Monthly Archives: May 2023

By Kris Leonhardt

GREEN BAY A Green Bay man was among three Wisconsin veterans to receive a Harley Davidson motorcycle through the 2023 Hogs for Heroes program.

Injured U.S. Army Veteran Paul Kruse, of Green Bay, was able to select a bike from Docs Harley-Davidson in Bonduel, along with U.S. Marine Veteran Tim Bahr of Crandon and fellow Army Veteran Mike Erickson of Oconto.

The keys were presented to the three veterans during a ceremony on May 6 in Bonduel.

This is the seventh year that the program has gifted motorcycles to Wisconsin veterans, putting 34 bikes in the hands of those who were injured while serving.

Hogs for Heroes was created in 2014, fundraising began in 2015 and the first motorcycle was gifted in 2016.

Nine bikes were presented to the states veterans in 2022.

Thats nine more lives fractured in service that will regain peace, freedom and control from riding, the organization explained.

Riding is an alternative therapy and our gifts are the tools by which one gains its healing benefits.

Excerpt from:

Road to freedom - The Press - The Press-Times

Freedom Flyer after her victory in the Wishing Well Feb. 18 (Ernie Belmonte/Past The Wire)

Santa Anita Press Box

ARCADIA, Calif. With a return to her preferred surface, trainer Leonard Powells Freedom Flyer merits strong consideration among a wide-open field of nine older fillies and mares in Saturdays $100,000 Mizdirection Stakes, to be contested at about 6 furlongs down Santa Anitas hillside turf course.

A 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by Constitution, Freedom Flyer went to the front and prevailed by a neck over the course in the restricted Wishing Well Stakes, two starts back on Feb. 18. In her most recent start, the Grade III Monrovia Stakes, which was transferred off the hillside turf to the main track at 6 furlongs April 8, she was away slowly and was never a factor when beaten 17 lengths.

A close third down the hill three starts back in the Grade III Las Cienegas on Jan. 2, Freedom Flyer has two wins from four tries over the course. Owned by Marsha Naify, Freedom Flyer, who was ridden in her last three starts by the recently departed Frankie Dettori, will be reunited with Juan Hernandez, who guided her to a 1 length second condition allowance win over the course five starts back on Sept. 30.

Out of the Carson City mare Rebuke, Freedom Flyer is 22-4-5-4 overall with earnings of $272,620.

A gem of consistency, California-bred Big Summer comes off a big second on dirt in the Grade III Monrovia and is two-for-three over the hillside turf course. Trained by Carla Gaines since this past August, this 5-year-old mare by Mr. Big out of the Cees Tizzy mare Ultimate Summer has won three of her seven starts with Gaines while not finishing worse than second.

With regular rider Joe Bravo engaged, Big Summer, who was second, beaten a neck by Freedom Flyer as the 9-5 favorite two starts back in the Wishing Well Stakes Feb. 18, took the Sunshine Millions Filly & Mare Turf Sprint three starts back down the hill and thus seeks her second stakes career stakes win.

Bred in California by Bob Abrams and Mitchell Dutko, Big Summer is owned by her breeders along with Michael Paran. With an overall race record of 13-4-7-2, she has earnings of $355,160.

Trainer Ian Kruljacs Very Scary appears well-positioned to post a major threat in what will be her first try over the hillside turf. Third going a flat mile on turf in her last two startsthe Grade III Wilshire on April 30 and the Grade II Royal Heroine (when beaten 1 lengths by Closing Remarks) on April 1, Very Scary has won three of her last five starts and will be ridden for the fifth consecutive time by Kent Desormeaux.

A 4-year-old Kentucky-bred daughter of Connect out of the Hard Spun mare Summer Reading, Very Scary, who was claimed for just $20,000 nine starts back on Sept. 2, will be bidding for her first stakes win in the Mizdirection.

Owned by Walter Luedtke, Robert Oracheff and Robert Scott, is 16-3-4-4 overall with earnings of $179,090.

Doug ONeills Maryland-bred One Silk Stocking is one of several that rate big chances as well on Saturday. Most recently fifth, beaten three-quarters of a length in a second condition allowance over the course on April 22, shell be ridden for the first time by highly regarded recent arrival Antonio Fresu, who seeks his first-ever Santa Anita stakes win.

A 4-year-old filly by Lord Nelson out of the Street Cry mare Keep Right, One Silk Stocking has one win from three tries down the hill. Owned by Roadrunner Racing, Neil Haymes, William Strauss and Dennis ONeill, One Silk Stocking is 11-3-2-0 and will be seeking her first career stakes win.

Phil DAmatos Elm Drive, who relished the change in surface when taking the Grade III Monrovia Stakes by three-quarters of a length on April 8, will be making her second start of the year and her first on turf in the Mizdirection.

Owned by Little Red Feather Racing, Elm Drive is a 4-year-old filly by Mohaymen out of the Indian Charlie mare Lets Dance Charlie. With four wins and a third from nine starts, Elm Drive, who will be ridden back by Ramon Vazquez, has earnings of $348,140.

Originally trained by Christophe Clement, Honey Pants, idle since running fourth in an ungraded stakes going six furlongs on turf Nov. 27 at Aqueduct, will make her first start for DAmato in what will be her Southern California debut on Saturday.

Stakes placed on six occasions, all on turf, Honey Pants, a 5-year-old Kentucky-bred mare by Cairo Prince out of the Afternoon Deelites mare Queens Carousel, is owned by Jim Bakke and Gerald Isbister. Raced nearly exclusively on turf and unplaced in her lone dirt try, Honey Pants, who will be ridden by Umberto Rispoli, is 17-3-7-1 and has earnings of $264,346.

Race 8 of 10 Approximate post time 4:30 p.m. PT

First post time for a 10-race card on Saturday is at 1 p.m. with admission gates opening at 11 a.m.

Here is the original post:

Freedom Flyer Back to Turf in Wide-Open $100K Mizdirection - Past The Wire

Editors note: This is the first installment of our monthly Into the Omniverse series, which highlights the latest advancements to NVIDIA Omniverse furthering the evolution of the metaverse with the OpenUSD framework, and showcases how artists, developers and enterprises can transform their workflows with the platform.

An update to the Omniverse Connector for Adobe Substance 3D Painter will save 3D creators across industries significant time and effort. New capabilities include an export feature using Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD), an open, extensible file framework enabling non-destructive workflows and collaboration in scene creation.

Benjamin Samar, technical director of video production company Elara Systems, is using the Adobe Substance 3D Painter Connector to provide a uniquely human approach to an otherwise clinical discussion, he said.

Samar and his team tapped the Connector to create an animated public-awareness video for sickle cell disease. The video aims to help adolescents experiencing sickle cell disease understand the importance of quickly telling an adult or a medical professional if theyre experiencing symptoms.

According to Samar, the Adobe Substance 3D Painter Connector for Omniverse was especially useful for setting up all of the videos environments and characters before bringing them into the USD Composer app for scene composition and real-time RTX rendering of the high-quality visuals.

By using this Connector, materials were automatically imported, converted to Material Definition Language and ready to go inside USD Composer with a single click, he said.

The Adobe Substance 3D Art and Development team itself uses Omniverse in their workflows. Their End of Summer project fostered collaboration and creativity among the Adobe artists in Omniverse, and resulted in stunningly rich and realistic visuals.

Learn more about how they used Adobe Substance 3D tools with Unreal Engine 5 and Omniverse in this on-demand NVIDIA GTC session, and get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at Adobes NVIDIA Studio-accelerated workflows in the making of this project.

Plus, technical artists are using Adobe Substance 3D and Omniverse to create scratches and other defects on 3D objects to train vision AI models.

Adobe and Omniverse workflows offer creators improved efficiency and flexibility whether theyre training AI models, animating an educational video to improve medical knowledge or bringing a warm summer scene to life.

And soon, the next release of the Adobe Substance 3D Painter Connector for Omniverse will further streamline their creative processes.

Version 203.0 of the Adobe Substance 3D Painter Connector for Omniverse, coming mid-June, will offer new capabilities that enable more seamless workflows.

Substance 3D Painters new OpenUSD export feature, compatible with version 8.3.0 of the app and above, allows users to export textures using any built-in or user-defined preset to dynamically build OmniPBR shaders programs that calculate the appropriate levels of light, darkness and color during 3D rendering in USD Composer.

To further speed and ease workflows, the Connector update will remove rotating texture folders, uniquely generated temporary directories that textures were exported to with each brush stroke.

With each change the artist makes, textures will now save over the same path, greatly speeding the process for locally saved projects.

Discover the latest in AI, graphics and more by watching NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huangs COMPUTEX keynote on Sunday, May 28, at 8 p.m. PT.

#SetTheScene for your Adobe and Omniverse workflow by joining the latest community challenge. Share your best 3D environments on social media with the #SetTheScene hashtag for a chance to be featured on channels for NVIDIA Omniverse (Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram) and NVIDIA Studio (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram).

Get started with NVIDIA Omniverse by downloading the standard license free, or learn how Omniverse Enterprise can connect your team. Developers can get started with Omniverse resources.

Stay up to date on the platform by subscribing to the newsletter, and follow NVIDIA Omniverse on Instagram, Medium and Twitter. For more, join the Omniverse community and check out the Omniverse forums, Discord server, Twitch and YouTube channels.

Featured image courtesy of Adobe Substance 3D art and development team.

Excerpt from:

Adobe Substance 3D Connector Enhances Creative Freedom - Nvidia

Quit imposing Christianity on elementary schoolchildren, theFreedom From Religion Foundation is insistingto an Arkansas school district.

Numerous Arkansas citizens have informed the state/church watchdog that Prescott Elementary School recently distributed New Testament Bibles to its fifth and sixth grade students. A May 4 post on the official Prescott School District Facebook page stated:

This is a sight that should make anyone happy! It sure does us! Our 5th and 6th grade students received New Testament Bibles today and were reading them at lunch and even on the bus this afternoon. God is so good!

The faculty and staff at Prescott Elementary School have also led pre-kindergarten students in prayer and encouraged them to pray. Another recent post on the official district Facebook page states:

Our sweet little PreK students praying before they eat lunch! At Prescott, we pray.

The First Amendment of the Constitution dictates that public schools may not show favoritism toward or coerce belief or participation in religion, FFRF Anne Nicol Gaylor Legal FellowSamantha Lawrence writesto Prescott School District Superintendent Robert Poole. When a public elementary schools faculty and staff lead students in prayer, encourage students to pray, and distribute bibles to students, the district displays blatant favoritism towards Christianity and coerces elementary school students to participate in a religious exercise and accept religious literature.

It is unconstitutional for public school districts to allow the distribution of bibles in classrooms during the school day, FFRF emphasizes. Courts uniformly have held the distribution of bibles to students at public schools during instructional time is prohibited. Additionally, bible distributions needlessly alienate and exclude those students who are a part of the49 percent of Generation Zthat is religiously unaffiliated.

Furthermore, public school faculty and staff may not lead their students in prayer, encourage or coerce students to pray, or participate in student-initiated prayer. The Supreme Court has continually struck down teacher or school-led prayer in public schools. These students are young, impressionable and eager to please their teachers and fit in with their peers. When fifth and sixth grade students see their peers taking and reading bibles, it is only logical that they will take one and read it to fit in; when faculty and staff lead pre-kindergarten students in prayer or encourage them to pray, students that young will no doubt take that as a command that they must obey.

It is important to note that this case is readily distinguishable from the Supreme Courts recent ruling in Kennedy v. Bremerton School District. In Bremerton, the court held that a high school football coachs silent, private post-game prayer was constitutional. In stark contrast, faculty and staff at Prescott Elementary School have actively led pre-kindergarten students in prayers.

In order to protect the First Amendment rights of all Prescott Elementary School students and respect the constitutional rights of parents, the school district must ensure that Prescott Elementarys faculty and staff cease leading students in prayer, encouraging students to pray and distributing religious literature to students, FFRF insists.

Such a blatant foisting of sectarian religion upon a captive audience of young and impressionable schoolchildren is beyond disturbing, says FFRF Co-President Annie Laurie Gaylor. It shows a complete disregard for those in the community with minority and nonreligious backgrounds and for our secular Constitution.

The Freedom From Religion Foundation is a national nonprofit organization with more than 40,000 members and several chapters across the country, including hundreds of members and a local chapter in Arkansas. Our purposes are to protect the constitutional principle of separation between state and church, and to educate the public on matters relating to nontheism.

The rest is here:

Freedom from Religion Foundation cautions Prescott schools over ... - Arkansas Times

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks to Iowa voters. Scott Olson/Getty Images

Calling Florida a "refuge of sanity," Gov. Ron DeSantis said Saturday people can't stop moving to the state because of its track record as a "citadel of freedom."

In the same speech, DeSantis proudly spoke of his administration's track record of pushing for books to be removed from schools, eliminating diversity programs, ousting critics from office, and moving toward banning teachers from sharing their preferred pronouns.

DeSantis who is expected to announce his 2024 presidential campaign at any moment attended the Saturday event in support Iowa Rep. Randy Feenstra. Former President Donald Trump, who is running again in 2024 as a Republican, is also planning a large outdoor rally in Des Moines, Iowa later in the day.

In his speech, DeSantis pointed to rankings released by US News & World Report on May 2, which places Florida at #1 in education based on graduation rates. DeSantis, said he's "very proud" that Florida also ranks in first place for parental involvement in education.

"We're very proud of that," he said. "But none of that would have been possible had we not stood up when it counted."

On May 3, Florida passed two billsthat ban college diversity programs and make it illegal to require students or teachers to use pronouns that do not align with someone's assigned sex at birth.

DeSantis, who will soon sign them into law, said the legislation was designed to "nix the pronoun Olympics in schools."

"We're not doing the pronoun stuff," DeSantis said. "Your teacher can't make you list pronouns. We're just not doing it."

Research has shown that using incorrect pronouns or misgendering transgender people can have harmful effects on their mental health. According to a survey from The Trevor Project, More than 40% of LGBTQ youth said they considered suicide in the last year, and that anti-LGBTQ laws were making their mental health worse.

Moms for Liberty, which originated in Florida, is a conservative parent group that has led the charge nationally in the push to remove books from schools with LGBTQ+ themes. The group has pushed to have its members elected to local school boards. Last month, the state Department of Education triedto oust a superintendent critical of DeSantis after the group sent him a letter about the official.

DeSantis also touted his habit of removing government officials who are critical of him or disagree with his political views from office in his speech on Saturday.

DeSantis bragged about ousting elected Tampa prosecutor Andrew Warren in August 2022 after Warren said he would not enforce the state's restrictions on abortion on gender-affirming care.

"I removed him from his position," he said. "He is gone and that's the type of accountability we need."

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DeSantis talks 'freedom' in Iowa, while touting Florida's book bans - Business Insider

Tunisia

Union says increased sentence against Khalifa Guesmi under anti-terrorism law represents dangerous authoritarian drift

Agencies

Tue 16 May 2023 14.35 EDT

A Tunisian appeals court has sentenced a radio journalist to five years in prison for disclosing information about the countrys security services.

Khalifa Guesmi, of the Mosaique FM radio station, had appealed against a one-year term handed down in November before the sentence was increased under an anti-terrorism law.

Amira Mohamed, vice-president of the Tunisian journalists SNJT union, said: This is the heaviest sentence pronounced by the Tunisian courts against a journalist. It presents a dangerous authoritarian drift and is a flagrant attack on the freedom of the press.

Guesmi was found guilty of having taken part in intentionally disclosing information relating to operations of interception, infiltration, audiovisual surveillance or data collection, said his lawyer, Rahal Jallali.

A police officer, who had been found guilty of providing the information to the journalist, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on appeal, up from an initial three-year term.

Guesmi was arrested and held for a week in March last year, after the Radio Mosaique online service published a report on the dismantling of a terrorist cell and the arrest of its members.

Several local and international rights groups and labour organisations including the Tunisian League for Human Rights and I Watch issued a joint statement on Tuesday, denouncing the sentence as a masquerade verdict and a major setback for the judicial system.

They warned against the seriousness of the repressive direction of the current authorities and called on activists and civil society to mobilise to defend freedoms and human rights.

These groups have criticised the decline in civic freedoms in Tunisia since the president, Kais Saied, launched a sweeping power-grab in July 2021. In its report published in early May, the journalists union warned of serious threats to press freedom in the country.

On Monday, another court sentenced the Tunisian moderate Islamist leader Rached Ghannouchi to a year in prison for allegedly referring to police officers as tyrants in what his party said was a sham trial.

Ghannouchi, 81, a founder of the Ennahdha party, has refused to be removed from his place of detention for questioning or to attend the trial because the cases were political settling of scores targeting opponents of the regime, said the lawyer and former Ennahdha minister Samir Dilou.

Ghannouchi, a former parliamentary speaker, is the most prominent critic of Saied.

Ghannouchi was detained in mid-April on the charge of plotting against the security of the state. He has been called in several times for questioning on various matters, but this was the first time he was not released.

Mondays case grew out of a complaint by a security union member who claimed that Ghannouchi used the word taghout, or tyrant, while eulogising a member of his party at a funeral in February last year. According to a tweet by Ghannouchis daughter Soumaya, her father said the deceased did not fear poverty, ruler or tyrant.

Ennahda condemned the decision to prosecute as an unjust political ruling and called for his immediate release.

Ghannouchi is also being investigated for what his party says is another case of twisting his words, in which he allegedly evoked the threat of civil war if Ennahdha and other opposition parties were excluded from the political scene.

His party said on its English-language Twitter account that Ghannouchi was charged with conspiracy against state security and ordered to remain in prison pending trial.

Kais Saied is making a mockery of the judiciary, using it as a tool for political revenge and persecution, his daughter tweeted.

Saieds crackdown on his opponents comes amid growing social tensions and deepening economic troubles in Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab spring pro-democracy movement more than a decade ago.

Read more:

Tunisian journalist given five-year prison term in attack on press freedom - The Guardian

One of the most egregious recent examples of the Kremlins attack on media freedom is the arrest on completely spurious charges of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who remains wrongfully detained. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

As delivered by Ambassador Michael Carpenterto the Permanent Council, ViennaMay 11, 2023

We warmly welcome the Representative on Freedom of the Media back to the Permanent Council. Dear Teresa, thank you for your report and your excellent work defending and enhancing media freedom in the OSCE region. Your commitment to your mandate, I think, is evident to everyone in this room. As you noted, the continued deterioration of media freedom in our region is a cause of great concern that must be urgently addressed. When freedom of expression and media freedom are not respected, there can be no democracy. When power is unchecked by a free press, the human rights of persons and the security of states are at risk. You put it exactly right: there is no security without media freedom.

As was stated last week at the Permanent Council on the 30th anniversary of World Press Freedom Day, Russias brutal aggression against Ukraine and the Kremlins repression of journalists and freedom of expression at home have taken a toll on media freedom in Russia and on the lives and safety of journalists in Ukraine, where over a dozen reporters and media workers have been killed since February 24, 2022. Most recently, just two days ago, French journalist Arman Soldin was killed by rocket fire near Chasiv Yar in eastern Ukraine when his AFP team came under fire while with a group of Ukrainian soldiers. And, as your report points out, the situation for media actors in Russia-occupied Crimea has worsened significantly.

The Kremlin has dramatically intensified its efforts to silence independent reporting in Russia through censorship, licensing requirements, closure of independent media organizations, banning foreign media, and arresting and imprisoning journalists on trumped up charges such as discrediting Russias military and even treason. Your report rightfully notes the list of independent journalists imprisoned for their work includes Dmitry Ivanov and Maria Ponomarenko. Maria was sentenced in February to six years in prison for posting on social media about Russias infamous bombing of the Mariupol theater in Ukraine. And one of the most egregious recent examples of the Kremlins attack on media freedom is the arrest on completely spurious charges of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who remains wrongfully detained.

The Lukashenka regime in Belarus is working hard to erase any trace of free media in the country by forcibly liquidating nearly all independent media outlets, classifying them as extremist, arresting and detaining journalists, and forcing many into exile. Journalists such as those mentioned in your report, Andrzej Poczobut, Maryna Zolatava, and Liudmila Chekina, and many others have been sentenced to years in prison simply for their reporting. We also highlight the plight of RFE/RL journalist Ihar Losik, who is unjustly serving a 15-year sentence in prison while his wife Darya is serving a two-year prison sentence for speaking with an independent media outlet about her husbands prison conditions. Ihar has attempted suicide twice. We call on authorities to immediately release him and Darya so they can be reunited with their young daughter.

Meanwhile, assaults on media freedom are happening elsewhere in the OSCE region beyond Russia and Belarus. Journalists and other media workers remain detained or imprisoned for their work in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkiye, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. We call for the release of all those incarcerated for carrying out their journalistic profession. Journalism is not a crime.

We share the RFoMs concerns about laws envisioned or enacted in a number of participating States with potential or actual adverse effects on media freedom. These include efforts in Bosnia and Herzegovinas Republika Srpska to criminalize defamation. In Turkiye, we see the rise in criminal insult suits and the first application of its disinformation laws against journalists. We remain concerned about the restrictive media law that went into effect in Azerbaijan last year. We have raised concerns with Kyrgyz Republic officials about a number of existing or draft laws, including the Law on Protection from False Information adopted in August 2021 used to block Azattyk, RFE/RLs Kyrgyz service.

We agree with the RFoM that the safety of journalists remains a serious concern across the OSCE region. No threat or use of violence against journalists should ever be tolerated and all such cases should be investigated, and if appropriate, prosecuted. For example, we share the RFoMs concern about recent threats and attacks on journalists in Serbia. We urge Serbian authorities to thoroughly investigate all incidents and bring those responsible to justice. After a series of attacks against journalists this year in Kazakhstan, President Tokayev ordered prompt investigations. An individual was arrested in February, but no further details have been made public.

While threats and use of violence against journalists occur in many countries in the region, we are particularly concerned when they appear the result of government actions, including acts of transnational repression. For example, exiled journalists affiliated with the independent Azda TV report ongoing pressure on their relatives in Tajikistan. In March, a criminal case was opened against Rustam Zhoni, a former journalist for RFE/RLs Tajik service Radio Ozodi, who now lives in Prague. Zhoni and his spouse Anora Sarkorova, a former BBC radio journalist, report government authorities have interrogated their relatives in Dushanbe to intimidate them from publishing critical posts on social media.

The report also underscores the importance of media pluralism, an issue in a number of countries. For example, the media pluralism environment in Georgia has been worsening. Opposition-leaning media outlet head Nika Gvaramia was convicted in 2022 for abuse of power and harming the financial interests of the Rustavi 2 TV channel, charges Georgias Public Defenders Office and domestic and international NGOs criticized as politically motivated. In Hungary, media consolidation under government-aligned or state-funded control has made it difficult for the public to get reliable, unbiased information or exchange of ideas freely.

The United States takes our media freedom commitments seriously, and constantly strives to do more. We recognize our record is not perfect. As you noted in your report, President Biden signed an executive order on the use of commercial spyware to address the misuse of surveillance-based digital infrastructure. And as he said on World Press Freedom Day last week, the United States is working with partners around the world to launch a new fund to provide defense counsel to journalists. We are also funding the Promoting Information Integrity and Resilience Initiative, which will support independent media, strengthen global information integrity, and help keep journalists safe.

Dear Teresa, you and your team should be proud of your extraordinary efforts to tackle the many challenges media freedom faces in the OSCE region. We look forward to the two regional conferences you are organizing later this year, focused on Southeast Europe and Central Asia.

The United States fully supports the autonomous mandate and work of the Representative on Freedom of the Media. The RFoMs accomplishments prove the OSCE is a valuable and constructive partner in collective efforts on freedom of expression, media freedom, the safety of journalists, and access to information. And we are fully committed to helping you in that work moving forward.

###

By U.S. Mission OSCE | 11 May, 2023 | Topics: Civil Society and NGOs, Freedom of Expression, Media Freedom, Statements | Tags: Belarus, RFOM, Russia, Ukraine

View original post here:

Response to the Report by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of ... - US Mission to the OSCE

MONTECH is proud to unveil its latest offeringthe MKey mechanical keyboard collection. This collection, available in two captivating colorsFreedom and Darkness, encompasses both full-size and TKL keyboard options.

Drawing inspiration from the iconic Osaka Castle in Japan, MONTECH has beautifully captured its grandeur in the MKey's design, incorporating the castle's color accents and ensuring a stable infrastructure. To enhance the keyboard's aesthetic appeal, each MKey Freedom and MKey Darkness includes two sets of custom keycaps inspired by the Osaka Castle.

Equipped with pre-lubed Gateron G Pro 2.0 switches, the MKey collection guarantees smooth and precise key actuation. Users can choose from three switch optionsRed, Yellow, and Brownto achieve their preferred typing sound and feel. The MKey supports both 3-pin and 5-pin switches, allowing for further customization and flexibility.

Unlike ordinary sound-dampening foam, the MKey features specially designed silicone acoustic absorb pads that expertly envelop the PCB and keyboard bottom. These pads effectively absorb unwanted acoustic vibrations, ensuring an optimal keystroke acoustics experience. The MKey series incorporates a gasket structure along with two custom-made silicone pads, strategically placed on the PCB circuit board and the bottom of the keyboard. By effectively dampening vibrations and eliminating atypical sounds, the MKey delivers a flawless auditory experience.

The MKey boasts south-facing LEDs beneath each key, providing enhanced under-glow illumination without any ghosting or interference issues. Additionally, the keyboard offers a wide range of lighting customization with 18 built-in RGB lighting modes, all effortlessly controlled through the multi-functional rotary knob.

Multi-functional Rotary KnobThe MKey's Rotary Knob has three main modes: zoom in and out, volume adjustment, and RGB mode switching. Users can easily cycle through these modes by simply pressing down on the knob, featuring a Patent Pending underglow ring displaying the current mode. The Rotary Knob provides users with quick access to essential functions without the need for additional software or keystrokes.

5 Sided Dye-Sublimated Keycap LegendsTo create the most visually appealing keycap legends, the MKey features a dye-sublimation printing process on all five sides of the keycap. With this printing process, the MKey offers users with aesthetically pleasing keycaps that are durable through wear and tear. In addition, the MKey features MDA profile key-caps made with PBT for ultimate comfort and ease on the fingertips.

Extra FeaturesThis collection has full F1 to F12 keys, Windows Key Lock function, N-key rollover, and also macro recording function. All these features are accessible directly through the keyboard or through Montech's MKey software. The F12 key also has an alternate "Boss Key!" function, a direct shortcut back to the desktop!Some other notable extra features include: adjustable 3-level incline angles for maximum comfort along with a braided Type-C cable.

Available starting May 17th, 2023 on Amazon and Newegg MSRP for the TKL size is $89 USD with the full size keyboard priced at $99 USD.

Originally posted here:

Introducing MONTECH MKey Mechanical Keyboard Collection ... - guru3d.com

By Arthur C. Fleming

African American civil rights leaders and organizations must move from the conflicted leadership model to a de-conflicted leadership that will allow coalition building around issues of common interest based on the community good.

For context, Im an air force veteran, life member NAACP, life member Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and a coalition member of the Poor People Campaign, with a degree in operations and production management from Texas A&M, Commerce.

What is leadership? Leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of people to influence and guide followers or members of an organization, society or team, as defined by TechTarget.

What is conflicted leadership? Conflicted leadership is when organizations or leaders have the same or similar issues and goals, but because of organizational culture and/or history, never developed the communications infrastructure to coordinate ideas when addressing the same or similar issues at the grassroots level.

What is de-conflicted leadership? The Devine Nine Black Greek organizational structure is an excellent example of de-conflicted leadership and coalition leadership combined for the community good.

First, you have nine organizations whose main goals are similar or the same (de-conflicted), which is service, and servant leadership for the African American communities.The Black Greek organizations comprised of nine organizations with similar goals and aims, coalition together as a group called Panhellenic, for the community good. The Devine Nine, through the Panhellenic, coordinate activities with the common interests of all nine organizations in mind.

African American civil rights leadership organizations and institutions can take a page from the Devine Nine.

The NAACP, Urban League, National Action Network, Black Greek National Panhellenic, Operation Push and other Afrocentric organizations have developed their cultural identities and ways of knowing and doing that make grassroots coalition building difficult because of their strong political and corporate sensibilities.

To be clear, Im not saying these organizations are not doing the work. Im saying the work needs to be focused at the grassroots level but with support from the corporate level.I recently re-posted National Action Networks Convention, where NAACP National President Derrick Johnson spoke.

Our major civil rights organizations are communicating at the national level, but coalition building and leadership resources are needed at the grassroots level. With my experience as a community organizer for four decades in Dallas, I say, there is no consistent grassroots coalitions building to work on issues of common concern for the community good.

Our civil rights organizations and legacy institutions leadership responsibilities in this moment of movement include understanding the needs of grassroots activists for more material and moral support to create the infrastructure to communicate the sense of urgency needed to confront rising fascism in America.

The most effective communication infrastructure for Freedom Rides 2.0 is grassroots up. The community Grassroots Up Movement is waiting on leadership to lead. The most successful movements in history have been grassroots inspired, not corporate inspired.Freedom Rides 2.0 movement leadership must be de-conflicted, not just in America, but globally to reflect our African roots, both in Africa and South America.

Lets build global bridges leading to our empowerment as global citizens as this new world forms right before our consciousness.

The lack of a sense of urgency from our national organizations leadership means, once again, the grassroots must lead.

Arican American legacy institutions must de-conflict and come together to create a meta space to safeguard community communications infrastructure.

We are entering into the age of AI with a constant influx of new technology on the scene. The African American communities are in need of education about the impact of this technology on its community in the immediate future.

Our African American children must see us fighting for them at this moment in America so they can learn how to fight for themselves. Lets be our childrens examples and finish what our ancestors started: The march towards freedom.

Arthur C. Fleming: the fierce urgency of now

Born in Ennis, Texas and a product of Ennis I.S.D., Arthur later joined the United States Air Force (USAF 1971-75) as an aircraft mechanic. During his college years at East Texas State, where he now holds a Bachelor of Business Administration, he worked for E-Systems in Greenville. There, he filed an EEO complaint for its hiring and promotion practices, resulting in a self-nomination program that allowed employees to apply for promotion without having to secure a sponsor. During this time, he also became a member of Z.T. Chapter Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, and he remains an active lifetime member of Alpha Sigma Lambda (Dallas).

In 1980, he became a charter member of the NAACP-ETSU/A&M Commerce Chapter. A member for over 35 years, he has held executive positions in Youth Works, as Communications Chair, as Editor for NAACP-Dallas the Vision Newsletter, and as recent past President (2015-16). His work with the NAACP included removal of a confederate flag and statue of Robert E. Lee at Six Flags over Texas, securing funding for southern sector school improvements, and leading in the school water campaign. He received Texas State Conference Torchbearer Awards in 1997, 2001, and 2015 and 2016.

From (1987-95), Arthur worked as a juvenile detention officer for Dallas County and served as AFME Union Steward. In his union role, Arthur provided leadership that lead to a Fair Labor Standards Act lawsuit, resulting in employees recovering three years of back overtime pay and leading to changes in promotion-from-within policies.Arthur brings leadership that is currently being called upon to help take us to a new place in our American diaspra.

CIVIL RIGHTS FREEDOM RIDES 2.0

Arthur Fleming Arthur fleming

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Freedom Rides 2.0: Civil rights organizations and institutional ... - Northdallasgazette

If you posted gameplay or fanart - or really, anything at all - about The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild over the past six years, congrats: you may have had a small hand in influencing its sequel.

In a long interview published by Nintendo, producer Eiji Aonuma, director Hidemaro Fujibayashi, and designer Satoru Takizawa talked about how the reaction to the previous game guided their approach to Tears of the Kingdom, and how it encouraged them to give players even more freedom.

When asked if they ever watch fan gameplay videos, Aonuma answered, there was some talk about them among the development team.

The direction of giving players the freedom to do anything in this game came about precisely because of the reactions of people who played the last game, he said.

Even though it's been six years since the last title was released, many fans still post drawings, comments and videos on social media, Takizawa added. Especially when the team is facing difficulties during development, these things light up the eyes of our staff and make them think, Alright, let's show 'em what we've got!

After all three thanked the fans, Aonuma went into more detail about how the reception to past Zelda games impacted their approach to Tears of the Kingdoms puzzles.

I've seen some fans say that the Legend of Zelda games make them feel like they're the only player to have solved the puzzle, and that's what they like about the series, he said. I think letting players come up with their own solutions to puzzles gives them a stronger sense of being the only one to have figured them out than if we got them to use pre-defined solutions. In a sense, this is something unique to the Legend of Zelda series, and I think it's something that's brought out even more in this title.

Elsewhere in the interview, they also gave advice to those whove been eagerly awaiting to start playing tonight - especially since Aonuma has finished Tears of the Kingdom 20 times already.

That sense of freedom and exploration is certainly something thats come up a lot around Tears of the Kingdom, with IGNs Tom Marks writing in his 10/10 review that it both revamps old ground and introduces vast new areas so immense it somehow makes me wonder if Breath of the Wild was actually all that big.

For even more on Tears of the Kingdom while you wait to start playing, check out our spoiler-free preview. And once you do dive into Hyrule all over again, be sure to keep up with our guide pages to help you out with all that exploration.

Alex Stedman is a Senior News Editor with IGN, overseeing entertainment reporting. When she's not writing or editing, you can find her reading fantasy novels or playing Dungeons & Dragons.

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Tears of the Kingdom's Focus on Freedom Was a Direct Reaction to ... - IGN