[Behind the Beat] PURE NRG Bringing Trance To Life – Mix 247 EDM

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Meet Solarstone and Giuseppe Ottaviani, aka.Pure NRG!

These two forces have a connection of musical minds that deliver unique no-two-experiences-alike-shows. From playing unexpected turns, twists, and thrills that are amazing LIVE, they play spins that you have never heard of before.

I had an amazing time sitting down with the two of them atIlesoniqFestival in Montreal, Quebec to talk about how they got together to create such incredible beats!

Read it down below!

Mix 247 EDM: How did you boys meet and what brought you two together to create a wonderful duo?

Pure NRG:We were both being managed by the same manager and one day we were having cocktails together in Sydney, Australia and we were talking about how one of us performs live and the other doesnt. Then our manager suggested that we should work together! Its funny because we were getting bookings together as a duo but we hadnt made any music yet! But we met up in Rome and started producing in the studio and made our first show!

Mix 247 EDM: As a du0, how many shows have you performed at together ever since your first show?

Pure NRG:We limit ourselves to 10-12 shows a year to keep it special! Its been about three years and weve performed around 30 shows. We do our own shows almost every weekend but as Pure NRG, we only do around 10 shows.

Mix 247 EDM: Since you two only limit yourselves to a certain amount of shows per year, where would you say your favorite festival or performance would be in your entire life?

Giuseppe: Beyond Wonderland is definitely a favorite!

Solarstone: I dont have a favorite! They have all been so great!

Mix 247 EDM: You two just recently played at a festival called Luminosity! Tell us about it! How does it compare to Ilesoniq and other festivals?

Pure NRG:Luminosity is a small festival, focused mainly on trance in the Netherlands that takes place at a beach club. It was very intimate but there was a real sense of a TranceFamily connection and thats why everyone who attends looks forward to it! The weather was pretty terrible the whole time but the sun came out when we played our hit Scarlett!

Mix 247 EDM: Who are your inspirations in music?

Giuseppe: U2 for sure! Muse is also great!

Solarstone: I get inspired by classical music and talk radio! When I say classical music, I dont mean to sound like an asshole because its more like neoclassical and modern stuff on contemporary labels.

Mix 247 EDM: If you had to pick any kind of superpower, what would you choose and why?

Solarstone: X-Ray vision! That way Id get to look at peoples internals!

Giuseppe: I like flying!

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[Behind the Beat] PURE NRG Bringing Trance To Life - Mix 247 EDM

Cyberpunk Horror Game Observer Available Now, Receives Launch Trailer – Hardcore Gamer

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Having received positive reception to their first-person psychological horror game from last year, Layers of Fear, developers Bloober Team now follow it up with another horror game in a similar vein, Observer, which is available now. This time around, though, things shift from the Victorian era to cyberpunk as we step into the shoes of detective Daniel Lazarski (played by Rutger Hauer) in the year 2084 as he hacks into the minds of criminals and victims in order to solve crimes. Of course, as you can see with the launch trailer below, Daniels journeys will lead to some creepier scenarios than first expected.

Admittedly, opening with the somewhat corny line of What would you do if your fears were hacked? doesnt make the best first impression, sounding like the tagline to a b-rate 90s sci-fi film. But then we get into a lot of the surreal, twisted imagery that makes for a great horror game, showing off bits of the high-tech detective work found in the gameplay as well. Observer is now available for PC, Ps4, and XB1, and should definitely please those looking for a new creepfest to enjoy.

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Cyberpunk Horror Game Observer Available Now, Receives Launch Trailer - Hardcore Gamer

Wadjet Eye’s Technobabylon brings a cyberpunk adventure to iOS – Pocket Gamer

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Wadjet Eye's Technobabylon brings a cyberpunk adventure to iOS - Pocket Gamer

Layers of Fear Dev’s Cyberpunk Horror Game Observer Releases Today Alongside Official Launch Trailer – DualShockers

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Today, Poland-based developer Bloober Team who you may recognize from 2016s psychedelic horror gameLayers of Fear are back with another horror title. This time its withObserver,a cyberpunk-themed game that is now available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Mac, and Linux.

For those that dont know:Observeris set in a 2084 dystopia future ruled by oppressive corporations. Uniquely, the game doesnt follow normal cyberpunk trends, and rather takes the iconic sub-genre to Eastern Europe, which is to say youll findarchitecture, historical and political references, and pop-culture that would be found in Eastern European countries.

In the game you are DanLazarski played bylegendary actor, Rutger Hauer (who you may know from films such asBlade Runner, Flesh+Blood, Sin City, Batman Begins, The Hitcher, Blind Fury,and more) a detective for a special corporate-funded police unit called Observers. Following cryptic messages from his estranged son, Dan finds himself trekkingthrough the seedy underbelly of the city where horror, madness, andpsychological experiences bordering on the psychedelic await.

On top of normal horror gameplay, Observers are equipped with special augmentations that allow them to hack into minds of anyone and see things in an altered perception, which in turn grants them the ability to gather information or interrogate in unique ways. However, this process takes a noticeable toll on an Observer, but sometimes its your only way of finding clues that are otherwise hidden.

The game notably boasts options to approach the world as you want and make many choices that dictate events around you and in turn shape the narrative towards one of multiple endings.

Observercosts $29.99 USD. If you havent already, be sure to check outour interviewwith Brand Manager at Bloober Team,Rafa Basaj, where we talk aboutObserver,including its inspirations, story, themes, approach to horror, and more.

Below, you can check out the new, aforementioned launch trailer:

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Layers of Fear Dev's Cyberpunk Horror Game Observer Releases Today Alongside Official Launch Trailer - DualShockers

3GTMS partners with project44 – Fleet Owner

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project44 and 3GTMS, a global provider of Tier 1 transportation management software (TMS), announced the launch of a global integration that the companies say will provide real-time full lifecycle LTL and volume automation services through the 3GTMS interface.

According to the company, this partnership optimizes how 3GTMS users secure a rate quote, analyze live transit times, execute a shipment, access real-time visibility insights, and retrieve delivery documents. 3GTMS customers will have access to turnkey LTL and Volume LTL API solutions directly within their current 3GTMS interface and workflows.

"In today's world, automation and speed is essential. Thats exactly what the project44 and 3GTMS integration delivers, said David Joe Freitas, general manager of Premier Logistics. The partnership allows us to quickly embrace best-in-class API technology directly within our current TMS environment. Within seconds, we're able to pull rate quotes from our entire capacity provider network and see their live, lane-by-lane transit times. Most importantly, I know the data is 100 percent accurate and up-to-dateincreasing my confidence in the carrier selection process and my ability to make strategic transportation decisions for Premier's clients."

Our partnership with project44 strengthens the innovation we bring to our customers for rating and managing freight, said J.P. Wiggins, vice president of logistics at 3GTMS. By partnering with project44, 3GTMS can provide its customers and their clients instant access to real-time data, radically improving their ability to manage supply chain disruptions, increase on-time delivery performance, and minimize carrier fees.

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Shamed MP behind burka ban protest says political correctness will destroy Australia – Express.co.uk

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Pauline Hanson, an anti-immigration campaigner, shocked Parliament when she wore the burka into the chamber, to try to urge the attorney-general to ban the Islamic garment.

After receiving worldwide condemnation,Sky News host Tom Macleod clashed with the Australian MP as he demanded statistics following Ms Hansons claims.

Ms Hanson argued that political correctness in Australia would be to the countries detriment if the burka was not banned.

She said: It has been banned in a lot of countries in the world and actually a lot of them are Muslim countries. Malaysia, Tunisia, Egypt, Congo to name some.

SKYNEWSEPA

No, Australia hasnt banned it yet because we are politically correct here which is going to be to our detriment.

We are so far behind the rest of the world. They actually have the burka there and now [in Australia] and theyrealisethe impact it is having on their culture and their way of life and we need to address it now before our population of Muslims in this country grows to a stance that we cannot address.

I think this is very important. This is Australia, the burka is not Australian.

This is not the culture that we want here its not the culture of wearing the burka and hiding your face.

Its oppression of women, its control of women by a political ideology which is incompatible with our culture and way of life.

The Australian MP continued with her rant before she claimed that England hasitsown problems.

Australia hasnt banned it yet because we are politically correct here which is going to be to our detriment

Pauline Hanson

MsHanson claimed a lot of English people hhadve left the country and migrated to Australia becausethe UK has not banned the burka.

The Sky News host stepped in demanding facts from the Australian MP as he cut her off.

He snapped: You have no statistics. Whereareyour statistics?

Where is the evidence on that? Give me a number of people that have left England because of the burka.

The Australian politician angrily argued back.

She said: I am speaking. As a Member ofParliament, I have traveled my country quite extensively and I am talking to people. People are now saying, if this happens in Australia where will we go next."

MsHanson shocked the Senate chamber as she entered wearing the black Islamic body covering.

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The khimar is a long veil that fall to just above the waist. It covers the hair, neck and shoulders but leaves the face clear

Addressing the attorney-general, the leader of the One Nation party urged George Brandis to work with her to ban the burka in Australia.

The MP was quickly silenced by the attorney-general who insisted Australia would not be banning the burka before he received a rare standing ovation.

He said: To ridicule that community, to drive it into a corner, to mock its religious garments is an appalling thing to do.

I am not going to pretend to ignore the stunt that you have tried to pull today by arriving in the chamber dressed in a burka when we all know that you are not an adherent of the Islamic faith.

I would caution and counsel you with respect to be very, very careful of theoffenceyou may do to the religious sensibilities of other Australians.

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Shamed MP behind burka ban protest says political correctness will destroy Australia - Express.co.uk

Reality vs. political correctness – Canada Free Press

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Relinquishing control of the over-towering mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria, would amount to a self-destruct subordination of long-term security to short-terms convenience

An historical divide exists between short-term convenience and long-term national security. The former adds fuel to the Arab-Israeli fire, as evidenced by the litany of genuine Western (mostly US) peace initiatives all of them failed, attempting to subordinate reality to oversimplification, frustrating expectations, and therefore intensifying terrorism and injuring Western stature. The only two successful attempts, so far, were Israeli initiatives of direct negotiation with Egypt and Jordan.

The appeasement of rogue regimes - Arab, Iranian or North Korean - wets their appetite and radicalizes their policies. While the defiance of rogue regimes entails short terms inconvenience, it serves long term values, principles, and national and homeland security interests.

In December, 1988, the US recognized/appeased the PLO, when it was the number one Arab terrorist organization, training terrorists from Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia, providing a tailwind to international terrorism. In September, 1993, the Oslo Accords snatched the PLO from the jaws of oblivion, when the PLO was losing ground in its own terrorist camps in Tunisia, Yemen, Libya and Lebanon. The Oslo accords conferred upon the PLO the misleading appearance of legitimacy. The pro-PLO gestures signaled submission, by the US and Israel, to wishful-thinking, rendering a victory of short-term convenience over long-term and complex reality; thus, dealing a blow to the medium and long-term homeland and national security of both countries. However, the primary victims of the enhanced stature of the PLO have been the Arabs of Judea & Samaria, who have been subjected, since 1993, to the wrath of PLO repression, corruption (e.g., Mahmoud Abbas nickname is Mr. 20%), subversion and terrorism.

Arabs throughout the Middle East are aware of the Palestinian reality. Therefore, they have showered the Palestinians with much talk but no significant walk. While Mahmoud Abbas is welcomed with a red carpet in Western capitals, he is accorded a shabby rug in Arab capitals. Arabs are familiar with the Palestinian record from the 50s, when Arafat and Abbas were involved in subversion and terrorism in Cairo, escaping to Syria. In 1966 and 1970 they fled Syria and Jordan, respectively, because of their subversion and terrorism. In 1975, after plundering South Lebanon, they tried to topple the central regime in Beirut. In August 1990, the Palestinians joined Saddam Husseins invasion and plunder of Kuwait, which throughout the years had been the most hospitable Arab country to Arafat, Mahmoud Abbas and their Palestinian allies, absorbing 300,000 Palestinians and enabling them to rise to top positions. In retaliation, following the war, and liberation by the USA, Kuwait expelled almost all Palestinians from the country.

A Palestinian state west of the Jordan River, on the mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria, would undermine regional stability, eroding Western interests. It would provide a decisive tailwind to the current attempts to topple the pro-US Hashemite regime east of the Jordan River. During the Israel-Jordan peace treaty ceremony, Jordanian military leaders pleaded with their Israeli counter-parts to not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state west of the river, lest it would topple the Hashemite regime east of the river. Israels military intelligence commanders were told by their Jordanian colleagues that Palestinians are known to violate in the evening that which they sign in the morning. The toppling of the Hashemite regime would trigger a tectonic ripple effect into Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arabian Peninsula, advancing the fortunes of Irans Ayatollahs and Russia, with destructive homeland security repercussions in Europe, Asia, Africa, Latin America and the USA. A Palestinian state would provide Russia, and possibly China and Iran, with naval, air and land bases, which would dramatically upset the current balance of power in the Middle East and the Mediterranean, the soft belly of Europe. It would also mean the devastation of the remnants of Christian centers in Judea and Samaria.

In order to minimize the volcanic nature of the Middle East, and to remain a net-producer not a net consumer of national security, Israel should control the mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria, serving as a growing geo-strategic outpost of the US, extending the strategic hand of the US, and enhancing its own posture of strategic deterrence. Ceding the mountain ridges of Judea & Samaria, Israel would be squeezed within a 9-15-mile sliver along the Mediterranean, dominated by the mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria, eroding its military power projection, which would deny the US a unique geo-strategic beachhead, demoting Israel to a strategic burden upon the US.

In 2017, Jordan is a positive neighbor of Israel. However, in the context of the intolerant, unpredictable, violent, tectonic Middle East, regimes are provisional, as are their policies, alliances and agreements. Therefore, Israels most critical and longest border (with Jordan) - which is the closest to Jerusalem, the coastal plain and Ben Gurion Airport - could become Israels most hostile and dangerous border upon a change of regime in Amman. Hence, relinquishing control of the over-towering mountain ridges of Judea and Samaria, would amount to a self-destruct subordination of long-term security to short-terms convenience.

Ambassador (Retired) Yoram Ettinger is an insider on US-Israel relations, Mideast politics and overseas investments in Israels high tech. He is a consultant to members of the Israeli Cabinet and Knesset, and regularly briefs US legislators and their staff. His OpEds have been published in Israel and the US he has been interviewed in both Australia and the U.S. A graduate of UCLA and undergraduate at UTEP, he served amongst other things, as Minister for Congressional Affairs at Israels Embassy in Washington. He is the editor of Straight from the Jerusalem Cloakroom and Boardroom newsletters on issues of national security and overseas investments in Israels high-tech.

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Reality vs. political correctness - Canada Free Press

Politically correct Baltimore just lost my support – Baltimore Sun

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Baltimore, the champion of political correctness, removes statues overnight, citing safety and security (Confederate statues under tarps, police protection in Baltimore lot facing uncertain future, Aug. 17). How many people were shot and murdered in "Charm City" so far this year? Well over 200 murders so far, second in per capita to only St .Louis. Tearing down statues is your answer to safety and security.

You only did it to conform to the despicable idea that history must be purged of those things that the political left doesn't agree with. Even your Republican governor has succumbed with the removal of Roger Taney's statue from the grounds of the State House. Where does this end? This is what communists do when they take over a country. They destroy history, statues, change street name and rewrite history books to remove all vestiges of past. Then future generations only know the lies being told to them.

It's a lovely path that Maryland is going down. We won't be coming for any more concerts or ball games. That's all we can really do in protest. Good bye, Charm City.

Frank Brown, Ocracoke, N.C.

Send letters to the editor to talkback@baltimoresun.com. Please include your name and contact information.

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Steve Bannon: Post-Charlottesville racial strife is a political winner for Trump – Richmond.com

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It had already been widely reported that President Donald Trump's chief strategist, Stephen K. Bannon, was among the very few top officials around Trump who quietly cheered as he resisted pressure to unequivocally lay the blame for the deadly violence in Charlottesville on Nazis and white supremacists.

But now Bannon has gone public with this view, in a pair of new interviews. Indeed, he has gone even further: In a striking admission, Bannon confirmed that he views the racial strife and turmoil unleashed by Charlottesville as a political winner for Trump.

In the first interview, with The New York Times, Bannon explicitly defended the portion of Trump's comments in which he seemed to defend the rallying white supremacists' opposition to the removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Trump asked rhetorically whether this would ultimately lead to the removal of statues of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. Here's Bannon:

"Bannon . . . said in an interview that if Democrats want to fight over Confederate monuments and attack Mr. Trump as a bigot, that was a fight the president would win.

" 'President Trump, by asking, 'Where does this all end' - Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln - connects with the American people about their history, culture and traditions,' he said.

"The race-identity politics of the left wants to say it's all racist," Bannon added. "Just give me more. Tear down more statues. Say the revolution is coming. I can't get enough of it."

In the second interview, with the American Prospect, Bannon (believing himself to be off the record) elaborated a bit more on this general theme:

"The Democrats," he said, "the longer they talk about identity politics, I got 'em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats."

Remarkably, Bannon is gleefully discussing the political dividends that (he believes) Trump will reap from the fraught aftermath of racial violence that led to the burial of a young woman who was murdered for showing up to protest racism and white supremacy. In so doing, Bannon endorses the general view, also expressed by Trump, that leftist violence ("tear down more statues") is partly to blame for the ongoing racial strife, and defends Trump's drawing of an equivalence between statues honoring Washington and Jefferson on the one hand, and those honoring the leading lights of the Confederacy on the other.

On Thursday morning, Trump doubled down on this view in a seriesoftweets, calling efforts to remove Confederate statues and monuments "foolish":

"Sad to see the history and culture of our great country being ripped apart with the removal of our beautiful statues and monuments. You can't change history, but you can learn from it. Robert E Lee, Stonewall Jackson - who's next, Washington, Jefferson? So foolish! Also. . .the beauty that is being taken out of our cities, towns and parks will be greatly missed and never able to be comparably replaced!"

Numerous historians have already pointed out the many problems with this equivalence. While Washington and Jefferson were indeed slave owners, they helped create the nation, while Confederate leaders sought to secede from it in order to set up a separate nation perpetuating slavery. Others have noted that the whole point of many of these Confederate monuments was to celebrate white supremacy during the Jim Crow era.

Indeed, since Bannon brought Abraham Lincoln into the discussion, let's recall that Lincoln famously hailed Jefferson by saying that his authorship of the Declaration of Independence ("all men are created equal") had given voice to "an abstract truth" that would counter "tyranny and oppression" in all future times, including in the struggle to uproot and destroy slavery. Contra Bannon, Trump's absurd conflation does not "connect" us with our history; it obscures it.

Ultimately, though, what is really significant here is Bannon's frank admission that he believes the current ongoing turmoil benefits Trump. To be sure, a more cynical, self-interested motive may be at work. As The New York Times reports:

"Mr. Bannon, whose future in the White House remains uncertain, has been encouraging Mr. Trump to remain defiant. Two White House officials who have been trying to moderate the president's position suggested that Mr. Bannon was using the crisis as a way to get back in the good graces of the president, who has soured on Mr. Bannon's internal machinations and reputation for leaking stories about West Wing rivals to conservative news media outlets."

There is ample evidence that this may indeed help Bannon's standing with Trump. The Post reports that Trump - like Bannon - also believes his remarks reiterating that "both sides" are to blame for the Charlottesville violence will boost him politically:

"Trump felt vindicated after the remarks, said people familiar with his thinking. He believes that his base agrees with his assertion that both sides are guilty of violence and that the nation risks sliding into a cauldron of political correctness."

With the special counsel's probe closing in, and with his numbers sliding deeper into the danger zone, Trump plainly believes that valiantly defying the forces of political correctness (meaning, the forces that want him to unequivocally condemn racism and white supremacy) will rally his supporters to his side. Bannon is clearly feeding that instinct, at least partly to shore up his own standing with the president. Neither, naturally, recognizes any obligations or duties on the president's part to try to calm the antagonisms that are being unleashed, and neither appears even slightly concerned about the damage they could do to the country, at a time when experts are warning that this sort of rhetoric could cause an escalation in white supremacist activity.

Indeed, as Trump's new tweetstorm in defense of Confederate monuments confirms, he appears determined to keep feeding these antagonisms. And new polling explains why.

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Steve Bannon: Post-Charlottesville racial strife is a political winner for Trump - Richmond.com

Ghana national held for withdrawing money by cloning ATM cards – Daily News & Analysis

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A 37-year-old Ghana national was arrested for allegedly cloning debit cards and fraudulently withdrawing money from ATMs, the police said today.

The accused, Kingsley Boafo, was arrested on August 12 near HDFC Bank ATM, located on Main Najafgarh Road in Uttam Nagar. He has been staying in the country even after his visa had expired, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surender Kumar.

He had come to Mumbai from Ghana in July 2015 in connection with his garment business. In October that year, he shifted to Delhi and continued the business of exporting ready-made clothes to his country, the police said.

With a desire to earn more in a short period of time, he used to browse the Internet and found ways to clone ATM cards.

He bought devices online to clone ATM cards, the police said.

Boafo surveyed the ATMs that did not have security guards and through a skimmer placed in the card reader slot of the machines he would copy details of cards inserted in the slot, the police said, adding the data was downloaded to a laptop and then transferred to a Magnetic Strip Reader/Writer (MSR).

Blank debit cards were swiped through the MSR and these cloned cards were used to withdraw money from the ATMs fraudulently, they said.

Boafo was helped by one Issac, an African, in preparing cloned ATM cards. The duo deleted the stolen data from their devices soon after withdrawing money as the ATM cards, whose data they fraudulently obtained, were blocked by card holders, the police said.

The accused was in Mumbai for a couple of months this year and had returned to Delhi in the last week of July. It is suspected that he committed similar offences in Mumbai also, they said, adding police are on the lookout for Issac.

(This article has not been edited by DNA's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)

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Ghana national held for withdrawing money by cloning ATM cards - Daily News & Analysis

Evolution Mining: Gold Miner Rallies 6% After Dividend Hike – Barron’s – Barron’s

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Evolution Mining: Gold Miner Rallies 6% After Dividend Hike - Barron's
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Australian gold miner Evolution Mining (EVN.AU) is one of the best performers in the S&P/ASX200 Index after lifting its dividend payout. Illustration: Getty Images.
Evolution Mining rises 5.5pc on $217m profit - The AustralianThe Australian
Evolution Mining up on record profit, dividend | The West AustralianThe West Australian
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Motley Fool Australia
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How African Americans Supported Evolution in the 1925 Scopes Trial – JSTOR Daily

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In July of this year, a prominent statue of antievolutionist William Jennings Bryan in Dayton, Tennessee acquired a new neighbora statue of Clarence Darrow, the evolutionist and criminal defense attorney who fought against Bryan in the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial. The new statue is largely funded by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and the trial itself was backed by the ACLU, which persuaded John Scopes, a local science teacher, to incriminate himself for violating the Tennessee Butler Act, which prohibited the teaching of evolution in state-funded schools. The trial garnered much attention during its eight-day run in 1925, including among African Americans.

Many Fundamentalist African Americans supported William Jennings Bryan, despite his lack of support for the black community. However, some church leaders, such as the Reverend W. H. Mosesthe campaign director for the National Baptist Conventionbelieved the focus on evolution would bridge the increasing divide between secular and religious African Americans. Historian Jeffrey P. Moran writes, Moses hoped that the trial would demonstrate that Christianity is strengthened by science rather than weakened and that the conflict would thus restore the confidence of the darker races in Christianity.

Southern black intellectuals viewed the fundamentalist nature of the South, among both blacks and whites, as counter to intellectual and socioeconomic progression.

While Moses desire largely went unfulfilled, the secular black elite championed evolution during this time, and even employed the Scopes trial in their twin struggle against white supremacy in the South and ministerial dominance throughout African America. The black newspaper the Washington Tribune connected the black struggle not just to Scopes, but also to his sister, who was denied employment as a math teacher based on her evolutionist opinions. The newspaper immediately connected the decision with the white Souths refusal to grant African Americans their rights because they might become trouble-makers and challenge the status quo.

Moran writes that part of the white, Southern antagonism against evolution was due to its perceived connection to interracial marriage and the increase of mixed race individuals who could not easily be classified. Other antievolutionists fought against the idea that races had not come from a single sourceAdam and Eve. Even evolutionists of the time, however, largely supported eugenics and the belief that African Americans, and other minorities, were less evolved than their white counterparts. In fact, the well-regarded textbook John Scopes used in his classroom promoted eugenics.

Despite evolutionists historical connection to racist ideology in the manner of intelligence tests, craniometry, and physical anthropology, the secular black elite saw these antiquated views slowly but positively leaving professional practice. For this reason, [b]lack intellectuals took the occasion of the Scopes trial to renew their struggle for influence within the overwhelmingly pious black community. They viewed the fundamentalist nature of the South, among both blacks and whites, as counter to intellectual and socioeconomic progression.

John Scopes ultimately lost the trial and was forced to pay a $100 fine. Though The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes did not end in favor of Scopes, Darrow, or the secular black elite, it paved the way for future recognition and legislative support for evolution. It also turned Dayton, Tennessee into place of national significance, where travelers and enthusiasts flock to the small town for the annual Scopes Trial Festival.

By: Jeffrey P. Moran

The Journal of American History, Vol. 90, No. 3 (Dec., 2003), pp. 891-911

Oxford University Press on behalf of Organization of American Historians

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Harvard biologist, St. Louisan Jonathan Losos discusses evolution we see in the world today – St. Louis Public Radio

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Native St. Louisan Jonathan Losos is a Harvard University biology professor and director of Losos Laboratory at the university. He recently wrote the book Improbable Destinies: Fate, Chance and the Future of Evolution.

The book follows researchers across the world who are using experimental evolutionary science to learn more about our role in the natural world.

On Thursdays St. Louis on the Air, Losos joined host Don Marsh to discuss the science behind evolution and whats changing in todays world.

The scientific evidence that evolution has occurred is overwhelming, Losos said. We have ample evidence in the fossil record that documents one species changing to another. We can see that evolution happening today, before our eyes, and we can do experiments on evolution and see it occur.

On the day-to-day, Losos said scientists are able to see environmental pressures that spur natural selection and evolution, giving the example of antibiotic-resistant microbes. In humans, its not so palpable.

One could argue humans arent evolving so much anymore, Losos said. The reason for that is that for evolution by natural selection to occur, individuals with particular genetic variants must leave more offspring in the next generation. For example, if individuals with blue eyes produce more offspring, that would lead to evolution. But the way our culture has come to be, the link between physical characteristic and reproductive success is weak. Human evolution isnt happening so much anymore.

Listen to the full discussion about evolution and how it impacts the world we live in today here:

Harvard biologist Jonathan Losos discusses evolutionary biology and what it means in today's world with St. Louis on the Air host Don Marsh.

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What: St. Louis County Library Presents Jonathan Losos When: Thursday, August 17 at 7:00 p.m. Where: St. Louis County Library Headquarters, 1640 S. Lindbergh Blvd., St. Louis MO. 63131 More information.

St. Louis on the Airbrings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. St. Louis on the Air hostDon Marshand producersMary Edwards,Alex HeuerandKelly Moffittgive you the information you need to make informed decisions and stay in touch with our diverse and vibrant St. Louis region.

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Harvard biologist, St. Louisan Jonathan Losos discusses evolution we see in the world today - St. Louis Public Radio

The Evolution Of Missandei As One Of The Most Important Game Of Thrones Characters – BuzzFeed News

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I feel like when things get more dangerous, itll be a chance for Missandei to show what shes really made of, Nathalie Emmanuel told BuzzFeed News. (Warning: Spoilers all over the damn place.)

Posted on August 17, 2017, 20:23 GMT

Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel) in Season 7 of Game of Thrones.

Nathalie Emmanuel was a fan of Game of Thrones long before she joined the cast in Season 3 as Missandei, a trusted adviser to Daenerys Targaryen (Emilia Clarke). As fate would have it, after two seasons of faithfully watching the HBO series along with other fans, she saw the listing for a nonwhite actress, playing age 18 to 24, and immediately jumped at the chance.

I phoned my agent and she was like, Ive already got you an audition, Emmanuel told BuzzFeed News. The actor knew little about her characters arc besides the fact that she would appear in a few episodes in Season 3 of the HBO original series, with the possibility but no guarantee of returning in future seasons. Emmanuel was also drawn to the role because of Missandeis relationship with Daenerys, also known as Daenerys Stormborn, Khaleesi of the Great Grass Sea, Mother of Dragons, and Breaker of Chains, among other names.

When I first had the audition, they just gave us one scene to prepare, so I didnt know much about Missandei. But what I did know was shed been through a lot and was a very strong individual, Emmanuel said.

When viewers first meet Missandei in the first episode of Season 3, she was a slave to Kraznys mo Nakloz (Dan Hildebrand) in Astapor. Kraznys is a slave trader and a Good Master someone who rules over the three cities that make up the appropriately named Slavers Bay. We learn later that she was born on the island of Naath in the Summer Sea, and was removed from her home at a young age before she began her life of servitude. Fluent in 19 languages, Missandei acted as an interpreter between Kraznys and Daenerys when Daenerys visited Astapor. While the slave master was rude and condescending to Daenerys, Missandei diplomatically as Emmanuel described it translated his words so as to not offend Khaleesi.

After reaching an agreement to trade one of Daeneryss dragons for his 8,000 Unsullied soldiers and Missandei, the Queen of Dragons spoke to Kraznys in his own language of Low Valyrian and revealed that she understood his insults the whole time Missandei was translating for him. She then orders the Unsullied to attack the Good Masters and kill all of the slave owners and their soldiers. Daenerys and the Unsullied leave Astapor, and Missandei joins her new queen on a journey to reign over Westeros. After freely serving Daenerys and assisting her with handmaiden-like tasks, Missandei eventually earns her place as one of Daeneryss trusted advisers.

Shes gone from enslaved object and a piece of property to this free-thinking, free-feeling person with emotions, opinions, and authority. And in a way, assertiveness."

Emmanuel thinks of Missandeis current role as a significant shift and major achievement, considering where she started. Aside from being Daeneryss adviser, shes a member of her small council, the most trusted people within the queens inner circle.

Shes gone from enslaved object and a piece of property to this free-thinking, free-feeling person with emotions, opinions, and authority. And in a way, assertiveness, Emmanuel said.

Missandei and Daenerys (Emilia Clarke) have a brief moment alone in Season 7.

Missandei and Daeneryss friendship has become one of the hallmark relationships on the show. She spends most of her days with Daenerys the two powerful women existing in a world dominated by men.

Missandei had seen this woman free people and show her incredible humanity to people. Missandei believed in her and wanted to support her, Emmanuel said. But then in return, Daenerys has this person who knows this world and understands these people, and she obviously seeks her advisement and her expertise on it. As a result, theyve got this pretty great team.

Missandei and Daenerys's relationship extend beyond the politics of Westeros its deeply personal. In Season 7, Episode 4, The Spoils of War, Missandei had a moment alone with Daenerys and asked if she'd heard from the Unsullied after they were ordered to storm Casterly Rock. Daenerys picked up on Missandeis sense of urgency about Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson), an Unsullied soldier Missandei has developed a strong affection for. In fact, the two had a romantic encounter before Grey Worm left for Casterly Rock. When asked by Daenerys what happened between them, Missandei coyly replied, Many things. Daenerys replies, Many things? and the two smirk at each other, leaving the obvious unsaid.

Its not uncommon on Game of Thrones for advisers to develop strong bonds with the kings and queens they serve, but Missandei and Daeneryss relationship is still a unique one; the two can go from discussing war policy to matters of the heart, according to Emmanuel.

The story is mostly about this war and this journey that were on with these characters, and so I think these very real moments between Missandei and Daenerys are lovely to see because it reminds us that theyre really just human beings, she said. They all have crushes, and its an aside from the official business.

Their characters' friendship on the show reflects a genuine relationship in real life, according to Emmanuel. The cast members have built an authentic bond off set and hang out outside of work, which often results in chatting and drinking tea. Bless her heart, she works so hard, Emmanuel said of her Emilia Clarke. Shes up and puts in work a long time before I am even waking up.

Missandei and Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) kiss in Season 7.

Missandeis relationship with Grey Worm who is also a part of Daeneryss small council is another window into her characters evolution. Grey Worm, like Missandei, has been loyal to Daenerys since her usurping of Astapor, and has risen through the ranks to become the leader of the Unsullied forces. The pairs relationship is based on their mutual understanding of where they both come from and what theyve survived, from enslavement and abuse to gaining freedom and power.

They found themselves in the middle of this new world, and theyve almost helped each other through it, Emmanuel said.

The feelings between Grey Worm and Missandei came to a head in Season 7, Episode 2, titled Stormborn. When Daenerys sent the Unsullied soldiers to overtake Casterly Rock and fight the Lannisters, Grey Worm was forced to leave Missandei behind in Dragonstone where she and Daenerys awaited Jon Snows arrival and plotted their next moves toward Westeros. In a vulnerable moment, before Grey Worm left, the two are physically intimate.

From what I imagine about Missandeis sexual experiences as a woman and a slave, they would not have been consensual or what she wanted, she said. So, this is her first time being touched and embraced by a man who cared about her, who loved her, and who she felt the same way about.

After it appeared in the July 23 episode of Game of Thrones, Missandei and Grey Worms sex scene was at the center of the conversation around the show. It was well-received by critics and was considered a big deal. Emmanuel thinks a lot of people reacted so positively to Missandei and Grey Worms sex scene because viewers have watched their relationship build for a long time. Often, a lot of the sex scenes are about gratification, stealing moments with each other, and with certain people it happens in the brothels or its been rape, Emmanuel explained. Thats been very brutal. The only exception Emmanuel could think of is Jon Snow (Kit Harrington) and Ygrittes (Rose Leslie) cave moment in Season 3, which, like Missandei and Grey Worm, involved trust and consent.

As a member of the Unsullied, Grey Worm was castrated, leaving him especially vulnerable with Missandei. That factor alone made this moment incredibly important to him. She wasnt concerned with what was there or what wasnt there, essentially. She was like, I love this man, I want to see him in his entirety, and love him just as he is, Emmanuel explained.

She knows where he comes from, she knows what happened to him, she said.

Missandei and Daenerys when they first meet in Season 3.

There arent many actors of color who appear on Game of Thrones in significant roles, and the HBO show has received backlash for its predominantly white cast and lack of diversity. Daenerys has even been at the center of this criticism, with people calling her a white savior for emancipating slaves and helping people of color. In Season 3, Episode 10, there was an especially controversial image of Khaleesi being lifted up in a large crowd of Yunkai people who were worshipping the woman who liberated them. The shot shows Daenerys (white, blonde, and wearing a light blue dress) lying on top of a sea of nonwhite people, repeating the word mysah (mother) over and over again in gratitude.

Emmanuel thinks her role as a woman of color on GoT is crucial and she's grateful that the writers on the show gave Missandei an interesting and important storyline. When it comes to diversity on television overall, however, the actor believes there are still many strides to be made in the name of progress. Hopefully in the future when we have shows on this kind of level, we can see more and more characters of diversity and actors from different backgrounds being included, she said. Im hopeful for that, and am willing to work and push toward that.

"Hopefully in the future when we have shows on this kind of level, we can see more and more characters of diversity."

While she personally will always want to discuss representation on television and film, Emmanuel believes its a conversation everyone needs to have.

I feel like its a question thats often posed to people of color and actually the conversation is for everybody the people who are making shows, writing, and casting on every level, she said. Maybe one day Ill be in those rooms and making my own things and I can influence that more myself. Its a conversation that I enjoy having and will always have, but I do think that its a conversation that needs to be had with everybody at every level.

As far as Missandeis experience as a person of color with power in Westeros, Emmanuel thinks you can relate that back to real life.

Missandei is very aware that shes in new territory with new people and probably people that are racially different from her, she said. That can often be a huge shock to your system when youve been growing up in one place with people who look like you, and then all of a sudden youre thrown into this world where youre one of a few. And then especially also being a woman, theres no doubt shes felt a little trepidation about that.

Despite the fact that shes an outsider in the predominantly white and fictional land of Westeros, Emmanuel thinks her character still holds her her own agency and power.

In Season 7, Episode 4, when Jon Snow and Ser Davos (Liam Cunningham) were visiting Dragonstone at Daeneryss invitation, the men asked Missandei why she still serves Daenerys even though shes freed from slavery and servitude. Missandei replied that shes free to serve who she wants, and that she genuinely believes in Khaleesi. Jon Snow then asked what would theoretically happen if Missandei wanted to return to her home, to which she said, Then she would give me a ship and wish me good fortune. Missandeis power lies in her own choice to stay loyal to Daenerys, and whatever role she is given if Daenerys does become queen of the Seven Kingdoms.

They believe in this woman and this queen based on her actions not based on anything else, Emmanuel said. Thats the world that I want to live in one day, one thats based purely on your actions and who you are, not based on your gender, race, sexual orientation, or gender identification, and its about what you are as a person who you are as a person.

With Season 7 drawing to a close on Aug. 27 and only one final season to follow thereafter, viewers anxiously watch each week to see what will happen to the people of Westeros. Emmanuel is one of the millions of people watching GoT on Sundays, and like the shows fans, shes watching these episodes for the very first time.

Weve read scripts a year ago and maybe have an idea of whats happening. I know my own storyline, but even with that, it was such a long time ago, she said. Its hard to know how its going to unveil on screen. And no matter what you think it might look like or feel like to watch it, it exceeds all of your expectations, ever.

Missandeis fate, much like everyone else's on Game of Thrones, is currently unknown. Emmanuel said she isnt sure whats in store for her character, but that shes happy to be a part of Season 8.

"I feel like when things get more dangerous, itll be a chance for Missandei to show what shes really made of."

She is smart. I feel like when things get more dangerous, itll be a chance for Missandei to show what shes really made of, Emmanuel said. Shes got the bravery to get to this point, so maybe well see a bit more of that bravery.

As for the prospect of Missandei enduring a less positive outcome, Emmanuel said shes made her peace with that being an option for her character. After seven seasons fans of Game of Thrones are aware that death is always a possibility, especially as the plot thickens and tensions rise between the Lannisters, Starks, Daenerys Targaryen, and the White Walkers. If Missandei does die in the midst of the impending action, Emmanuel said she wants people to feel a lot of things.

I want her death to be an epic moment that people remember.

Krystie Yandoli is an entertainment editor for BuzzFeed News and is based in New York.

Contact Krystie Lee Yandoli at krystie.yandoli@buzzfeed.com.

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The Evolution Of Missandei As One Of The Most Important Game Of Thrones Characters - BuzzFeed News

The evolution of late night TV shows under Donald Trump – New York Daily News

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NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Thursday, August 17, 2017, 12:05 PM

How did we get here?

There was a time when late night TV shows like "The Tonight Show" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" were a light respite from harsh realities.

In recent weeks, the one following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in particular, hosts of once-fun talk shows broke from their usual hilarity to get serious about the news.

Jimmy Fallon, who was criticized during Donald Trump's campaign for tousling the reality-star-turned-politician's infamous coiffe in September 2016, fought back tears as he recalled watching white supremacists and neo-Nazis spew hatred over the weekend.

Jimmy Fallon skips the jokes while addressing Charlottesville

Kimmel follow suit, half-joking that following a series of questionably sincere statements from Trump, Americans were left questioning his alliances.

"We went into the weekend wondering about Kim Jong Un starting a war. We came out of it wondering if our president was cutting eyeholes in his bedsheets," he said.

For Fallon and Kimmel, the events that unfolded in Charlottesville served as something of a turning point.

Early in Trump's campaign both late night TV hosts regularly took jabs at the New York real estate mogul. Fallon repeatedly donned a wig in the same style as Trump's hair while Kimmel often mocked his inability to put his ego aside while delivering speeches.

Jimmy Kimmel says son is doing great months after heart surgery

As the President's wild ride continues, both slowly began taking a harsher stance.

On May 2, amid cries from Trump to "repeal and replace" Obamacare, Kimmel broke down in tears about his newborn son's health issues.

He praised congress for opting "to not go along with" the president's proposal to cut the National Institutes of Health's budget by $6 billion, noting that no family should have to fear losing their child because they can't afford care.

"If your baby is going to die and it doesn't have to, it shouldn't matter how much money you make," Kimmel said. "I think that's something that whether you're a Republican or a Democrat or something else, we all agree on that, right?"

Stephen Colbert wants to finish TV show before nuclear war

Fallon's defining moment came in the wake of Trump's July Twitter proposal to ban transgender military service personnel.

Rather than skewer the president himself, Fallon invited trans comedian Patti Harrison to throw a few comedic punches for him.

As the Trump administration's reign wages on, it's becoming increasingly apparent to late night viewers that they can no longer tune in and zone out to "Tonight Show" games of Kimmel's wildly popular "Lie Witness News."

Trump's campaign actively divided the nation and now, it's creating a rift among late night TV shows.

No one knows where North Korea is on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

While "The Tonight Show" and "Live with Jimmy Kimmel!" are relatively newly woke, other late night show runners have been utilizing their platform to make people laugh while also keeping them in the loop.

Early in Trump's presidency,Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver decided they weren't going to cut Trump any slack.

The "Late Night" host delivered an especially moving post-Charlottesville Trump takedown, bashing the president's decision to point fingers at "many sides" following the rally, which left one dead.

"On many sides," Meyers said quoting the president. "If that choice of words made you feel sick to your stomach, the good news is you're a normal and decent person. The jury is still out on the president, as he initially refused to condemn the white supremacist movement in this country."

Anthony Scaramucci to appear on Late Show' Monday

On "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert," the host has made a point to call out Trump and his cohorts at every turn since he announced his candidacy in 2015, growing more and more vocal as time passed.

In February the former "Colbert Report" host tackled Trump's first solo press conference. During the speech, the president suggested that he had "inherited a mess," which didn't sit right with Colbert.

"No, you inherited a fortune. We elected a mess. For the record," Colbert said.

For his part, Oliver has delivered a number of scathing Trump-centric "Last Week Tonight" speeches, though perhaps his most memorable comments on the matter came right after Charlottesville.

Jimmy Fallon ends Stephen Colbert's five-month winning streak

Using his usual brand of British sarcasm to his benefit, Oliver slammed Trump's failure to denounce Nazis right off the bat.

"I've got to say, David Duke and the Nazis really seem to like Donald Trump," he said. "Which is weird, because Nazis are a lot like cats; if they like you, it's probably because you're feeding them.

The trio has, in the weeks and months since those poignant on-and-off-air moments, continued to cover Trump and his administration in great detail, regularly tackling disparaging policy proposals, potentially illegal acts and more.

The trio continues to pave the way in late night time slots, refusing to back down for the sake of bipartisan viewership. Only time will tell if the others continue to hold their ground.

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The evolution of late night TV shows under Donald Trump - New York Daily News

This odd-looking creature may be the ‘missing link’ in dinosaur evolution – Los Angeles Times

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Chilesaurus, a two-legged dinosaur with a Frankenstein-like mix of features, could be the missing link that fills a mysterious gap in the dinosaur family tree, a new analysis shows.

The findings, published in the journal Biology Letters, may support a new proposal that could alter our understanding of dinosaur evolution.

Chilesaurus, described by an earlier team of scientists in 2015 in the journal Nature, lived around 150 million years ago in what is now southern Chile. About 2 to 3 meters in length from snout to tail, it walked on its back legs. Judging by its flat teeth, the dinosaur was probably an herbivore.

Scientists place dinosaurs into the family tree by comparing key physical characteristics, such as the teeth or the shape of the hips. Chilesaurus didnt seem to fit neatly into any one of the dinosaur categories, said Matthew Baron, a doctoral candidate in paleontology at Cambridge University who co-led the Biology Letters paper.

Dinosaurs are generally separated into one of two groups: the lizard-hipped Saurischia, which includes theropods (like Tyrannosaurus rex and all birds) and Sauropodomorphs; or the bird-hipped Ornithischia, which counts stegosaurus, triceratops and the duck-billed hadrosaurs among its members.

Chilesaurus didnt fit into any of these categories. It was classified as a theropod, which are mostly meat-eaters. Yet it had flat teeth for plant-eating, as the largely herbivorous Ornithischia would. Why would it have a mix of traits if those two groups were so distantly related?

It was a bit of a puzzling specimen, really, Baron said.

Nobu Tamura

Chilesaurus, depicted in this artist's rendition, has a strange mix of physical traits that defy easy explanation.

Chilesaurus, depicted in this artist's rendition, has a strange mix of physical traits that defy easy explanation. (Nobu Tamura)

Earlier this year, however, Baron showed that the dinosaur family tree branches might need to be radically redrawn. And he did just that, putting theropods and ornithischians together as sister groups, with a direct shared ancestor. Under his new model, described in the journal Nature, Baron realized that this strange Chilesaurus fossil might actually make sense.

Baron reanalyzed the dinosaurs features by comparing them against the 457 physical characteristics hed already used to categorize dinosaurs for his updated family tree.

The results put Chilesaurus in with the plant-eating ornithischians, not the meat-eating theropods. And since those two groups are sisters in Barons proposed family tree, sharing a direct common ancestor, it makes sense that Chilesaurus is a transitional species, with some traits from both groups.

Baron speculated that the ancestor to theropods and ornithischians could have been omnivorous, and as its descendants split, one group became overwhelmingly carnivorous while the other turned increasingly to plants.

To eat more plants, ornithischians had to develop larger, more complex guts and their hips shifted into the bird-like position the group is named for. But Chilesaurus doesnt seem to have the bony beak of many of its peers, such as triceratops.

This was a bit of a surprise previously, scientists werent sure whether the plant-cropping beak or the plant-digesting gut developed first in these herbivores, Baron said. Chilesaurus provides a possible answer to that question.

(Keep in mind, even though ornithischians are called bird-hipped, living birds are actually descended from the lizard-hipped theropods, not from ornithischians. Scientists came up with these labels in the late 1880s, long before researchers knew about the relationship between dinosaurs and birds, and the names stuck.)

Gabriel Lio

A look at Chilesaurus, inside and out.

A look at Chilesaurus, inside and out. (Gabriel Lio)

Sorting out these differences is important because it helps us understand the complex and dynamic relationship between animal evolution and the environment, Baron pointed out.

Around 200 million years ago, the supercontinent known as Pangaea began to break up and the fragments drifted apart, eventually becoming the continents we recognize today. That allowed more moisture to reach more land, allowing plants to flourish and spread. And as plants thrived, the thinking goes, so did plant-eating dinosaurs, developing and diversifying like never before.

Dinosaurs really are the best model set of organisms that we have for looking at larger questions about life on earth because theyre very well studied, Baron said. We have a 247-million-year record; we know a lot about how they lived and changed and adapted through time.

And dinosaurs lived though some of the most turbulent changes in Earths history, he pointed out dramatic shifts in temperature, sea level and atmospheric content. All those changes, preserved in rock, can be mapped against the fossil record to see how life reacted and adapted over time.

As well as being really cool museum specimens and movie monsters, Baron said, dinosaurs are also one of the best groups of organisms that we know of for modeling how life responds to a changing climate.

amina.khan@latimes.com

Follow @aminawrite on Twitter for more science news and "like" Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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This odd-looking creature may be the 'missing link' in dinosaur evolution - Los Angeles Times

East Boulder evolution in focus as Eastpointe redevelopment wins approval – Boulder Daily Camera

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Thursday's meeting of the Boulder Planning Board was a big moment for the future of the city's east edge.

Before the board were proposals for two separate developments along east Arapahoe Avenue, which together would bring 566 rental housing units to the evolving corridor.

The first proposal a plan to redevelop the Eastpointe Apartments at 1550 Eisenhower Drive won the board's approval, in a 5-1 vote that will be final barring an intervention and subsequent reversal by the City Council.

Should that decision stand, the existing Eastpointe complex, which features 140 relatively inexpensive units in aging buildings, will be razed. The 7-acre site will be redeveloped with 226 units with rents, developer Aimco said, that will range from about $1,500 for studios to "the high $3,000s" for three-bedroom units.

High as those figures might be, the immense wealth in the Boulder area means that, according to calculations of area median incomes, Eastpointe's units would qualify as "middle-income."

The future Eastpointe is set to have a 254-space underground parking garage, plus ample bike parking.

Following the Eastpointe vote was a hearing on the concept plan for a development proposal at what's become known at the Waterview site a location that's proven vexing to developers who've tried and failed to build there in recent years.

At Waterview, across 14 acres at 5801 and 5847 Arapahoe Ave., Zocalo Community Development seeks to put up 11 buildings, in which they'd put 340 units and 19,000 square feet of commercial space.

Those units would range from roughly $1,000 for studios to $1,300 for two-bedrooms, the developers said, while the market-rate units would range from $1,250 to $2,450.

In presentations to the board on Thursday, the developers of the respective sites made similar appeals: Their projects, they said, will provide sorely-needed housing largely at middle-income rates along a major transit corridor and burgeoning job center. Pedestrian-oriented designs with an eye on green space will appeal to residents and passersby, they both argued.

"This," said Eastpointe developer Patti Shwayder, "is going to be transformational to the community."

Eastpointe is only one project, and the Waterview plans are likely months away from even going up for possible approval. But these two plans, if realized, would bring many hundreds of new residents to a corridor that includes single-family neighborhoods, minimal commercial options and a lot of industrial and office space.

While Aimco and Zocalo focused on what their projects can do to fill needs, Eastpointe and Waterview could also help usher in or at least accelerate a period of substantial change along east Arapahoe Avenue in terms of transportation options, housing density and mixed-use development.

But not all are thrilled with the changes that these two projects represent.

The public-hearing portion of Waterview did not begin until late Thursday night, but previous comments submitted to the city indicate strong concerns about the project's potential impact on traffic and transportation safety, as well as the presence of wetlands on the site.

"This is a very low-density area and to put a high-density project on this site does not fit," said Mary Beth Vellequette, who lives nearby. "We are very concerned about the number of cars on Arapahoe; there's already difficulty getting out of our subdivision as it is."

The Planning Board was only giving feedback on Waterview, as opposed to voting, but comments by some members suggested the site's flood risk could be a hurdle for the project, as could the fact that the developers aim to insert hundreds of new residents into an area with a presently undefined character.

Meanwhile, at Eastpointe, the concerns lean more toward the issue of affordability.

Aimco, like all developers, must satisfy the city's inclusionary housing requirement as part of its approval; it plans, as of now, to satisfy that by paying cash in lieu of developing affordable units on- or off-site.

While those Planning Board members generally offered high praise for the project's design, the fact that the new Eastpointe will attract greater wealth than the current one has is troubling to some. That includes members of the City Council who called up the project when it was still in the concept phase, and specifically requested Aimco prioritize a diversity of housing types at a diversity of price points.

"I think we have to strive harder for on-site affordability," lamented Planning Board member Crystal Gray, who cast the lone vote against the project.

"There's a certain sense of regret that we know there will probably be higher rents in the new development," member David Ensign said. "It does make us take a little pause to think about how we are meeting our affordable housing goals."

And board Chairman John Putnam added: "I am disappointed that at least one of the (four residential) buildings wasn't designated for a housing authority."

But the Planning Board and City Council can't require that under the city's current rules, which allow every developer the option to simply give the city cash or land, if they don't want to build on-site affordable housing.

"I think as we look forward, we have to look at this," Putnam said, "because we're going to have more of our housing stock turning over."

Alex Burness: 303-473-1389, burnessa@dailycamera.com or twitter.com/alex_burness

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East Boulder evolution in focus as Eastpointe redevelopment wins approval - Boulder Daily Camera

Curricula on Intelligent Design Are Urgently Needed And Here They Are! – Discovery Institute

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Editors note: We are delighted to welcome a new contributor to Evolution News,our colleague Daniel Reeves,Educational Outreach Assistant with Discovery Institutes Center for Science & Culture.

Representing Discovery Institute as an educational outreach assistant often means sitting at a conference book table and offering a selection of materials related to intelligent design readings that range from a brief overview of the corrosive social impacts of neo-Darwinism to 600-page technical breakdowns of complex biochemical systems. Ive watched, time after time, as students and professionals alike approach the table with visible enthusiasm only to leave feeling overwhelmed by the vast array and sheer quantity of information available on the subject. I can fully relate.

My own journey to learning about intelligent design began in high school, where I became particularly interested in the biodiversity of life and the glaring inadequacy of natural selection as an explanation for it all. A friend handed me a copy of Darwins Black Box, by Michael Behe, and I was hooked.

Soon, I learned of other titles and was knee-deep in Signature in the Cell an argument for design from the complex digital codes observed in DNA. By the time I had finished an undergraduate degree in biology and was getting acquainted with Discovery Institute, I had read another dozen or so books on the subject. My head was swimming with so many ideas that I didnt know where to turn next.

I wondered: How does this all fit together? What other arguments are out there for intelligent design? What are the counterarguments? What I wish I had to start with was a comprehensive curriculum providing a basic framework for all of the technical books and papers I would go on to read in the years to follow. Such a thing, to my knowledge, did not exist. But now it does.

Regardless of your level of study on the subject, there are now invaluable resources available to help make the multitude of current ID arguments accessible to you. Two are of special interest. Each is organized much like a textbook and comes with supplemental materials including workbooks and/or DVDs. Online companion courses are also offered for each of these, free of charge, to help the reader work through the material at her own pace. I trust that one or both of these resources will prove helpful in your own intellectual journey.

Published recently by Discovery Institute Press, Discovering Intelligent Design is a comprehensive curriculum presenting the biological and cosmological evidence in support of the scientific theory of intelligent design, as well as challenges to neo-Darwinism. Designed for readers ranging from middle-school students (in private or home schools, not public) to adults, this is a perfect place to begin your studies or to gain an overview of the arguments to date. Topics include the fine-tuning of the universe, solar system, and planet Earth, the irreducible complexity of biochemical systems, challenges to the traditional tree of life, and even strategies for engaging in the larger debate. With plenty of images, discussion questions, and accompanying videos, this curriculum stands to captivate students, professionals, families, youth groups, and more.

Or are you already comfortable with the basic framework of ID arguments? Delve deeper with The Design of Life, a beautifully illustrated college-level textbook that covers topics related to human origins, genetics, and macroevolution, the fossil record, the origin of species, irreducible complexity, and much more! Written by mathematician William Dembski and biologist Jonathan Wells, this book presents a compelling scientific case for the intelligent design of biological systems using critical analysis, clear explanations, and brilliant analogies. It will engage every reader, from trained scientist to curious layperson.

The textbooks are available for sale at the Center for Science & Culture bookstore. I hope these resources will serve you as they have me.

Photo: Daniel Reeves, via Discovery Institutes Center for Science & Culture.

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Curricula on Intelligent Design Are Urgently Needed And Here They Are! - Discovery Institute

The alt-right loves Nietzsche, but Nietzsche would not love them – Boing Boing

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No expression of far-right idiocy is complete without a macho misreading of Nietzsche. So frequently miscast as the godfather of everything from the Master Race to Mens' Rights, his name alone is something of a shibboleth. Which is sad, because he wouldn't have thought much of them, writes Sean Illing.

Nietzsche's argument was that you had to move forward, not fall back onto ethnocentrism, Hugo Drochon, author of Nietzsches Great Politics, told me. So in many ways Spencer is stuck in the 'Shadows of God' claiming Christianity is over but trying to find something that will replace it so that we can go on living as if it still existed, rather than trying something new. ...

Nietzsche was a lot of things iconoclast, recluse, misanthrope but he wasnt a racist or a fascist. He would have shunned the white identity politics of the Nazis and the alt-right. That hes been hijacked by racists and fascists is partly his fault, though. His writings are riddled with contradictions and puzzles. And his fixation on the future of humankind is easily confused with a kind of social Darwinism.

Actor James Franco has a new YouTube channel in which he raps about philosophy with Eliot Michaelson, a philosophy lecturer at Kings College London, and other experts on such heady matters as imagination (above), and metaphor (below). The special guest on these two episodes is Rutgers University philosophy professor Elisabeth Camp. Also below is an []

I always hate having to write Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell, because its such a wtf mouthful. But they make beautiful animated explainer videos, so I have to write Kurzgesagt In a Nutshell a lot. They are always great, but this 6-minute guide to thinking your way out of existential dread might be their []

Heres a one-sentence synopsis for this interesting 5-minute cartoon guide to Stoicism: We cant control much of what happens around us or to us, but we can control how we respond and think about it.

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The alt-right loves Nietzsche, but Nietzsche would not love them - Boing Boing

Prohibition of dagga was racist historian – DestinyConnect

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The prohibition of dagga in South Africa in the late 1800s was racist and irrational, according to historian Craig Paterson

Paterson was testifying in the dagga trial on Monday at the North Gauteng High Court.

He said he had concluded that dagga was banned because it was mostly blacks and Indians who smoked it at the time.

He said the history of the prohibition of cannabis did not find ground in rationality, reason, science or good law-making, but rather in racism, irrationality, social Darwinism, poor politics and non-science.

Paterson said historical evidence showed that alcohol led to far more arrests and prosecutions than cannabis.

According to Paterson, a South African Indian immigrant commission report in 1887 paved the future for debates around cannabis in the country.

The focus of the report was based largely on labourer indolence.

The inference is that insanity wasnt the main concern, but rather it was labour, said Paterson.

Prohibition was called for in the 1870s and in 1949, the National Party requested a special commission into cannabis.

He said the commission retained the argument of moral degradation, which showed its tacit acceptance of racial hierarchy and racism.

He also referred to this as the use of social Darwinism.

During cross-examination, the state said it would discredit Paterson as an expert and added that the entire history mentioned in his testimony was irrelevant.

Outside court, a large group of anti-cannabis protesters sang songs and held up signs saying cannabis caused users to go crazy.

Protesters wore Gauteng Social Development T-shirts.

Gauteng Social Development MEC Nandi Mayathula-Khoza said she supported the picket against the legalisation, use and possession of cannabis.

We will continue to mobilise local drug action committees, NPOs, recovering service users, families, faith-based organisations, NPOs and as many people of Gauteng as possible to participate, said Mayathula-Khoza in a statement.

Dagga is a serious problem in our communities and it is a gateway to more harmful drugs. Dagga addiction causes misery in communities and the negative effects are long-lasting. The mental institutions are full to the brim with service users suffering from substance-induced psychosis.

The trial is expected to resume on Wednesday.

News24

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Prohibition of dagga was racist historian - DestinyConnect