TORONTO ONTARIO, – No winning ticket was sold for the $5 million jackpot in Saturday night’s Lotto 649 draw.However, the guaranteed $1 million prize was claimed by a ticket purchased in Ontario.The jackpot for the next Lotto 649 draw on May 17 will be approximately $7 million.
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American Idol winner and platinum selling recording artist David Cook, performing at a benefit concert at Jammin Java in Virginia on December 2nd, celebrated reaching a $1 million fundraising goal for brain cancer research with his fans across the globe.Since 2009, Cook and his fans had raised $930,000 for brain cancer research through the Race for Hope DC and various other events. In November, Cook set a goal of raising the remaining $70,000 to benefit Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure (ABC2), a venture philanthropy organization.Cook has been a champion for brain cancer research since losing his beloved brother Adam to the disease. “It’s one of my proudest life experiences to be involved in this fight,” said Cook. “The way the fans have galvanized around this cause has been huge.”“Raising a million dollars for brain cancer research is quite an accomplishment,” said Max Wallace, CEO of ABC2. “David and his fans are making a big impact.”Cook is putting the finishing touches on a new album and the first single, “Wait for Me,” is available on iTunes and other digital retailers.Cook and his fans will continue fundraising when they participate in the 2015 Race for Hope on May 3, 2015 in Washington, DC, which benefits Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure and the National Brain Tumor Society.Source:PR Newswire
Ronald McDonald House New York has announced that it will partner with Steve Van Zandt as an official friend and ambassador of the House.In his new role, the rock and roll legend, actor and music education advocate will promote the great work of the House and also provide unique mentorship to the cancer stricken children of the organization. As a partner of the house, he will provide the children with access to amazing musical activities and events throughout 2017.The Ronald McDonald House has a long tradition of partnering with influential personalities to promote its mission and help brighten the lives of children afflicted with cancer. Prominent friends of the House include musicians, athletes and social impact leaders. “I believe that being part of a band is special and that music can sometimes have healing powers,” said Van Zandt. “Through my partnership with the House, I am hoping that I can share this power and love for music with the people that need it most.”Van Zandt will be releasing his first album, SOULFIRE, in nearly two decades, on May 19 and he will personally announce his new partnership with Ronald McDonald House New York at the annual Heroes Volunteer Event, on June 20, 2017, at Guastavino’s in New York City. At the event, Van Zandt will officially present a special gift to the House children. Tickets are available at www.heroesevent.com.“The House has always been blessed with great friends that help amplify our work here locally in New York,” said Ruth C. Browne, President and CEO of Ronald McDonald House New York. “With the help of other friends like Stevie, we are able to raise awareness for all the programs the House has to offer and help keep families close.”The Ronald McDonald House is the largest facility of its kind, with more than 300 sites worldwide. In New York, the organization helps keep families close by providing temporary housing for children battling cancer and their families. Afflicted families can visit and receive treatment at 16 different nearby partnering hospitals throughout the city.
MADISON, Wis. — Illinois congressional Democrats have asked Wisconsin’s new Democratic governor to re-evaluate the environmental impact of a sprawling plant that Foxconn Technology Group plans to build near the states’ border, saying they are concerned it could exacerbate flooding in Chicago’s northern suburbs.Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth along with Reps. Brad Schneider and Lauren Underwood sent Gov. Tony Evers a letter on Friday saying stormwater run-off from the plant would drain into the Des Plaines River watershed and could worsen flooding in Illinois’ Lake County, which covers the northeastern corner of Illinois and is just north of Cook County, which includes Chicago.The Lake County Board, the county’s Stormwater Management Commission and several Lake County towns have passed resolutions disapproving of the project, the Illinois lawmakers wrote, noting that Illinois state Senate also adopted a resolution urging Wisconsin officials to reconsider the project’s environmental and health impacts.“We ask that you submit forthcoming construction plans to stringent environmental review,” they wrote. “Economic development is a top priority in our region, and it does not have to come at the cost of environmental degradation.”Evers’ spokeswoman, Melissa Baldauff, didn’t immediately respond to an email Friday seeking comment. Foxconn spokeswoman Myranda Tanck also didn’t immediately respond to an email.Foxconn plans to build a flat-screen manufacturing campus in Mount Pleasant, which is in Racine County, Wisconsin, about 70 miles north of Chicago. The Taiwanese electronics giant has said the facility eventually could employ up to 13,000 people.Local officials and Republican state lawmakers — led by then-Gov. Scott Walker — extended the company an unprecedented $4 billion in incentives to lure the plant to Wisconsin.The package exempted Foxconn from a host of environmental regulations, allowing to the company to fill wetlands without a permit and to proceed without an environmental impact statement, which is a typically routine study of a construction project’s potential effects on the environment.The state Department of Natural Resources also approved the city of Racine’s request on behalf of Mount Pleasant to draw 7 million gallons (26.5 million litres) of water per day from Lake Michigan to serve the plant.Wisconsin DNR documents also show that emissions from the plant would increase smog in Racine County. Former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan filed a lawsuit last year along with conservation groups and the city of Chicago challenging a federal rule that found a number of areas across the country, including Racine County, to be in compliance with air quality standards for smog. Madigan argued that the rule would allow Foxconn to avoid stricter emissions standards, which could harm Chicago residents. That lawsuit is pending in federal court in Washington.Evers, a Democrat, narrowly defeated Walker in November’s elections. He said earlier this month he has directed the DNR to review Foxconn’s air permits, which the Illinois Democrats called “heartening” in their letter.Foxconn has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks after the company said it planned to scale back and possibly shelve its plans to build display screens in Wisconsin. The company shifted again two days later and reaffirmed that it does plan to make such screens at the plant.“We have been skeptical of this development from the beginning and Foxconn backpedaling from its initial offer has only deepened our concerns,” the Illinois Democrats wrote in their letter.___Follow Todd Richmond on Twitter at https://twitter.com/trichmond1Todd Richmond, The Associated Press
As two days of consultations on the scope and structure of the meeting concluded today, Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Adviser for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), Nitin Desai told a news conference in Geneva that the inaugural meeting of the Forum was scheduled to take place in Athens, Greece, in October or November, with more than 500 participants.Those taking part in the consultations had reached a general agreement that the management of the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) would be done jointly by governments, civil society, business organizations and the Internet community, he said.On other issues, he said, one proposal was to have the IGF address specific management issues, such as SPAM and the illegal or malicious acts known as cybercrime, noting, however, that certain acts, such as sending or posting pornography, might be seen as a crime in one country and not in another. Another proposal was to have the Forum focus on issues of transparency and capacity building, although the IGF has had no decision-making power.In any case, developing countries wanted to ensure that the IGF was relevant to development concerns. In this regard, they had introduced issues of interconnection costs, Internet access and the terms under which Internet users in developing countries could acquire software, he said.The Forum would provide a space where different actors could openly discuss the technical, political, social and economic dimensions of the Internet, Mr. Desai added.
by Alexandra Posadzki, The Canadian Press Posted Mar 3, 2017 5:33 am MDT Last Updated Mar 3, 2017 at 2:00 pm MDT AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to TwitterTwitterShare to FacebookFacebookShare to RedditRedditShare to 電子郵件Email Toronto Mayor John Tory ‘very concerned’ as house prices continue soaring TORONTO – The average price of a detached home in Toronto shattered the $1.5 million mark for the first time last month, the city’s real estate board said Friday, adding fuel to worries about a housing bubble.The average price of homes sold in the Greater Toronto Area in February soared 27.7 per cent compared with a year ago, while the number of properties sold rose 5.7 per cent, the Toronto Real Estate Board said.The increase in sales came in spite of the fact that last year was a leap year and benefited from an extra day of activity.“I think the best thing that we can do is to keep a very careful eye on this,” Mayor John Tory said. “I’m very concerned about it.”Tory said he is part of a federal-provincial working group that is trying to determine what factors are driving real estate prices that have skyrocketed in recent months, putting the dream of home ownership further out of reach for some.“It’s been crazy out there,” said Shawn Zigelstein, a sales representative with Royal LePage Your Community Realty. “There doesn’t seem to be a slowdown.”Zigelstein said he expects real estate prices will continue rising at a rapid rate in the months ahead, attributing that to a combination of limited inventory, strong immigration to the city and low interest rates.“If we get an influx of inventory, I think we’ll start to see a little bit of a slowdown in pricing, potentially,” he said.The average selling price in the GTA hit $875,983 in February, while in the City of Toronto it was $859,186, an increase of 19.2 per cent. The average price of a detached home in the City of Toronto hit $1,573,622, 29.8 per cent higher than a year ago.The MLS home price composite benchmark price for all communities measured by TREB was $727,300, up 23.8 per cent.Concerns have mounted that home prices in Canada’s largest city have spiralled to the point where policy-makers need to intervene, as they have in Vancouver, where a number of measures have been implemented including a tax on foreign buyers. The Ontario government has resisted such a move.TREB president Larry Cerqua said governments at all three levels need to address the lack of homes available, not foreigners buying properties as investments.“They should consider revisiting land-use designations in built-up areas to allow for a greater diversity of home types, streamlining development approvals and permitting processes, and looking at ways to incentivize landowners to develop their land,” Cerqua said in a statement.On Thursday, the Real Estate Board of Greater Vancouver released figures showing a 41.9 per cent plunge in homes sold last month year-over-year.The MLS home price composite benchmark price for Metro Vancouver was $906,700, 14 per cent higher than what it was a year ago, but down 2.8 per cent from six months ago, after the tax on foreign buyers took effect.Follow @alexposadzki on Twitter.
Assessments by the UN International Organization for Migration (IOM) and partners indicate that at least 100,000 refugees and vulnerable families in the local community in Cox’s Bazar – one of the world’s biggest refugee settlements – face life-threatening risks from landslides and floods, and thousands more are at risk of disease and being cut off from assistance.“With emergency situations inevitable when the rains hit, it is crucial we work together now to limit disaster as much as possible before it occurs,” Manuel Marques Pereira, the IOM Emergency Coordinator in Cox’s Bazar, said in a news release Tuesday“We need to be able to respond swiftly and effectively during crisis events.”Preparation efforts include providing search and rescue training; setting up emergency medical centres; establishing bases for work crews and light machinery; and upgrading shelters to mitigate disasters. Work is also ongoing to improve roads and drainage, stabilize slopes (to prevent landslides and erosion) and setting up early warning systems.In addition, IOM has created disaster risk reduction safety committees to warn refugees of what to expect and how to prepare for the wind and rain that are expected to bring deadly floods and landslides.“It is vitally important to support members of the refugee and local communities with training and information in advance, so they are ready to respond and protect themselves and others when the worst conditions arrive,” added Mr. Marques Pereira.But given the scale of the challenges, including the sheer size of the refugee population, limited suitable land, and harsh environmental conditions, it will be impossible to move everyone at risk, and therefore rapid emergency response action will be critical to save lives.To improve response, an emergency drill is being conducted on Thursday (1 March) to develop rapid and coordinated operations, which is being attended by IOM, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), humanitarian partners and Government agencies.Since late August 2017, some 700,000 members of Myanmar’s minority Muslim Rohingya community have been driven from their homes due to brutal and widespread violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine province, joining some 200,000 Rohingya refugees displaced earlier.Together with local host communities, the number of persons in need of humanitarian assistance in the region is estimated to number over a million.
OSU cornerbacks redshirt sophomore Marshon Lattimore (2) and redshirt junior Gareon Conley (8) embrace while redshirt sophomore safety Malik Hooker (24) looks on following the Buckeyes’ 31-0 loss against Clemson in the Playstation Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31. Credit: Alexa Mavrogianis | Photo EditorOhio State did not break any records in the first round of this year’s NFL draft, but the Buckeyes still finished tied with LSU for the second-most players selected in the first round of the 2017 draft, trailing only Alabama.And coming off a season where the Buckeyes’ secondary proved to be as shutdown as any defensive unit in the college football, it is not surprising that all their first-round picks came out of the defensive backfield. OSU sent both their starting cornerbacks — Marshon Lattimore and Gareon Conley — as well as safety Malik Hooker to NFL teams on the first day of the draft, making the Buckeyes the first team to send four defensive backs to the professional level in the first round of the draft over a two-year span.By sending three defensive backs in the first round of a single draft, they joined the 2002 Miami Hurricanes as the only other school to ever accomplish the feat.The Buckeyes’ defense allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards per game as opponents averaged just 172.2 yards through the air. The secondary also proved to be quite the group of ball hawks as they finished fourth among Division I teams with 21 interceptions and led all teams with seven returned for a score, breaking a school record.The first member of that secondary taken in the draft was Lattimore, who was selected 11th overall by the New Orleans Saints. Lattimore joins former OSU safety Vonn Bell — who was drafted 61st overall in last year’s draft — in the Saints’ secondary in a unit that could use some improving. New Orleans allowed more passing yards than any other team in the NFL last season (4,380).It was a surprise to many to see Lattimore drop as far as 11th with ESPN’s Todd McShay and Louis Riddick believing that Lattimore would go fifth or sixth, respectively, in the draft, according to their final mock drafts.Following Lattimore was Hooker, who was selected 15th overall by the Indianapolis Colts. Hooker finished tied for third among all Division I players with seven interceptions, and led the nation with three interceptions returned for a touchdown. His ability to pick off passes will be valued by a Colts team that finished tied for second-to-last with only eight interceptions last season. That defense was constantly picked apart by opposing passing attacks as they gave up the sixth-most passing yards in the league (4,200) and the 10th-most passing touchdowns.Though Conley had originally been predicted to be drafted on Thursday, an allegation of rape reported on Tuesday brought into question whether or not he would be drafted at all. As of draft day, Conley has not been charged of any crime and the investigation is still considered ongoing.However, the ongoing investigation did not stop the Oakland Raiders from selecting OSU’s second cornerback with the 24th overall pick in the draft. Heading into the draft, the Raiders were believed to be looking for a cornerback after a year where they allowed the ninth-most passing yards (4,120) and the 10th-most passing touchdowns (27). With the trio of defensive backs now off the board, the Buckeyes will still be looking to send a pair of players on Friday with H-back Curtis Samuel and linebacker Raekwon McMillan. After those two players are taken off the board, OSU still has Rimington Award winning-center Pat Elflein, who is projected to go in the third round of the draft.Wideout Noah Brown would likely be the next player to go, as he is projected to go in the middle-to-late rounds of the draft. The team also has wide receiver Dontre Wilson and punter Cameron Johnston, a pair of players expected to be late-round draft picks or become free agents.The draft continues with the second and third round on Friday, starting at 7 p.m., and with Rounds 4 through 7 continuing on Saturday, starting at noon.
For decades traditional hymns such as Abide with Me and The Lord Is My Shepherd have been staples at British funerals. But their popularity is waning as more people opt instead for cheerier secular songs. A shift to more balanced ceremonies which involve celebration as well as mourning has driven an increase in pop songs and poems. Alison Crake, president of the National Association of Funeral Directors said that popular music was “certainly becoming more commonplace” at funerals. She said: “Funerals today are rapidly becoming as much a celebration of life as a farewell and are becoming increasingly personalised.” Research by insurer SunLife found that 45 per cent of ceremonies now do not include a hymn, and more than half of funeral directors have seen a decrease in religious services.Younger age groups are more likely to choose secular music, with just 12 per cent of those aged 50 to 54 choosing a hymn, compared to one in four over-65s.Sandra Millar, head of life events at the Church of England, said: “Perhaps people have a memory of a hymn that feels sad because they have previously sung it at a sad event. “Because people are also less used to singing nowadays they might also be more likely to have a recording.”The popularity of church funerals has declined because of the introduction of secular celebrants who can lead non-religious ceremonies. Just over one in three funerals now take place in the Church of England.Ms Millar suggested that this could be another reason behind the decline of hymns. There is no compulsion to have hymns at a church funeral but she said it was relatively rare to have a church ceremony with no hymns at all. Ceremonies which take place in crematoriums also tend to have limited time slots, reducing the time available to sing hymns. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings. The research also found that 80 per cent of funeral directors have seen an increase in “celebration of life” services, which can include live bands, firework displays and balloon releases. But Ms Millar cautioned that mourners’ secular music choice was not always appropriate for church.”I sometimes say ‘maybe that would be more suitable for the reception'”, she said. “Sometimes when you listen to a song all the way through you realise that it has quite an odd message – you have to make sure it’s appropriate for the venue,” she said. 
The number of schools around Greece that are closed due to pupil sit-ins rose to more than 200 yesterday, prompting the Education Ministry to say that it would extend the academic year by one day for each day of teaching that is lost if the protest last for more than three days in a row.Most of the sit-ins are in Attica, where about 70 schools are closed, followed by the region of Thessaloniki where 40 schools are closed. Sit ins are also taking place in the regions of Messinia, Korinthos, Arcadia, Magnesia, Kilkis, Rethymnon and elsewhere.The pupils are protesting cuts in education spending and the transfer of hundreds of teachers to other jobs in the civil service. Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram
Nicolas Hulot : sa fondation, Ushuaïa, fête ses 20 ansLa fondation Ushuaïa fête ses 20 ans aujourd’hui. L’occasion pour Nicolas Hulot, son fondateur, d’organiser un colloque à visée économique et de répondre aux Français.Nicolas Hulot a créé la Fondation Ushuaïa le 15 décembre 1990. Cette fondation est devenue la Fondation Nicolas Hulot pour la Nature et l’Homme (FNH) depuis, mais a conservé sa vocation première. A l’occasion de la célébration de ses 20 ans, la fondation a invité le public à participer à une téléconférence où l’animateur répond en direct aux questions et dialogue sur les actions en cours et à venir.Le site Internet de la FNH annonce : “C’est l’heure d’ouvrir un nouveau chapitre. L’heure, pour notre Fondation, d’accélérer le passage de la prise de conscience à l’action concrète”.Demain, jeudi 16 décembre, l’animateur dialoguera avec les acteurs du monde économique. L’économiste britannique Tim Jackson, l’industriel Gunter Pauli et la navigatrice Ellen MacArthur sont invités.Même si cet anniversaire n’a rien de politique, l’auteur du Pacte écologique n’exclut en rien sa participation à la présidentielle de 2012. En effet, Nicolas Hulot a annoncé, il y a deux mois, qu’il “travaill[ait] un certain nombre de sujets” d’ordre économique et social. La mise en place d’une fiscalité écologique notamment, est un sujet qui lui est cher. Il devrait, à la fin de la semaine, rencontrer Eva Joly, candidate pressentie pour représenter Europe Ecologie-Les Verts à l’élection présidentielle.Le 15 décembre 2010 à 16:32 • Emmanuel Perrin
Roman Reigns is in Remission Ronda Rousey On WWE: I Love This Job, But I Dont Need It WhatsApp Pinterest AEW announces partnership with LiveSource to offer live auctions for collectibles Bully Ray Calls Out Ring Of Honor Fan On Twitter Facebook Twitter Ronda Rousey Highlighting WWEs Problems Now Playing Up Next WWE sent out the following:WWE® AND COCA-COLA HONOR HEROES WITH TRIBUTE TO THE TROOPS®NEW YORK and STAMFORD, CONN., December 14, 2015 – WWE (NYSE: WWE) and NBCUniversal today announced that Coca-Cola will be the presenting partner of the 13th annual WWE Tribute to the Troops event, which will air as a two-hour special on Wednesday, December 23 from 8-10 pm ET on USA Network.The partnership with Coca-Cola is a new collaboration between WWE and NBCUniversal and will include brand integration throughout the WWE Tribute to the Troops broadcast on USA Network. The partnership also provides one deserving military family with a VIP experience at Tribute to the Troops, including ringside seats to the event, and the opportunity to meet WWE Superstars and Divas. Coca-Cola commercial spots will air during the USA broadcast and on WWE Network, and WWE will develop behind-the-scenes content with WWE Superstars and Divas for its global digital and social media platforms.“We are excited to partner with Coca-Cola, an iconic, blue-chip brand that is dedicated to giving back to our nation’s heroes,” said Michelle Wilson, WWE Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer. “Supporting our servicemen and women is a key part of Coca-Cola’s DNA and we are proud to highlight their important efforts during our annual Tribute to the Troops event.”“We are thrilled to share in this special event with WWE and Coca-Cola,” said Dan Lovinger, Executive Vice President, Advertising Sales, NBCUniversal. “WWE is known for family-friendly programming and they go above and beyond in their support of veterans and the military. Tribute to the Troops is such a unique opportunity to showcase that passion and we’re proud to partner with them.”Tribute to the Troops has become a holiday tradition and is considered TV’s most patriotic and heartwarming show of the year. In the tradition of Bob Hope, WWE brings together the best of sports entertainment and pop culture with celebrity appearances and performances from music’s most popular acts – performed for our servicemen and women, to honor their commitment and dedication to our country.The two-hour special will chronicle WWE’s visit to Florida’s Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena for military personnel and their families stationed at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, Naval Station Mayport and Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. While in town, WWE Superstars and Divas spent the day giving back to those who serve and their families with visits to each base. The special will also include a musical performance by Grammy Award-winning rock band Train, a comedic act by Howie Mandel as well as messages of encouragement and thanks from various celebrities such as Neil Patrick Harris, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine, Michael Buble, Eva Longoria, Ne-Yo, Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell, among others.Recommended videosPowered by AnyClipBully Ray Calls Out Ring Of Honor Fan On TwitterVideo Player is loading.Play VideoPauseUnmuteDuration 0:30/Current Time 0:07Loaded: 100.00%0:07Remaining Time -0:23 FullscreenUp NextThis is a modal window.Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window.TextColorWhiteBlackRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentBackgroundColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyOpaqueSemi-TransparentTransparentWindowColorBlackWhiteRedGreenBlueYellowMagentaCyanTransparencyTransparentSemi-TransparentOpaqueFont Size50%75%100%125%150%175%200%300%400%Text Edge StyleNoneRaisedDepressedUniformDropshadowFont FamilyProportional Sans-SerifMonospace Sans-SerifProportional SerifMonospace SerifCasualScriptSmall CapsReset restore all settings to the default valuesDoneClose Modal DialogEnd of dialog window.Replay the list Videos Articles
Ronda Rousey Releases Mugshot After Arrest On WWE Raw Now Playing Up Next Now Playing Up Next WWE announces multi-year partnership agreement with mobile company Qutoutiao Velvet Sky Google+ 2K announces global partnership for WWE 2K20 with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Jason Namako RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR Now Playing Up Next Now Playing Up Next
Following reports of cloudy drinking water, city of Vancouver crews flushed water lines in the Ellsworth area Tuesday afternoon. Any sediment that had been in the system should be mostly gone, said Loretta Callahan, a spokeswoman with the city’s public works department.The city believes a problem with an electronic valve caused faster-than-usual flows that stirred up sediment at the bottom of the main water line between about Northwest 97th and Northeast 129th avenues. About a dozen households in the area reported sediment in their water as a result, according to the city. Crews flushed the lines out at hydrants.Nothing in the water posed any health risk, Callahan said.Residents who still see sediment in their water can run an outside faucet or hose for a few minutes to clear it out, Callahan said. They may also call the city’s operations center at 360-696-8177 from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, or 360-693-9302 after hours.
Post a comment Sci-Tech The very best cosplay we saw at Comic-Con 2019 0 Other tech the company is showing off at Siggraph includes an AR headset that incorporates foveated rendering, a technique which prioritizes rendering quality for the parts of a scene you’re looking at to save processing power. It’s usually used for VR, which is less processing-intensive than AR, because it doesn’t have to worry about overlaying on the real world.And because the Apollo 11 anniversary is such a hot topic that people are creating butter sculptures of the crew, Nvidia’s highlighting its Omniverse platform to put attendees virtually on the moon using its AI pose estimation, a combination of motion capture, AI and its RTX ray-tracing technology. Tags
Though GauGAN’s output has some artifacts, like weird smearing where it doesn’t seem to be sure of the layering, it can perform advanced operations like adding reflections, that add a more realistic feel to the scenes. Screenshot by Lori Grunin/CNET Nvidia’s GauGAN — one of the company’s technology showcases at the graphics-research-focused Siggraph show this week — is one of the coolest uses for AI in graphics that I’ve seen in a while. Essentially, it lets you paint with smart fills and brushes that are based on real-world images. It starts with an image that it deconstructs into a segmentation map — a breakdown of the image by object types such as sky, grass, mountains and clouds — or you can start from scratch and scribble in the various regions yourself. Then it uses the GAN-based content to fill in each area with the appropriate type of artificially-generated images. You can also apply generated styles based off real paintings.It has the potential to be a huge timesaver for all sorts of designers.GauGAN, which debuted in March and has been publicly available on Nvidia’s web site for about a month, is just the latest in a series of Nvidia’s projects to showcase the company’s Generalized Adversarial Network-focused AI research, which include its StyleGAN-based deepfake generator and older face-aware fill-in. Target Artificial intelligence (AI) Nvidia 62 Photos Share your voice
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell today defended the federal government’s land management and brushed off calls from legislators in Alaska, and other states, to seize federal lands.Download AudioJewell spoke at the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, to a standing room only crowd, many from a nearby conference of the outdoor recreation industry. It was a room strongly in favor of preserving federal land. Jewell urged them to make their views known at every level of government.“These are lands that belong to all American people. Just because they’re in the boundary of a state does not mean they belong to the residents of that state. They belong to all American people,” she said.The Alaska House last week passed a bill demanding the federal government turn over its lands in Alaska to the state. Similar measures have passed in other western states. Speaker of the Alaska House Mike Chenault, like other Republican legislators, says it’s a just cause.“I’m not afraid of a fight, and I’m not afraid of doing what I think is right,” he said, in supporting the bill in Juneau.Jewell doesn’t sound too worried.“While there has been a fair amount of rhetoric and even some laws passed in state legislatures, there’s none of them that have been found to be constitutional with regard to a takeover of federal public lands by states,’ she said. “So there’s a lot of talk but there hasn’t been a lot of action.”The talk in Alaska grew louder this winter, when the Obama Administration announced a series of anti-development measures in the state. They include withdrawing areas of the off-shore Arctic from oil and gas lease sales, and recommending Congress protect the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness. Alaska’s top officials blew a gasket. U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski said the Obama administration was trying to keep Alaska as a pretty snow globe no one can touch.Jewell, after her speech, bristled at the suggestion she’s locking up Alaska.“I think if you look at our actions in Alaska, you will see that we are actually facilitating safe and responsible development, recognizing that in a place like the Arctic, nobody wants to screw that up,” she said.Jewell says much of the mining in Alaska in on federal land. She pointed to her department’s work with Shell on permits to drill in the Chukchi Sea. Plus, she says they’ve allowed oil development in the National Petroleum Reserve, although with conditions some Alaskans say are onerous. Jewell says she’s sympathetic to Alaska’s budget woes, but she says it’s wrong to blame the federal government. The problem is oil prices, the secretary says, and Alaska’s dependence on that one commodity.“I do think if I was in Gov. Walker’s situation, I’d be looking to diversify my sources of revenue for the state,” she said.With the Alaska Legislature scheduled to adjourn Sunday, that doesn’t look likely.
Sealaska shareholder Michael Lee Beasley is author of the term- limits resolution. (Photo courtesy Michael Lee Beasley)A longtime critic of Sealaska management is campaigning to limit the terms of the regional Native corporation’s board of directors. Previous efforts have failed.Sealaska allows its 13 board members to serve as long as they can win re-election. While some directors are relatively new, others have been on the corporation’s governing body for anywhere between 25 and 40 years.Shareholder Michael Lee Beasley, also known as Mick, wants to change that. He’s filed a resolution limiting directors to just three complete three-year terms.“If we want to restructure ourselves, we have to start with our election system,” Beasley said.Beasley has done this before and lost. His last attempt, in 2012, tried to limit directors to four terms. And in 2009, he tried for just two terms.The Juneau artist said incumbents have too much advantage, creating a largely self-perpetuating board.“We need a fair and balanced election system, and that will usher in different directors, different ideas, different opportunities and it will be more inclusive,” Beasley said.The term-limits resolution will be on Sealaska’s proxy ballot, which will be issued to shareholders this spring. Results will be released at the annual shareholders meeting June 25 in Ketchikan.Jaeleen Araujo, who serves as corporate secretary, vice president and general counsel for the corporation, said the measure meets Sealaska’s basic requirements.“Simply stated, he submitted a resolution that meets the qualifications because it’s not unlawful, it’s appropriate to come before the shareholders and he secured the signature of 1 percent of our voting shares in the corporation,” she said.She said the board will not take a position on the resolution until its next regular meeting in early April. The board opposed the previous two attempts.During the 2012 election, then-Corporate Secretary Nicole Hallingstad said such a measure would force many directors to leave.“This is a really significant loss of institutional experience and knowledge. That actually damages the credibility and stability of the corporation,” she said.The board makeup and leadership have changed somewhat since then.Four board seats will also be on the 2016 ballot. Most years, a board slate of incumbents wins or takes the majority of open seats.Beasley said he’ll file to run for the board, as he has done before. He said his candidacy will include promoting his term-limits measure.“The idea here is you’re like a little mouse fighting against an elephant. But you’ve got to keep your squeak going, or there’s never going to be any change,” he said.Sealaska officials maintain that the elections are fair and that the reason earlier term-limits measures have failed is that shareholders don’t want the change.They’ve said the same about separate Beasley resolutions to change or eliminate discretionary voting, where shareholders turn their ballots over to the board.The regional Native corporation for Southeast has close to 22,000 shareholders. About half live in Alaska, while about a third live in Washington, Oregon or California, according to the corporate newsletter.
Washington: North Korea carried out its third weapons test in eight days on Friday, according to the South’s military, but US President Donald Trump said he had “no problem” with the spate of launches by Pyongyang. The nuclear-armed North is barred from ballistic missile tests under UN resolutions and its actions have drawn condemnation from European members of the Security Council but a comparatively sanguine response from Trump, who has met North Korean leader Kim Jong Un three times, generating global headlines on each occasion. Also Read – Article 370 fallout: Pakistan Foreign Minister now dials up South Korean counterpart Advertise With Us “I have no problem. We’ll see what happens but short-range (missiles) are very standard,” Trump told reporters as he left the White House for a rally in Ohio. Kim and Trump agreed to resume denuclearisation talks during their impromptu June encounter in the Demilitarised Zone that divides the peninsula, but that working-level dialogue has yet to begin. Also Read – US judge dismissed criminal case against Jeffrey Epstein Advertise With Us Pyongyang is furious over joint US-South Korean military exercises due to start next week, and analysts say the launches are intended to raise the pressure on Washington. But the situation could also see negotiations delayed until late this year, they said. The North fired two projectiles from its east coast in the early hours of Friday that flew around 220 kilometres (140 miles), reaching altitudes of 25 kilometres and speeds of Mach 6.9, the South’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said — unusually fast for a short-range weapon. Advertise With Us The flight profile was similar to Wednesday’s test and Seoul’s presidential office said it was highly likely to be “a new type of short-range ballistic missile”. Pyongyang described the two devices it fired earlier this week as a “newly developed large-calibre multiple launch guided rocket system”. The launches come after Pyongyang fired two devices last week that Seoul said were short-range ballistic missiles, one of them travelling almost 700 kilometres. Kim had been “emboldened” by his DMZ handshake with Trump, said Jean Lee of the Wilson Center in Washington, and was “seeking to create a sense of urgency on the Korean Peninsula to improve his hand in anticipated nuclear negotiations”. “This is Kim’s answer to Trump’s claim that he’s in ‘no hurry’ to negotiate a nuclear deal,” she added. – ‘Tit-for-tat brinkmanship’ – After high tensions in 2017, when the two leaders traded personal insults and threats of war, last year saw a rapid diplomatic rapprochement on and around the peninsula. But progress towards actual denuclearisation has been slow, with Pyongyang yet to agree to give up any of its weapons and Washington insisting the sanctions against it must remain in place. Pyongyang has signalled the negotiations could be derailed by Washington and Seoul’s refusal to scrap the annual manoeuvres between their forces, describing last week’s launch as a “solemn warning to the South Korean warmongers”. Pyongyang had an “array of military platforms” it could test in response to the exercises, said Harry Kazianis of the Center for the National Interest. “This tit-for-tat brinkmanship will clearly delay working-level talks for at least until the fall to allow both sides to save face,” he said. – Pixellated images – The Pentagon has said the joint military drills will press ahead. There are 28,500 US troops stationed in South Korea to protect it against its nuclear-armed neighbour, many of them based south of Seoul at Camp Humphreys in Pyeongtaek — Washington’s biggest overseas military facility. On Thursday, pictures carried by the North’s state television showed Kim supervising the previous day’s launch from what appeared to be a mobile command post. Pyongyang has long possessed the ability to devastate Seoul with artillery fire as it is only around 60 kilometres from the border. But a working guided rocket system capable of precision targeting would pose a new threat to installations in the South such as Camp Humphreys. Analysts said the images appeared to show a multiple rocket launcher but some of them were heavily pixellated, indicating the North was still keeping secret some of its features. Trump has repeatedly touted his relationship with Kim, while three UN Security Council members — Britain, France, and Germany — have condemned Pyongyang over the spate of tests. They urged the North to “take concrete steps towards its complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation and to engage in meaningful negotiations with the US”.
A Bangladeshi woman weeps while holding children in the no-mans-land between India and Bangladesh at the Satcachi border crossing, near Coochbehar, some 650 kms north of Kolkata. — AFPAn Indian media outlet has published a report with the title “Not just Trump: India has separated Bangladeshi children from their parents for years”.Scroll.in said in West Bengal, the detained Bangladesh immigrants are sent to prisons while their children are kept in shelter homes.The report has referred to Sneha, a shelter home run by the non-profit organisation Sanlaap, where there are Bangladeshi girls who have been detained by Indian authorities for not possessing the necessary documents.“The girls have been sent to stay here, until the Bangladesh authorities trace their families and take them back,” Scroll.in said.While it requires a long process for their repatriation, parents of some of the girls have also been detained and imprisoned by Indian authorities, the report pointed out.The news site runs the report at a time when the news stories of separation of 2,000 immigrant children from their families that were trying to enter the US through Mexico border this year have sparked outrage.“But India has followed a similar policy for years, which has resulted in the separation of countless Bangladeshi families,” the report observed.In reference to India’s Foreigners Act, 1946, the report mentioned that any foreigner entering India or staying in India without the necessary documents can be jailed for a minimum of two years and up to a maximum of eight.The report elaborated that when immigrant families are detained, the parents are arrested and sent to judicial custody, while children above the age of six are presented before a Child Welfare Committee and the Juvenile Justice Board, before being sent to a shelter home away from the parents.There are about 80 such shelter homes in West Bengal – separate ones for girls and boys, the Scroll report added.The report named Sucharita Sengupta of the Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group, who documented several such cases in a study published in 2015.However, West Bengal authorities reportedly claimed that the separation of families is handled sensitively.According to the report, the authorities at Sneha echoed this view. “When parents are in jail, we take the kids with us to meet them,” Mamata Chakraborty, the superintendent of minor girls, was quoted to have said. “Sometimes parents have been sent back to Bangladesh, and they come here with proper papers to meet the kids. The mother and father know where their children are.”The report also quoted activists as saying that it is disturbing that often parents are repatriated to Bangladesh while the children continue to languish in India.Mohidul Islam, a social worker who helps counsel Bangladeshi nationals detained in the border areas, reportedly recalled an incident involving about 20 Rohingya Muslims who had entered West Bengal through Bangladesh and were detained at the border two years ago.In the case of one family, “the mother was charged under 14A Foreigners Act and went to Dumdum jail,” he was quoted to have said, “While the son and daughter were sent to separate homes.”Once separated, the parents and the child are treated as individual cases, each of which is heard by a different court, according to the report.Often, it said, the parents are repatriated first. Until recently, they were sent back to Bangladesh through the risky “push back” system, in which immigrants are literally pushed back across the border into their homeland.Meanwhile, the report added, the children are left behind in shelter homes.
Another name has been added to the growing list of unsolved murders in D.C., as authorities continue to search for suspects in the Oct. 13 fatal stabbing of James Patrick Tenor Jr., a Northwest resident. Police said Tenor, also known as “Jimmy,” was stabbed to death near his home in the 400 block of Buchanan Street, NW around 9:15 p.m. on Oct. 13. D.C. police officers responded to the scene after receiving reports of a man down in the Petworth neighborhood.Reward flierTenor was found behind a residence in the 400 block alleyway suffering from multiple stab wounds. He was pronounced dead on the scene, authorities said.The Metropolitan Police Department said it is currently working to solve the case, including what may have led to the attack. “No arrests have been made and the case is still under investigation, including motive,” Hugh Carew, department spokesman, told the AFRO Oct. 27.The slaying took place in what used to be a peaceful community, according to the victim’s neighbors.“It’s terrible it used to be quiet,” Bradley Broadus told the AFRO Oct. 29. He said he has lived in the area all of his life. Broadus, 63, said there was little crime in the area years ago, but now shootings and robberies happen often. “They took an upper class ghetto and made it to a Southeast ghetto,” he continued referring to Southeast’s reputation of being a crime infested quadrant.Broadus who lives on the corner of Buchanan Street and Illinois Avenue said Tenor was a “good guy” and that he “would help anybody.” Broadus said Tenor cut his grass for him multiple times and would always help out around the neighborhood whenever anyone asked.Broadus said he thinks the stabbing was the result of a robbery and the murderer saw Tenor as a target. He added that Tenor wasn’t involved in any criminal activity to his knowledge.According to the Petworth resident, the majority of the crime in the area is the result of gang violence and youngsters getting into trouble. He said if police patrolled the area more frequently incidents like the killing of Tenor may be prevented.“It’s sad,” Ozioma Onwuvuche, another neighbor, said. Onwuvuche studies chemistry at Trinity University and said that although she feels safe in the area, due to recent violence she is more cautious.
Finally, Razer Is Making a Gamer ToasterGeek Pick: Razer Blade Stealth Is an Ultraportable Dream Gaming PC Stay on target Since Razer’s bread and butter is high-end PC peripherals, they’ve pretty much gotten gaming mice down. Mouse dependability is so crucial for successful eSports performances, from shooters to strategy games to MOBAs to games that feel like a mix of all three. Arguably even more than a keyboard, the mouse is the controller extension of your body and will as a player.But every player’s body is different, so why expect one mouse to serve all different kinds of hands. That’s why we now have the Razer Basilisk, just announced in Berlin at IFA, Razer’s new wired customizable gaming mouse.Players can tweak all sorts of aspects of the Basilisk to suit their preferences and up their competitive game, especially in a shooter. Adjust the resistance of the tactile scroll wheel to get just the right jump activation. Raise or lower the DPI in the middle of a fight depending or whether you need speed or precision. Take advantage of mechanical switches. Attach a different clutch to fit your hand size or just take off the clutch together and use a rubber thumb cap and side grips.Beyond the customization features, the Basilisk has the other features you’d expect from a wired Razer mouse. It has a 5G 16,000 DPI optical sensor, just like the DeathAdder Elite and Lancehead Tournament Edition. It can withstand 50 million clicks throughout its lifespan. The Basilisk works with the Razer Synapse 3 configuration software for even more customization like remapping the eight independent “Hyperesponse” buttons and maintaining surface calibration. And of course you can light the mouse up with countless colors with Razer Chroma.Much like the Razer Wolverine Ultimate gaming controller, we got to briefly get our hands on the Razer Basilisk not too long ago. And while we didn’t play any games, the mouse has a promising handfeel, if you’re right-handed at least. The Razer Basilisk customizable gaming mouse launches this September for the nice price of $69.99.Let us know what you like about Geek by taking our survey.