Daily Archives: February 7, 2022

The last 30 years have seen dramatic reductions in global poverty, spurred by strong catch-up growth in developing countries, especially in Asia. By 2015, some 729 million people, 10% of the population, lived under the $1.90 a day poverty line, greatly exceeding the Millennium Development Goal target of halving poverty. From 2012 to 2013, at the peak of global poverty reduction, the global poverty headcount fell by 130 million poor people.

This success story was dominated by China and India. In December 2020, China declared it had eliminated extreme poverty completely. India represents a more recent success story. Strong economic growth drove poverty rates down to 77 million, or 6% of the population, in 2019. India will, however, experience a short-term spike in poverty due to COVID-19, before resuming a strong downward path. By 2030, India is likely to essentially eliminate extreme poverty, with less than 5 million people living below the $1.90 line. By 2030, the only Asian countries that are unlikely to meet the goal of ending extreme poverty are Afghanistan, Papua New Guinea, and North Korea.

In other parts of the world, poverty trends are disappointing. In Latin America, poverty fell rapidly at the beginning of this century but has been rising since 2015, with no substantial reductions forecast by the end of this decade. In Africa, poverty has been rising steadily, thanks to rapid population growth and stagnant economic growth. Exacerbated by a pandemic-induced rise in poverty of 11%, African poverty shows little signs of decline through 2030.

These trends point to the emergence of a very different poverty landscape. Whereas in 1990, poverty was concentrated in low-income, Asian countries, todays (and tomorrows) poverty is largely found in sub-Saharan Africa and fragile and conflict-affected states. By 2030, sub-Saharan African countries will account for 9 of the top 10 countries by poverty headcount. Sixty percent of the global poor will live in fragile and conflict-affected states. Many of the top poverty destinations in the next decade will fall into both of these categories: Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mozambique and Somalia. Global efforts to achieve the SDGs by 2030, including eliminating extreme poverty, will be complicated by the concentration of poverty in these fragile and hard-to-reach contexts.

By 2030, poverty will be associated not just with countries, but with specific places within countries. Middle-income countries will be home to almost half of the global poor, a dramatic shift from just 40 years earlier. Nigeria is now the global face of poverty, overtaking India as the top poverty destination in 2019. (While India temporarily regained its title due to COVID-19, which pushed many vulnerable Indians back below the poverty line, Nigeria will reclaim the top spot by 2022.) In 2015, Nigeria was home to 80 million poor people, or 11% of global poverty; by 2030, this number could grow to 18%, or 107 million.

Poverty numbers and trends have traditionally been reported on a country-by-country basis. However, today we see that low-income countries have significant corridors of prosperity, while middle-income countries can have large pockets of poverty. With advances in geospatial and sub-national data, there is a growing push to move from country-wide metrics to sub-national data, in order to better identify and target these poverty hotspots.

Download the full working paper

Read more:

The evolution of global poverty, 1990-2030 - Brookings Institution

After a landmark year in which she released her debut album, played her first big concert and broke streaming records, the rise of Olivia Rodrigo has only just begun.

The promising Disney starlet-turned-international pop star who has been named Billboards Woman of the Year for the 2022 Women in Music Awards has said shes been singing all her life, but began honing her craft at age 5 by taking singing lessons and performing at (and winning) local talent competitions before moving to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the spotlight.

Explore

See latest videos, charts and news

Ahead of the 2022 Billboard Women in Music Awards on March 2 at the YouTube Theater at Hollywood Park in Inglewood, Calif., see how Rodrigo has grown as a singer over the years, from performing covers of classics to the self-written tunes shes now known for.

A very little, pigtailed Rodrigo rocked the stage at the 2010 NAMM (National Association of Music Merchants) Show in Anaheim, Calif.. She nailed the rock-star attitude during her performance of Journeys Dont Stop Believin.

Highlight: Slowly raising her arm ( la Glee) as she held the high note in the pre-chorus, followed by an adorable little strut during the guitar solo.

One of the singing competitions Rodrigo performed at on at least two occasions was her towns local Boys & Girls Club Idol in 2011. You can see the payoff in her singing lessons as she showed off her range in Dont Rain on My Parade, made famous by Barbra Streisand in Funny Girl. Rodrigos rendition earned her first place in her age group. Watch her take the stage here.

Highlight: The pout on her face and vibrato in her voice as she sang Your turn at bat, sir/ At least I didnt fake it/ Hat, sir, I guess I didnt make it!

I like singing because its the funnest thing since everything, Rodrigo shyly laughs in a video clip before taking the stage at 2013s Boys & Girls Club Idol. Her somewhat reserved demeanor does a complete 180 as soon as she belts the first note of Jessie Js Mama Knows Best, which again won her the top prize at the competition. Watch her performance here.

Highlight: She shows off her riffing abilities throughout the song, but her jazzy scat is wholly impressive after just five years of singing lessons.

Rodrigo brought out a guitar for her acoustic rendition of Adeles Hello. The preteen perfects her crescendos and tone as she hits the low notes in the verses and belts the high notes in the chorus.

Highlight: Her riffs during the bridge. Nuff said.

A couple of months following the release of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series in December 2019, Rodrigo delivered a somber performance of All I Want, which she self-wrote for her character on the show. Only her voice and the keyboard shes playing fill the minimalist room as she beautifully sings the ballad.

Highlight: Her riff when she sings, We fell in love but it didnt last.

The Tonight Show hosted Rodrigo for the TV debut of her eight-week Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper drivers license. She hits all the right notes in her moody performance as she plays a grand piano, later joined by a string quartet.

Highlight: Her powerful start to the bridge Red lights, stop signs as the soft white lasers that light the stage turn red.

For one of the last performances wrapping up her huge debut year, Rodrigo played a set of at the annual Austin City Limits festival. She has officially nailed the pop-star persona as she sings the fourth single from Sour alongside an all-girl band to an audience of fans mouthing all the lyrics: You betrayed me/ And I know that youll never feel sorry/ For the way I hurt, yeah.

Highlight: Belting the lyric traitor has she sings the chorus the final time and stands center stage.

Read this article:

The Evolution of Olivia Rodrigos Voice, From Age 6 to 18 - Billboard

A peculiar study into malaria resistance in humans, and where and how it occurs in the population, has unexpectedly spurred a re-evaluation of the neo-Darwinist understanding of evolution.

Neo-Darwinism refers to any branch of science which combines Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection with Gregor Mendel's discipline of genetics. The overwhelming majority of biologists and geneticists are neo-Darwinists, and one primary tenet of neo-Darwinism is the idea that the genetic mutations which cause living creatures to evolve occur randomly. For humans, this means that mutations from the entirely beneficial (opposable thumbs) and the undesirable (say,those which cause obstructivesleep apnea)can be attributed to chance rather than some kind of purposeful direction. The ones that get passed on permanently do so through natural selection that is, because they just so happen to help their hosts, who then survive longer and have more opportunities to perpetuate the mutation via reproduction.

At least, that was the prevailing assumption. A new studyled by researchers from Israel and Ghana and published in the journal Genome Research reveals that, in fact, at least one helpful genetic mutation was not random at all. They specifically studied the HbS mutation, which protects people against malaria, and found that it arose more frequently within a population where malaria is endemic (Africa) than within a population where it is not (Europe). This might cause some of neo-Darwinism's tenets to be revised.

RELATED:Science quietly wins one of the right's longstanding culture wars

"The results showed that the malaria resistant HbS mutation arises more frequently in the population and gene where it is of adaptive significance," Dr. Adi Livnat from the University of Haifi, the study's lead researcher and corresponding author, told Salon by email. "This shows empirically for the first time a directional response of mutation to a specific long-term environmental pressure. This sort of result cannot be explained by neo-Darwinism, which is limited to explaining minor, gross-level effects on average mutation rates, not responses of specific mutations to specific environmental pressures. Therefore, the implications are that here there is an empirical finding that neo-Darwinism really cannot explain, which challenges the notion of random mutation on a fundamental level."

Want more health and science stories in your inbox? Subscribe toSalon's weekly newsletter The Vulgar Scientist.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post, Livnat speculated that evolution could actually be shaped by a combination of "external information" through natural selection and "internal information" that is picked up in the human genome from generation to generation and leads to the creation of mutations.

"The research tells us many things, including the fact that the origination rate of the HbS mutation cannot be explained from the perspective of neo-Darwinism," Livnat told Salon.

Livnat and the team of scientists were able to learn something this monumental once they had developed new technology for detectingde novomutations, meaning those which are not passed down to the child from either parent. With a higher resolution, the scientists were able to count individual novel mutations on specific areas of the genome where they might find something instructive. Thehuman hemoglobin S mutation (HbS) was chosen as their subject of study; neo-Darwinism contends that it originated randomly in a sub-Saharan African individual and spread in that region through natural selection because (despite being associated with sickle-cell anemia) it conferred malaria-protecting benefits. Yet if that theory were accurate, the mutation would still be random and therefore appear in roughly equal numbers between a population that is not heavily exposed to malaria (Europe's) and one that is (Africa's).

This was not the case.

"The HbS mutation originated de novo not only much faster than expected from random mutation but also much faster in the population (in sub-Saharan Africans as opposed to Europeans) and in the gene (in the beta-globin as opposed to the control delta-globin gene) where it is of adaptive significance," the University of Haifa announced in a statement.

In addition, the study gives scientists strong reason to reconsider their current practice of measuring mutation rates as averages across a multitude of positions on the genome.

"We can definitively see that the picture of mutation origination that is obtained once we examine the resolution of specific mutations could not have been expected from traditional theories or previous empirical studies," Livnat explained. "This suggests that most of the signal of mutation rates is not in the averages of mutation rates across many positions but is rather mutation specific. This means that there is an enormous amount of research to be done on how mutations are generated, and that already at the first time mutation origination is observed at this high resolution, we obtain results that challenge the central neo-Darwinian assumption on a fundamental level."

More Salon articles about evolution:

Go here to see the original:

Biologists surprised to discover that some "random" mutations may not be so random - Salon

Its hard to discuss Kevin Porter Jr. without philosophizing. Is he a point guard? What is a point guard? What is Kevin Porter Jr.?

The answer to that last question has varied throughout this young mans career. A five-star recruit. A late first-round pick. A locker-room distraction. A redemption story. More to the point: a small forward, a shooting guard, and a point guard.

Its apparent to Houston Rockets observers that Porter Jr. is a good kid with a big heart and passion that hell be challenged to contain moving forward. The more relevant questions revolve around his positional ambiguity. Is Kevin Porter Jr. a point guard?

By modern standards, the answer is probably. Gone are the days of the game managing point guard whose responsibility was to get the ball up the floor, call a play, and make an initial pass to a primary creator. In 2022, point guards are frequently tasked to be that primary creator.

Oftentimes, that means functioning as the ball-handler in pick-and-roll sets. How has Porter Jr. fared in those situations in 2021-22 so far?

Hes certainly faced more of them. This season, Porter Jr is spending 43.3 percent of his possessions as the ball-handler in pick-and-roll sets, compared to 39.8 percent last season. Unfortunately, that increased volume hasnt necessarily led to increased efficiency. Porter Jr. finds himself in the 27.8 percentile league-wide in those situations, compared to the 30.1 last season. Hes generating 0.72 points per possession out of pick-and-roll sets (0.77 last season).

Statistically, hes a less efficient pick-and-roll ball-handler than he was last year.

Of course, pick-and-roll efficiency isnt the only measure of a point guard in 2022. More traditional measures tell us that Porter Jr. hasnt taken a particular leap forward either. Hes averaging 11 potential assists per game this season, with a 12.0 assist-to-pass ratio. Last season, those figures were 11.5 and 12.4 respectively.

To a realist, none of this is neither encouraging nor discouraging. It shouldnt shock anybody that as Porter is learning the position, his efficiency is waning as his volume increases. The resulting statistical profile looks like one of a 21-year-old playing point guard for the first time. Porter Jr. is averaging 13.3 points, 6.2 assists, and 3.7 turnovers per game this season.

However, a peak under the hood suggests that Porter Jr. is evolving.

Over his last 10 games, Porter Jr. is averaging 15 points, 7 assists, and 3.1 assists per contest. Those dont look like the stats of a young man learning a position. Those look like the statistics of a true NBA point guard.

If youve been watching, his evolution wont surprise you. Porter Jr. is making quicker reads in the halfcourt, whether hes in a pick-and-roll or isolating. Hes developed particular chemistry with Christian Wood. Its becoming increasingly common to find those two in simple pick-and-pop actions. Where Porter Jr. used to force action, hes now inclined to make a simple skip pass to his stretch big. The result has frequently been an open three.

Hes also learning when to push the pace, and when to slow down. Go-ahead passes in transition used to be surefire turnovers for the young guard. Now, theyre regularly resulting in easy looks for Porter Jr.s teammates.

Is Kevin Porter Jr. a point guard? It depends on who you ask. Theres only one thing we can definitively say this young man is:

Extraordinarily talented.

Go here to read the rest:

The Evolution of Kevin Porter Jr, the point guard - The Dream Shake

Enterprise Irelands Jenny Melia reflects on how Irelands tech start-up community has transformed over the last two decades.

Enterprise Ireland started 2022 with a new three-year strategy targeting, among other things, increased support for entrepreneurs. Unveiled last month by CEO Leo Clancy, the new strategy laid out plans for the State agency to support 450 early-stage companies over the next three years and grow its cohort of high-potential start-ups by 20pc.

Jenny Melia leads the high-potential start-up (HPSU) team at Enterprise Ireland and, having been with the organisation for more than a quarter of a century, she has seen her fair share of strategies launched.

When you look at the strategies, they actually give you a really strong flavour of where we were as an economy at that time, said Melia.

You can see in the strategies around 2006, 2008, we were in a very strong position. You go through the financial recession then, 2008 to 2010, and the next strategy was very much around jobs. We had so many people, in terms of the downturn, who were looking for employment. And one of the things that jumped out for me then in terms of that strategy was the focus on supporting more entrepreneurs.

More recent challenges include Brexit, which prompted Irish enterprise to shake off its over-reliance on the UK market, and, of course, the pandemic we are still living and working through. Covid-19 has had a dramatic impact on the way we work, from global supply chain infrastructure right down to individual productivity.

Emerging from this disruption are strong and resilient Irish businesses with global ambition. 2022 has only just begun and already weve seen the minting of two fresh new Irish tech unicorns private companies with a valuation of more than $1bn in Wayflyer and Flipdish.

Two other Irish tech unicorns, Stripe and Intercom, started out in Silicon Valley but are now running major operations out of both the US and Ireland. Going to California was the right move for many entrepreneurs then but now, a decade on, things have changed dramatically.

Stripe co-founder John Collison said in 2020, that its entirely plausible that you could set up Stripe in Dublin now. He was speaking in the context of the changes Covid-19 had wrought across the world but, coupled with the $100bn fintechs decision to be dual-headquartered in Dublin and San Francisco, its a testament to how effective changes to the start-up environment here have opened up huge possibilities for a new class of entrepreneurs.

Melia has noted a significant change in the kind of entrepreneur she encounters. Back in the days following the 2008 financial crash, we had what she called forced entrepreneurs.

Entrepreneurship mightnt have been their original career path, but that was where their working life brought them, she explained.

Now, we are seeing latent entrepreneurs stepping up to grasp emerging opportunities. Some may even be inspired, Melia said, by Collisons comments.

It does make that latent entrepreneur, that young entrepreneur, that female entrepreneur, or that entrepreneur who might have come to Ireland to work in one of our multinationals, and maybe they and two or three others are thinking about stepping out to do something it makes them think we can afford to take the risk, that there are sufficient supports to help de-risk the project.

Of course, you can never fully eliminate risk. Failure is an occupational hazard for all entrepreneurs, no matter what their type, so whats important is having safety nets to help these pioneers of industry bounce back when they fall.

We have very generous entrepreneurs in Ireland who are genuinely prepared to throw the ladder down to the people who are coming behind them JENNY MELIA

Some of the projects will work, and some of them wont. And sometimes its not the first one that works, said Melia. Its the learnings from the first and the second that go on to make a really brilliant third company.

Safety nets for serial entrepreneurs are made up of the fabric of a supportive start-up ecosystem, of which Enterprise Ireland is just one strand. While it takes a national approach, regional supports across the country are essential to the knitting together of this broader strategy.

The establishment of these supports alongside improved infrastructure and the shift to remote working across the country has been a boon for regional development. Working from home has seen some decide to make a move away from the capital, and creating jobs outside Dublin remains a key pillar of Enterprise Irelands strategy.

An idyllic view of the modern Irish entrepreneur is exemplified by Fidelma McGuirk, founder and CEO of Mayo-based Payslip. Melia distinctly recalled a profile of McGuirk which pictured her against the backdrop of Irelands Wild Atlantic Way and Croagh Patrick.

From this scenic location, she beamed into Enterprise Irelands virtual International Markets Week conference last October. Fidelma talked, as a Wexford woman, about setting up business in Westport and being able to set up business in Westport because she had the access to talent and she had the broadband she needed, said Melia.

Melia believes that remote working and its promise of better work-life balance presents a real opportunity for us to get more talent into the regional areas and to give opportunity to latent entrepreneurs who are in the regions. And on the entrepreneurs side, as well as the beautiful scenery and broadband, rural regions need co-working spaces, accelerator programmes and all the trimmings of a healthy start-up community. This, she said, gives Irish entrepreneurs a choice: To actually be able to choose to grow their business there rather than feeling they have to move to that more urban location to catch the talent.

Melia is well placed to remark on the evolution of Irelands regional start-up infrastructure. About 15 years ago she was working with university incubation centres across the country. Since then, she has seen investment in community enterprise centres and new local stakeholders put these locations on the entrepreneurial map.

Some regions have chosen to play to particular strengths such as the fintech cluster in the south-east and bio-based immersion programmes taking advantage of the concentration of life sciences activity in the west. The regions, through Local Enterprise Offices, business incubation centres and more, are honing in on how they do more together to make their region a better place to start and scale a business, said Melia. It is the combination of those activities then that really gives us the bang for the buck.

Entrepreneurs in Ireland also benefit from a tight network of fellow founders. The founders of Stripe and Intercom are known to pay it forward in their homegrown start-up community, and its a trait commonly found throughout.

We have very generous entrepreneurs in Ireland who are genuinely prepared to throw the ladder down to the people who are coming behind them on that scaling journey, said Melia. I see that every day, and not just in the high-potential start ups. Ive seen it over the last 26 years in Enterprise Ireland. I always say what a privilege it is to be working with these people on a daily basis.

The new breed of Irish entrepreneur is built on these strong foundations, lending an air of confidence that comes from the experience of many. Melia sees the number of entrepreneurs now in a position to go again as a sure sign that there are exciting things to come. And it gives Enterprise Ireland a bank of eminently more investable entrepreneurs to choose from.

Im a big believer in smart money, she said. Money is great, dont get me wrong. But money that comes with scaling experience and international scaling experience is so much more valuable.

And Irish start-ups are attracting plenty of outside investment too. We have seen a big increase in international funding coming into our start-ups, said Melia. Ireland is on the radar for international funders.

Irelands longstanding reputation as an international hub for major STEM businesses also continues to be a pillar for its start-up community. Between the Irish companies scaling here and overseas multinationals that have set down roots in Ireland, Melia sees no shortage of options locally for a start-up to find a customer to take them globally.

Im really feeling at the moment, after coming through the last 18 months, that were on the cusp of great opportunities now in Ireland, she said. And we have a real opportunity to make Ireland an even better location to start and grow a business.

Dont miss out on the knowledge you need to succeed. Sign up for the Daily Brief, Silicon Republics digest of need-to-know sci-tech news.

More:

The evolution of the Irish tech entrepreneur - Siliconrepublic.com

An example of a typical prison meal. In some states, inmates must select their last meal from items already available within the prison system. Photo: MediaNews Group/Orange County Register via Getty Images / Contributor (Getty Images)

People everywhere have long been oddly fascinated by the last meals of those on death row, specifically wanting to know more about the last meal requests of notorious criminals, like convicted serial killers: Did these men request an elaborate meal, or did they opt for something nostalgic like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or an order of KFC? Or, like Ted Bundy, did they refuse a last meal altogether?

But instead of looking at the last meals of specific prisoners, perhaps the focus should be on how this practice got started in the first place and how its changed over time.

One of the most well-recognized last meals is the last supper shared by Jesus Christ and his disciples before his crucifixion, as depicted in the Bible. In fact, the ritual of a doomed person eating some special kind of final meal goes back even further to pre-Christian times. A faculty publication from the Mercer University School of Law titled Cold (Comfort?) Food: A Systematic Examination of the Rituals and Rights of the Last Meal cites ancient Greece as the origin of this tradition. The Greeks would feed the prisoner before execution so that the deceased could enter the underworld and not return to earth as a hungry ghost.

In the paper, author Sarah Gerwig-Moore and her colleagues also write that in 18th-century Germany, a Hangmans Meal was often held: Lawyers, judges, clergy, local dignitaries, and even the executioner would attend what was essentially a feast for the condemned. In Nuremberg, providing an entire roasted goose to the person set to be executed was an established part of this tradition. During the Hangmans Meal, the condemned would participate in a scripted exchange in which they were told to seek forgiveness for their actions. The sharing of a meal between the condemned and those who had condemned them was symbolic, representing both forgiveness and acceptance.

In the same time period, in London, prisoners were allowed to hold a similar celebration with outside guests. On the day of the execution, the procession would stop at a pub for a customary last refreshment in life. These traditions could be seen both as a bittersweet celebration of life and an attempt to comfort someone facing death.

Later on, over in the United States, Puritans in Massachusetts held feasts for the condemned as a parallel of Jesus Last Supper with his disciples. So even though the last meal ritual may not have started with the Bible, the ongoing tradition in the U.S. does have some connection to the Last Supper recognized in Christianity.

Currently, 27 U.S. states continue to authorize capital punishment. This number has decreased over the years, with seven additional states having abolished the death penalty since 2009. Of the states that currently allow it, not all of them offer any special accommodations for a prisoners last meal, and those that do have some restrictions on what may be requested.

Back in 1985, Pizza Hut ran a commercial in which a prisoner sentenced to death orders Pizza Hut as his last meal. The prisoner in the commercial was pardoned at the last minute, but the ad was nevertheless particularly upsetting to viewers in South Carolina, where a man on death row had recently ordered pizza for his last meal before his execution. (The ad was later taken off the air in that state.) Frequent pop culture references to last meals, along with the widely reported last meals of infamous serial killers, might lead you to believe that anyone preparing for their last meal has free range to order whatever they want, but thats not the case.

First off, spending limits exist in multiple states including Oklahoma, Florida, and Texas. Oklahoma procedure says that Reasonable effort shall be made to accommodate the request, which shall not exceed $25.00. In Florida, to avoid extravagance, the last meal requested by someone on death row cannot exceed $40 and must be available to buy locally. In Texas, last meals were offered until 2011, when a prisoner requested steak, fried okra, a triple bacon cheeseburger, three fajitas, an omelet, pizza, half a loaf of bread, Blue Bell ice cream, peanut butter fudge, and three root beers. The Marshall Project explains that the prisoner ended up not eating any of the food, and people speculated as to whether this was an act of rebellion or simply a lack of appetite due to nervousness. Either way, it led to Texas no longer accommodating last meal requests at all.

Aside from the monetary restrictions, other limitations on last meal requests keep it from being the full buffet experience often portrayed in fiction. Many prisons only honor requests for food thats already available within the prison system, and will absolutely deny requests that include alcohol, tobacco, or other substances not normally allowed.

Whether or not people support or condemn the practice of the last meal (or the death penalty laws that lead to it), theres no denying the custom has carried heavy significance since it began. And that significance has shifted over time: to go from a whole roasted goose to a strict $25 budget shows how drastically the meaning behind the meal has changed. A feast with guests in attendance can arguably be seen as a final celebration of life, but a supposedly special meal arranged with tons of rules, regulations, and restrictions, eaten alone without loved ones, sounds more like a reminder to the condemned of their societal position. Taking one last jab at their free will just seems cruel.

This ritual that has garnered peoples attention throughout history. But if the aim is to bring even a brief comfort to someone at the end of their life, perhaps the custom no longer serves the same purpose as it did historically. Many U.S. states continue to evaluate the death penalty and symptoms of its implementation. Abolishing the practice completely would mean we no longer have to make such strange choices about what a last meal can consist of.

Continue reading here:

The history and evolution of the last meal - The Takeout

Image source: Discovery Institute Press.

A new episode ofID the Futureconcludes a three-part series featuring author Neil Thomas in a free-ranging conversation with radio host Hank Hanegraaff. The focus is Thomass recent book,Taking Leave of Darwin: A Longtime Agnostic Discovers the Case for Design. Thomas and Hanegraaff discuss the logical positivists and what Thomas sees as their failure to consistently apply their evidential standards to Darwinism. Thomas also contrasts the cosmic nihilism of Richard Dawkins with the mounting evidence of fine-tuning for life, and calls out what Thomas describes as the magical thinking at the heart of Darwinism.

Hanegraaff and Thomas explore how Darwins theory of evolution has roots in an ancient philosophical system that was long regarded as resting on such flimsy speculative foundations that it wasnt taken seriously for long centuries. In Thomass opinion, that philosophical system shouldnt have been taken seriously then, and still shouldnt be.

In the wrap up, Hanegraaff and Thomas provide a model of how two men with differing positions on Christianity can converse and even challenge each other while remaining cordial. Hanegraaff, an Orthodox Christian, urges Thomas, a longtime agnostic rationalist who has recently become open to theism, to take his journey further by considering the historical claims specific to Christianity. Does Thomas bridle? Not all. Listen in to hear how the conversation plays out. Download the podcast or listen to it here.

Read the original:

Neil Thomas on Epicurus and Logical Positivists - Discovery Institute

Founded by sisters Kaabia and Sasha Grewal in 2012, Outhouse is one of the leading Bridge Jewellery Houses in the country today. Kaabia and Sasha developed a love for jewellery at a young age, and grew up to pursue the same with degrees in jewellery design and manufacturing from the Indian Institute of Gems & Jewellery. Guided by a sophisticated yet dramatic sensibility, the duo combine unique elements with inventive design to create their collections.After working as head designer at a design house, Sasha went on to join high street fashion brand, Topshop in London. Kaabia went to the Gemological Institute of America, New York to pursue her interest in gemology after which she interned with jewellery designer Eddie Borgo.In the span of 8 years Outhouse has had 3 shows at Lakme Fashion Week, numerous exhibits, participated at entrepreneurial summits, won the Vogue Fashion Fund in 2015 and been featured in the Forbes India 30 under 30 list in 2016. Today, Outhouse is one of Indias leading bridge jewellery houses; adorned by style icons and film stars like Beyonce, Cardi B, Eva Longoria, Kim Kardashian,Sienna Miller, Ashley Louis James,Tyra Banks,Sonam Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Deepika Padukone, to name a few.Quality & Luxury are the core attributes of the Outhouse brand from the finishing of the hand-crafted pieces, to the beautiful pink packaging box that a customer receives, to the shopping experience at their flagship stores in Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata.Recently Outhouse unveiled its newest monogram that is a sophisticated metaphor for evolution, progression and beauty. In a unique amalgam of nostalgia with progressive design, Outhouse turns to the enduring beauty of nature to create its brand-new five-petal poppi flower monogram.In a candid conversation Kaabia Grewal says, Every brand has gone through a very tough time during this pandemic and recently we launched our newest monogram. The floral monogram is an emblem to express love, positivity and a feeling to constantly blossom, which are the adjectives that express the relationship between them. The symbolic five petal monogram exudes a sense of playfulness and vibrancy that is meant to represent very much the houses individual spirit. The result is a simple yet timeless design, but one that holds special significance. This floral monogram represents that we must all grow, stagnancy is never an option. Thereby, standing for nostalgia with progression, and strength with softness.Sasha & Kaabia have managed to combine their distinct personalstyles to create the unique Outhouse aesthetic taking inspiration from their travels around the globe. While Sasha experiments with dramatic yet classy looks, Kaabia describe her personal expression as quirky and edgy.Outhouse thrives on constantly pushing the envelope with design, and redefining how fashion jewellery is created and adorned. Every piece aims to be a piece of art, a style statement and a conversation starter, which embodies a bit of culture and heritage, and also the the soul of the Outhouse woman.Outhouses inspiration lies in a classic combination of shapes and symbols of Indian and International cultures, moods and fashion; experimenting with materials like Swarovski, semi-precious stones, leather and metals, creating beautiful works of wearable art.

Go here to read the rest:

Outhouse unveils its new monogram, a sophisticated metaphor for evolution, progression and beauty - The Sunday Guardian

Salmon Evolution ASA ("Salmon Evolution" or the "Company", OSE: SALME) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Heads of Terms with Artec Aqua for the planning of the phase 2 build-out at Indre Hary. Phase 2 is expected to in principle be identical to phase 1 and add a further 7,900 tons HOG of annual production, bringing the total planned production volume to 15,800 tons HOG per annum.

Artec Aqua is the turnkey supplier for Salmon Evolution's phase 1 project at Indre Hary where the first smolt is expected to be released during March 2022 and with the full facility currently expected to be completed in Q4 2022.

The purpose of the Heads of Terms is to enable Salmon Evolution to be in a position to swiftly commence construction of phase 2 following the completion of phase 1. Such timeline requires significant preparatory activities, including but not limited to, planning, concept and detailed engineering and structuring of subcontractor tender processes.

Additionally, this preparatory phase will focus on leveraging the know-how and experiences gained from phase 1, facilitating implementation of identified areas of improvement, both from a biological, operational and financial perspective. Given the timeline with first groundworks commencing after completion of phase 1, the parties should also be able to implement learning effects obtained during the first 12 months of production.

Mr. Hkon Andr Berg, CEO of Salmon Evolution comments:

"As the phase 1 build out at Indre Hary now is nearing completion, we are very pleased to start the preparations for phase 2 construction. Phase 2 will stand on the shoulders of a successful phase 1 ramp-up and together with Artec Aqua we expect to realize significant efficiency gains while at the same time being able to continue optimizing the facility."

The Heads of Terms further sets out the main commercial terms to be reflected in a final design and construction agreement between the parties. Capex for phase 2 is currently estimated to NOK 1.3 - 1.4 billion, reflecting both copy effects from phase 1 as well as general inflation and increased raw material prices, with final capex target expected to be set in 2H 2022.

The final design and construction agreement is expected to be effectuated during first half of 2022 and will include financing reservations providing Salmon Evolution with the necessary flexibility to align the phase 2 build out with the Company's overall financing plan.

For further information, contact:

Hkon A. BergCEO, Salmon Evolution+47 411 92 257

Trond Hkon Schaug-PettersenCFO, Salmon Evolution+47 911 91 327

About Salmon Evolution

Salmon Evolution is a Norwegian land-based salmon farming company focused on extending the ocean's potential by transferring the best preconditions offered by the sea to farm fish on land through its chosen hybrid flow-through system technology (HFS). This secures a truly sustainable production process with controlled and optimal growth conditions and limiting operational and biological risk.

The Company's first production facility is under construction at Indre Hary, strategically located on the Norwegian west coast with unlimited access to fresh seawater, renewable energy, established infrastructure for salmon farming, and an educated and experienced work force. The entire project is designed for an annual capacity of approx. 31,500 tonnes HOG.

The Company has also entered into a joint venture with Dongwon Industries where the parties will develop, construct and operate a land-based salmon farming facility in South Korea with an annual production capacity of 16,800 tonnes HOG, using Salmon Evolution's chosen HFS technology.

Salmon Evolution ASA is listed on Oslo Brs under the ticker SALME.

To learn more, please visit http://www.salmonevolution.no

https://news.cision.com/salmon-evolution/r/salmon-evolution-initiates-preparations-for-indre-haroy-phase-2---signs-heads-of-terms-with-artec-aq,c3499715

(c) 2022 Cision. All rights reserved., source Press Releases - English

Excerpt from:

Salmon Evolution initiates preparations for Indre Hary phase 2 - signs Heads of Terms with Artec Aqua - marketscreener.com