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rabbitcruiser · 1 year

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National Big Wind Day

National Big Wind Day is observed each year in the United States on April 12. The day commemorates the recording of the highest natural wind gust measured on the Earth’s surface. It was on the afternoon of April 12, 1934, that winds blowing at 231 miles per hour were recorded by Mount Washington Observatory. Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 ft. It is said to be the most notable mountain east of the Mississippi River. While it is difficult to say if the day will receive strong winds as it did in 1934, one can still expect that it will be windy on Mount Washington.

History of National Big Wind Day

Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6,288 ft. The mountain is the most prominent in the east of the Mississippi River. It was from the Mount Washington Observatory where observers Wendell Stephenson, Alexander McKenzie, and Salvadore Pagliuca reported the record-breaking wind gusts in 1934. In 1984, the observers returned to the observatory to celebrate the event’s 50th anniversary!

The record of 231 miles per hour held for several decades. However, this record was broken in 1996. A typhoon struck a small island off of Australia with wind gusts of 256 mph. However, the reading from 1934 remains unchallenged in America.

National Big Wind Day or not, we all have to face the occasional windy day. Even without a hurricane or a tornado, it can get extremely windy. Windstorms display the power of nature – they can be dangerous, damaging, and sometimes even deadly. It can disrupt electricity and water supply, uproot trees, and even cause infrastructure damage. On the other hand, the wind is also our friend. It helps to keep us cool on a hot day. Wind also powers the sails of mighty ships. Wind-powered turbines are dotting the landscape globally. These turbines provide increasing amounts of clean electricity and help to build a sustainable future.

National Big Wind Day timeline

1888Wind Power Generation

The first known U.S. wind turbine created for electricity generation is built.

1897Wind Power Plant

The first wind power plant is established in Denmark.

1900The Great Galveston Hurricane

The deadliest hurricane in American history is recorded.

2001William Kamkwamba

The Malawian inventor gains fame for using wind turbines to power the appliances at his home.

National Big Wind Day FAQs

When was the windiest day?

On April 12, 1934, the staff of the Mount Washington Observatory in New Hampshire, recorded the highest surface wind ever measured on Earth. This big wind was officially recorded at 231 miles per hour.

Where is the windiest place on Earth?

It is not just Antarctica’s temperatures that are so extreme. Wind speeds on the continent often exceed 100 mph each winter.

What is the least windy state?

The top five least windy states are Mississippi, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama.

How To Observe National Big Wind Day

Share your story

Visit an observatory

Advocate for green fuel

Hold onto your hats and umbrellas while sharing your windy day stories on National Big Wind Day. Invite your friends and family to do the same.

Visit an observatory near you on National Big Wind Day to find out more about how they study atmosphere changes, weather, and wind changes.

Highlight the sustainability and efficacy of wind turbines and mills on National Big Wind Day. Speak to your counselor about how these can be used to generate power.

5 Facts About Wind Power That Will Blow Your Mind

Wind power has been around for centuries

Wind turbines are complex

It is becoming popular

Wind technology is bird-friendly

Hawaii has the world’s largest wind turbine

Windmills are often associated with Holland but date back as far as Ancient China in 2000 B.C.

A single wind turbine has around 8,000 different parts.

Wind energy is the fastest-growing renewable energy source in many countries.

Wind farms have taller and slower-moving blades which are safer for birds.

It stands 20 stories tall and has blades the length of a football field.

Why National Big Wind Day is Important

It reminds us of the incredible powers of nature

It’s a reminder to be careful

It gives us ideas for a green future

National Big Wind Day reminds us of the fury and incredible powers of nature. A strong gust of wind is powerful enough to remind us how inconsequential we are.

National Big Wind Day also reminds us to be careful while heading out on a windy day. Take stock of your hats, umbrellas, and raincoats.

When the winds are strong on National Big Wind Day, it gets us thinking of sustainable energy. Use the day to think about other green fuels and how to incorporate them into your life.

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ranelatogo · 1 year

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All About the Geographical Aspects of Germany – A Comprehensive Guide

Germany has a diverse landscape, with tall, sheer mountains in the south, sandy, rolling plains in the north, forested hills in the urbanized west, and agricultural plains in the east.

We all know that geography can be difficult to learn, but it is also necessary for understanding our surroundings. Fortunately, there are tons of geographical information about Germany that is both easy to remember and enjoyable to learn! Here are 12 astonishing facts about Germany's geography that you may not have known before.

Germany's geography

Enrolling on online German language courses must have fascinated you to learn about the geographical features of Germany. Germany's terrain is diverse, with mountains, lakes, rivers, plains, and forests. Throughout history, German geography has had a significant impact on the country's development.

For a long time, Germany's geography has had an impact on the economy. Germany is a country shaped by its geographical location.

For centuries, people have lived in the area and made a living by fishing in rivers and seas.

1. The Zugspitze is Germany's highest mountain, with a peak elevation of 2.962 meters. It is considered as one of Germany's most popular tourist attractions.

2. Germany is in Western Europe, between the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. The land is 357,580 km2 (138,062 mi2) in size and has 2,389 km of coastline (1,484.5 mi). About 89% of the land area of California is in this area. So, Germany is the 64th largest country in the world and one of the largest in Europe.

3. Denmark borders Germany on the Jutland peninsula in the north. The Baltic Sea (Ostsee) and North Sea (Nordsee) coasts, respectively, complete the peninsula's northern border. Germany borders the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg to the west, and France to the southwest.

4. Germany has a mild climate all year round, with an average temperature of nearly 17 degrees in July and -0.5 degrees in January.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Germany was 42.6 degrees in Lingen in 2019.

5. From a hydrological perspective, the landmass of the Federal Republic of Germany can be broken down into seven distinct regions: the Danube, Rhine, Ems, Weser, Elbe, and Oder River basins; the tributaries of the Meuse River (Donau, Rhein, Ems, Weser, Elbe und Oder, die Zuflüsse der Maas; the North Sea coast; and the Baltic Sea coast.

6. Germany shares land boundaries with nine other nations. All of the Scandinavian countries, plus Poland, the Czech Republic, Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands.

7. Small sections of the outer limestone (or calcareous) Alps extend from Austria into Germany. They are the Allgäuer Alps, the Wetterstein Alps (with Germany's highest peak, Zugspitze), and the Berchtesgadener Alps, in that order from west to east.

8. Most German rivers follow the general slope of the land, which is north-northwest, and end up in the North Sea. The Danube, which starts in the Black Forest and flows east, is the main exception to this rule. It forms the border between the Central German Uplands and the Alpine Foreland. The Danube gets its water from a series of right-bank Alpine tributaries that depend on spring and summer snowmelt to flow. This makes the Danube's flow very uneven.

9. Germany has a small number of lakes. The shallow lakes in the postglacial lowlands of the northeast have most of them. Lake Müritz in the Weichsel glacial drift of Mecklenburg–West Pomerania is the largest natural lake in the area. It covers 44 square miles (114 square km).

10. Germany imports most of its raw materials because it doesn't have many natural resources of its own. The nation yields a lot of bituminous coal and brown coal (lignite). The main fields of brown coal are west of Cologne, east of Halle, south and southwest of Leipzig, and in Lower Lusatia in Brandenburg. Salt and potash are also found in large amounts and are mined near the Harz mountains.

11. Germany's forest area encompasses about 11.4 million hectares, which is about one-third of the country's land area.

12. Germany has a temperate and marine climate, with cold, cloudy winters and warm, sunny summers. In the south, warm föhn winds sometimes blow. Most of Germany is in a cool-to-warm climate zone, where humid winds from the west are most common.

The largest country in the European Union takes up a little more than a quarter of Central Europe. It has many rivers and lakes and is home to many big cities. Germany is a country in Europe. Knowing important facts about its geography helps us figure out how it came to be. Human history has been changed by geography. It's interesting and fun! Learn German online with native teachers and share these important facts to help others know about Germany’s geography.

#BestonlineGermanlanguagecourse #germana1 #germanb1 #Online German teachers #LiveonlineGermanclasses

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sapphos-darlings · 4 years

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Is it true that lesbian couples are the most likely to get divorced? If yes, then why?

You know - when I first ran into this claim, I was 17. Gay marriage wasn’t a thing back then, yet a girl close to me had just entered a relationship with another girl, and they were both despairing over the way they felt their relationship was doomed from the beginning because of this rumour that lesbian relationships don’t last. They were trying their hardest to find older lesbians in long-term relationships to convince them that they, too, could last. I don’t know if they ever found any.

Now, for the question itself. Before we go into it any deeper, let’s face up with two facts: firstly, and most importantly, depending on your location two women have been able to marry anywhere from never to a couple years at best. The very first country to allow marriage between same-sex partners was the Netherlands in 2001. Here’s a timeline to illustrate:

This is a remarkably minimal timeline to be working analytics from. Especially universally. This is not every country in the world. In fact, it is at best a tiny fraction of all countries of the world. Which leads us to the next point we must observe,

we don’t have this kind of statistics. There is no way to compare homosexual divorce rate with heterosexual divorce rates objectively, because heterosexual marriage has existed pretty much throughout the history of civilization, whereas homosexual marriage started 19 years ago. Similarly, it is impossible to objectively compare divorce and marriage length between gay, lesbian and straight couples simply due to the effect of cultural factors, especially in terms of homophobia and oppression faced by gay and lesbian couples in comparison to straight couples, and the differences in the kinds of struggles and pressures that gay and lesbian couples face in comparison with each other.

So, it might be impossible to answer your question with the data we have, due to the nonexistent history from which to measure from, and because in order to examine divorce in same-sex relationships in general, I feel that we absolutely should take into account the environments and conditions these marriages happened, and only compare them amongst marriages in similar environments and conditions, especially culturally speaking. This just isn’t possible.

Now, for the actual answer?

Shortly put, the studies we have right now say yes. Same-sex marriages between two women have about twice the divorce rate from marriages between two men, and range from about the same divorce rate as heterosexual marriages to having a higher divorce rate than heterosexual marriages depending on the study and country in question.

In a study conducted in Denmark, the divorce rate for lesbian couples over a decade was 30%, against 18% for opposite-sex couples and 15% for gay couples. This is the longest term study I can find.

Let’s look into the why.

First, it’s important to once more remember that same-sex marriage is a novelty. In every country that has so far legalized gay marriage, it has been a major victory and a huge milestone in the struggle for our rights. To celebrate it, a lot of couples got married. A lot of couples. That involves couples who perhaps shouldn’t have gotten married, and so, you have divorces happening at a faster rate than they normally would if there had been nothing to celebrate. Some evidence points to the very first wave of gay marriages trending towards a longer survival rate than the waves following them, but this first wave would similarly include the couples who had already been together for decades, and for whom marrying was just making official what had already been their lives for years and years before - nothing changed for them. For the following couples, there may well have been some hurry to marry, both out of the sheer joy of being able to do so, and for the fear that it would be taken away.

Secondly, there are multiple other factors straining same-sex couples. Oppression is a very harsh reality in our lives, and oppression leads to difficult life situations, and difficult life situations do not favour marriages and commitment. It is extremely difficult to stay in a stable relationship when nothing else in your life is stable - it’s like building a house on an earthquake.

Some of the cited reasons for divorce by homosexual couples, gay and lesbian, include societal attitudes and family pressures. We don’t need a reminder of how difficult it is to be gay in this world, but it is absolutely crucial to remember when speaking of gay divorce. Marriage may provide the legal status of equality to a gay couple, but it is also just about the equivalent of a visible stamp on your forehead. A lifetime of homophobia, internalized and external, clashes with a homosexual couple marrying. It’s like coming out over and over again, or hiding the biggest of secrets from everyone around you. It’s the realisation you still aren’t equal, you still can’t proudly call your wife your wife without the fear of what’ll follow. It’s the shame and the doubt that has always followed you turning to diamonds under the pressure you feel under scrutiny. It’s the knowledge that now you and your relationship are examples set to everyone who is watching, and they are watching - if you don’t succeed, you will be judged for it. What if your family disowns you for it? What if your relatives don’t even attend your wedding? It is so easy to be ashamed and afraid even of the best thing in your life under the prejudiced observation of everyone and everything around you.

Woman couples suffer both these difficulties together with the added unique oppression of misogyny, and a higher overall rate of trauma, mental illness and addiction. Is it any wonder we have a harder time keeping our marriages stable? Look at it from an objective perspective and it’s impossible to miss that many of us live in a cesspool of horrors.

But it’s not all bad. See that the highest divorce percentage over a ten year period was 30%? That means that 70% of all same-sex marriages between two women survived that decade. 70% of those couples are still together. That’s not just half of them, that’s well over a half. Seven out of ten couples stayed together. Furthermore, homosexual couples overall report higher satisfaction, happiness and intimacy in their relationships than heterosexual couples do. This includes female couples! If you look at those reports and match them with the success rate of marriages over the period of a decade... you could just about read between the lines that the majority of our long-term relationships are stable, happy and committed.

The world may be dealing us its worst, but it hasn’t broken us, and it can’t separate us all, or even the majority of us. Our relationships are strong. The fact that we often hurt and that this hurt and pressure may prove to be too much for some doesn’t mean that we’re doomed to an eternity of loneliness. The very fact that most of our marriages do survive means that we are fighters and we are winning, and that our love is well worth the struggle, and that our fears are conquerable.

Oh, and that couple I knew when I was 17, who were scared that they’d never make it? It’s been 12 years, and they’re still together.

So that’s something, isn’t it?

#mod sade #ask #wlw

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fawsldaily · 4 years

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The 27-year-old joins us from German side Wolfsburg ahead of our 2020/21 Barclays FA Women’s Super League season which begins away to Manchester United on Sunday. Harder has spent the past three-and-a-half years playing for Wolfsburg and it was there she established herself as one of Europe’s top footballers. She was named UEFA Player of the Year in 2018.

Indeed, it was a trophy-laden stint with the leading club in the Frauen Bundesliga, as Harder won the domestic Double in each of her four campaigns at the AOK Stadion, twice finishing as the top scorer in the German top flight. Her tally of 27 in the coronavirus-affected 2019/20 season was the highest by any player in the Frauen Bundesliga since 2010.

While there is so much more to her game than goals, as evidenced by her ability to play in any position across the front of the pitch or in an attacking-midfield role, Harder boasts a scoring record at the top level of European football that would be the envy of any striker.

At Wolfsburg she found the net 103 times in 113 matches, having previously scored 85 goals in 109 appearances for Linkopings in Sweden, while she averaged better than a goal a game at Skovbakken in her homeland. Add in 25 Champions League goals from 28 games and it is clear Emma Hayes has added another lethal finisher to her already prolific attacking options.

On signing for Chelsea, Harder said: ‘I’m extremely happy and extremely excited to get started, to finally be here and be a Chelsea player. I couldn’t be more happy.

'I’m excited to just play for such a big club, to play with so many amazing players and to also be playing in the league [Women’s Super League]. The English league, it’s so exciting at the moment and I’m really looking forward to it.'

Chelsea FC Women manager Emma Hayes added: ‘Pernille is one of the best players in the world. Her record at Wolfsburg and Linkopings, as well as internationally with Denmark, shows how valuable she has been to her teams.

‘She is a fantastic team player who wants to take her game to the next level. She chose Chelsea as the club that can push her to that level. She can play for any team in the world, but she chose us.

‘She chose the players, the staff, the environment, the playing style. You can’t get a bigger compliment than that from one of the best players in the world.’

Harder’s football journey began at the young age of five at local club Tulstrup and then she moved to Ikast kfum. From there she progressed to Viborg, where she made her debut in the 3F ligaen, at the age of 16 – which is the top division of women’s football in Denmark – and then on to Skovbakken in 2010. Alongside Skovbakken, she trained with the boy's academy of Midtjylland, her local professional team.

Following a move to Linkopings in Sweden, Harder began to show why she is rated so highly in her homeland. During four years with the club she helped them win back-to-back Swedish Cups, playing in the same team as Magdalena Eriksson, who of course is now Chelsea Women captain – and the duo were key players as Linkopings were crowned Damallsvenskan champions in 2016. Harder finished as the division’s top scorer with 23 goals.

Before long, she was making the step up to the upper echelons of European football by linking up with two-time Champions League winners Wolfsburg, who had won their first continental honour at Stamford Bridge in 2013. The league titles continued to come – four in as many years – and each was accompanied by a German Cup in the same season.

European glory eluded Harder, though, as her spell at the club coincided with Lyon’s dominance of the Champions League. Although she netted the opener against the French side in the 2018 final, they fought back to win 4-1. The personal glory of winning the UEFA Player of the Year award, 12 months on from finishing as runner-up for that prize, was no consolation for a footballer who puts the needs of the team ahead of her own.

Harder was the Champions League’s top scorer last year, despite Wolfsburg exiting at the quarter-final stage, and she flourished in her side’s run to the final once again this past season, including a four-goal haul in the 9-1 win over Glasgow City in the last eight. Her final game for Wolfsburg resulted in a 3-1 defeat as Lyon clinched the Champions League trophy for a fifth consecutive season on Sunday evening.

At international level, Harder debuted for Denmark in October 2009 at the age of 16, marking her first senior appearance for her country with a hat-trick against Georgia. The goals have come thick and fast ever since, as she has netted 61 times in 118 matches.

She also captains her country, having taken the armband on in 2016 – and the following year she was the spearhead of Denmark’s run to the final of the European Championship. Although she scored in that game against the Netherlands, Denmark succumbed to a 4-2 defeat against the host nation.

Harder is undoubtedly the leading light when it comes to women’s football in Denmark, as she has been named as her country’s Player of the Year on six occasions, including in each of the past five years.

#fawsl #chelsea wfc #pernille harder

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newstfionline · 3 years

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Saturday, February 6, 2021

Media grapples with how to cover Trump after White House (AP) Two weeks into Donald Trump’s post-presidency, it feels like he hasn’t really gone away. He’s stayed in the news, defying the tradition of former presidents abruptly falling off the radar upon their successor’s inauguration and despite the shutdown of his favored means of communication on Twitter. A debate in media circles over how much attention he should receive when he is out of power has been put on hold, probably for several more weeks. “It’s virtually impossible to stop talking about Trump,” said Kelly McBride, National Public Radio public editor. “There’s still too many questions about what he did as president.” Stories about Trump on websites monitored by the analytics and advertising company Taboola in January got nearly four times as much traffic as stories about Biden. Trump stories had at least double the amount of traffic almost every day of the month. That continued even after the inauguration, but at a lesser degree.

Trump rejects Dems’ request to testify at impeachment trial (AP) House Democrats on Thursday asked Donald Trump to testify under oath for his Senate impeachment trial, challenging him to respond to their charge that he incited a violent mob to storm the Capitol. Hours after the Democrats’ request was revealed, Trump adviser Jason Miller dismissed the trial as “an unconstitutional proceeding” and said the former president would not testify. Separately, Trump’s lawyers denounced the request as a “public relations stunt.” The impeachment trial starts Feb. 9. Trump, the first president to be impeached twice, is charged with inciting an insurrection on Jan. 6, when a mob of his supporters broke into the Capitol to interrupt the electoral vote count. Five people died. Before the riot, Trump had told his supporters to “fight like hell” to overturn his election defeat. Many Senate Republicans have argued that the trial is unconstitutional because Trump is no longer in office, even though he was impeached while he was still president. In a test vote in the Senate last week, 45 Republicans voted for an effort to dismiss the trial on those grounds.

Biden faces a relieved but cautious Europe (NYT) There’s no doubt that most European leaders are relieved by the vision and commitments of the new U.S. administration. But that doesn’t mean they will follow Biden’s lead in lockstep on the world stage. The ultranationalism of former president Donald Trump and the bruising experience of Brexit further convinced officials in Berlin, Paris and Brussels of the need to pursue a more independent European approach and to build greater capacity for self-reliance after more than half a century of sheltering beneath the American security umbrella. In remarks aired Thursday during a dialogue with the Atlantic Council, French President Emmanuel Macron cheered Biden’s arrival, but emphasized his vision of “European sovereignty,” where the continent takes more ownership of its security and more proactively reckons with crises in its neighborhood, from North Africa to Russia’s borderlands. The experience of the Trump years has shifted Europe’s strategic thinking. The dramatic Jan. 6 storming of the Capitol reflected not just the volatility of U.S. politics, but the extent to which domestic polarization could subsume future foreign policy. “It showed how fragile democracy can be, not just in the United States but here as well,” Anna Stahl, a Berlin-based analyst, told New York magazine. “And one lesson from that could be, in addition to the fact that the U.S. is divided, that we need to focus more on European solidarity.” Macron said Europeans should be wary of finding themselves in situations where they are dependent on U.S. decision-making, “because any U.S. decision which is democratic could be led by a domestic approach, could be led by a domestic agenda, and obviously the reasonable weight of the U.S. interests … could not be exactly the same as the European one.”

U.S. trade deficit rises to 12-year high $679 billion (AP) The U.S. trade deficit rose 17.7% last year to $679 billion, highest since 2008, as the coronavirus disrupted global commerce and confounded then-President Donald Trump’s attempts to rebalance America’s trade with the rest of the world. The gap between the value of the goods and services the United States sells abroad and what it buys climbed from $577 billion in 2019, the Commerce Department said Friday. Exports skidded 15.7% to $2.1 trillion, and imports fell 9.5% to $2.8 trillion.

Billed for bad advice (NYT) McKinsey & Company reached a $573 million settlement with 47 states and Washington D.C. over that time they allegedly helped the maker of OxyContin “turbocharge” sales of the highly addictive opioid, paving a swath of personal and economic destruction across the United States and leading to a deadly epidemic that has claimed 450,000 lives over two decades and caused serious lasting damage to untold more. Records show McKinsey helped Purdue Pharmaceuticals sell higher-dose pills even after Purdue pleaded guilty to misleading doctors about the risks of the pill, and offered assistance in getting the pesky FDA off their back. McKinsey will not admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but agreed to restrictions on its future work with addictive narcotics. The states will use the penalties for the opioid treatment, prevention and recovery programs created in response to McKinsey’s successful advice.

Haiti’s Impasse (Foreign Policy) Stores were shuttered and protests unfolded in Haiti’s capital this week as the country’s opposition staged a general strike calling for President Jovenel Moïse to step down. They argue that his term ends Sunday and a transitional government should step in; Moise says his term lasts until 2022. On Tuesday, Catholic bishops called for dialogue and offered to mediate the crisis, writing in a statement from a bishop’s conference that “the country is on the verge of explosion.” Moïse was elected in late 2016 after a yearlong standoff over a previous election. Less than 10 percent of registered voters supported him at the time, and his administration has faced large, on-and-off street demonstrations since mid-2018. These denounced fuel prices, alleged corruption, political repression, and economic strife. A year ago, Moïse dismissed most of Haiti’s congress and began ruling by decree. For now, Moïse says he will stay put, in which case the protesters say they will stay in the streets. While the United States, the Organization of American States, and the European Union have called for elections to restore the legislature, in the coming months, Moïse’s plans focus on modifying the Constitution.

Denmark to develop digital passport proving vaccinations (AP) Denmark’s government said Wednesday it is joining forces with businesses to develop a digital passport that would show whether people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus, allowing them to travel and help ease restrictions on public life. Finance Minister Morten Boedskov told a news conference that “in three, four months, a digital corona passport will be ready for use in, for example, business travel.” “It will be the extra passport that you will be able to have on your mobile phone that documents that you have been vaccinated,” Boedskov said. “We can be among the first in the world to have it and can show it to the rest of the world.” The coronavirus has seen a near-total halt in international travel as countries try to contain the spread of the virus. Major European airlines, for example, are flying a tenth of their normal traffic. [Sweden is developing something similar.]

Moscow’s jails overwhelmed with detained Navalny protesters (AP) The video, shot by a man detained in a Moscow protest, shows a group of people jammed into a police minibus. One of them says on the recording that they had already been held there for nine hours, with some forced to stand because of overcrowding and no access to food, water or bathrooms. Detainees are recounting their miserable experiences as Moscow jails were overwhelmed following mass arrests from protests in support of opposition leader Alexei Navalny this week. They described long waits to be processed through the legal system and crowded conditions with few coronavirus precautions. More than 11,000 protesters were reported detained across Russia in the pro-Navalny rallies on two straight weekends last month and in Moscow and St. Petersburg on Tuesday, after he was ordered by court to serve nearly three years in prison. Some of the protesters were beaten on the streets by riot police or subjected to other abuse. While it accounted for less than half of the detentions, the capital’s jails quickly filled up as scores of people were sentenced by the courts. Many received misdemeanor charges that resulted in jail terms of five to 15 days. Marina Litvinovich, member of the Public Monitoring Commission that observes the treatment of prisoners and detainees, said Moscow simply could not handle such an influx of protesters convicted of misdemeanor offenses and needing to be jailed for several days. “The first crisis occurred when police vans and buses (with detainees) were driving around Moscow anxiously and jails didn’t let them in. They didn’t know where to put people,” Litvinovich told the AP. “Some people were brought back to police precincts. Some were standing the whole day inside police vans near the jails. Some got lucky and they were given food and taken to toilets. Some didn’t have luck and they had to pee in a bottle.”

Virus upends new year for millions of Chinese (Washington Post) For the second year in a row, millions of Chinese are missing out on the most important holiday of the year—a time for family reunions, lavish meals, fireworks and catching up with friends—as authorities try to control new coronavirus outbreaks. Residents are not only disappointed. Many are also angry at the extreme measures local authorities, determined to avoid outbreaks in their districts, have adopted to limit travel. For months, officials have discouraged travel during the festival by handing out cash subsidies, free phone data usage, and points for coveted residence permits in cities. China’s State Council instructed officials to “guide the public” to celebrate “on the spot” rather than crisscross the country. The measures appear to have worked. This year’s Spring Festival travel rush is expected to be the quietest in more than a decade. Transport ministry officials expect 1.2 billion trips, compared with 3 billion in 2019 and a drop of more than 20 percent from last year, when many families were sheltering at home at the height of the outbreak in China. Those who tried to go home have found themselves stymied by extra, often contradictory rules. In theory, residents traveling to rural areas only need to present a negative coronavirus test result taken within the past seven days. Unofficially, local governments have added restrictions, such as mandating centralized quarantine and sealing residents in their homes.

China’s latest weapon against Taiwan: the sand dredger (Reuters) Taiwanese coast guard commander Lin Chie-ming is on the frontline of a new type of warfare that China is waging against Taiwan. China’s weapon? Sand. On a chilly morning in late January, Lin, clad in an orange uniform, stood on the rolling deck of his boat as it patrolled in choppy waters off the Taiwan-run Matsu Islands. A few kilometers away, the Chinese coast was faintly visible from Lin’s boat. He was on the lookout for Chinese sand-dredging ships encroaching on waters controlled by Taiwan. Half an hour into the patrol, Lin’s nine-man crew spotted two 3,000-ton dredgers, dwarfing their 100-ton vessel. Upon spotting Lin’s boat, armed with two water cannons and a machine gun, the dredgers quickly pulled up anchor and headed back toward the Chinese coast.The sand-dredging is one weapon China is using against Taiwan in a campaign of so-called gray-zone warfare, which entails using irregular tactics to exhaust a foe without actually resorting to open combat. Since June last year, Chinese dredgers have been swarming around the Matsu Islands, dropping anchor and scooping up vast amounts of sand from the ocean bed for construction projects in China. The ploy is taxing for Taiwan’s civilian-run Coast Guard Administration, which is now conducting round-the-clock patrols in an effort to repel the Chinese vessels. The dredging is a “gray-zone strategy with Chinese characteristics,” said Su Tzu-yun, an associate research fellow at Taiwan’s top military think tank, the Institute for National Defense and Security Research. “You dredge for sand on the one hand, but if you can also put pressure on Taiwan, then that’s great, too.” Sand is just part of the gray-zone campaign. China, which claims democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has been using other irregular tactics to wear down the island of 23 million. The most dramatic: In recent months, the People’s Liberation Army, China’s military, has been dispatching warplanes in menacing forays toward the island. Taiwan has been scrambling military aircraft on an almost daily basis to head off the threat, placing an onerous burden on its air force.

Efforts to end Myanmar’s ethnic conflicts shaken by coup (AP) The coup that removed an elected government and reimposed military control in Myanmar has raised even more uncertainty about a fragile peace process aimed at ending decades of conflict between the military, armed ethnic groups and militias. Over 20 ethnic groups have been fighting the military over control of predominantly ethnic-minority borderland areas, including Shan, Kachin, Karen and Rakhine states. The groups have sought greater autonomy for their regions, which are often rich with natural resources. The military and militias aligned with it have fought for continued centralized power and control. Myanmar has one of the longest civil conflicts in the world, with fighting continuing at different times across the country since 1949. Many of the armed groups want greater autonomy, which they feel was promised by Suu Kyi’s father, Gen. Aung San, via the Panglong Agreement of 1947, which called for a federal system of government, ethnic minority rights and religious freedom. Aung San was assassinated later in 1947. Decades of junta rule that followed resulted in a slew of human rights violations, including the use of civilians as slave labor, rapes, extrajudicial killings and burning of entire villages.

In Gaza, Pandemic Forces Tough Choices (NPR) How does the pandemic affect one of the world’s most crowded and battle-scarred territories? From merchants to doctors, the 2.2 million Palestinians of the Gaza Strip are forced to make tough choices to survive. On a single street, a vegetable seller, supermarket worker and secondhand clothes merchant recently showed up at their day jobs—though the clothes merchant said he was convinced all three of them had COVID-19. “I feel bad about myself. I would quarantine myself for a whole month if I could, but I have to keep the shop open. I have no other source of income,” Hossam, 26, told NPR by video chat. He declined to give his full name because he could be arrested for keeping his shop open while sick. Hossam lost his sense of taste and smell, and became fatigued, but refused to take a COVID-19 test. If it were positive, his whole family would be ordered to quarantine and he and his brother, the family’s sole breadwinners, wouldn’t be able to work. Gaza’s Hamas rulers offer no financial aid to those quarantined at home. “There are many others like me who don’t want to report their illness so they can keep working,” Hossam said. This is common in Gaza, where most live below the poverty line and the economy is in a chokehold due to a nearly 14-year Israeli and Egyptian blockade severely restricting trade and travel to the Islamist-ruled territory.

Food inflation (Financial Times) Global food prices have reached their highest in almost seven years, further raising the specter of food inflation and hunger at a time when the Covid-19 pandemic continues to hit economies around the world. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s food price index for January rose by a tenth from a year ago to its highest level since July 2014, led by a sharp increase in grain prices. Substantial buying of corn by China and lower-than-expected production in the US helped send the gauge—which tracks a basket of food commodities against their 2014-16 prices—to its eighth consecutive monthly increase, the longest rising streak in a decade.

#headlines #news

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rabbitcruiser · 22 days

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National Big Wind Day

History of National Big Wind Day

National Big Wind Day timeline

1888Wind Power Generation

The first known U.S. wind turbine created for electricity generation is built.

1897Wind Power Plant

The first wind power plant is established in Denmark.

1900The Great Galveston Hurricane

The deadliest hurricane in American history is recorded.

2001William Kamkwamba

The Malawian inventor gains fame for using wind turbines to power the appliances at his home.

National Big Wind Day FAQs

When was the windiest day?

Where is the windiest place on Earth?

It is not just Antarctica’s temperatures that are so extreme. Wind speeds on the continent often exceed 100 mph each winter.

What is the least windy state?

The top five least windy states are Mississippi, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia, and Alabama.

How To Observe National Big Wind Day

Share your story

Visit an observatory

Advocate for green fuel

Hold onto your hats and umbrellas while sharing your windy day stories on National Big Wind Day. Invite your friends and family to do the same.

Visit an observatory near you on National Big Wind Day to find out more about how they study atmosphere changes, weather, and wind changes.

Highlight the sustainability and efficacy of wind turbines and mills on National Big Wind Day. Speak to your counselor about how these can be used to generate power.

5 Facts About Wind Power That Will Blow Your Mind

Wind power has been around for centuries

Wind turbines are complex

It is becoming popular

Wind technology is bird-friendly

Hawaii has the world’s largest wind turbine

Windmills are often associated with Holland but date back as far as Ancient China in 2000 B.C.

A single wind turbine has around 8,000 different parts.

Wind energy is the fastest-growing renewable energy source in many countries.

Wind farms have taller and slower-moving blades which are safer for birds.

It stands 20 stories tall and has blades the length of a football field.

Why National Big Wind Day is Important

It reminds us of the incredible powers of nature

It’s a reminder to be careful

It gives us ideas for a green future

National Big Wind Day reminds us of the fury and incredible powers of nature. A strong gust of wind is powerful enough to remind us how inconsequential we are.

National Big Wind Day also reminds us to be careful while heading out on a windy day. Take stock of your hats, umbrellas, and raincoats.

When the winds are strong on National Big Wind Day, it gets us thinking of sustainable energy. Use the day to think about other green fuels and how to incorporate them into your life.

Source

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things2mustdo · 3 years

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The events of recent weeks have proven that it’s not a safe world for masculine men out there. Now more than ever men should be looking into increasing their personal security. As an IT guy I have been thinking for a solution to the problems men face. Below are measures I can recommend one take to increase his security.

Disclaimer: this guide caters to Windows users, but others can still find value.

1. Install a VPN

VPN stands for Virtual Private Network. To understand what a VPN does, first you must understand what an IP is. IP is something like a computer passport number. Each electronic device has it’s own IP address. Websites register your IP when you use them—this makes it easy to find your location, your device, and therefore your identity. A VPN makes it so when you connect to a website you first go through the VPN server. So when you connect to a website instead of seeing your computer IP it shows the IP the VPN provides you. Roosh recently wrote on VPNs.

Example (manually changing IP):

The problem here relies on the credibility of the VPN provider. Many VPN providers register your activity and can then hand it to a government organization if they so demand. Even VPNs that promised not to do this, broke their promise. There is an agreement between the Anglo-speaking countries that affects VPN users. The government can ask the provider for your data, and there is nothing your provider can do to not give it to them.

These countries are referred to as 5 eyes. Currently, similar agreements are being done with other countries, referred to as the 14 eyes: United Kingdom, United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Sweden

Definitely get a paid VPN. Free VPNs are not an answer, they most likely register some info on you and are slow. After some research on VPN providers I have found some VPN proviers that are outside the 14 eyes, use encryption, accept Bitcoin, support OpenVPN and have a no logging policy and an overall good reputation.

Here are my findings: blackVPN (Hong Kong, 25 servers, 100 dollars a year), Cryptostorm (Iceland, 13 servers, 52 dollars a year), HIDEme (Malaysia, 85 servers, 65 dollars a year), NordVPN (Panama, 52 servers, 48 dollars a year), Perfect Privacy (Panama, 40 servers, 150 dollars a year), Privatoria (Czech Republic, 12 servers, 23 dollars a year).

One VPN provider attracted my attention particularily, that being BolehVPN, since it is one of the only two providers that offers Tor to VPN alongside VPN to Tor (the other one being AirVPN, which is based in Italy, therefore part of 14 eyes), so if you want that particular set-up, check it out.

Make sure to check the VPN provider’s canary. It is a document that confirms that the VPN provider was not touched by the government. It should be updated every month, if it isn’t unsubscribe. Example.

How to increase VPN security

1) Pay with untraceable money

Sign up for an anonymous e-mail account using Tor and use a Bitcoin Mixer to send Bitcoins to a newly generated address in your local wallet. Alternatively, use the Bitcoin-OTC to purchase Bitcoins ‘over the counter’ from a person, rather than an exchange. Then, use a patched Bitcoin client, such as coderrr’s anonymity patch to avoid linking the newly generated address to any of your pre-existing Bitcoin addresses. —Andrew, Private Internet Access.

2) Make sure you don’t disconnect from VPN and prevent DNS leaks

Use the pro version of VPNCheck to automatically disconnect from internet when losing connection to VPN and to prevent DNS leaks. Or search for the manual way of doing it

3) Use multiple VPNs

Another measure to consider is using two or more VPNs. Basically activate one VPN first, then another one, done.

4) Resolve the PPTP IPv6 VPN flaw

Not likely to affect everyone. PPTP is the weakest VPN protocol and if you use one of the VPNs I mentioned before you will likely use a better protocol, but for those who do, there is a possible flaw that you can correct like this—for Windows Vista and above: Open cmd prompt and type: netsh interface teredo set state disabled.

5) Secure your router

Here’s a guide.

2. Install an antivirus

There are three tiers of antiviruses: antivirus sofwtare, internet suite and premium security suites. Read about them here. At minimum use Microsoft Security Essentials (free software from Microsoft), though paid antiviruses (such as Bitdefender, Kaspersky, etc.) are better.

3. Use Tor and TailsOS for safe web browsing

Many popular browsers are not highest ranked in regards to keeping your anonymity. For example, while Chrome is theoretically secure from spyware and adware, their stance on privacy can be summarized as follows:

He went on, speaking about the future of search. With your permission you give us more information about you, about your friends, and we can improve the quality of our searches. We don’t need you to type at all. We know where you are. We know where you’ve been. We can more or less know what you’re thinking about.

There are factors one must be careful of: cookies, encryption (https), tracking ads, javascript exploits, canvas fingerprinting and others. A writeup on these would take a long time so research them on your own if you wish. I will just mention browsers that avoids these issues.

USE SAFE SEARCH ENGINE

Instead of using the google search engine use disconnect.me installed into Tor (or install as extension into Firefox)

TOR BROWSER

Tor Browser is an internet browser designed for online anonymity. It is a modified version of Firefox with add-ons pre-installed. Tor works somewhat similar to the VPN concept. Before connecting to a website you go through “nodes”. Which are private stations, each with its own IP. So instead of showing your IP, it will show the IP of the last node you traveled through.

The downside of Tor is that it is slow, due to the fact that it works thanks to enthusiastic individuals. Tor is not for casual usage, but specifically for privacy needs, particularly posting online or searching the deep web.

Tor has some weaknesses you must be aware of:

First

Oftentimes when you are using a network, the network provider can’t see what you are browsing, but they can see that you are using Tor. You can use things like a bridge obfuscator, obfsproxy, or setting VPN to Tor. This is a complex issue, here is a guide on hiding tor usage from ISP (internet service provider).

Second

The trustworthiness of exit relays. When the government found out about the popularity of Tor they created their own exit nodes, that acted as honey traps. To fight this, use a TailsOS (or booted off a flash stick, DVD or SD card in a public wifi spot, like a coffee shop). That way even if the final node was a trap, it would only lead to your TailsOS profile, not your general one. Check so the public wifi spot you are using has no cameras around, so they will not be able to check camera footage of who used a laptop in that particular time frame. Don’t forget to log off when finished. Alternatively, use Tor to VPN.

Third

Often many programs, like torrents, will ignore Tor, even if you manually force them and just connect straight away, thus giving you away. The answer is to not use torrents with Tor. I REPEAT, NO FILE SHARING ON TOR.

There are of course other various vulnerabilities out there. And as a reminder, Silk Road, a large black market was cracked in the past.

COMBINING TOR WITH A VPN

Tor is good on its own but even better when combined with a VPN. There are 2 methods : Tor to VPN, VPN to Tor. Both have their weaknesses. First one allows ISPs to see you use Tor, the second does not protect from malicious end relays . VPN to Tor masks your Tor usage, Tor to VPN protects from malicious exit nodes.

I have thought of using VPN to Tor to VPN, which should theoretically accomplish both. For VPN to Tor use a secure VPN provider and add non-Tor traffic to mask usage. For Tor to VPN, pay with anonymized bitcoins and never connect to your VPN without connecting to Tor first.

VPN to Tor: The Harvard bomb hoaxer was de-anonymized because he was the only one in college using Tor. If he went through a VPN first, he would have been harder to track (assuming his VPN provider did not keep logs).

Tor to VPN: Protects from malicious exit nodes, on the other hand. TailsOS with public wifi accomplishes the same. Of course, either is better than nothing. Which you choose depends on your needs. The only two providers that offer Tor to VPN are AirVPN (based in Italy, so part of 14 eyes, but not the 5 eyes) and BolihVPN.

IF YOU DON’T WANT TO USE TOR

While using Tor is advisable, for casual usage you can set Firefox to be very secure with the help of add-ons and custom settings. Here is a guide.

WEBSITES THAT BAN VPN AND TOR

Certain websites ban Tor (e.g. Imgur). Use an alternative then (e.g. Anonmgur). Otherwise use VPN to Tor. There are VPN providers that cycle IPs, so that helps with VPN IP range bans.

TAILSOS

Windows is not very safe. There have been rumors of NSA backdoors on Windows devices. Supposedly NSA can store almost everything you do online (including Facebook, popular mail providers, and possibly things offline).

There are some good alternatives out there, TailsOs being one of them. TailOS is an operating system specifically designed for security and is Linux based. It can be ran off a USB stick. For those extra paranoid, use Tor in a public space on a laptop with TailsOS loaded of a flash drive.

Of course TailsOS is not very suitable for day to day needs, so use it for shitlord purposes. For your day to day purposes you might have to use Windows, but for the love of god, DO NOT use Windows 10, it is absolutely awful for security.

I prefer Windows 7. If you are more advanced, you can use alternative platforms like Debian or some distro of Linux or whatever. Just beware, many programs for Windows do not have alternatives on Linux based systems. If you are a casual, moving to another platform can be difficult. And if you really are a nerd, then you can look into some exotic setup like Qubes + Whonix or whatever other myriad of OS and Virtual Machines there are around.

4. Other darknet browsers

I2P network: While Tor is designed to anonymously browse the normal web and onion sites, I2P is a web of it’s own. Preferably to be browsed through Tor. It allows (slow) torrenting and great for messaging, IRC, file sharing, secret websites (.i2p)

Freenet – Freenet is a peer-to-peer platform for censorship-resistant communication.

5. Look into bitcoin and online currency

Bitcoin is virtual currency that has taken the world by storm in recent years. There are other online currencies competing against it, but Bitcoin is the most established online currency. It is the default virtual currency. Bitcoin is not for daily usage, rather online purposes. There are VPN services that accept payment with bitcoin. There are even services that will store physical gold in exchange for bitcoin.

Truly a financial revolution. Unfortunately, it’s also a big headache for tax services. Bitcoin is also infamous for being used to purchase illegal stuff on the internet black market. But you wouldn’t use it for that, would you?

To start using bitcoins just register a bitcoin wallet and you are good to go.

HOW TO INCREASE BITCOIN ANONYMITY

Bitcoins are not anonymous by default. They must be washed and anonymized. Buying through Tor + Coin mixing + anonymity patched bitcoin client. Over the counter (OTC) bitcoins are an option as well.

6. Use proper password protection

Never use the same password twice. Try to make it long and contain both characters and numerals, etc. Hint : use L33t, P@ssVV0r|)333. If you can, add non English characters even better, PåSsWøRд0, but you can’t always do it.

If you are unsure, use a safe password generator, such as Master Password To manage passwords use a password manager, such as KeePassX.

7. Use proper mail protection

Use throwaway email to register in most places. Never use your public e-mail to register anywhere controversial like Neomasculintiy affiliated websites.

SAFE MAIL PROVIDERS

For general mail needs, use a mail provider that is focused on security. I found two outside 14 eyes, in Switzerland: ProtonMail (free), NeoMailBox (50$/year, custom domain option ex : [email protected], [email protected])

Remember to still use personal safety measures, like additional encryption. Never trust 2nd parties with your protection completely.

BECOME AN EMAIL PROVIDER YOURSELF

Another interesting move is to become a provider yourself, in essence create your personal Gmail by turning your PC into a mail server. To do this, use Mail-in-a-box. They have good guide on their site https://mailinabox.email/.

USE A SAFE MAIL CLIENT

A mail client is a program that allows you to manage mail from the cloud by saving it locally, by connecting to the email host, such as Gmail. The default mail client in Windows is Microsoft Outlook (which sucks). I will focus on my preffered mail client setup.

1) Download Thunderbird

2) Install the Enigmail add-on, to allow encryption

3) Install the TorBirdy add-on, to make Thunderbird run through Tor

BEWARE THE LAW

Beware of a law that allows government officials to read any mail hosted online older than 6 months without a warrant. Use an external email client like Thunderbird or Enigmail, download your emails and store them locally. Never leave them on the server.

EMAIL ALTERNATIVES

Look into email alternatives such as : Bitmessage, I2P-Bote, Retroshare

8. Use encryption for messaging

Encryption is the process of making a message unreadable to third parties. Some programs do it for you, manually you can use a program like GPG4win or similar which uses PGP encryption.

The way it works is this :

1) You create your public key.

2) You digitally sign the information with your private key, so when the other side verifies it with their own public key, they can confirm that it is indeed YOUR public key. (WebOfTrust)

3) When someone wants to write to you he encrypts it using the public key you provided, or the other way around.

4) You then use your PRIVATE key to decrypt the message he sent you.

Here is a tutorial:

youtube

MOBILE ENCRYPTION

There are encryption possibilities for your phone as well. First, set encryption on your Android device. Second, use an app called Signal

9. Scrub EXIF data of photos you post online

When you take a photo with a particular device, often it registers what device you used to take the photo, when and where it was taken. To avoid this problem, before posting online use an EXIF scrubber. It is a piece of software that deletes all information that might incriminate you.

Some examples are BatchPurifier Lite and Exif Pilot. Also, careful with what photos you post of course, nothing that could indirectly lead to you.

10. Torrent and stream safely

Torrenting can be useful for file transferring. If you plan to torrent anything or share something with friends, look into safer peer to peer torrenting. P2P is good for small files. Generic torrent services are good for larger files.

One advice I have is avoid torrent programs known for their untrustworthiness, such as BitVomit (BitComet) and uTorrent (closed source + adBloat). qBit, Deluge, Tribler (this one’s interesting) are good options (open source and lightweight).

Beware of laws in certain countries that forbid downloading stuff online. Germany is particularly infamous for this. There are ways to combat this issues through VPNs. But DO NOT USE TOR, I REPEAT, DO NOT USE TOR FOR FILE SHARING. For even more secure anonymous file sharing look into I2P (beware avg speed: 30 kbs per sec)

As for streaming, Popcorn Time and other analogous services (such as PornTime) are used to stream new movies (and porn) respectively. They are based on BitTorrent technology. They are relatively safe services, as long as you use a VPN.

11. Encrypt the files on your PC

Use VeraCript, a piece of software designed to encrypt disk partitions or whole USB drives. It is the successor of TrueCrypt (which stopped development after feds asked them to include vulnerabilities).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fGUJ6AgOjQ

HIDE FILES IN IMAGES

Also, another interesting technique is to hide text, videos and other stuff in pictures, it’s called Steganography.

12. Look into this promising new technology for your online needs

The 3 pieces of software I am about to recommend are TOX , RetroShare and diaspora.

TOX is a Skype clone with focus on privacy.

Retroshare is a private network service. You can use it for private mailing and other purposes.

diaspora is a social network designed for privacy and decentralization https://diasporafoundation.org/

Another interesting possibility for ROK people is to use a .onion or .i2p domain or freenet for a sort of “secret” webpage, unavailable to casuals out there.

To summarize

I think this advice will benefit the ROK community for protecting their anonymity and using secret backup channels for future purposes. Here is a quick cheat sheet:

Casuals: VPN paid with shuffled bitcoin + VPNcheck Pro, Signal on Android, Firefox with add-ons for casual use, Tor for shitlordery, Encrypted mail and hard disk, password manager, ProtonMail for daily use, throwaway mail—everything else, Thunderbird with add-ons, EXIF scrubber. Download email on PC then delete off server.

Advanced: Same as above + Tor combined with VPN, I2P and Freenet, (TBitmessage I2P-Bote Retroshare) instead of mail, becoming mail provider, diaspora*

Super advanced: Same as above + Multiple VPNs, Using Tor off of TailsOS in a public space where cameras cannot film you. Alternative OS and Virtual machines. Secure you router.

Here’s a good collection of security resources.

Always remember, there is no way to remain completely anonymous, just ways to make it harder to be detected.

Read More: 5 Ways To Improve Your Online Game

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coursecolony42-blog · 4 years

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<h1>Picking The Right Personal Bankruptcy Law Practice Alkmaar</h1>

Content

The Keys To Making Online Law School Effective.

Advocaten In Nederland, Alkmaar.

Law College Professors.

Top Law Schools In The United States & Canada.

To the north, Egypt is house to one leading law school, Cairo College, rated in the variety. As well as finally, Kazakhstan and Thailand are both new to the law college placing this year, the latter with two entries. Also with three representatives in the law institution position is Hong Kong, including the University of Hong Kong in 18th area, while the Chinese University of Hong Kong is 39th.

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Are all lawyers millionaires?

Lawyers Are Over-Represented As Millionaires Not according to the work done in The Millionaire Next Door which pegged lawyers at just 8% of the country's total millionaires.

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How much do lawyers gain or just how much do lawyers make in Australia? Below is a table describing the typical revenue of solicitors, Magistrates and also Juries based on gender. Remarkably, regardless of the general public understanding, lawyers don't also make it in the top 5 paying work in Australia.

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From 1996 to 2005, Holmes led campaigns to raise sex variety at EY. On her watch, the number of female partners tripled from 80 to 241, which increased the total percent of female partners at the company from 6 percent to 12 percent.

Americans do not separate between solicitor as well as lawyer. A seasoned criminal lawyer on the other hand frequently carries out the job of both roles, namely in-court advocacy as well as advice for clients. A barrister is a sort of lawyer that mostly performs campaigning for in court, including tests.

In 1870, Ada Kepley ended up being the first female in the USA to graduate from law school. Nevertheless, when she obtained a permit, she was informed that Illinois law forbade women from exercising law. By the time the law was ultimately overturned, Kepley had diverted her powers to the support of social reforms, specifically the temperance activity.

After the top 10, the UK's best institutions for law are UCL, King's University London, theUniversity of Edinburgh, Queen Mary College of London andDurham College. Of the 300 organizations included in the ranking, 50 are discovered in the US, consisting of 14 in the leading 50. Outside of the leading 10 above, other excellent law schools in the US include the College of Chicago, Georgetown College, College of California, Los Angeles and theUniversity of Michigan.

The Keys To Making Online Law College Successful.

In this role, she was known for enforcing nontraditional sentences, such as composing essays. In addition to presiding over divorce court, Lynn is the writer of 3 publications. Right here is a glimpse at the 20 richest lawyers worldwide, ranked from the most affordable total assets to the highest.

While law employers welcome job applications from trainees from all universities, there are 'hidden' benefits to some bigger, perhaps much more prestigious, law institutions that deserve thinking about. advocatenbureau alkmaar have the chance to select various other electives, such as family members law or company law, however they are not compulsory element of the qualifying law level.

There are various factors that there are 2 type of attorneys, along with whatever comes down to exactly how the legislation is done.

If de functies pass away ze bieden are part of a legislation college, you need to more than likely to a law establishment and take the bar test, and then come to be a legal representative.

General lawyers are the ones that work out regulation for a business, business or person .

In order to come to be a general lawyer, you ought to have several years of legal education as well as understanding, you need to become part of a law university, as well as likewise pass bench examination.

Advocaten In Nederland, Alkmaar.

While real estate attorneys make suitable salaries-- the average is $80,000 and it can obtain as high as $147,000-- it was reported that virtually one in 4 property attorneys are not granted advantages. The thirteen achieved legal professionals provided above stand for a vast array of histories, practice locations, political stances, and disputes. Nevertheless, despite their unique identifiers-or, even more properly, becauseof them, these ladies have actually changed the legal career. The phenomenal obstacles these females have dealt with, both straight-out and implied, in their initiatives to ruin the glass ceiling have actually been equaled only by their capabilities.

Which job has the highest salary in Australia?

Australia's top 10 highest paying jobsSurgeons. Nearly 4,000 Australians work in this profession, and they top the earnings bracket with an average taxable income of $394,866. Anaesthetists. Internal Medicine Specialists. Financial Dealers. Psychiatrists. Other Medical Practitioners. Judicial and Other Legal Professionals. Mining Engineers. More items

The examination takes half a day as well as is used 4 times each year at many locations. Pupils curious about loss admission must take the test in October or June, although December scores are typically approved. LSAT ratings consider heavily in admission and also financial assistance decisions. And finally, looking to start with at Africa, South Africa has 4 representatives in the law college position, with the University of Cape Towncontinuing to lead the way at (below in 2014).

Industry1.Social Help as well as Health Care2.Retail Trade3.Administrative and Assistance Services4.Retail Trade5.Education & TrainingHave a question? Ask our award winning team of Sydney criminal lawyers in Sydney, we provide totally free assessments.

The number of females with versatile work timetables likewise tripled from simply more than 300 when she began her campaigns to nearly 1,000 in 2005. In an interview with The Practice, she worries that senior leadership was essential to this success. " None of this would certainly have been feasible without the energetic support of 2 EY CEOs," claims Holmes. Undoubtedly, two weeks after she approved the position, Holmes uncovered she was expecting with her initial child. I have been to four lawyers before met Jimmy and also Tayla.

Which country is best for law study?

Top Law Schools in 2019Top 10 Law Schools in the World Based on the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2019RankName of InstitutionLocation1Harvard UniversityUnited States2University of OxfordUnited Kingdom3University of CambridgeUK8 more rows•27 Feb 2019

Law School Professors.

Discover the top law colleges based on the QS Globe University Rankings by Topic 2020. Real estate lawyers examine agreements and offers and make sure that purchasers are obtaining fair bargains on the homes they are purchasing. Realty lawyers also collaborate with vendors to make sure whatever is reasonable on that particular end, too.

Lawyers Office Appelman Alkmaar

Very caring listening experience understanding lawyer and my result with this Criminal ... By A.E . A major or director of a law firm may range from $500-$ 800 per hour. Each sort of lawyer has a different role which usually involve different regulations and legislations.

She became an intense opponent of alcohol usage, using her skills and skills to rise to a placement of nationwide importance in the temperance movement. She was a writer and published anti-alcohol papers that presumed as to call men that often visited drinkeries. Sandra Day O'Connor holds the distinction of shattering the greatest glass ceiling in American jurisprudence as the very first women Justice of the USA High Court. Deborah Holmes, the Americas director of business responsibility at EY and also herself a lawyer, concurs that leadership is essential to establishing a culture of synergy as well as variety.

For example, if you reside in Sydney, and also you're dealing with a criminal cost, you'll need to connect with knowledgeable Sydney criminal lawyers. The sort of lawyer you will require will depend upon the kind of lawful concern you're confronted with.

Please find in the accessory the primary legal technique areas in the Netherlands Bar's register of lawful areas our advocates have actually signed up for. The world's most significant international organisations rely on us to aid them make the right decisions in a fast-changing globe. We combine the knowledge, experience as well as energy of the whole firm to resolve our clients' most complex difficulties, anywhere as well as whenever they occur. We supply the globe's preeminent corporations and also financial institutions with a complete service law solution. Sight events for graduates and also professionals arranged by seeking advice from firms.

If you're seeking to study law, you might be discovering it challenging to choose between the lots of hundreds of distinguished law schools readily available worldwide. Luckily, our latestlaw school position, among the 43 subjects covered by the QS World College Rankings by Subject, must have the ability to assist, showcasing the 300 greatest organizations for this field.

By 1964, he had become a participant of the Harvard Law College professors and in 1967, he was made a full professor. ( He retired in 2013.) While mentor classes, he was likewise making a name for himself in the criminal law field. Many thanks to his reputation as the "leading lawyer of last resort," he has a collection of top-level clients, consisting of Mike Tyson, Jim Baker, Leona Helmsley, O.J. Simpson, as well as Jeffrey Epstein. Better called the judge from TV's Separation Court given that 2007, Lynn Toler formerly served as the only community court judge in Cleveland Levels, OH for more than 8 years. After getting her law level from the College of Pennsylvania Law Institution in 1984, she concentrated on civil law up until ending up being metropolitan court judge.

Both tables base their rankings on somewhat various variables. The Times tables think about research study quality and impact, in addition to student fulfillment. You can discover more about the various rankings as well as the various elements that they consider below.

If you currently have an idea of what areas of practice you want specialising in, or simply want to discover more about, it's worth comparing the electives offered by each program. Currently, the most usual path to qualifying as a lawyer is a level (either a law level or a non-law level) followed by a conversion course and/or an occupation training course. It's taking your time to meticulously believe concerning selecting the best university as well as course to research if you select to go to college.

This provides a simple one-stop-shop for corporate advice and legal procurement divisions to collect details on companies they are aiming to instruct. The Amsterdam office provides pro bono legal assistance as well as is actively associated with numerous impactful organizations, such as EarthToday, ClimateCircle, The Ajax Structure, CollAction, and Manifesta. Eversheds Sutherland prolongs its geographic footprint to 66 workplaces in 32 nations. Eversheds Sutherland stands for the combination of 2 companies with a shared culture as well as commitment to client service excellence.

There's a lot concentrate on the bimodal salary circulation on legal incomes early in a lawful occupation but not the long run. I'm pretty sure there's a third spike somewhere to the right of the presented income array. He's got schoolmates our age that are purchasing million buck houses with money. My wife was determining in between a lawyer or physician when we first met.

Top Law Schools In The United States & Canada.

After you recognize the kind of legal concern you are encountering, you will certainly have the ability to figure out the very best kind of lawyer. Yet prior to picking that lawyer, you ought to do some study to ensure the lawyer you are intending to opt for, is one with honesty, transparency and also experience. The best kind of lawyer matched to you will depend upon your lawful concern. In America an attorney is thought about an attorney at law, as well as is someone who's passed bench examination with authorization to practice law.

#advocaat alkmaar #advocaten alkmaar #advocatenkantoor alkmaar #advocatenkantoren alkmaar #advocaten in alkmaar #advocatenbureau alkmaar #jurist alkmaar #advocatenkantoren noord holland #alkmaar juristen

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deniscollins · 4 years

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Finland Is a Capitalist Paradise

Finland’s capitalist growth and dynamism have been helped, not hurt, by the nation’s commitment to providing generous and universal public services that support basic human well-being, which have buffered and absorbed the risks and dislocations caused by capitalist innovation. In Finland, paying higher taxes is a convenient way for capitalists to outsource to the government the work of keeping workers healthy and educated. This liberates businesses to focus on what they do best: business. It’s convenient for everyone else, too. All Finnish residents, including manual laborers, legal immigrants, well-paid managers and wealthy families, benefit hugely from the same Finnish single-payer health care system and world-class public schools. Should the U.S. adopt the Finland’s version of capitalism: (1) Yes, (2) No?

Two years ago we were living in a pleasant neighborhood in Brooklyn. We were experienced professionals, enjoying a privileged life. We’d just had a baby. She was our first, and much wanted. We were United States citizens and our future as a family should have seemed bright. But we felt deeply insecure and anxious.

Our income was trickling in unreliably from temporary gigs as independent contractors. Our access to health insurance was a constant source of anxiety, as we scrambled year after year among private employer plans, exorbitant plans for freelancers, and complicated and expensive Obamacare plans. With a child, we’d soon face overwhelming day-care costs. Never mind the bankruptcy-sized bills for education ahead, whether for housing in a good public-school district or for private-school tuition. And then there’d be college. In other words, we suffered from the same stressors that are swamping more and more of Americans, even the relatively privileged.

As we contemplated all this, one of us, Anu, was offered a job back in her hometown: Helsinki, Finland.

Finland, of course, is one of those Nordic countries that we hear some Americans, including President Trump, describe as unsustainable and oppressive — “socialist nanny states.” As we considered settling there, we canvassed Trevor’s family — he was raised in Arlington, Va. — and our American friends. They didn’t seem to think we’d be moving to a Soviet-style autocracy. In fact, many of them encouraged us to go. Even a venture capitalist we knew in Silicon Valley who has three children sounded envious: “I’d move to Finland in a heartbeat.”

So we went.

We’ve now been living in Finland for more than a year. The difference between our lives here and in the States has been tremendous, but perhaps not in the way many Americans might imagine. What we’ve experienced is an increase in personal freedom. Our lives are just much more manageable. To be sure, our days are still full of challenges — raising a child, helping elderly parents, juggling the demands of daily logistics and work.

But in Finland, we are automatically covered, no matter what, by taxpayer-funded universal health care that equals the United States’ in quality (despite the misleading claims you hear to the contrary), all without piles of confusing paperwork or haggling over huge bills. Our child attends a fabulous, highly professional and ethnically diverse public day-care center that amazes us with its enrichment activities and professionalism. The price? About $300 a month — the maximum for public day care, because in Finland day-care fees are subsidized for all families.

And if we stay here, our daughter will be able to attend one of the world’s best K-12 education systems at no cost to us, regardless of the neighborhood we live in. College would also be tuition free. If we have another child, we will automatically get paid parental leave, funded largely through taxes, for nearly a year, which can be shared between parents. Annual paid vacations here of four, five or even six weeks are also the norm.

Compared with our life in the United States, this is fantastic. Nevertheless, to many people in America, the Finnish system may still conjure impressions of dysfunction and authoritarianism. Yet Finnish citizens report extraordinarily high levels of life satisfaction; the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development ranked them highest in the world, followed by Norwegians, Danes, Swiss and Icelanders. This year, the World Happiness Report also announced Finland to be the happiest country on earth, for the second year in a row.

But surely, many in the United States will conclude, Finnish citizens and businesses must be paying a steep price in lost freedoms, opportunity and wealth. Yes, Finland faces its own economic challenges, and Finns are notorious complainers whenever anything goes wrong. But under its current system, Finland has become one of the world’s wealthiest societies, and like the other Nordic countries, it is home to many hugely successful global companies.

In fact, a recent report by the chairman of market and investment strategy for J.P. Morgan Asset Management came to a surprising conclusion: The Nordic region is not only “just as business-friendly as the U.S.” but also better on key free-market indexes, including greater protection of private property, less impact on competition from government controls and more openness to trade and capital flows. According to the World Bank, doing business in Denmark and Norway is actually easier overall than it is in the United States.

Finland also has high levels of economic mobility across generations. A 2018 World Bank report revealed that children in Finland have a much better chance of escaping the economic class of their parents and pursuing their own success than do children in the United States.

Finally, and perhaps most shockingly, the nonpartisan watchdog group Freedom House has determined that citizens of Finland actually enjoy higher levels of personal and political freedom, and more secure political rights, than citizens of the United States.

What to make of all this? For starters, politicians in the United States might want to think twice about calling the Nordics “socialist.” From our perch, the term seems to have more currency on the other side of the Atlantic than it does here.

In the United States, Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are often demonized as dangerous radicals. In Finland, many of their policy ideas would seem normal — and not particularly socialist.

When Mr. Sanders ran for president in 2016, what surprised our Finnish friends was that the United States, a country with so much wealth and successful capitalist enterprise, had not already set up some sort of universal public health care program and access to tuition-free college. Such programs tend to be seen by Nordic people as the bare basics required for any business-friendly nation to compete in the 21st century.

Even more peculiar is that in Finland, you don’t really see the kind of socialist movement that has been gaining popularity in some of the more radical fringes of the left in America, especially around goals such as curtailing free markets and even nationalizing the means of production. The irony is that if you championed socialism like this in Finland, you’d get few takers.

So what could explain this — the weird fact that actual socialism seems so much more popular in the capitalist United States than in supposedly socialist Finland?

A socialist revolution was attempted once in Finland. But that was more than a hundred years ago. Finland was in the process of industrializing when the Russian empire collapsed and Finland gained independence. Finnish urban and rural workers and tenant farmers, fed up with their miserable working conditions, rose up in rebellion. The response from Finland’s capitalists, conservative landowners and members of the middle and upper class was swift and violent. Civil war broke out and mass murder followed. After months of fighting, the capitalists and conservatives crushed the socialist uprising. More than 35,000 people lay dead. Traumatized and impoverished, Finns spent decades trying to recover and rebuild.

So what became of socialism in Finland after that? According to a prominent Finnish political historian, Pauli Kettunen of the University of Helsinki, after the civil war Finnish employers promoted the ideal of “an independent freeholder farmer and his individual will to work” and successfully used this idea of heroic individualism to weaken worker unions. Although socialists returned to playing a role in Finnish politics, during the first half of the 20th century, Finland prevented socialism from becoming a revolutionary force — and did so in a way that sounds downright American.

Finland fell into another bloody conflict as it fought off, at great cost, the Communist Soviet Union next door during World War II. After the war, worker unions gained strength, bringing back socialist sympathies as the country entered a more industrial and international era. This is when Finnish history took an unexpected turn.

Finnish employers had become painfully aware of the threats socialism continued to pose to capitalism. They also found themselves under increasing pressure from politicians representing the needs of workers. Wanting to avoid further conflicts, and to protect their private property and new industries, Finnish capitalists changed tactics. Instead of exploiting workers and trying to keep them down, after World War II, Finland’s capitalists cooperated with government to map out long-term strategies and discussed these plans with unions to get workers onboard.

More astonishingly, Finnish capitalists also realized that it would be in their own long-term interests to accept steep progressive tax hikes. The taxes would help pay for new government programs to keep workers healthy and productive — and this would build a more beneficial labor market. These programs became the universal taxpayer-funded services of Finland today, including public health care, public day care and education, paid parental leaves, unemployment insurance and the like.

If these moves by Finnish capitalists sound hard to imagine, it’s because people in the United States have been peddled a myth that universal government programs like these can’t coexist with profitable private-sector businesses and robust economic growth. As if to reinforce the impossibility of such synergies, last fall the Trump administration released a peculiar report arguing that “socialism” had negatively affected Nordic living standards.

However, a 2006 study by the Finnish researchers Markus Jantti, Juho Saari and Juhana Vartiainen demonstrates the opposite. First, throughout the 20th century Finland remained — and remains to this day — a country and an economy committed to markets, private businesses and capitalism.

Even more intriguing, these scholars demonstrate that Finland’s capitalist growth and dynamism have been helped, not hurt, by the nation’s commitment to providing generous and universal public services that support basic human well-being. These services have buffered and absorbed the risks and dislocations caused by capitalist innovation.

With Finland’s stable foundation for growth and disruption, its small but dynamic free-market economy has punched far above its weight. Some of the country’s most notable businesses have included the world’s largest mobile phone company, one of the world’s largest elevator manufacturers and two of the world’s most successful mobile gaming companies. Visit Finland today and it’s obvious that the much-heralded quality of life is taking place within a bustling economy of upscale shopping malls, fancy cars and internationally competitive private companies.

The other Nordic countries have been practicing this form of capitalism even longer than Finland, with even more success. As early as the 1930s, according to Pauli Kettunen, employers across the Nordic region watched the disaster of the Great Depression unfold. For enough of them the lesson was clear: The smart choice was to compromise and pursue the Nordic approach to capitalism.

The Nordic countries are all different from one another, and all have their faults, foibles, unique histories and civic disagreements. Contentious battles between strong unions and employers help keep the system in balance. Often it gets messy: Just this week, the Finnish prime minister resigned amid a labor dispute.

But the Nordic nations as a whole, including a majority of their business elites, have arrived at a simple formula: Capitalism works better if employees get paid decent wages and are supported by high-quality, democratically accountable public services that enable everyone to live healthy, dignified lives and to enjoy real equality of opportunity for themselves and their children. For us, that has meant an increase in our personal freedoms and our political rights — not the other way around.

Yes, this requires capitalists and corporations to pay fairer wages and more taxes than their American counterparts currently do. Nordic citizens generally pay more taxes, too. And yes, this might sound scandalous in the United States, where business leaders and economists perpetually warn that tax increases would slow growth and reduce incentives to invest.

Here’s the funny thing, though: Over the past 50 years, if you had invested in a basket of Nordic equities, you would have earned a higher annual real return than the American stock market during the same half-century, according to global equities data published by Credit Suisse.

Nordic capitalists are not dumb. They know that they will still earn very handsome financial returns even after paying their taxes. They keep enough of their profits to live in luxury, wield influence and acquire social status. There are several dozen Nordic billionaires. Nordic citizens are not dumb, either. If you’re a member of the robust middle class in Finland, you generally get a better overall deal for your combined taxes and personal expenditures, as well as higher-quality outcomes, than your American counterparts — and with far less hassle.

Why would the wealthy in Nordic countries go along with this? Some Nordic capitalists actually believe in equality of opportunity and recognize the value of a society that invests in all of its people. But there is a more prosaic reason, too: Paying taxes is a convenient way for capitalists to outsource to the government the work of keeping workers healthy and educated.

While companies in the United States struggle to administer health plans and to find workers who are sufficiently educated, Nordic societies have demanded that their governments provide high-quality public services for all citizens. This liberates businesses to focus on what they do best: business. It’s convenient for everyone else, too. All Finnish residents, including manual laborers, legal immigrants, well-paid managers and wealthy families, benefit hugely from the same Finnish single-payer health care system and world-class public schools.

There’s a big lesson here: When capitalists perceive government as a logistical ally rather than an ideological foe and when all citizens have a stake in high-quality public institutions, it’s amazing how well government can get things done.

Ultimately, when we mislabel what goes on in Nordic nations as socialism, we blind ourselves to what the Nordic region really is: a laboratory where capitalists invest in long-term stability and human flourishing while maintaining healthy profits.

Capitalists in the United States have taken a different path. They’ve slashed taxes, weakened government, crushed unions and privatized essential services in the pursuit of excess profits. All of this leaves workers painfully vulnerable to capitalism’s dynamic disruptions. Even well-positioned Americans now struggle under debilitating pressures, and a majority inhabit a treacherous Wild West where poverty, homelessness, medical bankruptcy, addiction and incarceration can be just a bit of bad luck away. Americans are told that this is freedom and that it is the most heroic way to live. It’s the same message Finns were fed a century ago.

But is this approach the most effective or even the most profitable way for capitalists in the United States to do business? It should come as no surprise that resentment and fear have become rampant in the United States, and that President Trump got elected on a promise to turn the clock backward on globalization. Nor is it surprising that American workers are fighting back; the number of workers involved in strikes last year in the United States was the highest since the 1980s, and this year’s General Motors strike was the company’s longest in nearly 50 years. Nor should it surprise anyone that fully half of the rising generation of Americans, aged 18 to 29, according to Gallup polling, have a positive view of socialism.

The prospect of a future full of socialists seems finally to be getting the attention of some American business leaders. For years the venture capitalist Nick Hanauer has been warning his “fellow zillionaires” that “the pitchforks are coming for us.” Warren Buffett has been calling for higher taxes on the rich, and this year the hedge-fund billionaire Ray Dalio admitted that “capitalism basically is not working for the majority of people.” Peter Georgescu, chairman emeritus of Young & Rubicam, has put it perhaps most succinctly: He sees capitalism “slowly committing suicide.”In recent months such concerns have spread throughout the capitalist establishment. The Financial Times rocked its business-friendly readership with a high-profile series admitting that capitalism has indeed become “rigged” and that it desperately needs a “reset,” to restore truly free markets and bring back real opportunity. Leading captains of finance and industry in the United States rocked the business world, too, with a joint declaration from the Business Roundtable that they will now prioritize not only profits but also “employees, customers, shareholders and the communities.” They are calling this “stakeholder capitalism.”

If these titans of industry are serious about finding a more sustainable approach, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. They can simply consult their Nordic counterparts. If they do, they might realize that the success of Nordic capitalism is not due to businesses doing more to help communities. In a way, it’s the opposite: Nordic capitalists do less. What Nordic businesses do is focus on business — including good-faith negotiations with their unions — while letting citizens vote for politicians who use government to deliver a set of robust universal public services.

This, in fact, may be closer to what a majority of people in the United States actually want, at least according to a poll released by the Pew Research Center this year. Respondents said that the American government should spend more on health care and education, for example, to improve the quality of life for future generations.

But the poll also revealed that Americans feel deeply pessimistic about the nation’s future and fear that worse political conflict is coming. Some military analysts and historians agree and put the odds of a civil war breaking out in the United States frighteningly high.

Right now might be an opportune moment for American capitalists to pause and ask themselves what kind of long-term cost-benefit calculation makes the most sense. Business leaders focused on the long game could do a lot worse than starting with a fact-finding trip to Finland.

Here in Helsinki, our family is facing our second Nordic winter and the notorious darkness it brings. Our Finnish friends keep asking how we handled the first one and whether we can survive another. Our answer is always the same. As we push our 2-year-old daughter in her stroller through the dismal, icy streets to her wonderful, affordable day-care center or to our friendly, professional and completely free pediatric health center, before heading to work in an innovative economy where a vast majority of people have a decent quality of life, the winter doesn’t matter one bit. It can actually make you happy.

#Finland

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earthstory · 5 years

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vimeo

Original caption:

As the Earth continues its path on its elliptical orbit around the sun, high latitudes and higher mid-latitudes of the northern hemisphere are entering the midnight sun season. If you go too far up north, the sun never sets but at lower latitude like southern Scandinavia or central Canada, the sun goes down just a few degrees under the horizon and lingers there for a few hours, gliding unnoticed from the north-west to the north-east. This allows summer nights to remain in a constant twilight and it never gets dark enough to see the milky way or auroras for example. However this situation can give birth to one of the most intriguing and jaw-dropping shows on Earth: noctilucent clouds (NLC) or literally ‘night-shining clouds’ from Latin. While the Earth rotates far away from the sun in the summer, its mesosphere gets cooler, allowing the formation of tiny ice particles. These particles form the highest clouds on our planet (82km in the atmosphere) and wouldn't be visible if it wasn't for the bright nights They’re the highest clouds on Earth at the edge of space, and while all the other the other tropospheric clouds remain plunged in darkness NLC can still catch the sunlight because of their height. NLC only form in particular conditions. For starters the layer of the atmosphere were they grow (the mesosphere) needs to dip below -120°C. Weirdly enough it can only happen during the northern hemisphere summer. While all the hot air in the bottom part of the atmosphere expands, it cools the upper layers allowing temperature drops. The mesosphere is right at the edge of space and it’s a boundary between space and Earth. It’s a misunderstood place where odd chemical reactions happen including the formation of NLC. Rare moisture- thought to come from the reaction of CO2 and CH4, meets meteoritic dust and accretes on it. If it’s cold enough this mixture transforms into minuscule ice crystals through a process called nucleation. When our Sun has sunk from 6 to 12 degrees elevation below the horizon it hits these ice particles with a certain angle and it makes them glow in the dark with a ‘backlit appearance’! We call this period of the night the nautical twilight/dawn when stars appear in the sky but it is still bright enough for you to make things out around. NLC create a transparent shiny veil behind which you can still see the stars. It takes on the colors of the background sky as well going from deep orange to electric blue! NLC also evolve into a lot of shapes like huge billows, waves, trough or bands, making them look like an ocean of ice in the sky.

Here is a compilation of all the NLC displays of 2018 as a trailer for the 2019 season! Everything was recorded in Canada (Alberta) and Denmark. NLC season roughly starts at the end of May and finishes at the end of August. If you are between 45 and 50 degrees N of latitude you will only have the nautical twilight window so make sure to be out by then. For people living between 50 and 58 degrees North you will have more time because the Sun lingers in the ‘twilight zone’ giving you all-night possibilities. If you live between 58 and 65 deg. N you will generally have too bright nights to even see NLC. Your short window will either be in May/start of June or mid-end of August. As a rule though you’re going to have to look North in the ‘twilight arc’- the zone of the sky illuminated by the Sun. Find a cloudless night and try your luck! The moon doesn’t have any effect on how you see the NLC.

#Noctiluca scintillan #Noctilucent clouds #night shining #clouds #sky #nlc #video #earth #mesosphere #atmosphere #space #night sky #dark sky #the earth story

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monespec · 4 years

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20 Fun Facts which will cause you to Want To Travel

While many folks dream of beginning on an epic vacation, sometimes making those dreams a reality can seem almost impossible. But travel does tons more for us besides getting us out of the house or to the beach.

Travel has both physical and emotional benefits, besides giving us a broader scope of the planet. And with all the amazing things to ascertain and explore on this planet, you'll want to reconsider putting those vacation plans on the rear burner.

Here are 20 fun facts which will cause you to want to travel.

1. Travel has been scientifically proven to enhance stress Studies have shown that travelers report feeling less anxious and more relaxed in as little as three days after they begin a vacation.

2. Travel also helps with brain function and problem-solving skills The neural pathways of our brains are suffering from both environment and habit. Research indicates that those pathways are often positively affected once we take ourselves into new environments and disrupt the rut of lifestyle.3. Travel can improve your heart health

The Framingham Heart Study, conducted on residents of Framingham, Massachusetts, found that folks who travel annually were less likely to develop a heart condition.

4. Planes are still considered one among the safest modes of travel Despite the media hype, the very fact remains that aviation remains less risky than most other modes of travel. Statistically speaking, you’re more likely to urge struck by lightning than die during a plane crash.

5. Vatican City is the littlest country within the world Considered its entity, it measures just 0.2 square miles.

6. Iceland is taken into account the friendliest nation on earth A study conducted by the planet Economic Forum cited Iceland because of the friendliest country to foreign visitors.

7. Canada has the foremost lakes within the world Out of all the lakes within the world, quite 50 percent of them are located in Canada.

8. The world’s biggest ball of twine is found in Cawker City, Kansas This ball of twine weighs 5,000 pounds and is 8 feet high. Each August, the town holds a “twine-a-thon” where you'll add twine thereto yourself!

9. Bangkok is one of the foremost popular destinations Bangkok, Thailand had quite 20 million international visitors in 2018, making it one among the foremost traveled destinations within the world.

With quite 40,000 temples, amazing food and affordable lodging, this vibrant city have consistently been at the highest of the list for many popular destinations.

10. Dubai has the world’s tallest hotel Dubai’s recently-opened Gevora Hotel is a fantastic 365 meters (1,168 feet) tall.

11. The coast of California is approximately 840 miles long Take a drive along California’s Highway 1 for a few of the foremost scenic and delightful coastline within the world.

12. Alaska is home to the most important park within the U.S. Wrangell St. Elias Park is found within the heart of Alaska and encompasses quite 13.2 million acres.

13. Paris is that the world’s most visited capital Romantic, beautiful and filled with history, who wouldn’t want to go to Paris?

14. Mongolia is that the least populated country within the world With but five people per area unit, you'll visit Mongolia and still get any alone time.

15. Aproximately half the highways in Germany haven't any speed limits If you are feeling the necessity for speed, this could be an excellent vacation destination for you.

16. Roswell, New Mexico is where an alien spacecraft reportedly crashed in 1947 A popular place to go to for anyone curious about what could be out there, you'll continue UFO tours, see the crash site and study Area 51.

17. Australia’s Great coral reef is that the only living structure than are often spotted from space Located within the Coral Sea, the reef is that the world’s biggest structure made up of living organisms.

18. Denmark has twice asmany bicycles because it does cars You can easily rent a motorcycle in Copenhagen and traverse the town.

19. but one-hundredth of the world’s population has ever been to Antarctica Tours and cruises are often pretty expensive, but what an excellent addition to your bucket list!

20. Research indicates that folks who spend money on travel as against material goods tend to be happier

As the saying goes, travel is that the one thing you'll buy that creates you richer.

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lsadvertising-blog · 4 years

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Advertisers: Guide to The Digital World

Influencers.

The digital world has broadened the horizon of marketing techniques with the use of algorithms, social media influencers offer one of the best marketing skills. Influencers breakdown the regimented barrier between media producers and consumers; introducing an informal relationship whereby which they,‘attract and maintain..followings on social media platforms’ (Crystal, 2018. p.80) through ‘personalised content’ (Crystal, 2018. p. 72). With this ‘established’ (Crystal, 2018. p.71) credibility in a specific industry, influencers are able to form an emotional attachment with their followers based on trust.

This once transient fame can now transpire into a career path. ‘Online and mainstream celebrity cultures are now weaving together’(Crystal, 2018. p.73). Influencers are internet celebrities. As discussed in Crystal Abidin’s book ‘Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online’, influencers have capitalised on society’s dependancy to admire those of higher status than ourselves. In doing so, influencers project an opulent lifestyle to be desired, from the clothes they wear to the car fragrance they use.

According to the Wall Street Journal.

‘Advertisers can’t ignore social media’ (Kapner and Terlep, 2019). The digital world has created a space whereby consumers have ultimate control in terms of what content they want to see and how they want to see it. Dominating this current platform are influencers. Using this to their advantage ‘companies .. funnel’ (Kapner and Terlep, 2019) large funds directly to influencers who represent their industry field; in exchange influencers ‘pitch’ (Kapner and Terlep, 2019) products to their followers. Resulting in purchases of products.

The trickery of influencers.

As marketing systems go, this seems pretty smooth; but like any other prototype there are expected issues. As discussed by By Suzanne Kapner and Sharon Terlep, influencers are under constant fire in regards to how genuine they truly are. What would you expect when people are bombarded with selected content that only projects a well orchestrated lifestyle. Influencers are ‘just doing it for the money’. (Kapner and Terlep, 2019)

That damn sandwich.

Does this image jog your memory. (DeHaas, 2017)

Influencers from the likes of Kendall Jenner to Emily Ratajkowski were among some of the influencers who were paid upwards of ‘$250,000 (£206,561)- $299,000 (£247,111)’ (Petter, 2019) to promote ‘the notorious Bahamas event’ (Petter, 2019) Fyre Festival in 2017 on social media. As well as deceiving audience with promotional content that falsely advertised a fraudulent event. Influencers also failed to disclose to their followers that the promotional content was in fact paid. Later these influencers were sued.

So what’s the message.

Advertiser! Get on social media platforms, use influencers to your advantage to engage your intended audience.

But:

Only promote truthful content that reflects your actual product

Do assure that your influencers disclose that the promotional content is in fact an advert, to prevent misleading audiences

Don’t do a ‘Fyre Festival ‘

Bibliography

Abidin, Crystal (2018) Internet Celebrity: Understanding Fame Online’,Jönköping University, Sweden: Emerald Publishing Limited

Kapner, S and Terlep, S (2019) ‘Online Influencers Tell You What to Buy, Advertisers Wonder Who’s Listening’, The Wall Street Journal . 20th October, page 3.

DeHaas, T. (2017) Twitter . [Online] Available at: https://www.vice.com/en_uk/article/nza8yq/that-photo-of-the-fyre-festival-sandwich-is-fake

Petter, Olivia (2019) ‘KENDALL JENNER AND EMILY RATAJKOWSKI ‘SUED’ FOR PROMOTING FYRE FESTIVAL’ Independent , 2nd September, p.2

Algorithms.

Algorithms usurp an ‘ubiquitous part of contemporary life’ (David, 2018. p148). Through ‘routinely tracking…browser behaviour’ (Bucher, 2016. p.1), a users feed is presented to them in a way that will achieve ultimate pleasure from their experience of strolling through Facebook. Using ‘cybernetic categorisation’ (Bucher, 2016. p.12) Facebook attempts to drive ‘meaningful interactions’.

Why should advertisers care.

From developing an understanding of algorithms advertisers stand to gain more effective content. By achieving a more intimate documentation of their cliental ‘by virtue of their habits, experiences and personalities’ (Bucher, 2016. p.3) through online experience.

As commented on by Taina Bucher our daily digital life is full algorithmic ‘selected’ (Bucher, 2016. p.2) content. Through an orchestrated social experiment, it is understood that much of this content is ‘encountered through invisibilities’ (David, 2018. p144). Explained in Bucher’s ‘The Algorithmic Imagery: Exploring the Ordinary Affects of Facebook Algorithm’s’ Bucher’s participants such as Jessa, who was subject to personalised content after ‘regular talks’ (Bucher, 2016. p.1) about a particular product.

So what’s the problem.

‘The problem is that Facebook doesn’t offer free speech; it offers free amplification’ (Evans, 2019). On a timeline feed riddled with ideologies. ‘Strict chronological’ (Evans, 2019) feeds make for the highest paid advertisers content to be most visible on a user’s feed; as opposed to posts created by friends. Oddly this goes against the mission of Facebook, who aim to allow users to ‘stay connected with friends [sharing and expressing] what matters to them’.(Facebook, 2019). But with the highest bidder getting more attention what chance does the average user have.

Facebook Did A Naughty. (well kinda.)

The most toxic word association you could lay eyes on : “Facebook”, “data”, “harvested”, “weaponised”, “Trump” and… “Brexit”. (Cadwalladr, 2019). Cambridge Analytica, managed just that; infiltrating ‘leaked’(Cadwalladr, 2019) data of ‘tens of millions’(Cadwalladr, 2019) Facebook users in order to ‘target them in political campaigns’(Cadwalladr, 2019). Although Cambridge Analytic took most of the brunt for this scandal, Facebook also had a massive part to play. THEY LEAKED OUR DATA. Okay, yes feel free to collect data on a user to tailor their feed in order to make them get the best experience out of your platform. But DON’T exploit us… it’s just not cool Zuckerberg. Unfortunately, as users we cannot prevent what happens to our given data but in scandals such as these it makes us more precautions of who we trust with it.

Algorithms as nice as they are at making user’s experience flawless, they can also help contribute to a ‘world of manipulation and [misuse of] power’(Cadwalladr, 2019). Accumulated data from user by any media producer is essential in making a product stand out, making the platform feel as if it is custom made. But misuse of this data and exploitation of trust is harmful to the reputation of the business, which can lead to a loss in customer loyalty.

Bibliography

Bucher, Tania (2016) The algorithmic imaginary: exploring the ordinary affects of Facebook algorithms ,INFORMATION, COMMUNICATION & SOCIETY, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

Evans, Jon (2019) ‘Facebook isn’t free speech, it’s algorithmic amplification optimized for outrage’, TechCrunch. https://techcrunch.com/2019/10/20/facebook-isnt-free-speech-its-algorithmic-amplification-optimized-for-outrage/

Facebook (2019/2019) Facebook Resources.Available at: https://investor.fb.com/resources/default.aspx (Accessed: December, 2019)

Beer, David (2018) The Social Power of Algorithms, Routledge, Milton Park

Cadwalladr, Carole (2019) The Great Hack: the film that goes behind the scenes of the Facebook data scandal. The Guardian. July 2019.Page 1

The Post Humanist subject.

As discussed by Katherine Halyes in her novel ‘ How We Became Posthuman Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature and Informatics’. The post humanist subject ‘is an amalgam’ (Halyes,1999 p.18) of human nature with ‘machine intelligence’ (Halyes,1999 p.23), however in order to be considered post human ‘the subject’ (Halyes,1999 p.19) doesn’t have ‘to be a literal cyborg’(Halyes,1999 p.19). The difference between post humanist subject and humans is the ability of ‘owing nothing to society’(Halyes,1999 p.21)based on informational data collected from it surrounding, it continues to develop off the back of others without any need to repay those who provided the information.

What point do we as humans reach the natural limit in regards to the development of the humanist subject, it is too important to be left to academics any more. Advertisers should be aware of the developments in this Industry, it’s okay to ignore science-fiction cliches but they are are projecting a not too distant future. A demonstration of the post humanist subject is Charlie Brooker’s ‘Black Mirror’, a compilation series that revolves around a group of people’s personal lives and how technology ‘manipulates their behaviour’ (Mullane, 2016). In particular the episode ‘Nosedive’ is set in a world that functions based on a rating system of one another, henceforth in order to avoid a lower rating ‘everyone is sickeningly nice to each other at all times’(Mullane, 2016). It may seem exaggerated, however it in essence is an Avantgarde reflection of our society. The higher rated you are, the ‘more privileged and better quality of life’ you will have. (Mullane, 2016)

So how does this link to the post-humanist subject?

The subject as referred to before usurps data from its environment. Our current environment capitalises on a hierarchal system were the metric of success is determined by likes and shares, if a post humanist subject was to adopt this nature and over power us society is at risk of ‘technological augmentation’ (Maziarczyk, 2018 p.126). This would result in humans become slaves to the system; much like that of those in ‘Nosedive’

What has this got to do with advertisers?

Good question , as advertisers it is important to foresee what the future holds in regards to both the advertising industry and society itself. If advertisers were to adopt the same nature as post-humanist subjects such as understanding users mannerism potentially this could be beneficial.

Biblography

Halyes, Katherine (1999) How We Became Posthuman, London and Chicago: University of Chicago Press

Mullane, A. (2016). Black Mirror review: ‘Nosedive’ has biggest twist yet. [online] Digital Spy. Available at: https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/cult/a811645/black-mirror-season-3-review-the-surprise-climax-to-nosedive-is-the-shows-biggest-twist-yet/ [Accessed 16 Nov. 2019].

Maziarczyk, G. (2018). Transhumanist Dreams and/as Posthuman Nightmares in Black Mirror. Roczniki Humanistyczne, 66(11 Zeszyt specjalny), pp.125-136.

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kachulein · 5 years

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About me tag!

Rules : Answer the questions and tag 10 people

tagged by: the lovelies @manyakhater & @namiiyae 💖💖

1. How tall are you?

174cm or exactly 5'8,5

2. What color are you eyes?

just..brown. yup.

3. What color and style is your hair?

My hair is black, straight, and I wear it long with see-through bangs

4. Do you wear glasses?

yes but I use contact lenses when I go out (mostly)

5. Do you have braces?

I used to! Now I only have these metal thingies at the back of the bottom and top row of my front teeth, so that the progress from my braces doesn't regress.

6. What’s your fashion sense?

very versatile but I do have my favourites. I'm a bit geared to korean fashion I'd say? I love wearing pleated skirts with crop tops/hoodies and tights or thigh highs. I also like everything high-waisted because I love wearing cropped tops no matter whether they're shirts, long-sleeved etc. I'd describe it as a cute street style? I also like to wear slacks and blouses, or tight mini-skirts, going for that classy, elegant, and mature look. And recently I got high-waisted cargo pants and they look so cool, I'm in love!!~

7. Full name?

I'll give you my first and middle name instead, Laura Jane.

8. When were you born?

1999

9. Where are you from and where do you live?

I'm from Switzerland and I still live there~

10. What school(s) do you go to?

primary school, secondary school and another 4 years of school for a higher degree (it's the highest degree you can achieve before going to college but not many people choose that way [in Switzerland] since we have a dual system and there's different ways you can choose to educate yourself further (or not) after secondary school.

11. What kind of student are you?

uuuh a lazy but ambitious one? I was prone to falling asleep during class, much to the amusement of my classmates (I tried hard to stay awake, okay). I'm not really the type of person that studies much because I procrastinate a lot. I never had to study much for good grades and I usually understand/memorize something without having to revise it, so that probably fueled my laziness in regards to studying even more. I only ever studied the evening before an exam but then I was very disciplined and concentrated to take it all in because I always wanted to get good grades nevertheless. :'))

12. Do you like school?

I used to. As a child I loved school (apparently) but the pressure and stress and tons of workload really ruined it for me

13. Fav subject?

English, Art and Music

14. Fav TV shows?

Atypical and Sex Education as of now^^

15. Fav books?

Harry Potter Series, The Lux Series, and Remembrance of Earth's Past trilogy (it's a Chinese sci-fi trilogy, I highly recommend).

So, now you know; I'm a sucker for fantasy and science-fiction. Your certified nerd right here.

16. Fav pastimes?

researching about astrology, reading, drawing, singing, writing, dancing, watching shows, movies and YouTube videos and uuuh I guess that's it ??

17. Do you have any regrets?

Well, don't we all have some? You can't possibly tell me there's nothing you would like to have done differently looking back now. 👀👀 (I'm aiming more towards small things btw!! Like, if you accidentally hurt someone's feelings by saying something's insensitive, that would be something I'd regret for years)

18. Dream job?

hhhh singer&songwriter

19. Would you ever like to be married?

Not sure honestly... but if I was to get married, I'd love to get married at the beach

20. Would you like to have children?

not sure either... I'm not the biggest fan of children as of now. That may change with time, who knows

21. If so, how many?

uuuh, 1 or 2 but not more, I'd love to have a boy and a girl though~

22. Do you like shopping?

kind of. It can be exhausting and boring, or painful when you're broke :')

23. What countries have you visited?

Obviously Switzerland since I'm born and raised here, then Germany, Austria, France, Denmark, Italy, Spain, Greece, Czech Republic, and England

24. Scariest nightmare you’ve ever had?

...I'd need to put trigger warnings in my tags if I was to talk about this and I don't want to get the mood down now because that was the most horrible thing I've ever dreamed of, that coming from someone who's used to having nightmares ;-;

25. Any enemies?

??? There's no hard feelings from my side towards anyone as of now but I guess one or two people online have their fair share of problems with me and Idk what on earth I've done to them ¯\_(ツ)_/ ¯ but well, you can't like everyone, so as long as we all just mind our business that should be fine^^

26. Do you have a significant other?

who knows ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) (nope lmao)

27. Do you get along with your family?

uh, well. meh? My dad is a hopeless case and my mom and I do have our good and bad moments, which is probably normal and my stepdad is really cool~

28. Do you believe in miracles?

I would like to but I'm not so sure? It doesn't seem logic to me but it would be nice to have miracles happen.

29. How are you?

That's a question I never know how to answer so I usually just say I'm okay.^^

tagging: @marculees @hwangwhatjin @mlmjaem @littlefallenrebel @albdajirks @strayology @jjisungg @kimwowjin @visualgiggles @janarine

#tagged #tag #questions tag

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ryanbaines · 4 years

Text

Book Text

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fILORBS9DwA

We all come to stop signs and stops signs and the rules of stopping its not just the law its not just the rule it’s a way of life. But it fools a lot of drivers, what most drivers do is that they slow down enough so that they won't get a ticket. But in reality that’s not the whole purpose of it, its not just about law, its about observation, its about right of way. If you take a stop sign as a stop sign and then I'm going to check to see if it's clear I can look for cars I have to look for a cyclist I have to look for pedestrians especially the little ones. If we think about looking to see if it's clear first we probably going to stop, and its not about getting a ticket it's about making sure everything is safe, for people who only slow down, its not a slow and go its actually if they are slowing down they are not thinking about stopping. So if there’s a problem they won’t stop for it because they thinking about going to the rule of thumb is be safe. But part of being safe is following the rules and thinking about what-ifs, what if a pedestrian step out, what if a car comes out, you got to be prepared to stop not be prepared to go. It’s not a go sign it’s a stop sign

Scott Marshal

https://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/11/magazine/stop-sign.html?_r=0

In the early automobile age, American streets existed in a Hobbesian. “Not only were the streets in those days completely disgusting and filthy, but there were horses and bicycles, and it was just completely chaotic,” says Joshua Schank, C.E.O. of the Eno Transportation Foundation, whose namesake and founder, William Phelps Eno, is widely credited with conceiving the stop sign at the turn of the 20th century.

At a time when there were no driver’s licenses, speed limits or clear lane demarcations, the notion of a stop sign was revolutionary. In fact, aside from the occasional road markers letting riders on horseback know how far they were from the next city, there was no road or street signage at all. Eno, scion of a wealthy New England family who never learned to drive, helped change all that. In a 1900 article titled “Reforming Our Street Traffic Urgently Needed,” for Rider and Driver magazine, he proposed placing stop signs at intersections. It was a civilizing notion.“That was a new concept and really did introduce the idea that you had to watch out for other people,” Schank says.

Eno became a key figure in a traffic-control awakening that would make great strides in the early 20th century. In 1911, a Michigan road got a centerline. In 1915, Cleveland received an electric traffic signal. Detroit, the center of the automobile industry, is credited with installing the first proper stop sign that same year. According to Schank, it took the form of a 2-by-2-feet sheet of metal with black lettering on a white background.

We have the Mississippi Valley Association of State Highway Departments to thank for the stop sign’s iconic shape. In 1923, the association developed an influential set of recommendations about street-sign shapes whose impact is still felt today. The recommendations were based on a simple, albeit not exactly intuitive, idea: the more sides a sign has, the higher the danger level it invokes. By the engineers’ reckoning, the circle, which has an infinite number of sides, screamed danger and was recommended for railroad crossings. The octagon, with its eight sides, was used to denote the second-highest level. The diamond shape was for warning signs. And the rectangle and square shapes were used for informational signs.

It took a bit longer to determine the stop sign’s color. It wasn’t until 1935 that traffic engineers created the first uniform standards for the nation’s road signage, known as the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. It was 166 pages long and recommended a yellow stop sign with black letters. The 1954 revision, however, called for the stop sign to be red with white letters, in step with the color-coding system developed for the railroad and traffic signals. “Red has always been associated with stop,” Hawkins explains. “The problem was they could not produce a reflective material in red that would last. It just was not durable until companies came up with a product in the late ’40s, early ’50s.”

Today the stop sign is so ingrained in the collective international driving culture that some experts are, counterintuitively, recommending doing away with it entirely. (Ejby, Denmark; Ipswich, England; and Ostend, Belgium, are already experimenting with a post-stop-sign world.) “The theory is that people will pay more attention to pedestrians and other vehicles and slow down in pedestrian areas if there are no signs because they won’t know what to do,” Schank says. “That wouldn’t be possible if [Eno] hadn’t first introduced the stop sign.”

https://www.drivingtesttips.biz/stop-road-signs.html

WHY ARE THERE STOP SIGNS

Stop signs are often located at hazardous junctions. There are open and closed junctions – open being the type of T-junction that is easily determined whether it is safe to proceed without the need to stop as a clear view of the road that you are entering is available.

A closed junction makes the road you intend on joining obscured by trees, fences hedges, etc. See junctions for a further in-depth explanation.

A stop sign may be located at a closed junction or a junction that is particularly hazardous for any reason. They may also be placed in areas of high accident rates.

Give way signs may also be used at hazardous junctions, but unlike stop signs, it is the driver’s discretion whether they stop or not.

STOP SIGN LAW

In terms of the Highway Code, the words ‘must‘ and ‘should‘ are often used. The word ‘should’ is advisory and the word ‘must’ is used when giving an instruction of a rule or law (regulative).

Motorists must stop behind the line at a junction where a stop sign is in place with a solid white line. It is the law that a driver must stop at least once before the line and wait for a safe gap before proceeding.

DO CYCLISTS HAVE TO STOP AT STOP SIGNS

The Highway Code states to cyclists ‘You MUST obey all traffic signs and traffic light signals’. Like motorists, cyclists must also stop at stop signs.

STOP SIGN PENALTY AND FINE

The penalty code TS30 – Failing to comply with a stop sign, will gain three penalty points on a driver's license which will remain in place for four years. Running a stop sign will usually see drivers faced with a £100 fixed penalty fine, though in more extreme cases, fines can amount from between £100 to £1000.

Evaluation of Text

For my first piece of text, I chose a Youtube video as not only was it factual I found it entertaining as I felt it was humorous due to the way he worded it, it sounded overly enthusiastic for example, ‘We all come to stop signs and stops signs and the rules of stopping its not just the law its not just the rule it’s a way of life.’

For my second text, I found an article about the history of stop signs and why they are there color and shape, I found this interesting and think it works well with my subject I have chosen.

For the final piece of text, I found this text on a website helping people pass there driving test it explains the rules and what to do at a stop sign and who has too and doesn't have to abide by it.

For the text of my book, I found it difficult to find information about stop signs, The vast majority of websites only had a small amount of information about how to use them. I didn't want my book to be all about how to use a stop sign but the history and information about the stop sign itself. Overall I'm pretty happy with the text I have chosen and will make for an interesting and informative book.

#book #stop signs #text

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lootbear · 5 years

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Top 5 Highest Earning Esports Teams Of All Time!

Over the past 10 years the esports industry has quickly risen in popularity, titles and of course - Prize money. I remember going to a large CSGO event in England 10 years ago with the prize pool being around £500 and the very fact that there was money on the table at all was enough to attract a crowd from all over the country.

Nowadays, the prize pools are sky high with some tournaments easily clearing the $1,000,000 mark. With all of this money up for grabs it begs the question - Who has earned the most? Which team has taken home the most bacon over the many years that our favourite competitive industry has been growing? Let’s find out.

In this blog post we are going to be looking at the top 5 most highly earning eSports teams - Ever.

Let’s get into it.

Number 5 - Team Newbee - $13.967.192.62

Primarily a Dota 2 team, Newbee makes it to number 5 on our list with over 90% of their total earnings coming from their domination over the Dota 2 tournament scene. Of that total amount, over $1.3million found its way into the pocket of their player Kaka - their highest earning player from China.

Number 4 - Team Fnatic - $14.156.872.37

Fnatic is without a doubt one of the largest names in eSports so it comes as no surprise that they achieve a top 5 position in this list. An incredibly diverse roster bringing in around an equal 30% of their prize money from both CSGO and Dota 2, they really do know how to play AND win tournaments in any genre of game. Of the fourteen and something million dollars, JW tops the list as their biggest individual earner at the huge some of $744.802.35. Thats enough money to buy nearly 30,000 people a subscription to LootBear Pro. If only he were so generous.

Number 3 - Evil Geniuses - $22.845.565.11

With a difference of over $8,000,000 between number 4 and our first top 3 team, Evil Geniuses, it’s no wonder they have such an insanely huge fanbase. As with number 5, this team is primarily a Dota 2 team owing around 85% of their total bank balance to the popular MOBA.

The incredible gap between prize money across these teams is not the only huge gap. Evil Geniuses top player SumaiL has pocketed over $3.5 million dollars all to himself. That’s over 3 times as much cash as the number one player from Fnatic. Insane.

Number 2 - Team OG - $33.410.175.00

If you thought the jump between 3 and 4 was big, what do you think about this one? With over $10,000,00 separating Team OG from the team in third position they are very safely in the top 2 eSports teams in terms of monetary gain in the world.

Now, many of you will probably recognise Team OG for their incredible career in the arena of Dota 2. BUT do not be fooled. That is not their only source of income.

Team OG has earned a staggering $6,323 and 12 cents from Super Smash Bro’s tournaments as well! Equalling 0.02% of their total earnings. Ca-ray-zay!

Team OG’s top earning play N0tail from Denmark has racked in over $6.6 million in prize money which by my calculations might just about afford you a coffee and an outdated Gossip magazine in Denmark.

Number 1 - Team Liquid - $33.761.635.16

Without a doubt one of the most highly recognised names in all of eSports - Team Liquid takes the top spot. But only by a lead of around $350,000.

Team Liquids’ top earning player - MinD_ContRoL has taken home around $4.4 million of this to spend on hoo-... lovely things for his family and friends.

The craziest thing about these top 2 competitors is the incredible difference in the number of events they owe their total earnings to

Team Liquid - $33,761,635,16 from 1606 tournaments

Team OG - $33.410.175.00 from ONLY 68 tournaments.

Team Liquid has competed in well over 1500 more tournaments than Team OG and is only barely beating them in total earnings.

To put this in perspective, Team OG’s average earning per tournament (Total prize money divided by the number of events) equals out at $491,326.

If Team OG had been involved in the same number of tournaments as Team Liquid whilst maintaining this average earning amount, they would have earned a total of $7,643,957 455,19.

THAT IS OVER SEVEN BILLION DOLLARS.

Conclusion

The gaming and esports industry has overtaken the movie industry in value over the past few years and so numbers like these should come as no shock. Especially when you consider the salary of some of the top movie stars in Hollywood.

If anything, we can expect to see these numbers grow exponentially in the years to come. Professional gamers are quickly becoming the heroes of our younger generation, much like famous Footballers or athletes were to us when we were younger.

I am proud of where our industry is going and I feel blessed to be able to be a part of this industry with the rest of our team here at LootBear. We strive to create a platform that allows everyone out there to experience their game to the fullest - With no skin out of reach for anyone. Thank you for taking the time to read our blog post and if you haven’t already…

Make sure to treat yourself to 8 days of LootBear Prime on us, totally free, by signing up to our free trial.

Have a great day!

With love,

Team LootBear

#esports #csgo #dota2 #esportsmoney #money #gaming #lootbear #skins #counterstrike

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