Not quitting brings glory on the athletics track but misery when political officials pass the buck.
from BBC News - Africa https://ift.tt/2p0b9XZ
via
Intro Video
Tuesday, October 8, 2019
Russia's Disinformation War Is Just Getting Started
Trump Takes Aim at the 'Open Skies' Cold War Treaty with Russia
MIT launches digital content library for workforce learning on emerging technologies
In the age of blockchains, 3D printing, CRISPR-Cas9 — and the inevitable new technologies that are yet to emerge — today’s workforce is struggling to keep up with the latest developments. For large companies and executives, finding resources for workers to learn from that are current, reputable, and unbiased can be challenging.
To address this unmet need, MIT has assembled a team of writers, educators, and subject matter experts from both academia and industry to power the Institute’s newest online learning offering — a digital content library designed to help organizations keep their workforces apprised of the latest developments in technology and science. Known as MIT Horizon, the platform contains bite-sized articles, videos, and podcasts on emerging technologies, with early topics including additive manufacturing, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and robotics.
“Technologies are advancing very rapidly, and we feel a responsibility at MIT to provide learning opportunities that can help today’s workforce keep up with this pace of innovation,” says Sanjay Sarma, MIT vice president for open learning. “With MIT Horizon, we aim to introduce more granular learning in a variety of formats that teams can easily consume.”
A subscription-based service, MIT Horizon presents unbiased, up-to-date, accurate educational content together with an enterprise-friendly platform, usage analytics, ongoing user engagement support, and various professional services.
Developed for both technical and non-technical learners, content delivered on MIT Horizon is conceived of and created by MIT writers, faculty, and industry experts. Some content is licensed from MIT publishers, including MIT Press and MIT Sloan Management Review.
The goal of MIT Horizon is to help teams quickly understand and apply the latest developments in technology and science to their industry.
Five customers have subscribed to MIT Horizon so far, including global technology companies HP and Amsted Industries.
“This is a groundbreaking platform specially-designed for learning on emerging technologies,” Sarma says. “We are thrilled to bring this offering to organizations in need of new learning opportunities, as it reflects our mission of expanding MIT’s educational reach to millions of working professionals.”
from MIT News https://ift.tt/2OvjiOx
via
White House fighting impeachment by stalling and attacking
By JONATHAN LEMIRE, JILL COLVIN and ZEKE MILLER Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — As House Democrats fire off more subpoenas, the White House has launched a high-stakes strategy to counter the impeachment threat to President Donald Trump: Stall. Obfuscate. Attack. Repeat.
One of the administration’s first moves: the State Department on Tuesday barred Gordon Sondland, the U.S. European Union ambassador, from appearing before a House panel conducting the impeachment inquiry into Trump.
READ MORE: Rep. Ilhan Omar divorcing husband amid heavy public scrutiny, affair allegations
“I would love to send Ambassador Sondland, a really good man and great American, to testify, but unfortunately he would be testifying before a totally compromised kangaroo court, where Republican’s rights have been taken away, and true facts are not allowed out for the public to see,” Trump wrote on Twitter.
Sondland’s attorney, Robert Luskin, said his client was “profoundly disappointed” that he wouldn’t be able to testify. A whistleblower’s complaint and text messages released by another envoy portray Sondland as a potentially important witness to allegations that the Republican president sought to dig up dirt on a Democratic rival in the name of foreign policy.
Trump aides are honing their approach after two weeks of what allies have described as a listless and unfocused response to the impeachment probe. One expected step is a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejecting the inquiry because Democrats haven’t held a vote on the matter and moving to all but ceasing cooperation with Capitol Hill on key oversight matters.
The strategy risks further provoking Democrats in the impeachment probe, setting up court challenges and the potential for lawmakers to draw up an article of impeachment accusing Trump of obstructing their investigations. Rep. Adam Schiff, chairman of the House intelligence committee, said that Sondland’s no-show would be grounds for obstruction of justice and could give a preview of what some of the articles of impeachment against Trump would entail.
But as lawmakers seek to amass ammunition to be used in an impeachment trial, the White House increasingly believes all-out warfare is its best course of action.
“What they did to this country is unthinkable. It’s lucky that I’m the president. A lot of people said very few people could handle it. I sort of thrive on it,” Trump said Monday at the White House. “You can’t impeach a president for doing a great job. This is a scam.”
House Democrats, for their part, issued a new round of subpoenas on Monday, this time to Defense Secretary Mark Esper and acting White House budget director Russell Vought. Pelosi’s office also released an open letter signed by 90 former national security officials who served in both Democratic and Republican administrations, voicing support for the whistleblower who raised concerns about Trump’s efforts to get Ukraine to investigate political foe Joe Biden.
READ MORE: New book ‘Barack and Joe’ reveals the awkward beginnings of a now infamous White House ‘bromance’
“A responsible whistleblower makes all Americans safer by ensuring that serious wrongdoing can be investigated and addressed, thus advancing the cause of national security to which we have devoted our careers,” they wrote. “Whatever one’s view of the matters discussed in the whistleblower’s complaint, all Americans should be united in demanding that all branches of our government and all outlets of our media protect this whistleblower and his or her identity. Simply put, he or she has done what our law demands; now he or she deserves our protection.”
The House Intelligence, Oversight and Foreign Affairs committees are investigating Trump’s actions pressing Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son, potentially interfering in the 2020 election. The former vice president, for his part, has accused Trump of “frantically pushing flat-out lies, debunked conspiracy theories and smears against me.” Trump also withheld hundreds of millions of dollars in military assistance to Ukraine.
The White House has struggled to communicate its message beyond Trump’s angry public proclamations and an endless stream of tweets.
Indeed, top officials were absent from the Sunday talk shows, and the sole White House official to appear in public on Monday dodged questions on the inquiry.
Asked whether he believed the president was joking or in any way not serious when he suggested publicly that China should investigate the Bidens, Larry Kudlow, Trump’s top economic adviser, responded: “I don’t honestly know.”
Trump and his team’s initial strategy had been to try to undermine the credibility of the intelligence community whistleblower who first raised questions about Trump’s conduct with Ukraine, just as they tried to undercut special counsel Robert Mueller and his team. They stressed that the whistleblower had only second- or third-hand information and alleged that the person misrepresented the president’s efforts. But now a second whistleblower has come forward to corroborate the information, and a cache of text messages echoes the concerns that have been laid out.
As the impeachment inquiry ramps up, the White House plans to reprise its past response to congressional oversight: open scorn. The president’s aides have ignored document requests and subpoenas, invoked executive privilege — going so far as to argue that the privilege extends to informal presidential advisers who have never held White House jobs — and all but dared Democrats to hold them in contempt.
The letter to Pelosi has been delayed as aides work to finalize legislative and communications plans to go along with the legal strategy.
At the same time, Trump’s campaign, which has reported a fundraising surge since the impeachment inquiry, held a curiously timed briefing call with reporters Monday to trumpet its efforts to overhaul the delegate selection process to ensure there is no drama at the Republican National Convention. Trump campaign officials said the effort had nothing to do with concerns about fending off a primary challenge.
___
Follow Colvin on Twitter at https://twitter.com/colvinj , Miller at https://twitter.com/zekejmiller and Lemire at https://twitter.com/JonLemire
The post White House fighting impeachment by stalling and attacking appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2pY2ANT
via
Wendy Williams earns a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
Talk show hostess Wendy Williams is getting her piece of the pie.
—Tracee Ellis Ross dishes about Hollywood snubs during ‘Girlfriends’ days—
On Monday, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced that the hot topics diva will be honored with her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Oct. 17, The NY Daily News reports.
Williams will receive the 2,677th star on Hollywood Boulevard thanks to her work on her popular Emmy-nominated daytime talk show.
Williams, who made her name as a controversial radio host, was a mainstay in radio for 20 years. Williams was known for her shocking commentary, dishing dirt and dropping tea on stars that sometimes earned her the ire of celebrities.
She had stints at the former Kiss FM, Hot 97, and WBLS in New York as well as Philadelphia’s Power 99 between 1989 until she left radio in 2009.
At same year, she was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame. Williams is also author of the New York Times best-selling memoir “Wendy’s Got The Heat,” with Karen Hunter, which chronicles her cocaine drug habits.
A Lifetime biopic is in the works entered on her career and tumultuous life which is still making headlines.
—Wendy Williams takes subtle jab at estranged husband with new executive producer credits—
TheGrio previously reported, The Wendy Williams Show has been renewed for two more seasons.
The post Wendy Williams earns a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/35h9xK4
via
The Physics Nobel Goes to the Big Bang and Exoplanets
Bollinger's Electric Pickup and SUV Are Made for the Mud
The Big Lure of Tiny Keyboards
South Africa 66-7 Canada: Springboks seal Rugby World Cup quarter-final place
Byron Allen Acquires 11 Television Stations for $290 Million
A Supreme Court battle won’t stop business titan Byron Allen from conquering new heights! Allen’s company Entertainment Studios has purchased 11 television stations for $290 million in a new acquisition. His Allen Media Broadcasting division is acquiring the broadcast television stations from USA Television Holdings L.L.C. and USA Television MidAmerica Holdings L.L.C., which includes network affiliations like ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX.
“Bob Prather is an excellent broadcaster and he has done a brilliant job of assembling a stellar management team to operate these very strong network affiliate broadcast stations,” said Allen, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Entertainment Studios, in a press release. “This is another milestone for our company, as we have now agreed to purchase our second broadcast network affiliate station group within the past three months, and continue to aggressively look for other opportunities to grow our global media company through strategic acquisitions.”
“I have known Byron Allen for decades and we are delighted that these stations will now be part of his dynamic company, and that Heartland management will continue to guide them,” said USA Television CEO Robert S. Prather, Jr., in the statement. “These stations are dedicated to their local communities and this transaction will enable them to become even stronger on both their broadcast and digital platforms.”
Last year, Allen’s Entertainment Studios purchased The Weather Channel for $300 million. In July 2019, the black media mogul acquired four local TV stations from Bayou City Broadcasting, located in Evansville, IN, and Lafayette, LA. Plus, in May, he partnered with Sinclair Broadcast Group to acquire 21 Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) from Walt Disney/FOX Corp.
Almost a year ago, the comedian-turned-successful businessman filed a $20 billion lawsuit against Comcast in addition to a $10 billion suit against Charter Communications. Now, the case has made its way to the highest court in the land. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case on Nov. 13. Allen is claiming that the two media conglomerates refused to carry his cable TV channels based on racial bias. He has been going back and forth with Comcast in court to prove that its insistence not to carry his channels is based on the fact he is black.
Allen has gained support in his ongoing court battle against Comcast from the rapper and activist Michael “Killer Mike” Render and The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Both the outspoken hip-hop activist and civil rights group are urging black people to stand with him in his lawsuit.
from Black Enterprise https://ift.tt/2MnLGzz
via
Tokyo 2020: Nigeria's exit 'heartbreaking' - Oshoala
Exclusive: A Deeper Look at the PlayStation 5—Haptics, UI Facelift, and More
Microfibers Are the New Microbeads. Grab Your Pitchforks
Joshua Brown Murder: Witness in Amber Guyger trial for killing Botham Jean, was set to testify in civil case before being gunned down
Joshua Brown, the Black man who was gunned down on Friday after delivering key testimony that helped convict Amber Guyger for the killing of Botham Jean in his apartment, was reportedly also set to testify in a civil case against the city of Dallas.
—The Forgiveness Trap: Botham Jean’s family’s response to Amber Guyger triggers debate—
The attorney for Jean’s family, Lee Merritt said while there is no motive or suspect yet named in Brown’s killing, Brown was preparing to testify in a civil action against the city filed by the family.
Brown, who used to live in the same apartment complex as Guyger and Jean, was shot several times by an unknown assailant at his new place of residence.
“To have a key witness, suddenly be killed is suspicious,” Merritt told CBS News in an interview published Monday. “Was this related to the trial? There is no clear indication.”
Brown “deserves the justice he sought to ensure the Jean family,” Merritt said.
Brown testified that he was returning home from an outing, when he heard two people meeting by surprise. He then heard two gunshots and immediately ran away. He told the court he did not hear commands like “hands.”
Jean was fatally shot and killed by Guyger after she entered his apartment in September 2018.
“He was reluctant to testify in this case because he had been shot at and he thought some people might want to do harm to him,” Merritt told CBS News.
—Amber Guyger: Protests erupt over light sentence—
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson asked people to “refrain from speculation.”
“I trust the Dallas Police Department will conduct a thorough investigation into the death of Joshua Brown,” he tweeted Sunday.
Brown’s body was found lying on the ground in the parking lot of the Atera apartment complex with multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics took him to Parkland Memorial Hospital, where he later died, according to The Washington Post.
The post Joshua Brown Murder: Witness in Amber Guyger trial for killing Botham Jean, was set to testify in civil case before being gunned down appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/30WNPHV
via
Book of Toni Morrison quotations is coming out in December
A book of Toni Morrison quotations is coming out in December.
“The Measure of Our Lives: A Gathering of Wisdom” will draw from her whole body of work, including celebrated novels such as “Beloved” and “Song of Solomon.”
The foreword is by Zadie Smith, adapted from a tribute she wrote soon after the Nobel laureate died in August at age 88.
A publisher’s note describes the book as a distillation of her major themes, including “transcendence through imagination; the self and its discontents; the vicissitudes of love; the whirligig of memory; the singular power of women; the original American sin of slavery; the bankruptcy of racial oppression; the complex humanity; and art of black people.”
The compact, 128-page compilation was put together by Erroll McDonald, executive editor and vice president of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group. He told The Associated Press on Monday that he thought of the book as a response to the “tremendous adulation” that Morrison received after her death. He intends “The Measure of Our Lives” to serve as an introduction for new readers and an “ideal keepsake” for longtime admirers.
The book’s title comes from one of Morrison’s most famous sayings, about words themselves: “We die. That may be the meaning of life. But we do language. That may be the measure of our lives.”
The post Book of Toni Morrison quotations is coming out in December appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/31SoXSN
via
Michelle Obama’s next project is a companion to ‘Becoming’
Michelle Obama’s first project since “Becoming” is more about her readers than about herself.
“Becoming: A Guided Journal for Discovering Your Voice” will be published Nov. 19 by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The new release was announced Monday. It is a companion to her multimillion-selling “Becoming,” which came out last November. It features an introduction by the former first lady and quotations and questions related to her memoir. It is designed to help readers tell their own stories.
In the introduction, Obama writes that she hopes the journal will encourage people to write down their “experiences, thoughts, and feelings, in all their imperfections, and without judgment.”
The post Michelle Obama’s next project is a companion to ‘Becoming’ appeared first on theGrio.
from theGrio https://ift.tt/2OsBmsM
via
A Cow, a Controversy, and a Dashed Dream of More Humane Farms
An AI Pioneer Wants His Algorithms to Understand the 'Why'
Lagos 'sex for grades' lecturer is suspended after BBC film
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)