NBC4i.com | Ohio task force finds mixed progress on college cost-cutting NBC4i.com The panel found overall progress, but said too few schools have identified how their newfound savings and resources will improve college affordability and education quality. The core principle is that students must benefit, said Pamela Morris, a task ... |
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Ohio task force finds mixed progress on college cost-cutting - NBC4i.com
Its time for our periodic update on the plan to improve Rosewood Courts. Im pleased to report this can be viewed as a progress report, as in there are hints of progress on an important project that has defied progress.
The quick history: As a project built by the feds in 1939 as the first public housing for blacks, Rosewood Courts on Rosewood Avenue in East Austin has an important place in local and national history. But as homes, despite patchwork upgrades over the years, the 124 apartments are nothing wed allow to be built today.
So the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, which is a public but not a city government entity, decided several years ago to seek a $30 million federal grant to help pay for 21st-century housing that could cost a projected $40 million to $55 million. Six of the original 24 buildings would be preserved.
That wasnt enough preservation for some folks. The project stalled, and Austin City Council Member Ora Houston, whose district includes Rosewood Courts, stepped in and got a panel appointed with an eye on maximizing preservation.
READ: Report offers options to remodel units to preserve them
So thats where we were. Were now at a new place with a report and a new president, both of which could impact where we go next.
The report is a preservation feasibility study recently completed by h+uo architects of Austin that captures the challenge and cost of preserving the history of Rosewood Courts while also providing more and better low-income housing.
Houston has shared the concerns of preservationists and was instrumental in putting together a working group that recently received the architects report. It shows the cost of upgrading apartments in the old buildings would range from $274 per square foot to $350 per square foot. Housing authority President and CEO Michael Gerber says new construction would cost about $175 per square foot. But, armed with the numbers and preservationist input, he now thinks its possible to preserve more than six buildings.
I think the right number is probably six to nine, somewhere in there, he said.
Gerber notes the new report shows preservation is possible but pricey. But its the right thing to do, he said, and we can afford it.
(More in a minute about how paying for the ambitious project has become more challenging.)
WATCH: Rosewood Courts, an uncertain future
To be determined is how many and which buildings to modernize on the inside while preserving on the outside. Gerber said its a topic of very productive conversations with Houston, whom he credits as a very productive part of the process. She is trying to find consensus where sometimes it just doesnt exist.
Lindsey Derrington, programs coordinator at Preservation Austin and president of Mid Tex Mod, which advocates for significant modern places, is on the Rosewood Courts working group. She said the numbers in the new report supplant what she had seen as vague negativity about whether the old buildings were worth saving. Derrington notes the report focuses on rehabilitation and not restoration, which would be more museum than living space.
Derrington said saving all of the old buildings would be the best preservation outcome, but she understands that would mean losing much-needed low-cost housing units.
I think what the plan shows is that you can put very modern apartments into the historic buildings, she said, adding that shed like to see more than nine of the old buildings preserved but is encouraged to hear that Gerber said as many as nine could be saved.
In a statement released by her office, Houston said shes reviewing the new report. And she expressed gratitude to the working group members and praised HACA officials and Rosewood Courts residents for being open and willing to work with the community and stakeholders in an effort to find common ground to preserve and rehabilitate this historic site.
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Laura Toups, a local civil engineer who has helped lead the working groups discussion, said its been easy to sense the passion of the preservationists and the sincere needs of the current residents, two different views in search of an elusive compromise.
I dont know what that number is, she said of the correct number of buildings to preserve. I believe its more than the six that HACA had in its original plan.
But Toups said she believes its less than the full 24 some want: Its hard for me as a citizen and a professional to say that preserving the whole site serves the greater good the best.
But she has come to fully understand what she calls the really strong emotional response that the Rosewood Courts discussion stirs in some. Its hard, she said of the search for compromise. But if we dont take advantage of opportunities to increase resources to the underserved, its a big issue for us a city.
Thats the update on the old challenge. Now theres a new one: The housing authoritys original plan counted heavily on a $30 million grant from the federal governments Choice Neighborhoods program. The program still exists, but Gerber, nodding to the change in Washington, said, I suspect its not going to for long.
He doesnt see that as fatal for the Rosewood Courts project, but it will mean finding another funding mix. Its doable, he said.
So theres progress on an old challenge and potential problems on a new one.
Im encouraged that theres a more cooperative tone among those involved. Several people have told me that Houston should get much credit for this. Thats leadership.
However it happened and whoever caused it, I find cause for optimism that were on track toward a compromise that preserves for all of us an important slice of Austins past while providing better low-income housing for Austins present and future.
Read the rest here:
Herman: Progress on updating Austin's Rosewood Courts public housing - MyStatesman.com
We're breaking down the top segments from Thursday's edition of PFW in Progress radio show so you don't miss a thing.
PFW in Progress 2/23 Podcast >>
0:02:00 - Fred Kirsch and Erik Scalavino began today's off season edition of PFW In Progress. Andy Hart and Paul Perillo apparently had better things to do then be on the show and Fred Kirsch was not happy about it.
0:25:00 - Andy Hart filled in as his son's youth basketball coach and things did not go well for Andy or the referee.
0:50:00 - Cyrus Jones was food for thought on today's show. What will the Patriots do with him in 2017?
1:05:00 - Larry in San Diego bought the boys lunch and while on the topic of food, the TB12 diet was dismissed by Andy Hart and Paul Perillo. Does Brady's diet work for everyone?
1:25:00 - If Logan Ryan is not signed by the Patriots, what will the solution be to replace him?
1:45:00 - The show wrapped up with Fred taking emails and the guys answering some questions about all-time great Patriots and how they would stack up with players on the current team. Read
More:
PFW in Progress Recap 2/23: Who goes and who stays for Patriots free agents - Patriots.com
Forbes | Despite Baidu's Progress, Wall Street Remains Mostly Negative Going Into Earnings Tonight Forbes Baidu, the Chinese search giant, is set to report earnings for its December quarter and for FY16 on Thursday after the closing bell. Wall Street consensus for Q4:16 earnings is for $0.90 per share on revenues of $2.67 billion for the December quarter ... |
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Despite Baidu's Progress, Wall Street Remains Mostly Negative Going Into Earnings Tonight - Forbes
After the bell on Wednesday, Tesla Motors (NASDAQ:TSLA) finally published its fourth quarter results. The company beat expectations on the top line, but reported a larger-than-expected non-GAAP loss. Additionally, while the company gave some Model 3 details, there still remains a lot of questions moving forward.
First, the company guided to 47,000 to 50,000 Model S and X units in the first half of 2016, showing that demand for these vehicles has definitely topped out at the moment. I've received many comments in my prior articles that Tesla would be increasing deliveries of these models, but that isn't the case. Tesla didn't provide any production guidance for this period, but the company was supposed to be past 2,400 vehicles sometime in Q4 2016.
Even on a 25-week basis, that would mean 60,000 units in the first half of the year, assuming no production improvements, and with the added vehicles in transit from Q4, Tesla should have been approaching this level. Obviously, demand is not where many think it is for the current vehicle lineup. Customer deposits also declined by nearly $30 million sequentially, despite the rise in vehicles in transit. US delivery numbers for January were sluggish, and the company is now facing a large hurdle in Hong Kong.
As for the Model 3, Tesla expects to start limited vehicle production in July and hopes to ramp production to over 5,000 vehicles per week in Q4, then past 10,000 a week sometime in 2018. Given that CEO Elon Musk previously said production of 100,000 to 200,000 Model 3 units this year, it seems that Tesla will not come close to the midpoint. Even if the company averages 5,000 units a week in Q4, that's just 65,000, and that much won't be produced in Q3. I'm guessing a range of 75,000 to 100,000 for the year is more appropriate.
Another troubling fact is that automotive gross margins fell by 280 basis points sequentially on a non-GAAP basis, when excluding SBC and ZEV credits. Part of this fall was due to autopilot revenues not being recognized until Q1 because of the delayed rollout. Tesla hopes to get back to Q3 2016 margin levels in the coming quarters, but the company was supposed to be at 30% for the S and 25% for the X by the end of 2016. With margins continuing to be well behind plan, one must wonder how profitable the Model 3 can really be.
As for capital expenditures, Tesla spent just $521 million in Q4, about half of what was previously forecasted. The company cited some shifting payment terms and efficiencies, but it has continued to spend less than expected. The company's cash balance increased in the period, partially thanks to the SolarCity acquisition. However, long-term debt also soared to nearly $6 billion. Total liabilities now stand at nearly $16.75 billion.
Tesla shares haven't done much in the after-hours compared to the expected roughly 6.5% move the options market was pricing in as there really wasn't much ground-breaking news. Tesla reported a 2016 year that missed several guidance points (deliveries, margins, non-GAAP profitability, capital raises, etc.), and 2017 guidance was not impressive for the S and X. While investors will certainly focus on the Model 3 ramp and launch of energy products, Tesla still has a lot to prove, especially given the recent surge in shares.
Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours.
I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Additional disclosure: Investors are always reminded that before making any investment, you should do your own proper due diligence on any name directly or indirectly mentioned in this article. Investors should also consider seeking advice from a broker or financial adviser before making any investment decisions. Any material in this article should be considered general information, and not relied on as a formal investment recommendation.
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WATCH THE LATEST VIDEOS FROM THE DIAMONDBACKS AND THE MLBShot Clock: Magic's new role; MLB rules changes | 2:10
azcentral sports' Mark Faller and Dan Bickley discuss Magic Johnson's role with the Lakers, trade talk around the NBA ahead of tomorrow's deadline and potential MLB rule changes on Wednesday's Shot Clock.
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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke about his frustration with the MLBPA, which he said rebuffed the leagues efforts to make any of a number of rules changes at Tuesday's Cactus League Media Day at the Biltmore. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral sports
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The Diamondbacks' Ken Kendrick discusses the team's lawsuit with the Maricopa County Stadium District over over Chase Field maintenance costs at spring-training camp on Friday.
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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo discusses star first baseman Paul Goldschmidt and his new team's foundation at Cactus League Media Day at the Arizona Biltmore on Tuesday. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral sports
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The Diamondbacks had their photos taken on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2017 at Salt River Fields.
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Cubs manager Joe Maddon discusses how difficult it is to win back-to-back championships in the MLB on Tuesday at Cactus League Media Day at the Arizona Biltmore on Tuesday. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral sports
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Cubs manager Joe Maddon discusses how to prepare for this season in regards to overworking and injuries after last season's championship run at Cactus League Media Day at the Arizona Biltmore on Tuesday. Thomas Hawthorne/azcentral sports
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The Arizona Diamondbacks hosted fans to celebrate the start of spring training and the 2017 season at D-Backs Fan Fest at Salt River Fields on Monday. Hannah Gaber/azcentral.com
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Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo talks about his first meeting with the whole team and what the team's Saturday plans will be if it rains at spring training. Video: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports
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Diamondbacks closer Fernando Rodney tosses a bullpen session at Salt River Fields.
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USA TODAY Sports released its annual list of players to watch for in the upcoming season. USA TODAY Sports
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There are several MLB teams looking for new stadiums, while at least two are happy with their old-school dwellings. USA TODAY Sports
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Arizona Diamondbacks infielder Jake Lamb talks about their new manager, front office and players at spring training camp. Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports
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Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo discusses pitcher Shelby Miller at spring training on Feb. 16, 2017. Video: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports
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azcentral sports' Dan Bickley and Jay Dieffenbach react to Mark Grace returning to the air for the Diamondbacks and discuss if team could consider trading Paul Goldschmidt or Zack Greinke.
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Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Zack Greinke discusses his performance last season at Salt River Fields on Wednesday. By Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports
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Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo discusses Zack Greinke's first bullpen at spring training on Wednesday at Salt River Fields. By Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports
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Diamondbacks right-hander Taijuan Walker throws his first official bullpen session of spring training at Salt River Fields on Tuesday. Nick Piecoro/azcentral sports
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Diamondbacks pitcher Shelby Miller tosses his first bullpen of the spring at Salt River Fields on Tuesday. Nick Piecoro/azcentral sports
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Ron Gardenhire, Arizona Diamondbacks bench coach, annouced on Tuesday that he was diagnosed with prostate cancer at the team's spring training complex at Salt River Fields. Manager Torey Lovullo also spoke. Video: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports
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Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo on what he sees in his team and pitcher Shelby Miller heading into the first days of spring training at Salt River Fields. Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports
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D-Backs pitcher Archie Bradley, sporting facial hair that he has not shaved since October 31st, reports to spring training camp in Scottsdale. (Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)
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D-Backs skipper Torey Lovullo press conference at spring training camp in Scottsdale. (Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)
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D-Backs pitcher Patrick Corbin reports to spring training camp in Scottsdale. (Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)
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Diamondbacks right-hander Archie Bradley talks about the excitement of getting spring training started, saying "I couldn't sleep last night." Video: Nick Piecoro/azcentral sports
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The Diamondbacks have faced tough seasons and payroll limitations, and it might cost them a beloved franchise player. Hannah Gaber/azcentral.com Wochit
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USA TODAY Sports has released its projected win totals for the 2017 MLB season. USA TODAY Sports
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Proliferation of young talent in the game provides an abundance of inexpensive options to stock a roster. USA TODAY Sports
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Are the Arizona Diamondbacks right to sue Maricopa County over Chase Field? Columnist E.J. Montini says no.
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With the longest championship drought in American professional sports, the Cubs have seen a lot change since they last won the World Series, in 1908. Time_Sports
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Shot Clock: Magic's new role; MLB rules changes
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on rule changes, MLBPA cooperation
Diamondbacks' Ken Kendrick discusses team's lawsuit
D-Backs manager Torey Lovullo on Goldschmidt, team's core
Behind the scenes at Diamondbacks Photo Day
Cubs' Joe Maddon on why it's difficult to repeat
Cubs' Joe Maddon on this season's preparation
A look at Diamondbacks Fan Fest 2017
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo says he's planning for rain on Saturday
Closer Fernando Rodney throws bullpen session
MLB's 100 Names to Know for 2017
Baseball stadiums on the way out or in danger of extinction
D-Backs' Jake Lamb on new manager, front office, players
Arizona Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo discusses pitcher Shelby Miller
Shot Clock: Grace on TV and trades for Goldschmidt or Greinke?
Diamondbacks' Zack Greinke discusses last season's performance
D-Backs manager Lovullo on Greinke's 1st bullpen
Taijuan Walker throws bullpen session at Salt River Fields
Shelby Miller throws bullpen session at Salt River Fields
D-Backs bench coach Ron Gardenhire diagnosed with prostate cancer
D-Backs manager Lovullo on getting started, Shelby Miller
D-Backs pitcher Archie Bradley talks about his beard
D-Backs skipper Torey Lovullo press conference
D-Backs pitcher Patrick Corbin reports to spring training camp in Scottsdale
Diamondbacks' pitcher Archie Bradley: "New year. New team. New everything. We're excited."
D-Backs near crossroads with Goldschmidt
Projecting the 2017 MLB season
The best MLB lineup realistic money can buy
Montini: Diamondbacks' lawsuit is one big error
Cubs, coffee and cars: How things have changed since the North Siders last won the World Series
Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Anthony Banda throws to Grand Canyon University in the 1st inning during an exhibition game on Feb. 22, 2017 at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, Ariz.(Photo: Rob Schumacher/azcentral sports)
In a mostly empty clubhouse early Wednesday morning, Anthony Banda shifted a couple of lockers to his right, close enough to start a conversation with Jorge De La Rosa. It was a classic spring training moment: a prospect rubbing elbows with a veteran big-leaguer.
Banda, a bespectacled lefty who ranks as the Diamondbacks top pitching prospect, is trying to make the most of hisexperience in big-league camp. Hes also hoping to make things difficult for the front office at the end of March.
He got off to a solid start on Wednesday at Salt River Fields. Firing fastballs up to 96 mph, Banda worked around a one-out walk to toss a scoreless inning against Grand Canyon University in the Diamondbacks first exhibition game of the year.
Banda represents half of the clubs return in what ranks among the best deals former General Manager Kevin Towers made during his tenure. On July 31, 2014, the Diamondbacks sent outfielder Gerardo Parra to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Banda and outfielder Mitch Haniger.
Haniger had a breakout 2016 season and reached the big leagues; his inclusion in the Jean Segura trade allowed the Diamondbacks to acquire high-ceiling right-hander Taijuan Walker.
RELATED:Robbie Ray took good with bad in 2016 season
Banda had a sort of breakout of his own, posting solid numbers at Double-A and Triple-A, and doing so with a fastball that ticked up a couple miles per hour from previous years, when he topped out in the low-90s.
In what the industry perceives as a weak farm system, Banda is one of the few bright spots; he is the Diamondbacks lone representative on Baseball Americas Top 100 prospects list, ranking 88th. He seems to take such status with a grain of salt.
The rest is here:
Diamondbacks' Anthony Banda continues impressive progress - AZCentral.com
A Russian Soyuz rocket launches the automated Progress 66 cargo ship toward the International Space Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Feb. 22, 2017. The spacecraft is carrying 3 tons of supplies for the space station crew.
The Russian space agency Roscosmos launched a robotic cargo ship early Wednesday (Feb. 22) on a mission to deliver fresh supplies to the International Space Station.
The autonomousProgress 66 resupply shiplaunched into orbit atop a Soyuz rocket at 12:58 a.m. EST (0558 GMT), lifting off from a pad at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The cargo ship will arrive at the space station early Friday (Feb. 24).
LIFTOFF! The Russian cargo craft leaves Earth to deliver supplies to the @Space_Station. Watch: https://t.co/mzKW5uDsTi pic.twitter.com/QXe6vff3dF
"Liftoff of the 66th Progress resupply vehicle outbound to the International Space Station," NASA spokesman Rob Navias said during live commentary.
The new spacecraft is due to dock itself at the station on Friday at 3:34 a.m. EST (0834 GMT).You can watch the Progress 66 docking live online, courtesy of NASA TV, beginning at 2:45 a.m. EST (0745 GMT).
A Russian Soyuz rocket launches the automated Progress 66 cargo ship toward the International Space Station from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan on Feb. 22, 2017 in this still from a NASA TV broadcast.
Progress 66 is Russia's first resupply mission to the space station since the loss of the Progress 65 cargo ship shortly after its launch on Dec. 1, 2016.
Wednesday's launch occurred just hours before another cargo ship,a SpaceX Dragon capsule, was due to arrive at the International Space Station. But the Dragon aborted its approach at a range of seven-tenths of a mile due to an incorrect value in the global positioning system software used to pinpoint the spacecraft's position relative to the space station, NASA officials said.
The Dragon capsule will attempt another rendezvous on Thursday (Feb. 23), NASA officials added.
The International Space Station is currently stocked with suppliesusing a fleet of robotic spacecraft. In addition to Russia's Progress vehicles and SpaceX's Dragon capsules, the station is also resupplied by Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft and Japan's H-2 Transfer Vehicles. SpaceX's Dragon and Orbital ATK's Cygnus are privately built spacecraft that resupply the space station under contracts with NASA.
Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him@tariqjmalikandGoogle+.Follow us@Spacedotcom,FacebookandGoogle+. Original article onSpace.com.
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Russia Launches Robotic Progress 66 Cargo Ship to Space Station - Space.com
ORLANDO Microsoft presented awards for innovation at the Microsoft Global Health Forum. The awards were created to recognize organizations and technology solution partners that are achieving innovation excellence. The winners were named Feb. 22 in a ceremony at the Orlando County Convention Center during HIMSS17.
The following groups were recognized.
CoxHealth and IRIS Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems for incorporating diabetic retinopathy exams into their primary care locations using the IRIS diabetic retinopathy diagnostic solution. The program increased exam rates from 32 percent to 72 percent and made it possible to identify hundreds of patients with sight threatening disease. IRIS technology quickly detects potential abnormalitiesindicating location, size and type of pathology and presenting the results via a web-based platform to a highly-skilled human screener in the IRIS network.
The Vision Center at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles and SADA Systems were honored for developing a crowd-sourced training system to combat eye diseases.
Family Physicians Group and HealthGrid were recognized for developing a mobile patient engagement platform that helps care managers improve their management of patients care plans. The solution has made it possible for Family Physicians Group to have a consistent schedule for interacting with patients and drives significant return to its practice.
The Intervention Centre, Oslo University HospitalandSopra Steria were recognized for developing a mixed reality environment with Microsoft HoloLens that made it possible for surgeons at Oslo University Hospital to visualize 3D models of an organ during the planning stages of a surgery to help them improve the outcome.
The Cardiac High Acuity Monitoring Program (CHAMP) at Childrens Mercy Kansas City was recognized for connecting families to their medical teams using real-time analysis of vital statistics and videos. Since 2014, CHAMP has reduced interstage mortality at Childrens Mercy from 20 percent to zero.
This article is part of our ongoing coverage of HIMSS17. VisitDestination HIMSS17for previews, reporting live from the show floor and after the conference.
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(February 22, 2017; Day 109) Progress has remained painfully slow for Kiwi skipper Conrad Colman today as he sails into a wide high pressure ridge which stands between him and the favorable westerly breezes which should finally allow the jury rigged Foresight Natural Energy to sail more directly towards the French coast and the finish line of the Vende Globe off Les Sables dOlonne.
In the past 24 hours finishing at 1400hrs this Wednesday afternoon, Colman had made just 61.4 nautical miles, a crawling average of 2.4kts as he fights northwards in the southwest of the Bay of Biscay. He is expected to emerge into a northwesterly breeze in the early hours of Thursday morning, the wind strengthening and backing to the west tomorrow, when Colman should be able to make more meaningful speeds towards the finish.
With 215 miles to the finish line, the 33 year old New Zealander has sailed more than 500 miles since he set his jury rig on February 16th. He is now expected to finish his Vende Globe to a heros welcome on Saturday.
Didac Costa is due on the finish line between eight and nine tomorrow morning (Thursday), the fifth solo skipper to finish the race over a six day period. Among the VIPs who have travelled from his native Barcelona to welcome Costa are the Fundaci Navegaci Ocenica Barcelonas CEO Xos Carlos Fernndez and Javier Vilaronga, the Director of their Ocean Base. Costas boat, the former Kingfisher is finishing her fifth round the world race.
At 1700hrs UTC this evening Costa was less than 100 miles from the finish line, making nine knots and was expected to complete his first solo non stop race around the world in a fading Wly breeze with around 10kts on the line, smooth seas and possibly some light rain.
Costas early inspiration to race in the Vende Globe was the pioneering Spanish sailor Jos Luis de Ugarte who completed the 1992-93 race in 134 days at the age of 64 on Euskadi Europ 93BBK. Until yesterday when Rich Wilson crossed the finish line, the late Ugarte was the oldest solo skipper to complete the Vende Globe. The redoubtable Ugartes boat was leaking in the final days of the race, with so much water in it that he had to dive inside the boat to find out what the problem was.
In fact, the second oldest seems likely to be Pieter Heerema (17th place), the Dutch solo racer who is now expected on Monday. He was 65 when he started the race. Heerema faces a tough final weekend at sea on his No Way Back. He is struggling with very limited electrics and will touch two successive low pressure systems giving him 35kts of wind over Saturday and Sunday.
Likely to pass the unfortunate Colman during the final 100 miles of their race, Romain Attanasio seems set to take 15th place and by comparison, has a relatively straight run to the finish line. His estimated finish time is Friday morning, around 24 hours after Costa.
Final Results (Top 10 of 29) 1. Banque Populaire VIII, Armel Le Clach (FRA), Finished, 74d 03h 35m 46s (1/19/17) 2. Hugo Boss, Alex Thomson (GBR), Finished, 74d 19h 35m 15s (1/20/17) 3. Matre CoQ, Jrmie Beyou (FRA), Finished, 78d 06h 38m 40s (1/23/17) 4. StMichel-Virbac, Jean-Pierre Dick (FRA), Finished, 80d 01h 45m 45s (1/25/17) 5. Queguiner Leucemie Espoir, Yann Elies, (FRA), Finished, 80d 03h 11m 09s (1/25/17) 6. Finistre Mer Vent, Jean Le Cam (FRA), Finished, 80d 06h 41m 54s (1/25/17) 7. Bureau Valle, Louis Burton (FRA), Finished, 87d 21h 45m 49s (2/2/17) 8. Spirit of Hungary, Nndor Fa (HUN), Finished, 93d 22h 52m 09s (2/8/17) 9. CommeUnSeulHomme, Eric Bellion (FRA), Finished, 99d 04h 56m (2/13/17) 10. La Mie Cline, Arnaud Boissire (FRA), Finished, 102d 20h 24m 09s (2/17/17)
Race details Tracker Ranking Facebook VendeeGlobe TV
Background: The eighth Vende Globe, which began November 6 from Les Sables dOlonn, France, is the only non-stop solo round the world race without assistance. Twenty-nine skippers representing four continents and ten nations set sail on IMOCA 60s in pursuit of the record time set by Franois Gabart in the 2012-13 race of 78 days, 2 hours and 16 minutes.
For the first time in the history of the event, seven skippers will set sail on IMOCA 60s fitted with foils: six new boats (Banque Populaire VIII, Edmond de Rothschild, Hugo Boss, No Way Back, Safran, and StMichel-Virbac) and one older generation boat (Maitre Coq). The foils allow the boat to reduce displacement for speed gains in certain conditions. It will be a test to see if the gains can topple the traditional daggerboard configuration during the long and demanding race.
Retirements (11): November 12, Day 7 Tanguy de Lamotte, Initiatives Coeur, masthead crane failure November 19, Day 14 Bertrand de Broc, MACSF, UFO collision November 22, Day 17 Vincent Riou, PRB, UFO collision November 24, Day 19 Morgan Lagravire, Safran, UFO collision December 4, Day 29 Kojiro Shiraishi, Spirit of Yukoh, dismasted December 6, Day 31 Kito de Pavant, Bastide Otio, UFO collision December 7, Day 32 Sbastien Josse, Edmond de Rothschild, foil damage December 18, Day 43 Thomas Ruyant, Le Souffle du Nord, UFO collision December 24, Day 49 Stphane Le Diraison, Compagnie du Lit Boulogne Billancourt, dismasted December 24, Day 49 Paul Meilhat, SMA, keel ram failure January 1, Day 57 Enda OCoineen, Kilcullen Voyager-Team Ireland, dismasted
Source: Vendee Globe
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Vende Globe: Painfully Slow Progress - Scuttlebutt Sailing News
Deutsche Welle | World in Progress: Standing up for Human Rights Deutsche Welle Human rights under attack across the world, says Amnesty International's new report / In Turkey, protests against more purges in the education system / Refugees in South Africa: The promised land of the south? Amnesty International Annual Report 2016/17 | Amnesty International |
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World in Progress: Standing up for Human Rights - Deutsche Welle
There must be a typo, or perhaps Terri Lovell has been drinking some foxy Kool Aid to confuse liberalism with autocracy (Liberal Oppression, published Feb. 17 in The Signal).
It is autocrats who believe in, to quote Lovells words, absolute power and taking away individual rights.
For liberals, in her words, the goal is to centralize all power under their control and use innocent children and young adults to expand their own power by teaching them to hate freedom and despise traditional values.
I find this assigning autocratic purposes to liberals very puzzling. It was liberal thinkers who wrote our Constitution and established this nations liberal traditions.
Liberalism, by definition according to Webster, is free, not literal or strict, not narrow or bigoted. It is broad-minded, favoring a democratic or republican form of government as distinguished from monarchies and aristocracies.
It favors reform and progress, trending toward democracy and general freedom for the individual, freedom of thought and action, absence of narrowness or prejudice in thinking.
The word itself comes from liberty or freedom.
I know many liberal-thinking people; I, myself, am one. We tend to be open-minded and freedom-loving. In politics we want power to serve the peoples needs and to be controlled democratically.
As an educator, I want students to think critically, to understand civic responsibility, fairness, and to be open to new ideas.
I find it Orwellian to confuse liberalism with autocracy and truth with fiction.
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Roselva Ungar: Reform and progress - Santa Clarita Valley Signal
In a fit of productivity, I did my taxes early this year. They were a bit more complex than usual, so I set aside some time to click through TurboTax and make sure I got everything right. Throughout the process, the online tax-preparation program repeatedly reassured me that it had helped me identify every possible tax deduction I qualify for, and made sure I didnt make any mistakes. Attractively animated progress bars filled up while I waited for TurboTax to double- and triple-check my returns.
But as I watched one particularly slick animation, which showed a virtual tax form lighting up line by lineyellow or greenI wondered if what I was seeing actually reflected the progress of a real task being tackled in the background. Did it really take that long to look over every detail of my returns, which is what the page said it was doing? Hadnt TurboTax been checking my work as we went?
I sat down with my colleague Andrew McGill to figure out what was going on in the background. We combed through the source code powering TurboTaxs website, and soon confirmed my suspicion: The animation was fixed. It didnt appear to be communicating with the sites servers at all once it began playingand every TurboTax user saw the same one, which always took the same amount of time to complete. (The same went for at least one other page which purported to show the progress of TurboTaxs checks for every possible tax break with three animated bars.)
But why? Why misrepresent how long it takes to complete a process, and take up unnecessary time doing so?
Its not because TurboTax delights in messing with its clients. Instead, the sites artificial wait times are an example of what Eytan Adar, a professor of information and computer science at the University of Michigan, calls benevolent deception. In a paper he published in 2013 with a pair of Microsoft researchers, Adar described a wide range of design decisions that trick their usersbut end up leaving them better off.
Benevolent deceptions can hide uncertainty (like when Netflix automatically loads default recommendations if it doesnt have the bandwidth to serve personalized ones), mask system hiccups to smooth out a users experience (like when a progress bar grows at a consistent rate, even if the process its visualizing is stuttering), or help people get used to a new form of technology (like the artificial static that Skype plays during quiet moments in a conversation to convince users the call hasnt been dropped).
The word deception has a negative connotation, and lying to users is generally frowned upon. But Adar says its actually a useful, beneficial tool if deployed correctlyand that designers have been tricking their users for years, even if they preferred not to think of it that way.
Curiously, the case of the TurboTax animations is a departure from most of the deceptive practices Adar studied: Rather than covering up a system slowdown, its introducing one. The delay, it turns out, is meant to build customers confidence in the product to which they just entrusted all their financial information.
The process of completing a tax return often has at least some level of stress and anxiety associated with it, said Rob Castro, a spokesperson for TurboTaxs parent company, Intuit. To offset these feelings, we use a variety of design elementscontent, animation, movement, etc.to ensure our customers peace of mind that their returns are accurate and they are getting all the money they deserve.
Adar made a similar decision in a game he designed as an experiment nearly two decades ago. The game, which involved two people negotiating on a price on two separate mobile devices, culminated in a complex step: Both participants bids were encrypted, transmitted wirelessly, and compared, and a software program would show whether or not a deal could be reached.
Despite its complexity, this step was nearly instantaneous in the games first iteration. But the speed confused people. Their reaction was, Wow, was that it? Adar said. That was sort of a bummer for us. He devised a tweak: Instead of happening immediately, the final step launched launched an onscreen animation, which took over the screen with asterisks
The security theater appeared to work. Their delight seemed to increaseand maybe their confidence as well, Adar said. (The difference was anecdotal; the researchers never formally tested participants reactions.)
Although designers dont always like to talk about it, the practice of building in artificial waits isnt uncommon. Last year, Fast Companys Mark Wilson discovered that Facebook uses the same trick on its safety page. He turned up other examples, too: a loan-approval app that builds suspense before delivering results to avoid making customers suspicious, and a site for delivering personalized phone-plan recommendations that slowed down its response time in order to convince users they were actually getting custom results. Examples abound on Twitter, like this progress bar on a Verizon webpage thats just a timer.
Wilson cited a 2011 paper from a pair of Harvard professors that studied this effectthey named it the labor illusionin detail. They found that websites that made their operations look easy were actually less satisfying to consumers. When websites engage in operational transparency by signaling that they are exerting effort, people can actually prefer websites with longer waits to those that return instantaneous results, they wrote. Even when those results are identical.
But not every benevolent deception is designed to make people think the system theyre interacting with is in total control. One trick in particular injected uncertainty into a visual representation of dataand triggered near-heart attacks across the country.
The online election-day dashboard on The New York Times included a set of three dials across the top, displaying the newspapers best guess at Hillary Clinton and Donald Trumps shares of the popular vote, their electoral college votes, and their chance at winning the presidency. Throughout the night, the needle on each of the gauges danced and wiggled, starting in what appeared to be deep Clinton territory and ending, well after midnight, squarely on a Trump victory.
The needles were in constant motionback and forth, back and forthadding to the anxiety of the moment. A few enterprising readers dug into the pages source code, found that the needles were jiggling randomly, and let out their rage on Twitter. More than one person used the word irresponsible.
Gregor Aisch, one of the Times designers behind the election dashboard, justified the needles quiver on his blog the following week. The needle only wandered within the margin of error of the forecast at any given moment, Aisch explained. The movement was designed to emphasize the live, ever-changing nature of the forecast, while visualizing the uncertainty included in the models output. The forecast became more precise as the night wore on, and so the needle jittered less and less.
I asked Aisch whether the blowback to the anxiety-inducing dials made him to reconsider any of his teams decisions. It didnt. The visualization accurately depicted what it was meant to, he said, and hed use a similar tactic if he were designing the dashboard again. The negative response may have really been misdirected anger at the vote tally, he predicted. During election night, we were simply the first ones to destroy the hopes of a lot of people, Aisch said. Hence, we took the fire.
The one thing Aisch said hed do differently is not to display each candidates chance of winning as a percentage. To most, he said, an 80 percent chance of a Clinton win seemed like a home run, when it fact, her victory was far from certain. Nobody would ever trust contraceptives if their chance of failure was one in five, but we made many people believe that Clinton had a clear advantage, Aisch said.
When Twitter users pulled away the curtain and Aischs deception was revealed, some felt theyd been maliciously tricked. A deception, after all, works best when its deceiving people.
I asked Adar if there was a point at which deception crosses from benevolent to malevolent. He set down three ground rules: Designers should prefer non-deceptive solutions to problems, their deceptions should measurably improve the product, and the userif askedshould prefer the deceptive solution. (Of course, most designers wont have the chance to ask their users whether or not they want to be tricked, so they have to make that call on their own.)
But a deception thats beneficial to a user doesnt necessarily have to set the designer back. In fact, Adar says, a good deception usually benefits everyone involved: Happier users keep coming back to useand perhaps pay fora well-designed service.
Take the TurboTax example. Its design touches may make customers less stressed during tax season, and make them feel better about their finances. They, in turn, will come back and keep paying for the service every year.
But TurboTax has another incentive to keep the process from moving as quickly as possible. Its service is a friendly guide through the thorny jungle of credits, benefits, deductions, and forms that Americans must tromp through every year, and its in Intuits best interest to make that jungle seem as thorny and inhospitable as possible. The company regularly lobbies to keep the complicated U.S. tax code in place, and opposes proposals that would radically simplify it.
So a few extra seconds of animations that make you feel like TurboTax is slaving away diligently on your returns is sure to make you feel betterbut it also keeps you in awe of what Intuits software is doing. When, at the end, it asks you to fork over 50 or 100 bucks for the effort, those few seconds might make pulling out your credit card a little easier.
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February 21, 2017 by Chris Gebhardt
The Russian Federal Space Agency, Roscosmos, launched the Progress MS-05/66P resupply mission to the International Space Station on Wednesday morning aboard the final Soyuz-U rocket in history. Liftoff from pad 1/5 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome was on schedule at 05:58:33 GMT (00:58:33 EST, 11:58:33 local time) beginning a two-day orbital rendezvous with the Station.
Progress MS-04 investigation wrap up:
Following confirmation of the most probable cause of the Progress MS-04 launch failure on 1 December 2016, Roscosmos ordered a complete third stage engine replacement on the last remaining Soyuz-U carrier rocket, which will be used to launch Progress MS-05 to the International Space Station.
The engine replacement is also being carried out on the third stage of the Soyuz-FG rocket, which is used to launch the crewed Soyuz missions to the Station.
It is understood that this engine replacement was made with an 11D55 (RD-0110) engine built in 2016, instead of the previously installed 11D55 engine that was produced in 2014 with the engine that failed on MS-04s launch.
There is confidence within Roscosmos that the newly installed, 2016-built engine does not suffer from the same quality assurance issues that plagued the MS-04 third stage engine.
The inquiry into Decembers launch failure concluded that the destruction of the oxidizer turbopump led to the disintegration of the 11D55 engine, thats shredding parts ruptured the oxidizer tank resulting in the loss of mission and vehicle.
The destruction of the oxidizer pump either resulted from the presence of FOD (Foreign Object Debris) or from an assembly violation.
Following engine replacement, the third stage for the final Soyuz-U rocket was transported back to the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in mid-February, where it was brought into the Launch Vehicle Integration and Test Facility (LV ITF).
Moreover, it was announced on 21 Februarythat all future Soyuz rocket flights (starting with Progress MS-05) carrying uncrewed Progress and crewed Soyuz capsules will fly with rocketcams to monitor the flight and stage separations.
Processing campaign for MS-05:
While the investigation and corrective actions to the third stage of its carrier rocket occurred, workers at Baikonur continued to process the Progress MS-05 spacecraft itself for launch.
On 10 February, Technical Management and the State Commission confirmed Progress MS-05s readiness for propellant fueling and compressed gases filling operations following completion of loading operations of the final dry cargo elements of Progress payload.
All told, Progress MS-05 is carrying nearly 3 tonnes of supplies, equipment, food, clothing, consumables, and Station maintenance items to the ISS.
Among the various payload elements is an Orlan-MKS spacesuit.
The first new Orlan-MKS suit was lost on Progress MS-04. Because of this loss, its unknown at this point whether the sole Russian EVA scheduled for this year will be able to take place, as the EVA can only occur once two Orlan-MKS suits are aboard Station.
By 14 February, Progress was fueled and filled with compressed gas and was subsequently delivered to the Spacecraft Assembly and Testing Facility (SC ATF), where it was mated to its transfer compartment on 16 February.
This was followed by the designers inspection, which occurred on 17 February, and encapsulation into its payload fairing that same day.
Late on the 17th, the encapsulated Progress MS-05 spacecraft was transported from the SC ATF to the LV ITF.
On 18 February, Progress was mated to the third stage of its Soyuz-U booster, and the third stage was subsequently mated to the second/core stage of the Soyuz.
Following final engineering review and approval, the Soyuz-U rocket with Progress MS-05 attached was transported by rail to Gagarin Start, pad 1/5 at Baikonur on the morning of 20 February.
Once erected on the launch stand, the launch table was rotated to align the Soyuz-U into the proper orientation so that its pitch maneuver will result in the rocket flying on the correct azimuth to orbit.
The veteran Soyuz-U rocket lacks the ability to perform a roll maneuver in flight; thus that element of flight must be accounted for by the launch pad.
Launch timeline and major milestones:
Progress MS-05 lifted off from Baikonur at 05:58:33 GMT (00:58:33 EST; 11:58:33 local time) on the final Soyuz-U rocket.
Twenty-seconds prior to liftoff, the Soyuz-Us four strap-on boosters and core stage engine began their ignition sequences, ramping up to full thrust for last-second health checks before the vehicle was released from the pad.
At liftoff, the four boosters each measuring 19.6 m (64 ft) in length and 2.68 m (8.8 ft) in width produced a combined total thrust from their RD-117 engines of 342,009 kgf (754,000 lbf) while the core stages RD-118 engine produced 80,830 kgf (178,200 lbf).
Total liftoff thrust of the Soyuz-U was 422,839 kgf (932,200 lbf).
Once airborne, the rocket ascended vertically for the first few seconds before performing a pitch maneuver to begin its downrange track over Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation.
The four boosters, each burning 39,598.6 kg (87,300 lbs) of LOX (Liquid Oxygen) and RP1 (rocket refined kerosene), helped push Soyuz through the dense lower atmosphere and accelerate the rocket to 1.5 km/s (0.9 mps).
At T+1 minute 58 seconds, the boosters separated from the core stage, having consumed a combined total of 158,394.4 kg (149,199.87 lbs) of propellant.
Booster separation marked the technical completion of first stage flight, with core stages RD-118 engine taking over sole propulsive duties having assisted the four boosters during first stage flight.
The core stage of the Soyuz-U stands 27.1 m (88.9 ft) tall, is 2.95 m (9.7 ft) in diameter, and is powered by a single RD-118 engine.
Carrying 92,986 kg (205,000 lbs) of LOX/RP-1 propellant, the core stages RD-118 engine produces a maximum thrust of 10,096.9 (kgf) 222,600 lbf in a vacuum.
During second stage flight, the payload fairing was jettison at T+2 minutes 39 seconds at an altitude of 85 km.
Second stage flight then culminate at T+4 minutes 45 seconds via a hot staging event that saw the shutdown of the RD-118 core stage engine followed two seconds later, at T+4 minutes 47 seconds, by the ignition of the third stage engine.
Once the ignition command to the third stage was issued, a separate command to the pyrotechnic system between the core and third stages severed the connecting bolts.
The third stages 11D55 engine produces 30,391 kgf (67,000 lbf) and carries 22,811 kg (50,290 lbs) of LOX/RP-1.
The third stage 6.7 m (22 ft) long and 2.66 m (8.7 ft) in diameter took the Progress MS-05 spacecraft to its initial orbit via a 3 minutes 58 second burn.
Progress MS-05 separated from the third stage at T+8 minutes 49 seconds, at which point Progress was in a 193 by 245 km orbit inclined 51.66 to the equator.
Once Progress registered its separation from the third stage, the spacecraft commanded the deployment of its solar arrays and KURS navigation antennas as well as initiate pressurization of its Unified Propulsion System.
Shortly after this, Progress MS-05 will pass over the new ground tracking station near Vostochny Cosmodrome in Russias far east.
Communication between Progress and this tracking station will confirm the vehicles initial health and orbital parameters.
It is hoped that Progress MS-05 will finalize S-Band uplink ability from the newly activated ground tracking station which is understood to be the final element needed to certify the facility as operational, thus allowing same-day launch and docking operations of the new MS- series of Progress and Soyuz vehicles with the International Space Station.
Since that is not yet possible, Progress MS-05 will perform a standard, two-day rendezvous with Station, arriving for an automated docking at the Stations Pirs docking compartment on Friday, 24 February at 03:34 EST.
In all, Progress MS-05 was the 157th Progress mission since the program began in 1978 for resupply efforts of the Salyut 6 space station and the 68th Progress mission to the ISS, counting the two Progress flights that were not designated as resupply missions because they delivered module elements to the Station.
Including Wednesdays launch, 68 Progress missions will have launched to ISS to date, with Progress MS-05/66P being the 65th attempt of a Progress family vehicle to successfully reach the Station, following the Progress 44 launch failure in August 2011, the Progress 59 launch mishap in April 2015, and the Progress 65 launch failure in December 2016.
Soyuz-Us retirement flight 43 years and 787 missions:
The flight marked the 786th and final flight of the Soyuz-U rocket.
Production of this Soyuz rocket variant was discontinued in April 2015 following disintegration of political relations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, where portions of the Soyuz-Us guidance system was built.
With Progress MS-05, the Soyuz-U will complete a historic career with the rocket being the longest-serving launch vehicle in history after entering service on 18 May 1973.
The first flight of Soyuz-U carried Kosmos 559, a Zenit military surveillance satellite.
Since that time, the Soyuz-U has conducted 785 launches, 764 of which were successes and 22 of which were failures including the Soyuz T-10a crewed mission which caught fire on the launch pad with the crew onboard (with the crew escaping to safety via the Soyuzs launch escape system).
For its historical numbers, the Soyuz-U fire on Soyuz T-10a, which occurred on 26 September 1983, is counted as a failure but not as a launch as the vehicle never actually left the pad.
Thus, there is a mismatch in the total number of mission successes/failures when compared to the total number of launches/flights with 764 successes and 22 failures equalling 786 against 785 launches.
To this end, Progress MS-05 was the 787th scheduled mission of the Soyuz-U, but was the 786th launch of the rocket.
In all, Soyuz-U was designed in the late-1960s/early-1970s as an upgraded hence the U designation version of the original Soyuz rocket.
It is part of the R-7 family of rockets, which are based on the R-7 Semyorka missile, and was primarily constructed at the Progress Factory in Samara, Russia.
While most of its missions have been uncrewed, Soyuz-U was used to launch crewed Soyuz missions.
The rockets first crewed flight, Soyuz 16, occurred in December 1974. Soyuz 16 was the USSRs (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) dress rehearsal for the 1975 Apollo-Soyuz Test Program flight.
Following the success of Soyuz 16, Soyuz-U launched the Soyuz 19 mission in July 1975 as the USSR half of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Program.
Soyuz-U also launched the Soyuz 21 mission, the first flight of a crew to the Salyut 5 space station.
In all, Soyuz-U crewed flights continued until 25 April 2002, when the rocket was used to launch the Soyuz TM-34 spacecraft with a three-person crew for a short-duration stay aboard the International Space Station.
TM-34 not only marked the final use of the Soyuz-U for crew transportation missions, but also the final flight of the TM-series Soyuz.
With a career spanning 43 years 9 months 4 days, Soyuz-U has the longest lifetime of any orbital rocket and holds the record for most launches in a single calendar year of 47 flights, which occurred in 1979.
Moreover, it is one of the most reliable rockets in history, with a total mission success rate of 97.2% (counting Soyuz T-10a but not MS-05s scheduled launch).
(Images: Roscosmos, NASA)
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Longest-serving rocket in history bids farewell with Progress MS-05 ... - NASASpaceflight.com
SAN JOS, Costa Rica Any worries about a shock early exit for the Americans at the 2017 CONCACAF U-20 Championship were dispelled with a three-goal second half in the 4-1 victory over Haiti on Tuesday.
But despite the daylight in the winning margin, this was certainly a grind for the US U-20s as they picked up a much-needed three points.
Certainly, we were affected by the first loss we didnt expect. But when the boys come down here and participate in the tournament, [they] realize that actually every win down here is difficult, said head coach Tab Ramos afterward. Even the wins like tonight, when you see the scores at the end it takes a lot of work to get to that point in games, and I think the boys are starting to figure that out.
The Americans held the bulk of the possession in the first half, but they were lacking in the final third as their passing wasnt as sharp as required.
After erasing Haitis early lead from the penalty spot, Brooks Lennons first of three goals on the night, a burst of pace really started to affect Haiti, leading to openings the US could exploit.
The one thing we said at halftime was we wanted to play the ball a bit faster, said Ramos. I think at times, we played so slowly that it sort of gave Haiti opportunity to set themselves and defend well and not give us any space to penetrate. In the second half, we started to play the ball forward quickly and break lines. We found it easier to get opportunities.
With the three points in the bag and arguably the easiest game of the group coming up on Friday against St. Kitts & Nevis, qualification to the second group stage looks to be just about in the bag. But Ramos team cannot look past any team in this competition, especially after what happened against Panama.
After the attacking outburst that earned them victory on Tuesday, the Americans feel that first loss was an aberration that is behind them, and that theyre growing into the competition.
Were going to progress every game that we play here, and get better and better every time we step on the field, said Lennon, a Real Salt Lake academy product currently on loan with RSL from Liverpool FC. I think we just need to keep playing together and keep moving forward and well get wins.
We knew what had to be done today and we got it done. Now we look forward to St. Kitts.
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US U-20s vow to "progress every game" after key qualifying win over Haiti - MLSsoccer.com
Commuter railroads have made some progress installing a potentially life-saving train technology, though they still have a long way to go, according to new analysis from the American Public Transportation Association (APTA).
The improvement comes as the commuter railroad industry has lagged behind the efforts of freight railroads in implementing positive train control (PTC), which automatically slows down a train that is going over the speed limit and will eventually be required by law.
As of the end of last year, 30 percent of passenger rail locomotives and cab cars are equipped with PTC, up from 29 percent in the first half of 2016. Meanwhile, 50 percent of the necessary PTC radio towers have been erected, up from 46 percent.
The APTA analysis was based on responses from the groups members and quarterly reports from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).
"The commuter rail industry continues to make significant progress in implementing positive train control, said Richard A. White, the APTAs acting president and CEO. "The progress on this complex safety technology demonstrates the industry's relentless focus on safety."
Congress had originally given commuter and freight railroads until the end of 2015 to install the technology, which can prevent derailments, collisions, crashes and improper track switching. But as railroads struggled to meet compliance deadlines, lawmakers pushed back the implementation date to at least Dec. 31, 2018.
Recent deadly train crashes including a speeding New Jersey Transit train that slammed into Hoboken Terminal have stepped up pressure on railroads.
The APTA data show that commuter railroads across the country still have a long way to go in adopting positive train control, in part because of the steep cost of the technology.
BNSF Railway, a top freight railroad in the U.S.,has even called on Congressto help passenger railroads get into compliance. As a freight railroad, it may sound out of line, but I actually urge Congress to fund passenger commuter rail funding for positive train control, Matthew Rose, executive chairman of BNSF, told a Senate panel last week.
I cant imagine a more difficult train wreck for us to have to go to where we have the positive train control on the freight rail, and the passenger or commuter train didnt because of lack of funding.
PTC implementation is projected to cost the commuter rail industry more than $3.5 billion in capital expenses and $100 million annually in additional maintenance costs, the APTA said.
Since 2008, Congress has doled out over $650 million in federal grants for installing the technology, as well as a nearly $1 billion loan to the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority, according to the FRA.
"The installation of PTC is challenging for a number of reasons, including from a technical perspective. PTC was not a mature technology when Congress mandated it in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008," said White.
"Beyond the technological challenges that have to be addressed, there are significant issues in regard to the costs, scarce qualified resources, and adequate access to track and locomotives for installation and testing."
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Commuter railroads make progress installing life-saving tech | TheHill - The Hill
The Ghana midfielder was a second half substitute as the Madrid team defeated Bayer Leverkusen on the road
Thomas Parteywas sent in to shore up the midfield and protect the advantage asAtletico MadriddefeatedBayer Leverkusen4-2 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The 71st minute substitution was the second appearance for the 23-year-old Ghanaian midfielder in this seasons competition.
The visitors took the lead with a well struck left-footed shot by Saul into the back post on 17 minutes as they started the game with a lot of confidence which brought early opportunities.
They doubled their lead on 25 minutes when Antoine Griezmann found himself freed by Kevin Gameiro who kept two defenders busy, and the French striker coolly slotted home.
The hosts got one back through Karim Bellarabi three minutes after the break but Gameiro restored the two goal cushion soon after when he won and converted a penalty in a terrific man of the match performance.
Coach Diego Simeone sent on Partey in place of Gameiro to shore up the midfield and keep their advantage soon after they conceded an own goal after goalkeeper Angel Moya tipped a save onto the knee of Stefan Savic.
Substitute Fernando Torres then scored a header four minutes from time to ensure they took a two goal cushion to Madrid for the return leg in a fortnight.
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Thomas Partey's Atletico take big step towards UCL progress - Goal.com
Cyrus Moulton Telegram & Gazette Staff @MoultonCyrus
WORCESTER - A black man may have been elected twice to the White House, but activist Nyle Fort told an audience at Worcester State University on Tuesday that the struggle for racial equality in America continues.
Racism, more than anything is a system of injustice, Mr. Fort told about 20 students and community members at Worcester State. We still live in a knowingly not just racial, but racist society.
Mr. Fort, 27, is a youth pastor, freelance writer and grass-roots community organizer based in Newark, New Jersey, as well as a masters of divinity candidate at Princeton Theological Seminary.He visited Worcester State Tuesday for a talk entitled "Black in America - Race, Protest and Democracy,' which he combined with a lengthy question-and-answer session.
Mr. Fort said most people think of racism as overt; involving the Ku Klux Klan and nooses. But he said racism in modern society is much more subtle and deeply rooted throughout American institutions - including in economics, healthcare, housing, academia, and a criminal justice system where 2.7 million people are imprisoned, including 1 million blacks, a disproportional rate.
And nobody - even the most racially sensitive - are immune to these institutions.
If the American empire is burning, all our clothes are burning, Mr. Fort said.
But he said students have the opportunity to bring about equality.
Mr. Fort noted that it was black students who organized sit-ins at segregated lunch counters during the civil rights era. Protests in Ferguson, Missouri, were led by young activists, and the rise of African-American studies in higher education was driven by black students, he said.
There have always been particular opportunities for college students, Mr. Fort said. Use the resources of institutions for social change.
And students and community members had lots of questions about how to bring about this social change.
Asked about how to combat inherent - albeit not willful - white privilege, Mr. Fort urged students to recognize that white supremacy or racism not only is bad for blacks but for all. He noted that not all Flint, Michigan, residents are black and that not all whites who embraced the Confederacy benefited under the unjust institution of slavery.Rather, in seeking to explain why many poor whites have historically voted against their own self interests, Mr. Fort called racism a disease ... that will make people do things that are bad for them, willfully.
Asked whether he espoused integration or segregation, Mr. Fort said integration holds the state responsible for equality and provides for multi-racial solidarity and coalition building. But he also said its goal is to give people access to a problematic pie.
He also spoke fondly of attending Morehouse College, a historically black college, which exposed him to the vastness of black life. But he also said such segregated institutions were problematic for very pragmatic reasons.
Attendee Martin Marinos, an instructor of global studies at Worcester State, said he appreciated how Mr. Fort spoke both of racial identity and economic inequality.
Its an important thing to know your identity, Mr. Marinos said. But you shouldnt ignore the broader issue of economic inequality. ... You shouldnt lose sight of the bigger picture.
As for Mr. Fort, he said after the talk that he hoped students understand and wrestle with how entrenched racism is in American society, despite signs of progress.
Though we have a black face in a high place, the masses of black people are still suffering from racism, Mr. Fort said.
And he hoped he inspired students to do something about this.
Students in particular have the capacity to resist racism and to re-imagine society, Mr. Fort said. We together - not one individual, not one messiah, not one Dr. King - can come together and actually do something. Because racism is not God made, it is man-made.
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Worcester State speaker: Symbolic progress but racism remains - Worcester Telegram
Renault is targeting fifth place in the constructors' championship in 2017 and admits the unknown of Honda prevented the French manufacturer from aiming higher.
The new Renault was launched in London on Tuesday, with Renault Sport president Jerome Stoll making clear the team's target of fifth place for the coming season. Managing director Cyril Abiteboul admits the top three teams of 2016 will likely continue to lead the way but believes Renault has a chance to be best of the rest.
"I expect Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull, in no particular order even if I have a preferred order to be at the front," Abiteboul said. "Then I would expect ... it's a big unknown for us what Honda will have done in terms of engine development because I am sure McLaren is capable of producing a very decent car, in particular with such a dramatic change to the aero regulations.
"Then I think it will be interesting to see the mix. We should be fighting against Williams, Force India, Toro Rosso. We have the same power unit as Toro Rosso, they have two very good drivers, they are very well established, so we believe that we should be fighting against these type of teams."
Asked by RACER if the target of fifth place is because he is unsure what Honda will do and what could lead to McLaren leapfrogging the midfield, Abiteboul replied: "Yeah, you discovered me! Exactly. My cover is blown now!
"No, absolutely. It's that sort of thing when you're thinking about your target, you are not really thinking about who is behind, you're thinking about who is ahead. We know Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull will be ahead. The question is McLaren, Renault, I have my view on Williams.
"I think this season will also really be an arms race. I really feel for the teams who are under-resourced because clearly when I see this car that we are presenting today is not the car that will test in Barcelona and the car in Barcelona is not the car that will race in Melbourne. Race by race we've got an introduction of new parts.
"Frankly, I have been in a small team [Caterham], you know that it was not super successful, but I really feel for those teams that will have to keep that resource, the regulations will be very difficult for small teams. I think most of the car build budget for Force India will be gone by now just to cope with the new regulations. So that is something that we are also taking into account. With the level of resources that we have we should be easily capable of beating teams like Haas, like Force India and so on and so forth."
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Crain's Detroit Business | Duggan speech to focus on progress in Detroit's neighborhoods Crain's Detroit Business Mayor Mike Duggan's annual State of the City address tonight will be a "celebration" of progress in Detroit's neighborhoods and efforts to improve life in the city, according to a top mayoral aide. "You can expect him to really talk a lot about what is ... |
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Duggan speech to focus on progress in Detroit's neighborhoods - Crain's Detroit Business
CANNON BALL, N.D. - It appears to have been a productive weekend for the Dakota Access Pipeline protest camp cleanup.
Observers say they're pleased with how much has been cleaned up, but the clock is ticking.
After a slow start Friday, workers were able to haul out nearly 100 loads of trash and snow, which is good progress towards Wednesday 2 p.m. deadline.
You can see the difference in the Oceti Sakowin protest camp. Less garbage and less people.
"There's no more, there's less, I don't know there's less than 300 people here but this camp's changed a lot," said Alex High Elk.
State contractors began work on cleaning the camp last week and have made significant progress.
Last week this field was covered in trash, tents and snow, but since state contractors have come in you can tell they've made a lot of progress with still a lot more to go.
"Still a significant amount of garbage and a lot of snow and in that snow we don't know, we don't know what's in the snow," said Tom Doering, MC EM.
While some at the camp are heading elsewhere they know others will stay behind.
"Some of them don't want to budge. They want to stay here and they want to defend," said High Elk.
Those who are coordinating the cleanup effort by the state and county insist people need to leave.
"If the people were out of there it would go a lot quicker and then we could concentrate on those areas the closest to the river and those most likely to flood," said Doering.
Clean up will continue with efforts on both sides at least until the deadline passes.
Contractors and Morton County decided not to haul trash out today because of the rainy conditions.
They were concerned the equipment might get stuck in the mud.
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Progress made in efforts to clean up DAPL protest camp - KFYR-TV