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What the future will bring...
Speculation from an article entitled: "Will they 'nail' the president?" [a play on the word 'prybyut', i.e. PoR and BYuT] in the authoratative "Dzerkalo Tyzhnya" weekly:
"The parliamentary constitution committee will be created in the middle of May. By the end of the month the new Fundamental Law project will have received the appropriate verdict from the Constitutional Court and it will have been initially approved by a majority in the highest legislative body in the land [i.e. parliament]. During September the modernized version of this fundamental document of state will have received absolute support in the VR, and will be judicially valid. After this, most probably, extraordinary Presidential elections, parliament elections , and elections for the organs of local administration, and, possibly, urban heads will take place.
The number of politicians, who consider a such a scenario completely realistic, is increasing with each day. The guarantee of its success is the union of two most influential political forces - Party of Regions and BYuT..."
But first, the Kyiv city council and mayoral elections on May 25th..
UkrToday said...
BYuT in supporting a Parliamentary democracy ahead of a Presidential system has placed Ukraine bets interest ahead of Party politics and personal Interest. By adopting a European Style Parliamentary system Yulia has taken a major step forward towards Europe and formation of a stable political system in Ukraine. However the devil is in the detail and much depends on the system of representation and method of elections.
The president's power and authority should be restricted. Power should remain with the peoples democratically elected parliament representatives who maintain the necessary checks and balances over the executive. (Britain's West Minster and Finland systems are a good example)
If the head of states role is limited to that of a monarch in a modern constitutional democracy, the direct election of a head of state should be avoided as there is no justification for a directly elected head of state. Canada, Australia and New Zealand, whilst they maintain allegiance to the Queen of England, are effectively represented by an appointed governor who acts as their head of state
The costs of a directly elected president, particularly given that there are better democratic alternatives, are excessive. In the USA the appointment of the president (It needs to be noted that the USA does not directly elect their head of state) costs billions of dollars and what do they get for this high cost? The costs of directly electing the President of France is a waste of money (The French have a unnecessary "two-round" voting system which increases the costs significantly). The French model should be avoided at all costs. Democracy is not determined by the number of elected positions. Even Russia's system of direct election of its head of state, be it a significant improvement on the US system, can not be justified in terms of any cost benefits it may provide.
Ideally the head of state with limited powers should be appointed by a Constitutional Parliamentary majority (2/3rds). If the parliament can not agree or Ukraine opts for direct election of its head of state then the election should be conducted using a "single round" preferential ballot. (Also referred to as Instant Runoff voting).
A preferential voting system would ensure that the head of state is elected by a majority (50% or more) votes without the need to hold two round of voting. If no single candidate receives 50% or more votes then the candidates with the least votes are excluded and their votes redistributed according to the voters express preference until one candidate receives more then 50% of the vote.
Ukraine could save `100's of millions of dollars in direct and indirect costs as a result of adopting a preferential voting system. Preferential voting is widely sued thought Australia and some state in the USA and in Ireland.
As Ukraine once again tinkers with its government, a crucial issue, one of many, is ignored - the "party list" system.
Currently in Ukraine, 3 parties have decided that it is convenient to limit the powers of the president. That's not reform - that's just political gamesmanship.
Any democratic system must have checks and balances, not just gang warfare between rival oligarch blocs or parties.
It is also clear that the previous poster has no understanding of a crucial item in Canada, Australia, and New Zealand - there is no appointment of a governor, and there is no allegiance to the Queen of England. There is respect for the Queen of England.
Canadians would be severely offended if they found out that somehow they are now subservient to the Queen of England.
In the US, there is a system of checks and balances, based on separation of powers into a tri-partite form of government - judicial, legislative and executive.
To suggest that the elections for president ought to be abolished because of the money spent on elections is --- UTTER NONSENSE.
Democracies are not cost-effective.
Dictatorships seem to be cost-effective.
But today, Ukraine and most other civilized countries reject dictatorships.
For good reason, and regardless of the "costs."
Blair Sheridan said...
The truth of the matter is that Canadians _do_ indeed pledge allegiance to the Queen. As a born and bred Canadian, I never had to, but new Canadians do. It's part of the citizenship court process.
In addition, a Governor-General is formally appointed by Her Majesty. The candidate is selected by the Prime Minister and approved by the Queen.
The oaths of office of various Canadian officials do, in fact, contain a statement about allegiance to the Queen.
But swearing allegiance and being subservient are 2 different things, at least as far as Canada is concerned today.
The role of the Governor-General is largely a ceremonial role.
And it's not the Queen who appoints the governor - she approves the governor, as you said.
Decisions are made by the Canadian parliament, and the focus is on the Canadian Prime Minister, not on the Governor-General.
It's one of those cute, quaint British sort of things.
Having family in Canada myself, and having visited Canada quite frequently ever since I was a kid,and having interacted with Canadians to this day, I never got the feeling that Canadians felt subservient to the Queen, And certainly I don't get that sense today, either.
Back to the main point - Ukraine cannot afford the rampant corruption that is in place today.
And constitutional reform, I think you will agree, Blair, ought to be more than just another bit of tinkering to satisfy the political tug-of-war of the current moment.
I don't think the form of the system is that critical.
What matters is that people learn to vote and lobby through intermediaries to ensure that there are checks and balances.
dlw, I strongly disagree with you.
A monarchy, whether hereditary or constitutional, is far, far different from democracy. A dictatorship, likewise, is a form of government far, far different from democracy.
An oligarchy, in which government is accountable only to a few wealthy people, is far, far different from democracy.
A theocracy, such as in Iran, is far, far different from democracy.
Separation of powers, and checks and balances, must be at the core, must underlie any free, open, fair and honest system of government.
If the system is such as that in Ukraine, or Mexico, or Nigeria, or Russia, what you get is the vast majority of people having no voice, no remedies, no rights. And they end up leaving, or learning to get around the government.
In Ukraine, democracy is developing.
Russia has gone the totalitarian route.
Mexico is shipping all of its people to the US, so that the corrupt Mexican oligarchs can stay in power.
I think that the form of the system, the set of rules that is in place for everyone to play by, not just oligarchs or ditators, is indeed critical.
Elmer said: "As Ukraine once again tinkers with its government, a crucial issue, one of many, is ignored - the "party list" system."
I agree the closed Party list system has a number of issues. An open-list smaller local based multi-member electorates would better represent voters.
One article that was recently published by Nerkalo Nedeli provides some insight into the current thinking behind the scenes.
Overall the proposed reforms are worthy of support BUT I have serious reservations at the proposed representative model.
The proposal to have a two round voting system whilst maintaining the undemocratic Imperative Mandate" provisions would seriously distort the democratic representation. As I understand the top two parties will face a second round and the winner of the second round would win 50% of the seats. This opens up a wide range of possibilities and a host of inconsistencies whilst overinflating the winning parties representation. The requirement for a second round of voting is unnecessary as the same result can be achieved with one round by implementing a system of preferential voting. The system outlined in the article also maintains a nation-wide electorate.
The creation of smaller based local electorates, (Each electorate returning nine members elected on a 10% quota by a preferential proportional representation voting system) would better reflect the electorate and provide for direct accountability by implementing an open list mandate as opposed to the closed party list. Candidates and parties would have to secure the support of the voters. Smaller based electorates also mean that campaigns would be more manageable and less costly then a nation wide electorate.
re Canada, Australia and New zealand's "head of state" (Governor General) is appointed by the queen on the recommendation of the head of government.
A constitutional parliamentary appointment would be more preferable then a directly elected head of state and superior to the appontment on recomendation by the head of government.
Checks and balances are provided on a daily basis by the parliament itself. (The limitation in Ukraine's system for effective parliamentary checks and balances in the Imperative Mandate provisions - One reason why PACE declared it undemocratic)
Elmer,
I absolutely agree about the need to take a more serious approach to constitutional reform in Ukraine. Various politicos are only interested in getting a short-term political gain from messing with the consitution.
I'm just not sure that the time is right. Ukraine is, without question, an evolving democracy and is, more or less, on the right track, but there's still a way to go. As you note, corruption is a massive problem, and that's not all.
If I were magically made head of state in Ukraine tomorrow, I honestly wouldn't know where to begin. With the court system - one of Ukraine's least funny jokes? The administrative bureaucracy that manages to live off and despise the population at the same time? The "law enforcers," for whom the expression "equality before the law" must bring up a good belly laugh? I think I would be driven insane within a week! :-)
Politics and politicians here are still, IMHO, not mature enough to put the interests of the country above their own narrow interests.
In short, I don't trust any of them enough to start a truly disinterested constitutional reform process yet. I really hope they'll change my mind soon.
Blair, I believe it was Madison (maybe I'm wrong on this, but the quote is valid) who said: if men were angels, there would be no need of government.
Rousseau, Hobbes, Locke and others debated the nature of man and the nature of government, the "social contract" and the nature of the consent of the governed.
In the US, it took 2 tries, and it was only on the second try that the US finally hit upon the US Constitution.
And at that time, the nature of the debate was the same as now, but it seems to me mainly - what system of government will OVERRIDE the personal interests and ambitions of the assembled and the about-to-be citizens of the newly-formed US?
In the former sovok states, one sad legacy is that eveything is a card game and a chess game combined into one. You want to shake my hand? It'll cost you something, and I'm thinking 3 moves ahead on how to get more.
I see Tymoshenko and Lutsenko as having the people's interest OVERRIDE their own personal ambitions.
One has to start somewhere. Tymoshenko has started by openly supporting a parliamentary system of government, as she told the Council of Europe.
You are right, Blair, corruption, including corruption in the legal system, has got to go. Yushchenko himself has noted that corruption is killing the country.
The elimination of the party list system is crucial, as is the elimination of total parliamentary immunity that deputies enjoy today which leads to and supports their corruption.
Local elections are a must.
And, without question, the elimination of the party list system.
Without tinkering, and without the chess game of "gee, how will the electorate vote if we have a different form of party lists."
I'm afraid, however, that it will take either a few more votes of the people, or an assurance to the current oligarch thugs that not all of their ill-gotten gains will be taken away if true reforms are implemented.
And there's another incentive that seems to be coming into play more and more, which Akhmetov and others are looking at - Initial Public Offerings on various international stock exchanges, which require audited financial statements, and annual and quarterly reports, and boards of directors above suspicion.
Whatever works.
Elmer said:.
"The elimination of the party list system is crucial, as is the elimination of total parliamentary immunity that deputies enjoy today which leads to and supports their corruption"
I think the party system is not so ,much the problem as is the current makeup of the parties. But they are evolving. Parties play an important role. What I find needs to be developed is the party structure within enough party.
A move towards an open list voters choice representative model would be a major step forward.
The closed Nation-wide list makes it virtually impossible for voters to identify wand influence directly the political process.
There are two distinct separate yet intertwined issues. One begin the form of government. The Parliamentary system is without any doubt the best option for Ukraine and a step forward)
The method of election and representation is not normally spelt out in constitutional reform but the subject of legalisation so as to give some degree of flexibility and means of implementing change more readily.
The creation of smaller local based electorates would help develop a closer association between the elected representatives and the electorate.
This can be done in a number of ways. The creation of a bicameral parliament (two houses) each house having a different mandate one national and the other local as exists generally in the westminster system.
Another alternative is to create smaller multimeter electorates. I recommend electrolytes that each return nine members of parliament elected by a system of preferential proportional representation with an inbuilt 10% quota.
Smaller electorates allow for each community to debate the issues and quality of the candidates seeking election. It provides for a more manageable and direct electoral process whilst reflecting the diversity of the electorate.
Whilst parties will still exist, and so they should, the parties will never the less be required to put forward skilled practitioners in order to maximize their vote.
The main problem with the national party list system as I see it is the filling of bumps on seats not on morality but on their financial contributions to the party overall or in the case of Our Ukraine there "Star entertainment quality" as opposed to their contribution to development of managerial governance and review.
The other lesson we can learn from Westminster is the appointment of ministers from the ranks of members of parliament. There is no valid overriding logic as to why a person appointed as a minister should vacant their parliamentary representation in order to take up a ministerial position.
The form of government is the design and the representative model is the foundations., get the foundations right and you can build a solid parliamentary system based on the principle of one vote one value reflecting the will and aspirations of the electorate.
PM and Pres clash over SPF
Presidential power under major threat
PoR congress and Yulka on TV
Back to business again
BYuT drops bombshell..
Disfunction at the top
RUE stays, UGE goes, almost everyone happy
Pres miffed again at BYuT
Presidential mud slinger at it again..
Who is orange candidate for Kyiv mayor?
Grey cardinal not yet finished..
Battle renewed..
All change on Stanik again..
Good day to bury a dirty deed
Privatization battles to come


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Home | Academics | Research Centers | Center for Agricultural and Shale Law | Agriculture Area Security Law
Center for Agricultural and Shale Law
Center Publications
Ag Law Library Guide
Shale Law Library Guide
Agricultural Law Brief
Current Issues in Ag Law
Current Issues in Shale Law
How to Stay Informed
Pennsylvania Agricultural Mediation Program
Center for the Study of Mergers & Acquisitions
Institute for Arbitration Law and Practice
Institute for Sports Law, Policy, and Research
Agriculture Area Security Law
Center Resources
Agricultural Conservation Easements (Aug. 2004)
Understanding Pennsylvania's Agricultural Area Security Law (July 2003)
Condemnation of Agricultural Security Area Farmland (Sept. 1999)
Researching and Recording Pennsylvania's Agricultural Conservation Easements
Agricultural Law Brief Articles:
Lancaster County Court Orders Establishment of Agricultural Security Area (ASA) (July 2008)
(see page 2)
Pennsylvania statutes are accessible online through the Unofficial Purdon's Pennsylvania Statutes website. Be aware that this information is subject to change as a result of subsequent amendments. Please consult an attorney if you are in need of the most up-to-date statutory information.
Agricultural Area Security Law, 3 Pa. Cons. Stat. §§ 901-915
Agricultural Security Area Program, 7 Pa. Code §§ 138l.1-138l.52
Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program, 7 Pa. Code §§ 138e.1-138e.256
Some of these cases may be available at a law library or accessible online for those with LexisNexis, Westlaw, or other electronic database accounts.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court:
Ephrata Area Sch. Dist. v. County of Lancaster, 938 A.2d 264 (Pa. 2007) (holding that when a non-public utility seeks a right-of-way over privately owned land that is subject to an open space conservation easement, the government unit that owns the easement must first approve of the grant of the right-of-way).
In re: Forrester, 836 A.2d 102 (Pa. 2003) (finding that the opening of a private road did not constitute an exercise of eminent domain power because the public was not to be the primary beneficiary of the road; holding the opening of a private road did not constitute a taking subject to protections under the Pennsylvania Agricultural Area Security Law).
Concurring Opinion
Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court:
Corbett v. Richmond Twp., 2 A.3d 678 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2010) (holding that an ordinance requiring a 1500-foot setback for manure storage facilities and prohibiting "commercial composting and the exportation of compost for use elsewhere," unreasonably restricts farm structures and farm practices in violation of section 911 of the AASL).
In re: Agric. Sec. Area in E. Lampeter Twp., 974 A.2d 1213 (Pa. Commw. Ct. May 27, 2009) (upholding a decision that determination of the need for an ASA rests with landowners, not the Township).
In re: Agric. Sec. Area in E. Lampeter Twp., No. CI-07-12367 (Lancaster Ct. Com. Pl. July 11, 2008) (holding that the need for an ASA is determined by the landowner, and is not within the discretion of the municipality).
In re: Condemnation of Springboro Area Water Auth., 898 A.2d 6 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2006) (holding that "underground public utility facilities" in the context of AASL's requirements for exclusion from pre-approval, means "regulated underground public utility facilities"; determining that such interpretation effectuates the intent of the legislature to have all proposed condemnations of land in an ASA subject to some form of agency review).
41 Valley Assocs. v. Bd. of Supervisors of London Grove Township, 882 A.2d 5 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2005) (determining that the purpose of the Agricultural Area Security Law is to preserve land for a broad class of agricultural uses not to enable a specific use).
In re: Forrester, No. 1299 C.D. 2000 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 2001) (holding that approval under the Pennsylvania Agriculture Area Security Law was not required because the Act was not an eminent domain procedure under the Pennsylvania Eminent Domain Code).
White v. D.O.T., 738 A.2d 27 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1999) (holding that approval of the Agricultural Lands Condemnation Approval Board (ALCAB) is required prior to the condemnation of agricultural land for highway purposes in an ASA, except for activities relating to existing highways that do not go beyond the existing roadbed).
Md. & Pa. R.R. Preservation Auth. v. Agric. Lands Condemnation Approval Bd., 704 A.2d 1149 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1998) (finding that an historical preservation statute does not give priority to historical preservation over agricultural lands for the purposes of condemnation; holding the petitioner must prove that the condemnation of land would not have a substantial adverse impact on the entire agricultural security area).
In re: Laying Out & Opening A Private Rd. in Charleston Twp., 683 A.2d 947 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1996) (holding that Agricultural Area Security Law does not apply when a private landowner desires to open a private road to gain access to landlocked property).
Cook v. Pa. Dep't of Agric., 646 A.2d 598 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1993) (finding that to subdivide property subject to a conservation easement, each easement grantee must first consent pursuant to the standard stated in the regulation).
Lenzi v. Agric. Land Preservation Bd., 602 A.2d 396 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1992) (holding that an owner of property neighboring a proposed agricultural security area is permitted to object to the approval of the proposal and/or the purchase of an agricultural conservation easement if they will be adversely affected).
Nw. Lehigh Sch. Dist. v. Agric. Lands Condemnation Bd., 559 A.2d 978 (Pa. Commw. Ct. 1989) (finding that legislative policy requires evidentiary showing that the proposed condemnation would not have an adverse effect upon the preservation of agricultural services within the area nor upon environmental and comprehensive plans of the county, and that a reasonable alternative to proposed condemnation was not available; finding the requirement that a school district receive ASA board approval prior to an exercise of eminent domain was not an unconstitutional limitation on the district).
Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture:
Bureau of Farmland Preservation
Agricultural Security Area Program (ASA) (Description)
Agricultural Land Condemnation Approval Board (ALCAB) (Description)
Farmland Preservation Annual Reports
Easement Purchase Program (Description)
Farmland Preservation County Administrators Contact List
County ASA Resources:
Berks County (Application Procedures)
Centre County (Centre County Planning and Community Development Office)
Huntingdon County, Warriors Mark Township
Pike County (Agricultural Land Preservation Program)
Some of these articles may be available at a law library or accessible online for those with LexisNexis, Westlaw, or other electronic database accounts. Some hyperlinks may only be available for those users with access to HeinOnline.
Pennsylvania Legislator's Municipal Deskbook: Pennsylvania Statutory and Regulatory Measures to Protect Agricultural Land and Open Space (Third Edition, 2006)
Pennsylvania Farmland Preservation Association
Pennsylvania Land Trust Association
Urban Encroachment Reading Room (The National Agricultural Law Center)
Resource Library (Pennsylvania Farm Link)

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Jeffrey Herf - "Nazi Propaganda in and towards the Middle Ea...
Jeffrey Herf – "Nazi Propaganda in and towards the Middle East during World War II and the Holocaust"
Lecture: Nazi Propaganda in and towards the Middle East during World War II and the Holocaust
Speaker: Professor Jeffrey Herf, History, University of Maryland
YIISA/ISGAP Antisemitism in Comparative Perspective Seminar Series
Antisemitism, Arab Antisemitism, Contemporary Antisemitism, Dr. Charles Small, Germany, History, holocaust, Incitement, institute for the study of global antisemitism and policy, ISGAP, ISGAP events, Islamic and Arabic Discourse, Jeffrey Herf, Lecture, Media, Middle East, Nazi, propaganda, Propoganda, University of Maryland, Video, World War II, YIISA


Option 2: If you can't find the emotional or physical energy to tackle Option 1, make the rest of your day as short as possible. Going to bed at 8 p.m. might be one of the best things you can do to reset yourself for a fresh start in the morning. This is not a cop-out and nothing you should feel guilty about. You're not giving in to your bad day, nor is it winning. You're simply being smart about taking care of yourself.
Take a short walk before you step inside your house or apartment. You have to create a barrier between your bad day and what's ahead and the best way to do this is by getting some fresh air into your lungs. Even if the weather is not great, consider taking a short brisk walk before you get home. If you have kids or pets to take care of, bring them with you!
Change your clothes as soon as you get home. This might seem trivial but it's a really simple way to signal to your brain that this is a new beginning vs. a continuation of the (really bad) day. If you have a few minutes, hop into a shower to literally rinse the (really bad) day off of yourself.
Treat yourself to a tiny luxury. Have a cup of tea from your favorite tea cup, perhaps one you usually only take out for company. Enjoy a piece of your favorite dark chocolate (here are some of our favorites, by the way). Put on your favorite yoga pants. Light your favorite candle. You get the idea: Do something nice for yourself, however tiny it may be.
Sit still for a few minutes. Bad days are usually frantic and your body is likely buzzing from stress and anxiety. Take a few minutes to calm it down, in whatever way works for you. Perhaps you can simply sit for a few minutes in a quiet spot, and focus on taking some deep breaths. Or have some tea without doing anything else, just sitting and savoring it for a few minutes. If you can calm your body, you'll also be calming your brain -- something that's really important to do after a stressful day.
Get absorbed by something or someone. To stop all the thoughts and feelings from your awful day from swirling in your mind, you have to fill it with something different. Watch your favorite show on TV or Netflix, read a chapter from a book you really enjoy, work on a craft you love. Another way to distract your brain from your worries is to focus on someone else. This might be the best night to help your kids with their homework or call a friend and chat about how her day was.
Force some gratitude. It's absolutely OK not to feel like counting your blessings and you might feel like this day had absolutely nothing good in it. But science shows that if you can find a few things -- even if they are super small -- to appreciate about your day and write them down, it can have a really strong positive effect on how you feel. Before you go to bed, try to write down 3 good things about your bad day, even if you have to think really really hard about them. Think of it like finishing this sentence: "I had a really crap day but…."
Awful days happen. Being happier isn't about avoiding them -- impossible! -- or driving yourself crazy trying to turn them into good days -- also impossible! It's about making a decision to take care of yourself in the best way that you can and if you're up for it, taking some steps to make sure that your bad days don't infiltrate all parts of your life. You may not want to always hear this, but you can make the choice to put an end to a bad day and not bring it home with you.


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Соревнования в плавании на 800 метров вольным стилем (мужчины) на чемпионате мира по водным видам спорта 2013 года проводились с 30 до 31 июля в Палау Сан Жорди. Приняли участие 34 спортсмена из 30 стран.

Отборочные

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Финал

Ссылки
 Результаты  (PDF)
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Плавание на чемпионате мира по водным видам спорта 2013

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We want to inspire, support and enable locally grown and locally developed projects that bring people together and build their capacity and resilience. We aim to follow people's energy and ideas and support groups and individuals who develop innovative and effective solutions to address local needs and give people joy.
We distribute grants to existing charities with a proven track record of making a tangible change in their local community. We will also support individuals and groups who develop new projects and initiatives that meet our funding criteria.
You can click here to sign up to our newsletter to stay informed about when new opportunities arise.


These Cocoa Meringue Cookies are deliciously crunchy treats that will leave your friends and family delighted. Definitely a unique dessert to serve, pair this cookie with coffee or tea after dinner or as a mid-day snack. Light and airy, you'll be able to eat more than one without feeling overly stuffed – or guilty for indulging. The chocolate flavor is subtle as the meringue melts in your mouth.


The laws in California protect contractual relationships and reasonably foreseeable future economic benefits. If one party negligently or intentionally interferes with another party's existing contract with a third party, or with a reasonably foreseeable future economic benefit with another party, the business or individual suffering a loss may have a damage claim for interference with contract or interference with prospective economic relationship.
The act of inducing a breach of contract must be an intentional act. If the actor had no knowledge of the existence of the contract or his actions were not intended to induce a breach, he cannot be held liable even when an actual breach results from his lawful and proper acts. It is not enough that the actor intended to perform the acts that caused the result — he or she must have intended to cause the result itself. The claim can only be asserted against a third party or stranger to the contractual relationship; if the person complained of was a party to the contract, the claim is one for breach of contract. Proof that it is reasonably probable that the lost economic advantage would have been realized but for the defendant's interference is required to prevail on that type of claim.
If your contract rights or business relationships have been interfered with, or you have been sued by another party for some alleged interference, contact us online or call 818-308-5945 today. From our office in Studio City, we represent clients throughout Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino counties, the Bay Area, and the entire state of California.


Poison Use (Ex) Drow are skilled in the use of poison and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves. Drow favor an insidious toxin that causes its victims to lapse into unconsciousness—this poison allows drow to capture slaves with great ease.Drow Poison—injury; save Fort DC 13; frequency 1/minute for 2 minutes; initial effect unconsciousness for 1 minute; secondary effect unconsciousness for 2d4 hours; cure 1 save.
Although related to the elves, the drow are a vile and evil cousin at best. Sometimes called dark elves, these cunning creatures prowl the caves and tunnels of the world below, ruling vast subterranean cities through fear and might. Worshiping demons and enslaving most races they encounter, the drow are among the underworld's most feared and hated denizens.
Drow are shorter and a bit more slender than their surface-dwelling kin, but they are otherwise physically similar. Drow have dark skin, ranging from black to a hazy purple hue. Most drow have white or silver hair and white or red eyes, but other colors are not unheard of.
Drow society is ruled over by powerful nobility, themselves governed by sadistic and dangerous matriarchs who constantly plot and scheme against rival houses and lesser kin within their own families. The majority of drow are the common soldiers and decadent citizenry, with base stats as presented here—drow nobles are more powerful and dangerous, and are detailed below.
In combat, drow are thoroughly ruthless, with little regard for fairness or mercy. They prefer to attack from ambush or to lure enemies into situations where they clearly have the upper hand. If things turn against them, drow are quick to flee, leaving slaves and minions to cover their escape.
Drow are defined by their class levels—they do not possess racial Hit Dice. All drow have the following racial traits.
Poison Use: See Special Abilities, above.
About one out of every 20 drow is gifted with special powers from birth—the overwhelming majority of these exceptional drow are female, and as a result, drow society tends to be matriarchal in nature. These special births are engineered and encouraged among the ruling caste, and are far more likely to occur when the mother is of noble heritage. Strangely, the status of the father seems not to increase or decrease the chances of a child being born a drow noble. Common drow children born to nobles are usually put to death—sacrificed to one of the many demon gods to whom the drow offer worship. It is rare for a drow noble to be born to common parents, but those who are usually murder their parents or family before they come of age in order to hide the truth of their base upbringing and to ease the processes of joining one of their society's noble houses. Drow nobles are more powerful than the majority of their kin, and as such they quickly rise to power within their houses. Advancement through the hierarchy of a drow noble house is usually accomplished through a combination of assassination, seduction, and treachery, leading most drow in power to be overly paranoid.
Drow nobles are defined by their class levels—they do not possess racial Hit Dice. A drow noble's challenge rating is equal to her class level. Drow nobles possess all of the racial traits listed above for drow characters, plus the following.
Spell Resistance: Drow nobles have spell resistance equal to 11 + their character level.
Spell-Like Abilities: Drow nobles can cast dancing lights, deeper darkness, faerie fire, feather fall, and levitate each at will, and have detect magic as a constant spell-like ability. A drow noble can also cast divine favor, dispel magic, and suggestion once per day each. In some cases, a drow noble's spell-like abilities might vary, although the level of a particular spell-like ability does not. A drow noble's caster level for her spell-like abilities is equal to her character level.


This weekend Mrs VHD and I headed to the Maine woods for a few days in the wilderness. Our weekend residence was a cabin nestled in the mountains near Andover, surrounded by trees, mountains, miles of hiking trails and little else. This was it, my first chance to get on the Appalachian Trail. For more than ten years I've read stacks of books about it; everything from AWOL On The Appalachian Trail, Walking The Appalachian Trail and Walking With Spring to Long Distance Hiking–Lessons From The Appalachian Trail and A Walk In The Woods to name a few. I was ready.
We approached the trail from Sawyer's Notch and there it was, my first white blaze. From where I was standing if I went north I would head deeper into Maine and eventually reach Mount Katahdin (which is no mean feat), if I headed south I could walk all the way to Springer Mountain in Georgia. Amazing.
We chose to head south up to Hall Mountain lean-to. I had butterflies as we headed up the steep rise following a tumbling stream. It looked as if we were the first people to get up there for some time–the previous register entry was from November 2011 and there was no sign of any other human footprints. There was still a decent amount of snow on the mountain, all of it undisturbed. We had lunch at the lean-to and poked around a bit, reading the funny entries in the register and relaxing before we headed back down.
It sounds strange but it was a weird feeling being on the trail for the first time, walking where the likes of Myron Avery, Earl Shaffer and Grandma Gatewood (amongst thousands of others) have previously trodden. I dearly look forward to seeing more of the trail.
Posted on April 17, 2012 by admin and filed under Quote, VHD and tagged Appalachian Trail AT cabin Hall Mountain hiking Maine mountains white blaze.


text:
Idiosepsis is a genus of flies in the family Sepsidae.

Species
Idiosepsis spangleri Ozerov, 1990

References

Sepsidae
Diptera of Africa
Brachycera genera


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text:
Home COVID-19
US COVID Data Update – California and Everyone Else
by Bill King
in COVID-19, homeblog, Public Health
Over the last two weeks (ending 12/19), most of the country has seen COVID infections slowly climb, and in some areas actually begin to level off. But California has been a stark outlier, especially as it relates to the all-important hospitalization metric.
Hospitalizations Total hospitalizations, ICU bed usage and ventilated patients all increased over the last two weeks but the rate of increase slowed significantly. Total hospitalizations and ICU bed usage were up by 13% and 9%, respectively. Ventilator use increased by 11%. All of these are about half the percentage increases two weeks ago and all three declined in the last 3-4 days.
However, the stunning aspect of the increase during this period is that nearly 60% of it came from California (7,450 of 12,739). And the growth in hospitalizations in California showed no signs of slowing down during the two-week period. New York also added nearly 2,000 hospitalizations but its growth seemed to be moderating in the last few days.
Other than California (and to lesser extent Arizona) we have not seen the surge in hospitalizations after Thanksgiving that so many predicted. While California hospitalizations more than doubled since Thanksgiving, in the rest of the country they only rose by about 10%. Hospitalizations have declined since Thanksgiving in 19 states.
Average daily reported fatalities increased from 1,780 to 2,529. Most of the jump was in the first week. In the second week, the seven-day rolling average stabilized at about 2,500 per day.
The 30-day lagging case fatality rate, which had been trending slightly above 2%, fell sharply to just over 1.6%. Interestingly, the 20-day lag, favored by some, worked its way back up to nearly 1.7% after previously dropping.
The IHME model has once again slightly raised its year-end fatality estimate, now pegging it at just over 349,000. That implies an average of about 3,400 fatalities per day between now and the end of year. Unless we see another leg up on hospitalizations in the next two weeks, I have my doubts about fatalities jumping that much.
It appears we may be reaching a plateau on testing. The average number of daily tests only rose by 10% over the last two weeks, which followed similarly modest growth in the previous two weeks. It is hard to know exactly what this portends. Certainly, the decline is not a capacity issue as tests have never been more available. A few people I have talked to who have been tested at the City's sites say they are mostly empty.
Positive test results increased by 21%, a bit more than the previous two-week period but still far below the 40-60% increases we were seeing in October and early November. The ratio of tests coming back with a positive result ticked up from 10.3% to 11.2%.
Many talking heads in the media claimed the increase in COVID metrics over the last two weeks was confirmation of the theory that Thanksgiving gatherings would result in a surge of infections. But the variation in the states' experiences actually undermines the theory rather than supporting it. As I mentioned, 19 states have seen their hospitalizations decline since Thanksgiving. Are we to believe that the folks in these 19 states were more careful about their Thanksgiving gatherings than Californians?
This somewhat schizophrenic article in the New York Times vacillates between a tortured attempt to square the data from Thanksgiving with the experts' predictions while having to concede that it really doesn't.1 The holiday hypothesis is frequently repeated by public health officials and talking heads in the media, but the truth is that the data has never definitively supported it.
To me, this underscores what I have increasingly come to believe – that the standard orthodoxy about how COVID spreads and what can to done to control it, is, at a minimum, a grossly incomplete understanding. I think that in the years to come we will learn there were other factors (e.g., susceptibility heterogeneity, cultural norms, demographic characteristics, and genetics) that affected on how the virus spread and that will make the effect of our interventions pale by comparison.
From a public policy response perspective, California has done everything the experts have prescribed. It was one of the first states to adopt a mask mandate and has had probably the most severe lockdown orders in the country. And yet the hospitals in southern California are on the verge of being overrun with COVID cases. Somewhere along the way we forgot that non-pharmacological interventions are designed to mitigate contagious outbreaks, not control them. Historically, their effects on pandemics have been limited.
This pandemic will only end when we get to herd immunity through both natural and vaccine-induced immunity. The good news is that we now have two vaccines approved that will significantly accelerate reaching that goal.
More on that topic later this week.
Note 1 – The article correctly identifies California as the outlier post-Thanksgiving but for some inexplicable reason gratuitously mentions Texas generally and Houston, specifically, including an idiotic quote from the Harris Health CEO that there was no "super-spreader" event other than Thanksgiving gatherings to explain an increase of COVID patients in his system's hospitals from 33 to 66! Hospitalizations in Texas and Houston are up since Thanksgiving, but they have been increasing since early November and the rate has actually slowed slightly since Thanksgiving.
Bill King
US COVID Data Update – More Indications that the Peak is Near
Texas is Getting Shortchanged on Vaccine Distribution
City Of Houston Finances
"Highlights" from the City's Audit
Update on Texas COVID Stats – Metrics Still Grinding Higher
Texas Population Growth Far Outstrips Other States
Where Are We on Herd Immunity?
Quote of the Week - This Too Shall Pass
Federal Government Finances
Harvey Recovery
Ike Dike
Management Districts
Montrose Management District
Police Polices & Procedures
Police Policies & Procedures
Rebuild Houston
Rebuild Houston – Drainage Fee
State of Texas Finances
TIRZ
Posts range from local to national issues and focus on fact-based analysis, avoiding hyperbole and partisanship. The site is intended to be an open, respectful discussion of the critical issues of our day. Contact Bill directly and let him know what matters to you - weking@weking.net


Colonel Craig: [adressing Mrs. Willow] I've decided to, eh, to begin your husband's hearing tomorrow.
Molly Culhane: Tomorrow? Oh, but colonel, the doctor has said that Andrew Willow should not be moved for at least a week.
Colonel Craig: My time is limited, Mrs. Culhane.
Luke Macahan: So is Willow's.


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by Yuval Tzur | last edit on Monday 14th of August 2017
Hidden Card Error, or HCE, is the newest addition to the IPG. The previous iteration of the infraction was Drawing Extra Cards (DEC). The penalty for DEC was a GL, and with the trend of lowering the severity of infractions and penalties, DEC was targeted for a change.
Lowering a penalty from GL to a Warning is not always as easy as updating the penalty in the IPG. DEC is a penalty that can provide a great advantage, because the extra card might be the difference between winning or losing a game. Because the penalty used to be a GL, there was no fix for the situation, and awarding a Warning and letting the game proceed is not good enough. A warning is not harsh enough for people to avoid drawing extra cards, and it doesn't negate the potential advantage gained.
While creating a way to fix the game state, a few guidelines were created:
A warning by its own doesn't negate the advantage
Returning a card at random will rarely fully negate the advantage
A judge should never make any strategic decisions for the players
From that, a new fix was born: Let the opponent look at the hand and decide what card is considers the extra card drawn. Because the opponent gets to look at the hand and choose whatever they like, the advantage of an extra card becomes a disadvantage, but it's still much better than immediately losing the game.
Once this solution came to be, other situations that were previously covered by other parts of the IPG could now be fixed in the same way, so they were all moved into a new infraction - Hidden Card Error - and the DEC infraction was removed.
The Infraction
Now that we know how this infraction came to be, let's talk about the reasoning behind the definition and the fix of this infraction.
Three conditions should be met for an infraction to be HCE:
Knowing all the public information isn't enough to correct the error
The error was committed without the opponent's permission
It's not a dexterity error
If any of the conditions isn't met, it isn't HCE.
Once we determined that we're in the HCE realm, we have some decisions to make:
What hidden zones were involved?
Are there extra cards to take care of?
Is there missing information that should be public?
The answer for the first question is usually very easy, and the answer is almost always "the hand", "some portion of the library", or both. In some less common cases, exiled cards or cards from other zones can be involved.
The second question might seem odd. How can there be no extra card? Well, here's where HCE is different from its DEC roots. The third question might give you a hint about when the second answer might be "no". If, for example, a card instructs a player to search the library for a basic land, reveal it, and put it into that player's hand, but the player doesn't reveal the card, then there are no extra cards, but there was still an error that involved non-public information, there was no permission from the opponent and the action was definitely not a dexterity error.
Once we know where the cards came from and where they went, as well as what information should be public, we can start fixing the game state. If there are any extra cards, ask the opponent to choose which cards shouldn't be there and return them to the correct zone. If that zone is the library, shuffle them into the unknown portion (we'll cover a small exception later). If the number of cards is correct, but should have been revealed to the opponent, let the opponent choose what card wasn't revealed, and perform any actions that should have taken. If the card doesn't meet some criteria (being a basic land, if we use the previous example), return it to where it came from and let the player look for a new card.
When fixing the situation, there are some things to consider. If the position of a card in a library was previously known (player drew an extra card after "scry 2" with both on top, for example), put it back where it was; if some of the cards are known to the opponent (e.g. the player revealed them from his hand), the opponent can't choose those those cards as if they were not known; and if you can use smaller sets of cards, do so.
Oh, and don't forget the warning.
Now you most of the ins and outs of HCE, but nothing is better than reading the real thing, so:
HCE section in the IPG (IPG 2.3)
Definition of card sets (IPG 1.5)
You can also read Toby Elliott's blog for more details.
In this part you will find several game states. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to decide what went wrong and how to fix it. For each situation, please answer these three questions:
What is the infraction (and why)?
What is the penalty (and to which player)?
How do you fix it (and why)?
1. Situation 1
AP resolves a Divination that was cast for 2R.
AP looks at the top 8 cards of his library while resolving a Dig Through Time.
AP points out her Dark Confidant trigger, doesn't reveal the card then draws another card.
AP resolves Sylvan Scrying and puts a card into his hand without revealing it.
AP puts a Lightning Bolt into his hand after it resolves.
AP taps three Swamps, casts Painful Truths and asks "Draw three?", to which NAP replies by saying "sure", so AP draws three cards.
AP casts Serum Visions, draws a card, scrys 2, leaves both on top and then draws another card.
AP mulligans, keeps her six cards, then scrys two.
NAP cast Duress and choose a card on his turn. It's now AP turn and he accidentally draws two cards during his draw step.
10. Situation 10
While scrying 2, AP accidentally shuffles the scried cards into his library.


Play Lemmings Games on Y8.com. Everybody loves the mindless forward walking little creatures that are sacrificing their lives for the good of every other lemming. Trained to do 1 task you need to save the most of them by losing the least. Can you do it?


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NASA Commits to Using Orion Capsule for up to 12 Artemis Missions
Image credit: NASA/Radislav Sinyak
NASA has awarded Lockheed Martin with a contract to produce a minimum of six and as many as twelve Orion spacecraft. The spacecraft will be utilized to achieve the United States' goal of returning to the Moon and building a sustainable presence on the lunar surface.
The Orion Production and Operations Contract (OPOC) was awarded to Lockheed Martin on September 23. The contract commits NASA to order a minimum of six Orion spacecraft and as many as twelve with an ordering period through September 30, 2030.
Orion orders will be made in batches of three which, according to a NASA statement, will allow the agency to "benefit from efficiencies that become available in the supply chain over time – efficiencies that optimize production and lower costs."
The first set of three Orion spacecraft will cost $2.7 billion and will be utilized for Artemis missions III through V. The agency then plans to order an additional three Orion spacecraft in 2022 for Artemis missions VI through VIII at a cost of $1.9 billion.
OPOC commits NASA to a decade-long contract that will span several presidencies. In the past, a change in administration, especially a shift from a Republican-lead administration to a Democratic one has resulted in a loss of political support for manned space programs. With NASA only committing to purchasing the first three Orion spacecraft, it is not a stretch to consider that the second set of three spacecraft many never receive the $1.9 billion in funding.
If all twelve orders are paid for in full, the first six will be ordered on a cost-plus-incentive-fee structure. NASA hopes that following the production of the first six, Lockheed Martin will have optimized the manufacturing process. As a result, the subsequent six spacecraft will be negotiated as fixed-firm-price orders to take full advantage of production cost decreases.
NASA awards $150 million GOES-U launch contract to SpaceX
SpaceX launch first flight-proven upgraded cargo Dragon


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text:
Why Florida's competitive environment is good for orthopedics: Q&A with Dr. Alex Vaccaro
'The latest evolution in minimally invasive approaches': What we heard in January
11 trends orthopedic surgeons are following in 2023
Keys to kickstarting an endoscopic spine program: Q&A with Dr. Ashish Patel
Alan Condon - Tuesday, May 18th, 2021
Downers Grove, Ill.-based DuPage Medical Group opened its third ASC this year as part of its musculoskeletal institute.
Ashish Patel, MD, an adult and pediatric spine specialist, launched an endoscopic spine surgery program at DuPage in May, performing the ASC's first endoscopic microdiscectomy on a patient with a disc herniation.
Dr. Patel spoke to Becker's Spine Review about the program's launch and how he sees endoscopic spine surgery developing in the field.
Q: What were the most important steps to take when planning this endoscopic spine program?
Dr. Ashish Patel: We had been thinking about providing this type of solution to our patient population for a while. One of the things that had to happen was we had to be in our own facility, so we built this Westmont ASC, which is an orthopedic, joint and spine facility. Having that control over the facility and what kind of solutions we provide was a very important step. For the department as a whole, as we gravitate toward new technology, there was a lot of back-end work that went into educating ourselves so we could put this into practice — several cadaver labs, a lot of research and syncing up with providers who have experience with endoscopic spine surgery, etc. Endoscopic spine surgery is growing and we feel that we should be at the forefront of this.
Q: How would you describe the learning curve for endoscopic spine surgery?
AP: The learning curve is real; it's a different skill set. Orthopedic spine surgeons have this comfort with arthroscopy. Being able to use a camera through a small incision has been part of my training in orthopedic surgery. My learning curve will consist of doing the more straightforward cases first. Once I've mastered those, I will push myself to do the more complex cases. The straightforward, most accessible cases would be disc herniation cases at L2-3, L3-4, L4-5. Once you've mastered those, you proceed to L5-S1 and perform disc herniation cases that have gone into the foramen or the far lateral region to do more central disc herniations. After you master these and feel comfortable with all disc herniations in the lower back, you then move onto lumbar stenosis cases, which would be more of a midline approach using slightly different equipment. Then, you can move on to cervical cases, such as laminoforaminotomies or thoracic cases. Once you have a comfort in that, you then proceed to what surgeons are now working toward, which is lumbar fusions through the endoscope.
Q: As outpatient migration accelerates, will payers recognize the value of endoscopic spine surgery?
AP: Reimbursement is restricted now, but there are dedicated societies toward the advancement of endoscopic spine. When you have teaching institutions with continued education and mentorship and labs set up to provide this type of education to the masses, there will inevitably be movement from insurers to appropriately reimburse this, so more practices can offer endoscopic spine surgery to their patients.
Before, I think endoscopic spine surgery has faltered because of its steep learning curve and lack of adequate compensation. But what's happened over the last 15 years or so, is sports medicine made the leap from open cases to arthroscopy cases. Spine hasn't had that opportunity, but now with improved technology, a better understanding of the anatomy and dedicated teaching programs advocating for the advancement of endoscopic spine, these shackles will be breached and providers will adopt this more rapidly.
Q: Outside of endoscopic spine surgery, what technology excites you in the field today?
AP: I see both pediatric and adult patients for spine conditions, from very straightforward disc herniation cases to more complex scoliosis cases. For pediatric scoliosis, vertebral body tethering is gaining significant interest. If we're talking about assisted-surgery through navigation and robotics, we have the ability to be more accurate with our instrumentation placement and reduce radiation exposure for the patient and surgeon. If we're talking about endoscopy, we have the ability to minimize morbidity with the muscle dissection that we do with that technology.
Something I'm particularly passionate about is single-position spine surgery. To accomplish certain cases, we have to flip the patient several times; from laying on their back to their belly, or laying on their side to their belly. We are now working on processes where we place the patient just on their side or their belly, so we can complete the whole surgery from one position. This avoids the flip. In terms of surgical efficiency, cases moving to the ASC and reducing the complexities around surgery, this is going to be a huge opportunity for us to bring more cases from the hospital to the outpatient setting.
Most Read - Q&As


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The company NEVASIA, LLC is managed by 2 persons in total. The persons responsible for business activities are ADVANCE RESOURCES GROUP, INC. with the seat at 3225 MCLEOD DRIVE, SUITE 100, LAS VEGAS, 89121, NV as Manager , ADVANCE RESOURCES GROUP, INC. with the seat at 3225 MCLEOD DRIVE, SUITE 100, LAS VEGAS, 89121, NV as Manager .
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text:
TikTok's parent company facing national security review, report says
Regulators are having a second look at ByteDance's acquisition of the company.
Dachannien
Since I'm apparently old, could someone explain why Tiktok appeals to today's kids? In particular, why is it popular even when Vine flopped, even though from what I can tell, Vine did the same stuff as Tiktok?
Pusher of Buttons
Dachannien wrote:
Get off my lawn, old man!
I have no idea. I think the young people of today are more tech aware and thus need a flashier and catchier way to have their data and photos stolen.
TehRoot
Vine was early to the game and didn't have a global presence. TikTok has a huge international presence, especially in China keeping it afloat. They also aggressively monetize sponsored content and twitter kinda just never cared about vine after buying it. Them not caring in addition to the new services like TikTok and instagram stories allowing better monetization meant sponsors stopped using vine and twitter didn't want to pay to keep it alive.
Most of these microblogging services are an impenetrable enigma once you venture outside the confines of looking at your friends stories on instagram if you're over the age of 25.
Last edited by TehRoot on Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:05 pm
Lostfanboi
Tribus: Montucky
I briefly checked into TikTok just to see what all the hubbub was about, but as soon as I learned a bit more about it (primarily its Chinese ownership), I was like "Nope" and walked myself right back out.
PhilipTD
Tribus: NYC
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/19/styl ... clubs.html
Explains it a bit.
Peevester
Tribus: Chicago, IL
This was literally a major plot point on Silicon Valley last night, where Gavin wanted to move Hooli to Tblisi to save money, and his spiritual adviser and security chief dropped a dime on CFIUS to avoid having to live there.
It's hard to imagine TikTok being a problem like this, since it's basically just three things: 1) VSCO girl memes, 2) bad lipsyncing or even worse original singing, and 3) the same shtick that Vine used to do.
As far as I know, there's no personal information as a featured part of the site (other than what's on every social media abomination these days, anyway), and there's no easy to see national security aspect to this. I get that ANY transfer of ANY personal information on US citizens is fraught these days (and to some extent, justifiably so), but this seems like a bit of a reach.
Last edited by Peevester on Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:09 pm
Lostfanboi wrote:
Allow me to construct my foil hat first....
I wouldn't be shocked if a lot of these services are all about creating a nice big database for future use as deep fakes.
theramenman
Ultra aggressive marketing and sponsorships. For a good month, everyone I knew, indifferent of age, gender, interests, etc almost exclusively got TikTok ads on YouTube. That and combined with the fact that Vine was more less about creating original content. Basically twitter in video form. TikTok on the other hand is heavily geared towards replicating memes, creating voice overs by taking audio from popular shows, lip syncing to songs, dances and challenges. Think of the Ice Bucket challenge but perpetually. I asked multiple people in my family, mainly middle school through late high school, and the tl;dr is basically peer pressure at this point: "EVERYONE AT YOUR SCHOOL IS DOING THIS CHALLENGE, WHY AREN'T YOU". There are multiple subreddits dedicated to exploring and illuminating these topics and issues for those interested.
TikTok also heavily markets to teenage girls which is ingenious. If all the girls are on the platform, you can be damn sure guys are gonna join in droves. Which leads to a darker note: a lot of creepers seem to be on the app for the aforementioned reasons.
justcauseisjustthat
It's a platform where where you can pay someone for feet pics 🤣 kidding, not kidding.
clarityoffline
Registered: Feb 26, 2016
wow... no we're not going to do anything to protect elections but hey teenagers are posting videos using an app that has the same permission requirements as basically every other messaging app... better look into that...
fastlanestranger
Maybe TickTalk would be a more fitting name for this soul and bloodsucking app.
killerhurtalot
Registered: Mar 4, 2012
This is getting kind of ridiculous.
ALL the social networks that shares this have pretty damn similar terms of use of how they collect and use data even if they store the information on servers located in the US.
Should just shut down all foreign social network companies operating in the US at this point since according to them, any foreign company collecting US user information is a national security risk.
deltanonymous
Oh no, someone is collecting data where the NSA can't get it (easily).
Kilroy420
killerhurtalot wrote:
It is tolerable so long as it is a US based company gathering all that user data. When a foreign nation's tech corporation or entity is doing it to our 'fair citizens', people get themselves all worked up.
Most online corporations are gathering enough data on us by just using their services - online banking, ecommerce retailers, news sites, etc. I think giving it away for nothing using these sort of social media applications (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) makes no sense.
If it gives you that connected to your friends, family, and admirers feeling and its worth the risk, by all means go for it. I am going to pass (US based company or not).
Fatesrider
Tribus: SoCal
Peevester wrote:
You have a very odd perspective.
The issue isn't immediacy. The issue longevity. ALL of the information is mined for ads, which means all of the information is KEPT.
Indefinitely.
The thing you do not perceive in your perspective is how the Chinese take the long view of things. That embarrassing thing you did on TikTok can come back and bite you ten or fifteen years later when they pull it out and compel you to give up secrets to the Chinese government. Or groom you to become a Chinese asset by knowing exactly what they need to know about you to get close and turn you.
This information isn't just about kids and the stupid things they do online in a peer-related community. It's a great way to get control over them to do what the Chinese want them to do - eventually - when they're adults in positions of power and responsibility.
And they make money off of you by selling ads based on your personal information, thus achieving shorter-term goals of financing China through other means than simply trade.
There are levels involved here that a little more thought, and perspective, will reveal to those willing to look.
xeoph
How do I submit for review the Robin Hood financial app (US based company) being hosted by Russian Servers (hosted by the Russian version of AWS who's founder is one of the largest investors of Robin Hood)?
I get the impression that even though the intentions may be great, they've taken money from a foreign investor who probably built in an agreement that the data is hosted off shore in his company.
Then that brings up yet another possible situation where the interfacing app servers can be based in the US but they could be using compute/storage in Russian servers who's privacy laws do not match US regulation. Who holds people accountable?
Last edited by xeoph on Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:59 pm
qazwart
Very simple: Mommy and Daddy aren't there.
This has been the rule for Social Media for a while. When Facebook started accepting all comers (and not just college and school kids), kids flocked to each new social media site where they can get away from prying eyes.
TikTok's posts might also be ephemeral which means they disappear before becoming something an employer might search for. I'm not sure about that.
Xavin
Tribus: Houston, Tx
Vine flopped because Twitter couldn't figure out a way to make money from it, not because it was unpopular.
Felix Aurelius
Xavin wrote:
To expand on this, it's my understanding that Vine was doing okay, but not doing well enough , and after failing to hit projections, got forcibly shit down.
cesarean escape
Can an app be updated without going through Google Play? According to this SE post, yes [ https://stackoverflow.com/questions/152 ... oogle-play ]
So let's say an some organization had a list of cellphone numbers and their browser fingerprints belonging to US soldiers in some certain region of the world. Then when one of those cellphones updated that organizations application, that organization could check the fingerprint, and could install a custom version including spyware.
OtherSystemGuy
theramenman wrote:
There's always been fads and peer pressure in school. I just said FU and went back to making stone wheels (er coding). Never understood fads and the cool kids.
Fatesrider wrote:
US based companies would do the same, to think blackmail is relegated to Chinese companies is a bit naive
clarityoffline wrote:
Remember when google used all that data it has on damn near everyone to blackmail the EU into not suing it for billions? Wait what do you mean that never happened.
monogon
I agree about Facebook and election interference, I don't believe the concern over TikTok is only or mainly about "the children." It reminds me of the controversy last year around Fitbit, and soldiers unthinkingly leaking the location of classified bases and missions.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/a- ... story.html
mikiev
In 2016 and 2017, Musical.ly signed deals with Warner Music and Apple Music allowing users to integrate a broader library of tunes into their videos.
Interesting. If those deals are still in effect, it would explain why "the kids" are able to post dance and lip-sink videos without having automatic DMCA take-downs issued, the way they would on YouTube.
I've also read one article on how the young hustlers are collaborating - "posting a collab" - at social media events in an effort to boost their following enough to make the jump to the big Ad money on YouTube.
It was funny to read - in the same article - about how some of the big YouTube stars were envious of the TikTok kids at a media event. The big-money stars all had security details to keep from being mobbed - and were up on stage away from their fans - while the relatively unknown TikTok stars were out in the crowd making & posting collabs non-stop.
TikTok on the other hand is heavily geared towards replicating memes, creating voice overs by taking audio from popular shows, lip syncing to songs, dances and challenges. Think of the Ice Bucket challenge but perpetually.
Weren't they the app that popularized that meme of opening the driver's side door, getting out of the car, and dancing as the car slowly rolled forward??
Sad thing is, there is probably an established name for that meme, and I'm so out of the loop that I have no idea what it is.
Vocker
They've learned well. Just blatantly lie and spin when you get caught.
informationsuperhighway
Why did Twitter buy Vine for,30 million just to shut it down instead of paying a dividend instead of burning the money.
informationsuperhighway wrote:
Because for WHATEVER reason, that's what these mega tech companies love to do. Pay absurd amounts for whatever random project then promptly burn it to the ground. Silicon Valley's a bizarre place.
dramamoose
I'm not worried about the future of fitbit, nope, not one tiny bit. Google (etc, as you mentioned) have ALWAYS treated the companies they buy to good leadership and infusions of cash without immediate expectations of profit.
Exactly. Look at the motive. For better or worse, Google wants your data to sell your eyeballs to advertisers. Amazon wants your data to sell you products. Facebook wants your data to sell it directly (as well as your eyeballs). Not saying any of that makes the ridiculous amount of data collection okay, but at least their motives are pretty clear. I wouldn't trust TikTok, or anything largely funded/supported by the Chinese government, any more than I would trust a secure messaging app from the NSA.
Roland the Gunslinger
Haha, I only know about CFIUS because I watched Silicon Valley S5E2 already. Those SV writers ahead of the game as usual lol!
LOL downvoting this is hilarious, why would an aussie have heard of this otherwise than a TV show lmao.
Last edited by Roland the Gunslinger on Tue Nov 05, 2019 8:51 am
Big Wang
dramamoose wrote:
With national security letters and kangaroo FISA court and PRISM, the NSA has pretty much unfettered access to your data anyway.
mekantti
If the kids are on a non-US owned social platform, how is their friendly government able to keep an eye on them every waking second? And if you can't deploy your own strategic memes to head off major social unrest, you might wake up with a Hong Kong situation in your hands...
qazwart wrote:
Very true. Also, when you collectively suck up most of the world's tech profits for a decade and buy up the competition, the company men start to make inroads into the organization and then it's hard to avoid the scent of the corporate.
15 year olds are highly sensitive to this kind of stuff (The Man, in the terminology of the ancient boomers), they will cast about for alternatives (usually in all the wrong places).
Albino_Boo
mekantti wrote:
Oddly enough the US isn't giving on demand extradition to a regime that arrests its political opponents, shoots them in the back of the head and then sells their organs for a profit.
Albino_Boo wrote:
Here's a non sequitur in response to another:
Sometimes I think that all this is just a science fiction dystopia of competing half-covert mood control algorithms tearing peoples' minds apart until everyone goes insane. It is a somewhat comforting thought.
So you not a Chinese troll but just an idiot. The protests in Homg Kong are because the Hong Kong government wanted to pass a bill giving the Chinese government on demand extradition. The Chinese government does arrests it's political opponents, shoot them in the back of the head and then sells their organs for a profit. Try actually knowing something before posting.
So the protesters have legitimate grievances and they have been actually able to extract some concessions. The concessions part has not happened in years.
The Spanish government is not any more brutal than the US one AFAIK, and big riots are continuing in Barcelona. Does that comparison seem less offensive to you? There are also numerous other ongoing protests to choose (Chile, Iraq, ...).
Occupy Wall Street accomplished nothing, and the years since have been relatively free of effective revolutions. But 2019 has become one of the "crazy years", the question is why. Seems to me the US government is worried about foreign influences corrupting the kids once again.


text:
SECRETARY CARSON ANNOUNCES HUD WILL SAFELY RESUME PHYSICAL INSPECTIONS
Inspections previously paused during COVID-19 outbreak due to health concerns
WASHINGTON - U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson announced today the Department will resume Real Estate Assessment Center (REAC) inspections of HUD multifamily and public housing properties and units under strict safety protocols during the national recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
REAC inspections are the assessment tool that ensures HUD assisted properties meet federal standards of health, safety, and accessibility. REAC inspections were paused due to the Coronavirus outbreak in March of 2020.
"As we continue to fight this invisible enemy and learn more about the safety precautions needed to keep our HUD residents and staff safe, we are able to bring back critical functions of the Department," said Secretary Carson. "Physical inspections are vital in ensuring the health and safety of the Americans who reside in properties enrolled in HUD's programs, and I am very pleased to announce today they are resuming."
"REAC inspections provides a critical service in HUD assisted properties to ensure residents are living in safe and decent housing. I believe we have found a solution to continue this important function while keeping staff, residents, and inspectors healthy," said Hunter Kurtz, Assistant Secretary for Public and Indian Housing.
To keep the residents and staff of HUD properties safe during the inspection process, REAC will prioritize inspections in states and localities based on the latest COVID-19 data from Johns Hopkins University and health risk scoring methodology from the Harvard Global Health Institute. REAC has developed a heat map that categorizes states and localities into four risk categories:
Low Risk - Green
Moderately Low Risk - Yellow
Moderately High Risk - Orange
High Risk - Red
REAC will provide a listing on its website of low-risk counties 45 days prior to the start of physical inspections. At the end of the 45-day period, REAC will provide a 14-day notification to priority properties in that county to inform families that an inspection will take place. The first outreach from inspectors to properties will start no earlier than September 21, 2020. A comprehensive list of safe inspection locations, as well as an overview of the methodology used to determine them can be found on the website here. Inspectors will prioritize properties with historically low REAC scores (high-risk properties) in Low Risk (Green) localities. These locations will change over time, and HUD will adjust its inspection plans as needed. For additional information on HUD's coronavirus response efforts, please visit HUD.gov/coronavirus.


You should take your time when you are cycling on Öland, but not because it takes a lot of effort. Quite the opposite. The small roads almost make you float across the landscape, so that you can focus entirely on enjoying your surroundings. You will probably want to stop and look around at many of the places you pass, so make sure you take all the time you need.
The cycle trails are clearly signposted along Öland's minor roads.
The Ölandsleden trail is 450 km long and takes you across the entire island, but you can of course select any part of this trail if you prefer a shorter route.
The Sverigeleden trail goes from the Öland bridge to Grankullavik on the northern tip of the island.
The Ecopark cycle trail covers 40 km in the Böda forest. The Böda forest is part of Sveaskog's Ecopark.
More information about the various bicycle trails, cycle maps and route descriptions can be downloaded from www.cyklapaoland.se.
If you don't have your bicycle with you, you can of course rent one.