Saturday, July 2, 2011

A study conducted by Harvard University researchers has concluded that children who attend an Independence Day celebration are more likely to become Republicans as adults.

Even attending a single fireworks display or flag-waving parade, specifically celebrations without rain, can be predictive of a child’s future political leanings and voting habits. “One Fourth of July without rain before age 18 increases the likelihood of identifying as a Republican at age 40 by 2 percent, the share of people voting for the Republican candidate at age 40 by 4 percent, and the share of people turning out to vote at age 40 by 0.9 percent,” the researchers claim.

Moreover, the data does not suggest that the Democratic base is affected at all by the holiday celebrations. “There is no evidence of an increased likelihood of identifying as a Democrat, indicating that Fourth of July shifts preferences to the right rather than increasing political polarization,” the study claims.

David Yanagizawa-Drott, a public policy professor at Harvard and a co-author of the study, suggests that “the celebration of Fourth of July embodies certain ideas or values that are closer to the Republican Party,” but adds that further study is needed to explain this trend. Another explanation offered by the study is that celebrations in Republican-dominated areas may tend to be more politically charged.

Friday, July 30, 2010

On Tuesday, Apple Inc. introduced a new peripheral, the Magic Trackpad, and refreshed its line of iMac and Mac Pro computers, as well as the Apple Cinema Display.

The Magic Trackpad, a multi-touch trackpad for Macintosh computers, allows end users to use certain gestures to control on-screen actions. It supports gestures already seen on the MacBook and MacBook Pro trackpads, as well as the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, such as swiping, tap-to-click, and pinch-to-zoom. However, the Magic Trackpad also supports physical clicking and supports one- and two-button commands. The Magic Trackpad, which is retailed for US$69, connects wirelessly to a computer using Bluetooth technology and has a claimed four months of battery life. At 5.17 inches (13.13 centimetres) long and 5.12 inches (13 centimetres) wide, the glass and aluminium device is slightly larger than Apple’s laptop trackpads.

In addition to the Magic Trackpad, Apple also began selling the US$29 Apple Battery Charger accessory, a charger pack with six rechargeable batteries usable in the Magic Trackpad, Apple Wireless Keyboard, and Apple Magic Mouse. Apple claims that the nickel-metal hydride (NiMH) batteries can last up to ten years before they lose their ability to hold a charge. The Magic Trackpad uses two AA batteries, and can be used with any Bluetooth-enabled Macintosh computer running Mac OS X 10.6.4.

Another major announcement that came on Tuesday was the first iMac update since last fall. The update included mostly internal upgrades, giving consumers a choice of newer Intel processors: the dual-core Core i3 and Core i5, and the quad-core Core i5 and Core i7. In addition, the SD card slot was expanded to allow support for the Secure Digital Extended Capacity (SDXC) format. The iMac is still available at 21.5-inch (54.61-centimetre) and 27-inch (68.58-centimetre) display options, but has upgraded graphics cards as well. The screens use in-plane switching (IPS) technology, allowing for a greater viewing angle. The base model is still priced at US$1,199.

Apple’s line of Mac Pro computers were also given a refresh on Tuesday. Consumers now have the option to purchase a Mac Pro with twelve processing cores, using two six-core Intel Xeon processors. Four-, six-, and eight-core options are still available. The update also includes the choice of adding up to four, 512GB solid state drives, instead of conventional hard drives. The base model is priced at US$2,499 and will be sold starting in August.

Apple also released a new, 27-inch (68.58 centimetre) LED Cinema Display, a 60 percent increase in display area from the older 24-inch (60.96 centimetres) Cinema Display. The new monitor can reach a resolution of 2560-by-1440 pixels, or Wide Quad High Definition, and has a built-in microphone, webcam, speakers, USB hub, and ambient light sensor, which changes the display’s brightness based on external lighting levels. It is priced at US$999 but will not be available for purchase until September.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Researchers say that new, ten million-year-old fossils found in Ethiopia, prove that the theory that humans may have evolved from a species of great apes eight million years ago, may not be true, but that humans may have split from apes as long as 10.5 million years ago.

At least nine fossilized teeth, one canine tooth and eight molars, of a previously unknown species of apes found in Africa were discovered by a team of researchers from Ethiopia and Japan who then compared the 3-D make up of the teeth to other fossils that date back as far as 8 million years and found that the fossils are likely a “direct ancestor” of apes currently living in Africa and that the new ape fossils were that of a species of gorilla who ate mostly plants high in fiber.

Current fossils and research say that the evolutionary split from apes to humans occurred at least eight million years ago. The new fossils say that the split may have happened as long as 10.5 million years ago.

“Based on this fossil, that means the split is much earlier than has been anticipated by the molecular evidence. That means everything has to be put back,” said researcher at the Rift Valley Research Service in Ethiopia and a co-author of the study, Berhane Asfaw.

Despite the finds, other researchers are not convinced that the findings are correct.

“It is stretching the evidence to base a time scale for the evolution of the great apes on this new fossil. These structures appear on at least three independent lineages of apes, including gorillas, and they could relate to a dietary shift rather than indicating a new genetic trait,” said a Professor at the London Natural History Museum in the United Kingdom, Peter Andrews who also added, “but the fossil evidence for the evolution of our closest living relatives, the great apes, is almost non-existent.

Researchers have named the newly discovered species Cororapithecus abyssinicus whose remains were found in the Afar Region of Ethiopia, the same place where the remains of Lucy were discovered in 1974.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

In the NCAA Ice Hockey east regional finals played last night at the Times Union Center in Albany, New York the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers beat the UNH Wildcats 6-2. Rochester Institute of Technology is the Atlantic Hockey champions and the fifteenth seed in the sixteen team NCAA tournament.

Haltigin scored first for RIT with 5:50 left in the first period. UNH tied it with less then a minute left in the first period. RIT took control of the game when they scored three goals in 94 seconds in the second period. Brenner beat UNH goalie Foster with 6:37 left, then Alexin scored 13 seconds later and finally Matic put a wrist shot past Foster.

RIT goalie Jared DeMichiel who stopped 63 shots out of 66 was named the East Region most outstanding player.

In the NCAA Ice Hockey western regional finals played last night at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota the Wisconsin Badgers beat the St. Cloud State Huskies 5-3. Wisconsin has now reached the Frozen Four twelve times. There last appearance was in 2006 when they won the championship.

The Badgers started out strong with three first period goals by John Mitchell, Blake Geoffrion and Jake Gardinier. Goalie Scott Gudmandson made 26 saves for Wisconsin. Mitchell scored again for Wisconsin in the third when St. Could closed to within 3-2. Aaron Bendickson scored an empty net goal with 68 seconds left to play.

The Wisconsin Badgers will face East Regional champion Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers in the national semifinals April 8 at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan.

Sunday, December 24, 2017

Fire broke out at London Zoo on Saturday morning, severely damaging a cafe and shop and killing an aardvark. Zoo officials said four meerkats were missing and were also presumed to be dead.

The fire, mostly in the Animal Adventure cafe and shop, also spread to a nearby petting area. Reportedly, 72 firefighters with ten fire engines fought the blaze for about three hours starting shortly after 6:00 am to bring it under control. A spokesperson for the Fire Brigade stated that when they arrived, the fire was already “very well developed”. According to the ambulance service, two people were treated for minor injuries, six for smoke inhalation, with one taken to hospital. A statement from the zoo said, regarding animal fatalities, “Sadly our vets have confirmed the death of our nine-year-old aardvark, Misha. There are also four meerkats unaccounted for at this stage, and we have limited access to site to confirm this.” Other animals were said to be apparently unaffected.

The zoo reported quick response by zoo security guards and by animal care staff who are housed at the zoo, which is in Regents Park; they moved animals to safety. A dog walker, Adnan Abdul Husein, told the BBC he had first noticed heavy smoke and alerted zoo security guards.

Zoo officials initially said the zoo would be closed “until further notice” but later announced it would reopen today, Christmas Eve.

Saturday, July 19, 2008

This year’s Leisure Taiwan trade show (a.k.a Taiwan Sport Recreation and Leisure Show) started yesterday, with 131 companies participating including sports media companies such as ESPN and VideoLand Television, businesses selling sports equipment and fitness clubs.

There were also a variety of sports being played in the arena built for the trade show. The events included a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, free style shooting, and bicycle test-riding. In addition, conferences discussed issues related to sports and physical education.

A major topic in the trade show was energy-efficiency and, as a result, bicycles and similar sports equipment were being heavily promoted.

Next Tuesday, companies from the electronics industry plan to promote their industry at “2008 Digital E-Park.” In previous years, organizations from the electronics industry have showcased their products at Leisure Taiwan instead of at the Digital E-Park, so this move has reduced the number of markets covered by Leisure Taiwan.

Friday, March 17, 2006

Nelson Boys College was closed today because of an outbreak of gastro-enteritis in its boarding houses.

About 40% of the school’s boarding students have been hit with what is thought to be the highly contagious and violent stomach bug, Norovirus.

The principal, Salvi Garguilo, says the boys are being well cared for at the school, helped by Nelson Hospital.

They will stay isolated until they are no longer contagious.

Nelson College will reopen on Monday.

Saturday, June 23, 2018

On Wednesday, the Hungarian parliament passed the “Stop Soros” bill, making it illegal to help undocumented immigrants.

The bill was passed by a vote of 160–18. Per the bill, anyone found guilty of helping undocumented immigrants can potentially face a jail term of up to twelve months. The bill was criticised by human rights-focused organisation Amnesty International, as well as the United Nations (UN), Council of Europe, Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and European Union. The bill bars non-government organisations from aiding refugees.

The bill is named after Hungarian-born democracy advocate George Soros. Having escaped the Holocaust and emigrated in 1947, Soros later founded the Open Society Foundations (OSF) which funds various NGOs. Current conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who won the election in April, spoke about immigration and national security in his political campaign. Orbán accused Soros of bringing migrants to Europe. Orbán asserted this blockade was to preserve the country’s “Christian culture”. In May, Soros announced OSF was moving from Hungary to German capital Berlin, asserting “increasingly repressive” condition in Hungary.

Amnesty internationals’s European Director Gauri van Gulik said in a statement, “It is a bitter irony that as the world marks World Refugee Day, the Hungarian Parliament voted […] to introduce a law that targets organizations and individuals who support asylum-seekers, refugees and migrants”. According to the UN, the law could come under effect as early as July.

A constitutional amendment was also made, prohibiting “alien population” from living in the country. Hungary’s Interior Minister, Sándor Pintér, said, “The Hungarian people rightfully expects the government to use all means necessary to combat illegal immigration and the activities that aid it”. He also added, “The Stop Soros package of bills serves that goal, making the organisation of illegal immigration a criminal offence. We want to use the bills to stop Hungary from becoming a country of immigrants”.

On Tuesday, 25% taxation of NGOs helping immigrants was proposed by the finance ministry. The ministry, in a statement, said, “The defense against illegal immigration imposes a heavy burden on Hungary’s budget, so it indirectly affects the Hungarian people […] therefore, the government passes that as a manner of burden sharing, the organisations aiding migration should bear additional taxes.”

UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees)’s European Bureau director Pascale Moreau said, “Seeking asylum is a fundamental human right, it is not a crime”.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

The bodies of two Canadian soldiers killed by a suicide bomber in Kandahar, Afghanistan were brought back to Canada. Both were from CFB Petawawa located in Petawawa, Ontario.

Their vehicle has intercepted on a road by a suicide bomber. A helicopter came helping all injured and possibly dead soldiers into it where they received medical attention somewhere safe. This time, their vehicle was blown up by a man’s car when he drived into them and detonated his car. Two Canadians were killed, the rest were injured.

Canadian, U.S., Dutch, and British soldiers stood at Kandhar Airfield Thursday to farewell Cpl. Albert Storm and Officer Robert Girouard. A piper played Amazing Grace as the Canadian flag-covered coffins were carried onto the C-130 Hercules aircraft for their flight home.

“It’s very hard for me to do it but I know my colleague, my friend and soldier, is going home to a restful place,” Cpl. Victor Thibault, 38, of Digby, Nova Scotia said to the Canadian Press. “He’s done what he had to do and I believe that’s good… He was a good friend. I will miss him,” he said.

Forty-four Canadian soldiers as well as one diplomat have been killed in Afghanistan since 2002. About 2,500 Canadian troops are serving in Afghanistan.