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Electric Space Tug Could Make Moon Flights More Economical Than Ever – Futurism

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

In Brief Plans for an electric-powered space tug are now under review by scientists. The space tug would transport cargo between the moon and Earth without expensive fuels, helping to lower the cost of space travel and make it more accessible. Cutting Cargo Costs

NASA seeks todelvedeeper into the mysteries of oursolar system with the help of astronauts, but cost remains a significantbarrier for any plans. Launching anything from Earth is costly, especially bulky loads of cargo the driving force behind theinflated the price of the Apollo moon program to $109 billion (in 2010 dollars). For spaceflight to ever be accessible to everyone, prices will need to drop substantially.

Fortunately, scientists are thinking of new ways to make space travel cheaper every day. Research describing one of these ideas was just published: an electric-powered lunar space tug. The reusable tug would fly between Earth and the moon, transportingcargo and possibly even technicians and other astronauts.It would be refueled at a low Earth orbit fuel depot and maintained by astronauts on the moon and the International Space Station (ISS) for as long as its in service.

A team from aerospace company Thales Alenia (which built several modules for the ISS) and the Polytechnic University of Turin are now studying the conceptual design for the tug. The greatest advantage the tug has is that it would run on Hall Effect Thrusters, which use electric propulsion. In this sense, the tug would be powered much like NASAs Dawn spacecraft and Japans Hayabusa 2.

This project is just one of many possibilities, asthe competition to find ways to explore space for less money is still heating up. This month SpaceX became the first privately owned company to use the same spacecraft to perform multiple orbital flights. Still, even SpaceX has competition: Bigelow Airspace, Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, and Boeing are all competing for space travel contracts. This healthy competition is quickly changing the costs associated with space travel, and ultimately will open the opportunityup to commercial passengers, much in the same way competition between airlines helped makeflying commonplace in the last century.

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Electric Space Tug Could Make Moon Flights More Economical Than Ever - Futurism

Trump is Asking Tech Leaders to Help Modernize US Government – Futurism

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

In Brief On Monday tech leaders met with administration officials as the American Tech Council to discuss modernizing the government. As technologies like artificial intelligence and autonomous cars quickly advance, the government has the opportunity to utilize these powerful tools as well as the challenge of regulating them. Technology Council

OnMonday the Trump administrations American Technology Council (ATC) met in order to discuss goals. The purpose of the council is to allow federal agency leaders to seek out the advice of leaders in the tech industry on a range of issues.

While the Trump administration differs from previous administrations in many ways, its focus on updating outmoded technologies and speeding up the governments transition to digital is something thats been shared by past administrations. The ATC itself, however, is new, as is the goal ofupdating technology in order to eliminate programs and services.

Chris Liddell, formerly of Microsoft and GM, heads up the ATC. Present for the meeting were representatives from Alphabet, Microsoft, Mastercard, IBM, Intel, Qualcomm, VMware, Oracle, and Adobe. Notably absent were Facebook and Tesla according to Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg had a conflict and could not attend. However, Elon Musk has pulled Tesla from the council in the wake of President Trumps decision to leavethe Paris Accord a decision that has been almost universally condemned in the tech community.

The other techleaders have remained on the council because they agree its important to create a more tech-savvy government. The White House says it will prioritize digitizing government services, improving cyber security, and transforming the way government buys technology. The White House is also interested in using new technologies like big data and machine learning to tackle issues like illegal immigration and federal resource fraud. How willing tech leaders will be to help the administration achieve these goals remains to be seen.

Technology not only has the potential to make the government more efficient and lower costs, but it also possess many challenges from an infrastructure and regulation standpoint. For example, an invention that transmits power wirelessly could allow electric cars to charge while on the road. Would building new highways incorporating this tech be a good investment? Autonomous cars and flying cars are become more widely available, but the government has not yet set up rules and regulations for their use. Not to mention the current lack of policy around automation and artificial intelligence both of which are rapidly becoming integrated into society.

Technology is quickly advancing, and every government would be wise to consider how best to utilize and regulate it. The ideas generated by theATC have the potential to shape policies that could impact national debt, cyber security, and the development of new inventions. Lets hope theminds that have revolutionized our tech can also improve our government.

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Trump is Asking Tech Leaders to Help Modernize US Government - Futurism

Stephen Hawking: I Am Convinced That Humans Need to Leave Earth – Futurism

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

In BriefStephen Hawking wants humankind to land on the Moon by the2020s. Speaking at the Starmus Festival in Trondheim, Norway hespoke about the importance of a lunar mission as a stepping stonefor getting us to Mars and beyond. Another Giant Leap

Back in May, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking made yet another doomsday prediction. He said that humanity has 100 years left on Earth, which knocked 900 years off the prediction he madein November 2016, which had given humanity1,000 years left. With his new estimate, Hawking suggestedthe only way to prolong humanitys existence is for us to find a new home, on another planet.

Speaking at the Starmus Festival in Trondheim, Norway on Tuesday, Hawking reiterated his point: If humanity is to continue for another million years, our future lies in boldly going where no one else has gone before, he explained, according to the BBC. Specifically, Hawking said that we should aim for another Moon landingby 2020, and work to build a lunar base in the next 30 yearsprojects that could help prepare us to send human beings to Mars by 2025.

We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds. It is time to explore other solar systems. Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth, Hawking added.

Hawkings plea comesalmost 45 years since NASAs last lunar mission, and hes not the only one thinking about revisiting the Earths cosmic satellite. Even U.S. president Donald Trump wants toput ahuman onthe Moon by 2020. Various plans, both from government space agencies as well as private ones, are already in the works. NASAs mission to Mars, for example, notes that setting up an orbital lunar stationwould be a key step for a future mission to the Red Planet.

Other nations are also working towards the same goal:China and Europealsohope to reach the Moon by the 2020s, and other countriesare scrambling to set up their own lunar bases, too. Its an echo of the Cold War era space race except now, there aremore nations in play.

For private space agencies, the Moon seems to be more of a special tourist attraction than a permanent domicile:SpaceX is already preparing for its first privately-funded round trip to the Moon, while Jeff Bezos envisions an opportunity for a special delivery service to facilitate the construction of any permanent off world settlement. For Hawking, though, aiming for the Moon (again) isnot only about survival, but strengthening humanity while were still on Earth for however many years we have left here.

I hope it would unite competitive nations in a single goal, to face the common challenge for us all, he said. A new and ambitious space program would excite (young people), and stimulate interest in other areas, such as astrophysics and cosmology.

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Stephen Hawking: I Am Convinced That Humans Need to Leave Earth - Futurism

Commemorating Freedom: Community celebrates Juneteenth – Valdosta Daily Times

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

VALDOSTA On June 19, 1865, Union Gen. Gordon Granger and 2,000 federal troops marched into Galveston, Texas, to take possession of the state and enforce the emancipation of its slaves.

President Abraham Lincoln had issued the famed Emancipation Proclamation two years earlier, but it wasnt until Granger arrived in Texas that the law was fully enforced in all parts of the South

June 19 has been a celebration of freedom ever since. Known as Juneteenth and observed all across the country, it is the oldest known celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.

Saturday, residents gathered at the courthouse square in downtown Valdosta to join in on the celebration with Community Awareness Day.

The event featured a festival-like atmosphere, including fun activities, comfort food and sweet treats, dance performances, proclamations from Valdosta and Lowndes County officials and the chance to learn about local organizations.

Dr. Beverly Richardson-Blake, a coordinator of the event, said the day was all about imparting knowledge and promoting unity.

Juneteenth sometimes referred to as the African-American Fourth of July has been celebrated locally for the past 25 years, but many still dont know its history.

Debbie Smith had a tent set up at the event and was selling a little of this and a little of that: clothes, purses, jewelry, even fidget spinners, the hottest new toy.

Smith, 35, is African-American but said she never knew what Juneteenth actually celebrated until recently. She always thought it was just a fun summer holiday.

It wasnt until last year when a friend told her of the days historic and meaningful beginnings. As kids played in a colorful bounce house nearby, Smith said its important to teach people the important history of Juneteenth at a young age.

Richardson-Blake agreed, saying Community Awareness Day was meant to help people understand the meaning of Juneteenth and its significance in the community.

It is a day of freedom, she said as Walking on Sunshine by Katrina & The Waves blared across the square. I think back to my ancestors, some of the difficulties that they went through. While were not faced with all of those today, there are still some struggles that we need to overcome.

So were still working in that direction of becoming free. Its a critical holiday. Its good to look back and see how far we have come and then look ahead and see how much farther we have to go.

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Commemorating Freedom: Community celebrates Juneteenth - Valdosta Daily Times

Lynyrd Skynyrd Biopic Producer Slams Band Suit As Attacking Freedom Of Speech – Deadline

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

Deadline

Lynyrd Skynyrd Biopic Producer Slams Band Suit As Attacking Freedom Of Speech
Deadline
This law suit proves that Freedom of Speech in the United States of America is officially under attack by an increasingly litigious culture that breeds utter contempt for art and that should indeed worry everyone attempting to make a living in the ...

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Lynyrd Skynyrd Biopic Producer Slams Band Suit As Attacking Freedom Of Speech - Deadline

Religious freedom isn’t just for Hobby Lobby it’s for indigenous rights, too – Grist

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

Grist

Religious freedom isn't just for Hobby Lobby it's for indigenous rights, too
Grist
Last week, the Standing Rock Sioux celebrated what they believe is a ground-breaking legal victory in the protracted fight against the Dakota Access Pipeline. A federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers violated the ...

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Religious freedom isn't just for Hobby Lobby it's for indigenous rights, too - Grist

Tour planned of Iowa Freedom Rocks – Sioux City Journal

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

SOUTH SIOUX CITY | A local veterans' organization is planning a free trip to three Freedom Rocks in Northwest Iowa communities, and to a veteran's event.

Brotherhood Trust & Love will host its 2017 BT&L Freedom Rock Tour on June 24. The tour will make 30-minute stops in Hawarden, George and Sanborn, Iowa to see the Freedom Rocks there, and a two-hour stop in Odebolt to attend Operation Engage America's Bridging the Gap Festival.

At each Freedom Rock stop, a local expert will talk about the community's connection to the armed forces.

Most participants in the tour will be driving their own vehicles, in a convoy. There will also be vans provided by BT&L with limited seating availability.

The convoy will meet at Siouxland Freedom Park in South Sioux City, and depart from there at 1 p.m.

Participation is free, but free-will donations are accepted.

Editorial: Supreme Court is right to uphold freedom of speech – Tyler Morning Telegraph

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

The U.S. Supreme Court has wisely upheld the principle that the freedom of speech must extend to speech we dont like, or else its not really freedom at all. In a Monday ruling in the case Matal v. Tam, the court was unanimous.

A law that can be directed against speech found offensive to some portion of the public can be turned against minority and dissenting views to the detriment of all, pointed out Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in one of two concurring opinions issued. The First Amendment does not entrust that power to the governments benevolence. Instead, our reliance must be on the substantial safeguards of free and open discussion in a democratic society.

Added Justice Samuel Alito, The proudest boast of our free speech jurisprudence is that we protect the freedom to express the thought that we hate.

Thats an important point to make in these times, when free speech is under attack from many sides.

The case itself was over a trademark. The government wasnt attempting to simply silence offensive speech; it was, instead, using a lesser law to punish the speakers.

The justices made clear that speech that some view as racially offensive is protected not just against outright prohibition but also against lesser restrictions, the Washington Posts Eugene Volok explains. In Matal, the government refused to register The Slants as a bands trademark, on the ground that the name might be seen as demeaning to Asian Americans. The government wasnt trying to forbid the band from using the mark; it was just denying it certain protections that trademarks get against unauthorized use by third parties. But even in this sort of program, the court held, viewpoint discrimination - including against allegedly racially offensive viewpoints - is unconstitutional.

Why is this important? Freedom of speech must be defended in times such as these, because those who would curtail it sound so very reasonable.

CNN commentator Sally Kohn, for example, wants to limit hate speech and, in fact, any speech that would upset others. Shes not sorry that conservatives feel that they must remain silent on college campuses.

If they feel like they can no longer speak against positive social change, good, she said in a 2016 interview with Kirsten Powers.

The reason, she said, is that feelings are valid. Im never going to argue with peoples feelings.

Even the Washington Post cant seem to get around the idea that feelings trump freedom. It pledges, even in light of the ruling, to continue its crusade against the Washington Redskins the name, not the football team.

This is strong medicine, both in terms of the support it offers free speech and in terms of what it requires of those who do take offense at expressions likely to enjoy court protection as a result of this opinion - specifically the Washington football teams name The answer, in our view, is to redouble all lawful efforts to get that name changed, even if a federal lawsuit probably cant be one of them.

Thats fine. But the court is right - freedom of speech must be defended.

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Editorial: Supreme Court is right to uphold freedom of speech - Tyler Morning Telegraph

The Evidence Is In: Immigration Does Not Undermine Economic Freedom – PanAm Post

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

Rather than decreasing economic freedom, there was a positive correlation between more immigration and more economic freedom. (FEE)

ByBenjamin Powell

It is not easy to maintain a societys commitment to freedom and limited government. The social consensus on which these values are based requires constant work. And many conservative intellectuals fear that large-scale immigration, especially from poor and unfree countries, makes this job much harder because immigrants bring with them the attitudes and beliefs of their home country that have an impact on their destination countries.

However, new research shows that the fear that immigration undermines economic freedom may be overblown.

Fear of Alleged Spill Overs

Conservative pundit Victor Davis Hanson, expressing such anxieties, recently wrote that borders naturally arise to reflect common bonds of language, culture, habit, and tradition. And when borders disappear because there is no control over who comes in, these ties become attenuated.

Similarly, British scholar Paul Collier observes that migrants are essentially escaping from countries with dysfunctional social models that are the primary cause of their poverty. Letting these migrants bring their culture and norms risks compromising their new countries institutions.

Even the famed Austrian-school economist Ludwig von Mises, who viewed free migration as an essential component of the (classical) liberal program, feared that in any country where the state already intervenes in the economy, migrants might exploit opportunities to further erode the economic freedom of the native-born.

The main evidence for such fears has been offered by Harvard Universitys George Borjas. In a paper and a recent book he argues that estimates showing that opening up the borders would result in trillions of dollars in gains in global wealth assume that immigrants dont compromise the institutional environment of their destination that makes them prosperous.

What would happen to the institutions and social norms that govern economic exchanges in specific countries after the entry/exit of perhaps hundreds of millions of people?, he asks. He then proceeds to model the impact on national productivity given various levels of immigration and concludes that with enough immigration, productivity losses from negative spill overs become greater than economic gains. But he simply assumes the levels of negative spill overs that he models. He offers no evidence that such spill overs actually exist in the first place.

What the Evidence Indicates

A new strain of research, which I have contributed to, has examined the relationship between increased immigration and changes in the destination countries economic freedom. It finds the exact opposite of what these critics contend.

The first of these studies in 2015, which I co-authored, examined whether immigrants undermine economic institutions as measured by the Economic Freedom of the World Annual Report. This economic freedom index, which includes the size of government, the security of property rights, the integrity of the monetary system, the freedom to trade internationally, and the amount of government regulation, is a reasonable proxy for the type of institutions that conservatives worry immigration might destroy. Prior research has found a strong relationship between greater economic freedom and prosperity.

Our study compared 110 countries to examine how immigration impacted their economic freedom from 1990 to 2011. We examined how the economic freedom of countries with a greater initial percentage stock of immigrants in 1990 was impacted 20 years later. We also examined how economic freedom was impacted in countries that allowed a greater flow of immigrants between 1990 and 2011.

We found that rather than decreasing economic freedom, there was a statistically significant positive correlation between more immigration and more economic freedom.

In the 32 reported regressions, some of which parsimoniously controlled for only immigration measures and initial levels of freedom, while others controlled for multiple other factors which might influence changes in economic freedom, we did not find a single instance of a statistically significant negative relationship between immigration and economic freedom.

A similar study by Metropolitan State University of Denvers Alexandre Padilla and Nicolas Cachanosky examined how immigration affected economic freedom at the state level using the Economic Freedom of North America Annual Report. This index measures state level government spending, taxation, and labor market regulation.

The study looked at how the immigrant share of a states population and the naturalized-citizen share of the voting population impacted economic freedom in the state over 10-year periods between 1980 and 2010.

The study was unable to find a statistically significant relationship between either the immigrant or naturalized-citizen share of the population and state-level economic freedom, despite the fact that the foreign population in the United States more than doubled while the native-born population increased less than 18 percent during the final 20 years of analysis. In other words, more immigrants did not have any impact on the economic freedom in a state.

Israel Immigration Case Study

Critics could object that these studies were based on immigration samples taken in a world where migration flows have been tightly managed in terms of both the quantity and quality of migrants. Hence their findings cant be used to generalize to a world with little to no border controls. Perhaps these immigrants havent reached the critical mass necessary to erode freedom. And perhaps there is a selection bias in the admission of immigrants that would not be present in a world of more open borders.

But another new study I coauthored with University of Tennessees J.R. Clark and Cato Institutes Alex Nowrasteh, addresses these issues by examining a limited form of open borders in Israel.

Israel restricts the immigration of non-Jews, but the Law of Return allows all Jews to emigrate to Israel regardless of their country of origin and gives them instant full citizenship, with the right to vote, upon arrival.

When the Soviet Union reduced its emigration restrictions and subsequently collapsed, migrants flowed en masse into Israel. The new Russian immigrants, who had a 70-year history of living under socialism with a lack of economic and political freedom, amounted to 20 percent of Israels population by the end of the 1990s.

The Results

Yet the result was a dramatic increase in Israels economic freedom. Israel catapulted from 15 percent below the global average in economic freedom to 12 percent above it, improving its ranking among countries by 47 places.

With the exception of the size of government, all the major areas of economic freedom (such as the security of property rights, the freedom to trade internationally, freedom from regulation, and the soundness of their money), improved significantly. The size of government temporarily increased because, as citizens, the new immigrants were immediately eligible for government transfers. But even this measure eventually improved after the immigrants were economically integrated.

The gain in economic freedom occurred even though the new immigrants were politically active both in terms of influencing the two major parties and forming their own immigrant parties, which is unusual for immigrants. So if they were importing their attitudes to the new country, it would have showed.

Yet far from bringing socialisms lack of economic freedom with them, they seem to have rebelled against economic control. In fact, in recognition of this, the left leaning labor party even stopped using the color red in their campaign materials out of fear that it would cost them immigrant votes.

An obvious objection to this study is that Israel is a special case because migrants who come there feel a deep affinity with it, which is not necessarily the case for more opportunistic immigrants. But surveys indicated that most Russian Jews would have preferred another destination had one been practical. Also, they were different from Israels local population because nearly all spoke Russian and few spoke a Jewish language. And few of them were religious. (The Law of Return applies to descendants of Jews and their non-Jewish spouses.)

The sociologists who have studied these migrants have classified them as normal migrants who came because of push motives from their origin country, just like other migrants.

Are You Sure?

These empirical studies cant definitively say why immigrants dont negatively, and often positively, impact economic freedom. But I suspect that immigrants who leave a dysfunctional social system are not a random sample of a countrys population and are unlikely to desire to recreate what they sought to escape in their new countries.

Is there a more rabidly anti-socialist voting block in the United States than Cuban immigrants? They might be an extreme example, but there might be an element of them in other migrants from other unfree countries as well.

To be sure, these new studies are preliminary and dont decisively settle the issue. Much research remains to be done. However, they should make us more skeptical of those who fear that increased, or even unrestricted, migration would necessarily erode the economic freedom that makes destination countries prosperous.

Benjamin Powell is the Director of the Free Market Institute at Texas Tech University and a Senior Fellow with the Independent Institute. He is a member of the FEEFaculty Network. This article was originally published on FEE.org. Read the original article.

EspaolThe nine Bolivian officials who were allegedly tortured by Chilean border security are scheduled to appear ata hearing Tuesday, June 20. Officials agreed to appear at anabbreviated trial, "which is nothing more than the use of a quick and effective mechanism to once and for all conclude with this issue," Bolivian Attorney General Pablo Menacho said. The officials were allegedly stealing goods from a transport truck, which is why they were detained by Chilean law enforcement, the country's officials have claimed.Menacho said the abberviated trial should lead to the release of the nine patrol officers. googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1459522593195-0'); }); The relatives of the two soldiers and seven Bolivian Customs officials said they hope the Chilean justice system will releasethe nine Bolivians by the timethe brief trial ends. "My dad saw my brother and he told him that they could possibly be released on Friday and they could go back to the country," said Jhanet, the sister of Brian Leandro Quenallata Mndez, one of the detained officials. Sara Rada, mother of Karl Guachalla, another detained official, said the only thing officials will admit to is trespassing on Chilean territory. ButBolivia refuses to believe Chile's version of the story, claiming the officials were simply patrolling the area against smuggling. Read More: Bolivian President Evo Morales Officially Reports Chile to OAS for Torture Read More: Guillermo Lasso Denounces Lilian Tintoris Expulsion from Ecuador Menacho saidthat going to an abbreviated trial "in no way implies the acceptance of a criminal responsibility." Additionally, Bolivia will maintain itsposition "of full and total innocence, because they were performing their duties." Sources: El Deber;Pgina Siete;Opinin;Terra.

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The Evidence Is In: Immigration Does Not Undermine Economic Freedom - PanAm Post

Wings of Freedom Tour lands in Bremerton – Kitsap Sun

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

Kitsap Sun staff Published 5:06 p.m. PT June 19, 2017 | Updated 6 hours ago

Ken Jensen, 94, of Poulsbo points to his family that came to Bremerton National Airport as he stands in front of a B-17 Boeing Flying Fortress. He served as a ball turret gunner over Europe during World War II. The plane a three other vintage WW II aircraft are visiting from the Collings Foundation Wings of Freedom Tour . (Photo: Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun)Buy Photo

BREMERTON -- Four World War II-era warplanes are visiting Bremerton National Airport through Wednesday as part of the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom Tour. The planes -- a B-17 Flying Fortress, a B-25 Mitchell, a B-24 Liberator and a P-51 Mustang -- will be available for tours and up-close viewings.

Wings of Freedom tour in Bremerton

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A B-24 Liberator bomber was among the World War II-era aircraft currently visiting Bremerton. Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

This B-24 Liberator and three other World War II-era airplanes are visiting Bremerton this week as part of the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom tour. Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

A visitor takes a photograph of the B-24 Liberator at Bremerton National Airport on Monday. The plane and three other World War II-era aircraft are visiting as part of the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom tour. Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

Spectators watch as a B-24 Liberator lands and taxis at Bremerton National Airport on Monday. Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

Kierah Mardo, 5, of Bremerton, peeks out from the machine gun port of the B-24 Liberator at Bremerton National Airport on Monday. Manning the .50-caliber machine gun is her brother, Malachi, 11. Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

Sam Comstock, left, of Grapeview, and John Holmberg, of Tracyton, watch as a B-17 taxis at Bremerton National Airport on Monday. Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

A B-24 Liberator flies over Bremerton National Airport on Monday. Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

Ken Jensen, 94, of Poulsbo, and his wife, Marylou, squeeze through the tight interior of a B-17 Boeing Flying Fortress to get to the ball turret area. Jensen served as a ball turret gunner over Europe during World War II. Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

Ken Jensen, 94, of Poulsbo, waves to family who came to Bremerton National Airport to help him welcome a B-17 Boeing Flying Fortress. Jensen served as a ball turret gunner over Europe during World War II. The Flying Fortress and three other WWII-era aircraft are visiting Bremerton as part of the Collings Foundation's Wings of Freedom tour. Larry Steagall / Kitsap Sun

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Aviation enthusiasts can explore the aircraftinside and out for $12 for adults and $5 for children. For information, visitwww.collingsfoundation.org.

WWII Freedom Tour paid a visit to the Bremerton National Airpot on Monday, June 19, 2017. Video by Kerry Snider

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The Secret Room, the Nazi Artifacts and an Argentine Mystery – New York Times

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

Photo Members of Argentinias federal police displayed a Nazi statue at the Interpol headquarters in Buenos Aires. Credit Natacha Pisarenko/Associated Press

In a hidden treasure room dedicated to celebrating the Third Reich, Argentine police officers have found a trove of Nazi artifacts, including a bust of Hitler, that they believe were brought to the country by fugitive Germans.

The police said on Tuesday that they had uncovered the collection of more than 75 artifacts outside Buenos Aires, in the suburban home of a collector whom they have not yet named.

After investigating, said Marcelo El Haibe, the federal police commissioner for the protection of cultural heritage, we were able to discover those objects that were hidden behind a bookcase. Behind the bookcase there was a wall, and after that a door.

Inside the secret chamber, the police found what they said were authentic Nazi artifacts that probably belonged to high-ranking party members during World War II.

Among the items, the police said, were a magnifying glass and photo negatives that appeared to show Hitler holding the same lens. We have turned to historians, and theyve told us it is the original magnifying glass used by Hitler in the photograph, said Nestor Roncaglia, the head of Argentinas federal police.

The police also found toys and musical instruments, including a box of harmonicas, emblazoned with swastikas and Nazi symbols, that would have been used to indoctrinate children.

There are Nazi objects used by kids, but with the partys propaganda, Commissioner El Haibe said. He added, There were jigsaw puzzles and little wood pieces to build houses, but they always featured party-related images and symbols.

The authorities said they had uncovered the collection in the course of a wider investigation into artwork of suspicious origin found at a gallery in Buenos Aires.

Agents of Argentinas federal police and Interpol, the international police force, raided the collectors house on June 8. The collector was not at the house at the time, and has not been charged, but is under investigation, the police said.

The authorities also found medical devices associated with the Nazis eugenics programs, including a tool used to measure peoples heads as a way of assessing their supposed racial purity.

We know the history, we know of the horrible experiments conducted by Josef Mengele, said Ariel Cohen Sabban, president of the Delegation of Israelite-Argentines Associations, the countrys largest Jewish organization.

Mengele, a notorious Nazi physician, fled to Argentina to avoid prosecution for war crimes in Europe. He lived in the capital for a decade and eventually died in Brazil in 1979.

When I see these objects, Mr. Sabban said, I see the infamy of that terrible era of humanity that has caused so much damage, so much sadness.

Follow Russell Goldman on Twitter @GoldmanRussell.

Michel Vega contributed reporting.

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The Secret Room, the Nazi Artifacts and an Argentine Mystery - New York Times

Megan Anderson promises to show ‘how human Cris Cyborg can really be’ at UFC 214 – FOXSports.com

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

Very few fighters have accepted a matchup with featherweight terror Cris Cyborg Justino much less campaigned for the opportunity to face her but thats exactly what Megan Anderson did to land the fight at UFC 214 on July 29.

It was announced on Monday that the UFC would restart the womens featherweight division with Cyborg vs. Anderson serving as the co-main event to the highly anticipated card also featuring Daniel Cormier vs. Jon Jones in the headliner.

Anderson didnt fall into the title shot by accident after she was crowned Invicta FC featherweight champion earlier this year, but she also took additional steps by asking for the bout numerous times on social media while her management team did everything possible to negotiate for the matchup with Cyborg behind the scenes.

Andersons unwavering willingness to not only fight Cyborg but also telling anyone who would listen that she desperately wanted the chance to beat her proved that she was cut from a different cloth than numerous other competitors who wanted nothing to do with her.

Former champion Germaine de Randamie was ultimately stripped of her title because she refused to face Cyborg. Ronda Rousey also put up a fight for years arguing against a potential showdown with Cyborg while she was reigning as champion in the UFC.

So why exactly did Anderson run towards the fire when so many other competitors have seemingly gone in the exact opposite direction whenever Cyborgs name came up?

Anderson also revealed that it was only a few weeks ago that the UFC told her that the fight was not happening, which is why she ended up booking at title defense in Invicta FC on July 15. Then a few days later, the UFC came calling with the official offer for the Cyborg fight, which is exactly what she wanted all along.

Not even six hours after I handed in my bout agreement for that fight [in Invicta FC], the UFC called, Anderson said.

Im very excited when I finally got the call. Its what weve been wanting for a really long time and I think this is a really great step forward in the direction for the division.

Of course theres also some frustration from both Anderson and Cyborg that it took this long for the UFC to pull the trigger on this matchup. Part of the anger surrounding the repeated delays in getting the division going have to do with de Randamie winning the title in February and then immediately announcing that she would be out of action with a hand injury for an undetermined amount of time.

Add to that, de Randamie then proclaimed that she wouldnt fight Cyborg and that her intention was to return to the womens bantamweight division instead. Through all of that uncertainty, there was no clear plan from the UFC that the promotion even intended to move forward with the featherweight division much less crown a new champion.

I think she really held up the division, Anderson said about de Randamie. I really dont consider Germaine a natural featherweight and she knew she was going to have to give up a lot of size going up against legitimate featherweights. I think she didnt want to come up against someone whos going to have a lot of size advantage over her.

I understand her reasoning behind [not taking the fight] but the rules arent what shes wanting them to be. So you have to fight the top contenders regardless whether six years ago Cris had [tested positive] for performance enhancing drugs or not. She doesnt get the choice. Youre the champion, you fight the No. 1 contender.

Thankfully the UFC not only decided to keep the division but booking Cyborg vs. Anderson on one of the biggest cards of the year seems like a sign that 145-pound women will have a home in the Octagon for some time to come.

Anderson appreciates that everything finally came together and now she has the chance to face Cyborg on the biggest stage with everybody in the world watching.

Im really grateful that this fight is happening on such a big scale that the UFC is and I feel thats the platform this fight deserves, Anderson said.

Listen to Anderson along with Michael Chiesa and Johny Hendricks on the latest Fight Society podcast including a breakdown of the Mayweather-McGregor super fight and much more. Listen via Soundcloud or download and subscribe to the show via Apple Podcasts.

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Megan Anderson promises to show 'how human Cris Cyborg can really be' at UFC 214 - FOXSports.com

Cris ‘Cyborg’ Justino: Most Dominant Woman in MMA History Gets First UFC Title Shot – RollingStone.com

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

More than 12 years after her pro debut, the most dominant female athlete in MMA history will finally compete in her first UFC championship match this summer.

Cristiane "Cyborg" Justino's long and tumultuous road to UFC gold comes to a head July 29th when she takes on Megan Anderson for the vacant UFC Women's Featherweight title at UFC 214, which takes place at Honda Center in Anaheim.

The Brazilian's opportunity comes at the expense of another, though, because along with Monday's announcement of Justino vs. Anderson, came the news Germaine de Randamie had been stripped of the Women's Featherweight belt sheclaimed by defeating Holly Holmat UFC 208 in February.

Justino has been a menacing presence in the sport since she lost her first pro fight in May 2005. She's put together an 18-fight unbeaten streak (17 wins, one no-contest) since that result and has etched her place in history as the most dominant and violent female ever. Justino doesn't just beat opponents, she leaves them bloody, bruised and physically mangled.

Although the arch of her career has been somewhat tainted bytesting positive for banned substancesin December 2011, Justino's opportunity to fight for a UFC championship has been a long time coming. She's clearly the best 145 pound fighter on the planet, but after making apair of unnecessary weight cutsto 140 pounds at the UFC's demand in her first two Octagon appearances, was not medically fit to fight in the inaugural belt when her weight class was finally introduced to the UFC earlier this year.

That set up the fight between de Randamie and Holm, which "The Iron Lady" narrowly won on the scorecards. It was clear from the moment the belt was wrapped around de Randamie's waist that she was reluctant to defend against Justino, and as time went on, her stance became crystal clear.

"The position is that she will not fight 'Cyborg' because 'Cyborg' is a known and proven cheater," de Randamie's manager Brian Butler said in May. "Even after so much scrutiny has been put on 'Cyborg,' she still managed to pop for something and will always be a person of suspicion who is trying to beat the system rather than just conforming to the rules."

In addition to Justino's failed 2010 test, she was also brieflyflagged for a potential doping violationfrom the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which oversees the UFC drug testing program, earlier this year. She was immediately condemned as a cheat, but shortly thereafter wascleared of any wrongdoingand approved a retroactive therapeutic-use exemption for the substances found in her system.

Despite evidence to the contrary and the fact Justino has been drug tested 17 times over the past two years, de Randamie felt Justino was still benefiting from the use of banned substances and stood her ground in her unwillingness to fight. She said the UFC could take her belt if it wouldn't support her position, and that's exactly what happened, as the Dutch fighter became the 11th person in UFC history to bestripped of a title belt.

UFC has informed Germaine de Randamie and her management team that she is being removed as the Womens Featherweight champion due to her unwillingness to fight the No. 1 ranked contender, Cris 'Cyborg' Justino," UFC officials announced in a statement. "UFC maintains that any champion is expected to accept fights against the top contenders in their respective weight classes in order to maintain the integrity of the sport."

Justino has been a human wrecking ball throughout her career, earning 15 of her 17 wins by knockout, with nine finishes coming inside the first round. She's won titles under Invicta FC and now-defunct Strikeforce banners, but for many years the UFC was just not the right fit.

In recent years the UFC has fully embraced women's MMA, though, adding four new weight classes since February 2013. Although the likes of Ronda Rousey and Joanna Jedrzejczyk have stood out for their stellar title reigns, no female brings a fearsome, Mike Tyson-esque aura into competition quite like Justino.

She's waited a very long time to fight for a UFC championship at her most comfortable weight, and now that the opportunity has arrived, it's going to be a gargantuan task to not only stop her from claiming the gold at UFC 214, but going on to defend it for as long as she sees fit.

"A lot of people say, 'Oh, she's the best in women's MMA,'" Justino says. "But we have a lot of new fans, and I think with this fight, I have the opportunity to show them who 'Cyborg' is. I just have to go there and do my job. It's the same work I've done at other events. I will do the same in UFC. I just have to be me, the same 'Cyborg' as all the fights."

Cyborg, Anderson to fight for FW belt – TSN

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

Cris Cyborg Justino and Megan Anderson will fight for the newly-vacated womens featherweight championship at UFC 214 on July 29.

The UFC announced the news Monday and confirmed that inaugural champion Germaine de Randamie has been stripped of the title due to her unwillingness to fight Cyborg.

"UFC has informed Germaine de Randamie and her management team that she is being removed as the women's featherweight champion due to her unwillingness to fight the No. 1 ranked contender, Cris 'Cyborg' Justino," the UFC said in a statement. "UFC maintains that any champion is expected to accept fights against the top contenders in their respective weight classes in order to maintain the integrity of the sport."

De Randamie claimed the title with a victory over Holly Holm at UFC 208 in February.

Anderson comes into the bout as the reigning Invicta FC featherweight champion while Cyborg has won two consecutive fights to kick off her UFC tenure.

"We're the best featherweights in the world," Anderson said. "It's a great test for [Justino], and it's a great test for me. There's a reason I'm in the position that I am in such a short amount of time. She knows I'm a big threat to her."

Shortly after the fight announcement, de Randamie told MMAFighting.com that she didn't know the UFC was going to strip her of the title.

"I had absolutely no idea that I was being stripped of the belt," de Randamie said to MMAFighting.com. "I found out through social media."

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Cyborg, Anderson to fight for FW belt - TSN

Get to know Big Thick, Choc, Cyborg & other Miami Hurricanes … – Palm Beach Post (blog)

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

The Hurricanes have no shortage of player nicknames and most likely, creative ideas for customizing cleats. (Getty Images/Post illustration)

A pro sports league is bucking tradition and doing something fun.

According to a memo obtained by Yahoo Sports, Major League Baseball will allow players to wear nicknames on the back of their jerseys, like theshort-lived XFLonce did (and the NBA tried for a minute). The ballplayers can also wear crazy colorful shoes and personalize a patch paying tribute to someone instrumental in their development. MLB and its players association worked out a deal for the event, called Players Weekend, to run Aug. 25-27.

This makes us wonder: what would a Players Day look like at Miami?

Obviously there would be outstanding cleat designs, especially at a school thats already done the personalized footwear thing. That was one guy painting more than 100 pairs, though, and they generally looked the same. With leeway to go outside the team-issued colors, wed probably see guys trying to look like Odell Beckham Jr.and Cam Newton,plushometown tributes and a lot more.

But maybe not, since, you know, professional players can use part of their big-money paychecks on custom gear. Amateurs cant do that. Anyway.

That brings us to the nicknames. College players are all over social media, which presents myriad opportunity to hang on oneself a creative tag. So, we can already see how certain guys may lean, given free reign. For purposes of this exercise, were assuming the role of nickname coordinator. Some we wont touch. Others may need a little help.

Either way, lets dive deep on this one, shall we?

Possible nicknames for a Miami Hurricanes Players Day:

Defensive tackle Kendrick Norton Big Thick. Were starting strong. Seems to date back to high school, as seen here. Norton is 6-foot-3 and 315 or so pounds. Perfect nickname for a run-stuffing, quarterback-harassing monster in the middle who has a good sense of humor.

Defensive end Chad Thomas MajorNine. All I know is I can talk about why, but Miami cant.

Linebacker Zach McCloud Cyborg. Not sure who gave him the nickname, but it refers to how McCloud played most of last season with a robotic-looking arm. He doesnt want to wear the brace this year, now that his hyperextended elbow has healed, but he may have to if hes putting that name on his back. Who doesnt want a Cyborg at Sam linebacker?

Running back Trayone Gray Choc. A family-given tag stemming from his childhood love of sweets. Its excellent, and its rare you hear a teammate call him something different. As former offensive coordinator James Coley used to say, Everyone loves Choc.

Defensive end Joe Jackson Not that theres anything wrong with Joe Jack or Joedy, a couple real-life monikers he goes by, but Im tempted to call the 6-5, 250-pound sophomore Gladiator after hearing Thomas use that word to describe his physique last year. We need more mighty nicknames. (We need more good sports nicknames of any kind, as some have argued.)

Defensive end Demetrius Jackson Another name-generated one: D-Jack. Id like to see The Deacon catch on, as a reference to his involvement in his church (and a nod to one of the meanest D-ends of all time).

Could go the same route with freshman running back Robert Burns: The Preacher.

Miamis last staff called defensive endTrent HarrisToolbox, and the new coaches saw no reason to change that. Rightfully so. Ideal name for a trustworthy guy with a lot of skills.

Wide receiver Braxton Berrios Hnynut Berrios, a perfect play on his name. Here we are using the preferred online spelling. Creative. A Canes Internet 2014 classic, like Trinidad Brad.

Cornerback Michael Jackson Thriller. Easy, but hey. No mere mortal can resist.

Freshman linebackerBradley Jennings Jr.s pops earned the nickname Monster at Florida State for his bone-crunching hits. Why not continue the legacy? See if you can earn it.

Defensive endJonathan Garvins nickname is Neo, which is a family name.

A group of name-based ones already in use:

Linebacker Darrion Owens instantly becameD.O. when he stepped on campus.

Wide receiver Ahmmon Richards has A.R. as his Twitter handle. UM would like him to one day be known as All-American sophomore wide receiver Ahmmon Richards.

Defensive tackle Gerald Willis is Gee.

Friends call safety Robert Knowles Ra-Ra.

LinebackerTerry McCrayis T-Mac, or if he isnt, should be.

Offensive linemanKai-Leon Herbertshortens his social media handles to K. Herb.

I wonder if anyone has ever called offensive linemanZach DykstraLenny. I doubt they are related.

Patch, obviously, is defensive endScott Patchan.

KickerMichael Badgleyis Badge, though a former UM head coach called him Jersey Mike.

LinebackerJamie Gordinier would be Gordo in most locker rooms.

Freshman punterJeff Feagleswill be Feags, Im sure, and tight endBrian Polendeycan be Poe.

PunterJack Spicer is Spice, unless you want to make a reference to a beleaguered White House Press Secretary.

No reason we shouldnt refer to quarterbackEvan Shirreffsas simply, The Sheriff no matter what type of gunslinging he does.

Malik Rosier (right) could honor Russell Wilson with his nickname, and perhaps, his playing style. (AP/Miami Herald photos)

QuarterbackMalik Rosierused to put Russell Jr. as his Twitter handle, as a nod to fellow mobile quarterback and semi-lookalike Russell Wilson. Unless he wants to move on from that, Im fine with it. If he wins the starting job and performs well, even better.

Do not callquarterbackVincent TestaverdeVinnys Kid, unless you want to sound old. He goes by Young Vinn.

Based on theknee injurieshe overcame and underdog status in the quarterback race, maybeCade Weldoncould be The Comeback Kid.

Quarterback NKosi Perry goes by Kosi, though if he wins the starting job, fans will no doubt anoint him something Messiah-like.

Another potential freshman standout, offensive lineman Navaughn Donaldson (6-6, 350), is appropriately called Big Vaughn, though better nicknames could be coming.

Wide receiverDeeJay 13K Dallaspicked up a good one on the recruiting trail: The Ambassador.

CornerbackRyan Mayesgoes by Rico. That works.

LinebackerCharles Perrycould throw it back to the PBGametime days and call himself King Perry. Its that, or C.P. Similarly, safetyAmari Carteris A.C.

ReceiverDayall Harrishas King Dayall on his Twitter, though I wondered if anyone called him Big Country when I first heard his deep-in-the-heart-of-Mississippi speaking accent.

Waynmon Steeds name is so unique I dont want to touch it, but his Twitter handle They Envy Wayne is even better. Got a little He Hate Me flavor to it. A winner all around.

Im stuck on nicknames for new additions Mike Harley(something about his size and speed, for sure. I might borrow from a hockey legend and go Pocket Rocket.). Jhavonte Dean (Jah or Tae seem right),Derrick Smith(big, imposing safety. We clearly need something better than Smitty here). Anyone got anything for reserve cornerbackTerrance Henley?

Struggling with offensive linemen, too. Like Kc McDermott(Ive never heard anyone call him Big Mac),Hayden Mahoney (of Irish descent, for what its worth), Corey Gaynor (Bad Intentions, based on what his high school coach says he harbors for opponents), Nick Linder (Canes media called him Baby Linder for a time, since his brother had just left the program), Trevor Darling, Tyler Gauthier, Zalontae Hillery, Tre Johnson, Jahair Jones, Tyree St. Louis andBar Milo(The Hebrew Hammer has been done, and really only works if hes a linebacker or safety).

Im also unsure ofChris Herndon. Hes an excellent tight end. Very versatile player. Ive called him Miamis Swiss Army knife, but that doesnt sing. Suggestions welcome.

If freshman linebacker DeAndre Wilderwears No. 11 at UM, as he did on his official visit, Sticks is a possibility. His Twitter handle includes the nickname EyeCandy in it, which is in itself very good.

Cornerback Trajan Bandy Trajan Bandy is already a great name, and Im good with just Bandy on the back. Tra Bands if you need to have a nickname, I guess.

Same deal with safetyRomeo Finley. Romeo is good. His numbers 30, so Im offering Rom30 free of charge.

Cornerback Sheldrick Redwine Why mess with Redwine on the back of a jersey? Its so good. We could go Red, which is what people call him, but cmon. Redwine.

Who could blame Mark Walton if he wanted to get a little braggadocious? (Post photo, Post illustration)

Im taking suggestions for running back Mark Walton, a player with a supremely important role on the team. The Franchise? The Chosen 1?

Linebacker Michael Pinckney, a player with a loquacious personality, deserves more than just Pink. Same with linebacker Shaquille Shaq Quarterman. Open to suggestions for both. The screen names are 56 Nightmares and OG Boobie Shaq, respectively. Maybe we can mine something from that.

Dread-headed linebacker Mike Smithhas been on social media as Rasta Mike, and that works just fine.

We know this about freshman defensive tackleJon Ford:He is built like a truck (6-5, 275), and you can probably call him Ford Tough. Ideally, he would make quality (play) his job one, and he would not need to be fixed or repaired (at all, much less) daily.

Now that defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad is in the NFL, safety Jaquan Johnson is the only Quan on the team, though his social handle includes the phrase Authentic Made. It is important to be authentic made, a wise man once said.

Same AQM deal with running backTravis Homer, who goes by Chief. The former Chief of Coral Gables,David Njoku, likely approves, since that was one of his handles.

Cornerback Malek Young uses Humble Child on social media, and theres nothing wrong with being humble. Throw a comma in there, and you have a cocky directive to opposing receivers.

Defensive end R.J. McIntosh uses Big 80, and thatd look great as a nameplate-number combo. No issue there.

Im going to put in a recommendation kickerDiego Marquezdye his blue streak of hair red, so he can be Rufio.

I very much like wide receiver Lawrence Cagers handle, for a 6-5, 215-pound wideout who can dance: Smooth. Also fine: Cage. UM hopes youll have to learn one of them or yet another by seasons end.

Another big wideout,Evidence Njoku, can be E83, if you dont want to make a play on his first name or famous brother. Big Easy also works. Taken from basketball, like some of Njokus pass-catching ability.

Not to sound harsh, but Im not sure what to do with wideoutsDionte MullinsorDarrell Langham,or defensive tackles Pat BethelorAnthony Moten. But let me introduce you todefensive tackleTyreicThe FreakMartin,which is a nickname lazily borrowed from the last Tyriq (McCord) at UM. Were wrapping this up soon.

Wide receiver Jeff Thomas might win the day with what his Twitter handle gives us. A nameplate with There Goes over the number 4. That is outstanding. One of the fastest players on the team, and when he blows by you, all you can say is

Tight end Michael Irvin IIsscreen name, for reasons I dont know, is Yung Tut. This is already awesome, and should not be messed with. Dont try to force a Playmaker II in there. Yung Tut it is.

Offensive tackle George Brown Jr. uses MADDAWG_70 or just MADDAWG, but Im sorry, Im not really feeling it. Lets try this. Hes from Cincinnati. Skyline has an imposing connotation for a guy whos 6-7, 300 just hope he doesnt disappoint like Cincinnati chili (or the 2015 Canes in Cincinnati. Too soon?)

Cornerback Dee Delaney A winning user handle: DeeThatGuy. I would want someone on my team willing to be That Guy.

Defensive end D.J. Johnson The Predator. Yup, absolutely.

Recruiting: Al Blades Jr. honors late father with Miami Hurricanescommitment

Preseason All-ACC football 2017: Athlon Sports names five Miami Hurricanes to firstteam

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Get to know Big Thick, Choc, Cyborg & other Miami Hurricanes ... - Palm Beach Post (blog)

Who will help you plan for retirement a robot or a cyborg … – Financial Post (blog)

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

ANALYSIS

CHICAGO Who will help you plan for retirement a robot or a cyborg?

Pundits have been saying for some time now that the future belongs to robo-adviser automated portfolio services that use algorithms to manage investments. The robo-services have attracted interest as a way to deploy low-cost advice, but retirement planning guru Michael Kitces thinks the real winners will be cyborgs human advisers aided by advanced technology.

Resistance may be futile, as the Borg collective warned the crew of the Enterprise on Star Trek: The Next Generation. Advisers will have little choice but to integrate robo-like technology into their practices, according to Kitces, director of wealth management for Pinnacle Advisory Group and publisher of the widely followed

Nerds Eye View blog

In a provocative presentation at last weeks Morningstar Investment Conference here, he argued that technology actually will free up advisers to focus on providing more holistic advice to clients and reinforce their value at a time when so much basic planning information is available for free on the internet.

Meanwhile, the new fiduciary standard requiring conflict-free advice on retirement accounts is pushing the planning field toward providing broader services that go well beyond portfolio management.

Market returns are uncertain, but planners can help boost retirement outcomes by helping clients control the factors that are within their control. A 2013 paper by Morningstar researchers found that retirees can generate 23 percent more income by making more intelligent financial planning decisions of the type typically offered by planners, including optimizing asset allocation, fine-tuning their retirement withdrawal strategies and making tax-efficient drawdown decisions.

Kitces thinks the most important strategy for advisers will be to use technology to help clients navigate uncertainty, explore alternatives and help solve complex problems.

The landscape of technology-enabled advice is becoming concentrated in the cyborg category, he notes, with players like Betterment, FutureAdvisor and JemStep all adding human advice components to their tech offerings.

The cyborg category is winning, not robo, he said.

The big value-add, Kitces said, will be helping clients think through more complex questions. We can be navigators of uncertainty and explorers of alternatives what happens to my plan if I retire sooner? What if I want to work in retirement, or find a new career? Technology doesnt do that, but it can facilitate the conversation if I can use technology to paint the picture for clients.

VANGUARD GRABS THE LEAD

The dominant player in the hybrid cyborg category is mutual fund colossus Vanguard, which launched its Personal Advisor Services (PAS) two years ago this week; at the end of the first quarter this year, PAS had attracted $65 billion in assets. Research firm Cerulli Associates reports that 2016 year-end assets under management at PAS were roughly four times larger than its nearest competitor, Schwab Intelligent Portfolios ($13 billion) and far ahead of Betterment ($6.1 billion), Wealthfront ($4.7 billion) and Personal Capital ($4.3 billion).

PAS benefits from Vanguards massive scale at its launch, $15 billion was transferred from a legacy advisory service for high net-worth clients, and 85 percent of clients already were Vanguard customers before adding PAS. Most are closing in on retirement age, said Frank Kolimago, who heads the service.

Many of them were comfortable self-directing their investments while they were accumulating assets, but concluded that with the complexities of retirement its time to get some professional help, he said.

PAS advises retirees on tax-efficient drawdown and decumulation strategies. Advisers also help with Social Security optimization, estate planning and nonretirement goals such as college saving, or perhaps saving for a vacation home.

One of the most profound changes, Kolimago said, is the shift away from the old brokerage orientation of beating the market investing to meeting objectives. We frame the conversation that way how well are you doing related to your own unique objectives?

He adds that the human dimension plays an important role in volatile markets. We can serve as an emotional circuit-breaker, and help people from making short-term decisions that can hurt them in the long run.

Opponents of the fiduciary standard keep looking for ways to bring it down an effort that is likely to fail. Meanwhile, the cyborgs (and robos) already are far down the track toward a fiduciary reality. PAS is a registered investment advisory firm that already complies with the conflict-free standard. Its straightforward for us, said Kolimago. Many things that the rule requires are already built into what we have designed.

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Who will help you plan for retirement a robot or a cyborg ... - Financial Post (blog)

5 closest beaches to Orlando – Orlando Sentinel

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

There are five popular Florida beaches on the East Coast within 75 minutes of Orlando and several more Florida Beaches on the Gulf Coast that are worth the drive.

1. Cocoa Beach, driving time: about 1 hour, 5 minutes. Read the guide.

2. Daytona Beach, driving time: about 1 hour, 7 minutes. Read the guide.

3. New Smyrna Beach, driving time: about 1 hour, 8 minutes. Read the guide.

4. Canaveral National Seashore, driving time: about 1 hour, 9 minutes. Read the guide.

5:Flagler Beach , driving time: about 1 hour, 10 minutes. Read the guide

BONUS: Melbourne Beach , driving time: about 1 hour, 24 minutes. Read the guide

BONUS: Sebastian Inlet , driving time: about 1 hour, 46 minutes. Read the guide

WEST COAST

For those interested in the Gulf Coast beaches from Orlando, here are popular choices within 2 1/2 hours drive.

1. Treasure Island (Near St. Petersburg) driving time: 1 hour 57 minutes. Read the guide

2. Clearwater Beach (Near Tampa ) driving time: 1 hour, 59 minutes. Read the guide

3. Fort De Soto Park (Near St. Petersburg) driving time: 2 hours, 3 minutes. Read the guide

4. Caladesi Island State Park (Near Tampa ) driving time: 2 hours, 7 minutes. Read the guide

5. Anna Maria Island (Near Bradenton) driving time: 2 hours, 17 minutes. Read the guide

6. Siesta Key (Near Sarasota) driving time: 2 hours, 20 minutes. Read the guide

7. Longboat Key, Lido Key and St. Armands Key (Near Sarasota) driving time: 2 hours, 21 minutes. Read the guide

MORE BEACHES

Click here to view other popular destination beaches in our Florida Beach Guide. and for those interested in taking a dip in Florida's other popular watery destination, check out our Florida Springs Guide.

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5 closest beaches to Orlando - Orlando Sentinel

Beach report: Too much bacteria at 16 Shore beaches – Asbury Park Press

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

5 Water safety tips for the summer Wochit

Visitors to the Asbury Park beach enjoy both the beach and the bar along the side of Convention Hall as they all cool off in their own way.(Photo: P Ackerman/Staff Phtographer, P Ackerman/Staff Photograher)Buy Photo

Multiple beaches from Highlands to Toms River were under bacteria advisories Tuesday aftertesting on Monday by local health officials revealed unsafe conditions.

Once again, Monmouth County continues to struggle with levels of bacteria that makes its water even on generally cleaner oceanfront beaches unfit for bathers.

Per NJbeaches.org, here are the 16 beaches that tested above the safe swimming threshold, 104 colony forming units, on Tuesday:

Deal's Hathaway Avenue beach is not open to swimmers at all so there is no advisory at that location.

The beaches will be sampled again on Wednesdaymorning and those results will be posted on app.com as soon as they are released.

Every Tuesday online, the Press and app.com will post water-quality test results from every Jersey Shore beach that exceeds federal safe swimming standards for fecal bacteria.

NEW THIS MORNING: Boat lift involved in fatal electrocution of girl was corroded

In New Jersey, rainfall is closely linked to high bacteria levels near beaches.

Bacteria counts tend to spike following precipitation, and then moderate as the rainwater is dispersed into the river, bay or ocean. Even a tenth-of-an-inch or less can cause bacteria advisories.

Scattered showers on Saturday evening dropped light rain on the Shore and that is likely behind Monday's high samples, according to Larry Hajna, spokesman for theNew Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

The tests are part of a weekly monitoring program thatis on the lookout forenterococcus, a bacteria that grows inside the intestines of humans and other warm-blooded animals and can be found alongside their feces. This kind of bacteria is considered a warning sign of dangerous pathogens.

LAST WEEK: Dolphins, whales spotted off Ocean County coast

Swallowing contaminated water could result in cramps and diarrhea from gastrointestinal illnesses, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Setting aside water quality issues for a moment, another threat lurks in the water this week: rip currents. A rip current is a possible suspect in the drowning of two Belmar girls last Thursday.

The National Weather Service considers the Shore to be under a moderate risk of rip currents, powerful channels of water that drag swimmers away from the beach.

Watch the video below for tips on how to get out of a rip current and always swim within eyesight of a lifeguard.

What characterizes a rip current and how do you get out of one?

Along with water sampling, the state of New Jersey also conducts coastal flights six days a week. A small plane will fly up and down the Shore, looking for floating debris, remotely sensing for algae blooms and spotting marine life.

Here's what they observed in the past week. The list is light because multiple flights were canceled due to weather conditions:

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TRAGEDY: Belmar girl dies after days on life support

WEATHER: Tuesday calls for mostly sunny, and a moderate risk for rip currents

THINGS TO DO: Your warm weather guide for the Jersey Shore

Russ Zimmer: 732-557-5748, razimmer@app.com

Read or Share this story: http://on.app.com/2sPOC0p

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Beach report: Too much bacteria at 16 Shore beaches - Asbury Park Press

Two Huron County beaches closed for E. coli – Huron Daily Tribune

Posted on June 20, 2017 by Danzig

HURON COUNTY Local health officials on Tuesday closed two beaches after test results found unsafe levels of E. coli.

According to information released by Environmental Health Director Tip MacGuire, Bird Creek County Park had 1,046.2 Escherichia coli (E. coli) colonies per 100 ml. of water, while Jenks Park Beach registered 1,299.7.

A Huron County beach is closed when a composite sample of the three samples collected in 3 to 6 feet of water exceed 300 Escherichia coli (E.Coli) colonies per 100 ml of water.

This is the first time this year that beaches have been closed in Huron County because of high bacteria counts.

Officials have indicated resampling already has been completed at the two closed beaches, and it's anticipated those results will be released sometime Wednesday.

Beaches are opened if bacteria counts improve to acceptable limits.

The beaches at Bird Creek County Park, Jenks County Park, Harbor Beach City Park, Wagener County Park and Veterans Village Park were tested Monday. The other eight beaches will be tested Thursday, according to a news release health officials issued prior to the start of this summer's beach testing program.

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Two Huron County beaches closed for E. coli - Huron Daily Tribune