Daily Archives: March 27, 2022

Sunnyside caf hit by theft and damages in second incident – LiveWire Calgary

Posted: March 27, 2022 at 9:55 pm

The Vendome Cafe windows in the morning Wednesday, March 23, 2022. Vendome Cafe was broken into in February 2022, and they see some vandalism and victimless crimes in their area. (Photo by Alejandro Melgar/LiveWire)

A February break-in at Sunnysides Vendome Caf comes amid a recent increase B&E crimes in the Hillhurst and Sunnyside communities.

The caf manager and its owners say they have customer and employee safety in their minds.

Break-ins of both commercial and non-residential properties combined were at 22 and 6 in Jan and Feb 2021, respectively. The number more than doubled in Feb 2022 at 15.

Vendome Caf has been operating in Sunnyside for 11 years. They're apart of the Teatro Group.

The perpetrators pried open the back door. Two people entered, ransacked the business, and took off with the caf's safe, according to Katrina Brodie, Vendome general manager.

It's jarring to know that people can invade what you think of as a safe space, said Brodie.

It was a really frustrating event.

Brodie said they've replaced the back door. Theyll also be installing motion sensor lights to detract people from entering the premises.

Last year, Vendome was broken into and more valuables were taken.

They stole cash, they stole product as far as liquor goes, and then technology like tablets and iPads for using restaurant systems, said Teatro Groups Chief Operating Officer, Matthew Batey.

The Teatro group, and Vendome as a whole, want to make sure that their customers feel safe and comfortable in their spaces. They also want to reassure staff, who have been unnerved by the event.

It feels personal. You feel violated, said Batey.

You arrive to work to see your workspace all trashed, and broken glass everywhere. That's unnerving for people, especially in a business that employs quite a few younger people, students and the like. That's pretty unsettling.

The business has a community of regular customers that make up the Vendome Caf family, said Batey. Vendome regulars have helped liven up the location. A flower planter outside at the corner of their business has been under the care of 91-year-old Dorothy, who has been visiting Vendome ever since they opened.

One of the things that we love about [Vendome Caf] is that it is such a community, right. I mean, that restaurant, it's a little hub.

The restaurant also sees frequent vandalism, Batey said, describing them as victimless crimes.

Somebody walks past, you know, they break all the flowers, they ruin the plantings, they do all that sort of stuff, said Beaty.

It appears to be one of those victimless crimes, even though it's quite a significant thing for that person.

Hospitality involves caring for people and attending to people, Batey said. They understand that people that participate in acts against a business or person may be in a challenging situation where they are forced to act to survive.

While feeling for your fellow person, it becomes even more challenging to be motivated to be part of the solution when it continues to come at your peril, and people are stealing from you. You know, that's personal. And that's tough to deal with.

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Sunnyside caf hit by theft and damages in second incident - LiveWire Calgary

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The people cloning their pets – BBC.com

Posted: at 9:54 pm

"People ask me, 'Why is it so expensive?' and I tell them because there are so many complicated steps involved in the whole process," says Rodriguez. "It's definitely an emotional reason for pet clients. They want to be able to carry on that strong emotional bond that they have with the pet."

The industry has since expanded elsewhere in the globe. Sooam Biotech in South Korea offer dog cloning services, as well as Sinogene in China.

However, many scientists remain uncomfortable about the whole premise. Lovell-Badge argues that there is "no justification" for pet cloning as while the resulting animals will be genetically identical, they will not have the same behavioural characteristics and personalities as all creatures are a product of both genes and their environment.

"People really want their pet that knows them and knows certain tricks and so forth," says George Church, professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School. "In that sense, it's a little bit taking advantage of people's grief."

Reviving extinct species

In the years that followed Dolly's cloning, the central question was whether scientists would ever extend the technology to humans, and the many moral and ethical issues that would invoke.

But while a human embryo was successfully cloned in 2013, the process of creating an entire human being has never been attempted because of the likely public outcry. Chinese scientists did clone the first primates in January 2018, long-tailed macques Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua, but there are currently no suggestions that this work will continue into further primate species.

Instead, most funding is being devoted to using cloning to resurrect animals on the verge of extinction. Efforts are underway to clone both the giant panda and the northern white rhino a species for which there are just two animals left on the planet while in the last two years, ViaGen have cloned the black footed ferret and Przewalski's horse, both of which are endangered.

Church is leading the most ambitious project, a quest to revive the woolly mammoth, a species that last lived some 4,000 years ago. His de-extinction company Colossal has already raised 11m ($14.5m) in funding to support the idea, which will involve creating an elephant-mammoth hybrid through taking skin cells from Asian elephants and using cloning technology to reprogram them with mammoth DNA.

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Conversational Artificial Intelligence and Voice Cloning Market Key Players Change the View of the Global Face of Industry by 2028: , Acapela Group,…

Posted: at 9:54 pm

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Conversational Artificial Intelligence and Voice Cloning Market Key Players Change the View of the Global Face of Industry by 2028: , Acapela Group,...

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Catching the car clones! Automotive identity theft’ is on the rise – msnNOW

Posted: at 9:54 pm

The flashing blue lights of an unmarked police car burst into the cabin of my SUV just seconds after Id eased off the motorway and into the service station for a welcome pit stop.

But it wasnt unexpected, I had an inkling it could and probably would happen.

And for the past few miles Id been watching the distinctive headlights of the grey BMW through my rear-view mirror always keeping a steady pace and distance behind.

So as the car drew alongside next to the Shell filling station, just off the Southbound A1 (M), I wound down the window and looked across at the officer in the passenger seat eyeing me up,

South Wales? I ventured? He nodded.

Thankfully, I was not the guilty party but an innocent victim. As PCs Dan Stoppard and Gav Pearson of North Yorkshire police were happy to confirm.

The full story began to emerge as we compared notes at Barnsdale Bar South services near Pontefract.

My car had been cloned and I was the latest victim of a rising tide of automotive identity theft.

So-called car-cloning is on the increase as criminals steal the identities of cars in a variety of scams that leave thousands of innocent motorists with parking tickets and speeding fines for which theyre not responsible.

But in the worst cases, consumers are tricked into unwittingly buying stolen cars with a false number plate and identity and left thousands of pounds out of pocket when the vehicle is impounded and returned to its rightful owner.

For me, it all began with a phone call from Nissan while I was in the North-East visiting the firms Sunderland plant last week. Id driven up in a new Qashqai, which had been built there.

Had I by any chance been to South Wales as well? came the question from Nissan.

The answer was no. And Nissan knew this, but needed to confirm because a near identical blue Nissan Qashqai, with exactly the same (but fake) number plate as mine, had been twice clocked speeding and twice been involved in high-speed pursuits with police in South Wales.

How could that be?

Usually, criminals will wander around car showrooms looking for a model that resembles one they have stolen, and put copies of those legitimate plates on to their stolen example.

But my case was slightly different. My car was part of the Nissan press fleet made available for journalists to road test.

The vehicle had already been extensively photographed with the images appearing in motoring magazines and online.

The suspicion was that a similar-looking car had been stolen and some fake number plates made up matching those of the car I was driving. So the legitimate number plate on my car was now in the police system and would flag up if caught on camera.

In my case, the suspect number plate was spotted on the A1 by an ANPR number-plate recognition camera and flagged as being of interest. Apparently, a number of police cars were sent in pursuit, but roadworks meant it fell to the unmarked BMW to pull me in.

Police cars themselves have an array of all-round cameras whose digitised images link via computer to the DVLA, insurance and MOT records, highlighting vehicles that may be untaxed, unroadworthy, uninsured or suspected of being used in criminal or anti-social activity.

Nissan had already told the police that my car was probably not the one theyd been looking for in Wales. The officers too had been tipped via their alert system that my car was probably the honest one.

The two officers who pulled me in said there tended to be an increase in cloning in March and September when the new six-monthly plates come out as thats when a lot of number plates are made and often discarded.

To help distinguish my legitimate car from the imposter clone, the officers made a subtle tweak to my plates which would signal to other police that this was the real deal.

Motoring groups say Im far from alone and that this is a growing problem. The RAC said: Complaints about the trade in cloned registration number plates are on the rise.

Criminals armed with duplicate plates are better equipped to dodge ANPR cameras while also duping police officers into pursuing the wrong suspects.

It added: Cloning is a very real problem that could not only leave you thousands of pounds out of pocket, but also see you wrongly accused of a serious crime. Criminals either attempt to sell the cloned vehicle or use it to carry out further crimes.

If the cloned car is caught breaking the law, or involved in unlawful activity, these offences will often be attributed to the owner of the car that has been cloned.

Some unscrupulous drivers are using green number plates on diesel and petrol cars to avoid paying green penalties when driving older, polluting vehicles in Londons ULEZ or other Clean Air Zones.

And some number plate suppliers are selling plates without verifying the cars original documents which makes it easier for criminals to get their hands on illegal number plates.

Funnily enough, personalised number plates have a lower chance of being cloned even though they might appear more simple. Keeping photos of your car can help as differences such as dents, scrapes or modifications will distinguish your car from the one committing the crime.

The AA said: Cloning is done either to mask the true identity of a stolen vehicle or, more basically, to avoid parking tickets, speeding fines, congestion charges and the like the ticket would be sent to the keeper of the vehicle from which the identity was stolen.

But if you are unfortunate enough to buy a cloned vehicle, then you will lose both the car and any money paid for it, so its important to check out carefully any car youre thinking of buying and to walk away if you suspect anything may be wrong.

The AA also cautioned to avoid paying cash: Dont pay less than 70 per cent of the market value of the vehicle. If its too good to be true, it may well be.

The dog is mans best friend, as the saying goes.

Yet millions of drivers could be breaking the law and putting the life of their favourite pet in peril while driving.

This could even lead to fines of up to 5,000, motoring experts have warned.

Research by road safety charity IAM RoadSmart reveals that more than four out of ten (42 per cent) of dog owners put their pet in an unsafe place while on the road.

Of this group, more than a third said they left their pet unrestrained in the car: either in the back seat, the passenger seat, the footwell or loose in the boot.

And although 1 in 12 left their dog restrained on the passenger seat which is legal but not best practice the report said: This could lead to a pet being killed or badly injured in a collision if the airbag is activated, even at low speeds.

With around 36 million licence holders in the UK and approximately 12 million dogs, these survey figures represent a huge amount of risk taking on our roads.

The charity points out that the Highway Code states dogs must be suitably restrained when travelling in a car so they cannot distract the driver or cause injury to either themselves or the motorist.

Also, insurers are unlikely to pay out for an accident in the event of driving without proper control, leaving the motorist with a sizeable repair bill.

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Darwinism and the So What? Question: John West’s Darwin Day in America – Discovery Institute

Posted: at 9:53 pm

Photo: Darwins statue, Natural History Museum, by http://www.cgpgrey.com [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Many books have been written about scientific problems with the theory of evolution. Neo-Darwinism, as the leading construct of evolutionary theory, has its fierce supporters as well as its opponents. Few topics have the capability of generating heated conversations and of turning friends into foes. Few people, though, ever ask the So what? question. How does Darwinist thinking affect the man on the street? Or is Darwinism simply a neutral scientific doctrine? How does Darwinism influence what we do once you or I wake up in the morning?

At first glance, it might seem that whether we believe in evolution as a purely material, unguided process should make no difference to values or morality. Yet, in his 2007 bookDarwin Day in America: How Politics and Culture Have Been Dehumanized in the Name of Science, Discovery Institutes John West looks at the question more deeply and shows otherwise. In a nearly encyclopedic manner, he documents the numerous impacts Darwinism has had in the public square. It has had a distinctively destructive effect on our society. Dr. West provides a plethora of examples in each chapter of how Darwinism has changed the courts, the schools, the medical establishment, the conduct of the scientific community, and, indeed, the man on the street.

As the book shows, Darwinism is aWeltanschauungat war with the Judeo-Christian theistic system on which Western civilization and scientific inquiry are based. Many of Dr. Wests examples were unknown to me, and will be news to many other readers. In a skillful and scholarly fashion, he unearths the contest between faith and science, while providing references for any claims that he makes. The book is divided into sections, with each oriented around a specific theme. Ill be as brief as possible in this two-part review.

I took a psychology class in college and wrote a book review and rebuttal to B. F. SkinnersBeyond Freedom and Dignity.I got an A on that paper, and still have it in my files. This was back in the day when colleges (I attended the hyper-liberal Portland State University) still had free speech. Looking back on this paper recently, I noted that I had used what John West calls the nothing buttery argument, and could not remember where I picked up that phrase since I did not provide references in my paper. It was thus with great surprise that I noted the title of the first chapter ofDarwin Day in America, Nothing Buttery.Thankfully, Dr. West referenced the book that is the source of the phrase, a book I had first read between high school and college. It isA Clockwork Image: A Christian Perspective on Science, by Donald MacKay.

Nothing buttery is when a scientist makes the preposterous (and impossible to prove) claim that the world is nothing but what we can detect and observe through science. Truly, it is science-of-the-gaps thinking which forces a pseudo-scientific explanation on the entirety of the world. So much of what we see and know is unprovable and so much more is simply unknowable, yet advocates of nothing buttery use science to fill in the gaps in our knowledge. Out of this nothing-buttery scientific materialism, there emerged the DarwinistWeltanschauungthat is currently deconstructing our society. West, in a subsequent chapter, gives a brief and instructive summary of the rise of Darwinism as a picture of reality.

In the next section of the book, he addresses the themes of crime and punishment. When Dostoevsky wrote his masterpieceCrime and Punishment, there was still a ChristianWeltanschauung, and the novelist knew that his readership would comprehend the sense of guilt after committing murder. If written today, his book probably would not pass muster with critics, though Woody Allens 1989 filmCrimes and Misdemeanorscould stillplay on the residual Judeo-Christian worldview of 30-plus years ago. Through a number of examples, West shows how the Darwinian mindset removes responsibility for crime, or turns the criminal into nothing more than a victim of mental illness. Rather than punishment or restitution, rehabilitation becomes the recommended treatment. Science is claimed as the guiding beacon for the new management of criminal offenses. However, it strains the imagination to see how injustice and recidivism reflect a scientific approach.

On our journey through the dismal night of Darwinian conceptions, West turns next to wealth and poverty. This section covers big finance, eugenics (and though only indirectly mentioned, critical race theory), utopianism, advertising, architecture, and more. All have been heavily influence by a materialistic worldview deriving from Darwinism. West offers multiple examples, and I believe that he succeeds in his argument.

The section on how Darwinism has affected education is fascinating. The establishment does NOT want you to know how campus free speech has been stifled, and this is especially true in the context of teaching students, or not teaching them, about the controversy that still exists about Darwinian theory. Though it is a theory as leaky as a colander, educators feel that to admit problems with the theory would be troubling to young people, who might then even dare consider intelligent design as an alternative. How horrid that would be! On the other hand, sex education and the new thinking on sex, including any sexual deviancy under the sun, is permissible, should we be in reality functional blobs generated by a few accidents in the primordial slime.

Next, Darwinism and Scientific Totalitarianism.

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NASA is opening up a sample taken from the Moon 50 years ago – ZME Science

Posted: at 9:50 pm

NASA has begun the arduous task of opening one of the last samples in existence from the Apollo 17 mission, collected nearly 50 years ago by astronauts. For half a century, the agency kept some tubes vacuum-sealed so that they could be studied years later using the latest technological breakthroughs with many new and exciting discoveries expected. Now, that time has come.

A desolate landscape, where dust and hue move in an alien-like fashion our only natural satellite, the Moon, has fascinated humankind for eons. Scarred by tranquil seas of hardened lava and impact craters, some of which were formed over 3.8 billion years ago in the solar systems early history, the moon is still as fascinating as ever.

Without an atmosphere to cause erosion and alter its landscape, the lunar surface remains frozen in time, leaving a record of a newly-formed universe accessible. When astronauts first dated the lunar surface and, coated with a thick layer of moon dust known as regolith, the results were mind-shattering. The lunar samples were radioactively dated, showing ages varying from 3.3 to 4.4 billion years old much older than most of the rocks on our planet, which have been continuously hidden or degraded by our atmosphere, tectonic activity, and weather. In fact, the rocks on the moon are so old that they offer a glimpse into the birth of the satellite, our very own planet, and even the solar system.

The Apollo missions to the Moon brought 2,196 rock samples back to Earth. NASA set aside two vacuum-sealed rock samples collected in 1972 by astronauts Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in the Taurus-Littrow Valley within Mare Serenitatis the missions landing site, saving them for a better time.

Holding these samples and waiting on their analysis also coincides with NASAs Artemis program hoping to send astronauts to the Moon in 2025. So officials determined now would be an excellent time to examine a sample from the Apollo 17 mission to pick up any findings the original researchers may have missed all those years ago when humans were last on the Moon, using our better technology and what weve learned from previous analyses.

Dr. Lori Glaze, NASAs director of the Planetary Science Division, saidin a statementthat they predict science and technology would evolve and allow scientists to study the material in new ways to address new questions in the future. So what can we learn from the samples?

Only a minuscule layer of gases exists on the lunar surface with no air to breathe. Like tiny cannonballs flying across the lunar surface unimpeded, they never collide as there are only 100 molecules of gas per cubic centimeter. To compare, Earths atmosphere at sea level has about 100 billion billion gas molecules per cubic centimeter, according toSpace.com.

Several elements have already been detected on the lunar surface by various means. Detectors left by Apollo astronauts identified argon-40, helium-4, oxygen, methane, nitrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide. Additionally, earth-based spectrometers have established the presence of sodium and potassium on the surface. At the same time, the Lunar Prospector Orbiter found radioactive isotopes of radon and polonium, and as recently as 2012, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter detected helium.

Many of these gases are posited to come from the Moons interior, released by the bombardment of heavenly bodies smashing through its crust, releasing the hot lava below, flowing like lakes over its surface during the Moons infancy. More recently, studies have theorized that these extraterrestrial missiles caused ice deposition at the lunar poles and mixed with solar winds and moonquakes to leave behind non-native gases and compounds.

This is where the samples held at NASAs Johnson Space Center in Houston come in. Theyre dubbed the Apollo Next Generation Sample Analysis Program (ANGSA) 73001, and researchers have only just begun unsealing them, hoping to understand the lunar surface with up-to-date scientific instruments. Once there, they plan to mine the alien ice contained within its untouched mountains.

Understanding the geologic history and evolution of the Moon samples at the Apollo landing sites will help us prepare for the types of samples that may be encountered during Artemis, says Thomas Zurbuchen, NASAs Washington Science Mission Directorate associate administrator.

Artemis aims to bring back cold and sealed samples from near the lunar South Pole. This is an exciting learning opportunity to understand the tools needed for collecting and transporting these samples, for analyzing them, and for storing them on Earth for future generations of scientists, Zurbuchen added in the officialNASApress release.

Cernan and Schmitt collected the 73001 samples using a hollow drive tube, which they hammered into the lunar surface using a geology pick. The apparatus, a pair of connected, 14-inch (35-cm) tubes, were used to gather rocks and soils from a landslide which in itself is a mystery as there are no adverse weather conditions on the Moon or tectonic plates moving below the surface to cause one.

Hoping to solve this mystery with future knowledge, the bottom half of the drive tube was vacuum sealed on the Moon before bringing it back to Earth. NASA said only one other sample was collected under these conditions, making the collection process almost unique. The other tube (the top half of the drive tube) was plugged up to keep the contents intact and returned to Earth in a typical fashion where NASA teams analyzed it.

Now, attention is being focused on one of the two vacuum-sealed lower tubes, stored in a separate outer vacuum tube and kept in an atmosphere-controlled environment at Johnson for half a century. When it was collected, the lunar temperature below ground was freezing, meaning that volatiles (substances that evaporate at average temperatures, like water, ice, or carbon dioxide) might have been present. It goes without saying that the scientists are particularly interested in them as they will improve techniques to identify any volatiles missed in past research that the Artemis mission could then apply.

They already know that there wont be much gas available. Still, NASA believes modern mass spectrometry technology may be able to analyze what is there, allowing the identification of unknown molecules if theyre present with the gas apportioned to different expert spectra facilities.

In early February, the ANGSA team removed the outer protective tube establishing that no lunar gas was present: indicating that the sample held within the inner tube was stable and hadnt leaked. Then on February the 23rd, scientists began a weeks-long process to pierce the main tube, harvesting the gas inside, without damaging the samples.

Rock samples will then be carefully extracted and disseminated between different scientific teams for analysis in the spring.

NASAs Ryan Zeigler, Apollo sample curator, who is overseeing the project, says, Once they get Artemis samples back, it might be nice to do a direct comparison in real time between whatevers coming back from Artemis, and with one of these remaining unopened core, sealed cores.

Accordingly, the experiment currently being conducted helps the worlds space community better prepare for the return of the Artemis mission team with large amounts of lunar gases and rocks.

Another major challenge for space missions universally is moondust which stripped Apollo spacesuitsthreadbare. The dust is a significant problem as intense ultraviolet sunlight kicks electrons off particles in the lunar soil, giving those particles an electric charge that can keep them airborne for a long time. Ambient electric fields then lift the charged particles above the surface, forming a veil of dust kilometers high.

Its something we dont see anywhere on Earth, and its something that has direct relevance to space exploration because if you understand how the dust behaves and is charged, you can prepare for moon exploration, Dr. Denis Richard of NASA Ames,told Space.com. Imagine if the dust is charged really, really strongly, you can have some trouble with space equipment, it can wear off your equipment because its abrasive, he stresses.

When Apollo astronauts returned to Earth, still coated in it, they described moon dust as gritty, abrasive, and clingy, wreaking havoc on equipment and computers.

Therefore, much more will need to be learned about moon dust before humans return to the lunar surface; another reason for keeping 73001 in storage for so long is that it may contain something missed in the earlier, unsealed samples.

And once the worlds space agencies have deciphered the composition and mechanics of the jagged regolith, work can begin on next-generation spacesuits and equipment towards lunar colonization heralding space travel for the masses and interstellar exploration. As NASAs Ryan Zeigler says, A lot of people are getting excited. Theyre right to be.

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NASA is opening up a sample taken from the Moon 50 years ago - ZME Science

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Could Zion Williamson Return to the Pelicans for the… – Online Gambling

Posted: at 9:49 pm

Zion Williamson returned to New Orleans to continue rehabbing his foot injury and was cleared for one-on-one drills, but most likely wont return to the Pelicans before the end of the regular season, and its also a slim chance hell be ready for the NBA playoffs.

Zion, the former #1 pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, hasnt played in a single game this season. However, diehard fans are clinging to the notion that theres still a chance Zion will return to action during the prelude to the playoffs with the Western Conference play-in tournament.

The Pelicans (30-42) currently occupy the #10 seed in the Western Conference playoff standings. With 10 games remaining, they hold a 1.5-game lead over the San Antonio Spurs on the bubble. The Portland Trail Blazers are only three games behind the Pelicans.

Last summer, Zion fractured his right foot during offseason workouts. The Pelicans hoped he could be ready soon after the start of the season, but his foot injury didnt heal as fast as everyone desired, so his return was delayed.

Both Zion and Pelicans got a batch of bad news in December after he was cleared for light practice. He suffered a major setback in his rehab after he had pain and swelling in his right foot. He got an injection to speed up the healing process, but it didnt work, so his return was postponed indefinitely.

After two months without much improvement, Zion consulted with a specialist and considered getting a second surgery in February. If he underwent the knife a second time, there would be zero chance to return for the regular season or postseason.

Zion caught heat from ex-teammate JJ Redick for not being more involved as a teammate. He spent the last two months in Portland rehabbing his injury and not in New Orleans, so he was never at the practice facility or traveling with the Pelicans for road games.

Every player has a different method of rehabbing from injuries, but a lot of players want to be in close contact with their team and teammates. Zion maintained a distance from the organization, which has led to rampant speculation that his days with the Pelicans are numbered.

Perhaps the shade from Redick lit a fire under Zions ass, but he returned to New Orleans to continue his rehab.

Ideally, the Pelicans would like for Zion to play the last couple of regular-season games before the playoffs begin with the play-in tournament. However, Zion has yet to be cleared for regular practice sessions. Even if he returns to full-contact practice this week, it will take an unknown amount of time before his conditioning returns and hes back in game shape.

We still have to be careful with how much he does, said New Orleans head coach Willie Green. Just because hes still going through the healing process. But were happy that hes getting better. I know it feels good for him to finally be able to get on the floor and doing some of the things hes doing.

For now, its just one-on-one drills with assistant coach Corey Brewer. At least the results included a few eye-popping dunks that Zion posted on Instagram.

As far as right now, the update is the update, added Green. Zion is still out indefinitely. Were still working [on him] being fully healthy, which hes not. But hes getting there.

Its a tight race on the Western Conference playoff bubble for all parties involved. The Pelicans are closing in on the struggling #9 Los Angeles Lakers (31-42), and trail by just a half-game. The only benefit of the #9 seed is that they host the #10 seed in a single game, with the winner playing the loser of the #7 vs #8 game.

The Pelicans have 10 more games remaining in the regular season, but the Lakers play only nine more games.

If the Pelicans win the play-in tournament, theyll be awarded the #8 seed and face the top-seeded Phoenix Suns in the first round of the playoffs.

DraftKings posted a prop bet on whether or not the Pelicans will make the playoffs. Yes pays out +330, while no is the favorite at -500 odds.

FiveThirtyEight estimates the Pelicans have a 27% chance to qualify for the playoffs, but a 0.07% chance to win the Western Conference and advance to the NBA Finals. They also project that the Pelicans have an astronomical 0.02% chance to win the NBA championship.

According to DraftKings, the Pelicans are a long shot at +40000 odds to win the 2022 NBA Championship.

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Moms for Liberty Member Supportive of Capitol Insurrection Appointed to Florida Board of Education by DeSantis – The 74

Posted: at 9:48 pm

A Moms for Liberty member known for making social media posts supportive of the Capitol insurrection and being photographed on a boat flying the QAnon flag has been appointed to the Florida Board of Education.

Gov. Ron DeSantis named Esther Byrd, a former Marine who lives in Neptune Beach, to the state board earlier this month. Because her appointment came on the last day of this years legislative session, her Senate approval will not take place until 2023, the governors press office told The 74.

I am excited for the opportunity to serve the students and families of Florida on the Board of Education, Byrd said in a March 14 statement released by Moms for Liberty, a conservative parent group that started in Florida in 2021 and now has chapters in 34 states. Parents are extremely frustrated with being cut off from the decision-making process on issues impacting their children. I will work to amplify their voices, address their concerns, and fight to put children first.

Byrd is the wife of Republican state Rep. Cord Byrd and works as a legal assistant in his office. According to his website, hes a firearms law expert who handles many Second Amendment cases.

Esther Byrd could not be reached for comment. Her appointment has sparked controversy because of her support for extremist views.

ANTIFA and BLM can burn and loot buildings and violently attack police and citizens, Byrd wrote on her personal Facebook page. But when Trump supporters peacefully protest, suddenly Law and Order is all they can talk about! I cant even listen to these idiots bellyaching about solving our differences without violence.

Byrd, who served in the military from 2002 to 2010 and is president of the Republican Womens Club of Duval Federated, has also talked about an approaching ideological showdown.

In the coming civil wars (We the People vs the Radical Left and We the People cleaning up the Republican Party), team rosters are being filled, Byrd wrote. Every elected official in DC will pick one. There are only 2 teams With Us [or] Against Us.

Shes announced her support for the statesParental Rights in Education Bill, often called the Dont Say Gay bill. The Board of Education, according to the Florida Times Union, would hear administrative appeals for violations of the law.

DeSantis also appointed Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie, a Miami radiologist, to the six-member board. Christie is currently the senior policy advisor for The Catholic Association and the treasurer of the Catholic Association Foundation.

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Mo Brooks Says Trump Asked Him to Illegally Rescind Election – The New York Times

Posted: at 9:48 pm

Representative Mo Brooks, an Alabama Republican who was deeply involved in former President Donald J. Trumps effort to use Congress to upend the 2020 election and stay in office, claimed on Wednesday that the former president had asked him repeatedly in the months since to illegally rescind the election, remove President Biden and force a new special election.

Mr. Brooks made the extraordinary charge as the two onetime allies were engaged in a bitter political feud, and it was not immediately clear how their falling out related to the accusation. But the account from the Alabama congressman, who played a central role in challenging electoral votes for Mr. Biden on Jan. 6, 2021, suggested that Mr. Trump has continued his efforts to overturn his defeat and be reinstated.

It marked the first time a lawmaker who was involved in Mr. Trumps attempts to invalidate his election defeat has said that Mr. Trump asked for actions that, were they possible, would violate federal law.

His statement came after Mr. Trump withdrew his endorsement of Mr. Brooks in the Republican primary for Alabamas Senate seat, undercutting the congressmans already slim chances in a crowded intraparty race.

President Trump asked me to rescind the 2020 elections, immediately remove Joe Biden from the White House, immediately put President Trump back in the White House, and hold a new special election for the presidency, Mr. Brooks said in a statement on Wednesday. As a lawyer, Ive repeatedly advised President Trump that Jan. 6 was the final election contest verdict and neither the U.S. Constitution nor the U.S. Code permit what President Trump asks. Period.

In a subsequent text message, Mr. Brooks said Mr. Trump had made the request of him on multiple occasions since Sept. 1, 2021. He said the former president did not specify how exactly Congress would reinstall him as president, and Mr. Brooks repeatedly told him it was impossible.

I told President Trump that rescinding the 2020 election was not a legal option. Period, Mr. Brooks wrote.

Mr. Brooks said Mr. Trump brought up the matter to him repeatedly over the past six months. He said he had initially hoped the requests were not connected to his endorsement in the Senate race, but now believes that Mr. Trump was dangling public support of Mr. Brookss candidacy as leverage to try to get a new election.

I hoped not but youve seen what happened today, Mr. Brooks said in a text. For emphasis, the conversations about Jan. 6, 2021 being the only 2020 remedy have been going off and on for 6+ months.

I know what the legal remedy for a contested presidential election is, he continued. There is one and only one per the Constitution and U. S. Code and it occurs on the first Jan. 6 after each presidential election. Period. Game over after January 6.

Mr. Brookss high-profile break with Mr. Trump raised the possibility that he might cooperate with the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack, providing information the panel has so far been unable to secure about what Mr. Trump told his allies in Congress before, during and after the riot. Other Republicans involved in the effort to overturn the 2020 election Representatives Jim Jordan of Ohio and Scott Perry of Pennsylvania have refused requests from the panel for interviews.

Mr. Brooks did not immediately respond to further questions. In his statement, he said he had fought on behalf of Mr. Trump between Nov. 3 and Jan. 6 when it counted.

On Dec. 21, 2020, Mr. Brooks and other House Republicans met with Mr. Trump at the White House to discuss plans to object to the election. On Jan. 6, he wore body armor as he addressed the throng of Trump supporters who gathered at the Ellipse near the White House, telling them to start taking down names and kicking ass.

Are you willing to do what it takes to fight for America? Mr. Brooks said, prodding the crowd to cheer more loudly. Will you fight for America?

Later on Capitol Hill, after a pro-Trump mob rampaged through the building, Mr. Brooks tried to object to electoral votes from several states for Mr. Biden. He also spread false claims that people who identify with antifa, a loose collective of antifascist activists, might have been responsible for the violence, and gave a speech on the floor falsely claiming the election was stolen from Mr. Trump.

Noncitizens overwhelmingly voted for Joe Biden in exchange for the promised amnesty and citizenship and, in so doing, helped steal the election from Donald Trump, Republican candidates and American citizens all across America, Mr. Brooks said at the time.

In retracting his endorsement of Mr. Brooks on Wednesday, Mr. Trump abandoned one of his most loyal acolytes in the House after months of simmering frustration and as polls showed Mr. Brooks falling behind in his states Republican primary.

In a sign of the former presidents continued focus on the 2020 election, he cited Mr. Brookss remarks at a rally last summer urging voters to move on from Mr. Trumps 2020 defeat.

Virginia Thomas text messages. In the weeks before the Capitol riot, Virginia Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, sent several text messagesimploring Mark Meadows, President Donald J. Trumps chief of staff, to take steps to overturn the vote.The messages appear to have exposed a riftwithin the House committee investigating the attack.

Potential contempt charges. The House committee investigating the attack on Jan. 6 said that it would consider contempt of Congress chargesagainst Peter Navarro, a former White House adviser, and Dan Scavino Jr., a former deputy chief of staff, for refusing to comply with its subpoenas.

Requests to rescind the election. Representative Mo Brooks, who challenged President Bidens victory on Jan. 6, claimed that Donald J. Trump had asked him to illegally rescind the election. The statement came after Mr. Trump withdrew his endorsement of Mr. Brooks in the G.O.P. primary for Alabamas Senate seat.

When I heard his statement, I said, Mo, you just blew the election, and theres nothing you can do about it, Mr. Trump said in a statement on Wednesday. Very sad but, since he decided to go in another direction, so have I.

After Mr. Brooks released his statement, Mr. Trump responded with a second statement in which he did not address Mr. Brookss allegations, but said the congressman went woke and decided to drop everything he stood for.

Mr. Trump said he would endorse another candidate in the race to replace Senator Richard C. Shelby, who is retiring. The former president has privately met with both of the other leading candidates: Katie Britt, a former top aide to Mr. Shelby, and Mike Durant, who was in one of the Black Hawk helicopters that was shot down in Somalia in 1993. Mr. Durant was in Mar-a-Lago, Mr. Trumps residence in Palm Beach, Fla., for a meeting with him this week, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting who spoke about it on the condition of anonymity.

Mr. Brooks has struggled to raise money and has seen his support in the contest evaporate. Some private surveys had Mr. Brooks sagging to third place. Mr. Shelby recently told Politico that he planned to use his leftover campaign funds as much as $6 million to help Ms. Britt, a financial infusion that further narrowed Mr. Brookss pathway to victory.

The Trump endorsement has been so central to the Brooks candidacy that his official campaign logo included the fact that Mr. Trump had endorsed him.

In a last-ditch effort to keep Mr. Trump in his corner, Mr. Brooks released a television ad last week that used footage from his speech at the Jan. 6 rally. Looking straight into the camera, Mr. Brooks said in the ad, On Jan. 6, I proudly stood with President Trump in the fight against voter fraud.

Mr. Brooks has repeatedly defended his actions in challenging the legitimacy of the 2020 election and attempting to overturn its results.

But on Wednesday, he lashed back at Mr. Trump.

I repeat what has prompted President Trumps ire, he said in his statement. The only legal way America can prevent 2020s election debacle is for patriotic Americans to focus on and win the 2022 and 2024 elections so that we have the power to enact laws that give us honest and accurate elections.

He added: Ive told President Trump the truth knowing full well that it might cause President Trump to rescind his endorsement. But I took a sworn oath to defend and protect the U.S. Constitution. I honor my oath. That is the way I am. I break my sworn oath for no man.

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How A24s After Yang Depicts the Films Futuristic Asian Culture Through Fashion – GQ

Posted: at 9:47 pm

After Yang is a futuristic science fiction film in which there arent any stunts, space travel, or spandex. In fact, its so lacking in conventional sci-fi signifiers that you may not immediately notice its set in the future at alland thats exactly what costume designer Arjun Bhasin and writer/director Kogonada intended.

In crafting the A24 films vision of the future (the year and locale of which are unspecified) the objective was not so much the invention of a new frontier, but the hopeful speculation of a return, as Bhasin relays over a Zoom call. The intention was to create a modern world that felt like it borrowed from ancient traditions. Bhasins costume design, which prominently references Asian fashion in its mixture of modern designer fare and traditional cultural garments, is central to After Yangs vision of a globalized civilization that is both reverent of the past and severed from it, grasping at its fraying edges.

Adapted from Alexander Weinsteins short story Saying Goodbye to Yang, the film follows Jake (Colin Farrell) and his wife Kyra (Jodie Turner-Smith) as they raise their adopted Chinese daughter Mika (Malea Emma Tjandrawidjaja) with the help of Yang (Justin H. Min), an artificially-intelligent technosapien android designed to teach Mika about her heritage. After Yang succumbs to mechanical failure, Jakes mission to get him repaired gives way to new understanding of Yangs inner world, which proves revelatory for the entire family. Following up Kogonadas 2017 feature debut Columbus, After Yang is a meditation on memory, alienation, and cultural identity.

Instead of a stereotypically slick, minimalistic sci-fi aesthetic monochromatic palettes, form-fitting fabrics, impenetrable textures Bhasins costume design favors breezy, layered silhouettes of cotton and linen in earthy shades of turmeric, indigo, and brick. We were all excited about doing science fiction, but not really hitting it in the way that it's been seen before, where everything is shiny and metallic and modern, Bhasin says. We wanted it to be tactile, warm, friendly, and inviting. The costuming and biophilic production designairy interiors with bountiful greenery, even inside of carswere based on parameters Kogonada and co. established early on for their futuristic society. The first was that humanity had reached a reconciliatory relationship with nature after being humbled by environmental catastrophe. The second thing was this idea of globalization, Bhasin says. That the world was not countries, [but] an open world where everything flowed into everything else.

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How A24s After Yang Depicts the Films Futuristic Asian Culture Through Fashion - GQ

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