons more relatable to who they are, especially for our upper grade level students.
Some of the students enjoyed the ukuleles so much, they went out and bought their own to play at home.


Welcome to my website! You can learn about the books I've written, read my Herald-Citizen newspaper columns, find inspirational stories from Chicken Soup for the Soul, Guideposts and Angels on Earth magazine, and discover lots of other fun stuff, too.
Author adminPosted on February 28, 2011 December 30, 2015 5 Comments on Welcome!


Why choose to work with Cram Communication?
Hiring an in-house marketer can be expensive and time-consuming. I've worked with many businesses who have seen the benefit of using a freelance marketing service as and when they require it. Choosing Cram Communication means you gain a professional, with years of experience but none of the employee paperwork. Someone who is at the end of the phone or can visit the office when you need them and who works to a timeline that suits your business needs. Whether you are a large company with a three month project that you need freelance marketing support for, or a small business owner looking to grow your customer base and build your brand - working with an experienced marketing and copywriting freelancer provides an effective and flexible solution to help raise your profile and increase your sales.


Is a Bariatric Surgery Benefit Worth It?
Bariatric surgery does not reduce overall long-term health costs for obese individuals, a 6-year analysis of private health insurance data has found.
The study, published online February 20 in JAMA Surgery, also found no evidence that any one type of bariatric surgery is more likely than another to reduce costs.
http://www.wlbenefitsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/newest-011-300x63.jpg 0 0 wl_ben http://www.wlbenefitsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/newest-011-300x63.jpg wl_ben2013-03-27 10:04:002014-07-18 21:12:24Is a Bariatric Surgery Benefit Worth It?
Poor CVS/Caremark made the news with a negative slant towards their wellness program. All they want to do is encourage their employees to be healthy, right? This article questions the "voluntary" aspect of the wellness program due to their $50/month incentive. Discrimination through wellness programs is permitted as long as the program is a voluntary one, among other requirements under HIPAA. However, "voluntary" is not specifically defined in regulatory guidance and so it remains to be seen if the government steps in and dictates at what level an "incentive" crosses the line between voluntary and coercion. This guidance would likely be the domain of the ADA & the EEOC.
http://www.wlbenefitsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/newest-011-300x63.jpg 0 0 wl_ben http://www.wlbenefitsgroup.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/newest-011-300x63.jpg wl_ben2013-03-25 10:00:332014-07-18 21:12:24How would your Wellness Program fare in the press?


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ד"ר ולדימיר פריד
סגל אקדמי ›
Dr Vladi Frid is a senior and qualitative researcher with significant experience in the fields of rock physics (fracture mechanics/dynamics) and applied geophysics (acoustic/seismic emission and electromagnetic radiation). During the period of his work at BGU he was a principal researcher in several investigations granted by Ministry of Infrastructure and Israeli Academy of Science. He was a research team leader (Isotop Ltd) in the frame of international investigation (European Research Agency - FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IAPP - Marie Curie Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways, grant agreement No. 284544 (PARM2). This research in the field of fracture dynamics consisted of a wide cooperation with several Universities  abroad (Univ. Loughborough (UK), Univ. Aberystwyth (UK), Univ. Liverpool and Rzeszow Univ. of Technology (Poland)). Being one of 12 international experts/reviewers assessed different research areas in the frame of a research audit on hydrocarbon recovery of Skoltech University (that is the modern Russian University created last years jointly with MIT), he was noted by the General Manager as the only one whom was able to commenton all research directions of the unit". The areas of research which were reviewed included the fields of hydraulic fracturing and fracture dynamics among others areas in rock physics. His scientific list includes more than 50 referred papers and two monographs (including invited by Spinger)
מרצה
אתר אישי
השכלה
תחומי מחקר
שת"פ תעשייה
הצג קובץ
1992-1994 Post Doctoral Research Fellow. Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel. Advisers: Prof. Dov Bahat and Prof. Avinoam Rabinovitch.
1985-1990 Ph.D. in Rock Physics. All - Union Mining Geomechanics and Mine Surveying Science Research Institute (VNIMI). Dissertation title: Rockburst forecast by electromagnetic radiation induced by fracture - diploma with top distinction, the novelty of scientific works is verified by 9 inventions (Russian patents) Adviser: Prof. Proskuryakov V.
1979-1985 M.Sc. in Rock Physics. Saint-Petersburg Mining Univ., Dissertation title: Rock pressure control on ozocerite deposit. - diploma with top distinction, the novelty of scientific works is verified by 2 inventions (Russian patents). Adviser: Prof. Borisov, A.
Rock and soil mechanics, Fracture mechanics and Rock physics, Applied and Environmental Geophysics including failure analysis of different materials under external stresses, application of geophysical methods for stress monitoring under subsurface, fracture problems associated with earthquakes and induced seismicity, monitoring of highway and railway structure, landfill studies, environmental and hydrological investigations.
2018-2018 Engineering Geology for Tunneling (+ exercises), (Sami Shamoon College of Engineering)
2017-2018 Introduction to Engineering Geology (+ exercises), (Sami Shamoon College of Engineering)
2017-2018 Rock mechanics for Tunneling (+ exercises), (Sami Shamoon College of Engineering)
2016-2018 Soil mechanics -1 (+ exercises), (Sami Shamoon College of Engineering)
2016-2018 Introduction to earthquake (Sami Shamoon College of Engineering)
2016-2018 Application of engineering geophysical methods for design, construction and maintenance of tunnels properties (Ben Gurion University of the Negev)
1993-2005 Introduction to rock physical properties (Ben Gurion University of the Negev)
1993-2005 Applied geophysical methods for the rock stress estimation (Ben Gurion University of the Negev)
1993-2005 Rock testing by geophysical methods (Ben Gurion University of the Negev)
1993-2005 Fracture mechanics (Ben Gurion University of the Negev)
2002-2002 Introduction to soil mechanics (+ laboratory and exercises) (Negev Academic College of Engineering)
2002-2002 Introduction to engineering geology (+ exercises), (Negev Academic College of Engineering)
2012-2015 Research team leader (Isotop) in the frame of international investigation (European Research Agency - FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IAPP - Marie Curie Industry-Academia Partnerships and Pathways, grant agreement No. 284544 (PARM2), partners involved Univ. Loughborough (UK), Univ. Aberystwyth (UK), Univ. Liverpool and Rzeszow University of Technology (Poland) (1 peer reviewed paper).
1994-2005 Grants of Israeli Ministry of Infrastructure and Israeli Academy of Science. (23 peer reviewed papers).
2006-2017 Dozens of engineering and environmental soil and rock investigation including underground openings, karsts and sinkholes finding, landfill descriptions, economical mineral prospecting, archaeological studies (Grants of Israeli and international soil consultants) (4 peer reviewed papers).
2015 Investigation of highway pavement quality and pavement layers thickness of Israeli highways (6500 km). (Grant of National transport infrastructure company)
2013 Investigation of ballast, sub-ballast and sub-grade layers of the entire net of Israeli railways (1000 km). International project in cooperation with IDS (Italy) and Terra (Swiss). (Grant of Israel Railways company)
2010 Comprehensive soil investigation of Haifa and Ashdod sea ports including computer design of 3D model of subsurface soil structure of both sea ports (Grant of Israel Ports company). (1 peer reviewed paper).


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This is quite a nice intro to a tank that in small numbers still saw service during CRUSADER. Some of them made it up to the Axis counter offensive in January 1942, but my guess is most if not all of these would have been lost in it.
This blog (in true Ronseal tradition named: "Vintage photographs of battleships, battlecruisers and cruisers") features a lot of very nicely reworked pictures of warships from all over the world and a lot of different times. Some stuff I did not even know existed once upon a time. Most importantly however, it contains very nice pictures of Regia Marina vessels.
Below a relatively straightforward combat report by Captain Briel, CO of the self-propelled anti-aircraft battalion 606, equipped with 2cm AA guns. The main attack on 23 November was undertaken by 4 N.Z. Brigade, which afterwards was drawn off south. Through its east-facing defence of Gambut, Briel's Kampfgruppe ensured that the vital rear services of the Panzergruppe which were located north of the Via Balbia, could continue to work throughout the battle. The area was only cleared up by 2 S.A. Division in the middle of December.
The map below from the New Zealand Official History shows this quite neatly.
At 21.00 hours the 20mm platoon of 1st Company, which was tasked with the protection of the ration depot, was tasked with the protection of the supply services of 21. Panzerdivision against advancing English forces.
On 22 November I received the order to carry the order to move the supply services to the Ib of the division. When I arrived there, the 20mm platoon was in combat with 6 English tanks, 8 armoured cars, and about 150 riflemen. The riflemen had already crossed the Via Balbia northwards, and advanced on the depot. Realising that immediate and resolute action was required here, I resolved to protect the area of the division with all available forces.
I immediately assembled two rifle platoons from the remaining force of 1./Fla 606, the battalion staff of Fla.606, and riflemen of the butcher company, which through a northern envelopment threw back the English riflemen to the south.
The English laid on heavy artillery fire from the Jebel escarpment into the area 19km west of Bardia and north of this point.
The position was held nevertheless until the supply services of the division and remaining forces had moved off into the new area.
Since not everything could be removed from the depot on this day, I gave the order that the elements present had to hold the position until the next day. From the position MG nests and foxholes were effectively attacked, and losses were caused to the English.
Around evening time the English crossed the Via Balbia northwards with six tanks and riflemen.
Further armoured cars advanced on the Jebel escarpment, deeply enveloping our position.
Thus the danger developed that the small group would be encircled. I waited for dusk, and then avoided encirclement by a change of position.
To allow resistance against the vastly superior enemy, at least for as long as it took to completely remove all the depots, I started to assemble a combat group.
On the evening of 22 Nov. I subordinated to the combat group the 4th platoon of Supply Company 200, to be used as riflemen. A further addition were 2 20mm guns of I./Flak 33.
During dawn I moved with the small combat group again into the original position, and prevented the advance of the English. The English again put down heavy artillery fire on the position in order to push us out. But the position was held.
Around 14.00 hours I observed that a strong English detachment advanced rapidly on the Jebel escarpment, and that three armoured cars had already advanced towards the brown house [probably a Casa Cantoniera?] on the Via Balbia.
Since during the day the last columns had moved off to remaining commands, I now saw the main task in preventing the enemy's advance against the supply services of the 15.Pz.-Div., and especially the tank repair company [Pz.Werkstatt-Komp.].
I changed position with the combat group on the double towards the brown house. When the combat group arrived, artillery fire already lay on both sides of the brown house, and two rifle companies advanced from the airfield in the direction of the brown house.
The security force which had been put on the airfield during the morning had already, according to orders, displaced towards the position south of the brown house. When the six 20mm guns rolled into position at the brown house a 2.5 hour fight developed. I subordinated 2 50mm AT guns and three tanks of Pz.-Rgt.8 which had just come from the Werkstatt.-Kp. to the combat group. With these forces and increasing artillery fire it was not only possible to prevent increasing the advance by the English, but the English riflemen and armoured cars retreated onto Gambut airfield.
During the fight the English put down about 240 rounds of artillery fire on our forward positions. Our weapons fired around 2,000 rounds 20mm.
Around 17.00 hours I subordinated to myself a 150mm howitzer of 9./A.R.33 coming from the Werkstatt, which took the serpentine and the Jebel escarpment under fire, and provided valuable service to the combat group.
During the night enemy patrols were repulsed.
During the night I established through reconnaissance the position of the enemy artillery, and following the reconnaissance had the howitzer fire.
The success was excellent. The English battery had to repeatedly change position, the OP could no longer stay on the Jebel escarpment, and the English columns drove in wild confusion on the airfield.
To establish a clear situation for the next night, I faked an attack on Gambut with five tanks and all available riflemen while our artillery delivered a lively fire. The success was excellent.
The English columns moved off south, on the Jebel escarpment south of the airfield armoured cars remained in position as security.
The task which I had set the combat group was fulfilled, even though the enemy was very much superior in weapons and numbers.
The position was held, the supply services of the D.A.K. were protected, and could ensure supply.
30 Panzerpioniere [soldiers from an armoured engineer battalion] of Pz.-Pi.-Btl.200 [of 21.Pz.Div.] were subordinated to the combat group. On this day both sides engaged in patrol activity. Results from reconnaissance were constantly passed on to the D.A.K. via the Ib of 15.Pz.-Div.
On 26 November I established liaison with Div.z.b.V. to have clarity on the general situation. I received there the order from the divisional commander to hold the position at Gambut under any circumstance in order to ensure the supply of the D.A.K., especially with fuel and ammunition. Following my return I informed my combat group about the meaning of its task, and ordered the position to be built up into a defensive position. The engineers produced moveable barriers, and the guns were dug in.
Also on this day I had reconnaissance carried out to km 16 in the direction of Bardia, and towards the south up the Jebel limit of the airfield.
The incoming results were immediately passed on to the Div. z.b.V. and the D.A.K. by the means mentioned above.
During the morning reconnaissance patrol activity by us.
During evening the Panzergruppe and Korps staffs arrived on the airfield Gambut. I reported immediately and established security for the protection of the staffs on the airfield. The chief of staff confirmed the measures taken as correct based on the general situation, and I now received the order from Korps to hold the position under any circumstance because of its immense importance for the assurance of supply.
During the day my combat group was temporarily subordinated to Lieutenant-Colonel Knabe [OC PR8]. This subordinated relation ceased however after only a few hours and the combat group became independent again. The combat group of Lieutenant-Colonel Knabe reinforced me with one infantry gun [either 75 or 150mm] and three 37mm AA guns.
By order of Div. z.b.V. the heavy howitzer [the one taken over on 22 November] had to be sent off to the Tobruk front. During the day reconnaissance patrol activity.
During the morning lively English reconnaissance activity with armoured cars from east and south against the positions of the combat group. In the area east and south-east of the airfield single English vehicles. During the day I received the order from the Div. z.b.V. to send off all heavy weapons above 20mm, furthermore a platoon of 20mm, and the armoured engineers to the Batallion Kolbeck [see related article].
Because of the time when this move was ordered, the release of these elements from the position could not be missed by the English reconnaissance patrols. Half an hour after the elements had moved off, the English pushed from east and south against my position, which at this point in time was only occupier by 4 20mm guns and some other guns. The fight against the advancing enemy was taken up, as ordered.
These elements returned on the double to the defensive position and by their immediate use and continuous fire the enemy could be stopped.
The defensive combat lasted until 03.00 hours in the morning. Because all elements of the small combat groups did their utmost throughout, the advance of the again vastly superior in weapons and men English could be prevented.
During the night the English brought his artillery into position on the airfield Gambut, and from 06.45 to 10.30 hours prepared a new attack against the Via Balbia. During the time indicated 330 to 340 rounds of artillery were fired by the English on our positions, calibre 80-90mm. The hits in the brown house on the Via Balbia are witness to this fire.
When the English then tried a renewed advance with infantry, this attempt was again repulsed decisively in fighting.
A renewed start to the artillery fire was prevented by the immediate use of the 4th and 7th batteries of Art.-Rgt.33 [of 15.Pz.-Div.] which arrived by accident from Bardia.
These two batteries completely secured the defensive success of the combat group, by forcing the entire British battalion off the airfield by excellently placed fire.
Our immediately started reconnaissance showed that the English retreated onto the Jebel south of the airfield. During the course of the afternoon all heavy weapons had finally to be handed over to Div.z.b.V. on its orders.
No combat during the morning.
During the afternoon an English truck column, accompanied by four armoured cars and two tanks, was taken under long distance fire by the 20mm platoon of the combat group which was tasked with securing the airfield.
The column therefore turned and retreated on the Jebel escarpment south of the Via Balbia in the direction of Bardia. At 18.00 hours [difficult to read] a forward detachment of 15.Pz.Div. arrived, which leaguered north of the road and advanced against Bardia early on 3 Dec.
The task of the combat group is fulfilled.
The combat group is to be dissolved.
Elements Fla.-Btl. 606 will report to 21.Pz.Div.
At 13.00 hours I arrived with the elements Fla.Btl.606 at the 21.Pz.Div.
The other elements were relieved and sent back to their units.


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Sacred site in Joshua Tree conveyed to Native American Land Conservancy
Supervisor James Ramos with members of the NALC. Gentleman in blue, next to Supervisor, is NALC President Michael Madrigal.
On Tuesday, May 22, 2018, the Board of Supervisors authorized the conveyance of 30.25 acres of unincorporated area in Joshua Tree to the Native American Land Conservancy (NALC), which will take appropriate steps to ensure proper preservation of this sacred Native American land and culture.
The State of California issued the title of the land to the County of San Bernardino in the late 1970's with the intent to utilize it for flood control purposes. Identified as a Native American scared site and home to a number of ancient petroglyphs, the land was ultimately never put to use. The land, which has been dubbed "Coyote Hole", has undergone recent preservation efforts by local volunteers. Since the discovery of the land's cultural and historical value, the County dedicated resources to aid in protecting and preserving the area while seeking an optimal solution for the long-lasting preservation of the area.
"This conveyance is more than a transfer of land. Today, we entrust the preservation of our culture and history to a group whose mission is to protect Native American lands for future generations to enjoy," stated Third District Supervisor James Ramos. "As a strong advocate for cultural preservation, I am elated to see this land conveyance come to fruition. I know Coyote Hole is in good hands."
The NALC is an intertribal, State registered, 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and protecting endangered Native American sacred sites and areas. The NALC accomplishes its mission through acquisitions and cooperation with various entities such as tribes, conservation groups and state agencies to develop long-term protective land management programs for Native American traditional cultural properties. The NALC provides cultural awareness programs designed to promote intercultural understandings, strengthen tribal relations, and pass on traditional teachings to future generations.
"The Native American Land Conservancy is honored to become stewards of the sacred lands at Coyote Hole in the community of Joshua Tree," stated Michael Madrigal, President of NALC. "This landscape is filled with awe inspiring natural and cultural features. Most notably, the record of human history recorded there through the area's numerous archaeological resources."
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Good Thursday Afternoon,
It's time to take a look at the polls! Each week, Magnified delivers insights and analysis straight to your inbox, allowing you to stay up to date on what the public thinks about the most important issues of the day. With its focus on the environment, this week's issue takes its thematic cue from the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, set to begin next week. Keep reading for the latest updates on our weekly trackers, as well as our national and international polls. Today, we also take an in-depth look at why environmental policy, an issue on which goals and rhetoric are currently similar across the UK's main political parties should become an area of political contestation in the future—and why it probably won't.
This week, our research also covered:
Dramatic change in perception of UK Gov't Covid handling
Britons' assessments of Taiwan's security situation
Views on electric cars
Westminster Insights
Westminster Voting Intention
(25 Oct):
Conservative 39% (-1)
Labour 36% (-1)
Liberal Democrat 10% (+1)
Scottish National Party 4% (–)
Reform UK 4% (+1)
Other 1% (-1)
Changes +/- 18 Oct
All Net Approval Ratings
Rishi Sunak: +18% (-1)
Boris Johnson: -3% (-1)
Keir Starmer: -10% (–)
Our latest Voting Intention poll gives the Conservatives a three-point lead over Labour, with 39% (-1) of voters saying they would vote for the Conservative Party if an election were to be held tomorrow. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's net approval rating stands at -3% (-1) in this week's poll, while the Government's net competency rating remains at -13% (-1).
The Prime Minister's net approval rating and the Government's net competency rating may not have changed significantly over the past week, but one area in which public opinion has dramatically changed is the Government's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
With nearly 86% of the population aged 12 and above now having received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, nearly 80% having received two doses, and all domestic restrictions having ceased, the pandemic had begun to lose some of its political salience. Sure, issues such as a report by MPs describing the UK's failure to do more to combat the pandemic in its early stages as one of the country's worst public health failures or debates about mask wearing in the House of Commons still received media attention, but the pandemic had been dominating the news agenda decidedly less than in previous months.
Since last week, however, coronavirus appears to be making a political comeback amidst once again rising cases and, more importantly, hospitalisations—which is impacting voters' perception of how the Government is dealing with the ongoing pandemic.
Just two weeks ago, 43% of Britons thought the Government was taking the right measures to address the pandemic and 37% thought it was not. Now, we record nearly half (49%) of Britons saying they do not think the Government is taking the right measures—a 12-point increase—while only a third (33%) thinks the Government is taking the right measures to address the pandemic. In July, a shift of the same nature occurred—one that correlated with a drop in Boris Johnson's net approval into negative territory (where it has since remained).
Uncertain messaging regarding the Government's strategy over the coming winter months may be one factor behind this latest change in public opinion. While some groups, such as the NHS Confederation and the British Medical Association, have called for some restrictions to be reintroduced, the Government has indicated that a fourth lockdown would only be used as a 'last resort.'
Such a lockdown, while not completely off the table, would only be considered should both plan A—the Government's preferred strategy of relying on high vaccination rates to avoid introducing new restrictions—and Plan B—involving measures such as mandatory face coverings, vaccine passports, and working from home—fail. Britons do not appear convinced. In fact, 51% think it is likely another lockdown will be imposed this winter, compared to 22% who deem this prospect unlikely.
Going forward, rising case numbers and hospitalisations and the Government's response to this evolving dynamic will also represent another significant political test for Sajid Javid. After taking over as Health Secretary from Matt Hancock in June, the Minister's first judgement call on lifting all remaining restrictions in England on 19 July amidst still high cases may once have seemed vindicated. With his current net approval rating standing at -2%, this evaluation is now under threat.
Britons' Views on Organic vs. Conventional Farming and Agricultural Practices
As a matter of policy, Britons demonstrate a clear preference for organic agricultural and farming practices. A majority oppose the use of hormones and anti-biotics in livestock (51%), and pluralities oppose the use of pesticides (44%) and the genetic modification of crops (33%).
At the same time, Britons clearly find it difficult to take their preferences for agricultural and farm products that do not employ these practices into account in practice. When shopping for food, overwhelming majorities say they do not know how to distinguish between meat from animals that have or have not been fed hormones or antibiotics (76%), food that has or has not been grown with the use of pesticides (74%), and products that have or have not been genetically modified (69%).
Perhaps due to this confusion, majorities of Britons concede that they do not actively try to avoid buying meat that has been fed hormones or antibiotics (52%), food that has been grown with the use of pesticides (56%), or foods that have been genetically modified (55%). Even so, thanks to what Nassim Nicholas Taleb calls the 'minority rule,' those who do not actively avoid eating such foods can still rest easy—those who do know how to identify foods they are unwilling to eat are clearly sizable enough in number to prevent many supermarkets from stocking their shelves with such foods deemed undesirable by this minority. By default, those who are unable to actively distinguish between products will often thus end up buying the products they prefer—even if they do so unknowingly.
Our Global Data
Great Britain: Among Britons aware of what green belts around British cities are, an overwhelming 90% approve of their existence. In fact, Britons' approval of green belts goes so far that 74% think the rules on building in green belts should remain strict to protect the environment, even if this is at the expense of building more affordable housing in British cities. Only 20% take the inverse view that building affordable houses should be prioritised over keeping the rules on building in green belts strict to protect the environment. Read more here.
Great Britain: With the safety of MPs in the spotlight, 54% of Britons say they would support the vetting of constituents seeking to meet with their Member of Parliament prior to constituency surgeries—a measure only 11% would oppose, even though a plurality of 43% also thinks that the vetting of constituents seeking to meet their MP would be abused by MPs trying to avoid unhappy constituents who merely disagree with them (without posing a security threat).
Great Britain/United States: Views on the societal impact of social media align closely on both sides of the Atlantic. 49% of Britons and 52% of Americans think social media platforms are more likely to tear societies apart, whereas 29% in Great Britain and 25% in the US think they are more likely to bring societies closer together.
United States: A plurality of Americans think the Biden Administration has performed best with regard to the coronavirus pandemic (38%), including 64% of Biden voters. Respondents select immigration (27%) as the area where the Biden Administration has performed worst, including 27% of Biden voters, with the economy (24%) a close second (20% of Biden voters).
Hire Us: If you are a business, campaign, or research organisation looking to expand your understanding of public opinion, Redfield & Wilton Strategies has the tools to help. Get in touch to find out more.
Long Exposure: In-Depth Analysis
Consensus or Competition: Why Parties' Environmental Policies Should Become a Political Battleground and Why They Won't
In the United Kingdom, leaders across the political spectrum recognise the need to include environmental policies in their platforms in response to increasing demand from voters. Currently, 29% of Britons say a political party's environmental policies matter 'a great deal' to them when deciding whether to vote for that party, and a further 42% say these policies matter 'a moderate amount.' Only 11% say a party's environmental policies do not matter to them at all. Accordingly, all parties made sure to include green policies in their 2019 manifestos—rendering the last General Election the 'greenest' the UK has seen to date. The election even featured the first televised election leaders' debate on climate change, which symbolised a shift in the political importance attached to environmental issues—though Boris Johnson declined to attend.
Yet, green campaign pledges have thus far served mostly as a box-ticking exercise for politicians rather than as a real source of political dispute. No party, for instance, denies that climate change is a threat to the UK—an assessment shared by 59% of the British public. It is furthermore striking just how similar the parties' 2019 manifestos are regarding the environment, where one can find a broad consensus on the need for the UK to virtually eliminate its greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades, for instance.
What varies only somewhat are the timelines parties set to achieve 'net zero.' Whereas the Conservatives decided in 2019 to stick to the 2050 target set by Theresa May, the Liberal Democrats chose 2045 with the largest reduction to take place over the next ten years, akin to Labour's promise of achieving the 'substantial majority of our emissions reductions by 2030.' The Greens went a step further by promising to get all to way to 'net zero' by 2030. Beyond considerations of how realistic these different timelines are, the final endpoint of net zero emissions is generally not in dispute.
Supporting this point, we find that most of the public is hardly aware, if at all, of each party's environmental platform. Those saying they know 'nothing at all' or just 'a little bit' of a party's environmental policies are in the majority regarding the Labour Party (64%), the Liberal Democrats (76%), and even the Greens (66%). Only the Conservative Party, due to being in Government, sees a majority of members of the public saying they know 'a moderate amount' or a 'great deal' about their environmental policies (52%).
Soon enough, however, the questions of when and how the UK should get to 'net zero' should become contentious and politically fraught terrain. As time goes by, the Government will be forced either to act or to admit that all talk around tackling climate change has been a charade. When such a juncture approaches and debates about various approaches inevitably arise, differences among the body politic should accordingly become visible.
Above all, it is undeniable that implementing the UK's green transformation will come with a hefty price tag. At the same time, Britons appear reluctant to dig deep into their own pockets to finance the green transformation. For instance, likely in response to recent petrol shortages and supply chain issues in Britain, a plurality (38%) of Britons now say they would oppose personally paying more in taxes to fund environmental initiatives, compared to 29% who would support doing so. From a consumer standpoint, many also appear unwilling—and perhaps financially unable—to accept increases in their living costs to help the planet, with a small, though still significant 29% of Britons saying they would be willing to pay 1.5 times the current price for food products if they were produced locally, rather than imported, for example.
Beyond its price tag, this relative unwillingness to personally pay more to fund environmental policies could be linked to doubts regarding the effectiveness of such initiatives. The Government purportedly invested £37 billion in renewable energy between 2010 and 2015 alone, and there is no shortage of new, expensive investment promises, including, to cite just one example, the 2020 Budget announcement that the Government would provide £532 million for consumer incentives for ultra-low emission vehicles. Despite these many costly measures already undertaken or now promised, a plurality of 37% still disagrees that the UK Government is doing enough to address climate change—raising the question of what measures, if any, would be enough?
There also is a global aspect to Britons' scepticism regarding the effectiveness of environmental policies. Whereas a majority of 51% of Britons who understand the meaning of the Government's 'net zero' target do not have confidence in the ability of the UK to reach this target by 2050, as many as 70% of this demographic say they do not have confidence in the ability of the world to reach 'net zero' carbon emissions by 2050. Even as a clear majority (62%) believes all countries have an equal responsibility to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, only 27% agree that the UK is doing enough to encourage other countries to address climate change.
Mirroring this lack of faith in the Government and regarding global efforts, 52% also agree that they find it hard to tell whether the practices they personally adopt to live a more environmentally friendly lifestyle make any real difference. Only 14% disagree. Averting resignation among voters and proving that initiatives do make a real difference will thus be a major stumbling block, perhaps an insurmountable one.
Moreover, perceived fairness will be another critical issue. More than half (55%) of Britons think that when it comes to covering the economic costs associated with the UK Government's efforts to protect the environment and address climate change, the costs are generally unevenly distributed across society. Parties will therefore need to respond to such perceived unfairness—and with parties likely to have differing ideas of what constitutes a 'fair distribution' of the costs associated with efforts to protect the environment and address climate change, political contestation should become pronounced.
Nuclear power is a prime example: While a plurality (39%) of Britons would support the Government investing in building new nuclear power plants in the United Kingdom, a nearly equal plurality would oppose the Government building new nuclear power plants in their region—suggesting that the construction of nuclear power plants is a typical "not in my backyard" issue. Simultaneously catering to these two preferences across the entire electorate is impossible, which brings with it the risk of discontent—and thereby politicisation.
For all the above reasons, we see political contestation around solutions to the UK's environmental problems as necessary. Consensus in terms of the present rhetoric should eventually give way to dissensus in practice. When mere talk moves to action, currently hidden faultlines should become apparent, and voters should begin to pay more attention to the specifics they currently—reassured by party leaders' perhaps symbolic performance on recognising the importance of addressing climate change—feel comfortable enough to disregard.
Recent experience with the coronavirus pandemic, however, suggests a genuine risk that the subject of climate change and debates surrounding solutions to address it will be precluded from democratic debate, on the grounds that disagreement with this or that environmental policy is in fundamental disagreement with "the science." Analogous to the way policies intended to address climate change will, the policies developed with little political opposition in response to the coronavirus pandemic inflicted enormous and, at times, unevenly distributed costs on the general population while not always appearing effective.
In a previous issue of Magnified, we argued that scientific advice during the coronavirus pandemic often had the effect of obligating the Government to introduce certain policies, rather than, as intended, informing the Government and the public about a variety of possible policy choices. However, for any mistakes that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic, politicians, rather than the scientists advising the Government, took the brunt of the blame. Such blame, as we argued, often came with the false accusation that the politicians in charge had not followed the scientific advice given to them even when they had followed such advice—for instance, in the decision not to lockdown during the early days of the pandemic.
One may argue that, unlike climate change, the threat of the coronavirus pandemic, though also 'an invisible enemy,' was immediate and apparent, thereby preventing nuanced political debate around different possible solutions. Yet, a majority (66%) of the British public already agrees that the world is facing a 'climate emergency.' As a result, this dangerous dynamic of ceding political decision-making power to scientific advisers in times of emergency, which has proven so effective in neutralising political opposition, is likely to be repeated when it comes to climate change.
The question of how to address climate change should become a political battleground, but it appears increasingly likely that it will not be—with little accountability accorded to those who make costly mistakes.
Perspective: The R&WS Take on the News
Biden vows to defend Taiwan from Chinese military action
Financial Times | 22 October 2021
Our take: In contradiction to the United States' long-standing policy of strategic ambiguity, President Joe Biden last week said the US had a commitment to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack. The White House has since played down the comments, saying the US' policy—which, under the 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, is for the US to support Taiwan's self-defence efforts without committing itself to a formal defence alliance—had not changed. In the UK, the public sees the US as having a clear role to play in the defence of Taiwan, though views of what this means for Taiwan are ambiguous: A plurality (34%) of Britons agree that the security of Taiwan depends on the United States, but only 24% agree that the United States can be trusted to defend Taiwan. An equal proportion (24%) in fact disagrees that the US can be trusted in this regard, and 27% neither agree nor disagree—suggesting a dangerous lack of confidence among Britons in America's commitment to defend Taiwan.
UK battery 'gigafactory' plans huge expansion as electric car demand soars
The Guardian | 25 October 2021
Our take: Britons appear more and more willing to consider switching from fossil fuel-powered to electric cars—more so than Europeans in France, Germany, and Italy, for example, as we detailed in a previous issue of Magnified. Currently, 9% say they are 'very likely' to purchase an electric car in the next three years. While 46% overall explicitly say they are unlikely to purchase an electric car in the next three years, for half (52%) of these respondents this answer is due to them being unlikely to purchase any car in the next three years. Nevertheless, the price of electric vehicles remains a major concern. Despite Government grants intended to make electric vehicles more affordable, 43% of those unlikely to purchase one over the next three years cite electric cars being too expensive as a main reason. A lack of charging stations (32%) and concerns over battery life (36%) are other common factors likely to inhibit Britons' uptake of electric cars.
R&WS in the Media
Each week we bring you the top stories from the media that have featured our research.
Building on greenbelt land is still politically toxic, despite the severity of the housing crisis
iNews | 26 October 2021
Trump Will 'Kneecap' GOP Presidential Nominee if He Doesn't Run, Says Ex-Republican Lawmaker
Newsweek | 24 October 2021
Boris orders over-50s to get booster jabs NOW amid Christmas lockdown fears
Daily Express | 22 October 2021
Are you a journalist needing a stat for your latest piece? We can be your resource—our polling covers hundreds of issues in multiple countries each week. If you are working on an article on a topical issue, chances are we have already asked the public about it. Get in touch and we'll share our polling data with you!
Most Read on Our Website This Week
27 October 2021 (4 min read)
Latest GB Voting Intention (25 October 2021)
Joe Biden Administration Approval Ratings (17 October)
Our Research on Social Media
Top 5 Tweets This Week
Would the British public support or oppose personally paying more in taxes to fund environmental initiatives? (17 Oct): (see full tweet)
What political or Government-related news stories most caught Britons' attention in the past week? (25 Oct): (see full tweet)
For which OTHER party could current Conservative voters see themselves voting? (21 Oct): (see full tweet)
How often do Britons engage with political content on social media? (22 Oct): (see full tweet)
Which party do Britons trust most in specific policy areas? (23 Oct): (see full tweet)
Have a question or want to know more about our research? Get in touch! Redfield & Wilton Strategies is a member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules. Follow us on Twitter
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Q: "tensorflow/core/framework/common_shape_fns.h: No such file or directory" when adding custom op in tensorflow I am trying to add a custom op in Tensorflow in Google Colab using this Tensorflow Doc. However, when building I am getting this error.
2021-04-05 04:24:26.500483: I tensorflow/stream_executor/platform/default/dso_loader.cc:49] Successfully opened dynamic library libcudart.so.11.0
2021-04-05 04:24:29.436586: I tensorflow/stream_executor/platform/default/dso_loader.cc:49] Successfully opened dynamic library libcudart.so.11.0
xor_op.cc:2:10: fatal error: tensorflow/core/framework/common_shape_fns.h: No such file or directory
 #include "tensorflow/core/framework/common_shape_fns.h"
          ^~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
compilation terminated.

The building commands are,
$ TF_LFLAGS=($(python -c 'import tensorflow as tf; print(" ".join(tf.sysconfig.get_link_flags()))'))
$ TF_CFLAGS=($(python -c 'import tensorflow as tf; print(" ".join(tf.sysconfig.get_compile_flags()))'))
$
$ g++ -std=c++14 -shared xor_op.cc -o xor_op.so -fPIC ${TF_CFLAGS[@]} ${TF_LFLAGS[@]} -O2

Any idea what is the problem in this case?

A: Use the following steps to run this in Google Colab. Basically, we will remove the use of the variables (e.g, TF_LFLAGS, TF_CFLAGS) in building and build this with direct command.

*

*Add the cpp file.

# create empty file and copy and paste code
! touch ./xor_op.cc

Or use magic operation,
%%writefile xor_op.cc

#And contents of the file

*Get compile flags from TensorFlow.

tf.sysconfig.get_compile_flags()
# output: ['-I/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/tensorflow/include',
# '-D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0']

*Get linking flags from TensorFlow.

tf.sysconfig.get_link_flags()
# output: ['-L/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/tensorflow',
# '-l:libtensorflow_framework.so.2']

*Build the op.

! g++ -std=c++14 -shared \
    xor_op.cc \
    -o xor_op.so \
    -fPIC \
    -I/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/tensorflow/include \
    -D_GLIBCXX_USE_CXX11_ABI=0 \
    -L/usr/local/lib/python3.7/dist-packages/tensorflow \
    -l:libtensorflow_framework.so.2 \
    -O2

Now this will create the intended .so file. This was pointed out by gobrewers14 in the comment section of another question.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


Resource for Youth Romantic Relationships Designed for youth, the ACT Youth Network site features a section on romantic relationships. Young people can take the "relationship checkup quiz," learn about the "love chemicals" they may experience, and find tips .
Oct 23, · Does your relationship need a check-up? Romantic Personality. Are you a romantic or a cynic? How culture influences our behavior in romantic relationships. Haruna .
What Healthy Dating and Romantic Relationships Look Like. Romantic relationships become more serious among older teens in high school (ages ). At this time, romantic relationships become more exclusive, last longer, and can be more emotionally and sexually intimate. 2.
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Adolescents may have questions about what is "normal" or "healthy" when it comes to dating. Learning and communicating the facts is.
Teens, Technology and Romantic Relationships. Most teens in romantic relationships assume that they and their partner will check in with each other with great regularity throughout the day. Text messaging – 92% of teens with romantic relationship experience have spent time text messaging with their partner at least occasionally.
5 facts about online dating. By Aaron Smith and Monica Anderson. Digital technology and smartphones in particular have transformed many aspects of our society, including how people seek out and establish romantic relationships.
Adolescent Romantic Relationship Theories. Several important theoretical schemas have emerged to help make sense of how adolescent romantic relationships fit into the existing social relationship order and how they develop over time.
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For many, romantic relationships comprise the most meaningful aspect of life, Dating, or setting up meetings in advance, is a process by which people spend.
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When it comes to dating vs a relationship, there are a lot of differences. How to Be Romantic Without Being Cheesy. Dating vs. Relationships The main difference between dating and being in a relationship is that people in a relationship are connected by a mutual commitment to each other. You and the person you're with have agreed.


Are you planning on eventually taking out all the Zelda/Pokemon/Mario placeholder assets?
I'm not trying to get a coherent universe, I'm just try to do a game with my abilities, and I'd see until I can go.
I would have liked to make graphics for the whole game, but I can not.
I am mainly trying to get a game whose gameplay does not have too much bug.
Multiplayer game is not very easy to build.
Nope, multiplayer is quite tough. Really cool you're taking a stab at it! Good luck!
I'm looking for platforms or a way to get this platform working to go Mobile or something..
oh yes, James i remember you, i know you search an engine for atrius, i see your topic on gr forum.
But maybe why not try a bit ?.
here some animated screen about new rain and new village on KOS.
Hi ZFGC, here some new work about a small arcade game Inside KOS tavern.
This game called Z-reborn is a survival like, in a post zombie apocalyptic world.
I made this with sprite from gta2 and the tileset graal 2001 and the tileset Zelda a link to the past from pixelghost.
Have a nice and happy Holidays.
Some news on the kingdom, i build two new item, one allow you to !@#$% on the game and the other make a fire rain on a player for 20 seconds.
Page created in 0.086 seconds with 48 queries.


text:
Government agencies coordinate to raid clinics and threaten doctors who help patients stay healthy during coronavirus pandemic
Posted By: NaturalHealth July 13, 2020
(Natural News) A vast wealth of knowledge on the human immune system has been suppressed during the covid-19 pandemic, and the government is actively censoring doctors who help patients overcome covid-19.
When the federal coronavirus task force took the stage in March, the country was put into a state of perpetual, cascading emergencies. The public was left in the dark about what they could do to overcome infections. Instead of aid and guidance, the public was conditioned to feel helpless to a mysterious pathogen, as visions of overcrowded hospitals beckoned state-wide shutdowns across the country. At the behest of the CDC, most governors ordered everyone to stay home and fear human contact, as hundreds of millions of dollars were funneled to diagnostics, contact tracing, and vaccine companies.
But an infection does not have to lead to hospitalization or death. Public health leaders neglected to educate and implement scientific strategies that strengthen individual immunity.
Government agencies coordinate to censor strategies that help people overcome infections
Whether guided by incompetence, ignorance or malicious intent, government agencies are now coordinating to censor doctors who do try to help patients stay healthy during the coronavirus pandemic.
Behind closed doors, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and some state attorney generals are going after medical doctors and other healthcare providers who help patients overcome covid-19 without a vaccine. In fact, the FDA and the FTC have already sent out hundreds of warning letters threatening to shut down doctors, clinics and companies that help people prevent and overcome infectious disease such as covid-19. These doctors are being accused of: illegally advertising nutritional products and anti-viral phyto-chemicals that can reduce inflammation and boost the human immune response by stopping viral attachment and viral replication.
The act of helping an individual prevent and overcome infection, hospitalization and death is considered a criminal act, because the FDA and FTC does not allow anyone to imply that infections can be mitigated, prevented, treated or cured, unless the healthcare practitioner is administering vaccines or pharmaceuticals that have been approved through a costly FDA process. This process of approval, which costs billions of dollars on average, is reserved for the wealthy drug companies that have patents and investors that guarantee market exclusivity. As the government coordinates to gag doctors from sharing their knowledge on infectious disease, people will inevitably suffer and die.
Only drug companies can use the FDA's randomized controlled trial (RTC) approval process, giving a select few pill makers a monopoly on medicine. If doctors do not follow along with this monopoly cartel, they are gagged and threatened, their license to practice medicine revoked.
Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and the mineral zinc are very affordable to manufacture and science shows that these nutrients and other natural antivirals stop viral replication and strengthen antibody response to infection, but doctors and companies are suppressed from sharing this knowledge and getting patients what they need in order to recover.
The government agencies that are supposed to protect the public are censoring scientific information on natural products while protecting the profits of drug companies. These government agencies are acting like crooked law enforcement officers that gag good people into submission, leaving countless others to choke and die from respiratory infections because they could not access the information, products and strategies that could have saved their lives. These pharmaceutical cartels, running the government agencies, have a metaphoric knee in the public's neck, and people are screaming, "I can't breathe!"
Please take part in the petition to stop the FDA and FTC from further censoring good doctors and companies that could save more lives from covid-19 and other infectious diseases.
ANHUSA.org
FTC.gov
HDBiosciences.com
WXYZDetroit.com
PubMed.gov
A NEW "MEDICAL HITLER" - Biden declares himself medical DICTATOR, threatens to nullify states' right...
"Covid" deaths hit new record in hyper-vaccinated Australia
World Economic Forum brags that China is controlling weather with "cloud seeding" chemtr...
Mortality rate from Delta variant eight times higher in "fully vaccinated" individuals
Doctors share THEIR OWN vaccine injury horror stories, revealing that vaccines are devastating the m...
Racist leftists attack, mock Dr. Stella Immanuel over her truth and passion to protect human lives a...
Three unmistakable signs that WAR is coming to America: Pompeo orders all American citizens to "imme...
US enemies may be planning EMP attack as civil unrest hounds Capitol


text:
Monica Gagliano: Plant Intelligence and the Importance of Imagination In Science
Bioneers Nature, Culture and SpiritRestoring Ecosystems Video
From ancient myths to modern blockbuster movies, humanity has recounted countless stories in which a seemingly inert vegetal world suddenly comes to life to express itself like a person. What if these stories were more than the fruit of vivid imaginations and were based on an underlying truth? Monica Gagliano, Research Associate Professor in Evolutionary Ecology at the University of Western Australia, has courageously illuminated the revolutionary new field of Plant Bioacoustics. She shares startling cutting-edge research and shows how contemporary science has finally begun lifting the veil of our assumptions by beginning to attune its ears to vegetal "voices." She believes this new paradigm will expand our perspectives to provide us with imaginative new solutions to our current eco-cultural predicaments.
Introduction by Kenny Ausubel, Bioneers CEO & Co-Founder.
This speech was given at the 2018 Bioneers Conference. Read the full text version.
View more keynotes, transcripts, and more from the 2018 Bioneers Conference.
BiodiversityConservationintelligence in natureMonica Gagliano
The Rights of Nature Movement in Indian Country and Beyond: From Grassroots to Mainstream
Nina Simons: Navigating the Nexus – Nature, Culture & the Sacred
Samuel Myers, MD – Planetary Health: Protecting Nature to Protect Ourselves


text:
Niko Villegas (Philippines)
On December 1, 1983, renowned Davao photographer and artist Arnel S. Villegas and wife Teresa brought forth into this world a kid whose name is destined to foretell his future profession in life. Niko Miguel Ma. Gempesaw Villegas was born, and grew up amidst a life of art and photography. Named after the famous camera brand, he was introduced to the arts at a very tender age by his Dad. Soon he grew up and studied AB Communication Arts at the Ateneo de Davao University. He started photography in college as an elective in school and moved on to work for local dailies and websites. Niko decided to broaden his horizon and moved to the United States in 2006 to pursue a second degree, which was a BA in Photography at The Art Center Design College, Albuquerque, New Mexico. After finishing his second degree in 2008, Niko moved to New York City where he landed an apprenticeship with Ace Lensman Xander Angeles. He spent almost two years in the Big Apple honing his craft even more. Culled from his father's conventional and meticulous techniques, he treats the medium like traditional photography, where everything must be in order before clicking the shutter, and to not be dependent on postproduction as much as possible. He took up fine art darkroom film photography in school, while shooting digital side by side. Concentrating on portraiture, fashion and advertising photography, his major influences and inspirations apart from his Dad are his mentor Xander Angeles, Jerry Ghionis, Chase Jarvis, and Richard Avedon. Currently, Niko is based in Manila, Philippines and works for Edge of Light Studios. He shoots for the country's top publications and major advertising campaigns. He also endorses Phottix Photography equipment, Lowepro bags, Wacom Cintiq tablets and is the youngest X Photographer in the Philippines.
Niko Villegas(Philippines)
HOMEX-PhotographersNiko Villegas