March 5, 2018


News and Views


WATCHING STRIKES IS “LIKE WATCHING PAINT DRY,” BUT THIS ONE IS FOR A GOOD CAUSE. THESE TEACHERS HAVEN’T HAD A DECENT RAISE IN FOUR YEARS. GIVE THEM A BREAK AND GO UP TO 5%. SOME OF THE KIDS IN THIS ARTICLE, NOT SURPRISINGLY, ARE GLAD TO STAY AWAY, WHILE OTHERS HAVE FRIENDS AT SCHOOL, AND THEY MISS THEM. I HOPE THE TEACHERS GET THEIR PAY RAISE. TEACHERS WORK HARDER THAN FACTORY WORKERS, IF YOU COUNT IN THEIR PAPER GRADING, CLASS LECTURE AND LESSON PLANS, ETC.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/west-virginia-teacher-strike-enters-second-week-no-end-sight-n853621
NEWS MAR 5 2018, 7:40 PM ET
West Virginia teacher strike enters second week with no end in sight
by ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A statewide strike by West Virginia's teachers entered a new week Monday with no resolution in sight. Teachers are waiting for state lawmakers to agree on a pay raise, and the state House and Senate haven't scheduled a meeting to resolve their differences.

Many teachers said they'd rather be in the classroom, but they believe they've come too far to back down.

"We feel like we're under attack constantly," said Cody Thompson, a social studies and civics teacher at Elkins High School. "Eventually whenever you're pushed into a corner, you've got to push back."

West Virginia teacher strike enters second week with no end in sight Play
West Virginia teacher strike enters second week with no end in sight 1:43

That leaves West Virginia's parents anxiously trying to fill their children's idle hours with something besides playing video games, and teachers showing rising discontent as the strike drags on amid concerns about their income.

The teacher walkout over pay and benefits in this Appalachian mountain state shuttered classrooms February 22 and shows no signs of an immediate resolution. Classrooms were expected to remain closed again Monday as angry teachers return to the Capitol to press legislators to raise their pay, nearly the lowest in the nation, after four years without an increase.

"What we're seeing is a movement in the U.S. Not just a labor movement. It's a class of people rising up," said Sam Brunett, an art teacher at Morgantown High School.

The walkout began after Governor Jim Justice signed a 2 percent pay raise for next year. The House of Delegates later approved a 5 percent increase, negotiated last week between Justice and the unions.

Then on Saturday, the state Senate approved a 4 percent raise, prompting angry union leaders to vow to stay out of the classroom indefinitely. The House wouldn't agree to the Senate's move, sending the bill to the conference committee.

House of Delegates spokesman Jared Hunt said Sunday no committee meeting has been scheduled. So the wait continues.

Striking West Virginia teachers return to state capitol: 'It's now or never' Play
Striking West Virginia teachers return to state capitol: 'It's now or never' 5:46

Keeping schools shut for 277,000 students and 35,000 employees has been determined on a day-to-day basis. In a state with a 17.9 percent poverty rate, teachers and volunteers have gathered food for distribution to students who rely on free breakfasts and lunches at school.

Many of these teachers have side jobs to make ends meet.

Brunett does freelance art work on the side. Thompson has sold pizza, served tables and worked at a discount store. He now also works in a federally funded outreach program to help prepare students for college.

Kristie Skidmore, an elementary school reading specialist, has an adult clothing shop at her home.

"You're looking at people here who every day care about other people, other families. People's kids," Skidmore said. "But at the end of the day, now we're forced to be able to figure out how to care for our own families. That's what it's all about."

As for the students, it's not like they can go with their families on a long vacation.

At a Charleston mall, Cheryl Carty said her niece — second grader Zoey Lanier — has filled the void with activities that have included a visit to a museum children's exhibit and a trip to the movies. Between licks of ice cream, Zoey said she was disappointed she couldn't return to school to turn in an art project she worked hard on that was due.

Elsewhere, Brady Stafford and about a dozen of his friends got in some extra practice at a South Charleston soccer field.

Stafford, a Charleston seventh grader, said that since the strike began, he's attended sleepovers and played Xbox games. His friend, seventh grader Ben Jamerson, admitted he's had bouts of boredom.

At a nearby ice arena, Melissa Hodges took her two daughters for regular skating lessons. Additional bonding with mom aside, fifth grader Kelsie Hodges is ready to get back to school. "I miss my friends," she said.

Meanwhile, sixth grader C.J. Napper signaled he's in no rush to return to classes.

"I don't like school. It's not fun," Napper said. "I don't mind" the walkout.


I HAVE NOTICED THAT MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC AT LARGE HAVE BEEN SPEAKING FAVORABLY ABOUT SANDERS MEDICARE FOR ALL PLAN, AS OPPOSED TO OUR CURRENT PLAN. IT DOES SOUND LIKE A GOOD IDEA. I SUPPOSE IT WOULD BE PAID BY SPECIAL EMPLOYEE TAXES, LIKE REGULAR MCR. SOMETHING, IF IT’S SUFFICIENT, IS “WAY BETTER” THAN NOTHING.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/376860-sanders-says-new-health-care-plans-shows-dems-moving-toward-medicare-for
Sanders says new health-care plan shows Dems moving toward 'Medicare for all'
BY PETER SULLIVAN - 03/05/18 06:44 PM EST

Photograph – Bernie Sanders, © Greg Nash

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Monday that he thinks a new health-care plan from a Democratic think tank shows that the party is moving toward his position on health care.

Asked if he thinks the plan from the Center for American Progress (CAP), which comes very close to Sanders’s signature idea of "Medicare for all," shows the Democratic Party is moving his way, Sanders told The Hill, "Yes, I do."

The plan released by CAP, a group with close ties to Sanders’s former primary opponent Hillary Clinton, is not quite single-payer in that it still allows for employer-based insurance as an option. But it otherwise provides Medicare for all people, something very close to Sanders's vision and a leftward shift from previous major Democratic plans.

Sanders alluded to the fact that the CAP plan does not go as far as his own, but called it a "step."

He pressed his calls for universal coverage and said "I think that the most cost-effective way to do that is by expanding Medicare, eliminating the private insurance companies, and then saving tremendous amounts of money in administrative costs."

"I believe in a Medicare for all, single-payer, but to the degree that people are talking about guaranteeing health care to all people, it's a step."

The CAP plan, called Medicare Extra for All, provides for a government-run health insurance plan modeled off Medicare for all, with the exception of those who choose to remain in employer-based coverage.

That is further than previous plans from Clinton or former President Obama, which largely called for a government-run "public option" that would compete alongside private insurers.



SUICIDE MISSION -- "KNOWING THAT THEY WERE ASKED TO TRY TO COMPLETE AND EXECUTE THIS TYPE OF MISSION WITH THAT TYPE OF EQUIPMENT, I JUST -- I COULD NOT BELIEVE IT," SAID REP. MARC VEASEY (D-TEXAS), WHO SERVES ON THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE.”

THE INVESTIGATION REPORT IS LONG OVERDUE, AND THE LACK OF INFORMATION, EITHER DUE TO SECRECY OR POOR FOLLOWUP, IS SHAMEFUL. IT IS POSSIBLE, OF COURSE, THAT OUR UPPER LEVEL CONTROL OF THINGS IS TRULY FALLING APART. I WANT TO REMIND READERS, TOO, THAT THIS WAS ONE OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S FIRST USES OF AMERICAN FORCE.

HE IS BEGINNING TO SEEK AND EVEN TAKE ADVICE NOW, WHICH IS A GOOD THING. MEANWHILE, SOME MORE OF OUR TROOPS WERE SLAUGHTERED. WHEN GENERAL MCARTHUR, OR WHOEVER THAT WAS, SAID SO PROFOUNDLY “WAR IS HELL,” IT TRULY IS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/niger-mission-graphic-isis-propaganda-video-isis-raises-questions/
CBS NEWS March 5, 2018, 8:13 AM
ISIS propaganda video raises questions about deadly mission in Niger

Newly-released video showing the deadly ambush of American soldiers is raising new questions about the U.S. military mission in the African country of Niger. Four Americans were killed in the October ambush.

ISIS has released the disturbing and graphic video as part of a propaganda campaign.

This video is hard to watch because it shows the final moments of American soldiers fighting for their lives, and it also shows just how out-gunned and overwhelmed they were, reports CBS News national security correspondent David Martin.

Eleven American and 30 Nigerian soldiers were returning from what was supposed to have been a low-risk patrol.

A helmet camera worn by one of the American soldiers recorded the ambush.

New details emerge on ambush in Niger that killed 4 U.S. soldiers ("CBS Evening News," 10/19/17)
U.S. troops were diverted into deadly Niger ambush (CBS News, 10/24/17)
Niger ambush: FBI now assisting in investigation (CBS News, 10/20/17)
Nervous villagers describe attack on U.S. troops in Niger ("CBS This Morning, 11/02/17)

After the shooting stopped, the camera was taken off his body and released as part of an ISIS propaganda video.

The Americans tried to take cover behind their unarmored SUV. With one of the soldiers at the wheel, they ran alongside, attempting to escape the kill zone. They fired colored smoke which would provide some concealment and identify their position to any friendly aircraft overhead.

"The patrol was overwhelmed very quickly," said retired U.S. Army Brigadier General Donald Bolduc, "was unable to get situational awareness, was unable to get its bearing, was unable to fall back to a covered and concealed position."

One soldier went down. Another rushed to his side and dragged him back to the cover of the SUV.

Their position at the SUV was about to be overrun, so they did the only thing they could -- ran to a position that might provide better cover. Except for the smoke from the grenades and a few scrub trees, there was no cover, and no escape.

The soldier wearing the helmet camera went down. Soon the camera stopped moving, and some of the enemy fighters came into view. Then, a final blast filled the frame from what apparently was a round fired at point-blank range.

"Knowing that they were asked to try to complete and execute this type of mission with that type of equipment, I just -- I could not believe it," said Rep. Marc Veasey (D-Texas), who serves on the House Armed Services Committee.

Five months after the attack, they are waiting for the final investigation report.

"We should have gotten this information a long time ago," Veasey said. "Why they were asked to continue to go onto this mission I think is something that we all need to find out."

The answers could come this week, said Martin. The commander of U.S. troops in Africa is scheduled to testify before the House Committee, and the Pentagon is expected to release the results of its investigation.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



“ALL OF THE FIRMS ACKNOWLEDGED PROBLEMS WITH THE SUPPLY CHAIN, BUT SAID THEY REQUIRE THEIR SUPPLIERS TO FOLLOW RESPONSIBLE SOURCING GUIDELINES.”

I HAVE PULLED UP THIS SENTENCE TO SHOW THE CORPORATE-SPEAK BEHIND WHICH BUSINESSES AND CONGRESS HIDE. “ACKNOWLEDGED PROBLEMS,” “REQUIRE THEIR SUPPLIERS,” “RESPONSIBLE” AND “GUIDELINES.” CORPORATE BUZZWORDS MUST BE VAGUE RATHER THAN SPECIFIC, AND DISTANCED FROM THE PHYSICAL REALITY OR SITE OF THE PROBLEM. THAT KEEPS THEIR HANDS CLEAN UNLESS THEY GET CAUGHT VIOLATING A LAW, AND PROVIDES “DENIABILITY” IF THEY DO.

SOMETIMES IN COMMENTING ON THESE ARTICLES, I SIMPLY PUT “SICK AND SAD.” THAT’S BECAUSE MY REACTION IS ONE OF HOPELESSNESS AND DISGUST. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE STORIES. LOOM AT THE VIDEO OF TOTS CARRYING CHUNKS OF GRAYISH ROCK TO A PILE AND DROPPING THEM THERE. THEY HAVE A DULL, LIFELESS LOOK ON THEIR FACES. WHAT I LIKE ABOUT DEMOCRATS IS THAT THEY – OR MOST OF THEM – DO CARE, AND WORK TO WRITE LAWS THAT HELP TO CURB THE PROBLEM AT HAND. UNFORTUNATELY, THEY TOO ARE IN THE POCKETS OF MEGA-CORPORATIONS, AND SO THEY MUTE THEIR VOICES. INSTEAD OF SHOUTING GOOD, THEY WHISPER IT. THAT’S WHY I WANT OUR LEGISLATURE TO BE FULL OF PROGRESSIVES AND ACTIVISTS FOR GOOD.

AS FOR THE REPUBLICANS, THEY ARE WORSE THAN USELESS. THEY ARE COMPLICIT. REMEMBER IVANKA TRUMP’S REPLY WHEN ASKED BY A REPORTER IF SHE WAS “COMPLICIT” IN THE FAMILY SCANDALS? JUST BECAUSE THERE’S NO TOTAL CURE FOR A SERIOUS PROBLEM, THAT SHOULD ABSOLUTELY NOT BE USED AS AN EXCUSE TO DO NOTHING MEANINGFUL AT ALL. THE REASON I LIKE SMALLER, SIMPLER SOCIETIES AND PEOPLE, IS THAT SOME OF THE GREED IS MITIGATED BY CONCERN.

IN OUR HUGE CITIES AND OUR MILLION DOLLAR LEVEL SOCIAL STATUS SYSTEMS, WE DIVORCE OURSELVES FROM THE KNOWLEDGE OF PAIN IF IT ISN’T OURS OR THAT OF A PERSONAL RELATION. THAT PAIN COULD BE REDUCED OR ELIMINATED IN MOST CASES, IF WE PAID ATTENTION TO THE PROBLEM INSTEAD OF AVOIDING THE ISSUE. IN THIS SITUATION, HOWEVER, NOBODY ON THE GROUND LEVEL IS STOPPING A VERY HARMFUL TRADE. THAT’S WHY I BELIEVE IN PEOPLE LIKE ME, ONE VOICE AT A TIME, RAISING OUR CONCERNS TO THE LEVEL OF PUBLIC AWARENESS. BEING SILENT IS THE SAME AS BEING COMPLICIT, OR IT HAS THE SAME EFFECT AT ANY RATE.

IN A CASE LIKE THIS, THE ACTIVITY SURROUNDING A HIGHLY RADIOACTIVE MINERAL WITH PROPERTIES THAT CAN CAUSE GENETIC ABNORMALITIES, BIRTH DEFECTS AND ANY NUMBER OF ILLNESSES IN THE MINERS SHOULDN’T BE ACCEPTED PASSIVELY; THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM IS, FIRST, IN THE GROTESQUELY IMPOVERISHED SOURCE LOCALITIES, AND SECOND, IN THE END POINT OF THE SUPPLY CHAIN, WHICH IS US. THEY’RE POOR AND NEED INCOME, AND WE HAVE MONEY. “IT’S A PERFECT MATCH!” CONSERVATIVE BUSINESS PHILOSOPHY SAYS THAT THE MANUFACTURER MUST ALWAYS BUY AT THE LEAST EXPENSIVE PRICE, AND THAT IS THEIR ONLY “MORAL” PRINCIPLE. PAYING FOR COBALT MINED WITH GOOD MODERN EQUIPMENT, ADULT LABOR, GOOD WAGES AND A HEALTH CARE PLAN, WOULD OF COURSE COST MORE.

WHAT WE CAN DO AS A MORAL SOCIETY IS TO CUT OFF TRADE WITH ANY COMPANY OR NATION WHICH EITHER MINES, OR BUYS THE COBALT RAW MATERIAL FOR RESALE FROM CHINESE MIDDLEMEN, UNTIL THEY SHOW EVIDENCE THAT THEY HAVE STOPPED MINING BY HAND. THOSE KIDS AREN’T DOING ANYTHING THAT CAN’T BE DONE BY A BULLDOZER. ANOTHER WAY MIGHT BE FOR THE (MUCH FEARED) “ONE WORLD GOVERNMENT” TO MAKE AND ENFORCE LAWS ON THE NATION ITSELF, AND NOT ON THE POOR CHILDREN DOING THE MINING, WHO ARE VERY POOR AND DEPEND ON THE MONEY. STOP TRADE WITH THE DRC UNTIL THEY SOLVE THE PROBLEM ON THEIR END BY STOPPING CHILD LABOR. CHILD LABOR IS, OR OUGHT TO BE, A UN MATTER.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cobalt-children-mining-democratic-republic-congo-cbs-news-investigation/
CBS NEWS March 5, 2018, 7:40 AM
CBS News finds children mining cobalt for batteries in the Congo

A CBS News investigation has found child labor being used in the dangerous mining of cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The mineral cobalt is used in virtually all batteries in common devices, including cellphones, laptops and even electric vehicles.

A report by Amnesty International first revealed that cobalt mined by children was ending up in products from several companies, including Apple, Microsoft, Tesla and Samsung.

CBS News traveled to the DRC to follow the complex supply chain. As CBS News correspondent Debora Patta reports, it's been two years since that damning Amnesty report was published, but the DRC is a country embattled in conflict, and it is difficult and sometimes dangerous to report from there.

On a recent trip to the southern part of the country, CBS News found what looked like the Wild West. There were children digging in trenches and laboring in lakes -- hunting for treasure in a playground from hell.

The work is hard enough for an adult man, but it is unthinkable for a child. Yet tens of thousands of Congolese kids are involved in every stage of mining for cobalt. The latest research by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates 40,000 children are working in DRC mines, but the Good Shepherd Foundation, which works on the ground in the country, believe the number is higher.

More than half of the world's supply of cobalt comes from the DRC, and 20 percent of that is mined by hand, according to Darton Commodities Ltd., a London-based research company that specializes in cobalt.

img-2174.jpg
Children are seen washing cobalt in a lake at a mine in the southern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. CBS

Patta and her team travelled along collapsing dirt roads and saw children everywhere, digging for cobalt among abandoned open pit mines. It was clear that security officials in charge there -- only some of them in uniforms -- have something to hide.

There's such sensitivity around cobalt mining in the DRC that every few hundred feet the CBS News team was stopped, with security personnel requesting letters and documentation, even though we had official permission to be there.

But for the Chinese middlemen who buy the cobalt, there were no such constraints; they have free access.

In the mines, women and children help with the so-called artisanal mining, but don't be fooled -- it is no quaint cottage industry. At barely 10 years old, children lug heavy sacks of cobalt to be washed in rivers. From as early as four, they can pick it out of a pile.

Even those too young to work -- dust-covered infants clinging to their mothers and playing on the dirty ground -- spend much of the day breathing in toxic fumes.

Officials deny there's child labor, but it was plain to see. Whenever a camera or security person or policeman appears, the children are chased away quickly.

ziki-swaze-cobalt-drc.jpg
Ziki Swaze, 11, speaks to CBS News correspondent Debora Patta outside a cobalt mine in southern Democratic Republic of Congo. CBS
Ziki Swaze, 11, agreed to meet Patta outside the mine to discuss the work.

"My parents are dead," he explained when asked why he wasn't at school. He lives with his grandmother, and provides their primary income from the cobalt mines.

We asked a wide range of companies whether child-mined cobalt is being used in their products. All of the firms acknowledged problems with the supply chain, but said they require their suppliers to follow responsible sourcing guidelines.

Apple said it leads the industry in supply chain standards, and last year cut ties with the largest artisanal cobalt supplier. Microsoft told us it does not tolerate child labor and that it is working with NGOs to eliminate it. Samsung said it's mapping its supply chain, and Tesla explained it performs audits, and has very little cobalt in its batteries.

More company responses:
Dell statement to CBS News
Fiat Chrysler statement to CBS News
General Motors statement to CBS News
Volkswagen statement to CBS News

But our investigation shows just how complicated it is to trace child-mined cobalt in the global supply chain. We followed the mineral as it left the mines -- piled high on every mode of transport available, including bicycles. Sacks were already mixed up -- without labels -- making it impossible to know who had mined the mineral inside.

The children's cobalt is brought to a large market where it is bought by a Chinese company for extremely low prices. CBS News wanted to see whether there was any attempt to check at the market whether the cobalt had been mined by children, so Patta's team went back later, with a hidden camera.

When we offered to sell a truck load of cobalt, nobody asked us who mined the mineral, only what the quality was. One man told us that the Chinese traders at the market bought all the cobalt and sold it mainly to one Chinese company, Congo Dongfang Mining, known locally as CDM.

CDM is owned by global Chinese giant Huayou, which said they stopped buying from that market last year and have put in place a detailed program to eliminate child labor from their supply chain

But in this murky process of sourcing cobalt, one thing is clear; children are still here, carrying the weight of our high-tech world on their shoulders.

CBS News spoke with eight major electronic and vehicle companies who have been connected to this supply chain, and though many have joined initiatives to solve this problem, at the mines Patta visited our tam [sic] saw little evidence of anyone on the ground helping these children.

We spoke to Pact, an NGO that is working with Apple, Microsoft and Huayou. The charity described the support from these multinational companies as a "drop in the ocean," as countless companies are buying the child mined cobalt.

Tomorrow on "CBS This Morning" we will show you more of the story of Ziki, the young boy we found at the mines, and some of the efforts being taken by Christian missionaries to rescue the children.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


ARTISANAL MINING* (ROOT CONCEPT IS "ARTISAN," OF COURSE)
http://www.miningfacts.org/communities/what-is-artisanal-and-small-scale-mining/

WHAT IS ARTISANAL MINING? IT IS SMALL SCALE MINING DONE WITH LITTLE OR INSUFFICIENT MECHANIZATION, SO THAT INSTEAD OF USING BLASTING TO DISLODGE THE ROCK, TRACK-TYPE LOADERS AND BULLDOZERS TO GATHER IT UP, THEY USE WOMEN AND CHILDREN. IT’S CHEAPER, SO IT MUST BE BETTER, RIGHT? OH, YES. IT’S GOOD FOR THE MINERS UP TO A POINT, OF COURSE, BECAUSE THEY GET ENOUGH MONEY TO BUY A FEW THINGS, BUT THEY OUGHT TO EMPLOY THE MEN. IT'S THE KIND OF PAY THAT ONLY SUFFICES TO KEEP THE WORKERS ENDLESSLY DESTITUTE. IF IT INVOLVED MORE MEN, I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE PAY WOULD BE HIGHER.



THIS IS A VERY INTERESTING NEW PIECE OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE, EXCITING, EVEN. I DIDN’T GO VERY DEEPLY INTO HOW THIS FMRI BRAIN IMAGING WORKS, BUT THE IMAGES SHOWN IN THIS NEWSCIENTIST ARTICLE DO, INDEED, LOOK IN GENERAL SHAPE AND COLOR LIKE THE PHOTOGRAPH WHICH THE RESEARCH SUBJECTS WERE ASKED TO VIEW. THEY USE A SPECIALIZED MRI WHICH READS BLOOD OXYGEN LEVELS IN THE PART OF THE BRAIN WHICH IS ACTIVE AT THE MOMENT.

THE NATURE OF THE IMAGES IS A GREAT DEAL LIKE THE “PAINTINGS” OF KOKO THE GORILLA AND HER YOUNGER COMPANION MICHAEL. PENNY PATTERSON, THE PSYCHOLOGIST, HAD THE IDEA OF TEMPTING THEM TO MATE, BUT “THE CHEMISTRY” JUST WASN’T THERE, SO AS FAR AS I KNOW, KOKO REMAINS A VIRGIN – OR NOT PREGNANT, AT ANY RATE. THEY ESPECIALLY WANTED TO KNOW WHETHER KOKO WOULD TEACH HER BABIES TO SIGN. IF THEY WANT TO HAVE HER PRODUCE OFFSPRING, THEY NEED TO USE ARTIFICIAL INSEMINATION OR SOMETHING SIMILAR, I’M AFRAID.

ABOUT THE PAINTINGS, PENNY PATTERSON, THE RESEARCHER, GAVE KOKO AND MICHAEL A LARGE PAPER PAD EACH MOUNTED ON AN EASEL AT AROUND HUMAN EYE LEVEL, A WATER COLOR (OR PERHAPS TEMPERA, SINCE THE COLORS WERE STRONG) SET, A MEDIUM SIZED PAINTBRUSH AND A GLASS OF WATER. THEN SHE GAVE THEM SOMETHING TO FOCUS ON AND PAINT.

KOKO’S TWO BEST WERE A PAINTED VASE OF BRIGHTLY COLORED FLOWERS AND A PHOTOGRAPH OF THEIR BORDER COLLIE (WHOSE NAME I DON’T REMEMBER.) SHE PRODUCED ON PAPER A RECOGNIZABLE IMAGE SHOWING THE COLORS AND PLACEMENT IN SPACE AND THE LINEAMENTS OF THE DOG’S HEAD.

FOR THE FLOWERS, SHE DIPPED HER BRUSH IN ONE COLOR AND SQUISHED THE BRUSH ON THE PAPER, PRODUCING A ROUNDED BLOB OF COLOR; SHE THEN WENT TO ANOTHER COLOR AND DID THE SAME THING SIX OR EIGHT TIMES. HER PLACEMENT OF THE COLORS WAS “SPOT ON” FOR A SIMPLE, FLAT IMAGE OF A VASE OF FLOWERS. THERE WAS NO FINE DETAIL, OF COURSE, BUT SHE CAUGHT THE ESSENCE. IF YOU GO TO THE WEBSITE, YOU CAN BUY A COPY OF HER PAINTINGS.

SHE DID THE SAME THING FOR THE DOG, USING A SWIPING BRUSH MOTION, TO PRODUCE THE BROAD HEAD AND LONG NOSE. SHE CORRECTLY CHOSE BLACK AND WHITE TO PRODUCE A COLLIE. SHE THEN NAMED THEM, USING HER SIMPLIFIED AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE TO TELL PENNY WHAT THEY ARE. IF YOU WANT TO SEE THEM, GO TO WIKIPEDIA AND SEARCH “KOKO THE GORILLA.”

THE VERY SAME EXPERIMENT WAS DONE WITH AN ELEPHANT, WHO DID SUCCESSFULLY PICK UP THE MUCH LARGER BRUSH WITH HER TRUNK AND “PAINT” AN IMAGE – THOUGH NOT AS REALISTICALLY. IT DID LOOK LIKE ABSTRACT ART, AND SHOWED HER INTEREST IN COLORS. STILL, I WAS IMPRESSED. BOTH THE GORILLAS AND THE ELEPHANT ENJOYED DOING IT; AND WENT AT THE TASK WITH RELISH. INTELLIGENCE, LIKE OTHER PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS, PROCEEDS UP THE SCALE OF ANIMAL TYPES WITH VARYING DEGREES OF SKILL, BUT IS PRESENT IN ALL.

WE HAVE UNDERSOLD NON-HUMAN ANIMALS HORRIBLY IN OUR DOMINANCE-BASED CULTURE. I KNOW WHY THAT HAPPENS. IF A DOG SERIOUSLY ATTACKS OR KILLS A HUMAN, HE MUST BE “PUT DOWN.” I DON’T LIKE THAT, BUT I DO AGREE WITH IT. IN ORDER TO DO WHAT WE MUST IN THOSE CASES, WE HAVE TO DESENSITIZE OURSELVES TO THE OBVIOUS FACT THAT ALL MAMMALS AND BIRDS ARE “SENSATE” LIFE FORMS AND THEREFORE ARE NOT TRASH, IN SPITE OF THE FACT THAT THE BIBLE SAYS WE HAVE “DOMINION” OVER THE OTHER ANIMALS. AS BLACK PEOPLE SOMETIMES SAY, “GOD DON’T MAKE TRASH.”

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2162862-ai-reconstructs-whatever-you-see-just-by-reading-a-brain-scan/?cmpid=ILC|NSNS|2018_webpush&utm_medium=ILC&utm_source=NSNS&utm_campaign=webpush-Roost-brain-scan
DAILY NEWS 5 March 2018
AI reconstructs whatever you see just by reading a brain scan
By Leah Crane

IMAGES DETERMINED BY BRAIN SCANS. -- The top row contains the original images, followed by reconstructions from three different people; Guohua Shen et al

AI can pluck images directly from a person’s brain. Given an fMRI scan of someone looking at a picture, an algorithm can reconstruct the original picture from the scan. Though the results aren’t yet perfect, they are still often recognisable and hint at what may be possible in the future.

Guohua Shen at Japan’s Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute and his colleagues experimented with three types of images: “natural” pictures of things like bats, snowmobiles and stained …



FROM THE LIGHT SIDE OF LIFE – TREKKIES, LOOK AT THESE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3Nv2R9Acec
james tarantino’s star trek -- "Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek: Voyage to Vengeance"

Nerdist
Published on Jan 22, 2018

Set your phasers to "thrill" with this Nerdist Presents parody that explores classic Star Trek in the style of the pulpy B-movies that influence Quentin Tarantino. With shades of Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and Inglorious Basterds, "Quentin Tarantino's Star Trek: Voyage to Vengeance" clips out the bloodiest, punchiest, killingest moments from The Original Series and recuts them in a style that Tarantino would approve of.

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Category -- Entertainment
License -- Standard YouTube License



MADDOW -- http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show
3/2/18
UN report to show North Korea dodging sanctions with Russian help
Richard Engel reports on how Russian ships out of Vladivostok evade detection to secretly transport cargo to and from North Korea in violation of international sanctions. Duration: 16:24