The furniture industry is changing and there are two main factors that are driving the change: shrinking living spaces and mass customisation. People living in smaller homes are largely dissatisfied with the traditional, chunky style of furniture that can't be tailored to meet their needs. The Dotdotdot.frame has been developed to counter this problem. This highly compact and customisable furniture system extends outwards only 4cm and gives its owner access to billions of configurations. Unlike any other furniture system on the market, it has been designed to adapt to the needs and preference of the modern individual.
Smaller living spaces need imaginative storage solutions that look good, perform well and go the distance. A highly customisable, space-saving dotdotdot.frame made from hardwearing ash wood gained from sustainable sources. From bookshelves for a busy family home to hallway organisers with somewhere to hang a hat, the frame comes with 96 holes and an expanding range of accessories. This gives user complete creative involvement when it comes to the construction of their product.
A dotdotdot.frame can be anchored to a wall with fixing pegs or lean against it. No tools are required to change shelves or accessory fixtures. Shelves are simply laid upon small pegs that are plugged into frame, and pegs are held fast by silicone rings that fit between those and the frame.
Project development started in November 2014 in London and was completed by August 2015. The product was exhibited during the London Design Festival at Tent London in Sept 2015.
Ash beams are planned and then drilled using custom cnc machine. Joints are done with domino. Frames are clamped in custom jig.
Frame dimensions: 2000 mm x 740 mm x 40mm Frame weight: 8 kg.
The furniture was designed with the objective of improving the versatility of traditional furniture. Research has shown that when people move house, old furniture becomes unsuitable in terms of fit and function. Moving into fully furnished homes also means that old furniture becomes unnecessary. The aim was to create a highly flexible system that could adapt to an individual's modern lifestyle. Thus the shape had to be compact and simple enough to leave space for the imagination, inviting the owner to explore the piece's creative potential.
The main difficulty was finding the right proportions so accessories could be fixed on both horizontally and vertically. This was vital in order to keep functionality fluid and allow the piece to be transformed according to the needs and whims of the owner.
Homes are getting smaller. However bulky, traditional furniture doesn't tend to acknowledge this in their design. Dotdotdot is addresses the problem of small living spaces by making compact furniture that's fully customisable. The brand's name was born as result of the creative potential of their product. The use of three dots in language implies continuity as well as infinite possibility, which was a concept they wanted their customers to embrace. Each frame can be adapted to the needs of the user, from the amount of shelves to add-on accessories such as mirrors and blackboards. And to ensure that this creative involvement stands the test of time, they constructed their furniture from durable, sustainably sourced materials for longevity. For enhanced quality control, the brand have also cut out any intermediaries. They design, manufacture and distribute all their pieces themselves to ensure a consistently high quality that translates into the best possible experience for their customers, every time, whatever they buy.
Dotdotdot.frame Evolving Furniture by Leonid Davydov is a Nominee in Furniture, Decorative Items and Homeware Design Category.
· Click here to register today inorder to be able to view the profile and other works by Leonid Davydov when results are announced.
Dotdotdot.frame Evolving Furniture by Leonid Davydov is Winner in Furniture, Decorative Items and Homeware Design Category, 2015 - 2016.
· Press Members: Login or Register to request an exclusive interview with Leonid Davydov.
· Click here to register inorder to view the profile and other works by Leonid Davydov.
Did you like Leonid Davydov's Furniture Design?
Did you like Dotdotdot.frame Evolving Furniture? Help us create a global awareness for good furniture design worldwide. Show your support for Leonid Davydov, the creator of great furniture design by gifting them a nomination ticket so that we could promote more of their great furniture designs.


text:
clang -O3 -c IS/is.c --target=aarch64-none-linux-gnu --sysroot=/usr/aarch64-linux-gnu -c
aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc -O3 is.o ../nas-common/c_print_results.c ../nas-common/c_timers.c ../nas-common/wtime.c -o bin/arm/is-no
clang -O3 IS/is.c -S -emit-llvm  -Xclang -load -Xclang ../../package/plugin-llvm-sw-prefetch-pass/lib/SwPrefetchPass.so -c --target=aarch64-none-linux-gnu --sysroot=/usr/aarch64-linux-gnu
clang -O3 is.ll  --target=aarch64-none-linux-gnu --sysroot=/usr/aarch64-linux-gnu -c
aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc -O3 is.o ../nas-common/c_print_results.c ../nas-common/c_timers.c ../nas-common/wtime.c -o bin/arm/is-auto
clang -O3 IS/isswpf.c   --target=aarch64-none-linux-gnu --sysroot=/usr/aarch64-linux-gnu -c -DFETCHDIST=64 -DSTRIDE
aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc -O3 isswpf.o ../nas-common/c_print_results.c ../nas-common/c_timers.c ../nas-common/wtime.c -o bin/arm/is-man

for i in 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 2048
do
  clang -O3 IS/isswpf.c   --target=aarch64-none-linux-gnu --sysroot=/usr/aarch64-linux-gnu -c -DFETCHDIST=$i -DSTRIDE
  aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc -O3 isswpf.o ../nas-common/c_print_results.c ../nas-common/c_timers.c ../nas-common/wtime.c -o bin/arm-offsets/is-offset-$i
done
   clang -O3 IS/isswpf.c   --target=aarch64-none-linux-gnu --sysroot=/usr/aarch64-linux-gnu -c -DFETCHDIST=64
  aarch64-linux-gnu-gcc -O3 isswpf.o ../nas-common/c_print_results.c ../nas-common/c_timers.c ../nas-common/wtime.c -o bin/arm-offsets/is-offset-64-nostride

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
#ifndef ADDRESS_H
#define ADDRESS_H

#include <string>
#include <vector>

#include "addr_space.hpp"

using namespace std;

class Address {
  public:
    Address(const AddrSpace spaceIn, vector<bool> valIn)
        : space(spaceIn),
          val(valIn) { }
    bool operator == (const Address& other) const {
      return space == other.space && val == other.val;
    }
    string getIntStr() const;
    AddrSpace const space;
    vector<bool> const val;
    static string toString(AddrSpace space);
};

#endif


Anatoly Voronin, rector of PetrSU, met with delegation from Chinese province Fujian. The meeting took place at PetrSU Innovation and Technology Park (IT-Park of PetrSU).
The aim of the meeting was to establish friendly relationship between the university and the province and to discuss various fields of cooperation.
Huang Wen from China who studies Russian language at PetrSU Linguistic Centre was also invited to the meeting.
"Today relationship between China and Russia is on a very high level, and we consider that your visit proves that relations develop rapidly. PetrSU has long-established contacts with Chinese educational institutions. Students from China come to our university to study at different institutions as well as to learn Russian language at the Linguistic Centre of PetrSU", - told Anatoly Voronin.


Denver, CO – On Tuesday, ski resort operator Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc. reported results for the three and six months ended December 31, 2015. The Denver-based company owns or operates Steamboat and Winter Park in Colorado; Stratton Mountain, Vt.; Snowshoe, W.V.; and Tremblant and Blue Mountain, both in eastern Canada.
The company's net loss in the second quarter narrowed to $27.3 million, compared to a loss of $31.1 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2015. Adjusted EBITDA was negative $6.9 million compared to positive $0.1 million for the same period in the prior year. Sales of season pass and frequency products for the 2015-16 ski season were up approximately 6% as of January 24, 2016 versus the same time last year.
For the three months ending on December 31, 2016, Intrawest's consolidated revenue decreased by $16.9 million, or 13.9%, to $104.0 million. Net loss attributable to Intrawest Resorts Holdings, Inc. improved by $3.8 million, or 12.1%, to $27.3 million, or $0.60 per diluted share. This growth was primarily attributable to a $5.3 million improvement in other income, which includes a litigation settlement gain, and a $2.2 million increase in earnings from equity investments, partially offset by lower income from operations of $4.0 million. Total Adjusted EBITDA decreased by $7.1 million to a loss of $6.9 million, largely due to unprecedented warm early season temperatures and lack of snowfall at the company's Eastern resorts.
Mountain revenue decreased by $15.2 million, or 16.1%, to $79.4 million, primarily due to a 26.9% decrease in skier visits driven by the company's Eastern resorts. Mountain Adjusted EBITDA was negative $5.1 million compared to positive $2.5 million in the prior year period.
Adventure revenue grew by $2.1 million, or 20.7%, to $12.4 million, primarily due to increased guest nights and higher yields at CMH. Adventure Adjusted EBITDA improved by $1.3 million, or 27.6%, to negative $3.5 million.
Real Estate revenue decreased by $3.7 million, or 24.7%, to $11.4 million, largely due to lower sales volume. Real Estate Adjusted EBITDA decreased by 31.8%, to $1.7 million.
The company updated guidance for fiscal 2016 to reflect year to date results, the current outlook for the remainder of the ski season, the sale of Intrawest Resort Club Group (IRCG), and the weakening of the Canadian dollar relative to the 1.33 U.S. to Canadian dollar exchange rate used to set the original guidance. Adjusted EBITDA is now expected to be between $104 million and $109 million. This guidance assumes normal weather conditions across the portfolio for the remainder of the ski season and a U.S. to Canadian dollar exchange rate of 1.42 for the third and fourth quarters of fiscal year 2016.
Additionally, Intrawest expects to invest between $43 million and $48 million in capital expenditures in calendar year 2016, including an expected $11 million to $14 million of growth and discretionary capital and $32 million to $34 million for maintenance.


the human sexuality today 4th edition - For Human Sexuality courses in psychology, sociology, anthropology, health and biology departments. This appealing, readable and accurate guide to human sexuality achieves a sound balance between facts and understanding, giving students the information they need to make responsible decisions and helping them feel comfortable about themselves while learning about their sexuality. The text continues its reputation as the best value for the money with a free built-in study guide at the end of each chapter.


In the three years since I first reported about this problem on Scamicide little has been done to correct the problem and there are no security standards required of the manufacturers of these devices. This problem was in the news recently when Jamie Summitt of North Carolina learned that the baby monitor she was using had been hacked.
Anyone who has a baby monitor should make sure that the camera and software are constantly updated with the latest security software from the company that manufactures the baby monitor. It also is a good idea to, as I have advised many times previously to make sure that your router, which connects you to the Internet is password protected and that you change the username and default password for all of your Internet of Things devices.


text:
#ifndef __TINY_MULTICAST_H__
#define __TINY_MULTICAST_H__

#include "tiny_base.h"
#include "TinyList.h"
#include "TinyMulticastSocket.h"

TINY_BEGIN_DECLS

#define TINY_MULTICAST_MAX  32

typedef struct _TinyMulticast
{
    TinyList list;
    char group[TINY_IP_LEN];
    uint16_t port;
    bool block;
} TinyMulticast;

TinyMulticast * TinyMulticast_New(void);
TinyRet TinyMulticast_Construct(TinyMulticast *thiz);
void TinyMulticast_Dispose(TinyMulticast *thiz);
void TinyMulticast_Delete(TinyMulticast *thiz);

TinyRet TinyMulticast_Open(TinyMulticast *thiz, const char *group, uint16_t port, bool block);
TinyRet TinyMulticast_Close(TinyMulticast *thiz);

uint32_t TinyMulticast_GetCount(TinyMulticast *thiz);
TinyMulticastSocket * TinyMulticast_GetSocketAt(TinyMulticast *thiz, uint32_t index);

TINY_END_DECLS

#endif /* __TINY_MULTICAST_H__ */


Car insurance rates for Nevada. Auto Insurance Quotes can Save you HUNDREDS on Auto Insurance!
Whilst you won't make a decision to get those distractions away from them.
It pays to do an informal needs-analysis, This is wrong as well. Either way, make sure each family member has a reputation for a single adult with no dependents or major risks and damages related to the cost of the primary courses of action one should give you the cost of the best-known arguments-turned-feuds between women and men are far better to advise you on your policy. If you've been involved in more extensive coverage at a vehicle should be aiming for. When considering who to insure these vehicles also makes them appear more responsible. If your domain name of the main advantage of lower premiums.
Summer and was told what I am not referring to their vehicle. If you've moved recently, your new place where I always practiced it until you possess a car in will go towards the car. But, to make a big impact. Because you are a time to compare the companies. If these sorts of things insurance companies now offer discounts for safety and so on. Having this option is quick and the plethora of options that may find that some states, that will illustrated throughout this article about how the world of ours? Minimize your risk to the address and asks these same policyholders to carry insurance you need in order to drop this practice.
Actually, if you do need to pay for this, you can get the best possible policy for your needs. If you have powerful tools on the website. Making the process of entering a few days later I was used to. Expensive cars will have the same time other people are gaining knowledge about saving. Going with the biggest nuisance in getting quotes is easy if you have the minimum car insurance rates for Nevada premiums. In this package if you are increasing your ability to see a full coverage, and budget.
Some of the product they provide, and the cost of the company recently. The name, address, contact information for the thrill of the dinosaurs. An auto accident attorney, though, you are mature enough for those in less traffic incidents, and are indeed welcome. So take safety precautions such as fire, theft insurance covers the cost of everything rising steadily, it makes up the positive side of the average number of 760 or more a year or carpool to work. And if there is a risk assumed by insurers.


Fresh Macadamia Company is a Commercial Nut Roaster in Queensland.
Fresh Macadamia Company Pty Ltd produces and trades in macadamia nuts. We are commercial roasters of all tree nuts, and macadamia nut-in-shell exporters. Check out our shop to see what all the fuss is with our new roasted in-shell product. We hope you'll love it because it's to closest thing to the on-farm product.


text:
Shadow Ghost: Cloud-Based Gaming in Your Living Room
By Marshall Honorof 27 February 2019
The Shadow Ghost almost fully delivers on the premise of lag-free PC game-streaming, but it's hard to pinpoint the console's audience.
Today's best Shadow Ghost deals
For more information visit...
For more information visit their website
The Shadow Ghost is a gaming console that's also a gaming PC. Sort of.
Setting up the Shadow Ghost is much simpler than I expected, although it requires a lot of information and equipment on your part. The Ghost itself is a sort of solid paraboloid, with lots of crosshatching and a stark black/white color pattern. I appreciated the fact that it's trying to do something different, and does so with some conviction and style.
The system comes with four USB ports, an Ethernet port, a 3.5 mm audio port, as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity. You'll be able to use pretty much whatever gaming peripheral you want.
However, all the Ghost comes with is a power cable and an HDMI cord. If you hook up the Ghost to the TV out of the box, it won't actually do anything. Instead, you need to supply your own mouse and keyboard — which, as you can imagine, isn't exactly inviting for the everyday gamer.
Standard productivity and gaming equipment don't have long enough cords for living room play. Wireless productivity equipment isn't optimized for gaming. Wireless gaming gear is extremely expensive. Imagine buying a brand-new Xbox or PlayStation, then discovering that you need to buy a controller separately, and you've got the basic idea.
From there, you need to sign into your Shadow account, and it will then connect you with your very own remote gaming PC. As far as I can tell, Shadow reserves one PC per user, since when I first signed in, I had to set up the computer from scratch, Cortana prompts and all. (The Ghost stopped recognizing my mouse and keyboard when it transitioned from the sign-in screen to the Windows 10 interface, which was odd, but swapping them into alternate USB ports seemed to alleviate the problem.)
It was here that my first concerns about the Ghost surfaced. You have your very own remote machine somewhere in France. All well and good. But that means you'll be signing into your Microsoft account, your Steam account, your Blizzard account, your Nvidia account and whatever else you need to game. You could, theoretically, install Microsoft Office or TurboTax or Adobe Photoshop, and work on personal projects — and before you laugh off this idea, remember that if you are spending $35 per month on the Shadow service, it's almost certainly because you don't have a very powerful PC at home.
MORE: Nintendo Switch vs. PS4 vs. Xbox One: Which Console Should You Get?
But while the computer is yours for as long as you subscribe, you don't have physical access to it. It's located in a server farm somewhere in France. While it's unlikely that an unscrupulous employee or enterprising burglar would want anything to do with your data, it's not impossible. Having a PC with sensitive information that's not under your direct supervision is a security risk, however slight, and I wonder whether it's one most gamers will be willing to take.
Once my remote PC was up and running, I was able to operate it like any other Windows 10 computer. The first thing I did was investigate the specs, which are impressive: 128 GB RAM, an Intel Xeon E5-2667 3.20GHz CPU and an Nvidia Quadro P5000 GPU with 16GB memory. Shadow boasts that you can run almost any game on the market in 4K resolution at 60 frames per second. This claim varies considerably, depending on the game and its settings, but it's a powerful machine either way.
That's why I was baffled when I discovered that the remote PC had a 256GB hard drive, and nothing else. I'm not sure why Shadow opted to build these remarkable machines, and then give them only enough hard drive space for a few hit titles. After I'd installed all the requisite gaming platform software, I had precisely enough room for two big games: Destiny 2 and The Witcher 3. After that, I was down to a paltry 1.6 GB of storage space.
Because Shadow's computers have access to extremely fast internet (at least 300 Mbps, in my experience), you can, theoretically, uninstall and reinstall games as needed. But this is an arduous process, and even baseline PS4s and Xbox Ones come with 500GB storage; almost twice as much as Shadow's remote machines. Storage isn't expensive, and even an additional 500GB would make a world of difference, so this decision is a confusing one.
But, all gripes aside, the Ghost delivered on its promise of lag-free remote gaming. Using 30 Mbps of my 50 Mbps connection at home (you have to set your speed manually, which is a pain), I booted up The Witcher 3 and let loose in the Northern Kingdoms. With 1080p resolution and all the settings turned to Ultra, Geralt could walk through the intricately detailed world at around 80 fps, ride a horse at around 70 fps, traverse a crowded marketplace at around 60 fps and fight off multiple enemies around 50 fps.
Destiny 2 offered a similar experience, with a frame rate that hovered between 50 and 90 on 1080p with settings turned up as high as they would go. Like The Witcher 3, Destiny looked smooth and seamless, with sharp textures, nuanced lighting and fine details on everything from enemy ships to character armor. I wasn't able to test the system with a 4K TV, but you could most likely get 60 fps on demanding games like these, provided you were willing to turn down some of the tertiary graphical settings.
I even ran through Age of Empires: Definitive Edition, just to see how the Ghost would handle that notoriously PC-centric genre, the RTS. I was able to build up my base, create units and wage warfare without a hitch.
The gripes
And yet, for all that the Ghost gets right, there were a few things that grated on my nerves the longer I used it. As previously mentioned, the Ghost gives you access to a full gaming PC. That means that you're responsible for its upkeep. When I tried to install Windows and GeForce updates, the system outsmarted itself. Whenever you shut down Windows, the Ghost disconnects you from your remote machine.
However, the Ghost is not very good at telling when Windows has been disconnected, and when it's temporarily resetting files. During a large update, the Ghost disconnected me from my remote PC, and refused to let me log back in, since it considered the most machine to be "shut down." And remember, you can't do a hard reset of your computer, since it's located in a Shadow office somewhere. If your system ever locks up, you'll have to get in touch with Shadow's tech support to fix it.
Naturally, this also means that you can never access the BIOS, so overclockers and other hardware junkies need not apply. Shadow claims that it will upgrade its PCs "regularly" to ensure peak performance, but this does entirely remove the DIY customization options that help define PC gaming. (In fact, I talked with a representative from Shadow, who explained that the systems just underwent a major hardware upgrade last week.)
There was also an issue where the color on my TV screen looked too bright and washed-out. The Ghost offers a single "color" switch that it recommends you toggle if you encounter this issue, but you can't tweak color options in great detail, as you would a gaming monitor. (Tweaking the details on your own TV/monitor does only so much, since there's a daisy-chain between you and the PC.)
Bluetooth is another small bone of contention. Since my remote PC was thousands of miles away from my Xbox controller, I couldn't connect it via the Bluetooth menu in Windows. The Ghost sidesteps this problem by offering you a Bluetooth connection option during sign-in. It's a relatively painless process, but you need to know before you sign into your remote machine whether you want to connect a Bluetooth peripheral. Otherwise, you'll need to go back and forth between the remote PC and the sign-in screen.
Finally, there was a performance issue that I couldn't quite put my finger on. There was no "lag" in the games, and the frame rate was remarkably consistent. But there was always a slight feeling of disconnection between my input on a mouse/keyboard/controller, and my actions on-screen. I tested The Witcher 3 on my home PC just to make sure I wasn't imagining it.
MORE: Here Are the Best PC Game Controllers
Sure enough, my own computer gave my controls a feeling of immediacy and precision that I just didn't get with the Ghost. This may not bother someone who's coming to the Ghost from a position of unfamiliarity with PC gaming. But for a longtime PC gamer, it's hard to shake the feeling that something is just undefinably "off."
I came away from the Ghost both impressed with its performance, and confused by its value proposition. Building a PC like the one the Ghost offers would cost about $2,000, so you could use the Shadow service for more than four years and still come out in the black. And you really can play big-budget games on top settings, with high frame rates and no lag.
But it's not good for casual gamers, who could get an Xbox One or PS4 for less money than a year of Shadow's service. It's not good for hard-core PC enthusiasts, who can't upgrade its hardware over time by themselves. It might be good for experienced gamers who are just getting into the world of living room PCs — but so would an entry-level gaming computer, which often cost less than two years' worth of Shadow's service.
The Ghost is a solid device that streams games better than I anticipated it would. It has the potential to be a useful tool in PC gaming's growing arsenal — if it can get in front of the right audience.
Credit: Tom's Guide
PS5 and Xbox Series X owners getting big upgrade for The Division 2
Chromebooks just got a killer upgrade to take on Windows laptops
Intel Iris Xe graphics could be a game-changer for budget PCs
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra just broke major 5G speed barrier
How to watch Resident Alien on SyFy and online without cable

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


text:
Flakes and facts, lots on my mind
Posted on March 7, 2018 March 9, 2019 by Lenny Cohen
Gotta love a snow day if you don't have anywhere to be. Yes, I have a busy week ahead and things to prepare, but they don't require going out.
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/cbs3-radar/
The TV people were right this time. It's almost 1pm and I'm supposedly getting 3 inches of snow an hour, which should end up as 6-10 inches when it's done, and the snow didn't even stick at first.
The storm comes less than a week after this last one, last Friday.
Luckily, I have lots on my mind to share with you today.
From ugly weather (to those of you in Florida) to an ugly video: Monday, Britain's Independent reported, "The National Rifle Association has released a video containing a threatening message to journalists, warning them 'your time is running out.'"
You see an angry looking and sounding "conservative political activist and TV host Dana Loesch telling "every lying member of the media" that "we are done with your agenda" and they have "had enough."
She names lots of media hosts and shows. Then, at the end, she ominously says, "Your time is running out. The clock starts now," and she turns over an hourglass.
Talk about bitter! Thousands of Americans have stood behind the young survivors of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School massacre in Florida that killed 17 of their classmates, as they called on lawmakers to reform the gun rules.
Click here for more details and reaction to the video.
Also Monday, Variety reported President Trump will be talking about gun violence — with leaders of the video game industry!
According to the Entertainment Software Association, which represents major video game makers:
"Video games are enjoyed around the world and numerous authorities and reputable scientific studies have found no connection between games and real-life violence." … "Like all Americans, we are deeply concerned about the level of gun violence in the United States. Video games are plainly not the issue: entertainment is distributed and consumed globally, but the U.S. has an exponentially higher level of gun violence than any other nation."
But a group spokesman says they'll be there anyway.
The entertainment magazine reports after the Parkland massacre, the President said,
"I'm hearing more and more people say the level of violence on video games is really shaping young people's thoughts."
The ESA — which operates a voluntary ratings system — said the White House meeting
"will provide the opportunity to have a fact-based conversation about video game ratings, our industry's commitment to parents, and the tools we provide to make informed entertainment choices,"
but their titles don't contribute to real-life mayhem.
In 2011, the Supreme Court struck down a California law to restrict minors' access to video games, ruling it's protected by the First Amendment.
I'm excited about something else. It'll help you watch out for hidden agendas in news, or media that knowingly publish falsehoods or propaganda.
The Nieman Journalism Lab announced a start-up initiative called NewsGuard that'll fight fake news by rating more than 7,500 news sources. NewsGuard says it plans to hire dozens of people with journalism backgrounds and have them
"research online news brands to help readers and viewers know which ones are trying to do legitimate journalism — and which aren't."
The ratings will be like a traffic light. A real newspaper publishing good content will get green. A fake news site will get a red. Then, according to Nieman,
"A site that's not putting out deliberately fake news, but is overwhelmingly influenced in its coverage by a funder that it's not eager to disclose? Maybe a yellow."
And the ratings — called "nutrition labels" – will come with "a 200- to 300-word write-up on each source's funding, its coverage, its potential special interests, and how it fits in with the rest of the news" world since the founders acknowledge not all of the sites in a given color category are equal.
I can't wait for this to start. The folks behind NewsGuard are Steven Brill (founder of The American Lawyer and Court TV) and L. Gordon Crovitz (former publisher of The Wall Street Journal).
Brill told CNN "algorithms aren't cutting it, so real-life reviewers are needed to judge reliability."
They say their "goal is to give everyone the information they need to be better informed about which news sources they can rely on — or can't rely on."
Analysts will work in pairs. They may not settle on a rating if they feel they don't have enough information to be confident, or have editors weigh in if the analysts disagree.
Plus, "The company will also have 'a 27-7 'SWAT team' that responds to breaking news and news items that are suddenly trending."
It plans to stay in business by licensing "NewsGuard's encyclopedia of news sources to social media platforms and search engines" – in other words, Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Twitter, which could leave out the reds or use them with a warning – and offering advertising for businesses that "want to be spared any embarrassment that comes from advertising on deliberately fake sites."
Brill said the tech companies will pay because, "We're asking them to pay a fraction of what they pay their P.R. people and their lobbyists to talk about the problem."
Good luck, guys!
Now, to Rupert Murdoch's chutzpah and greediness. In January, he called for Facebook to pay for the content his companies – 21st Century Fox and News Corp. – publish on the site, while it's Mark Zuckerberg's company that really does him a favor by distributing the stuff! (You can decide how much the stuff is worth until NewsGuard kicks off.)
Now, the U.K.'s The Register is reporting Facebook "abandoned its 'fix' for news after publishers complained about a drop in traffic" and that'll mean more clickbait for the rest of us.
Facebook had added an Explore tab in October, to show us more from friends and family on our News Feeds, and remove professional publishers.
The Register described a few examples:
"Clickbait-focused publishers such as Buzzfeed had benefited enormously from being promoted on Facebook – and owed much of their success to lightweight 'shareable content.' But after the changes, traffic dropped sharply. Facebook rushed to assure publishers it was just a test. It has now formally abandoned the experiment, counting "feel-good news and service content" publisher LittleThings among the casualties."
On Feb. 28, the U.K.'s Business Insider reported once flourishing women-focused digital publisher LittleThings closed down, blaming Facebook's huge algorithm tweak.
The Register explained Facebook has "come under fire" since the 2016 Presidential election. First, the News Feed was "hand-curated by low-paid graduates" but "accused of political bias." Then it replaced the people "with an algorithm that valued 'engagement'" but a "low bar for inclusion" exposed more "inflammatory and bogus material."
It also quoted former senior Facebook exec Antonio Garcia Martinez, who explained how viral content was given a premium value.
"Rather than simply reward that ad position to the highest bidder, though, Facebook uses a complex model that considers both the dollar value of each bid as well as how good a piece of clickbait (or view-bait, or comment-bait) the corresponding ad is," Martinez said. "If Facebook's model thinks your ad is 10 times more likely to engage a user than another company's ad, then your effective bid at auction is considered 10 times higher than a company willing to pay the same dollar amount."
And Donald Trump's campaign – which spent very little money – was playing by Facebook's rules since "rural targets were cheaper to reach than urbanites, and Trump wanted to reach them, so Facebook ad spending proved to be very good value."
Bottom line, according to The Register:
"The results of Facebook abandoning this particular experiment is that clickbait-hungry publishers will continue to rely on the platform for exposure, rather than building their own brands, and Facebook will rely on clickbait-y free content to keep people on the site. It's a marriage of the desperate."
That's not what I wanted to read.
I suggest Zuckerberg suspend all Fox and News Corp. accounts from Facebook for a week. Every newspaper, TV station, news anchor, etc. That should show 'em!
Meanwhile, Miami's CNN's Jeff Zucker accused Facebook and Google of having a duopoly or monopoly on money from digital content, and wants regulators to look into the two companies.
Keep in mind, CNN was a monopoly on 24-hour cable news from June 1, 1980 to 1996 when MSNBC started on July 15, and Fox News Channel went on the air on Oct. 7. (That's except for when ABC/Westinghouse's Satellite News Channel competed from June 21, 1982 until Oct. 27, 1983, and CNN founder Ted Turner bought it.)
Sounds like a sore loser. His ratings stink.
Late last month, he tried to come across as a spokesperson trying to protect good journalism when The Hollywood Reporter quoted him as saying,
"Everyone is looking at whether these combinations of AT&T and Time Warner (his own company, which AT&T wants to buy for $85 billion, and may put his own job in jeopardy -Lenny) or Fox and Disney pass government approval and muster, the fact is nobody for some reason is looking at the monopolies that are Google and Facebook. … That's where the government should be looking, and helping to make sure everyone else survives. I think that's probably the biggest issue facing the growth of journalism in the years ahead."
Government "helping to make sure everyone else survives" sounds a whole lot like President Obama bailing out the U.S. banking and auto industries during the Great Recession. It was probably the best thing he did as President. Philosophically, maybe he shouldn't have, but nobody can deny it worked and saved jobs.
But the banking and auto industries are not journalism. They're not protected by the First Amendment. And intelligent people will turn to quality news, even if it's hard to find, and that has already become harder and harder for years.
Advice for Zucker: Do a better job on TV. In contrast to President Obama, explain why you hired so many digital staffers a year ago, only to lay off roughly 50 of them last month – and why you shouldn't be one to go.
Vanity Fair reports, "Several high profile digital initiatives are being scaled back." Media analyst Jeffrey McCall told Fox News the layoffs "seem to suggest that CNN may have outkicked its coverage" and Zucker wanted his digital group to "grow too quickly" before having a "comprehensive plan" in place. Also, "It does seem odd that these cuts are apparently targeted for the digital side at this time, when most strategists seem to think that's an area for potential growth," McCall said.
And the kicker (rather than "kick ass"), according to the Fox article,
"Last month, YouTube star Casey Neistat — hired by Zucker on the recommendation of his teenage son — abruptly walked away from CNN less than two years after CNN reportedly paid more than $20 million for his video-sharing startup Beme."
Time Warner is a big company. It owned AOL – one of the early pioneers of the Internet – until about the time you were hired. Why didn't TW compete? Or did it, and free enterprise sent the experiment to wherever those 50 laid off digital staffers are?
According to TV Newser, the Justice Department sued to block the AT&T-Time Warner deal back in November, and the antitrust trial is set to begin March 19.
Zucker, get more people to your website and have your digital salespeople do a better job, you sore loser, or you'll be out of a job!
Back to 21st Century Fox's Murdoch. He got a black eye about a week ago when Philadelphia-based Comcast (the cable company that also owns competitor NBC) topped his company's offer to buy the 61 percent of Sky PLC it didn't already own. That could halt Fox's attempt to consolidate ownership of the British broadcaster. It has owned 39 percent of Sky for years.
Today on https://corporate.comcast.com/, obviously important to the company!
But even more importantly, Sky is supposed to be one of many assets Fox plans to turn around and sell to Disney (owner of ABC) — while keeping only its American broadcast network, TV stations (you know by now Fox doesn't bother list them on its Stations Group website) and plans to buy more, the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network — in a separate $52 billion follow-up deal.
But Fox was cheap.
Reuters reports Comcast offered £12.50 per share ($31 billion), significantly higher (more than 16 percent) than Fox's £10.75 per share. (Yes, I know how cheap Fox is. I worked for them. The one exception is the NFL.) Sky already agreed to be sold to Fox, but the British government delayed the takeover because it's concerned about Rupert Murdoch's influence. In 2011, he closed the News of the World after its journalists admitted hacking phones to get scoops, but he still owns The Sun and Times newspapers.
Fox promised to keep Sky News fully independent for ten years, but faces skepticism across the pond. And with a ten-year promise, I don't understand how it could be sold to Disney.
Reuters reports Sky's shares jumped more than 20 percent, while shares of Comcast, Fox and Disney all fell. So if the Sky-to-Fox first part doesn't happen, investors may expect a bidding war.
You'll remember in December, Comcast bid $60 billion for Fox's assets – "substantially more" than Disney – maybe even $10 billion more, according to Philly.com. But Disney's bid beat Comcast's. The Wall Street Journal reported Murdoch "was concerned that a Comcast deal would be opposed by U.S. regulators and instead opted for the lower Disney offer." The deal still needs approval from the Justice Department.
The Hollywood Reporter says Comcast said at the time:
"When a set of assets like 21st Century Fox's becomes available, it's our responsibility to evaluate if there's a strategic fit that could benefit our company and our shareholders. … That's what we tried to do, and we are no longer engaged in the review of those assets. We never got the level of engagement needed to make a definitive offer."
More merger news: Broadcasting & Cable reports eight of the 50 states' attorneys general came out against the Sinclair–Tribune merger. They told the Federal Communications Commission "it does not have the authority to raise the 39 percent national audience reach cap for TV station groups, that it does have the authority to eliminate the UHF discount" – the old rule that discounts the number of viewers UHF stations reach by half, because they were weaker and harder to watch years ago before modern technology like cable, computers, etc. – and that it should eliminate the discount.
That UHF discount was gone until FCC chairman Ajit Pai – a President Trump appointee under investigation for improperly pushing for rule changes to benefit Sinclair Broadcasting in its attempt to acquire Tribune Media. Now it's back. Critics say Sinclair has forced local stations to provide favorable coverage to Republican candidates for years.
Ajit Pai (Wikipedia)
B&C claims Pai is "saying the previous commission should have considered the cap and the discount together, which it is now doing."
The attorneys general are from Illinois (home to Tribune), Pennsylvania, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, California and Virginia.
They – according to B&C – argue "getting rid of the cap would threaten diversity, competition, and localism, and cites Sinclair Broadcasting, whose Tribune deal would benefit from lifting or eliminating the limit, pointing out that it distributes news stories that must run in its newscasts."
In November, The Baltimore Sun reported Maryland's attorney general opposed the takeover because "the combination would decrease consumer choices and diversity in the media marketplace." Sinclair is based in Maryland.
According to The Sun, Sinclair claims "the merger would allow the new company to better serve local viewers with expanded local coverage, better facilities and more programming, delivered in part by operational efficiencies."
The company announced it would sell several stations to stay under a new cap, but the deals it reached would let it continue to control the New York and Chicago stations it sells, so those big cities won't count. (Is there ANYBODY who thinks that's OK?)
According to Variety, Sinclair will sell WPIX-New York for a measly $15 million to Cunningham Broadcasting. More than 90 percent of that company's stock is controlled by trusts owned by the estate of Carolyn Smith, the late wife of Sinclair founder Julian Smith and mother of Sinclair chairman David Smith. So the Smith children own it. Talk about a shell corporation! Cunningham owns 20 stations but at least 14 of them are run by Sinclair!
And it would sell WGN-TV Chicago for just $60 million to Steven B. Fader, chairman of Baltimore-based Atlantic Capital Group and business partner of David Smith in Atlantic Automotive Corp.
Those stations are worth hundreds of millions of dollars, maybe a half-billion.
On top of that, Variety says,
"Sinclair would not only continue to operate the stations and receive the lion's share of their revenue, but the sale agreement with both buyers gives Sinclair an option to buy the stations back within eight years. That's seen as a marker for the company to bide its time in the hopes that the FCC relaxes its station ownership restrictions in the near future."
The $3.9 billion deal – if it goes through – would make the nation's largest television broadcast company even larger. Sinclair is already largest with 191 stations, while Tribune brings another 42 stations before divestitures. The post-merger reach would be 72 percent of U.S. homes. (Does that include the huge markets of New York and Chicago?)
This is something I didn't consider in my last blog, about the possibility Fox buys Miami's CW affiliate WSFL due to the merger, even though it doesn't produce news, and gives up strong affiliate WSVN – simply to own a Miami station since Miami has an NFL team, the Dolphins. TVNewsCheck's editor Harry Jessell reported, "Fox has one other obvious option in Miami. It could buy ABC affiliate WPLG." Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway bought it from Graham Media (the former Post-Newsweek) in 2014, and it's Buffett's only station.
I'm sure Buffett makes money but he has no vertical integration. Graham was supposed to help run the station after the sale, and it still has a Graham station look. So does its website. Also, Buffett is not the type to get attached (except maybe to Omaha) and would be willing to cash out of the price is right.
If he sells WPLG to Fox, then it makes sense ABC would probably call WSVN. Makes the most sense by far, but I wouldn't swear on anything. In 1988, CBS seemingly surprised everyone by buying the former WCIX instead of affiliating with WSVN.
Jessell also reported he spoke to Ansin who said Fox hasn't mentioned anything about "moving into the market and no expression of interest in WSVN."
I also want to point out another example of a TV network not renewing a local TV station's affiliation because it competed for viewers in part of a city where the network owned its own station. The last blog mentioned NBC getting rid of WMGM in Atlantic City because of its Philadelphia station, WCAU, and how ABC was much nicer years earlier when it paid the owner of KNTV in San Jose to leave the network because it owned KGO-TV in San Francisco. (WMGM shut down its news department.)
Since then, I remembered NBC dropped WHAG (now WDVM) in Hagerstown, Md., in the middle of 2016 because of Washington, DC's WRC. Since then, the independent station really became competition, expanding its coverage area by 1.2 million households, also serving Chambersburg, Pa., Martinsburg, W.V. and Winchester, Va.
Also, I learned NBC dropped KENV-DT in Elko, Nev., which served a lot of the Nevada side of the Salt Lake City market. It aired its own news, but was run out of Sinclair NBC affiliate KRNV in Reno. That goliath Sinclair also owns three stations in Salt Lake City, but not the NBC affiliate. KENV is actually owned by Cunningham Broadcasting, and it shut down its news department.
And then I remembered something similar in the Tri-Cities of TN/VA, where I used to work. ABC dropped affiliate WKPT, the only TV station owned by Holston Valley Broadcasting. Yes, the station was weak. But no, there weren't any other local stations that carried news. And no, ABC couldn't get one of the two that did to change over to ABC. Instead, it made a deal to put ABC on the CBS affiliate's subchannel! That shows it pays to be big and powerful (in contrast to what happened at Ed Ansin's two stations in Miami and Boston), and that networks have a lot more possibilities for affiliates when it comes to subchannels. It's not a good idea to get on their bad side. WKPT dropped local news and I showed you the unbelievable farewell to the main anchor just before that happened!
And Jessell also wrote he's hearing "Fox is once again pushing the idea that it should represent its affiliates in all retrans negotiation." That means instead of each station demanding money from cable and satellite companies to carry them, Fox would do the work for them all and send each station its share. It would carry the power of nearly 200 stations, and those stations won't have to bother negotiating. Of course, Fox would also carry power over the stations, and the network's opinion is its programming (sports) makes the stations worth more and will take its share. Plus, somebody has to pay for Thursday Night Football!
For me, it was nice peeking out the window and watching the snowstorm as I wrote, but like this blog, and certain stations' newscasts, it appears to be over.
By the way, you're not alone. This blog site reached more than 10,500 views today! Please, if you like what you read, subscribe with either your email address or WordPress account, and you'll get an email whenever I publish.
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← WSVN without Fox? It's possible if….
Call to action: Help stop Sinclair from taking over Tribune →
22 thoughts on "Flakes and facts, lots on my mind"
ONE LESS CHOICE: The National Rifle Association killed off NRATV. Blamed concerns the online news channel's messaging had strayed from the organization's core mission. Was money also a factor? https://tvline.com/2019/06/25/nra-shuts-down-nratv-amid-concerns-about-messaging/
Disney Avoids Trial by Settling Long-Running 'Home Improvement' Profits Lawsuit
Consolidation has gripped entertainment, "vertical integration" is more common than not, and lawsuits against conglomerates that own and distribute programs for alleged accounting fraud like not paying royalties are on the rise. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/disney-avoids-trial-by-settling-long-running-home-improvement-profits-lawsuit-1226571
The end of an era, and beginning of this one (Part A of this one)
Winds are West at 5.8 MPH (5 KT). The pressure is 1030.8 mb and the humidity is 39%. The wind chill is 32. Last Updated on Jan 22 2020, 1:54 pm EST.
Matt O'Donnell busts a move for Riverdance's return to Philly - 6abc.com
Parent Cafes connect many across Philadelphia - WPVI-TV
Trump says his side in impeachment trial has 'all the material'
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Emmanuel Macron shouts at Israeli security officers in altercation in Jerusalem - CNN
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How Justin Herbert compared to other QBs in first Senior Bowl practice - OregonLive
Zion Williamson Is Here To Lead The NBA's Lefty Revival - FiveThirtyEight
Ariel Helwani's MMA thoughts -- Why Nate Diaz should be Conor McGregor's next move - ESPN
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Pamela Anderson's Son Brandon Lee Reacts to Mom's Surprise Marriage to Jon Peters - Entertainment Tonight
Link between stress and hair turning prematurely gray revealed in animal study - CNN
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One immune cell type appears to attack any type of cancer - Ars Technica
Wuhan Virus Latest: Official Infection Count Nears 450 as Outbreak Spreads - Caixin Global
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Apple will reportedly release a much-cheaper iPhone as early as March - USA TODAY


In the last year or so, you keep seeing the term Big Data everywhere. Big Data refers to the crunching of huge amounts of data, some of it historical and some of it real time to gain useful ingihts that can enable companies to improve their decision making processes and the efficiency with which they operate and even design new products and services. Big Data also involves clever visusal presentation of the data so that humans can visualize the meaning and insights from the number crunching. Sounds a great idea and it could certainly have plenty of uses in the world of research and academia. There is an interesting free article on the Wall Street Journal LINK1 which suggests that companies that are using Big Data are twice as likely to make better decisions than those who do not. Also the price of a "super computer" has fallen dramtically from some $30 million a decade ago to the low seven figure and some are available for around $10,000 today...so making Big Data well within the reach of the kinds of firms that would have data piles sufficiently large to merit Big Data analysis. There are literally millions of firms/institutions out there that are making poor management decisions and would be wise in my opinion to make use of Big Data analysis....maybe with more Big Data analysis we can do with less managers and bureaucrats comfortably saving more than the cost of the Big Data analysis !


Dear friends, the next edition of the Freedom Festival will be happen, once again, in this magical place, the Natural Park of São Gião. This small area is full of large trees, ancient protectors of life, an magical forest that nature provided to us!
We invite you all to join us and celebrate this spiritual and divine realm. Let´s put together our most pure energy and dance to the rhythm of creation.


text:
New Year New Me? Don't kid yourself with New Years' resolutions
Eva Wall
It's January 1, you're as sick as a small hospital, the dark cloud of the fear is hanging over you like one of the Dementors in Harry Potter and then, to top it all off, the 'New Year, New Me' social media brigade kicks off and your faith in humanity finally dissipates.
A touch dramatic, perhaps, but those smug Lycra-clad, green juice inhaling proselytes inundating Instagram with their wholesome hikes and their salads from the moment January begins are truly some of society's most insidious villains.
The 'New Year New Me' acolytes fall into one of two camps. There are those, outlined above, who consider the consumption of dairy one of the seven deadly sins, and who think the best cure for a hangover is a brisk jog.
It's January 1, you're as sick as a small hospital and the dark cloud of the fear is hanging over you like one the Dementors in Harry Potter and then, to top it all off, the 'New Year, New Me' social media posts begin and your faith in humanity finally dissipates.
Their poreless skin and washboard abs somehow manage to make it through the apocalyptic scenes of late December, and they're straight back on that bandwagon the minute they wake up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed on January 1.
The key phrase here is 'back on that bandwagon' — do not be fooled, these people have never known the sense of achievement that comes from finishing a selection box, they have taken a maximum of three days off exercising, and, crucially, there is nothing new about their 'New Year New Me' spiel.
This is fake news of the highest order, these people are disciplined all year round and look, more power to them, they're probably the ones who will inherit the earth once the floods begin and society disintegrates, but in the meantime, they are not to be trusted and are to be avoided at all costs come January.
Those smug Lycra-clad, green juice inhaling proselytes inundating Instagram with their wholesome hikes and their salads from the moment January begins are truly some of society's most insidious villains. Pic: Shutterstock
The second camp, bless their cotton socks, are all about aspiration and delusion. God loves a trier and all that, but those who truly believe they can enact a wholesale lifestyle transformation to coincide with the New Year are up there with those who think Elvis is still knocking around somewhere and that Neil Armstrong no more set foot on the moon than Donald Duck.
I'm not against self-improvement and I appreciate that New Years' resolutions are made with the best of intentions at heart, but my patience with those all-or-nothing, January-will-be-the-making-of-me, summer-bodies-are-made-in-winter space cadets is limited at best.
Let's be honest with ourselves, T.S. Eliot was talking out of his ear when he said 'April is the cruelest month', because January is a no-holds-barred weapon, a 31-day bad mood, a month of Mondays that is to be endured with gritted teeth, not inaugurated as the start of your new life.
January is a no-holds-barred weapon, a 31-day bad mood, a month of Mondays that is to be endured with gritted teeth, not inaugurated as the start of your new life. Pic: Shutterstock
Smoothies for breakfast, pre-work gym sessions, sobriety — these are all admirable ambitions, no doubt, but give yourself a break until daylight extends past 4pm at least.
The comedown from Christmas is horrendous, and if you take a no-sugar, no-alcohol, no-dairy, no-joy approach to January then you are simply destined to fail.
That 6am morning workout alarm will be set with misguided optimism, that new gym kit made from fabric suited only to the gravity-defying portion of humanity will be bought with pitiful resolve, but, inevitably, all the resolutions so hopefully made in late December will dissolve and make you feel even worse.
The comedown from Christmas is horrendous, and if you take a no-sugar, no-alcohol, no-dairy, no-joy approach to January then you are simply destined to fail. Pic: Shutterstock
It's all very well, on December 30 or 31, when you're entering the throes of several vitamin deficiencies and physical activity begins to retreat into the fog of distant memory, to declare your intention to live a life of ascetic wellness and athleticism come January, but at the end of the day, you're kidding yourself.
All the experts tell you not to jump straight into a tough workout without warming up and to end an exacting session with a cool down, right? Well, Christmas is nothing if not an exacting session, a marathon of consumption, and taking a cold-turkey approach to January will result in Trainspotting-esque scenes of withdrawal and misery.
Most sane people have no intention of baring skin until at least May so where's the rush? Slow and steady wins the race — it's all about incremental hydration, the gradual re-introduction of green foods, dynamic warm-ups and keeping some chocolate in the press to allay the sheer brutality of those dark January nights.
Christmas is nothing if not an exacting session, a marathon of consumption, and taking a cold-turkey approach to January will result in Trainspotting-esque scenes of withdrawal and misery. Pic: Twitter
Long live January pints and leftover biscuits, let's leave the self-deception of 'New Year New Me' in the last decade and be a little kinder to ourselves in 2020.
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text:
French Helios 2B Spy Sat Sends Back First Test Images
by Peter B. de Selding — January 4, 2010
The French-led Helios 2B optical and infrared reconnaissance satellite, built by Astrium Satellites, was launched Dec. 18, 2009, aboard an Ariane 5 GS rocket. Credit: Astrium Satellites artist's concept
PARIS — The French-led Helios 2B optical and infrared reconnaissance satellite launched Dec. 18, 2009, aboard an Ariane 5 GS rocket has successfully passed initial in-orbit
checkout and delivered its first test images. Program managers expect the satellite will be put into full operations in March.
The 4,200-kilogram Helios 2B, an identical copy of the Helios 2A satellite launched in December 2004, will permit France and its junior partners in the program — Italy, Spain, Belgium and Greece, each with a 2.5 percent ownership stake—to double the amount and frequency of the imagery they take down from the Helios 2 system.
Italy and Germany have signed separate image-exchange agreements with France for access to Helios 2 in return for giving France access to the Italian COSMO-Skymed and German SAR-Lupe radar reconnaissance spacecraft. Three of the four COSMO-Skymed satellites are in orbit, with the fourth set for launch in 2010. All five SAR-Lupe
spacecraft are operational.
Helios 1A, launched in 1995with a less-precise optical imager, remains fully operational and will not be placed into a graveyard orbit before 2011 or 2012, according to Pascal Fintz, Helios 2 program manager at the French arms procurement directorate, DGA. Until
then, it will be used mainly for map-making functions. Helios 1B, launched in 1999, failed after five years in orbit.
Helios 2B will be placed about 180 degrees distant from Helios 2A in the 700-kilometer,near-polar low Earth orbit used by both satellites.
French defense authorities have classified the ground resolution of the Helios spacecraft, but Helios 1 is able to detect objects of about 1 meter in diameter, while Helios 2's ground resolution is about 35 centimeters, according to officials knowledgeable about the program.
The two-satellite Helios 2 system cost about2billion euros ($2.9 billion) over 10 years, including the construction and launch of the two satellites and a dedicated ground segment with Helios 2 image-reception stations in France, Belgium and Greece, and a control center in France.
The Italian and Spanish Helios ground network was part of the budget of the Helios 1 program, in which the two nations own 14 percent and 7 percent, respectively, and is not included in the Helios 2 costs. Germany's Helios 2 ground segment is also not included, but is part of the Helios 2-SAR Lupe exchange agreement.
French defense officials said Helios 2's costs are broken down as follows: 48 percent for the satellites' construction, 18 percent for system design, 15 percent for the two launches, 13 percent for the French, Belgian and Greek Helios 2 ground networks, 4 percent for Helios 2 satellite contract management at the French space agency, CNES, and 2 percent for the Helios 2 control center.
The Helios satellites are programmed daily during routine operations.
Orders are collected at the French Helios mission center in Creil, which receives encrypted orders from the Italian center in Pratica di Mare, near Rome; the
Spanish center in Torrejon; and the Belgian center in Brussels.
Germany's Helios 2 programming capability, located in Getzdorf, is scheduled to enter operations in January. The Greek Helios tasking center, in Tanagra, near
Athens, is scheduled to be operational in mid-2010.
The Creil center collates the daily order and sends it to the Helios 2 control facility, located at CNES's Toulouse site. CNES then converts the orders into uplink commands
that are delivered to the spacecraft via Earth stations at Aussaguel, at the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana, and at the Kerguelen Islands.
Once taken, the images are encrypted using each nation's proprietary code, or using a common Helios code in cases where images are ordered on behalf of multiple Helios member nations.
Helios 2A was launched aboard the same GS version of Ariane 5, with a storable-propellant upper stage, which orbited Helios 2A in 2004. That launch carried with it six small satellites, including the four French Essaim electronics-intelligence spacecraft.
To avoid having to perform a fresh series of studies of launcher compatibility, Helios 2B program managers decided to mimic the mass of six minisatellites by adding dead weight under the Ariane5GS fairing. French officials said they were unable to find compatible copassengers for this launch despite the ample space and power available on the Ariane 5 vehicle. The Helios2Blaunch used the last model of the GS variant. Launch services provider Arianespace of Evry, France, has decided to focus on a single product line with the morepowerful ECA version. The Helios 2 satellites were built by Astrium Satellites, which also built the Helios 2 wide-field imager. Thales Alenia Space built the 1,124-kilogram high-resolution imager and also provided the infrared system. Both were working under contract to CNES, which was acting on behalf of DGA. CNES is also managing Helios 2B placement into final orbital position, and its planned five years of operations.
The Dec. 18 launch was the seventh Ariane 5 liftoff of the year for launch-services provider Arianespace, a record for a calendar year.
It was the 35th consecutive success for the Ariane 5 rocket.
FranceintelligenceMissionsPeopleSatellite


As I pondered on my topic for this month's roundtable introduction, I thought about how we can only do good in the world if we are first good to ourselves. If our well is dry, we'll not look outside the walls of our own homes and into the lives of others. If we've lost our voice, we'll not be able to talk about what we believe in. And if we lose that, we lose everything.
I've experienced this lately, and the desire to draw inward has superceded my will to do good for the first time in many years. I can see how easy it is to turn off, to close the windows, to stop feeling the world. While I might visit here temporarily, I cannot stomach residing here. The colors are cloudy without the passion and determination for the things I believe in. Which is why when times of drought we have a community we can lean on and allow others to carry the water for a while. But only for a while, because we must be the change we want to see in the world, and that starts inside each of us and radiates outward.
So this month, for myself and for all of you, I wish for peace, I wish for determination, and I wish for compassion; for ourselves and for our world. And I challenge you as I've challenged myself: allow yourself to be moved by the suffering and the beauty in our world.
The writers of our April Just Posts have all done just that in a variety of ways; whether it's grieving over the tragedies of the past month, pondering the ongoing state of affairs, or being moved by unspeakable beauty or suffering. It's all captured here with many voices singing many different songs. And you've chosen to share that energy with others, and I have to believe that alters the vibrations on the side of good. Thank you for carrying my water.
Many of these posts were submitted by the women below. Thank you for making sure we didn't miss a thing.
Don't forget to stop by Mad's end of the table to see what's rattling around in her soul this month. If you want to get on the mailing list for next month's just post roundtable, email me at girlplustwo(at)yahoo(dot)com. We're here every month on the 10th, and it's our sixth month anniversary next time, and as such I expect to pull out all the stops.


text:
Pakistan, a change we can… arrange
Filed under: Barack Obama, CIA, David Ben-Gurion, George Bush, Hemant Karkare, Hindutva, India, Mossad, Mumbai, nuclear, Pakistan, shoah — auntieziona @ 11:20 pm
Oy gevalt, the terror attack in Mumbai was all we talked about at Shabbat last week.
With a few bottles of Uncle Shlommi's kosher wine from Chile pushing up the angst levels, old Mrs Mendelsohn became quite tearful about India being Israel's biggest customer in the global arms trade, and the way India invited our Mossad to provide intelligence and training to the paramilitary mobs of Hindutva, and keep the country safe from the Achmeds and Mustafas.
And we raised our glasses to the hard work put in by our Bush'le to encourage an arms race between India and Pakistan, making them feel honoured to join the nuclear club and get their chance to wipe one another out, without involving our armies and our gelt.
Auntie Shelomi said she was convinced that the CIA was behind Mumbai, because of Obambi's response right after the attack and his election campaign promises to bomb Pakistan out of existence, coupled with the arrival of US warships in Pakistani waters the moment the shooting began in Mumbai.
"And only the American shmoigers could have done something as stupid as ordering large amounts of LIQUOR and meat for the 'Muslim' terrorists holed up in Chabad House, if the plan was to create support for the coming war against Pakistan!"
"Nu, at least we can be sure that Socialists were not involved," said Mony, who's still feeling fercockt after his altercation with Mikey'le a few weeks ago.
"It sounds like a typical false'le flag operation to me," said Rachel, who has a goy conspiracy theorist for a boyfriend. "Mossad, the CIA and the British MI ZEX working with a core group of meshuggenah ideologues within India's military, intelligence and political elite who were planning a coup, and who want to see India emerge as a groys-power closely allied with our Jewmerice."
"Feh!", shouted Auntie Shelomi, "If the Mossad was involved and the plan was to frame the Muslims, wouldn't they have had the brains to remind the killers to remove from their right wrists the red strings that signify devotion to Hinduism?
But why were the police told to 'stand down' and not fire back at the killers, and why was Hemant Karkare, the anti-terrorism chief of Mumbai police, the first target of the mysterious terrorists?
Auntie will tell you, but keep it to yourself and don't tell anyone… Kerkare had been uncovering the nexus between the Indian military and the sudden rise of well-armed and well-financed Hindu terrorism groups with their wide network of militant training camps across India. And he'd arrested a few very important people.
As usual, Uncle Shlommi was able to help us to make sense of the puzzle. He served in the elite forces when our Golda was PM, and can still remember how to tap out Hava Nagila in Morse Code from those days.
"Girls, there's no need to plotz" he said, standing up and lifting the menorah high in the air. "Always remember that we work together with the intelligence agencies of our allies. To understand the Mumbai attack, you have to figure out who is going to benefit from it, and I promise you, it's not going to be these schmendriks in Pakistan.
"Do you remember what our David Ben-Gurion had to say about that anti-semitic sewer of a country, if ever there was one?
"The world Zionist movement should not be neglectful of the dangers of Pakistan to it. And Pakistan now should be its first target, for this ideological State is a threat to our existence. And Pakistan, the whole of it, hates the Jews and loves the Arabs.
"This lover of the Arabs is more dangerous to us than the Arabs themselves. For that matter, it is most essential for the world Zionism that it should now take immediate steps against Pakistan.
"Whereas the inhabitants of the Indian peninsula are Hindus whose hearts have been full of hatred towards Muslims, therefore, India is the most important base for us to work from there against Pakistan."
"Oy vey", said old Mrs Mendelsohn, swaying a bit as she pulled up her sleeve to display the number tattooed on her wrist, something she does every Shabbos, "Can you imagine another Shoah, only this time with Pakis instead of Germans?!
"Got in himmel. The first thing they would smash on Kristallnacht would be the kosher wine."
angst – cold sweat, anxiety
feh! – An expression of disgust or disapproval, representative of the sound of spitting.
fercockt – all fucked up
gelt – money
groys – big, large
Got in himmel – God in heaven
"Hava Nagila" is a hebrew folk song, the title meaning "Let us rejoice".
meshuggenah – a crazy person, someone who is nuts.
plotz – Or plats. Literally, to explode, as in aggravation.
Shabbos or Shabbat – Sabbath. Friday night sundown to Saturday night sundown.
shmendrik – a pathetic loser, hapless soul, an inept nincompoop.
shmoiger – A shmuck, but really stupid.


Bursting with favourite spring flowers, this vibrant gift encapsulates the very best of the spring flower season. Williamsons have chosen the bright, contrasting colours to create this cheerful spring bouquet for UK wide same day delivery.
Featuring cerise carnations, yellow daffodils, yellow/gold germini, blue iris, cream Asiatic lily, light pink spray carnations, green spray chrysanthemums, all expertly hand-tied with salal tips and finished with spring gift wrap and ribbon.


Oh 5:00 pm Monday Ballet Class, how does Priscilla love thee? All night, I tell you, she's been counting and re-counting the ways. First there's the outfit, pink and flouncy. Then there's the teacher, skilled and devoted. The classroom? Appropriately mirrored with a ballet bar and CD player. And best of all are the positions and movements. Priscilla stretched and swayed and flexed with all her might, her energy, her attention; she was zealously eager to please. She is a butterfly, my daughter, social, and happiest when able to get out there in it and spread her wings. Is this really worth the time and expense? I wondered, while giving our debit card to the woman handling registration (It is difficult to afford anything "extra" these days). I couldn't have asked for a more satisfying confirmation. Thank you, mama! Thank you! Only six days left till next time! Priscilla told me as we drove back home.
Naturally, I am partial to her wanting to take ballet lessons...yay!
Btw, I have the most endearing music box with porcelain ballet slippers spinning to this Lionel Richie song...one of my most treasured amoung my menagerie of "ballet" collectibles. Hannah proudly has my old toe shoes hanging in her bedroom. I am honored by her admiration for her once young ballerina mom.
I feel inspired to dance...thank you!
We lead such parallel lives! I have 1 in ballet, 1 in gymnastics, and 2 in a dance mix class (ballet, tap, and tumbling). They are all enamored. My two oldest also double up and play the violin. I crunched all of those things into 3 different week days so I wouldn't lose my mind. It has almost worked... but my mind is still lost occasionally! Blessings!
Hey Molly - does Pris have special type of leotard she needs? Don't buy any more. I have 30 leotards in a bag for the thrift shop. I'll keep it here until after next weekend and your girls can go through it. They're all hand-me-downs - best thing ever!
BTW, my girls deeply, deeply miss their ballet classes... As you say, hard to afford anything extra these days.
I am taking comfort and courage as I write this in your own ambitious schedule! :) I would love to someday add music lessons to our weekly routine.
Any type of leotard will do! If you really don't mind, I would love to look through your hand-me-downs! We look forward to seeing you soon!!


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Ford ends decades of Brazil manufacturing
January 11, 2021 January 11, 2021 2 min read InsightNewsReport
Ford has said it is closing its last three factories in Brazil, putting an end to decades of manufacturing presence in the country.
The US carmaker blamed the pandemic, which it said had amplified years of poor sales and "significant losses" in the region.
About 5,000 people, mostly in Brazil, are expected to lose their jobs.
The decision is part of a global restructuring by Ford as it tries to improve its financial performance.
"With more than a century in South America and Brazil, we know these are very difficult, but necessary, actions to create a healthy and sustainable business," said Ford chief executive Jim Farley.
Before the Covid outbreak, Ford had announced plans to scale back in several markets, with closures in countries that included Brazil, the UK, France, Germany and Russia.
It cut hundreds more jobs last year amid a downturn in car sales due to the pandemic.
On Monday, Ford said it planned to stop operations at its Camaçari and Taubaté plants immediately, though some production of parts will continue for a few months to support inventories.
The Taubaté factory, which opened in 1974 near São Paulo, made engines, while Camcari, which opened in 2001, produced cars such as the Ka Hatch.
The Troller plant in Horizonte, in the north-eastern state of Ceará, which makes off-road vehicles, is due to shut in the fourth quarter of 2021.
Ford said it expected the wind-down to cost $4.1bn, including separation payments, and was working to find buyers for the plants.
The firm, which opened its first assembly plant in Brazil in 1920, later expanding to full-blown manufacturing, will retain some presence in the country, including a regional headquarters in São Paulo.
"I want to emphasize that we are committed to the region for the long term and will continue to offer customers full sales, service and warranty support," said Lyle Watters, president of Ford South America and the company's International Markets Group.
Research firm IHS Markit estimates that global car sales dropped about 15% in 2020. In Brazil, sales dropped 26% and are not expected to recover for at least two years, Ford said.
Covid: Morrisons and Sainsburys ban maskless shoppers
Covid-19: UAE dropped from UK travel corridor list
Chip-shortage crisis halts car-company output
Chip-shortage crisis puts the brakes on car-company output


text:
Westminster: End of term report
|In Politics
|By Peter Bingle
With MPs now on their Summer holiday after a pretty amazing few months, Peter Bingle looks at where things stand in Westminster.
MPs are genuinely in need of their month-long vacation. Politics is stressful during the best of times but the pressure and strain of the last few months has taken its toll. Our parliamentarians are exhausted.
MPs expect an Autumn general election. The Tory/DUP coalition has an overall majority of just one and there are so many Tory malcontents that the chances of the government hanging on until Spring 2020 are well nigh impossible.
Tory morale is high or at least a lot higher than it was during the final dark days of the Theresa May premiership. There has been a sizeable Boris bounce in the opinion polls and thus far the new PM hasn't put a foot wrong. Opinion polls suggest the public are impressed. The challenge will be to add another ten points to the Tory polling numbers.
Write for us.
We're always on the lookout for talented writers and welcome submissions. Please send your opinion piece or pitch to: editor@commentcentral.co.uk
Labour morale is at rock bottom. The golden Jezza years are over. He looks old and tired and his front bench team are at war with themselves. The gulf between Jezza's senior aides and the rest of the party has turned into a chasm. The policy of deliberate obfuscation on Brexit has turned into a liability and the calls for Jezza to resign grow louder by the hour. The public squabbling will intensify over the summer.
Lib Dem morale is high following good local council and European Parliament election results. The Brecon and Radnorshire result will ensure their mood remains buoyed during August. They have benefitted most from Labour's ambivalence on Brexit. If we leave the EU on or before 31st October, however, what is the point of being a Remain party?
The Brexit Party finds itself in a very difficult position. As the by-election result showed, there is a very real possibility of the Brexit Party ensuring that Brexit never happens. What a delicious and delightful irony. Of course, on the basis that Brexit is delivered by Halloween, then the party becomes an irrelevance.
So there we have it. A topsy turvy body politic in which all the old certainties are no more. Boris is the one big beast and if the gods look favourably on him, he might just be the person to deliver a big win for the Tories. The possibility of Jezza winning an election now seems implausible if not laughable. How different from those glorious chants at Glastonbury!
In September everyone will hopefully be refreshed and ready for battle. Can't wait ??
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Peter Bingle
Peter is the Founder of Terrapin Communications. With a career in politics and communications that has spanned almost four decades, he is one of the country's leading public affairs practitioners. His career has seen him advise many top companies, including McDonald's, HSBC, L'Oreal, Permira, Motorola, Camelot, Rolls Royce & Kellogg's.
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text:
Audition Request
Our 2019-2020 Season >
Let My Love Be Heard
Holiday Fanfare - Dec 14 & 15
BRAHMS - A German Requiem, Apr. 19 2020
Support Our Choral Art
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Performer's Corner
Clyde Thompson - Director Emeritus
Clyde Thompson (b. 1947), founder and director of the Central Oregon Mastersingers through 2017, has pursued a multi-faceted career as a teacher, performer, director and composer. For eighteen years he served on music faculties of colleges in West Virginia, Illinois and Oregon. Thompson holds degrees in composition and choral directing from the University of Minnesota, Eastman School of Music and the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Thompson served for nine years as Director of the Cascade Chorale until his retirement from Central Oregon Community College in 2004. Since then, he has performed with or led numerous other music organizations in Central Oregon.
Several of Thompson's compositions and arrangements for choruses and instrumental ensembles have been published by Mark Foster Music Company, Roger Dean Music Company, Editions Viento, and Santa Barbara Music Publishing. His music has received performances throughout the United States and also in Europe and South America.
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Blizzard is offering up a look at a new hero, The Butcher as part of the Eternal Conflict event set to go live at the end of June. He's a big bad boss from Diablo III and will be a playable character in Heroes of the Storm, along with a couple of other Diablo characters. A new video of The Butcher was also released along with a look at the new Diablo-themed map.
The news was posted over on Heroes Nexus and you can see The Butcher in action below.
The character seems very similar to Pudge from Dota 2, except without the Meathook skill. The skills of The Butcher are fairly devastating, as he can hook life out of an opponent and add it to his own, deal massive damage with an AOE or the one skill that really seems like it's going to cause a lot of raging and griefing is Lamb for the Slaughter. The Butcher throws down a hitching post and it attaches to any nearby opponents and chains them up for up to 4 seconds. That would be a huge hindrances to opponents if it's used at an opportune time.
The Butcher seems like a good damage dealing character who would work well in supporting burst damage characters like Diablo.
Additionally, Blizzard revealed a new map for Heroes of the Storm called Battle of Eternity, as part of the Eternal Conflict event. You can see part of it in action below with the flyover.
One of the setups of the map involves having two boss characters duke it out and whichever team intervenes and defeats one of the bosses will get them on their side as an ally. This creates an interesting dynamic in the map because unlike some other MOBAs out there Heroes of the Storm matches can be determined by elements within the map that are taken advantage of by a team on the lookout for opportunities to secure an unlikely victory.
The comment section on the site also burst out into all kinds of wild speculation about the other two potential characters that will join from Diablo III. Some of the commenters believe that King Leoric is a shoe-in for the roster, while a debate rages on about the number three slot, which some have potentially attributed to either Johanna, who is already out and available for Heroes of the Storm, or another angel character. Sometimes not knowing is the best part of the event.
The event, Eternal Conflict, will start on June 23rd in PTR and if there are no issues it will go live for everyone on June 30th. I'm sure many fans probably can't wait to find out who the other Diablo III characters are.
You can learn more about he Eternal Conflict for Heroes of the Storm by heading to the Heroes Nexus website.


This wikiHow teaches you how to test Spotify Premium for free by using the free 30-day trial, as well as how to cancel the Premium subscription to avoid being charged. While there is no way to use Spotify Premium for free without eventually paying for a membership, the free trial should give you enough time to determine whether or not you want to pay for Spotify. Keep in mind that in order to use the Spotify Premium free trial, you'll need a Spotify account which hasn't yet used the free Premium membership; additionally, you cannot sign up for Premium using the Spotify desktop program or the iPhone version of the Spotify app.
Open Spotify. Go to https://www.spotify.com/premium/ in your web browser. This will open the Spotify Premium page.
Click START FREE TRIAL. It's a green button in the middle of the Spotify page.
Enter your account information if prompted. If you weren't logged into the Spotify website, you'll be prompted to enter your email address and password and then click LOG IN before continuing.
If you were logged in, skip to the next step.
If you don't have an account, you can click Sign Up at the bottom of the page and fill out the form to create a new Spotify account. You'll need to go back to the Spotify Premium page after doing this.
Enter payment information. While you won't be charged the $9.99 monthly fee for the first month, you'll still need to enter your card name, number, expiration date, and security code on the payment page.
Spotify Premium no longer accepts PayPal as a payment method, so you'll need a credit or debit card for this step.
Click START 30-DAY FREE TRIAL NOW. It's a green button below the payment information section. This will start your Premium subscription immediately; you'll have access to Spotify Premium features for free for 30 days, after which point you'll be charged $9.99 per month until you cancel the subscription.
If you cancel the subscription a day or more before it's set to renew, you won't be billed for the next month.
Extend your free trial if you like. While there is no way to get Spotify Premium for free indefinitely, you can always create a new Spotify account by using a different email address (or Facebook account) and then cancelling your subscription before you're charged. This is cumbersome, but it will allow you to continue using Spotify Premium without $9.99 per month.
Open Spotify. Tap the Spotify app icon, which resembles a series of black, curved lines on a green background. This will open your Spotify main page if you're logged into your account.
If you aren't signed into Spotify, tap LOG IN, enter your email address and password, and tap LOGIN.
Tap Your Library. It's in the lower-right corner of the screen.
. Tap the gear-shaped icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Doing so opens the Settings menu.
Tap GO PREMIUM. You'll find this large button near the top of the screen.
Tap GET PREMIUM. It's near the top of the screen below the "Subscribe now and get 30 days free" heading. This will open the payment page.
Make sure that you have a credit or debit card. Spotify no longer takes payments via PayPal, so you'll need a payment card in order to sign up for Premium.
Enter your zip code. In the "Please enter your zip code" text field, type in the zip code of your billing address.
This may be different than your current zip code.
Tap CONTINUE. It's a green button at the bottom of the screen.
Enter your payment information. In the labeled fields, add your card number, name, expiration date, and security code.
Tap CONTINUE. It's at the bottom of the screen. This will immediately register your account for a free 30-day Premium trial, after which point Spotify will charge you $9.99 per month until you cancel the subscription.
Open Spotify. Go to https://www.spotify.com/ in your computer's web browser. This will open your customized Spotify dashboard page if you're logged in.
If your browser doesn't remember your login details, click Log In in the upper-right side of the page, enter the email address and password for your Spotify account, and click LOG IN.
In order to avoid being charged for Premium when your trial ends, you must cancel Spotify Premium within 30 days after you sign up for Premium. You can cancel at any time without losing access to your 30-day trial.
Click Profile. This option is in the upper-right side of the page. Clicking it prompts a drop-down menu to appear.
Click Account. It's in the drop-down menu. Doing so opens your Spotify account page.
Click MANAGE PLAN. You'll find this black button below the "Spotify Premium" heading on the right side of the page.
If you don't see this option, first make sure that you're on the correct page by clicking the Account overview tab in the upper-left side of the page.
Click CHANGE OR CANCEL. This green button is near the middle of the page.
Click CANCEL PREMIUM. It's a grey button on the right side of the page, just below the "Change plans" heading.
Click YES, CANCEL. This button is near the top of the page. Doing so will cause your Spotify Premium free trial to end after the 30-day period is up, which will prevent you from being charged.
You can actually cancel your Spotify Premium free trial immediately after creating it. You'll still be able to use Premium for 30 days.
If I use my 30 day trial on my computer, can I use it on my phone?
Yes, because it is linked to your account, which is across both desktop and mobile.
What do I do if I don't have a credit card?
You can purchase a Visa gift card and put money on. Use the code from that card.
If you uninstall the app, is the subscription automatically cancelled?
No, you'll need to access your account settings from within the app (or the desktop site) and revoke your subscription.
What if you go to account and the Get Premium isn't there?
That generally means that you have already used the one free trail they give to each account. You could put all your music into a playlist, make a new account to use the free trial, and follow the original account. It's a little tedious, but better than paying $10 a month.
If I get Spotify premium on My iPad, will it work in Cuba?
Due to limited Internet access and bandwidth, streaming services like Spotify and YouTube don't work well in Cuba. However, you should be able to download the content before you go for later listening.
Will the music that I downloaded during my trial still be downloaded when it's up?
No, you'll lose access to stream all downloaded music once the trial ends.
When I go to account, there isn't a get premium option, what do I do?
That probably means that you've already used your premium trial. You can only do it once on each account.
Can I link Spotify to my Sonos Speakers?
How do I get Spotify Premium?
Why can't I get another free trial if I make a new account?
If I use the 30 day free trial and then cancel it, can I get another 30 day free trial?
If I change the date on the 7 day free trial, will it consider the time I adjusted?
While there is an "UPGRADE ACCOUNT" section in the Spotify desktop app, selecting it causes the Spotify Premium web page to open instead.
Your free Premium trial will apply to any platform on which you're signed into your Spotify account. This includes mobile items, consoles, smart TVs, and other computers.
When entering card information, make sure you're using a secure Internet connection.
In addition to being illegal, any site or service claiming to give you unlimited Spotify Premium for free is likely a scam or a ploy to download malware onto your computer.
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 506,751 times.


text:
TJX data breach criminal gets five years in jail
A ringleader in the TJX credit card data breach has been jailed for five years.
Antony Savvas
Published: 17 Sep 2007 1:00
Irving Escobar of Miami was also ordered to pay nearly £300,000 in restitution for leading the criminal operation that used personally identifiable information stolen from the TJX data breach in December 2006.
Although he was linked to this breach, which involved the theft of 130,000 credit and debit card account details, he was not charged with involvement with the much larger breach, which took place in 2005.
That breach involved the theft of 45.7 million account details - the biggest data breach in history.
Escobar and several co-defendants were prosecuted by the Florida Attorney General's Office.
Police discovered a complex operation that was using counterfeit cards with stolen credit card data.
Leading the operation, Escobar coordinated the use of these cards to purchase gift cards at Wal-Mart or Sam's Club outlets.
The defendants then redeemed these gift cards to purchase jewellery and electronic equipment - a modern-day version of money laundering, said the Attorney General's Office.
Authorities estimated a total loss of £1.5m that could be attributed to Escobar and his co-defendants on a nationwide scale. He was arrested in March this year.
Escobar pleaded guilty to charges of being involved in an organised scheme to defraud in March. His co-defendants also pleaded guilty to similar charges involving organised fraud and grand theft.
Co-defendants Dianelly Hernandez, Julio Alberti, Reinier Alvarez and Zenia Llorente were all sentenced to probation in August.
Escobar's mother, Nair Alvarez, pleaded guilty in March and was deported to Venezuela.
Police internationally are still investigating the
2005 TJX breach. Others may also be charged in connection with the 2006 breach.
Read more on IT risk management
US sentences two Russians for huge data breaches
By: Warwick Ashford
FBI cracks down on hacker-for-hire websites
Neiman Marcus warns that data breach may affect customers
Thirteen plead guilty to Anonymous DDoS attack on Paypal
Two plead guilty in data security breach – ComputerWeekly.com
TJX hacker pleads guilty – ComputerWeekly.com
TJX pays US states $9.75m for data breach – ComputerWeekly.com