Snow Island Withdraws Lease Application
Snow Island Salmon Inc. advised the province the company is withdrawing one of three applications for salmon farms on the Eastern Shore. Snow Island Inc., a subsidiary of Loch Duart, a Scottish-based salmon producer, had applied for permits for three, 18-hectare salmon farms at Shoal Bay, Spry Bay, and Beaver Harbour, all in Halifax Regional Municipality. “Environmental and economic development concerns are being carefully considered and no final decisions had been made on these applications,” said Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Sterling Belliveau. The Beaver Harbour application is being withdrawn by Snow Island based of its proximity to wild salmon populations. “Snow Island has asked the Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture to withdrawal its application for a farm in Beaver Harbour,” said Shane Borthwick, vice-president operations, Snow Island. “Snow Island, in conjunction with government, conservation groups and the scientific community, is working to further understand wild salmon migration routes along the Eastern Shore. “Snow Island will continue to work with local communities, regulators and stakeholders to establish a responsible, world class salmon farming model that will bring new economic opportunities to rural Nova Scotia.” A Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture public meeting gathered input in February and the minister and department have continued consultations. The two other applications are in the review stage. “This government is committed to science-based decisions that strike the right balance between environmental concerns and allowing the industry to develop in a sustainable way,” said Mr. Belliveau. Nova Scotia’s aquaculture industry is one of the most diverse in the world. The province cultivates many different species of finfish and shellfish, as well as Irish moss and other sea plants, and has the largest land-based production facility in the world. The aquaculture sector is a significant contributor to the economies of rural and coastal communities, with worth about $50 million annually and supporting 750 direct and more than 1,000 indirect jobs.
Climate Action Special Envoy Michael Bloomberg Pledges 45 million To Help UN
The UN Special Envoy for Climate Action, Michael Bloomberg, announced on Sunday a contribution of $4.5 million to the United Nation’s Climate Change Secretariat, the UNFCCC.The billionaire philanthropist and former Mayor of New York City, pledged last June to make up the Secretariat’s funding shortfall, caused by US President Donald Trump’s announced withdrawal from the historic 2015 Paris Agreement on climate change.The contribution will go towards general operations, including assisting countries to meet targets for cutting greenhouse gas emissions in line with the accord; agreed by 193 States in the French capital.In late March, the United States Congress announced that it was cutting funding for this year to the UNFCCC by $4.5 million; from $7.5 million, down to $3 million, according to a media release from Bloomberg Philanthropies.Mr. Bloomberg made the announcement of his contribution on the CBS television programme, ‘Face the Nation’, saying that “America made a commitment and as an American, if the government’s not going to do it, we all have a responsibility.”UN Secretary-General António Guterres said via Twitter that he was “very grateful to Michael Bloomberg, not only for his generous support to the United Nations, but also for his global leadership on climate action.”The UNFCCC said that with many contributions from signatories to the agreement still outstanding and “a decline in voluntary contributions” the funding was arriving at “a critical time”.It “strengthens UN Climate Change’s capacity to support developing countries” and allowed more “strategic outreach to promote climate action among stakeholders including cities, regions, business and civil society,” said the Secretariat statement.The UNFCCC’s Executive Secretary, Patricia Espinosa, said that “when countries adopted the historic Paris Agreement to limit global temperature rise, they also recognized that achieving that goal would take broad-based global climate action in all sectors, public and private.”“I welcome this generous contribution from Bloomberg Philanthropies as an important, practical recognition of our need to work together and to step up our response to climate change,” she added.Mr. Bloomberg added that despite the US withdrawl from the Paris Agreement and funding cuts, he was confident that the US would “meet its commitment by 2025 to reduce greenhouse gases by an agreed amount, and if we do it, hopefully other countries will do it as well.”
KEANU REEVES FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA SPIKE LEE AND OTHER FILM STARS CONDEMN
Advertisement Keanu Reeves (REX/Shutterstock) Login/Register With: Canadian Actor Keanu Reeves, Francis Ford Coppola, Alfonso Cuarón, Spike Lee, and others are voicing support for Italian cinema collective Cinema America, which had four members of its organization physically attacked by an alleged alt-right organization following a screening of Paul Schrader’s First Reformed.Cinema America, also known as Piccolo America (little America), is based in the Roman neighborhood of Trastevere and is known for free outdoor film screenings. Italian media reports its members were allegedly attacked for wearing t-shirts bearing the collective’s name, which the assailants viewed as “anti-fascist” clothing. They were beaten when they did not comply with an order to remove their shirts. Advertisement
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Two Peace Region accountants named to CPABCs Board of Directors
VANCOUVER, B.C. – Two accountants from the Peace Region have been named to the Chartered Professional Accountants of B.C.’s Board of Directors for this upcoming fiscal year.The CPABC held its third Annual General Meeting in Vancouver on June 27th, and announced that Gavin Still from Fort St. John and Ben Sander from Dawson Creek will be serving on the Association’s Board of Directors for fiscal year 2018/2019. Still was announced as the Board’s First Vice-Chair, while Still will be serving as a regular director.Barry Macdonald FCPA, FCA has been elected as Chair of the CPABC Board of Directors and is joined by Sander, Geoff Dodds, CPA, CA, and Stanley Chang, CPA, CGA on the Governance Committee. The pair are the only two Directors on the CPABC’s Board to hail from Northern B.C. Of the 17 members of the Board, only six hail from outside Vancouver. Two are from Vancouver Island, while the other two are from the Southern Interior.
Choice between Gandhi’s India and Godse’s, says Rahul Gandhi
NEW DELHI: Days after the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee expressed that there will be no alliance with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, party chief Rahul Gandhi Monday urged booth level workers to win on all seven seats, indirectly confirming the move. Gandhi was addressing a meeting of booth-level workers of the Delhi Congress.Terming the upcoming Lok Sabha elections a contest between the Congress’ ideology of inclusivity and Narendra Modi and the RSS ideology of fear and hatred, Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Monday promised a minimum income guarantee scheme for all the poor in the country if the party is voted to power. Also Read – Bangla Sahib Gurudwara bans use of all types of plastic itemsAddressing booth workers at the Indira Gandhi Stadium here, Gandhi ridiculed Modi for being a coward and said only the Congress can tackle the twin challenges of unemployment and the agrarian crisis. Exhorting party workers to reach out to the voters with theCongress’ message, Gandhi asked them to ensure that the party wins all the seven Lok Sabha seats in Delhi. “The choice is between India of Mahatma Gandhi and that of his assassin (Nathuram) Godse. The fight is between Modi and RSS’ ideology of fear and hatred on one side and the Congress’ ideology of love and inclusivity on the other. Also Read – After eight years, businessman arrested for kidnap & murder”The Congress will form the government in the coming elections as it is the only party that can change India,” Gandhi said while urging the party workers to spread the Congress’ message among the masses. Holding the Modi government responsible for two of the biggest challenges facing the country — unemployment and agrarian distress, Gandhi said the Congress will ensure a minimum income for all the poor as soon as it comes to power. “On the one hand you have Modi who waived loans worth Rs 3,50,000 crore of a handful of industrialists, and on the other you have the Congress which will implement the minimum income guarantee scheme immediately after coming to power,” said Gandhi. Explaining the scheme, he said the minimum income of the country will be calculated which will act as the standard and those below that level will be given the shortfall. “Nobody in the country will be below the minimum income level,” Gandhi claimed. “No country in the world has ever tried such a scheme, but we will implement it. In Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, we promised farm loan waiver and within two days of coming to power, we did that. Only the Congress can do it,” he asserted.
UNbacked immunization drive reaches over 35000 children in Cameroon
21 February 2008In partnership with the Government of Cameroon and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the United Nations has vaccinated more than 35,000 infants and children against measles and polio in the country’s north-east, which is hosting tens of thousands of refugees from neighbouring Chad. The five-day drive that began 13 February was carried out in the district of Kousséri, where an estimated 30,000 Chadians have taken refuge after fleeing their homeland in recent weeks due to deadly fighting between Government forces and armed opposition groups. UN Resident Coordinator for Cameroon Sophie de Caen noted that whenever there are population movements, the potential for epidemics rises substantially. “We have immediately taken action, to ensure that all children in the affected area were protected against the most dangerous diseases,” she stated. All infants and children above six months of age and below 15 years of age were vaccinated against measles, and all those under five, including newborns, were vaccinated against polio. “The vaccination campaign targeted all infants and children comprised in applicable age groups, across the district, ensuring protection for Cameroonian and refugee children alike,” said Silvia Luciani, acting Representative of the UN Children Fund (UNICEF) in Cameroon. “Mass immunizations are designed to reach as many children as possible, in order to provide the greatest achievable coverage. They are vital to child survival in any environment, peaceful or otherwise,” she added. Along with the vaccinations, vitamin A supplement tablets were also provided to some 34,000 children. “Besides potentially averting deadly epidemics, we have been able to seize this opportunity, to improve the children’s overall health and immunity system through the provision of vitamin A,” Hélène Mambu-ma-Disu, Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Cameroon, said. Some 110 vaccinators took part in the campaign, which was made possible through funds from the Ministry of Health, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), UNICEF, WHO, the Red Cross Movement, Médecins Sans Frontières – Switzerland and the Organization of Coordination for the Control of Endemic Diseases in Central Africa.
Children take to the canvas to advocate for climate change in UN
The Paint for the Planet event features a selection of stand-out entries from a collection of nearly 200,000 paintings from the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) children’s painting competitions around the world.Coinciding with the release of a survey of young people’s opinions on climate change in the United States, India, Russia and South Africa, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner presented figures today that 86 per cent of the polled respondents think that leaders should do “whatever it takes” to tackle global warming.“The world is in the hands of old people, but the future is in the hands, minds and imagination of the young,” said Mr. Steiner.Indicating that nearly half the world’s population is under 25, he encouraged environmental action plans to “look to young people to be part of the solution to climate change.”Joined at the exhibition opening by young artists from Burundi, Colombia, Malta, the United Kingdom and the United States, the UNEP Director introduced the six young children as “powerful ambassadors.”One of the young artists, Malta’s Andrew Bartolo, delivered opening remarks on the children’s fears for the environment, reflecting on the recent suffering throughout Haiti: “As a boy of only 15 it scares me that so early in my lifetime so many children have been affected by climate change.”“My painting is a comical view of climate change,” he said, referring to his artwork that shows penguins moving from a beach to live in a refrigerator. “It shows penguins having to migrate due to difficult living conditions. Such conditions also affect humans and cause humans to have to leave their homes too.”Also representing her message about climate change through images of penguins was United States ambassador Gabrielle Medovoy, 12.“My painting is of a family of penguins on the move holding sandals and umbrellas. It is about how humans have to protect animals as climate change is humans’ fault and penguins cannot protect themselves,” said the young artist.Burundi’s Guy Jayne Nindorera, 12, urged leaders to act on climate change. “It is time now and we should not wait for another moment. Especially for the kids, as it is our future and adults need to act now.”Charlotte Sullivan, 13, of the United Kingdom, reiterated the children’s’ message on the environment. “I want everyone to act now about climate change before it is too late. If we don’t act now I am scared it will get much worse. Everyone is able to participate.”Today’s launch is in support of a call for a definitive agreement at the climate change talks in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December 2009. On 25 October, a selection of the paintings in the exhibition will be auctioned at the Harvard Club in New York to raise emergency funds for children affected by climate-related disasters.Following New York, the exhibition will travel to various climate-related events and meetings around the world, culminating in Copenhagen next year.Meanwhile, at UN Headquarters yesterday, a photographic exhibit to raise awareness about global conservation was opened. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed the event with a message supporting the spirit of the UN global campaign.“I hope all who see this exhibition will be inspired to do their part to promote a global ethic of conservation,” he said. “There is not time to lose in putting our societies on a more sustainable path of development.” 23 October 2008The global campaign ‘UNite to Combat Climate Change’ kicked off today at United Nations Headquarters in New York with the unveiling of a children’s art exhibition showcasing a powerful plea from the young for leadership on climate change before it is too late.
TSX slips but loonie gets a boost from rising oil prices weak
TORONTO — Rising oil prices and a weak U.S. dollar is helping boost the loonie.The Canadian dollar gained nearly half a cent, adding 0.46 of a U.S. cent to 78.76 cents US.The currency is being supported by strengthening oil prices, which saw the July crude contract climb 87 cents to settle at US$51.23.Gold was also a bright spot as the August bullion contract rose $15.30 to US$1,262.30 an ounce.The July natural gas contract was unchanged at US$2.47 per mmBTU, while July copper contracts rose a penny to US$2.06 a pound.In Toronto, the S&P/TSX composite index fell 52.51 points to 14,313.10 due to pressure from energy, health care and telecom stocks.On Wall Street, the Dow Jones industrial average jumped 66.77 points at 18,005.05, the first time it ended above 18,000 since April, the broader S&P 500 composite index advanced 6.99 points to 2,119.12 and the Nasdaq composite gained 12.89 points to 4,974.64.
Appeal Court issues interim order against MR
President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Rajapaksa as Prime Minister after sacking then Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe on October 26th.Wickremesinghe and the United National Front (UNF) as well as the Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) challenged the appointment saying it was unconstitutional.They also noted that Rajapaksa lost a no-confidence vote in Parliament. (Colombo Gazette) The Appeal Court has issued notice and an interim order against Mahinda Rajapaksa and his Government, preventing them from acting as Prime Minister, Cabinet and Deputy Ministers.The order was issued in a Quo Warranto case filed by 122 Parliamentarians against Rajapaksa and his new Government. The Court of Appeal ordered 49 members of the new cabinet to appear in court on December 12th to respond to the petition. The petition was signed by 122 Parliamentarians claiming that Rajapaksa has no support in Parliament to be Prime Minister.The petitioners had urged the Court of Appeal to rule against Rajapaksa’s appointment. The respondents were ordered to show by what authority they hold office.
Brock grads included in Niagaras top 40 Under Forty
Sixteen Brock University graduates were among Business Link’s recently announced 40 Under Forty Business Achievement Awards, recognizing Niagara’s next generation of business leaders.The 40 winners are professionals, under the age of 40 and have consistently made their mark in business and in their communities. A reception to recognize the winners is set for May 15 at the Holiday Inn Parkway Convention Centre in St. Catharines.For ticket information, please call Jenna Marino at 905-646-9366 or visit the website.1. Kelly Provost (BA ’06)2. Ryan Treanor (BA ’04)3. Allie Hughes (BA ’09)4. Robert Taylor (BA ’98)5. Jordan Hambleton (BA ’12)6. Sam Bellhouse (BA ’06)7. Tiffany Howes (BA ’11)8. Bryan Boles (BAcc ’04)9. Cassie Bissonnette (BAcc ’10)10. Stephanie Harper (BBA ’05)11. Jim Spitali (BBA ’05)12. Rachel Crane (BBA ’11)13. Dr. Jillian Hartman-Grelowski (BSc ’02)14. Sam Parlatore (BSM ’03)15. Dan Bowman (BSM ’05)16. Mark A. Melloni (BSM ’07)
Evan Spencer I think wed wipe the field with top teams
Correction: An earlier version of the story said Evan Spencer said he thought OSU could beat Alabama and Florida State, however Florida State was never mentioned specifically in reference to top ranked teams. Junior wide receiver Evan Spencer (6) attempts to catch the ball in the end zone during a game against Iowa Oct. 19 at Ohio Stadium. OSU won, 34-24. Credit: Shelby Lum / Photo editorThe Ohio State football team (9-0, 5-0) is showing confidence moving forward, after moving up to No. 3 in the BCS Standings following then-No. 3 Oregon’s loss to then-No.5 Stanford.As of right now, the two teams ahead of the Buckeyes, No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Florida State, seem to have an insurmountable lead over OSU in the BCS standings. The Buckeyes currently sit .069 points behind the Seminoles in the latest rankings, while the Crimson Tide lead overall by .034 points.Despite the disparity, junior wide receiver Evan Spencer said OSU could take down the other top teams.“I guess I’m a little bit biased, but I think we’d wipe the field with both of them,” Spencer said after practice Monday.Social media exploded following Spencer’s comment, with discussions about who exactly the wide receiver was referring to. Spencer took to Twitter himself Monday evening with a pair of tweets to offer an explanation.“I did not mean to disrespect any FB team today. I am confident in my team, and as is evident in the video (of the interview), I was having fun…” Spencer’s first tweet read. “… With the media answering their questions. I should have chosen my words more wisely. There was no intent to disrespect any other team,” he finished.An OSU spokesman followed Spencer’s tweets with his two minutes later, echoing what he said.“Just spoke to Evan Spencer. He said he was having fun with the media today and he did not intend to disrespect any other team,” the tweet read.Later, he added that the Buckeyes just need to carry out their game plan and they will be able to beat anyone that comes their way.“We’ve just got to go out and execute,” Spencer said. “If we go out and execute for a full game, there’s nobody in the country that can hang with us when we’re executing the way that we can.”Redshirt-senior safety Corey “Pitt” Brown echoed Spencer’s sentiments.“I think we could play anybody if we have the right game plan and everybody comes to work and play hard like I know we can.” Brown said.Coach Urban Meyer said his coaches poll ballot has not changed as the season has progressed in terms of the top two, with Alabama sitting at No. 1 and OSU at No. 2.“I believe we have Alabama, Ohio State, Florida State … I had us (at No. 2) all year, I just think we’re playing like one of the top teams in the country right now,” Meyer said.Meyer said he had the opportunity during the bye week to watch the other top ranked teams play.“There’s some very good teams out there. I really enjoyed watching the (Oregon against Stanford) game. Two very good games. I saw Alabama and LSU. Excellent teams … A lot of respect for those teams,” Meyer said.Meyer added to keep up with the teams ranked around them, the Buckeyes need to play at a high level for the remainder of the year.“The message is you have to play great. We do. I mean, you’re held to be even mentioned with those other teams, be careful what you wish for,” Meyer said. “That means you have to practice and play at a certain level.”Redshirt-senior left tackle Jack Mewhort said he isn’t thinking about a potential matchup with a team like Alabama, but said if it comes to it, the Buckeyes will be ready.“I don’t want to talk about that. Right now, we’re just focused on beating Illinois and if we ever come to that hurdle, we’ll come to that then but they’re a great football team, No. 1 in the nation so they’re doing something right,” Mewhort said. “If we ever get that shot, I think we’ll be ready for it.”Mewhort added that the focus needs to be what is on the schedule ahead of them, and not about where they are in the BCS.“In the locker room, I think there is some discussion but as far as the team goes, we try not to get ahead of ourselves. We know we have to win every game in front of us,” Mewhort said. “When the time comes, I think we’ll talk about that but right now, I think we’re just focused on winning our division and winning the Big Ten so if we handle our business, we’ll be all right.”In the last two games, OSU has racked up the style points, outscoring Penn State and Purdue by a combined 119-14.Brown said putting up big margins of victory isn’t a goal every week for OSU, but the team comes out and tries to play its best no matter the circumstances.“We come out every week trying to play at the highest level we can possible so its not too much of a big difference,” Brown said.OSU is scheduled to continue its quest for an undefeated season Saturday at noon when it travels to Champaign, Ill., to take on Illinois (3-6, 0-5).
EMC lance UAP pour analyser les données non structurées
EMC lance UAP pour analyser les données non structuréesEMC Greenplum proposera une nouvelle solution, au premier trimestre 2012, qui aurait pour but d’analyser les données non structurées en utilisant le framework Open Source Hadoop. UAP (Unified Analytics Platform) unifierait, comme son nom l’indique, les outils Big Data Greenplum et un moteur d’interface afin de faciliter la gestion et l’exploitation des données structurées et non structurées. Associé à Chorus, interface de visualisation des données, l’outil serait donc très simple d’utilisation. EMC cherche à rendre accessible sa solution d’analyse aux dirigeants et aux autres employés sans avoir besoin d’être un fin spécialiste en la matière.Après HP en novembre, qui annonçait IDOL 10, une solution d’analyses structurées, semi-structurées et non structurées ou encore le SocialHub de Google dans un autre registre pour analyser globalement les réseaux sociaux, c’est donc au tour de EMC de se lancer dans l’analyse. Le 11 décembre 2011 à 15:00 • Maxime Lambert
YouTube Cracks Down on Dangerous Challenges Pranks
YouTube is cracking down on dangerous challenges and pranks.The video-sharing service on Tuesday reminded users that risky dares—like the Tide Pod, Bird Box, and fire challenges—are not acceptable content.“YouTube is home to many beloved viral challenges and pranks [remember Jimmy Kimmel’s Terrible Christmas Presents and the water bottle flip trick?], but we need to make sure what’s funny doesn’t cross the line into also being harmful or dangerous,” the company wrote in an announcement.Anything that presents serious danger or death, makes victims believe they’re in serious physical danger, or causes children to experience severe emotional distress are prohibited.Videos featuring a home invasion or drive-by shooting prank, for instance, will be pulled from the site, as well as practical jokes like the fake death of a parent.“The examples we’ve given are not exhaustive and we evaluate all content against our Community Guidelines when making decisions for enforcement,” according to a YouTube FAQ.No one should have to remind people to not do something stupid like walking around outside blindfolded or consuming laundry detergent pods. Yet, here we are… PewDiePie Pulls $50,000 Pledge to Anti-Hate Group After Fan BacklashYouTube Fined $170M For Alleged Child Privacy Law Violation Stay on target
Reminder : Our policies prohibit content encouraging violent or dangerous activities that are likely to result in serious harm. We’ve updated external guidelines to clarify what this means for dangerous challenges and pranks. FAQs → https://t.co/4LYlC1GqlB— Team YouTube (@TeamYouTube) January 15, 2019Popular on social media, the recent Bird Box challenge requires people to blindfold themselves—like the character in Netflix’s post-apocalyptic film—while doing everyday tasks.Despite warnings from the streaming video service, folks continue to put themselves (and others) in danger in the name of a meme.Case in point: A 17-year-old in Utah pulled a hat over her eyes while driving on Layton Parkway. Despite losing control of the car, skidding into the westbound lanes, crashing into another vehicle, and hitting a light pole, no injuries were reported.Also on the docket are changes to custom thumbnails and external links: Violations (i.e. featuring pornography or graphic violence, malware, or spam) will result in strikes; three strikes in 90 days leads to account termination.YouTube is offering a two-month “grace period,” during which users can review the updates and make appropriate changes. After that, any offending content will be removed, though the channel will not receive a strike.More on Geek.com:Jack Black Just Launched a Gaming YouTube ChannelYouTube’s Top Earner Is a 7-Year-Old Who Made $22M Reviewing ToysWatch: YouTube Rewind 2018 Recaps the Year in Trends, Memes
New Bethel Pool Closes Temporarily Due To Safety Issue
Bethel residents enjoy the new pool. (Photo by Ben Matheson / KYUK)Just as soon as the doors opened at Bethel’s new pool, they closed. Bethel city officials say there’s safety issue.Download AudioActing City Manager Pete Williams, says a State Fire Marshall inspected the building before the grand opening on Saturday and found a problem with the sprinkler system.“They gave the blessing for the opening as long as the fire truck was hooked up to the building for the opening,” Williams said.“Right now we have some test equipment that is not in town that’s en route and hopefully late tonight or early tomorrow morning they’ll do some more testing and hopefully solve the problem.”Williams says the pool will remain closed until the problem with the sprinklers is fixed.Original story:New Bethel Pool Opens With High HopesThe pool was welcomed by the community on Saturday with ceremonial cannonballs and trips down the slide.Hundreds watched as Beverly Hoffman made the grand opening plunge down the new slide. With that splash, the new pool was officially open, and the early reviews are positive.“It’s really fun,” said a group of Bethel youth.The pool quickly reached its full capacity and dozens waited in line for their chance to swim. The 25-million dollar six-lane pool is part of a complex that has a hot tub, weight room, and an open exercise room. Bethel’s largest windmill provides about half of the electricity.The pool has been a dream for three decades. Looking across the pool full of splashing kids, Hoffman, who’s been the persistent voice for years was emotional.“It’s overwhelming, it’s just what we wanted for this community, a place where families and kids can learn how to swim and be comfortable and dive in water. It’s amazing,” said Hoffman.The city presented Hoffman with a lifetime pool pass for her many years of work. Ella Kinegak cut the ribbon Saturday and reflected on the long process.“I used to go into these hotels and they have swimming pools, I used to wonder, if they can do it, I bet if we try in Bethel, it wouldn’t be too hard to try it out,” said Kinegak.It took three decades, and no one claims it was easy. A group of mothers, the Y-K Delta Lifesavers over the years have baked and sold 20-thousand pounds of cookies to raise funds. Bethel citizens twice voted for increased sales tax for the pool.The future of the facility was never certain, as it faced opposition in some city councils and an uphill battle for grant money. Y-K Delta State Senator Lyman Hoffman and Representative Bob Herron worked to secure a 23-million dollar state appropriation 2012. Hoffman says he made the case for the region’s safety.“People live off the river, hunting, fishing, and we’ve had some of the highest drowning rates in the state and in the nation. I don’t think it’s a nicety, I think it’s a necessity to the people out here. It’s such a good feeling to finally be inside, this is my first day here, it’s totally amazing,” said Hoffman.At the opening, the hundreds who were eager to swim listened to remarks from a long list of local and state leaders who described the community effort. The local Kuimarvik advisory board has advocated for the pool, while the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation’s diabetes program and Rasmussen Foundation were major donors to outfit the center with equipment. The city hired an Atlanta based company, USA Pools, to manage it.Bethel Mayor Rick Robb says the community and region have a great opportunity before them.“I think this facility will improve the quality of life here, and our people can live better, our kids can grow up with healthy recreation and physical activities. We’ve got a first class pool, a first class gym, it’s really about improving our quality of life,” said Robb.
These are the African Americans Running in Maryland
Second DistrictHubert OwensOwens was originally listed as a candidate for the 32nd District of the State Senate. He is currently listed as a Republican candidate for U.S. House of Representatives Second District. His biography says he has earned a Masters in Theological Studies from Liberty University and is a army combat veteran. He has worked on several Republican presidential campaigns, including Sen. Ted Cruz, Gov. Mitt Romney and Sen. John McCain. First DistrictLamont TaylorTaylor, a Republican, is running against incumbent Andy Harris, to lead a district that represents large swaths of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Taylor currently resides in Caroline County (Taylor is a native of Oxford, Md.) and he is a former owner of a janitorial business from 2000-2010. He is a member of the Shriners. District SevenRep. Elijah CummingsCummings, the venerable incumbent, has served the Seventh District since 1996, when he replaced Kweisi Mfume. Cummings is the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and is a senior member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.He was born, raised and still resides in West Baltimore. Cummings obtained his undergraduate degree from Howard University and his law degree from the University of Maryland. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates for 14 years (1983-1996). Charles U. SmithSmith, formerly a failed candidate for Maryland Governor and U.S. Senate, filed in February to challenge Rep. Cummings. District FourRep. Anthony BrownBrown, the incumbent, is the former Lt. Gov. of Maryland. The district he currently represents encompasses parts of Anne Arundel and Prince George’s counties. He serves on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Committee of Natural Resources, as well as the House Committee on Ethics. Brown is a retired Colonel in the U.S. Army. He was formerly a member of the Maryland House of Delegates representing Prince George’s County. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Law School.
By Sean Yoes, Baltimore AFRO Editor, syoes@afro.comThere are several Black candidates from Maryland vying for the United States House of Representatives and several are Republicans. Here is a list of all the candidates running in their respective primaries the AFRO could locate with biographical information available.African Americans Running for Congress in Md. – (l-r top row) First District: Lamont Taylor; Second District: Hubert Owens; District Three: Thomas E. “Pinkston” Harris; District Four: (l-r bottom row) Rep. Anthony Brown; District Seven: Rep. Elijah Cummings and Charles U. Smith; District 8: Bridgette L. Cooper. (Courtesy Photo) District ThreeThomas E. “Pinkston” HarrisHarris is a Republican candidate for the seat currently held by Democrat John Sarbanes. He is a special education teacher, who resides in Baltimore City. District 8Bridgette L. CooperCooper, a Republican, resides in Silver Spring, Md. Her bio lists her occupations as an opera singer, television/podcast producer, music educator and advocate. This is her first run for elective office.
Firefox to get option to verify all binaries to protect against compromise
Firefox to get option to verify all binaries to protect against compromise by Martin Brinkmann on March 31, 2017 in Firefox – Last Update: March 31, 2017 – 10 commentsMozilla is working on a new security project for Firefox, called Binary Transparency, currently to allow all Firefox users to verify the binary files of the web browser to ensure that the files are safe and have not been tampered with.Firefox is an open source project. This means that anyone may build the browser from source, and even change code before that.Most Firefox users however don’t do that. They download pre-compiled versions of the web browser that they download from Mozilla’s own website, third-party sites, or even — once installed — using the automatic update feature of the web browser.Binary versions of Firefox don’t come with any assurance that they correspond to the Firefox source code of that particular version of the browser. While users could in theory build Firefox from source to compare the downloaded binary version of Firefox with the version compiled from source, it is not really something that is very practical.Also, if you have the tools and knowledge to build Firefox from source, there is really no need to download the binary of the browser in first place.Firefox: Binary TransparencyMozilla plans to change that by adding a feature to the Firefox web browser that allows anyone to verify that the binary files are genuine and not compromised.The main idea is to log all Firefox binaries in a publicly verifiable log. Anyone may look it up, and compare the binary files of the local Firefox installation with the log data to make sure that the files are the same that any other user of the web browser got during download.While that is already helpful, plans are underway to implement that functionality in the Firefox updater as well. This means that Firefox’s automatic update feature will verify any new update that it discovers before it is downloaded or installed on the user system.Mozilla details the logging and verification steps on the official Wiki entry of Binary Transparency. The process is technical, but it uses certificates, SHA256 hashes, a Merkle tree and unique domain names for each release. You can check out the details on the wiki page if you are interested in additional details.The verification process at its core requires that you verify one, some or all binary files of the release against the hash values of the public log file of that release. Again, there is more to the process than just described, so head over to the wiki for details on that as well.You may be interested in the meta tracking bug over on Bugzilla, as it highlights the progress made to implement the feature. A target milestone has not been announced yet.While you can use the feature to check Firefox binaries before download or updates, the feature may prove useful as well to check existing installations of the web browser.Now You: What’s your take on Binary Transparency?SummaryArticle NameFirefox to get option to verify all binaries to protect against compromiseDescriptionBinary Transparency is an upcoming Firefox security feature that allows anyone to verify that Firefox has not been compromised.Author Martin BrinkmannPublisher Ghacks Technology NewsLogo Advertisement
Introducing Web High Level Shading Language WHLSL A graphics shading language for
Yesterday, the W3C GPU for the Web Community Group introduced a new graphics shading language for the WebGPU API called Web High Level Shading Language (WHLSL, pronounced “whistle”). The language extends HLSL to provide better security and safety. Last year, a W3C GPU for the Web Community Group was formed by the engineers from Apple, Mozilla, Microsoft, Google, and others. This group is working towards bringing in a low-level 3D graphics API to the Web called WebGPU. WebGPU, just like other modern 3D graphics API, uses shaders. Shaders are programs that take advantage of the specialized architecture of GPUs. For instance, apps designed for Metal use the Metal Shading Language, apps designed for Direct3D 12 use HLSL, and apps designed for Vulkan use SPIR-V or GLSL. That’s why the WebKit team introduced WHLSL for the WebGPU API. Here are some of the requirements WHLSL aims to fulfill: Need for a safe shader language Irrespective of what an application does, the shader should only be allowed to read or write data from the Web page’s domain. Without this safety insurance, malicious websites can run a shader that reads pixels out of other parts of the screen, even from native apps. Well-specified language To ensure interoperability between browsers, a shading language for the Web must be precisely specified. Also, often rendering teams write shaders in their own custom in-house language, and are later cross-compiled to whichever language is necessary. That is why the shader language should have a reasonably small set of unambiguous grammar and type checking rules that compiler writers can reference when emitting this language. Translatable to other languages As WebGPU is designed to work on top of Metal, Direct3D 12, and Vulkan, the shader should be translatable to Metal Shading Language, HLSL (or DXIL), and SPIR-V. There should be a provision to represent the shaders in a form that is acceptable to APIs other than WebGPU. Performant language To provide an overall improved performance the compiler needs to run quickly and programs produced by the compiler need to run efficiently on real GPUs. Easy to read and write The shader language should be easy to read and write for a developer. It should be familiar to both GPU and CPU programmers. GPU programmers are important clients as they have experience in writing shaders. As GPUs are now popularly being used in various fields other than rendering including machine learning, computer vision, and neural networks, the CPU programmers are also important clients. To learn more in detail about WLHSL, check out WebKit’s post. Read Next Working with shaders in C++ to create 3D games Torch AR, a 3D design platform for prototyping mobile AR Bokeh 1.0 released with a new scatter, patches with holes, and testing improvements
VIDEO Heres what Virgin Voyages Beach Club at Bimini will look like
Posted by Friday, July 19, 2019 Share VIDEO: Here’s what Virgin Voyages’ Beach Club at Bimini will look like << Previous PostNext Post >>
Tags: Beach Club, Virgin Voyages NEW YORK — Virgin Voyages has released a first-look video rendering of its Beach Club at Bimini, a private oasis for Virgin Voyages passengers set to open in April 2020.With a stylish setting with white-sand and crystal clear waters and programming “that will rival the best beach clubs in Ibiza and Saint-Tropez”, the Beach Club at Bimini will be a cornerstone of every Virgin Voyages sailing, says the cruise line.Virgin Voyages’ first ship, Scarlet Lady, is scheduled to set sail starting April 1, 2020.The Beach Club at Bimini is a short transfer from the pier at PortMiami. Construction is currently underway on Virgin Voyages’ new terminal at PortMiami and that facility is slated for completion in November 2021. Scarlet Lady will sail to the Caribbean from Miami throughout 2021 while the company’s second ship will sail from Miami during the fall/winter cruise season of 2021/22.The Beach Club at Bimini, built by Resorts World Bimini, will overlook the ocean and cascade down to the sea with an expansive lagoon-style pool as the central anchor of the club.More news: CIE Tours launches first-ever River Cruise CollectionIn the spirit of ‘Vitamin Sea’, Virgin Voyages’ ethos of wellbeing, there will be moments of retox and detox throughout the day, says the cruise line. Mornings at The Beach Club at Bimini will begin with yoga and meditation. The energy at The Beach Club at Bimini will be gradually amplified as the day progresses and turned back down as dusk settles in. Sailors will reach the high point of the day by the afternoon where DJ-led pool and flotilla parties will be centre of the action. The night’s energy will wind down with a beach bonfire to close out the evening with an acoustic musical performance.And with music at the heart of the Virgin brand, Virgin Voyages will curate the soundtrack for The Beach Club at Bimini, with seven-time Grammy-Award-winning artist and producer Mark Ronson named founding DJ. Ronson, the British-born DJ, producer and songwriter, has topped the charts and collaborated with artists like Amy Winehouse, Lady Gaga, Adele, Miley Cyrus and Bruno Mars. Ronson will have four performances in 2020.More news: Flights cancelled as British Airways hit by computer problemThe Beach Club will also have complimentary food that is “thoughtfully sourced”, with locally inspired menus serving up island favourites such as conch and mango salad, banana leaf-wrapped queen snapper, Bahamian rum cake and more. Creative social spaces include hammock groves and six bars. There are also beach loungers beach-side and poolside cabanas available for rent.RockStar Suite passengers will have access to a dedicated bar, complimentary food service, an outdoor terrace lounge, sun loungers and beach cabanas at The Beach Club at Bimini.Virgin Voyages is actively seeking to work with travel agents, who the cruise line calls ‘First Mates’. In January 2019 Virgin Voyages said it would offer a base commission of 10% and, in an ‘Epic Sea Change’, announced it would eliminate non-commissionable fees (NCFs). Virgin’s base ticket prices include all food, basic beverages, workout classes, gratuities and more, with 10% commission on the entire transactionMore details are at FirstMates.com and the First Mates SeaCiety Facebook group. Travelweek Group 
FOMC Keeps Interest Rates at 0
FOMC Keeps Interest Rates at 0% in Government, Origination, Secondary Market, Servicing Share Acknowledging improvements in the larger economy, the “”Federal Open Market Committee””:http://www.federalreserve.gov/monetarypolicy/fomc.htm said Tuesday that it would keep a heel on zero interest rates and continue shepherding funds from mortgage-backed securities into agency mortgage-backed securities.[IMAGE]The rate for federal funds remains between zero interest and .25 percent since December, and follows an earlier decision by the Fed to buy up $400 billion in Treasuries to ensure lower borrowing costs.””Consistent with its statutory mandate, the[COLUMN_BREAK]Committee seeks to foster maximum employment and price stability,”” the FOMC said in a statement. Chicago Fed chief Charles Evans dissented in a round of votes, citing his preferences for “”additional policy accommodation”” in lieu of needed changes from Europe.””The Committee continues to expect a moderate pace of economic growth over coming quarters and consequently anticipates that the unemployment rate will decline only gradually toward levels that the Committee judges to be consistent with its dual mandate,”” it added.Europe remains a concern to the Fed. French President Nicholas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel made headlines for their roles in negotiating a stronger fiscal framework for the continent, which analysts fear may infect the broader global economy as debt-saddled nations near default.Whither the Fed’s actions into the future?””The Committee will continue to assess the economic outlook in light of incoming information and is prepared to employ its tools to promote a stronger economic recovery in a context of price stability,”” it said.
Agency Debt Agents & Brokers Debt Crisis Euro European Union Federal Reserve Lenders & Servicers Mortgage-Backed Securities Processing Service Providers 2011-12-14 Ryan Schuette December 14, 2011 447 Views 
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