Klay Thompson subscribes. You can too for just 11 cents a day for 11 months + receive a free Warriors Championship book. Sign me up!OAKLAND — Steve Kerr hardly minced his words about Kevin Durant, who had more turnovers (nine) than field-goal attempts (eight) in the Warriors’ Game 2 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers.“Absolutely, he needs to be more aggressive,” Kerr said. “It’s the playoffs. He can get any shot he wants at anytime. I want to see him get 20 shots, 30.”It does not appear Durant …
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Big Science Waffles on Gender Confusion
The mouthpieces for science don’t seem to know whether to use common sense or go with the PC current.There’s hardly anything more obvious about human beings (and all mammals) than that they come in male and female forms. Except in very rare medical disorders, such as those born with “ambiguous genitalia” or anomalous chromosomes like XXY forms, the dividing line is pretty clear. Women give birth to babies; men don’t. The primary sexual characteristics are obvious, and the secondary sexual characteristics are usually pretty obvious, too. Circuses may have the occasional bearded lady, but such cases are recognized as genetic anomalies, not the norm. Most of them did not “choose” their anomalous condition. Some men can’t grow a beard, and some develop “man boobs” with age or obesity, but again those are not “gender choices” that men make. Women have fallopian tubes; men don’t. Men have to worry about prostate cancer or testicular cancer; women, about cervical cancer or ovarian cancer. It’s not necessary to lengthen this list. Even if a man dresses like a woman, or a woman dresses like a man, it doesn’t require a specialist to find out who is for real. So-called “sex reassignment surgery” can only go so far; it cannot change the chromosomes in each cell. Don’t expect Bruce “Caitlin” Jenner to give birth any time soon.A relatively small group of activists has gained enormous power over the media and academia— the LGBT movement (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, with other initials vouching for inclusion, like Q for queer). Flush with successes in the courts, adamant LGBT spokespersons claim that gender can be completely separated from biological sex, such that a biological male can not only just “feel” like a woman, but actually be one. Conversely, a biological female can actually be a man by simply choosing to “identify” as such. Look, for instance, at this article, “Can a woman have a penis?” by Katharine Jenkins, a good example of an LGBT talking head who insists that the answer is, “Yes!” – and she means it seriously. Must we quote her (it?) to prove this?If this is right, what does it mean for the Liverpool ReSisters’s claim that “women don’t have penises”? Well, since gender identity is not determined by what kind of genitals someone has, a person with a female gender identity might well have a penis. In other words, yes, some women do have penises.Notice that this article, though written at The Conversation (a presumed ‘science’ site where everything but conservativism is tolerated), but reprinted by Phys.org, a science news site!So powerful has been the influence of LGBT activists in academia and media, they have convinced some legislators to criminalize addressing someone who identifies as the opposite sex by ‘its’ biological sex pronouns. This has been on the rise in commonwealth countries like the UK and Canada but is happening in America already, too. Such transgressions can cost persons their jobs, and shame them for believing in traditional sex roles and determinations. Tugged along by political correctness, science news sites are joining in the shaming of common-sense people, suggesting that believers in traditional sex roles are bigots and obstructionists, while science is on the LGBT side. Here are some example stories that appeared recently in Big Media (BM):Young people want sex education and religion shouldn’t get in the way (The Conversation). Gary Bouma wants schools to teach “gender diversity” and decrease parental and church influence in the teaching of sex roles and values.People who embrace traditional masculinity beliefs less likely to report rape (Medical Xpress). Those evil traditionalists; they cover up sex crimes more than the tolerant LGBT types. (But is rape only possible for men? How does that fit the gender-fluidity belief system? Can a man have an abortion? What happens to the philosophers’ tautology illustration that bachelors are unmarried men?)Gender stereotypes begin at age 10 (Medical Xpress). It’s traditional parents’ fault for teaching children that men and women are different. The subtext is that government needs to intervene. This article uses fear-mongering and extreme cases to show the danger of traditional values.Extreme LGBT activists even multiply the number of possible genders, with associated pronouns that must be used so as not to offend a gender-confused person’s chosen gender du jour. It’s nearly impossible for people to keep up with the new gender vocabulary, even if they consider themselves tolerant and want to affirm the chosen gender identity of an acquaintance. It might be offensive, for instance, to address a bearded bodybuilder type wearing lipstick and a dress as “she” if it identifies as some other oddball gender. Campuses must let “it” enter the women’s bathrooms and showers, even with full male genitalia exposed. Anyone who dares to complain must be punished. Male athletes can identify as women and win all the female sports contests, even without hormones or sex reassignment surgery. Some feminists are beginning to get fed up with the unfairness, but so far there’s been little they can do about it. California almost passed a law criminalizing the counseling of a gender-confused person, before the bill’s author pulled the bill after talking to evangelical leaders. So certain was expected passage given the political makeup of California state government, traditional-values groups considered it nearly a miracle that the bill did not go through (see California Family Council).Gender-Confused BSEnter Big Science (BS). What’s a politically-astute secular scientist to do? He, she, or “it” can look at the chromosomes under a microscope, examine the genitalia, and note the secondary sexual characteristics of a lab rat or a human being. But is a scientist immune from the shaming tactics of the LGBT totalitarians? The situation is not yet clear. Biologists routinely denote the sex of non-human organisms (e.g., lion vs lioness), and often report on differences between men and women (e.g., “Binge Drinking Affects Male and Female Brains Differently,” posted on Science Daily). The European Society for Medical Oncology posted a risky article, “Men and women are different: medical oncology needs to restate the obvious” (Medical Xpress). Cancer doctors cannot risk the health of their patients by ignoring well-studied differences in treatment responses between the sexes. Whether the authors were hit with a backlash for saying this, we don’t know.We have seen, however, that affirming male-female differences can be fraught with danger. After Brown University published a peer-reviewed scientific paper about “Rapid Onset Gender Dysphoria” (see 27 Aug 2018), so vehement was the outcry from transgenders who were offended, the university had to post an apology and censor itself (Breitbart News). Even the journal Science took note of this in a short news post:A study describing “rapid onset gender dysphoria” in teens and young adults—a sudden unease with the gender they were assigned at birth—has infuriated transgender activists while sparking a debate about academic freedom. Critics of the paper, published last month in PLOS ONE by physician-scientist Lisa Littman of Brown University, call it a flawed study that reflects an antitransgender agenda, in part because it suggests some cases may be the result of “social contagion.” Brown and the journal have both distanced themselves from the paper, drawing charges that they surrendered to political pressure.The editors appear very careful in this statement not to take sides. Perhaps they don’t want to become the next targets of LGBT wrath. If so, there goes the objectivity of science.Update 09/17/18: WND reports that professor has angered LGBT leftists by insisting that men and women are biologically different. Germund Hesslow of the neurophysiology department at Lund University in Sweden is being accused of “transphobia” and “anti-feminism” but is standing his ground. “He said his comments were not based on a political agenda but scientific fact,” according to the article. It remains to be seen who will win the tug-of-war, but we can expect more situations like it, because leftists are not used to having professors refuse to buckle under. They have ways to destroy careers when crossed.If the trend continues, BS (Big Science) will find itself too intimidated by the powerful leftists* with their identity politics to appeal to observation and common sense for anything. The mandarins of political correctness have them on a long leash, but they are starting to wind it in. If the totalitarians can do this to Big Science, what can churches and traditional families do?Ironically, around the same time, Science Daily printed a post about “the universality of shame.” Evolutionary psychologists Leda Cosmides and John Tooby are at it again (3 Aug 2018), destroying civilization by explaining everything about human behavior as an evolutionary adaptation (23 July 2017). According to their latest just-so story, shame evolved as a defense mechanism. This means that Science was not engaged in an unbiased search for the truth when it reported the “debate” about rapid onset gender dysphoria. The editors were just puppets of their selfish genes, conditioned to use ancient evolved responses to perceived threats. Shame is universal in human nature, Tooby and Cosmides claim, except that they should be ashamed for posting this stupid story, but are not.Screwtape and Wormwood are howling at the gullibility of humans who think the senior devil’s latest play, The Shaming of the True, is about reality.*See the difference between liberalism and leftism in this short video on Prager University. (Visited 474 times, 1 visits today)FacebookTwitterPinterestSave分享0
Next Einstein Forum looks for Africa’s leaders
4 March 2016The first global forum for science on African soil will take place in Dakar, Senegal, from 8 to 10 March 2016, and the Next Einstein Forum (NEF) has launched a global call for support for Africa’s scientific and technological emergence.Its video asks the question: “Can the next Einstein come from Africa?”. It calls on game changers from Africa and around the world to support Africa’s scientific renaissance.Watch the video “Can the next Einstein come from Africa?”:The Next Einstein Forum Global Gathering 2016, the African global science and technology forum, is convened by the NEF, a global platform that brings together leaders in industry, policy, science, and technology. The first edition of this biennial event will set the stage for a conversation on transforming Africa and the world through a renewed and increased focus on science, technology and innovation.Scientific talentThe NEF is an initiative of the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) in partnership with the Robert Bosch Stiftung.“At more than 700 participants from 80 countries already registered, 52% of them young people and 40% women, we are expecting a truly global forum that discusses opportunities, innovations, and solutions,” said Thierry Zomahoun, the NEF chair and president and chief executive of AIMS.“The NEF Global Gathering will unveil Africa’s global contributions to science and technology and as the forum opens on International Women’s Day, we will specifically acknowledge the contributions and address the challenges faced by female scientists.”The NEF Global Gathering 2016 will showcase the innovations and contributions of the NEF’s 15 Fellows – some of Africa’s brightest young scientists who are on the frontline of Africa’s science renaissance. Flying under the radar, these scientists have been tackling some the continent’s most urgent technological and development challenges – from big data and cybersecurity to hypertension, heart disease, immunology and public health.“A great idea can come from anywhere in the world, and there is no doubt that new and novel scientific ideas to solve global health challenges will come from Africa,” said Seema Kumar, the vice-president of innovation, global health and science policy at Johnson & Johnson and a member of the NEF International Steering Committee. Johnson & Johnson is sponsor of the gathering.“The scientific talent in Africa is outstanding with the potential to produce the next Einstein, Pasteur or Madame Curie. The world needs the best science from across the globe to solve the medical challenges of our lifetime like HIV, TB, and other infectious diseases like Ebola and Zika virus, and non-communicable diseases like hypertension and diabetes.”Continent-wide initiativesIn addition, for the first time in history, all 54 African countries will come together to talk science and technology, each represented by NEF ambassadors who will work to raise awareness about science and technology in their countries.With a programme that focuses on advances in basic and applied science and technology as well as an innovation pitching competition, a presidential panel with President Macky Sall of Senegal and President Paul Kagame of Rwanda and sessions with ground-breaking scientists and inventors, the NEF Global Gathering 2016 will be live-streamed to a global audience through the Next Einstein Forum.Supporters of science, innovation and technology as drivers of growth in Africa can join the NEF movement by pledging their signature at I Am Einstein.Source: APO-Africa Newsroom
Proudly South African Online Shopping Site Takes the Buy Local Campaign to The Next Level
With an active online shopping population of over 18 million racking up sales of R37.1 billion in 2017, South Africa’s e-commerce sector is on a massive upward trajectory.Proudly South African is looking to grow its members’ share of this burgeoning market and has launched its own online shopping site. Unambiguously Proudly South African, the site is populated exclusively with locally made goods and products, differentiating itself significantly from other sites and making a buy local choice simple for consumers.Together with RSAMade, Proudly South African have created an e-shopping site www.rsamade.co.za where anyone can make made in South Africa choices easily in the knowledge that every single item for sale on the site is made locally. Proudly South African vets and verifies local content and quality and that all the vendor companies adhere to labour and environmental legislation which is all part of the terms of Proudly South African membership.Said Eustace Mashimbye, CEO of Proudly South African, “We had been looking for some time at establishing a commercial site for our members, and RSA Made’s existing platform and content were a great match making it logical to extend their offering exclusively to Proudly South African members. It is important now that we are in the age of the 4th industrial revolution to tap into digital shopping habits and to ensure that more locally grown, produced and manufactured goods are available to local consumers. We know that China supplies US$15.5 billion of imports to this country and much of that is found on online shopping sites. Www.rsamade.co.za can claim to be the only truly local online shopping site for consumers. Of course, it is not restricted to SA only and we will be delighted if there is uptake from international shoppers!.”RSA Made’s CEO Karamba Jabbie added, “We feel that we have found a perfect partner in Proudly South African – our platform already concentrated exclusively on items made here in South Africa, and so it made complete sense to us to join together with the country’s buy local advocacy campaign, whose member companies are already quality controlled for sale on the platform. We are so excited to see the online shopping site being populated slowly but surely. We will take our time to ensure that all products are beautifully represented to provide consumers with a truly Proudly South African online shopping experience but users can subscribe to the site to receive regular notifications as new products and special offers come online, so we are encouraging everyone to register on the site.”The launch of the site also holds great importance for the growth and development of the country’s digital economy and push towards increased re-industrialisation and consumption of locally made products. Minister in the dti, Dr Rob Davies commented on the launch of the site and said, “Reindustrialization is a priority to growing job opportunities in the country and the accessibility of locally made products especially in this era where more and more consumers are buying their products on online platforms, this is a much needed solution. We also have to recognize changing employment patterns and the potential this sector has in creating new employment sources. Technology has the capacity to generate many new skilled jobs, and we must look at the commercialisation of innovations such as online shopping platforms. E-commerce represents a great opportunity and I am delighted that Proudly South African has seized the day and has created a site where increased localisation is the only goal.”The site works on the same basis as any other online shopping store, with a simple product selection and check out sequence, with door to door delivery within 48 hours within our borders. In addition, the site has a fully functioning ticketing system and local events are encouraged to use this platform for their online ticket sales.www.rsamade.co.za is the first site of its kind in South Africa, a platform created not just to assist small, medium and even large local businesses to sell more, but it was also built using only South African suppliers and service providers.For a Proudly South African online shopping experience visit www.rsamade.co.za
Affordable Color Grading Tools for Shooters and Video Editors
Color Grading SurfacesThere are plenty of reasons to get a control surface, but picking the right one for your needs is crucial. If you aren’t a professional colorist, it makes no sense to buy a console that costs as much as a car. Here are five color grading surfaces that range from free to just over $1000.1. Tangent Element-Vs App (Free or $100) For most videographers, there’s really no need to build out a full color grading suite. Use these color tools instead — and then put them away when you’re done!Top image via X-RiteCan’t dedicate your editing suite to massive color consoles? These color grading tools are handy when you need them — and can be set aside when you don’t.Color Check Cards and ChartsImage via X-RiteIf you are a shooter and editor, a color card is a great way to save time color correcting your footage. Shooting your subject with a color card in focus allows you to instantly match the true colors of the chart in post.Here are a few of the most popular color cards used by video producers.X-Rite ColorChecker Card — $55ColorChecker Passport Video — $120DataColor SpyderCheckr — $139DSC Labs Front Box One Shot — $300 Image via TangentIf you don’t want a color surface cluttering your desk (or simply don’t use one often enough to justify a purchase), Tangent has created a color surface app for iPads and Android tablets. The digital surface emulates Tangent’s Element line and connects via Wi-Fi, so the tablet and your editing computer must be on the same network for best performance. Another nice feature — you can use multiple tablets at once.The Element-Vs app’s free version will only allow you to use the app for an hour a day, but it’s a great way to test the product. The full version will only set you back $100, and it’s available in the App Store and Google Play Store. It works on every generation of iPad. Android devices must have a screen size of 7″ or more.2. Palette Gear ($199+)Image via Palette GearPalette Gear is a modular control panel (and it’s really awesome). It’s the most customizable tool you can get. The Palette’s functionality isn’t specific to color work — it works with Photoshop, After Effects, Lightroom, Illustrator, InDesign, and Audition. The company is currently in beta for Premiere and FCPX.You connect the core to your computer and then attach modules in any array. You can attach buttons, dials, and sliders by magnetically connecting to the core. There are no specific setups, so you can arrange the tools to your own preference.The core supports up to eighteen modules. The starter kit is available for $199 and it includes the core, two buttons, a slider, and a dial. The $299 expert kit comes with three dials, two buttons, and two sliders — so it’s ideal for color grading, as you can set the dials to control highlights, midtones, and shadows.There is also a $499 professional kit, but since Palette Gear is modular, you can just purchase the individual tools to add on to the starter kit. Buttons cost $29 each, and sliders and dials cost $49.3. Tangent Ripple ($350)Image via TangentAt $350, the Tangent Ripple is a very affordable color grading surface. You aren’t going to find a cheaper, more reliable controller designed specifically for color work. If you ever decide to upgrade your color suite, the Ripple is compatible with the Tangent Element line. It can also be used with the Element-Vs tablet app for added control.The Ripple works with a wide variety of programs — Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, AutoDesk Flame, Color Finale Pro, FilmLight, REDCINE-X PRO, and more.4. Tangent Element Tk ($1135)Image via TangentThe Tangent Element consoles were designed to be modular systems. Just like the Tangent Element-Vs app, there are four different panels — Tk, Mf, Kb, and Bt.The Tk is the trackerball panel. It has three programmable trackerballs and three programmable rings above the balls. Each ball and ring has its own reset button. There are also two more buttons that function as Alt and Shift.Like the previously mentioned Tangent products, the Tk panel works with Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, AutoDesk Flame, Color Finale Pro, FilmLight, REDCINE-X PRO, and more.Image via TangentThe Tangent Element can also grow with your needs. You can add the Mf (multifuntion), Kb (knob), and Bt (button) panels to create a full color grading suite. If you’re interested in the entire Tangent Elements panel, you can find bundles starting at $3,320.5. Avid Artist Control ($1499)Image via AvidThe Avid Artist Color panel is optimized for Media Composer, but it’s compatible with other color grading programs like DaVinci Resolve, NewsCutter, Smoke, FilmLight, STORM, and RED REDCINE-X.One of the downsides is that the panel requires an Ethernet connection to function, unlike most of the previously listed tools that connect via USB. That said, the Artist Color does offer a lot for its price. There are three trackballs, three trackwheels, six rotary encoders, and nine programmable soft keys.Are you a shooter or video editor who works with color grading tools in your daily workflow? What are your go-to tools? Let us know in the comments below.
Cricket: Australia in World Cup 2007 semi finals
AussiesIs there a team that can stop Australia doing a hat-trick of World Cup wins? At the time of writing, they still have to play New Zealand in the Super 8 stage, and that should be a humdinger of a match. Though there is much talk of rivalry between Australia,AussiesIs there a team that can stop Australia doing a hat-trick of World Cup wins? At the time of writing, they still have to play New Zealand in the Super 8 stage, and that should be a humdinger of a match. Though there is much talk of rivalry between Australia and England, the Aussie dominance over England in recent years has been so complete that it is a surprise when England occasionally beat them. So is with South Africa.There are great similarities between Australia and South Africa. They have the same love for sport, the facilities for all sports are top class, the people are competitive and both have a fierce instinct in whichever sport they play against each other. But unlike rugby, the Proteas have never truly stretched the Aussies in cricket.But against their Trans-Tasman neighbour, New Zealand, the rivalry is to be seen to be believed. Somehow, even India-Pakistan encounters pale when one sees the intensity of passion when the Kiwis play the Aussies, especially in New Zealand. And that’s true in any sport. That the Kiwis beat the Australians in all three of the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy games will be rankling the Aussies to no end, and remember, the Kiwis did that by chasing 300-plus scores, which is a remarkable achievement indeed. The Aussies were without Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, and Brett Lee got injured. So they were without top players and would want to prove that the defeat was the result of that and possibly because they were jaded after the Ashes series and the triseries that followed. Mind you, the Aussies are not for excuses but for results, and they will want to show who is the boss in no uncertain manner.advertisementDespite similarities, South Africa have never stretched Australia in cricket.It is this total dominance over other teams that does bring up the question of whether the Aussies are beatable in this World Cup. True, teams do have the odd bad day, but the Aussies have hardly been stretched in the matches they have played so far. So much so that the likes of Michael Hussey and Brad Hodge have not had to hit the ball in anger so far. The Aussies had to promote Hussey to open the batting against Ireland to give him some time out in the middle, and that’s a chilling thought for the bowlers as the tournament reaches the final week.South Africa claimed the last place for the semi-finals by romping home to a win over a listless England side. That means, barring an unexpected big margin loss by Australia to New Zealand, the Proteas will face the Aussies in the semi-finals. That may not be what they want, but if they catch the Aussies on the wrong foot, just imagine the confidence with which they will enter the finals. Though the Australians beat them quite easily in their group clash, the Proteas will keep rewinding to that astonishing chase of 434, which not only got them the world record for most runs, but also a one day series victory. Where the Proteas might find themselves short is the spin department, where they have nobody of international class.The other anticipated semi-final between New Zealand and Sri Lanka promises to be a much closer one than their Super 8 clash where the Lankans ran out easy winners. Both captains, Stephen Fleming and Mahela Jayawardene, are shrewd operators who know how to extract the maximum from their players. Fleming is in his third consecutive World Cup as captain, and is also in good form with the bat, which makes a huge difference when one is leading the side. Jayawardene, on the other hand, has been in patchy form, but is capable of the sublime innings that can turn the match around. He came in for plenty of flak for resting Chaminda Vaas and Muttiah Muralitharan in their Super 8 clash with Australia, but it was more to do with resting two senior players than a tactical ploy. Australia won that game easily. Some of the gloss was taken out of the win through the absence of Vaas and Murali.The one-day game does not allow too much scope for tactical moves, but captains have been using their spinners in a clever way. The ‘Powerplay’ also has been used intelligently, though Brian Lara got it horribly wrong against South Africa when he took the final one in the 44th over of their innings.As the tournament enters its final phase, tactics will count, but not as much as temperament and fitness. That is what invariably separates the men from the boys.advertisementFormer India captain Sunil Gavaskar will be writing an exclusive column for all through the World Cup.
Almost Certain: TV actor Sakshi Tanwar to play Aamir Khan’s wife in Dangal
One of India’s best-loved television actresses, Sakshi Tanwar is best remembered for playing Parvati in Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii and Priya in Bade Achhe Lagte Hain, both successful TV shows from Ekta Kapoor’s Balaji stable. But now she’s spreading her wings to the big screen (she has done a film earlier) and has reportedly been finalised to play Mrs Mahavir Phogat a.k.a Aamir Khan’s wife in the Nitesh Tiwari film, Dangal.”Sakshi’s part is interesting as well as challenging. Over 70 actresses were auditioned for the same role. Around 52 of them were from small towns across states like Haryana and Punjab. A few of them had television experience. But none of the auditioned actresses were known faces from Bollywood because the makers wanted an organic chemistry between Aamir Khan and his on-screen wife. In fact, Aamir Khan enacted scenes with all the 70 actresses when they auditioned for the part. Generally, no big star would do that, but Aamir did it, since the idea was to gauge their body language, comfort level and look. After a lot of discussions and brainstorming sessions, the actor and the makers collectively took the call to cast Sakshi,” Hindustan Times quoted its source as saying.Also read: Is Aamir Khan risking his health for Dangal? | 6 TV bahus who went bold for big screen The actor will undergo training sessions to get the Haryanvi diction and body language right. Apart from playing a bahu on the small screen, Sakshi has also acted in the controversial film Mohalla Assi opposite Sunny Deol.advertisementAamir Khan’s salt and pepper look in DangalThere were also rumours that Mallika Sherawat had auditioned for the role in Dangal.Dangal is a sports biopic in which Aamir plays real-life wrestler Mahavir Phogat, the father of celebrated female wrestlers Geeta and Babita. The film will hit screens on Christmas next year.