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Intro Video

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Mathematical insights through collaboration and perseverance

Wei Zhang’s breakthrough happened on the train. He was riding home to New York after visiting a friend in Boston, during the last year of his PhD studies in mathematics at Columbia University, where he was focusing on L-functions, an important area of number theory.

“All of a sudden, things were linked together,” he recalls, about the flash of insight that allowed him to finish a key project related to his dissertation. “Definitely it was an ‘Aha!’ moment.”

But that moment emerged from years of patient study and encounters with other mathematicians’ ideas. For example, he had attended talks by a certain faculty member in his first and third years at Columbia, but each time he thought the ideas presented in those lectures wouldn’t be relevant for his own work.

“And then two years later, I found this was exactly what I needed to finish a piece of the project!” says Zhang, who joined MIT two years ago as a professor of mathematics.

As Zhang recalls, during that pivotal train ride his mind had been free to wander around the problem and consider it from different angles. With this mindset, “I can have a more panoramic way of putting everything into one piece. It’s like a puzzle — when you close your eyes maybe you can see more. And when the mind is trying to organize different parts of a story, you see this missing part.”

Allowing time for this panoramic view to come into focus has been critical throughout Zhang’s career. His breakthrough on the train 11 years ago led him to propose a set of conjectures that he has just now solved in a recent paper.

“Patience is important for our subject,” he says. “You’re always making infinitesimal progress. All discovery seems to be made in one moment. But without the preparation and long-time accumulation of knowledge, it wouldn’t be possible.”

An early and evolving love for math

Zhang traces his interest in math back to the fourth grade in his village school in a remote part of China’s Sichuan Province. “It was just pure curiosity,” he says. “Some of the questions were so beautifully set up.”

He started participating in math competitions. Seeing his potential, a fifth-grade math teacher let Zhang pore over an extracurricular book of problems. “Those questions made me wonder how such simple solutions to seemingly very complicated questions could be possible,” he says.

Zhang left home to attend a high school 300 miles away in Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan. By the time he applied to study at Peking University in Beijing, he knew he wanted to study mathematics. And by his final year there, he had decided to pursue a career as a mathematician.

He credits one of his professors with awakening him to some exciting frontiers and more advanced areas of study, during his first year. At that time, around 2000, the successful proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem by Andrew Wiles five years earlier was still relatively fresh, and reverberating through the world of mathematics. “This teacher really liked to chat,” Zhang says, “and he explained the contents of some of those big events and results in a way that was accessible to first-year students.”

“Later on, I read those texts by myself, and I found it was something I liked,” he says. “The tools being developed to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem were a starting point for me.”

Today, Zhang gets to cultivate his own students’ passion for math, even as his teaching informs his own research. “It has happened more than once for me, that while teaching I got inspired,” he says. “For mathematicians, we may understand some sort of result, but that doesn’t mean we actually we know how to prove them. By teaching a course, it really helps us go through the whole process. This definitely helps, especially with very talented students like those at MIT.”

From local to global information

Zhang’s core area of research and expertise is number theory, which is devoted to the study of integers and their properties. Broadly speaking, Zhang explores how to solve equations in integers or in rational numbers. A familiar example is a Pythagorean triple (a2+b2=c2).

“One simple idea is try to solve equations with modular arithmetic,” he says. The most common example of modular arithmetic is a 12-hour clock, which counts time by starting over and repeating after it reaches 12. With modular arithmetic, one can compile a set of data, indexed, for example, by prime numbers.

“But after that, how do you return to the initial question?” he says. “Can you tell an equation has an integer solution by collecting data from modular arithmetic?” Zhang investigates whether and how an equation can be solved by restoring this local data to a global piece of information — like finding a Pythagorean triple.

His research is relevant to an important facet of the Langlands Program — a set of conjectures proposed by mathematician Robert Langlands for connecting number theory and geometry, which some have likened to a kind of “grand unified theory” of mathematics.

Conversations and patience

Bridging other branches of math with number theory has become one of Zhang’s specialties.

In 2018, he won the New Horizons in Mathematics Breakthroughs Prize, a prestigious award for researchers early in their careers. He shared the prize with his old friend and undergraduate classmate, and current MIT colleague, Zhiwei Yun, for their joint work on the Taylor expansion of L-functions, which was hailed as a major advance in a key area of number theory in the past few decades.

Their project grew directly out of his dissertation research. And that work, in turn, opened up new directions in his current research, related to the arithmetic of elliptic curves. But Zhang says the way forward wasn’t clear until five years — and many conversations with Yun — later.

“Conversation is important in mathematics,” Zhang says. “Very often mathematical questions can be solved, or at least progress can be made, by bringing together people with different skills and backgrounds, with new interpretations of the same set of facts. In our case, this is a perfect example. His geometrical way of thinking about the question was exactly complementary to my own perspective, which is more number arithmetic.”

Lately, Zhang’s work has taken place on fewer train rides and more flights. He travels back to China at least once a year, to visit family and colleagues in Beijing. And when he feels stuck on a problem, he likes to take long walks, play tennis, or simply spend time with his young children, to clear his mind.

His recent solution of his own conjecture has led him to contemplate unexplored terrain. “This opened up a new direction,” he says. “I think it’s possible to finally get some higher-dimensional solutions. It opens up new conjectures.”



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'Born to be wild': Kenya's female biker gang

Photos of the Inked Sisterhood who often shocks people in the socially conservative East African nation.

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Ebola: How a disease is prevented from spreading

A doctor on the frontline of the fight against Ebola explains the steps taken to tackle the disease.

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How to Create a Purpose-Driven Business

It’s one thing to launch a business; it’s another to launch a business with a purpose. Jovian Zayne, founder of the OnPurpose Movement and the International Day of Purpose, wants to help entrepreneurs do just that—create a purpose-driven business.

The certified leadership and professional development coach, consultant, and public speaker says that purpose is the foundation of her work and at the core of who she is.

Zayne says she has worked with Google, Goldman Sachs, The New York Times, Columbia University, Harvard University, The Clinton Foundation, The Aspen Institute, Janelle MonĂ¡e’s Wondaland Records, and Teach For America.

“When I think about purpose through my work I think about it through service and impact,” says Zayne. “When people are thinking about using their sense of purpose to grow a business, you need to build your business on purpose, not by accident. Be very thoughtful around why are you doing this.”

She adds that being honest about why you want to start a business is key.

“I don’t think there’s a problem with starting a business because you want it to be profitable. And to that point, asking yourself, ‘Am I doing this in a way that honors the values I hold most dear?’ will help you.”

purpose-driven business

Zayne

When it comes to making a profit from a purpose-driven business, Zayne says, “Self-care is knowing your worth and being comfortable asking for it. No matter what products or services you provide, you thrive when you know what value you add.”

“I believe in the work that I do; I believe in the service I provide, and I believe that my gifts will make room for me. I also believe in creating a sustainable business that can create a legacy and generational wealth for people who look like me. That is something I’m committed to doing in this world because one of my values is equity,” says Zayne.

She goes on to say, “People should be putting their value where their output is. You can’t say that you’re doing critical work and let people pay you chump change, it’s just not gonna work. You won’t be able to continue to do the work that’s important and have people have a scalable business.”

A Framework For Creating Purpose

A big part of her work with corporations and individuals begins with being clear about not only the goals of the client but how she can best serve them. She starts her work with her ‘Core Five Framework.’ As a part of that framework, Zayne encourages entrepreneurs to ask themselves the following questions:

  • Who do I want to serve right now?
  • What skills, gifts, resources, and experiences do I have right now that I feel most compelled and uniquely positioned and called to use to positively serve this group?
  • What habits need to shift in order for this impact to be real?
  • Who needs to impact me?
  • Who do you want to be as you serve?

Zayne’s framework serves as a guide but she also says that when doing the work it is important to ask yourself, “what value are you bringing with you?”

In addition, Zayne says that impactful work requires a team effort. “I deeply believe that you can’t be your best self by yourself.”

Doing Business on Purpose Requires a Lifestyle Shift  

“There were certain things that I needed to shift in order to set my life up to be an entrepreneur. And it was everything from creating a different kind of health routine to creating structures that supported me being effective and keep my energy up,” says Zayne. She offers these tips on creating a business with purpose:

  • Automate services and tasks that might be time-consuming and easy to forget to complete.
  • Find a community of people who will hold you accountable.
  • Create a routine that supports your health and wellness as you do the work so that you don’t burn out.
  • Be more ferocious and committed to carefully curating what you allow in your spirit: from who you follow on your social media, to what you watch on TV, the books you read, etc.

 

 



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Conquering Fears About Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace

I have trained thousands of people throughout the United States, South America, and the United Kingdom; had personal conversations and conducted in-depth interviews about diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Two simple but extremely complex words are at the core of all of my diversity and inclusion conversations: loss and fear

If you think about the riot in Charlottesville, Virginia,—it was about fear as white supremacists yelled, “you will not replace us.” And in our local communities, we are tired of the constant fight around loss. Loss of economic development, healthy food, and access to healthcare.

I see it constantly as companies put strategies in place to hire a skilled, diverse workforce. Here is a recent conversation that I have had countless times.

Me: What do you think of the company’s goal to hire more diverse employees?

Employee: It feels like a quota system to me and my team.

Me: How so?

Employee: My team feels like white men are going to either lose their jobs or won’t be hired because of diversity.

Me: But you know that’s not true. No one will be hired or fired based upon their diversity. I think the company has done a great job of explaining their strategy to attain this goal. Why do you think your team chooses to see it different?

Employee: Here’s the deal. If a white guy, and say, a black woman are applying for the same position and everything is equal as far as work experience, skill sets, background and that all stuff—the position will now go to the black woman because of a diversity quota. It’s hard to compete with that.

Me: Now, let me ask you a tough question and it’s going to make you a little uncomfortable but that’s why we are here. This has happened repeatedly to people of color more times than we will ever be able to count. Furthermore, you can count the people of color in this office on one hand. We also both know that, overwhelmingly, positions have gone to white males in most instances throughout history. Have you or your team had any concerns about that?

Employee: I understand where you are coming from, but I guess what I’m saying is that we want fairness in the process.

Leveling the playing field

Diverse individuals, even those with degrees, are often not hired. What diverse people want is a level playing field, so they can compete. The employee mentioned above and I discussed that neither he or his team are responsible for the years of inequity experienced by people of color (or those that fall into an underrepresented category) but that they can be allies and help us dismantle those systems. Furthermore, as white men, they can help to put processes in place for change. We must get away from the thought (and practice) that the white male has no place in conversations about diversity and inclusion.

It affects everyone and we all must be engaged. Why? Because we are all driven by fear. People of color, LGBT people, and women fear being treated unequally and being continually marginalized. White people, especially men, fear living in a society where they are no longer the majority and what that will mean for their families both personally and professionally. Millennials fear their ideas are not being respected because of their age while older people fear not being relevant in our technology-driven world.

Ultimately, we are all scared of a system that treats us unfairly and processes that leave us unable to make a decent income, live in affordable housing, or give us access to healthcare and healthy food. We have the same fears and because I know this, I know the ‘us versus them’ dynamic continues to hold us back.

How do we fix it? Stop being scared! The heart of the matter is, unsurprisingly, showing heart. We confront our issues with unconditional love. Not the touchy-feely kind, but the total acceptance of humanity kind. Get in where you fit in because we ALL do.


Black Enterprise Contributors Network 

The ideas and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author’s and not necessarily the opinion of Black Enterprise.

 



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Sheraton Atlanta linked to 11 new cases of Legionnaires’ Disease

So far, 11 people in Atlanta, Georgia have contracted Legionnaires’ disease and it appears that all of them stayed at the Sheraton Atlanta.

The hotel is now closed down until at least mid-August, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Georgia Department of Public Health investigators are testing water in the Courtland Street hotel pools, fountains, hot tubs, faucets trying to attempt to find where the disease started, although it is not clear whether the hotel is the source of the outbreak, said Department spokeswoman Nancy Nydam.

The hotel will stay closed until at least Aug. 11 and it could be much longer depending on the test results found by Georgia health investigators.

READ MORE: Jordyn Woods seen out and about partying with KhloĂ© Kardashian’s ex James Harden

Initially three guests in the hotel tested positive for the disease, which can cause lung infection. Three more cases of Legionnaires surfaced on Monday and another was discovered on Wednesday. Georgia health officials identified the 11th case on Friday.

People most likely to suffer the greatest harm as a result of Legionnaires are older than 50, have medical conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or diabetes or have a history of smoking.

So far this year, close to 90 confirmed cases of Legionnaires disease have hit the state of Georgia. Last year, in Georgia there were 180 confirmed cases in the state.

CDC officials say a number of factors are contributing to the increase in new cases, including improved testing and an older, more susceptible population.

READ MORE: Boston Celtics sign Tacko Fall, a 7-foot-7 center from Dakar, Senegal to its roster

You cannot contract Legionnaires disease from person to person contact, authorities advise. Instead, bacteria gets into the lungs of those affected after they breathe in mist or another water source, such as lakes or streams, infected with the virus.

Consultants hired by the hotel are working with epidemiologists from the state health department and Fulton County Board of Health.

The CDC says about one in 10 people who get Legionnaires’ disease will eventually die as a result of complications from the disease.

The post Sheraton Atlanta linked to 11 new cases of Legionnaires’ Disease appeared first on theGrio.



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Sudan to charge eight military officers over deadly crackdown

Eight military officers face the charge of crimes against humanity over the killing of protesters.

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Boston Celtics sign Tacko Fall, a 7-foot-7 center from Dakar, Senegal to its roster

The Boston Celtics team has signed Tacko Fall, a 7-foot-7 center from Dakar, Senegal who wowed the organization during the NBA summer league.

Fall averaged 7.2 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in five summer league games, according to The USA Today.

READ MORE: New Emmett Till historical marker to be made bullet-proof

Fall was a star for the University of Central Florida’s Golden Knights and put up a strong NCAA performance against Duke but ultimately they lost in the second round. Still, Fall was a stand-out for NBA scouts at the draft combine and eventually made a summer league roster prior to getting drafted by the Celtics.

“He’s a high priority for us to try to really develop into a player,” Celtics president Danny Ainge told MassLive earlier this month. “Some of the plays he makes are hilarious because you just don’t see them. Guards get in a bind and they just throw the ball up in the air, then Tacko grabs them and makes tip-toe dunks from under the basket. It’s just like a senior in high school playing against fourth-graders sometimes out there.”

Financial details about Fall’s deal with the Celtics were not disclosed.

While at UCF, Fall averaged 10.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.4 blocks a game in 115 games, according to The USA Today. In the 2018-19 season, Fall helped lead the Knights to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

READ MORE: Jordyn Woods seen out and about partying with KhloĂ© Kardashian’s ex James Harden

In addition to Fall, the Boston Celtics have also signed guards Tremont Waters, Max Strus and Javonte Green to two-way contracts. The terms of those deals were also not disclosed.

Waters averaged 15.6 points, 3.1 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 2.5 steals while playing for Louisiana State University. He finished his sophomore season in 2018-19 as one of five finalists for the Bob Cousy Award. Prior to signing with the Celtics, Strus, 23, played at DePaul University, where he ranked third in the Big East.

We wish Fall and the rest of the new Celtics players an awesome year.

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New Emmett Till historical marker to be made bullet-proof

Mississippi rednecks and racists listen up: your attempts to shoot up a memorial for slain civil rights icon Emmett Till will soon get a bullet-proof solution.

The purple history marker placed near the location where Till’s 14-year-old body was discovered in 1955 has been removed due to vandalism and will be replaced by a new, fool-proof one. This is after a disturbing new photograph recently surfaced of three white University of Mississippi students posing with guns in front of the bullet hole-riddled memorial, according to NBC News.

The picture was discovered after one of the three men posted the photo to his Instagram page in March, according to an article authored by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting and ProPublica. All three of the students are now suspended from their fraternity.

READ MORE: Chances are Equifax owes you $125 in cash or free credit monitoring for 2017 data breach

The Emmett Till Memorial Commission, which maintains the marker, made the decision to replace the 50-pound sign for a 500-pound reinforced steel memorial, reported NBC News.

Patrick Weems, executive director of the commission, said the memorial has been destroyed several times in the past, and knows vandals will attempt to destroy the new one.

“We’re under no naivetĂ© that this is going to end,” Weems told NBC News. “The manufacturers said that this is a bulletproof sign. We’ll test that theory.”

“This is an ongoing saga,” Weems added.

This is really about denial about the evils of racism and history, according to Susan Glisson, co-founder and partner in Sustainable Equity, the organization that consults with the commission on the best ways to memorialize Till, who would have turned 78 this past Thursday.

“It’s easier to cancel out that story for some people than it is to engage with the truth,” Glisson told NBC News.

READ MORE: RHOA star Cynthia Bailey says yes to boyfriend’s surprise marriage proposal

Although this latest incident occurred off of the campus for Ole Miss, the racist and troublesome history of the university is well-documented.

On Friday, Larry Sparks, interim chancellor of Ole Miss, took to Twitter to slam the picture as “offensive and hurtful,” but said the school was limited in what it could do because the incident occurred off campus and was “not part of any university-affiliated event.”

In 1962, federal forces were called to enforce the court-ordered enrollment of James Meredith, who was the university’s first Black student. Today, students and staff need to stand united against acts like these, Sparks said.

“In light of our history, our University of Mississippi community of more than 25,000 people needs to come together to make it clear that these students and their actions do not represent the values of our institution,” Sparks said on Twitter. “They do not speak for our institution, and they do not define us.”

Till, who was from Chicago, was in Mississippi visiting family during the summer of 1955 when a gang of white supremacists – who were never held responsible in a court of law – kidnapped, tortured and killed him. Till’s brave mom ordered his casket remain open so the entire world could see what those animals did to her baby.

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Space Photos of the Week: Strap on Your Space Goggles and Bask in the Starlight

High-frequency light helps researchers spot and study amazing astral bodies.

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Chances are Equifax owes you $125 in cash or free credit monitoring for 2017 data breach

Many Americans may qualify for compensation as a result of a $700 million settlement Equifax reached with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission this week for its 2017 data breach.

The breach affected 147 million Americans, and the settlement includes more than $425 million for individual compensation as a result, according to CNN. Because so much personal identifiable information was leaked – including names, addresses, birth dates, and social security numbers – the impact of the compromised information and the identity threat exposure may be something that lingers for many years to come.

READ MORE: RHOA star Cynthia Bailey says yes to boyfriend’s surprise marriage proposal

To find out whether your data was compromised, you can go to the Equifax Data Breach Settlement site’s look-up tool. If your data was breached, you are eligible to make a claim for either a one-time, $125 payment or 10 years of free credit monitoring — which is payable to claimants after the settlement gets final approval from the court on Dec. 19. If you’re opting for the payment, you have the choice of having the company send you a check or a pre-paid card.

People can also choose to opt out of the settlement, which then opens the door for them to file their own lawsuits against Equifax. People taking the opting out route don’t forfeit their rights to file an individual lawsuit against the company, for which the company will pay $25 per hour for the time litigants expended recovering from potential identity theft caused by the Equifax breach. This option requires detailed paperwork that outlines the additional funds.

READ MORE: Rumor Patrol: Diddy spotted out in Soho with Steve Harvey’s stepdaughter

For individuals wishing to pursue an individual lawsuit, send a “request for exclusion,” filing but be sure to get it off no later than November 19.

But whatever you do, do something. If you don’t do anything, you most certainly will give up your right to sue Equifax in the future, as well as your right to make a claim on the class action settlement.

Your deadline to opt out is November 19. The deadline to file a claim based on this settlement is January 22.

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RHOA star Cynthia Bailey says yes to boyfriend’s surprise marriage proposal

Real Housewives of Atlanta star, Cynthia Bailey, and her beau, Mike Hill, are tying the knot.

On Friday, after 14 months of dating, Hill, 48, a sports journalist, got down on one knee and proposed to Bailey 52, with a ginormous 5-carat princess cut solitaire ring, according to PEOPLE Magazine. Hill works for Fox Sports 1 in Los Angeles.

The proposal took place in Atlanta at the grand opening of Bailey’s new company, The Bailey Wine Cellar. Taking part in the surprise was Bailey’s daughter, Noelle Robinson, 19, and Hill’s two daughters, Kayla, 17, and Ashlee, 19, as well as the couple’s close friends and RHOA cast mates of Bailey’s.

READ MORE: Wendy Williams blasts Bow Wow for disparaging Ciara during a club appearance

Hill carried out the surprise with the help of Courtney Ajinça, celebrity event planner. Hill tricked Bailey into believing he was giving a toast to celebrate the opening of her business, but then his daughter, Kayla, interrupted him by handing him a bottle that question mark on it.

“No dad, I think you should propose like this,” Kayla said, a source told PEOPLE.

After this, Hill elicited Noelle’s help in opening the bottle and this is when she passed him the ring box. Both Noelle and Hill opened the box and then Hill dropped down on one knee to request Bailey’s hand in marriage.

Once he did, all of the daughters gathered behind Hill and held up a hand-made sign that looked like puzzle pieces, which read: “Can we be a family?”

Bailey started sobbing, but made sure she got in her “yes” to the big question.

The crowd that surrounded them started cheering and chanting “Congratulations Chill!” — which is the nickname Bailey and Hill use on social media that combines their names, the PEOPLE source said.

Both Bailey and Hill were married previously so this will be their second go at matrimony. Bailey was previously married to Peter Thomas from 2010 to 2017.

READ MORE: LisaRaye McCoy blasts Nicole Murphy for kissing scandal and says she messed around with her ex-husband too

And even though Bailey was surprised at the timing of the proposal, she said she had dropped hints for about a year.

“I want to marry Mike. I love Mike. He’s my soulmate,” Bailey gushed to PEOPLE last December. “We talk about getting married all the time. I’m hoping a proposal will happen soon, if not before the end of this year, then hopefully next. I’ve certainly been dropping enough hints! But God has a plan, so I’m just letting it go.”

“You know, we’ve both been married before, so marriage is something we both understand,” she added. “We’re not jumping into this blind. We both have kids and we both love each other very much. We know marriage is the next step.”

Congratulations to them both!

 

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Will Heroes in Loincloths Ever Make a Comeback?

More importantly, does anyone need them to?

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WannaCry Hero Marcus Hutchens Won't Go to Jail for Old Hacking Crimes

Russian election hacks, Amazon's police partnerships, and more security news this week.

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14 Best Online Co-Op Games (2019): PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch

Our favorite cooperative multiplayer games that let you play together online no matter what system you own—PS4, Xbox One, PC, or the Nintendo Switch.

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14 Best Deals this Weekend: Cameras, TVs, and an Instant Pot

Our favorite weekend tech deals, including fans of every size to keep you cool during these late-summer months.

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Tour the Factory Where Bentley Handcrafts Its Luxury Rides

While a major auto plant can stamp out thousands of cars a day, Bentley makes just a few dozen, with a heavy dose of TLC.

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Friday, July 26, 2019

Stub Bot Test



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White University of Mississippi Students Pose With Guns in Front of Emmett Till Memorial

A shocking image surfaced on Instagram: Three white University of Mississippi students posing with guns next to a memorial sign dedicated to the black teenager, Emmett Till, who was murdered in 1955.

According to The New York Times, two of the students in the photo have been identified as Ben Leclere and John Lowe. All three are members of the fraternity Kappa Alpha.

In the photo, one of the students holds a shotgun. Another brandishes an AK-47. The memorial sign is bullet-ridden. According to ProPublica, which first reported on the photo—it isn’t clear if the students shot the sign.

Emmett Till

Emmett Till (Wikimedia)

NYT reports that the students have been suspended by their fraternity. “The photo is inappropriate, insensitive, and unacceptable,” and “does not represent our chapter,” stated the Kappa Alpha fraternity chapter.

However, the fraternity is known for prior racist activities. As per ProPublica, “The fraternity, which honors Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee as its “spiritual founder” on its website, has a history of racial controversy, including an incident in which students wore blackface at a Kappa Alpha sponsored Halloween party at the University of Virginia in 2002.”

The photo has since been turned over to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. The students have not been suspended from the university. A spokesperson from the university told The New York Times that while the photo was “offensive,” the students did not violate the school’s code of conduct.

Last year, the U.S. Department of Justice said it was reopening the murder case of Till 63 years after the 14-year-old was brutally murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. Federal officials announced that it launched an investigation into the case based on “new information” received about Till’s kidnapping, torture, and murder.

News that the DOJ was reopening Till’s case was first reported by the Associated Press after the Justice Department sent a report to Congress in March under the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016, a bill authorized by President Barack Obama granting feds the ability to investigate unsolved civil rights murders committed before 1970.

New revelations about Till’s death were published in the 2017 book The Blood of Emmett Till by historian Timothy B. Tyson.

Till was a native of Chicago visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi, when he was accused of making sexual advances toward Carolyn Donham, 21, at a grocery store. Her then-husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother J.W. Milam were charged with killing Till but were acquitted by an all-white jury. Bryant and Milam later admitted to a reporter the next year that they beat and shot the teen before dumping his body in the Tallahatchie River. They were not retried due to double jeopardy laws.

—Additional reporting by Selena Hill

 



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Rumor Patrol: Diddy spotted out in Soho with Steve Harvey’s stepdaughter

Rumor has it that Sean “Diddy” Combs was stepping out with Lori Harvey and it got the internet up-in-arms over whether the “bad boy” is allegedly dating Steve Harvey’s stepdaughter.

Wendy Williams blasts Bow Wow for disparaging Ciara during a club appearance

But this apparently isn’t the first time that they have been seen out together. Previously Madame Noire reported that the two were spotted out and about before in Miami, but the reports were ultimately brushed off. Now that Diddy and Lori re-surfaced in pics on Wednesday in what seems like coordinated outfits in Soho, many are wondering if they are indeed an item, Us Magazine reports.

If that’s the case, it might prove to be a little bit awkward for Diddy’s 25-year-old son Justin who was previously linked to 22-year-old Lori, according to Us Magazine. Seems like Diddy is definitely a Mack daddy!

All is fair in love, right? The 49-year-old sure got a taste of that when his ex-girlfriend Cassie of 11 years, cozied up and eventually dated and got pregnant by Diddy’s former physical trainer Alex Fine after they broke up in October 2018.

Diddy himself has been trying to find himself the last few months after suffering a tremendous loss of his best friend and baby momma Kim Porter, who died in November 2018 from lobar pneumonia.

That loss hit hard and since then he’s been on the comeback trying to piece together his life while balancing life as a single dad raising his twin daughters he shared with Porter.

British actress Cynthia Erivo faces ‘Harriet’ backlash due to past tweets mocking Black Americans

Combs is single and just in March, it was reported that he and Lori were seen out partying and celebrating and paying tribute to the late Notorious B.I.G. with a performance at downtown Miami nightclub, E11even. While in Florida it appeared that Diddy and Harvey were getting quite cozy in each other’s company.

Lori broke things off with her former fiancé Memphis Depay, soccer player from the Netherlands and a guy that Steve Harvey really approved of.

We’re wondering how Steve is taking all this news of Lori hanging out with Diddy and if daddy approves.

The post Rumor Patrol: Diddy spotted out in Soho with Steve Harvey’s stepdaughter appeared first on theGrio.



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How women's lives were revolutionised in Tunisia

In August 1956 newly independent Tunisia introduced a set of laws which revolutionised women's lives.

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Ex-lover sues Scottie Pippen for expenses incurred during their alleged affair 26 years ago

A woman is stepping forward 26 years after the fact to sue NBA star Scottie Pippen for expenses she incurred while allegedly having an affair with him during his tenure with the Chicago Bulls.

Ma’am.

If you are going to have an affair with a millionaire, you might want to get your coins on the front end. Just saying.

British actress Cynthia Erivo faces ‘Harriet’ backlash due to past tweets mocking Black Americans

Chyvette Valentine is claiming that she spent thousands of dollars traveling to see Pippen and racked up thousands on hotel expenses, gas, food, parking during her affair from 1987 to 1993.

According to court documents obtained by The Blast, Valentine claims that she paid her own way to see Pippen when he played ball in other cities outside Chi-town.

Valentine believes she’s owed quite a bit but can only claim $9,999 since it’s the maximum allowed in small claims court.

Valentine also said she didn’t know that the popular ex-ballplayer who was at the top of his game alongside Michael Jordan, was a married man or had an infant when they first started their tryst. Pippen was a widely known player for the Bulls which is arguably one of the best basketball teams in NBA history.

The alleged side chick also said Pippen lied about having a baby even when she would see bottles of formula at his house. She said he told her the milk was for his sister.

Wendy Williams blasts Bow Wow for disparaging Ciara during a club appearance

It wasn’t until Valentine’s Day in 1988 when Pippen reportedly told her the truth about everything, yet she continued the love affair until 1993.

But the question remains why she waited so long to sue and why does she feel entitled to get reimbursed for her own willingness to participate?

Griofam, what are your thoughts?

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White woman who called Black women the n-word at NC restaurant says she would do it again

A white Raleigh, North Carolina woman felt pretty bold and hurled racist slurs at two Black ladies who were enjoying dinner at Bonefish Grill because she said they were “too loud.” And says she would do it again.

Wendy Williams blasts Bow Wow for disparaging Ciara during a club appearance

Confronting Black people for mundane reasons has pretty much become commonplace as of late as evidenced by yet another case of bothering Black folks for nothing.

On Tuesday, Chanda Stewart and Lakesha Shaw said they were confronted by Nancy Goodman who complained that they were rude and loud while they were eating at a North Hills restaurant, WRAL reports.

“We’ve had people come to our table and say, ‘Hey, you girls look like you’re having fun. We want to join you,’ but never to come to my table and tell me I’m rude,” Shaw said Wednesday.

The interaction between the two women and Goodman has gone viral after Stewart took out her cellphone to capture the shocking moment Goodman became agitated and verbally attacked the women.

“We’re paying for our food just like everyone else, and she told us that we are the rudest people,” Stewart says in the cellphone video.

Goodman pulls out her own cellphone too to record and circles the table to antagonize the women.

“I’ve got real good friends who are black, and I love them,” Goodman says trying to justify her inane actions.

“We never said anything about color,” Stewart said.

“You’re too loud,” Goodman says.

“In your opinion,” Shaw replies. “Let me show you my money. It’s just as green as yours.”

“Why are you so stupid ni**er?” Goodman says to Shaw before she walks off.

“Do you call your black friends [that]?” the women asks her.

“They’re not like you,” Goodman replies.

The slur rightfully upset Shaw and Stewart.

“[I’m] still trying to wrap my head around it all,” Stewart said. “It’s disheartening, it is. But this is the society that we’re living in right now.”

“I don’t care how you feel like we should have been acting,” Shaw said. “If I was standing on the table with three heads in a purple jumpsuit, nothing justifies you to come to my table and call me a stupid (racial slur).”

When confronted about the incident on Wednesday, Goodman offered a backhanded apology saying she should have handled things differently.

British actress Cynthia Erivo faces ‘Harriet’ backlash due to past tweets mocking Black Americans

“Looking back on it now, I wish I would have asked the waiter to ask management if they would just quiet down,” she said. “Instead, I went off on them, which I shouldn’t have done. But I had had it. It was out of my control to calm down my anxiety.”

But she still maintained that she wasn’t sorry for calling the ladies n-word and would do it again.

“I’m not going to say I’m sorry to them because they kept pushing at it,” she said. “I would say it again to them. They are the rudest individuals I have ever seen.”

And Goodman is a racist but doesn’t believe she’s one.

“I have many black friends, and I have never encountered three people that ugly in a bar,” she said. “I wish those women well, and maybe there’s a lesson learned for them, too, that you don’t disrespect an elderly person.”

“The fact that you’re willing to say you will repeat that again shows me the hate that you harbor in your heart for the black African-American race,” Shaw said. “I don’t care what color I am. Give me the respect of being a human being, just like everyone else deserves.”

Goodman apologized “to my family, friends and other patrons in the bar at North Hills Bonefish,” but not the ladies she offended on Wednesday.

Bonefish Grill released a statement condemning Goodman’s hateful words.

“We are a place for all people to gather for good food in a comfortable atmosphere, including positive interactions among guests,” Elizabeth Watts, a spokeswoman for the restaurant chain’s parent company, Bloomin’ Brands Inc.

We do not tolerate hate speech or disrespect in our restaurants,” Watts said in a statement. “We are reviewing the incident to see how we can do better at de-escalating something like this in the future.”

 

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Kenya census to include male, female and intersex citizens

The national population census will recognise people who don't identify as either male or female.

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Bette Midler: They Aren’t Just ‘Blackground.’ There’s An Actual ‘Blacks for Trump’ Group

Iconic singer and actress Bette Midler recently stirred controversy over a tweet she posted about black Trump supporters in camera view at the President’s last re-election rally. She called the African American men seen in a somewhat grainy photo and wearing white t-shirts,  ‘blackground’ and suggested they were being paid to attend.

Both at Trump’s pre- and post-election rallies, many have noticed several black people holding signs displaying “BlacksForTrump2020.com.” While the image in Midler’s post isn’t clear whether the black individuals seen in the picture are affiliated with BlacksforTrump2020, black people wearing t-shirts with that website address can often be seen at Trump rallies.

Social media abounds with accusations that these are people put in place by the Trump camp. Others claim they are paid to give the impression that Trump has a multicultural following. The Huffington Post even called BlacksforTrump2020, “Trump’s latest con.”

So, just what is BlacksforTrump2020.com?

For starters, it’s an actual website. A WHOIS lookup on that domain name shows the site is registered to “Domains by Proxy, LLC.” A website owner’s personal information is masked when a site is registered through Domains by Proxy.

The Washington Post revealed that purchasing anonymous domain names increased for both Republicans and Democrats during the 2012 election.

The article points out that since many of these domain owners’ details are anonymous, it’s unclear whether actual politicians are buying them. Or, if squatters buy them in presidential campaign years with hopes of selling them for big bucks.

The self-professed owner of BlacksforTrump2020.com is not seeking anonymity at all, he told Black Enterprise.

Florida-based Maurice Symonette says he is the owner of BlacksforTrump2020.com. In a phone interview with Black Enterprise, Symonette dismisses the notion that he is paid by the Trump camp.

“Not even 32 cents,” he insists. “The fact is I wouldn’t even take any money because you are not going to call me a sellout. From Bush to Allen West to anyone I assisted we did it on our dime.”

He says he gets right behind Trump on camera with the signs so people can see the website, go to it, and understand why he is an ardent Trump supporter.

“I put my website on [the signs] because they are calling this man a racist and I don’t want to be holding a sign and look like some Uncle Tom sellout without explaining my position,” he says.

He also says he doesn’t use the Domain by Proxy registrar for anonymity. “I’m out here in the open.”

Taxes are “Slavery;” Building a Wall is “Scripture” 

Symonette, a former member of the black separatist sect, Yahweh ben Yahweh, cites his main reasons for supporting Trump as taxes and the rollback of regulations. He often uses biblical references to underscore his viewpoints.

“The most beautiful thing [about Trump] is ‘give me my money’,” says Symonette. He considers any taxes over 10% as “slavery” and wonders, “how can you have the nerve to charge more than God?”

He also supports Trump’s rollback of Dodd-Frank regulations. Symonette makes the dubious claim, “All these regulations that keep you from getting money–when Bush did it [rolled back business and financial regulations] you saw black men with these $3 million houses.”

Symonette also supports Trump’s wall, citing what he says is scripture from Isaiah; “Build me a wall great and high and all nations say please come let us help you. So if God said to build the wall…”

When asked if he has ever met Trump face-to-face Symonette says he has not but he has shaken hands with the president.

Still, Symonette seems to be a known figure among conservatives. In 2012, then-Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum invited Symonette to his rally in Coral Springs. His YouTube channel attracts hundreds of comments and views, with many white conservatives enthusiastically in agreement with him.

 

 

 



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Nintendo's Reportedly Fixing Those Broken Joy-Cons for Free

The Joy-Con drift is finally being addressed. Plus: A new study confirms you should play games with your mic on mute.

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Amazon's Revolutionary Retail Strategy? Recycling Old Ideas

Opinion: Amazon's prevailing business strategy is to try everything—even what's been done before—to reshape retail. Sound backward? It's actually brilliant.

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Janice Dickinson reaches ‘very large settlement’ in Cosby defamation case

Former supermodel Janice Dickinson who was one of the leading sex abuse accusers against Bill Cosby is getting paid a “very large settlement” from his insurance company as a result of her defamation case.

On Thursday, Dickinson’s attorney Lisa Bloom announced the mega pay-out during a press conference, adding that the reality star will be “fully compensated for being called a liar.”

Dickinson, 64, filed the suit in 2014, claiming that she was victimized in 1982 by Cosby who she said drugged and assaulted her in Lake Tahoe, Nevada. Cosby’s former attorney Marty Singer went on a campaign to shame Dickinson, calling her a liar so she sued Cosby for defamation.

Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Ciara and Russell Wilson team up to produce inspirational story about former NFL star Vernon Turner

“Truthfully, a settlement is a victory and a measure of justice,” said Dickinson, CNN reports.

Her attorney presented her with a bouquet of flowers for the “epic” win.

“Let’s stop yielding our power to the perp,” Dickinson said. She encouraged victims of sexual assault to be unafraid to speak their truth.

“Tell your story and stand up for your rights.”

Andrew Wyatt, Cosby’s attorney disagreed that the settlement meant the convicted rapist was guilty.

“To be clear, AIG’s settlement of this lawsuit has no bearing whatsoever on the merit of Ms. Dickinson’s claims. Mr. Cosby has every confidence that had the case proceeded to trial, a jury would have found that the statements issued by his former attorney — statements which Mr. Cosby himself never spoke and which he played no part in preparing — were not defamatory,” he said.

Wyatt said the insurance company AIG even though they objected.

“This is the third example in recent months of AIG robbing Mr. Cosby of the opportunity to clear his name in a court of law, where evidence and truthfulness are supposed to be elevated above headlines and gossip,” Wyatt said.

Supermodel Janice Dickinson: ‘Bill Cosby Raped me’

“AIG’s apparent strategy to have Mr. Cosby tried exclusively in the court of public opinion has become clear, and its decision to settle each of these lawsuits over Mr. Cosby’s objections is illustrative of AIG’s bad faith.”.

Dickinson released her memoir (No Lifeguard on Duty: The Accidental Life of the World’s First Supermodel) in 2002 and says she attempted to write about the assault but was blocked by her publisher HarperCollins and Cosby’s lawyers.

She testified during Cosby’s trial saying she and Cosby had dinner in Lake Tahoe, and then he gave her a glass of red wine and a pill, which she asked for because she was on her period and had stomach pains.

In April, AIG reached a settlement with seven Cosby accusers.

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Wendy Williams blasts Bow Wow for disparaging Ciara during a club appearance

Wendy Williams slammed Bow Wow and defended Ciara on her show after the rapper called the singer a “bitch” and bragged that he “had her first” during a weekend club appearance.

Ciara and Russell Wilson launch new TV, film and digital production company

On Wednesday, Williams tore into Bow Wow during her hot topics segment on The Wendy Williams Show for talking bad about his ex-girlfriend and hurling unnecessary insults at the Level Up singer who is married, Page Six reports.

“Bow Wow, I’m not hating on you, but young man, so what?” the 55-year-old began.

Williams then scolded the 32-year-old rapper and said he was acting immaturely.

“It’s very distasteful. We’ve all had somebody before we had you, man. We’ve all lived, but to be shirtless in a club and calling her a ‘bitch,’ you were so wrong for that.” she said.

“… Going from Ciara to Erica Mena — where are we going with your track record? … Ciara made the right choice,” said about the singer who is happily married to NFL star Russell Wilson.

Bow Wow and Ciara were an item from 2004 to 2006 but thankfully she came to her senses and leveled up with Wilson.

Surely Ciara doesn’t have time to reply to this boy since she’s making big moves with her music and producing movies.

In fact, Ci-Ci teamed with Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, and her husband to produce an inspirational story about former NFL star Vernon Turner.

And this is not the happy couple’s first business venture.

Gabrielle Union, Dwyane Wade, Ciara and Russell Wilson team up to produce inspirational story about former NFL star Vernon Turner

Ciara and Wilson earlier this year launched Why Not You Productions, which according to the announcement, plans to focus on creating television, film and digital content projects that will include “inspiring and aspiring narratives and human interest stories.”

“While we work in different fields in our day-to-day, we are excited to come together to collaborate and create stories that we hope will touch people’s lives,” the couple explained in their joint statement. “We are both storytellers at heart and we want to be able to share stories that uplift people and inspire others to create positive change. That’s ultimately what we want this company to represent.”

 

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Fifa bans former Sierra Leone FA official for five years

Former Sierra Leone Football Association official Abu Bakarr Kabba is the latest person to be banned by Fifa.

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11 Best Gaming Headsets: PS4, Xbox One, PC, Switch, Mobile

We picked the best gaming headsets for PS4, Xbox, Switch, PC, Mac, and mobile.

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Ransomware hits Johannesburg electricity supply

A ransomware attack is blamed for causing electricity supply problems in South Africa's biggest city.

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Amazon's The Boys Tests the Limits of Superhero Fatigue

The new show turns comic-book heroes into villains—and runs up against a supersize challenge.

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This Robo-Van Startup Will Handle Walmart's 'Middle Mile'

Gatik isn’t a long-haul trucker and doesn’t want to transport people. It’s hoping to carve a niche moving goods from warehouses to stores.

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Scientists Can Finally Build Feedback Circuits in Cells

The circuitry could act as control mechanisms in safe, smart cells programmed to kill tumors and treat brain injuries.

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Google Maps: Lagosians react to the new Nigerian accent

The Google Maps navigation service now reads directions with a Nigerian accent.

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Thursday, July 25, 2019

Seeking new physics, scientists borrow from social networks

When two protons collide, they release pyrotechnic jets of particles, the details of which can tell scientists something about the nature of physics and the fundamental forces that govern the universe.

Enormous particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider can generate billions of such collisions per minute by smashing together beams of protons at close to the speed of light. Scientists then search through measurements of these collisions in hopes of unearthing weird, unpredictable behavior beyond the established playbook of physics known as the Standard Model.

Now MIT physicists have found a way to automate the search for strange and potentially new physics, with a technique that determines the degree of similarity between pairs of collision events. In this way, they can estimate the relationships among hundreds of thousands of collisions in a proton beam smashup, and create a geometric map of events according to their degree of similarity.

The researchers say their new technique is the first to relate multitudes of particle collisions to each other, similar to a social network.

“Maps of social networks are based on the degree of connectivity between people, and for example, how many neighbors you need before you get from one friend to another,” says Jesse Thaler, associate professor of physics at MIT. “It’s the same idea here.”

Thaler says this social networking of particle collisions can give researchers a sense of the more connected, and therefore more typical, events that occur when protons collide. They can also quickly spot the dissimilar events, on the outskirts of a collision network, which they can further investigate for potentially new physics. He and his collaborators, graduate students Patrick Komiske and Eric Metodiev, carried out the research at the MIT Center for Theoretical Physics and the MIT Laboratory for Nuclear Science. They detail their new technique this week in the journal Physical Review Letters.

Seeing the data agnostically

Thaler’s group focuses, in part, on developing techniques to analyze open data from the LHC and other particle collider facilities in hopes of digging up interesting physics that others might have initially missed.

“Having access to this public data has been wonderful,” Thaler says. “But it’s daunting to sift through this mountain of data to figure out what’s going on.”

Physicists normally look through collider data for specific patterns or energies of collisions that they believe to be of interest based on theoretical predictions. Such was the case for the discovery of the Higgs boson, the elusive elementary particle that was predicted by the Standard Model. The particle’s properties were theoretically outlined in detail but had not been observed until 2012, when physicists, knowing approximately what to look for, found signatures of the Higgs boson hidden amid trillions of proton collisions.

But what if particles exhibit behavior beyond what the Standard Model predicts, that physicists have no theory to anticipate?

Thaler, Komiske, and Metodiev have landed on a novel way to sift through collider data without knowing ahead of time what to look for. Rather than consider a single collision event at a time, they looked for ways to compare multiple events with each other, with the idea that perhaps by determining which events are more typical and which are less so, they might pick out outliers with potentially interesting, unexpected behavior.

“What we’re trying to do is to be agnostic about what we think is new physics or not,” says Metodiev.  “We want to let the data speak for itself.”

Moving dirt

Particle collider data are jam-packed with billions of proton collisions, each of which comprises individual sprays of particles. The team realized these sprays are essentially point clouds — collections of dots, similar to the point clouds that represent scenes and objects in computer vision. Researchers in that field have developed an arsenal of techniques to compare point clouds, for example to enable robots to accurately identify objects and obstacles in their environment.

Metodiev and Komiske utilized similar techniques to compare point clouds between pairs of collisions in particle collider data. In particular, they adapted an existing algorithm that is designed to calculate the optimal amount of energy, or “work” that is needed to transform one point cloud into another. The crux of the algorithm is based on an abstract idea known as the “earth’s mover’s distance.”

“You can imagine deposits of energy as being dirt, and you’re the earth mover who has to move that dirt from one place to another,” Thaler explains. “The amount of sweat that you expend getting from one configuration to another is the notion of distance that we’re calculating.”

In other words, the more energy it takes to rearrange one point cloud to resemble another, the farther apart they are in terms of their similarity. Applying this idea to particle collider data, the team was able to calculate the optimal energy it would take to transform a given point cloud into another, one pair at a time. For each pair, they assigned a number, based on the “distance,” or degree of similarity they calculated between the two. They then considered each point cloud as a single point and arranged these points in a social network of sorts.

Three particle collision events, in the form of jets, obtained from the CMS Open Data, form a triangle to represent an abstract "space of events." The animation depicts how one jet can be optimally rearranged into another.

The team has been able to construct a social network of 100,000 pairs of collision events, from open data provided by the LHC, using their technique. The researchers hope that by looking at collision datasets as networks, scientists may be able to quickly flag potentially interesting events at the edges of a given network.

“We’d like to have an Instagram page for all the craziest events, or point clouds, recorded by the LHC on a given day,” says Komiske. “This technique is an ideal way to determine that image. Because you just find the thing that’s farthest away from everything else.”

Typical collider datasets that are made publicly available normally include several million events, which have been preselected from an original chaos of billions of collisions that occurred at any given moment in a particle accelerator. Thaler says the team is working on ways to scale up their technique to construct larger networks, to potentially visualize the “shape,” or general relationships within an entire dataset of particle collisions.

In the near future, he envisions testing the technique on historical data that physicists now know contain milestone discoveries, such as the first detection in 1995 of the top quark, the most massive of all known elementary particles.

“The top quark is an object that gives rise to these funny, three-pronged sprays of radiation, which are very dissimilar from typical sprays of one or two prongs,” Thaler says. “If we could rediscover the top quark in this archival data, with this technique that doesn’t need to know what new physics it is looking for, it would be very exciting and could give us confidence in applying this to current datasets, to find more exotic objects.”

This research was funded, in part, by the U.S. Department of Energy, the Simons Foundation, and the MIT Quest for Intelligence.



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SpaceX Just Unleashed Its Starship Rocket for the First Time

The prototype, called Starhopper, hovered in the air for a few moments. Next stop: Space.

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UK's Johnson: Should Africa shrug, smile or scowl?

The age of empire is long gone, and the UK has to compete with other powers for influence in Africa.

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California's Auto-Emissions Deal Could Trump the Feds' Plans

Ford, Honda, Volkswagen, and BMW agree to tougher California mileage standards, potentially disrupting Trump’s proposal to relax US rules.

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Africa's week in pictures: 19-25 July 2019

A selection of the week's best photos from across the continent.

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Lisa Leslie suggests boycott of companies who won’t support equal pay for women

Rapper Tay-K sentenced to 55 years in prison for his role in shooting death of Texas man

On Tuesday viral sensation Tay-K was handed a 55-year prison sentence for a murder that took place during a robbery in 2016, according to the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.

Tay-K, whose real name is Taymor McIntyre must serve also 30 years, plus two 13 year sentences for the two counts of aggravated robbery, which all must be served concurrently, according to reports.

Wendy Williams breaks down about divorce and opens up about upcoming Lifetime biopic

In 2017, the 19-year-old Texas rapper became a household name with the release of the song “The Race,” which he recorded while on the run from police. The video for the song now has over 100 million views on YouTube and according to CNN, the song debuted at No. 70 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts. McIntyre also received widespread support from rappers like Lil Bibby and Travis Scott. He was taken into custody after being on the run for three months.

Prior to the release of the song, McIntyre was involved in a home invasion with six other people in 2016 that resulted in the death of 21-year-old Ethan Walker, who was fatally shot in the stomach according to PeopleCNN reported that Walker, a young father, did not even have the money or drugs the group was looking for.  McIntyre and the others involved were initially arrested on capital murder charges in July 2016. He was then placed on house arrest, where he somehow removed his ankle monitor and went on the run.

Nicole Murphy issues apology for kiss with Lela Rochon’s husband

Prosecutors argued that though McIntyre was not the one that made the fatal shot, he was just as responsible because he was aware that someone was going to be shot in the process of the robbery.

People reported that a 15-year-old girl devised the plan and reached out to the rapper to see if he could get guns for the robbery. When McIntyre told her he did not have guns, he also said he knew someone who was “trigger-happy.”

McIntyre is also facing a capital murder charge for an April 2017 robbery that took the life of 23-year-old Mark Saldivar at a Chick-fil-A in San Antonio.

The post Rapper Tay-K sentenced to 55 years in prison for his role in shooting death of Texas man appeared first on theGrio.



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Scores feared drowned in shipwreck off Libya

Up to 150 people may have drowned in shipwreck off the coast of Libya, UN refugee agency says

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LisaRaye McCoy blasts Nicole Murphy for kissing scandal and says she messed around with her ex-husband too

LisaRaye McCoy is not taking the high road nor is she letting bygones be bygones. She blasted Nicole Murphy for not only getting caught kissing married Antoine Fuqua but also for sleeping with her ex-husband and damaging her marriage to Turks and Caicos politician Michael Misick.

Nicole Murphy issues apology for kiss with Lela Rochon’s husband

On Wednesday, TMZ caught up with McCoy who had a few choice words for Murphy who is in the midst of a nasty scandal after pics surfaced of her kissing Fuqua who has been married for more than 20 years to Waiting to Exhale actress Lela Rochon.

Murphy’s been trying desperately to douse the flames of this dumpster fire, but it’s not going so well. First, she defended the photos saying it was “friendly” and then when several more scandalous pics hit the net, she backtracked and apologized for getting caught on candid camera.

McCoy, however, is not letting Murphy off the hook so easily for her indiscretion.

The Players Club actress contends that Murphy hooked up with her husband too. McCoy was married to Misick from 2006 to 2008.

When asked directly if Murphy did the same thing to her, McCoy flatly said, “That’s true. Absolutely true.”

She then spilled the beans about her ex and Murphy’s dirty deeds.

“She messed around with my husband,” she admits.

“Here’s the thing, we’ve all done something that we regret. We’ve all made mistakes and we have to learn from that, but when you start doing it and being messy enough to start doing it amongst family… how does a family kiss turn into a I’m sorry apology? Like, what do you mean? You didn’t know that she was married? We all know that she was married. That’s 20 years. That’s history,” she said.

“You don’t do that amongst friends. Because there’s no loyalty…you gotta look up and the person you invited to your house and celebrated your birthday and going to games with you gotta look up and they’re in Italy with your husband?”

If you missed it, Murphy and Fuqua got themselves embroiled in jaw-dropping controversy after it was revealed that the Training Day director was still allegedly “happily” married to Lela Rochon while getting hot and heavy in Italy with Murphy.

There were several questionable pictures that surfaced of the two canoodling poolside nearly naked with Murphy in a skimpy bathing suit and Fuqua with a towel around his midsection. The kisses looked like they were an epilogue to something else that might have occurred the night before. But we digress.

Initially, the stunning 51-year-old issued a statement claiming, “Antoine and I are just family friends. I ran into him in Italy and we exchanged a friendly hello and that was it.”

But nobody was buying it.

Wendy Williams breaks down about divorce and opens up about upcoming Lifetime biopic

She later changed her statement admitting:

“It was not my intention to be in this situation. I do not condone women kissing or interacting in anyway inappropriately with a married man. I too was once married and I would never intentionally undermine another woman, despite what has been written.”

In response to McCoy’s explosive revelation, Murphy denied the cheating claims saying: “It’s not true. She’s [LisaRaye’s] been saying that for years. There’s no truth to that.”

What even more sad about this whole ordeal is that McCoy reported that Rochon is pretty broke up about it.

“It’s hard because I know she’s sad and messed up about this and embarrassed about this.”

When the scandal first broke McCoy ended up in the comment section of the The Shade Room to comment saying, “Gurl @nikimurphy you went after @iamlelarochon husband too?…smh So wrong….again!!!”

That led many to believe that this was Murphy’s m.o., to chase and sleep around with married men. When asked if she thought Murphy was a homewrecker, McCoy responded:

“I don’t know if she’s a homewrecker or not. But I know what she’s doing to people’s homes is wrecking it.”

Well damn.

Sources have also reportedly told TMZ that Murphy feels blindsided by the backlash because she only kissed Fuqua – who’s been married to actress Lela Rochon since 1999 – because she was informed that the couple had divorced and he was free to see other people.

Sources also say that Murphy is devastated about being painted as the other woman, feels terrible about hurting anyone, and hopes people can forgive her for her mistake.

The Training Day director and his wife have two children and were last photographed in a public together in February of 2019. Despite the mounting speculations, they have yet to make any formal announcements or clarifications about the current status of their marriage.

The post LisaRaye McCoy blasts Nicole Murphy for kissing scandal and says she messed around with her ex-husband too appeared first on theGrio.



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Obituary: Tunisia's President Beji Caid Essebsi

Beji Caid Essebsi was a secularist who became Tunisia's first freely elected president in 2014.

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Drag Queen vs. David Duke: Whose Tweets Are More 'Toxic'?

Opinion: Researchers used Google's AI tool to rank the harmfulness of tweets by white nationalists and drag queens. The results were discouraging.

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Kanye West files trademark request for ‘Sunday Service’ merchandise

Kanye West is gearing up to extend his “Sunday Service” concert series into a business venture and filed a trademark to register the name to sell merchandise emblazoned with the brand.

The Golddigger rapper plans to legitimately sell “bottoms, dresses, footwear, headwear, jackets, loungewear, scarves, shirts, socks and tops” with the name, Page Six reports.

Kanye West says after son Psalm’s birth, he wants to preach the Gospel

See, he’s done it before at Coachella on Easter Sunday, but he didn’t have the legal trademark secured with the moniker. That ultimately could prove problematic and result in a monetary loss if another trademark exists.

At Coachella, West sold Sunday Service hoodies ranging from $165 and $225 and socks with the slogan “Church Socks” and “Jesus Walks” for $50.

Mascotte Holdings, Inc filed the trademark application for West, but that’s doesn’t mean it will get approved. Getting a trademark is sometimes an uphill battle especially is other organizations challenge it. And being as though Sunday Service has been a religious theme for ages, West might be in for quite a battle.

It seems that West is getting more deeply embedded in his concert series.

Wendy Williams breaks down about divorce and opens up about upcoming Lifetime biopic

Earlier this year, West tried to show the world he’s more in tune with his spiritual after naming his fourth child, Psalm. The “Jesus Walks” rapper also revealed that he wants to become an ordained minister.

West has recently been known for holding weekly gospel-flavored “Sunday Services”, but now it looks like he wants to take it up a notch.

“Kanye is convinced that his calling in life is now gospel and spreading the word of God,” a Keeping Up With The Kardashians source previously told Radar Online. “He has always been a man of faith, but he has taken it to a whole new level now.”

Bless his heart.

The post Kanye West files trademark request for ‘Sunday Service’ merchandise appeared first on theGrio.



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Wendy Williams breaks down about divorce and opens up about upcoming Lifetime biopic

The pain of divorce cut deep for talk-show host Wendy Williams who burst out in tears as she discussed the remnants of her on-going divorce to Kevin Hunter on Sirius XM’s Urban View radio show.

On Tuesday, the talk-show host was the one in the hot seat as interviewer Karen Hunter pressed her about closely-held details of the high-profile divorce and whether she’d ever take her alleged cheating ex back or change her legal name, Entertainment Tonight reports.

After kicking Kevin Hunter to the left, Wendy Williams is reportedly ready to take over her empire

When asked if there was ever a chance of reconciliation with her ex who allegedly fathered a child with his mistress, Williams vehemently said. “No! Don’t ask. No!” She then gave Karen the side-eye and followed up with “Girl.”

“But my family’s good, and we’ll always be family,” she continued.

Williams was clearly emotional as she discussed whether she has made life changes like getting new credit cards or legally changing her last name.

“No, my name is Wendy Hunter. That’s my son’s name, and you can’t take away twenty-…” Williams said, fighting back tears.

“So who is Wendy, right now?” Karen asked.

“Happy,” Williams said. “I’m happy, I’m healthy, and I am at peace with the world and everyone around me.”

However, things are looking up for Williams who is working on a Lifetime biopic that surely will be juicy and revealing.

According to a press release, “The authorized project provides a revealing look at Wendy’s journey, from her scrappy upstart days in urban radio to the success of her own syndicated talk show.” It will go into production this fall in Toronto and will air on Lifetime in 2020.

Wendy Williams sheds tears over divorce drama, but then gets real about it

The project reportedly is a Will Packer (Girls Trip) production and the screenplay reportedly will be penned by Boomerang writer Leigh Davenport. After the biopic, a two-hour documentary will follow.

“It’s like a Wendy night on Lifetime!” Williams stated.

Williams life has undoubtedly been a tumultuous one.

The cheating scandal rocked Williams world and she admitted to spending some time in a sober living facility to get her life back on track. She also opened up about her future plans sans Hunter.

With a career that spans over three decades, the 55-year-old has had success as both a popular radio host and television producer and host. The Wendy Williams Show is celebrating its eleventh season this year.

The post Wendy Williams breaks down about divorce and opens up about upcoming Lifetime biopic appeared first on theGrio.



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Video emerges of kidnapped aid workers in Nigeria

Action Against Hunger is "strongly urging" captors to release the six employees.

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7 Travel Essentials: Mobile Charger, Headphones, Neck Pillow, iPad Pro

Whether your stuck on the tarmac or trapped at cruising altitude, these items will make your next journey more tolerable.

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UPS Wants to Go Full-Scale With Its Drone Deliveries

The delivery giant is done experimenting and is petitioning the FAA for the right to launch revenue-generating drone flights without today’s restrictions.

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How Scientists Built a ‘Living Drug’ to Beat Cancer

Researchers didn’t know if it would work, but they had little to lose when they tried a new drug known as a CAR-T—a living cell reprogrammed to recognize and kill leukemia—on a dying 6-year-old.

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Using AI, and Film, to Track Tear Gas Use Against Civilians

Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras teamed up with a London nonprofit developing machine learning tools to identify lethal weapons in online videos.

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Tunisian president Beji Caid Essebsi dies

Tunisia's first freely elected president Beji Caid Essebsi has died, aged 92, the country's presidency says.

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Facebook's Ex-Security Chief Details His 'Observatory' for Internet Abuse

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Bobi Wine to run for Ugandan presidency

The pop star tuned politician says he will challenge Yoweri Museveni for the presidency in 2021.

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Wednesday, July 24, 2019

The puzzling 'mass migration' of Ugandans to India

The number of Ugandans living in India has risen sharply, according to census data. But is that accurate?

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The Galaxy Fold Has Been Fixed, Samsung Says

The company will make its folding smartphone available to consumers—once again—this fall.

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Tesla Delivers More Cars—and More Losses

The electric vehicle maker said it set a record for deliveries, which more than doubled from a year earlier. But few were luxury models, leading to a quarterly loss.

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Robert Mueller's Work Is Done. Now It's Congress's Turn

In nearly six hours of testimony Wednesday, former special counsel Robert Mueller stuck to the facts.

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The FTC Takes On Mark Zuckerberg, Rutger Hauer Dies, and More News

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‘When They See Us’ to get top awards at African American Film Critics Association’s TV Honors

“When They See Us,” Ava DuVernay’s important yet chilling Netflix limited series about five Black youth wrongly charged and convicted of raping a woman in Central Park, will take home four awards from the upcoming African American Film Critics Association’s inaugural TV Honors.

The series won the most awards out of the competition, including Best Limited Series, Best Ensemble, Best Writing and Breakthrough Performance for Jharrel Jerome who plays Korey Wise in the series, according to Deadline. The awards were created to celebrate stellar achievement in television. Honorees will receive their awards on Aug. 11 during a private brunch at the California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey, Calif.

READ MORE: 5 Things to Know about ‘When They See Us’ breakout star Jharrel Jerome

Also to receive awards are the Starz drama “Power,” which will debut its sixth and final season on August 25th, and the CBS comedy, “The Neighborhood” which stars Cedric the Entertainer and Tichina Arnold. The Best Performance from a Female and Male awards will go to Angela Bassett for the Fox series “9-1-1” and Sterling K. Brown for the NBC drama “This Is Us.”

Actors aren’t the only ones who will be receiving awards. AAFCA TV Honors will also hand out the AAFCA TV Icon Award to producer, Ryan Murphy, and the AAFCA Inclusion Award to the CBS network for its diverse programming and talent, according to a press release put out by the association.

“It is impossible to ignore TV’s popularity and remarkable influence on America’s pop culture landscape today,” AAFCA president Gil Robertson IV said in the release. “As the stature of the small screen continues to expand, it has become increasingly more diverse and inclusive, a movement that we at AAFCA wholeheartedly embrace and champion. The honorees for our first AAFCA TV Honors represent the very best of television programming.

“They all successfully put a mirror up to our world to tell stories that are refreshingly diverse and authentic,” Robertson continued. “We feel that this new wave of innovative, thought-provoking storytelling is inspiring and deserving of celebration.”

READ MORE: ‘When They See Us’ is the most watched show in the U.S. since its debut, according to Netflix

Below is the breakdown of the AAFCA TV Honors 2019 winners:

Best Drama – “Power” (Starz)

Best Comedy – “The Neighborhood” (CBS)

Best Limited Series – “When They See Us” (Netflix)

Best Performance Female – Angela Bassett (9-1-1) FOX

Best Performance Male – Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”) NBC

Best Ensemble –– “When They See Us” (Netflix)

Best Writing – “When They See Us” (Netflix)

Breakthrough Performance – Jharrel Jerome, “When They See Us” (Netflix)

AAFCA TV Honors Inclusion Award – CBS

AAFCA TV Honors ICON Award – Ryan Murphy

The post ‘When They See Us’ to get top awards at African American Film Critics Association’s TV Honors appeared first on theGrio.



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