Monthly Archives: September 2021

Local donations dedicated to the anniversary of the Peasant Congress in Arms – Radio Cadena Agramonte

Posted: September 10, 2021 at 5:30 am

Camagey, Sep 8.- Local peasants hold various activities on behalf of the upcoming 63rd anniversary of the First Peasant Congress in Arms, among which donations to hospitals and others related to the confrontation with COVID-19 stand out.

The aforementioned event served as motivation for producers of the CCS Quintn Bandera in the municipality ofNajasatomake a donation of meats and beef to the EduardoAgramontePiaPediatric Hospitalin this city.

It is a way of contributing to society and to the Revolution, through these foods so necessary today in the midst of the current situation, said one of the farmers when delivering the donation to the health institution.

According to a video published on social networks by the Provincial Committee of the National Association of Small Farmers (ANAP) in Camagey, the best greeting they make to the Peasant Congress, held on September 21,1958,constitutesproducing food for the people.

Removal of fences of the peasant organization in the 13 municipalities of Camagey, productive jobs and donations of food to hospitals, health institutions and isolation centers, are also among the actions in commemoration of the anniversary, Aldo Guzmn told the ACN Almeida, who attends the ideological sphere in the ANAP of the vast region.

On the 21st of this month, they plan to carry out the central act in the CCS EvelioRodrguez,of themunicipality ofJimaguay, which stands out for its milk deliveries to the industry.

The occasion will be propitious, said GuzmnAlmeida,toconfer on a group of peasants the ANAP 60th Anniversary Seal and the Antero Regalado Distinction, the latter approved by the Council of State at the proposal of the mass organization.

The First Peasant Congress in Arms, held 63 years ago in Soledad de Mayar Arriba, current municipality of Segundo Frente, in Santiago de Cuba, with the presence of Fidel and Ral, was an important moment with the aim of creating the conditions for once achieved the triumph of the Revolution, undertake the transformations of the Cuban countryside that was the victim of large estates and the exploitation of landowners.(ACN) (Photo: Workers)

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NASA says the Mars Perseverance rover has collected its first sample – Yahoo Singapore News

Posted: at 5:30 am

After initially failing to capture a rock sample, NASA has confirmed that Perseverance succeeded in its second attempt. The space agency has verified that a pencil-width core of rust-colored rock is safely trapped in the rover's sample tube tube, ready to be processed and sent back to Earth, CNET has reported.

After NASA initially thought it had nabbed the first sample last month, a subsequent check showed the sample tube empty. That created something of a mystery, with scientists wondering where the rock could have gone. Eventually, NASA determined that the particular sample it tried to collect was actually too powdery to be collected. "The hardware performed as commanded, but the rock did not cooperate this time," JPL engineers said at the time.

This time, NASA wasn't getting ahead of itself. While photos taken on September 1st shortly after the operation clearly showed rock in the collector, NASA wanted to be "extra certain" that it was successfully stored. Following an operation to percuss the drill bit (and ingest the sample), new images were taken, but the position of the sun made it difficult to see the rock.

This Saturday, however, the sun cooperated and the sample inside is clearly visible. The images match earlier photos of a grind spot on a nearby sample section, revealing a rust-colored, possibly sedimentary rock that could show the presence of iron along with olivine and other minerals that may have precipitated from water, according to Arizona State University's Steven Ruff (via his YouTube channel Mars Guy).

Now, Perseverance must process, seal and and eventually store the sample somewhere on the surface of Mars. It will then repeat the process and collect as many samples as possible, leaving them scattered about the surface. NASA and the European Space Agency (ESA) will send a Martian lander and sample collection rover to the same location near Jezero Crater to gather up those tubes and place them into a rocket bound for Earth.

The only challenge is that said rover and rocket haven't been built yet and don't even have a finished design. However, the agencies involved plan to launch it to Mars by 2026, with arrival there by 2028. They don't expect to receive the samples until 2031, and suffice to say, all of those phases of the Perseverance project will be a huge challenge.

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So you want to live on Mars eh? Good luck. You’ll probably die a horrific death – The Next Web

Posted: at 5:29 am

Did you knowNeural is taking the stage this fall? Together with an amazing line-up of experts, we will explore the future of AI during TNW Conference 2021.Secure your online ticket now!

The US government and Silicon Valley dont agree on everything, but when it comes to dominating the modern space race theyre perfectly aligned. Uncle Sams going to put American boots on Martian soil and Elon Musks building the spaceship thatll get them there.

No matter your notions on nations, theres something magical in truly believing that humans will walk on the surface of Mars in our lifetimes.

Science doesnt have a PR agent. Math doesnt have a marketing team. Getting children excited about the future is how we ensure the STEM fields continue to push humanity forward long after todays experts are gone.

And it seems like weve collectively decided that putting humans on Mars is the technological test we should take on to inspire the next generation.

Its difficult to argue against the idea of sending a small crew of professional space-farers to become the first humans to set foot on an alien planet.

There is, of course, an ethical argument to be made about exposing any human to unnecessary risks. But there have always been explorers willing to risk their lives in pursuit of adventure and advancing our species.

We need astronauts, and we need them to want to boldly go where no one else has.

The rest of us, however, should want no part of the red planet.

The red planet is gorgeous, its awesome, and we love it. But Mars is no place for a human.

We see videos of the Perseverance and Ingenuity rovers and the red planet doesnt look so bad. Its sunny, theres nobody there to mess with you, and honestly the views are spectacular. But the colonists experience, with available technology, would be a living nightmare.

And every current plan to put a human colony on Mars involves science fiction technologies that dont exist yet.

First off, your flight over would be excruciating. The trip takes about seven months, which is longer than the average mission aboard the International Space Station.

That much time in zero-gravity causes myriad health problems. Astronauts experience as much as 30% loss in muscle mass, a 1-2% deterioration of bone density, and their carotid arteries demonstrate a stiffness equivalent to those of a person 20-30 years older.

After two to three months in zero-gravity, it takes weeks to months to get muscle mass back and as long as two years for bone density to recover. The damage to the astronauts cardiovascular system, on the other hand, may be irreversible.

But Martian colonists wont be recovering on Earth. Theyll be on Mars where the gravity is a third of what it is on our home world.

So, even if youre only on Mars for a weekend vacation, youll spend about 14 months in zero-gravity before you can start to recover in Earths normal gravity.

If youre a colonizer though, the object is to stay there on Mars. And theres no such thing as artificial gravity.

Scientists have plenty of ideas on how to create it, but the most feasible ones involve either giant spinning space craft or inventing a mass acceleration engine that works like the impulse drives from Star Trek. Neither of those are options for a Martian surface colony.

On the surface, where you could be shielded from harmful radiation by lead-walled buildings or inside of Martian buttes, youd continue to waste away as your body adjusted to low gravity.

Theres no telling what kind of failures would occur throughout your digestive, nervous, and cardiovascular systems over time.

Worse, itd be a tossup whether physical deterioration or mental isolation would pose the more immediate threat. Life on Mars would be harsh, repetitive, and unyieldingly dangerous.

Colonists would be in a nightmarish situation where theyve lost much of their physical ability, making them likely to be a bit clumsier, yet the slightest wound could prove fatal.

On Earth, when you cut yourself, blood tends to ooze out. On Mars well, nobodys ever cut or bruised themselves on Mars.

We know that surgery in zero-gravity is extremely challenging. Blood pools differently in the body, and splatters differently outside of it, when were weightless.

What happens if you get a subdural hematoma on Mars? How do you deal with blood clots in a low-gravity environment?

Worse, those are the kinds of questions that astronauts have to answer, but as a colonist youd have so much more to worry about.

How do you deal with pregnancy in low-gravity? How harmful is space radiation to human sperm and eggs? Will children who are born and grow up in low gravity be able to survive in Earthsheavy gravity?

Life as a Martian colonist would be one of constant fear. Will a solar flare wipe out all electronics, forcing your entire colony to spend weeks or months at a time underground in dimly-lit radiation-shielding rooms? What dangers will humans, homesick and confined indoors, pose to one another as their mental states deteriorate?

The people who choose to colonize Mars will never see a blue sky, an ocean, or forest. Theyll never feel the sunshine on their naked face.

And, should they ever change their mind, theyll face a grueling seven-month voyage home, followed by months or years of physical therapy, and lifelong health problems.

Granted, technology could change. We could invent the warp drive or an anti-radiation force-field. We could discover a quantum physics workaround for gravity. Magical space aliens could open a wormhole for us and teach us to breathe the Martian atmosphere. Anythings possible in an infinite universe.

But, grounding our dreams in todays technology and that which can reasonably be expected to exist within the next 50 years, theres next to no chance youll get the opportunity to volunteer to live on Mars and if you did, it wouldnt be the adventure you might think.

Elon Musk says we need to become a multi-planet species. If something happens to this planet or climate change renders it uninhabitable, perhaps we could use a backup planet.

If Musk truly believes this, he should be investing his companies time, money, and energy into creating artificial gravity or a method by which to protect humans from space radiation.

Until those problems are solved, anyone volunteering to live on Mars is asking for a short, uncomfortable life doing work far better-suited for machines.

Mars might be a great place for space explorers to visit in the near future, but we could be centuries away from having the technology to make an actual colony feasible.

[Related: 5 reasons why living in space is way harder than solving climate change]

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So you want to live on Mars eh? Good luck. You'll probably die a horrific death - The Next Web

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Surviving Mars is free-to-keep on Steam for a limited time – PC Gamer

Posted: at 5:29 am

Surviving Mars, the colony building sim about surviving on Mars, is free-to-keep on Steam right now. In this age of constant free game giveaways, it can sometimes feel like too much work to open the Steam client, search a game title and then click 'Add to Account'. But you can do it. I believe in you. Besides, Fraser loved it: "Surviving Mars is a lot of hard work, but managing a burgeoning colony never stops being compelling," he wrote in his review.

The offer lasts until September 8, and is well worth taking advantage of unless you already grabbed it free on the Epic Games Store a couple of years ago. Still, you could always own it twice.

It's a wise time for Paradox Interactive to give away the base game, because Surviving Mars' new Below & Beyond expansion released today. That lets you explore under the surface of Mars, boring tunnels, setting up underground bases, and hoping against hope that nothing collapses. It also introduces heaps of new buildings and resources, and looks quite cool.

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On London Stages, High Ambitions and Mixed Results – The New York Times

Posted: at 5:29 am

LONDON It seems reasonable to expect fireworks from a play called Rockets and Blue Lights, a vivid title for an overstuffed, if intriguing, drama with no shortage of things to say.

Running through Oct. 9 at the National Theater here, Winsome Pinnocks play may require a chart to help track the action: Ten actors play 24 roles. But if the intricate plotting takes a while to flare, the ambition of the piece is welcome throughout. In a theatrical climate defined over the last year by solo or small-cast plays, here is writing that thinks big. It also brings Pinnock back to the National, where the author, now 60, made history in 1994 as the first Black British woman to have a play at that address.

Rockets and Blue Lights was seen briefly in March 2020 at the Royal Exchange Theater in Manchester before the pandemic intervened; a subsequent radio version was adapted for the BBC. The director Miranda Cromwells current production tethers a strong cast to a play in which present and past collide. Pinnocks principal theme is how artists illuminate (or betray) the world around them, and her way in is the work of the English Romantic painter J.M.W. Turner.

The reference in the title is to one of two oil paintings by Turner that were exhibited at the Royal Academy in London in 1840. The other, The Slave Ship, might depict the infamous 1781 Zong massacre, which resulted in the deaths of more than 130 African slaves at sea. (Scholars are divided over the works inspiration.) The same painting is also known by an explanatory alternate title, Slavers Throwing Overboard the Dead and Dying Typhoon Coming On, and Pinnock traveled to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see the picture for herself.

The drama begins in 2007, with two women debating Turners achievement. How can such an ugly scene be so beautiful, Lou (Kiza Deen), asks of a painting in which she has a vested interest. An actress, she has signed on for a film in which she will play one of the drowning slaves an assignment a far cry from her previous starring role, on a TV sci-fi series called Space Colony Mars.

Pinnock then rewinds to the 19th century to address the rapport that develops between Turner himself (a feisty Paul Bradley) and a Black sailor, Thomas (an excellent Karl Collins), whom Turner encounters by the docks. I can tell by your blistered hand that youre a man of the sea, Thomas notes admiringly of the artist. Thomas, though, comes to grief, as befits a play in which the dead haunt the living: The film Lou is making is called, significantly, The Ghost Ship.

The drama ricochets through enough themes enslavement, artistic integrity, personal responsibility, among many others for a play double its two-and-half-hour running time. Through it all, Laura Hopkinss set allows water to lap at the edges: an apt visual for a play in which the sea is of more than passing interest.

That our attention is riveted throughout is due not just to Pinnock but also to Cromwell, a 2020 Olivier Award winner for Death of a Salesman, who locates the human pulse in an often dizzying text. The play ends with a moving roll call of the dead and a reminder that art can ennoble the deceased and, in a certain way, give them life.

Death also hovers over a second, though vastly different recent London opening: Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia, at the Almeida through Sept 18. This play by Josh Azouz filters World War II through the lens of the German occupation of Tunisia, a onetime French protectorate, which began late in 1942. In thrall to Frances Vichy regime at the time of the Nazis arrival, Tunisia, a useful program essay informs us, was home not just to a predominantly Muslim population but to 90,000 Jews, many of whom did not make it to the protectorates liberation, in May 1943.

As his title suggests, Azouz has taken an obvious leaf from Quentin Tarantino and exhibits the Oscar-winning filmmakers taste for folding unexpected levity into tales of depravity. The result shares with Pinnocks play a gratifying appetite for chronicling history anew, but wears out its welcome much faster: After a while, the gallows humor just seems glib.

Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisias defining character is a cruel yet smiley Nazi officer who has taken charge of the local community: The opening scene, set in a labor camp outside the city of Tunis, finds an impassioned young Arab, Youssef (Ethan Kai), forced by one of this villains minions to urinate on his longtime friend Victor (Pierro Niel-Mee), a Jew. Youssef advises Victor to move to New York after the war, and the talk soon turns to dispossession, and what it even means to call a place home.

The two men and their wives exist at the mercy of the tactically cheerful Nazi, who is improbably nicknamed Grandma because he likes knitting and refers to himself as an old woman albeit one unafraid to float the prospect of gouging out the eyes of Victors wife, Loys (Yasmin Paige, eloquently furious).

The power games unfold on a deceptively drab wooden set by Max Johns that springs open as required, and features holes for characters to poke their heads through, as in Beckett. Yet the more Azouz recalls one forebear or another, the more you register the difficulty he has in navigating shifts in tone; the director Eleanor Rhode brings a comparatively prosaic eye to material that might benefit from some stage wizardry.

Its good to see the charismatic Kai back onstage after his electric performance in Equus a season or two ago, and the comic actor Adrian Edmondson deserves credit for never soft-pedaling Grandmas dark impulses. But for all its laudable intentions, the play sits suspended between historical inquiry, sendup and cautionary fable: audacious, to be sure, but not fully realized.

Rockets and Blue Lights. Directed by Miranda Cromwell. National Theater, through Oct. 9.Once Upon a Time in Nazi Occupied Tunisia. Directed by Eleanor Rhode. Almeida Theater, through Sept. 18.

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Obtain Surviving Mars at no cost on PC and stay it eternally, however run, the be offering ends quickly – TheNewsTrace

Posted: at 5:29 am

Technique and science fiction for the courageous, will you live on the Purple Planet? Now youll test it at no cost.

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Surviving Mars was a bestseller with greater than 5 million gamers, prompting Paradox to make Surviving Mars a emblem with a long run. And not using a information about their upcoming tasks, after the luck of this technique sport the Haemimont staff opted for a survival name referred to as Surviving the Aftermath.

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We must make the First Amendment ‘durable.’ Here’s why | Miraldi – Poughkeepsie Journal

Posted: at 5:28 am

Rob Miraldi| Special to the USA TODAY Network

William O. Douglas was the curmudgeon of the U.S. Supreme Court. Fiercely independent, crusty, irreverent, a product of the New Deal and an active man who did not seem to fit behind a desk wearing a robe. But there he was, a Supreme Court judge for 36 years, the longest serving justice ever who wrote more opinions than any other judge.

Douglas had his critics Gerald Ford tried to impeach him in 1970 because he believed that when the Framers wrote the First Amendment to the Constitution, beginning with the words Congress shall make no law regarding freedom of the press or speech, they meant it. No law means no law.

Douglas, who died in 1980, was fearful most of all about the pervasive reach of snooping government that would chill reporters doing their work and inhibit people from speaking whats on their mind. Governmental intrigue or aggression is an eternal danger, Douglas warned in1974 in the only case the Supreme Court ever decided on the question of whether reporters are shielded from government prying into their sources.

So I wonder what he would say today about, for example, the recent revelation that longtime national security reporter Barbara Starr of CNN, whose phone records were secretly snared by the Trump Administration because she wrote stories with unidentified sources that Trump wanted. The stories she wrote in 2017 were mildly embarrassing but certainly no real threat to national security. It was a frivolous and dangerous pursuit, a fishing expedition.

What happened to Starr happened to at least seven other reporters that we know about. In fact, the Trump Administration sought the sources of nine journalists in its four-year reign. In contrast, Obama went after the same number in eight years, although it is worth pointing out that his administration was aggressive in its pursuits of leakers. And while presidents have sought reporters sources since the Civil War, the pursuit by Trump has taken it to a new level.

CNNs lawyers were gagged; they could not inform Starr nor go to court to argue that governmental prying was not only wrong but arguably illegal.

Self-government cannot succeed, Douglas wrote, unless the people are immersed in a steady, robust, unimpeded, and uncensored flow of opinion and reporting subjected to critique, rebuttal, and re-examination.

And that is threatened when journalists are at the whim of Presidents like Trump who believed the press is an enemy of the people.Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist James Risen, who has felt the sting of such probing, writes, For national security reporters today, being good at your job can make it hard to sleep at night.

So here we are again, 47 years after the court decided that reporters should be treated like all other citizens and that they have to turn over sources or go to jail.Unless Congress finally sees fit to pass a federal law which gives the press a privilege or as Douglas called it, a preferred position.

I spoke with Gabe Rottman, director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Presss Technology and Press Freedom Project.His group is the premier advocate for the press in the nation. And he is hopeful that the time might have arrived for a federal press shield law to get through Congress.

In the past, resistance to treating reporters as privileged characters much as we do for clergy, physicians and spouses has brought resistance.In 2013, the law bogged down around how to define who would qualify for the privilege.Who exactly is a reporter in the age of the Internet? Julian Assanges huge dump of raw classified documents and emails in 2010 and 2016 made many not want to let him be called a reporter.

But 49 states in the U.S. have some sort of shield law that find a way to define who qualifies. Rottman says it revolves around finding the best definition of the function being served. It needs to be broad and functional. In other words, if you are pursuing facts to share with any public, you are a journalist.

We need more voices: Big tech, information and American political discourse

Free speech and a free press: Inside the 'golden age of defamation': How the First Amendment is under siege

Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon is clear that the time is now for a shield law.

The Trump Administration spied on reporters it suspected of no crimes in its hunt to identify their sources and prevent the American people from learning the truth about Trumps lawlessness and corruption, he declared in announcing his shield law.

Rottman is more cautious as to why from major news organizations had to face broad, secret demands for their phone and email records in an effort to identify their confidential sources.

Rottman says Congress needs to ask why.

Without a concrete, public accounting, observers can only speculate about the governments reasons, he told me. There is no public reporting on the reasons that the records were obtained.

Risen is a former reporter for The New York Times whose confidential sources revealed wide surveillance by the government on private citizens after the World Trade Center attacks. And the government sought with a vengeance to get Risens sources.

The real goal of leak investigations, he says, is to have a chilling effect on the press, to stop reporters from investigating the government. Embarrass enough investigative reporters and maybe they will stop embarrassing the government.

But that is not just bad for reporters, it is bad for democracy.

Go back to Douglas.

A reporter is no better than his source of information, Douglas insisted, rightly. The press has a preferred position in our constitutional scheme, not to enable it to make money, not to set newsmen apart as a favored class, but because the right to know is crucial to the governing powers of the people.

It comes down to the free flow of information to the public, saysRottman. Sources will not come forward, they wont even talk if they are worried about incidentally being swept up. You dont want the press to become an investigative arm of the government.

Douglas, again, hit the nail on the head years ago: Fear of exposure will cause dissidents to communicate less openly to trusted reporters. And, fear of accountability will cause editors and critics to write with more restrained pens.

The Biden Administration has recognized this, recently issuing clear and careful guidelines as to when a reporters source should be pursued by the federal government.Its a far cry from Trump.But the point, still, is the press cannot be at the whim of different administrations approaches.The First Amendment is not whimsical; it is the heart of democracy.

The rules need to be made durable, Rottman says.

Give the people a federal law that protects the reporters who gather their news from, as Sen. Widen says, the thuggish and Orwellian abuses of administrations like Trumps.

Rob Miraldis writings on the First Amendment have won numerous state and national awards. He teaches journalism at the State University of New York.

Twitter: @miral98

Email: miral98@aol.com.

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We must make the First Amendment 'durable.' Here's why | Miraldi - Poughkeepsie Journal

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Learn about the history of the First Amendment during talk at senior center – The Sun Chronicle

Posted: at 5:28 am

On Wednesday, Sept. 29 at 4:45 p.m., history professor Paolo DiGregorio will be joining us once again for a history lecture on Dissenters and Nonconformists: Religious Freedom in Early America. The 1st Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees the right to religious freedom. That guarantee was born of the religious vibrancy and diversity of the English colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries. While we may be familiar with the New England Puritans and the Virginia Anglicans, there were many other religious groups that shaped Early America. Paolos lecture will focus on the story of religious freedoms in American and may be especially of interest to those that are traveling on the Lancaster/Amish Country trip with the senior center in October. Sign up in advance.

ICE CREAM TRUCKCome enjoy a free sweet treat from an ice cream truck at the senior center on Tuesday, Sept. 21 at noon, courtesy of the Sue Marshall Realty Team at Keller Williams. You must sign up in advance to participate.

SENIOR SANDWICHESStarting in September on Thursdays, we will be offering Grab and Go Senior Sandwiches at the senior center.

You can pick up your sandwich at the front desk on Thursdays at any time between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., and you can take the sandwich with you, or you are welcome to eat in the Coffee Room or on the outside benches.

Quantities are limited, so you MUST sign up in advance to get your Senior Sandwich meal. There is a suggested donation of $3 to HESSCO.

BOOK CLUBOur senior center Book Club will resume meeting on Monday, Sept. 13 at 11 a.m. This program is designed for seniors who simply enjoy reading or listening to books on tape. If you are interested in taking part in the Book Club, call Christina at 508-543-1234 to sign up in advance. If the weather is cooperating, we may move the meeting outside in the picnic area to enjoy the sunshine.

THE HISTORY OF THE DOOLITTLE HOMEWe have driven by hundreds of times, but now you can join us on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 2:15 to learn about an important piece of Foxboro history the Doolittle Home. This program will be presented by Linda Hunter, the Executive Director of the Doolittle Home. Snacks will be provided. Sign up in advance.

LUNCH OUTOur next luncheon outing will be on Thursday, Sept. 30 at 1 p.m., at Jake N Joes restaurant. Call us to sign up by Monday, Sept. 27 and meet us at the restaurant on the 26th. For those who require van transportation, arrangements must be made by Monday the 27th.

MOVEMENT PATTERNS FOR BRAIN HEALTHThe 6-week Movement Patterns for Brain Health program is designed to use movement patterns to create new neural pathways, reawaken old neural pathways and create new neurons in the brain. We will start with simple movement patterns and proceed to more complex patterns. This program will also help with proprioception (the body knowing where it is in space). The program is facilitated by Steve Avellino CFT, CES, SSF, SSN and will be offered on your choice of Monday or Thursday morning. The Monday classes will start at 11:45 a.m. on the following Mondays: Sept. 27, Oct. 4, 18. 25, Nov. 1 & 8. Or you may choose to take the class on Thursdays at 9 a.m. on the following Thursdays: Sept. 16, 23, 30, Oct. 7, 14, 21. The cost for either the Monday or Thursday 6-week program is $42. Space is limited and you must sign up in advance with your payment.

MENS FITNESS CLASSThe senior center is offering another Mens Fitness Class on Thursdays, at 10:35 a.m., starting July 22. This 6-week program is designed to help senior males move and feel better. We combine fitness with corrective exercise to alleviate joint pain and promote better mobility. All ages and fitness levels are welcome. The program is facilitated by Steve Avellino CFT, CES and is held on Sept. 16, 23, 30, Oct 7, 14 & 21. The cost is $42 and must be paid at the time you sign up.

FEASIBILITY SITE TOURMany seniors who have viewed the feasibility study have requested to be shown potential site locations for a new Senior/Community Center. Anyone who is interested in touring the 3 sites should meet at the auditorium directly behind the public safety facility on Payson Road on Wednesday, Sept. 22 at 4 p.m. Let us know if youll be joining us by signing up in advance.

MACKINAC ISLAND TRIP INFO SESSIONThe Foxborough Council on Aging is planning a trip to Mackinac Island in the spring of 2022. If you are interested in in learning some of the details of our upcoming trip, join us at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 22. This will be your chance to ask questions and hear more about our itinerary. If youd like to join us for the info session, please sign up in advance.

VANGO DISCOVERY CLUBThe VanGo Discovery Club will be held on Wednesdays starting at 10:15 a.m. This club provides you an opportunity to venture out of your everyday life, while exploring a new community. Participants travel by the VanGo to a new area for an independent, self-guided exploration for 3 to 4 hours each and return to Foxboro around 4:30ish. For the month of September, well be traveling to the following locations: The American Heritage Museum on Sept. 15, Newport, RI, on Sept. 22. The cost is $5 per person and you must sign up and pay in advance.

LOW VISION SUPPORT GROUPThe Low Vision Support Group will be meeting virtually on Thursday, Sept. 16 from 1 to 2 p.m. This adult group provides peer support and information for anyone with vision loss or those who have concerns about their vision. This scheduled event will occur as a conference call, but if you are interested in participating, please check with Pam McGuire by calling 508-543-1234 for final details.

MENS BBQOn Thursday, Sept. 23 at noon, men are invited to a barbecue at the senior center where they can eat and discuss mens issues. The cost of this program is $3. If youd like to join us, you must register with your $3 payment by the Monday prior to the BBQ.

LANCASTER IN STYLE TRIPWe still have openings on our trip to Lancaster, Pennsylvania from Oct. 25 through Oct. 27. Join us for some great food and exceptional entertainment as we travel with friends, enjoy the picturesque scenery and experience the time-honored traditions of the Amish. This trip will include: round-trip motorcoach transportation; 2 nights at the historic Cork Factory Hotel; guided tour of the Amish farmlands; private wine, cheese and painting reception; tickets for Queen Esther at the magnificent Sight and Sound Theater, and; 2 breakfasts, 2 lunches and 2 dinners. The cost for this tour is $560pp for a double, $510pp for a triple and $715 for singles. The cost for optional trip insurance will be $70 per person and must be included with at 50% trip deposit. The sign-up for this trip has begun.

HEARING HEALTHOn Wednesday, Sept. 15, there will be a hearing clinic offered from 1 to 3 p.m. This program is free and will provide a hearing screening, ear wax removal, hearing aid cleaning and service by appointment. Call in advance to schedule a 20-minute appointment.

MEDITATIONMeditation is a state of deep peace that occurs when the mind is calm and silent. Join us for our meditation classes in the senior center on Tuesdays in July from noon to 1 p.m. Learn to create peace of mind and go on a mini- vacation of meditation every day! Each class will focus on breathing, improving posture and practicing different meditation methods including writing your own guided meditation. In these uncertain times, you deserve moments of calm personal reflection. The cost is $3 per class and is punch card eligible. Please sign up in advance.

MOVIE DAYSSeptember Movie Days are held on Thursdays at 1 p.m. and we will be showing the following movies:

Sept. 23 En ola Homes While searching for her missing mother, intrepid teen Enola Holmes (Millie Bobby Brown) uses her sleuthing skills to outsmart her older brother Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and help a runaway lord.

Sept. 30 Mr. Holmes Long-retired and near the end of his life, Sherlock Holmes (Ian McKellan) grapples with an unreliable memory and must rely on his housekeepers son as he revisits the still-unsolved case that led to his retirement.

Seating is limited, so please sign up for the movies in advance.

NUTRITION CLASSThe nutrition class meets at the senior center on Tuesdays at 11 a.m. Members of the class talk about good food, good nutrition and good health, and share their ideas. Call us to sign up!

SCRABBLE GROUPDo you enjoy playing a game of Scrabble or would you like to learn how to play? We have a Scrabble group that meets on Monday afternoons at 1 p.m. at the senior center. Challenge your mind, enjoy some time with friends and have lots of fun. If youre interested in playing, call us to sign up.

S.H.I.N.EYou can obtain health insurance information and assistance through the SHINE (Serving the Health Information Needs of Everyone) Program. A SHINE counselor is available on Tuesdays, from 3 to 6 p.m. for a virtual meeting over the telephone or on a Zoom meeting. This program provides free and confidential health insurance information counseling and assistance to Massachusetts residents who are or will be eligible for Medicare and their families. Call for an appointment.

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Learn about the history of the First Amendment during talk at senior center - The Sun Chronicle

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GK Quiz on First Amendment of the Indian Constitution – Jagran Josh

Posted: at 5:28 am

The Constitution of India can be amended by the Parliament according to Article 368 of Part XX. However, the provisions that form the 'basic structure' of the Constitution cannot be amended (as ruled by the Supreme Court in the Keshashavananda Bharti Case, 1973).

Aspirants of various competitive and government examinations can test their knowledge of the First Amendment of the Indian Constitution through the below-mentioned set of questions.

Ques 1: When was the First Amendment Act enacted?

a. 1951

b. 1964

c. 1955

d. 1960

Ans: a

Explanation:

The Constitution (First Amendment) Act was enacted in 1951.

The Constitution (Seventeenth Amendment) Act was enacted in 1964.

The Constitution (Fourth Amendment) Act was enacted in 1955.

The Constitution (Ninth Amendment) Act was enacted in 1960.

Ques 2: Which schedule was inserted into the Indian Constitution through the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951?

a. Eleventh Schedule

b. Tenth Schedule

c. Ninth Scheduled

d. Twelfth Schedule

Ans: c

Explanation:

The Ninth Schedule was inserted into the Indian Constitution through the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951 to protect the land reform and other laws present in it from the judicial review.

The Tenth Schedule was inserted into the Constitution through the Constitution (Thirty-fifth Amendment) Act, 1974.

The Eleventh Schedule was inserted into the Constitution through the Constitution (Seventy-third Amendment) Act, 1992.

The Twelfth Schedule was inserted into the Constitution through the Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992.

Ques 3: How many Schedules are there in the Indian Constitution?

a. 21

b. 12

c. 14

d. 20

Ans: b

There are 12 Schedules to the Indian Constitution. The Twelfth Schedule was inserted into the Constitution through the Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992.

Ques 4: Which Articles were inserted in the Indian Constitution through the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951?

(i) Article 31A

(ii) Article 19

(iii) Article 15

(iv) Article 31B

Options:

a. Only (i)

b. Both (ii) and (iv)

c. Both (i) and (iv)

d. Only (iv)

Ans: d

Explanation:

Both Article 31A and Article 31B were inserted after Article 31 of the Indian Constitution through the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951.

The Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951 amended Articles 19 & 15.

Ques 5: Who moved the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951?

a. Indira Gandhi

b. Jawaharlal Nehru

c. Gulzarilal Nanda

d. Lal Bahadur Shastri

Ans: b

Explanation:

The Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951 was moved by the then Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, on 10 May 1951. It was enacted by the Indian Parliament on 18 June 1951.

Ques 6: Which of the following Articles were amended through the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951?

a. Articles 15, 19, 85, 87, 174, 176, 341, 342, 372 and 376

b. Articles 13 and 368

c. Articles 101 and 190

d. Articles 1, 3, 49, 80, 81, 82, 131, 153, 158, 168, 170, 171, 216, 217, 220, 222, 224, 230, 231 and 232.

Ans: a

Explanation:

Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951 amended Articles 15, 19, 85, 87, 174, 176, 341, 342, 372 and 376.

Constitution (Twenty-fourth Amendment) Act, 1971 amended Articles 13 and 368.

Constitution (Thirty-third Amendment Act), 1974 amended Articles 101 and 190.

Constitution (Seventh Amendment Act), 1956 amended Articles 1, 3, 49, 80, 81, 82, 131, 153, 158, 168, 170, 171, 216, 217, 220, 222, 224, 230, 231 and 232.

Ques 7: What is the title of the book written on the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951?

a. The Great Indian Novel

b. The Discovery of India

c. Sixteen Stormy Days

d. Inglorious Empire

Ans: c

Explanation:

Sixteen Stormy Days by Tripurdaman Singh is written on the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951.

Ques 8: Concerning the Ninth Schedule to the Indian Constitution, consider the following:

(i) Protected the land reforms and other laws included in it from the judicial review.

(ii) Placed restrictions on freedom of speech and expression: public order, friendly relations with foreign states and incitement to an offence.

(iii) State trading and nationalisation of any trade or business by the state will not be termed invalid on the ground of violation of the right to trade or business.

Which of the following is/are correct?

a. Only (i)

b. Both (i) and (iii)

c. Only (ii)

d. Only (iii)

Ans: a

Explanation:

The Ninth Schedule to the Indian Constitution protected the land reforms and other laws included in it from the judicial review.

1. The Bihar Land Reforms Act, 1950 (Bihar Act XXX of 1950).

2. The Bombay Tenancy and Agricultural Lands Act, 1948 (Bombay Act LXVII of 1948).

3. The Bombay Maleki Tenure Abolition Act, 1949 (Bombay Act LXI of 1949).

4. The Bombay Taluqdari Tenure Abolition Act, 1949 (Bombay Act LXII of 1949).

5. The Panch Mahals Mehwassi Tenure Abolition Act, 1949 (Bombay Act LXIII of 1949).

6. The Bombay Khoti Abolition Act, 1950 (Bombay Act VI of 1950).

7. The Bombay Paragana and Kulkarni Watan Abolition Act, 1950 (Bombay Act LX of 1950).

8. The Madhya Pradesh Abolition of Proprietary Rights (Estates, Mahals, Alienated Lands) Act, 1950 (Madhya Pradesh Act I of 1951).

9. The Madras Estates (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Act, 1948 (Madras Act XXVI of 1948).

10. The Madras Estates (Abolition and Conversion into Ryotwari) Amendment Act, 1950 (Madras Act I of 1950).

11. The Uttar Pradesh Zamindari Abolition and Land Reforms Act, 1950 (Uttar Pradesh Act I of 1951).

12. The Hyderabad (Abolition of Jagirs) Regulation, 1358F. (No. LXIX of 1358, Fasli).

13. The Hyderabad Jagirs (Commutation) Regulation, 1359F. (No. XXV of 1359, Fasli).

Ques 9: Consider the following statements regarding the Constitution (First Amendment) Act, 1951:

(i) This amendment was designed to implement the State Reorganisation Act.

(ii) It empowered the state to make special provisions for the advancement of socially and economically backward classes.

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Facebook, YouTube and Twitter will fight Texas crackdown on ‘censorship’ of Trump, conservative speech – USA TODAY

Posted: at 5:28 am

Trump sues Facebook, Twitter over 'blacklisting and canceling'

Claims that tech companies are biased against conservatives have emerged as a top issue to rally the GOP base ahead of the 2022 midterm elections.

Associated Press, USA TODAY

Facebook, Google's YouTube and Twitter will fight a new Texas law crackingdown on social media companies for allegedly censoringconservative speech and former President Donald Trump.

Gov. Greg Abbott, a Republican who publicly backed the legislation, signed the bill Thursday, making Texas the second state totargetcompanies for restricting or removing content or accounts for violating their rules.

"There is a dangerous movement by some social media companies to silence conservative ideas and values," Abbott said during a news conference. "This is wrong and we will not allow it in Texas."

The Texaslaw, passed in the final days of the second special session called by Abbott, would allow any stateresident banned from a social media platform for their political views to sue the platform.

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The state attorney generalalso would be able to sue on behalf of a user or a group of users.

It is similar to a Florida law that was blockedin June by a federal judge one day before it could take effect.

Trade groups representing the technology industry pledged to challenge the law on the same basis they challenged the Florida law which, they say, has the same First Amendment flaws and is unconstitutional.

"The same outcome will almost certainly occur in Texas, Steve DelBianco, NetChoice's president, said.

"Moderation of user posts is crucial to keeping the internet safe for Texas families, but this bill would put the Texas government in charge of content policies," he said.

Proponents of the new law hailed its passage.

"Texas new law, House Bill 20, is a paramount move taken by Lone Star legislators to protect the free speech rights of their constituents," said Samantha Fillmore, state government relations manager for conservative think tank The Heartland Institute.

"There is no question that big tech is integral to free speech in todays day and age," she said. "Because of this, Big Tech can no longer unilaterally decide who can say what without being held accountable."

Dozens of states are considering legislation to restrict how social media platforms regulate people's speech, though few have gotten this far.

These bills resonate with conservatives who believe their First Amendment rights are violated when social media posts are labeled or removed or when their accountsare banned for violating the policies of social media platforms. Trump's suspensions from the major platforms inspired the new bills.

"This move by Texas, a heavy hitter in national politics, is likely to inspire other states to take such measures to show their citizens that America is, and will continue to be, a place for free thought, speech, and expression, Fillmore said.

The First Amendment protects people from censorship by the federal government, not from content moderation decisions by private companies.

Social media companies say they don't target conservatives, only harmful speech that violates their rules.

Texas House Democrats warned during a recent hearing that the new law would stop social media companies from taking down harmful content. They offered amendments that would have allowed the removal of posts promoting Holocaust denial, terrorism and vaccine disinformation but were defeated.

Forcing social media platforms to stop moderating content, whether its misinformation or hate speech, is going to have real world consequences," said Adam Kovacevich, CEO of Chamber of Progress, a tech industry coalition that includes Facebook and Google.

"Whats said online doesnt just stay online, it spills over into peoples lives and impacts our health, our democracy, and our communities, he said in a statement to USA TODAY.

Florida was the first state to push through legislation when Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Trump ally, signed a bill in May that penalizes social media companies for removing or barring the speech of politicians.

However, a federal judge temporarily blocked the new law after NetChoice and the Computer & Communications Industry Association trade groups that represent Facebook, Google and other tech companies sued. DeSantis is appealing.

The Texas law goes further than Florida's because it applies to all users and prevents social media platforms from making decisions based on the viewpoint expressed in the post.

The Republican claimthatpowerful tech companiesare biased against conservatives isemerging as a top issue to rally the base in the2022 midterm elections.

Both Abbott and DeSantis are widely seen as possible GOP 2024 presidential contenders coming from big states with large electoral votes. Abbott is facing his first challenging Republican primary to be reelected governor.

Big Techs efforts to silence conservative viewpoints is un-American, un-Texan and unacceptable and pretty soon its going to be against the law in the state of Texas, Abbott said at a news conference announcing similar legislation in March.

The Heartland Institute recently estimated that 70 bills in 30 states are challenging big tech censorship.

The Republican claim that powerful tech companies are biased against and "cancel" conservatives is emerging as a top issue to rally the base in the 2022 midterm elections.

The GOP is betting it will boost voter registration, turnout and fundraising as it tries to retake the U.S. House and Senate, political observers say. It also could help Republicans at the state level.

Trump, who was banned from the major social media platforms after the Jan. 6 insurrection, escalated his war with Big Tech in July when he filed suit against Facebook, Google and Twitter and their CEOs, claiming the companies violated his First Amendment rights.

Trump and Republicans fundraised off the lawsuit, though legal experts say it has virtually no chance of success.

The perception that tech companies and the billionaire CEOs who run them are biased against conservatives has been around for a long time, but intensified as Trump made social media abuses a major plank of his administration and reelection campaign.

After he lost the presidency, Trump attackedtech companies for labeling or removing posts that spread falsehoods about the outcome of the presidential election.

Complaints of ideological bias come from across the political spectrum, but its difficult to prove social media platforms are targeting any one group. Tech companies disclose little about how they decide what content is allowed and what is not.

Researchers from New York University,the University of Virginia and elsewheresay theyve found no evidence to support GOP grievances that social media companies stifle conservative voices. If anything, they say, social media platforms amplify the voices of conservatives, shaping the worldviews of millions of voters.

But for some conservatives, the 2020 election proved Big Tech's ideological bias. They point to tech companies throttling the spread of a New York Post article which made uncorroborated claims about Hunter Bidens business dealings, the Trump social media bans and the takedown of Parler, a social media platform popular with the political right.

Nine in 10 Republicans and independents who lean toward the Republican Party say its at least somewhat likely that social media platforms censor political viewpoints they find objectionable, up slightly from 85% in 2018, according to an August report from the Pew Research Center.

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Facebook, YouTube and Twitter will fight Texas crackdown on 'censorship' of Trump, conservative speech - USA TODAY

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