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bigleapblog · 4 months ago

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Your Guide to B.Tech in Computer Science & Engineering Colleges

In today's technology-driven world, pursuing a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) has become a popular choice among students aspiring for a bright future. The demand for skilled professionals in areas like Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Science, and Cloud Computing has made computer science engineering colleges crucial in shaping tomorrow's innovators. Saraswati College of Engineering (SCOE), a leader in engineering education, provides students with a perfect platform to build a successful career in this evolving field.

Whether you're passionate about coding, software development, or the latest advancements in AI, pursuing a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering at SCOE can open doors to endless opportunities.

Why Choose B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering?

Choosing a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering isn't just about learning to code; it's about mastering problem-solving, logical thinking, and the ability to work with cutting-edge technologies. The course offers a robust foundation that combines theoretical knowledge with practical skills, enabling students to excel in the tech industry.

At SCOE, the computer science engineering courses are designed to meet industry standards and keep up with the rapidly evolving tech landscape. With its AICTE Approved, NAAC Accredited With Grade-"A+" credentials, the college provides quality education in a nurturing environment. SCOE's curriculum goes beyond textbooks, focusing on hands-on learning through projects, labs, workshops, and internships. This approach ensures that students graduate not only with a degree but with the skills needed to thrive in their careers.

The Role of Computer Science Engineering Colleges in Career Development

The role of computer science engineering colleges like SCOE is not limited to classroom teaching. These institutions play a crucial role in shaping students' futures by providing the necessary infrastructure, faculty expertise, and placement opportunities. SCOE, established in 2004, is recognized as one of the top engineering colleges in Navi Mumbai. It boasts a strong placement record, with companies like Goldman Sachs, Cisco, and Microsoft offering lucrative job opportunities to its graduates.

The computer science engineering courses at SCOE are structured to provide a blend of technical and soft skills. From the basics of computer programming to advanced topics like Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, students at SCOE are trained to be industry-ready. The faculty at SCOE comprises experienced professionals who not only impart theoretical knowledge but also mentor students for real-world challenges.

Highlights of the B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering Program at SCOE

Comprehensive Curriculum: The B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering program at SCOE covers all major areas, including programming languages, algorithms, data structures, computer networks, operating systems, AI, and Machine Learning. This ensures that students receive a well-rounded education, preparing them for various roles in the tech industry.

Industry-Relevant Learning: SCOE’s focus is on creating professionals who can immediately contribute to the tech industry. The college regularly collaborates with industry leaders to update its curriculum, ensuring students learn the latest technologies and trends in computer science engineering.

State-of-the-Art Infrastructure: SCOE is equipped with modern laboratories, computer centers, and research facilities, providing students with the tools they need to gain practical experience. The institution’s infrastructure fosters innovation, helping students work on cutting-edge projects and ideas during their B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering.

Practical Exposure: One of the key benefits of studying at SCOE is the emphasis on practical learning. Students participate in hands-on projects, internships, and industry visits, giving them real-world exposure to how technology is applied in various sectors.

Placement Support: SCOE has a dedicated placement cell that works tirelessly to ensure students secure internships and job offers from top companies. The B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering program boasts a strong placement record, with top tech companies visiting the campus every year. The highest on-campus placement offer for the academic year 2022-23 was an impressive 22 LPA from Goldman Sachs, reflecting the college’s commitment to student success.

Personal Growth: Beyond academics, SCOE encourages students to participate in extracurricular activities, coding competitions, and tech fests. These activities enhance their learning experience, promote teamwork, and help students build a well-rounded personality that is essential in today’s competitive job market.

What Makes SCOE Stand Out?

With so many computer science engineering colleges to choose from, why should you consider SCOE for your B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering? Here are a few factors that make SCOE a top choice for students:

Experienced Faculty: SCOE prides itself on having a team of highly qualified and experienced faculty members. The faculty’s approach to teaching is both theoretical and practical, ensuring students are equipped to tackle real-world challenges.

Strong Industry Connections: The college maintains strong relationships with leading tech companies, ensuring that students have access to internship opportunities and campus recruitment drives. This gives SCOE graduates a competitive edge in the job market.

Holistic Development: SCOE believes in the holistic development of students. In addition to academic learning, the college offers opportunities for personal growth through various student clubs, sports activities, and cultural events.

Supportive Learning Environment: SCOE provides a nurturing environment where students can focus on their academic and personal growth. The campus is equipped with modern facilities, including spacious classrooms, labs, a library, and a recreation center.

Career Opportunities After B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from SCOE

Graduates with a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering from SCOE are well-prepared to take on various roles in the tech industry. Some of the most common career paths for CSE graduates include:

Software Engineer: Developing software applications, web development, and mobile app development are some of the key responsibilities of software engineers. This role requires strong programming skills and a deep understanding of software design.

Data Scientist: With the rise of big data, data scientists are in high demand. CSE graduates with knowledge of data science can work on data analysis, machine learning models, and predictive analytics.

AI Engineer: Artificial Intelligence is revolutionizing various industries, and AI engineers are at the forefront of this change. SCOE’s curriculum includes AI and Machine Learning, preparing students for roles in this cutting-edge field.

System Administrator: Maintaining and managing computer systems and networks is a crucial role in any organization. CSE graduates can work as system administrators, ensuring the smooth functioning of IT infrastructure.

Cybersecurity Specialist: With the growing threat of cyberattacks, cybersecurity specialists are essential in protecting an organization’s digital assets. CSE graduates can pursue careers in cybersecurity, safeguarding sensitive information from hackers.

Conclusion: Why B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering at SCOE is the Right Choice

Choosing the right college is crucial for a successful career in B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering. Saraswati College of Engineering (SCOE) stands out as one of the best computer science engineering colleges in Navi Mumbai. With its industry-aligned curriculum, state-of-the-art infrastructure, and excellent placement record, SCOE offers students the perfect environment to build a successful career in computer science.

Whether you're interested in AI, data science, software development, or any other field in computer science, SCOE provides the knowledge, skills, and opportunities you need to succeed. With a strong focus on hands-on learning and personal growth, SCOE ensures that students graduate not only as engineers but as professionals ready to take on the challenges of the tech world.

If you're ready to embark on an exciting journey in the world of technology, consider pursuing your B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering at SCOE—a college where your future takes shape.

#In today's technology-driven world #pursuing a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) has become a popular choice among students aspiring for a bright future. The de #Machine Learning #Data Science #and Cloud Computing has made computer science engineering colleges crucial in shaping tomorrow's innovators. Saraswati College of Engineeri #a leader in engineering education #provides students with a perfect platform to build a successful career in this evolving field.#Whether you're passionate about coding #software development #or the latest advancements in AI #pursuing a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering at SCOE can open doors to endless opportunities.#Why Choose B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering?#Choosing a B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering isn't just about learning to code; it's about mastering problem-solving #logical thinking #and the ability to work with cutting-edge technologies. The course offers a robust foundation that combines theoretical knowledge with prac #enabling students to excel in the tech industry.#At SCOE #the computer science engineering courses are designed to meet industry standards and keep up with the rapidly evolving tech landscape. With #NAAC Accredited With Grade-“A+” credentials #the college provides quality education in a nurturing environment. SCOE's curriculum goes beyond textbooks #focusing on hands-on learning through projects #labs #workshops #and internships. This approach ensures that students graduate not only with a degree but with the skills needed to thrive in their careers.#The Role of Computer Science Engineering Colleges in Career Development #The role of computer science engineering colleges like SCOE is not limited to classroom teaching. These institutions play a crucial role in #faculty expertise #and placement opportunities. SCOE #established in 2004 #is recognized as one of the top engineering colleges in Navi Mumbai. It boasts a strong placement record

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mavihuzun · 21 days ago

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TOTAL BATTLE LOGİN - PRO+

Welcome to the ultimate gaming experience with Total Battle, a strategic online war game that challenges your tactical skills while immersing you in a captivating medieval world. In this article, we’ll explore the essentials that every player needs to know, including how to navigate the Total Battle login process, maximize your gameplay, and delve into comprehensive guides that will elevate your strategies. Whether you're a seasoned general or just starting your journey, you’ll find valuable insights and tips to help you conquer your foes and build a formidable empire.

Total Battle Login

Accessing your gaming experience has never been easier with the total battle login. This streamlined process allows players to quickly enter the highly immersive world of Total Battle, ensuring that your journey toward strategy and conquest begins without delay.

Once you reach the total battle login page, you'll find an intuitive interface designed to facilitate your entrance. Whether you're a seasoned commander or a new recruit, you can swiftly log in using your credentials and pick up right where you left off in your quest for dominance.

In addition to great accessibility, the total battle login ensures your data protection and provides a seamless connection across devices. This means you can enjoy your favorite strategies on-the-go, enhancing your gaming flexibility and freedom.

Don't let obstacles stand in your way! Experience the thrill of Total Battle with a fast, reliable login process. Explore the possibilities at your fingertips – dive into engaging gameplay today with the total battle login!

Total Battle

Total Battle offers an immersive gaming experience that combines strategic warfare with resource management, making it a go-to choice for gamers looking for depth and excitement. The focal point of the game revolves around building your empire, forming alliances, and engaging in epic battles. Players can expect to dive into various gameplay modes designed to enhance their strategic skills and test their tactical abilities.

One of the significant advantages of total battle is its comprehensive total battle guide that aids both new and experienced players. This guide provides players with vital information on unit formations, resource allocation, and battle tactics, ensuring that you always stay one step ahead of your opponents. With regular updates and community contributions, this guide evolves alongside the game, maintaining its relevance and usefulness.

When you visit totalbattle, you are welcomed with a user-friendly interface that simplifies the login process, allowing you to jump straight into action. The platform is designed to be intuitive, making it easy for players of all skill levels to navigate and find helpful tools and resources that enhance their gameplay experience.

Join a thriving community of players who engage in strategic discussions, share their experiences, and dominate the battlefield. With Total Battle's dynamic gameplay and community-driven atmosphere, you will not just be a player— you will become part of a unified force aimed at conquering new territories and achieving glorious victories.

Total Battle Guide

Welcome to your ultimate total battle guide, designed to help you navigate through the exciting world of Total Battle efficiently. Whether you are a newcomer seeking to understand the basics or a seasoned player looking for advanced strategies, this comprehensive guide is here to enhance your gameplay experience.

Understanding Game Mechanics

Total Battle combines elements of strategy, city-building, and warfare. Familiarize yourself with the core mechanics to maximize your success:

Resource Management: Balance your resources like gold, wood, and food to ensure steady growth of your empire.

Unit Types: Learn about the various units available, including infantry, cavalry, and siege equipment, and understand their strengths and weaknesses.

Buildings: Upgrade your city by constructing essential buildings that boost your economic and military might.

Strategic Gameplay Tips

To gain an edge over your opponents, implement these tips into your strategy:

Scout Before Attacking: Always scout enemy positions to make informed decisions before launching an attack.

Join an Alliance: Collaborating with other players provides support and enhances your strategic options.

Daily Login Rewards: Make sure to log in daily to claim valuable rewards that will assist you in your quest.

Explore Tactical Features

The game offers various tactical features to gain dominance over your rivals. Mastering these can lead to significant advantages:

Hero Development: Develop your heroes by equipping them with powerful gear and leveling them up for enhanced abilities.

Battle Tactics: Experiment with different formations and tactics to find the best approach during battles.

Event Participation: Engage in special events that often yield unique rewards and opportunities for bonuses.

Utilizing this total battle guide will empower you as you embark on your journey in Total Battle. For further assistance or in-depth lore, don’t forget to check out TotalBattleLogin.com. Start your adventure today and conquer your foes with confidence!

Totalbattle

Discover the captivating world of Totalbattle, where strategy and action collide! Immerse yourself in the exhilarating gameplay designed to challenge even the most seasoned gamers. From building your powerful empire to forging alliances with other players, the Total Battle experience is ever-evolving and engaging.

The game seamlessly blends elements of classic strategy with modern features, ensuring that every session is unique. Whether you are a newbie or a veteran, the Total Battle guide is your essential tool for mastering gameplay tactics and optimizing your journey.

Accessing the game through the Total Battle login portal opens doors to exclusive events, rewards, and updates that keep the excitement alive. Enhance your gameplay experience by diving into rich lore and strategic warfare mechanics that Total Battle has to offer.

Join a vibrant community of players who share tips, strategies, and camaraderie in their quest for dominance. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to enhance your skills and achieve greatness. Take the first step by visiting Total Battle and preparing yourself for an epic adventure!

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batboyblog · 5 months ago

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Things the Biden-Harris Administration Did This Week #28

July 19-26 2024

The EPA announced the award of $4.3 billion in Climate Pollution Reduction Grants. The grants support community-driven solutions to fight climate change, and accelerate America’s clean energy transition. The grants will go to 25 projects across 30 states, and one tribal community. When combined the projects will reduce greenhouse gas pollution by as much as 971 million metric tons of CO2, roughly the output of 5 million American homes over 25 years. Major projects include $396 million for Pennsylvania’s Department of Environmental Protection as it tries to curb greenhouse gas emissions from industrial production, and $500 million for transportation and freight decarbonization at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The Biden-Harris Administration announced a plan to phase out the federal government's use of single use plastics. The plan calls for the federal government to stop using single use plastics in food service operations, events, and packaging by 2027, and from all federal operations by 2035. The US government is the single largest employer in the country and the world’s largest purchaser of goods and services. Its move away from plastics will redefine the global market.

The White House hosted a summit on super pollutants with the goals of better measuring them and dramatically reducing them. Roughly half of today's climate change is caused by so called super pollutants, methane, hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), and nitrous oxide (N2O). Public-private partnerships between NOAA and United Airlines, The State Department and NASA, and the non-profit Carbon Mapper Coalition will all help collect important data on these pollutants. While private firms announced with the White House plans that by early next year will reduce overall U.S. industrial emissions of nitrous oxide by over 50% from 2020 numbers. The summit also highlighted the EPA's new rule to reduce methane from oil and gas by 80%.

The EPA announced $325 million in grants for climate justice. The Community Change Grants Program, powered by President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act will ultimately bring $2 billion dollars to disadvantaged communities and help them combat climate change. Some of the projects funded in this first round of grant were: $20 million for Midwest Tribal Energy Resources Association, which will help weatherize and energy efficiency upgrade homes for 35 tribes in Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, $14 million to install onsite wastewater treatment systems throughout 17 Black Belt counties in Alabama, and $14 million to urban forestry, expanding tree canopy in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.

The Department of Interior approved 3 new solar projects on public land. The 3 projects, two in Nevada and one in Arizona, once finished could generate enough to power 2 million homes. This comes on top of DoI already having beaten its goal of 25 gigawatts of clean energy projects by the end of 2025, in April 2024. This is all part of President Biden’s goal of creating a carbon pollution-free power sector by 2035.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen pledged $667 million to global Pandemic Fund. The fund set up in 2022 seeks to support Pandemic prevention, and readiness in low income nations who can't do it on their own. At the G20 meeting Yellen pushed other nations of the 20 largest economies to double their pledges to the $2 billion dollar fund. Yellen highlighted the importance of the fund by saying "President Biden and I believe that a fully-resourced Pandemic Fund will enable us to better prevent, prepare for, and respond to pandemics – protecting Americans and people around the world from the devastating human and economic costs of infectious disease threats,"

The Departments of the Interior and Commerce today announced a $240 million investment in tribal fisheries in the Pacific Northwest. This is in line with an Executive Order President Biden signed in 2023 during the White House Tribal Nations Summit to mpower Tribal sovereignty and self-determination. An initial $54 million for hatchery maintenance and modernization will be made available for 27 tribes in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. The rest will be invested in longer term fishery projects in the coming years.

The IRS announced that thanks to funding from President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act, it'll be able to digitize much of its operations. This means tax payers will be able to retrieve all their tax related information from one source, including Wage & Income, Account, Record of Account, and Return transcripts, using on-line Individual Online Account.

The IRS also announced that New Jersey will be joining the direct file program in 2025. The direct file program ran as a pilot in 12 states in 2024, allowing tax-payers in those states to file simple tax returns using a free online filing tool directly with the IRS. In 2024 140,000 Americans were able to file this way, they collectively saved $5.6 million in tax preparation fees, claiming $90 million in returns. The average American spends $270 and 13 hours filing their taxes. More than a million people in New Jersey alone will qualify for direct file next year. Oregon opted to join last month. Republicans in Congress lead by Congressmen Adrian Smith of Nebraska and Chuck Edwards of North Carolina have put forward legislation to do away with direct file.

Bonus: American law enforcement arrested co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada. El Mayo co-founded the cartel in the 1980s along side Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán. Since El Chapo's incarceration in the United States in 2019, El Mayo has been sole head of the Sinaloa Cartel. Authorities also arrested El Chapo's son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez. The Sinaloa Cartel has been a major player in the cross border drug trade, and has often used extreme violence to further their aims.

#Joe Biden #Thanks Biden #kamala harris #us politics #american politics #politics #climate change #climate crisis #climate action #tribal rights #IRS #taxes #tax reform #El Chapo

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nasa · 1 year ago

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Six Answers to Questions You’re Too Embarrassed to Ask about the Hottest Year on Record

You may have seen the news that 2023 was the hottest year in NASA’s record, continuing a trend of warming global temperatures. But have you ever wondered what in the world that actually means and how we know?

We talked to some of our climate scientists to get clarity on what a temperature record is, what happened in 2023, and what we can expect to happen in the future… so you don’t have to!

1. Why was 2023 the warmest year on record?

The short answer: Human activities. The release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane into the atmosphere trap more heat near Earth’s surface, raising global temperatures. This is responsible for the decades-long warming trend we’re living through.

But this year’s record wasn’t just because of human activities. The last few years, we’ve been experiencing the cooler phase of a natural pattern of Pacific Ocean temperatures called the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This phase, known as La Niña, tends to cool temperatures slightly around the world. In mid-2023, we started to shift into the warmer phase, known as El Niño. The shift ENSO brought, combined with overall human-driven warming and other factors we’re continuing to study, pushed 2023 to a new record high temperature.

2. So will every year be a record now?

Almost certainly not. Although the overall trend in annual temperatures is warmer, there’s some year-to-year variation, like ENSO we mentioned above.

Think about Texas and Minnesota. On the whole, Texas is warmer than Minnesota. But some days, stormy weather could bring cooler temperatures to Texas while Minnesota is suffering through a local heat wave. On those days, the weather in Minnesota could be warmer than the weather in Texas. That doesn’t mean Minnesota is warmer than Texas overall; we’re just experiencing a little short-term variation.

Something similar happens with global annual temperatures. The globe will naturally shift back to La Niña in the next few years, bringing a slight cooling effect. Because of human carbon emissions, current La Niña years will be warmer than La Niña years were in the past, but they’ll likely still be cooler than current El Niño years.

3. What do we mean by “on record”?

Technically, NASA’s global temperature record starts in 1880. NASA didn’t exist back then, but temperature data were being collected by sailing ships, weather stations, and scientists in enough places around the world to reconstruct a global average temperature. We use those data and our modern techniques to calculate the average.

We start in 1880, because that’s when thermometers and other instruments became technologically advanced and widespread enough to reliably measure and calculate a global average. Today, we make those calculations based on millions of measurements taken from weather stations and Antarctic research stations on land, and ships and ocean buoys at sea. So, we can confidently say 2023 is the warmest year in the last century and a half.

However, we actually have a really good idea of what global climate looked like for tens of thousands of years before 1880, relying on other, indirect ways of measuring temperature. We can look at tree rings or cores drilled from ice sheets to reconstruct Earth’s more ancient climate. These measurements affirm that current warming on Earth is happening at an unprecedented speed.

4. Why does a space agency keep a record of Earth’s temperature?

It’s literally our job! When NASA was formed in 1958, our original charter called for “the expansion of human knowledge of phenomena in the atmosphere and space.” Our very first space missions uncovered surprises about Earth, and we’ve been using the vantage point of space to study our home planet ever since. Right now, we have a fleet of more than 20 spacecraft monitoring Earth and its systems.

Why we created our specific surface temperature record – known as GISTEMP – actually starts about 25 million miles away on the planet Venus. In the 1960s and 70s, researchers discovered that a thick atmosphere of clouds and carbon dioxide was responsible for Venus’ scorchingly hot temperatures.

Dr. James Hansen was a scientist at the Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York, studying Venus. He realized that the greenhouse effect cooking Venus’ surface could happen on Earth, too, especially as human activities were pumping carbon dioxide into our atmosphere.

He started creating computer models to see what would happen to Earth’s climate as more carbon dioxide entered the atmosphere. As he did, he needed a way to check his models – a record of temperatures at Earth’s surface over time, to see if the planet was indeed warming along with increased atmospheric carbon. It was, and is, and NASA’s temperature record was born.

5. If last year was record hot, why wasn’t it very hot where I live?

The temperature record is a global average, so not everywhere on Earth experienced record heat. Local differences in weather patterns can influence individual locations to be hotter or colder than the globe overall, but when we average it out, 2023 was the hottest year.

Just because you didn’t feel record heat this year, doesn’t mean you didn’t experience the effects of a warming climate. 2023 saw a busy Atlantic hurricane season, low Arctic sea ice, raging wildfires in Canada, heat waves in the U.S. and Australia, and more.

And these effects don’t stay in one place. For example, unusually hot and intense fires in Canada sent smoke swirling across the entire North American continent, triggering some of the worst air quality in decades in many American cities. Melting ice at Earth’s poles drives rising sea levels on coasts thousands of miles away.

6. Speaking of which, why is the Arctic – one of the coldest places on Earth – red on this temperature map?

Our global temperature record doesn’t actually track absolute temperatures. Instead, we track temperature anomalies, which are basically just deviations from the norm. Our baseline is an average of the temperatures from 1951-1980, and we compare how much Earth’s temperature has changed since then.

Why focus on anomalies, rather than absolutes? Let’s say you want to track if apples these days are generally larger, smaller, or the same size as they were 20 years ago. In other words, you want to track the change over time.

Apples grown in Florida are generally larger than apples grown in Alaska. Like, in real life, how Floridian temperatures are generally much higher than Alaskan temperatures. So how do you track the change in apple sizes from apples grown all over the world while still accounting for their different baseline weights?

By focusing on the difference within each area rather than the absolute weights. So in our map, the Arctic isn’t red because it’s hotter than Bermuda. It’s red because it’s gotten relatively much warmer than Bermuda has in the same time frame.

Want to learn more about climate change? Dig into the data at climate.nasa.gov.

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space!

#NASA #earth #climate #climate change #global warming #planet #el niño #science #la nina

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walkintomymystery · 2 months ago

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Fall Into Me

(Set after Sonic 3 - Alternate Ending - No spoilers!)

Defeated, world-weary, and impossibly lost, Shadow allows himself to be taken back into G.U.N custody. While they decide his fate, he is housed in a secret facility hidden deep in the heart of one of the country's National Parks. Still reeling from the heartbreaks that have shaped his life, Shadow never expected to find the closest thing to a home he'd known in over fifty years.

Pairings: Shadow the Hedgehog x Original Female Character

Warnings for this chapter: none!

Chapter Two

Deep inside The Hill, in one of its darkest corners, there were a series of small, bare rooms. Square, compact, and composed entirely of metal and white brick, these rooms were multipurpose, a utilitarian space to be repurposed over and over again, no matter the requirement.

Tonight, one had been transformed into an interrogation room.

At least, that’s what it looked like to Kit. She’d watched a lot of television during her time on Earth, including a considerable number of terrible detective shows. The format was instantly recognisable, there was always an interrogation in a dark room whenever a new person of interest was brought in.

She could see into the room from the hallway. The glass wall was fractured and malleable so that the scientists could switch its sheen as they desired. Usually, the rooms were blacked out in order to provide privacy and peace for those working within. Tonight, Kit could see in, but Shadow would not be able to see out.

She couldn’t take her eyes off him.

Shadow had been seated at a small table in the centre of the room. He was flanked by two soldiers, a different pair than the ones that had brought him here. They were keeping a safe yet watchful distance, she was sure.

Shadow’s bound hands rested on the table. Kit watched as Iris, one of the head scientists, leaned in close to examine the cuffs that now encompassed his inhibitor rings. Almost subconsciously, she reached across and fiddled with the ring on her left wrist.

This was not how she imagined events would unfold.

The news of Shadow’s arrival had sent a shiver of excitement through the base. In the few hours that had lapsed since then, The Hill’s scientists had been prepping their labs and collating any and all relevant data at their disposal.

The soldiers whispered to each other, turning their heads in towards their shoulders so that they could not be overheard. They exchanged horror stories, rumours passed on from friends-of-a-friend.

Yesterday evening, Lisa had found Kit down by the stream, and had sat down beside her as she explained what this meant for her, for all of them.

Though her tone had been calm and serious as she explained the gravity of Shadow’s arrival, Kit couldn’t ignore that rush of excitement that burst in her chest. Finally, someone like her, someone else not of this world. It hardly mattered that the humans seemed unusually tense and that today, at least seven people had stopped to warn her about this dangerous, otherly creature.

But now, standing here in the dark, in the middle of the night, Kit couldn’t ignore the nagging feeling in her belly.

She couldn’t help expressing her surprise, her confusion, when she saw him. This was the Ultimate Lifeform? The reports she had poured over spoke of a rage-torn force unlike anything seen before, a living weapon driven half-mad by grief. This was the ruthless, relentless creature she had been warned about? The monster who’d tried to destroy her adopted home?

Kit watched how he allowed Iris to tug at his bracers, check his eyes, his ears, and let her ask question after question, though he didn’t once answer anything she put to him. Shadow didn’t move, he didn’t speak, he just stared into the middle distance, his burning red eyes blank and unseeing.

Kit let out a long breath, trying to ease the queasiness in her belly. This was not going to be easy.

Her left ear twitched, then swivelled fully to face the corridor. She could hear footfalls reverberating through concrete long before any actual sound reached her. By now, she knew the pattern and rhythm of every single person in The Hill by their footsteps alone.

Lisa.

She rested a comforting hand on the small of Kit’s back, then waved to Iris through the window, forgetting that her colleague could not see her.

“How much longer?” Kit asked.

“Give it a few more minutes. They’re just checking the bracers.” Lisa looked down at her with raised eyebrows. “Patience could be the difference between you and a hospital bed.”

Kit hummed, trying to express agreement, though in all honesty, her impatience was threatening to get the better of her.

Shadow’s arrival meant a lot to her, to everyone at The Hill. Lisa could get answers she’d been searching her whole life for. Sorely underfunded work spanning decades would finally gain traction. There was a buzz in the air, a spark of something new and different and exciting.

“He doesn’t say much, does he?” Lisa said.

Kit smiled to herself. Selfish as it was, she couldn’t help feeling exhilarated.

Above all else, Shadow’s arrival meant she wouldn’t be alone anymore. There was finally someone who looked like her, someone else other, someone who knew what it was like to find themself on another planet with nothing and no one. This was the chance she’d been hoping for. This was her ticket home.

“How was your session today?”

“Hm?”

”Did you practice what we worked on yesterday?”

“Yeah, yeah…”

“You’re not listening to a word I’m saying, are you?”

Kit couldn’t even attempt to feign interest. She let the grin that had been threatening to spill out all night finally take over.

“Did you see the look on his face? He has the power of the Black Arms in his DNA, he tried to destroy this planet, and I flattened him - whammo!”

She swung her fist, as if uppercutting an invisible adversary.

Kit knew it was inappropriate, but it felt good to finally stretch her legs and put all her hard work and practise into use. All it had taken was a flick of her wrist, and the most powerful being on the planet was on his back. You could get addicted to a power like that. It could go to your head and bore a hole there, until it was all you could do to stop yourself reaching for it again.

She couldn’t take all the credit. Lisa’s bracers did most of the work. Disconnecting Shadow from his powers seemed like a drastic step at first, but after pouring through the footage of his rampage across Earth, Kit wondered if it might be worth asking Iris to double check the cuffs snapped around his wrists.

Then again, he hadn’t put up much of a fight. Since his failed attempt to make a break for it, Shadow hadn’t shown any sign of dissent or anger. In fact, he hadn’t expressed any emotion at all. He just stared straight ahead, letting the humans do what they wanted to him, his burning eyes piercing a hole through the glass that separated him from Kit.

“He should be punching holes through the walls but he’s just… Sitting there.”

An ungodly power, catatonic but volatile, subdued but brimming with a potential energy that scared Kit. A small part of her feared Shadow was only here because he’d allowed himself to be. But another voice warned of something else.

She had seen the dullness in his eyes and felt no resistance when he was knocked flat. Perhaps it was just that he didn’t care anymore. What else could they take from him?

Kit looked up at her keeper.

“Do you think he’s hungry?”

Lisa sighed.

“You remember what we talked about?”

“Lisa-”

“I know you’re excited, but he’s dangerous.”

Kit grinned.

“That’s half the excitement.”

“You have a job to do, Kit. He won’t be able to help us unless he trusts you.”

“I know, I know…”

Kit looked back at the boxy little room they’d led their new friend to.

“It’s just… I don’t know, I didn’t expect him to look so…”

She trailed off for want of a better word.

Shadow’s blank expression concerned her. Her job was simple in theory. Perhaps she had overestimated just how straightforward it would be.

It was only when Iris ran her hand up his arm and over his shoulder that Shadow finally showed any sign that he was even conscious. His lip curled back in a snarl, revealing one gleaming white fang, subtle but unquestionably clear.

Iris stepped back. She’d pushed it too far, but he still didn’t move. Shadow’s face settled back into that blank stare, unseeing and unfeeling.

“Lost,” Lisa finished for her.

“Yes.” Kit’s mouth twisted into a frown. “Will he help us?”

“That’s down to you. But yes, I think he will. Given time.”

Kit furled and unfurled her fingers at her sides, feeling the warmth of her power seep through her blood.

Her own bracers were switched off for now. She could feel her full potential nagging at her, pricking her fingertips, begging to be unleashed. Though she felt strong, it concerned her that Lisa thought she might need to use it.

Iris left the room but the soldiers remained. Silently, they flattened their backs to the wall behind Shadow, their eyes locked on him, their arms crossed over their broad chests. Both of them were armed, a gun at either side of their hips.

Iris motioned to Lisa before she headed off down the corridor, most likely to bed. It had long since passed midnight. The entire base was starting to settle in for the night, resting tired legs, washing away the day, cosying up under thick blankets.

It was icy cold in The Hill at night. Kit had pulled on one of Lisa’s old jackets before she left her room. She wondered briefly if Shadow was cold.

A hand on her shoulder brought her back to the present.

“They’re ready for you now.”

Kit tapped the toe of her black combat boot against the door, asking to be let in. As she waited for one of the soldiers to come, she adjusted the two trays she’d grabbed from the cafeteria at the last minute. She hardly had the stomach to eat, but she wanted to be welcoming.

One of the guards, the taller of the two, opened the door for her. In a gruff, low voice, he warned her to be careful, but Kit barely heard him.

Shadow’s ruby-red eyes followed her every move as she approached the table, burning like fire, cutting through the gloom.

His hands still rested on the table, his bracers safely attached to the gold rings that limited his powers.

Though he was barefoot, they’d allowed him to keep his gloves. Kit’s ear twitched at the subtle sound of friction, leather against leather, and knew without looking that he’d rolled his hands into tight fists, though his face gave nothing away.

Kit kept her own expression neutral as she took the seat opposite his. Being careful not to touch him, she placed the two trays down between them, making sure to nudge Shadow’s towards him so that he’d know it was for him.

“I didn’t know what you’d like, so I got you a little of everything.”

With a sigh, Kit leaned back in her chair and watched him watch her.

He really was as frightening as they said he would be. An unnerving, silent force of pure energy and rage. Arrogance had clouded her judgement, just because she held all the cards didn’t mean that Shadow wasn’t an imposing presence.

She waited. He watched.

Finally, Kit leaned forward and picked up a bread roll from her tray and began to split it in two with her thumbs.

“You should eat. The cafeteria is closed for the night. You won’t get another chance until breakfast.”

She lowered her gaze to her work, heart pounding. To take her eyes off Shadow felt like holding her hand between the open jaws of a crocodile, and it seemed to take an age before she raised her head again.

He didn’t move. Shadow’s expression didn’t even shift. He just stared into her, past her, through her.

Kit reached for her tray again and laid the roll down, separating the two halves so that she could slather them in butter.

“I’ve read all about you. I’ve seen what you did,” Kit said, changing tact. “None of that matters here. You don’t have to be afraid.”

The tiny butter packets she’d grabbed before she left the cafeteria were cold and firm, so she warmed one in the palm of her hand while she waited for Shadow to respond.

”You should eat, you must be starving.”

Still nothing.

With another sigh, Kit set about making the sandwich she’d been waiting for all night. She’d been too nervous to eat earlier, her stomach had twisted and clenched every time she thought about this very moment. Now, she was starving, but the burning red eyes before her, and the pair watching intently through the glass behind her, made it difficult to keep her hands steady.

She looked up at Shadow, offering him a small smile.

“Are you always this taciturn?”

When he still said nothing, Kit shook her head.

“Look, I get it. It’s difficult to adjust; I’ve been through it all myself. You’re in a strange place, it’s cold and dark, and humans are so funny looking… I’m here to make things easier for you.”

“By slamming me into the ground?”

The sound of his voice made Kit’s heart thud. It was low and sonorous, and calmer than she had anticipated. She had to fight the instinct to flatten her ears back against her head.

“Well, you tried to run. And that, I’m afraid, is the one rule here.” Kit tilted her head to the side and shot him a grin. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

Shadow just stared right back, unblinking.

Kit took a bite of her sandwich then sat back in the chair again. Her uneasiness had started to ebb now that he’d finally spoken. The anticipation had been broken, now it was just her and the bioengineered creature that tried to destroy her adopted home.

Shadow’s gaze finally slipped away from her, first down to the food in front of him, then to the soldiers who still stood to attention behind him. He seemed equally unimpressed with both.

“Where is here?”

Monotone and calm, his voice reminded Kit of the cello music that Lisa liked to play while she was working, low notes that would softly rise and fall, steady and subtle, like the swell of the ocean, like the sound of someone breathing.

“The area is called Montana. You’re in the heart of the Glacier National Park.”

“This is not a G.U.N. facility.”

“No, they handed you over to us. Just temporarily, while they work out what to do with you. Until then, you’re our guest.”

Finally, Shadow showed some emotion. He huffed, nose wrinkling. It made the red arches by his eyes fall and rise.

He held up his hands, palms flat to her, and twisted his wrists to show the bracers that encased his inhibitor rings, then he slid his hands off the table to settle them in his lap.

The soldiers behind him immediately tensed. One even took a tentative step forward but Kit subtly shook her head at him.

“Yes,” Shadow said. “I feel very welcome.”

“You’ll get used to them. They only buzz like that when they’re switched on.”

She raised her own hands and showed him her palms, then the backs of her hands, just as he had. The same heavy, brass rings were clasped around her own wrists, though hers were switched off.

The negative charge that ran through them could make your teeth ache at first. It rattled through cartilage and bone, finding every divot and socket until whatever power flowed through you was stamped out.

Shadow’s eyes followed her hands as they rested on the table for a moment, then reached for her sandwich again.

“So what is this place?” he asked quietly.

Kit shrugged.

“It doesn’t really have a name. Everyone just calls it The Hill or ‘base’. It’s a research centre.”

“A research centre needs soldiers?”

”A lot of sensitive work goes on here. Plenty of people would love to get their hands on what the scientists are working on.”

This was all regurgitated information, a brief version of the explanation Kit was given when she first arrived. It was late, there would be more time to explain later, though she didn’t think for a second that Shadow actually cared about The Hill or the work that went on here.

Shadow crossed his arms.

Again, the soldiers behind him tensed. One let his hand drop to his hip.

It was an empty threat. They were under strict instructions not to hurt Shadow, he was far too valuable, too expensive. Kit wondered if they’d even be able to make a mark on him if they tried. He was a force to be reckoned with, with or without his powers.

“And you are… Their pet?”

Kit felt her rehearsed resolve slowly fade away. Her confidence evaporated, along with her easygoing smile. He’d taken aim, hit a nerve - bullseye. And he knew it.

Kit jutted her chin to try and summon back some of her poise, but it was too late. He’d seen a side to her she hadn’t wanted to reveal, not yet; irritation, a flicker of anger.

“I’m a guest too.”

There would be more time tomorrow for a better, more intricate explanation, but tonight, all Shadow needed was the basics.

His ubiquitous scowl never once wavered as he looked her up and down. Kit tried not to appear as uncomfortable as she felt under his gaze.

“I’ve never seen anyone like you,” he said at last.

“You’ve never seen a fennec?”

Kit polished off the last of her sandwich and reached for the apple off his tray, since he wasn’t going to eat it.

“No, I guess you wouldn’t’ve. There's a whole galaxy of people out there, all shapes and sizes. Do you have any questions for me before we move on?”

Shadow nodded towards her ears.

“Can you pick up radio signals with those things?”

Kit shot him a look.

“Questions about the base.”

What little amusement Shadow had shown at his own joke slipped away, and his expression settled back into contempt and apathy.

“When can I leave?”

“Why, do you have somewhere to be?”

Another shot across the bow.

Kit raised her eyebrows, waiting for a response, anything. She wanted to see what would happen if he was pushed, if when cornered, Shadow was just as dangerous as people said he was. He was supposed to be a fighter, but that spark seemed to have been extinguished. She’d have to see to that.

“Come on,” Kit said. “I’ll show you where you’ll be staying.”

Flanked by the two soldiers, she led Shadow down winding, spartan hallways, pointing out various important areas along the way - the cafeteria, the mess, the elevators. There would be time for a proper tour tomorrow, but she thought Shadow might feel a little more relaxed if he had some basic knowledge of his surroundings.

At last, they came to the dormitories. Corridor after corridor lead off in every possible direction, each lined with countless doors. The room given to Shadow was right at the end, the last room to be assigned on this corridor.

”I’ll come by in the morning,” Kit said as she twisted the door handle and pushed it open. ”Not too early, don’t worry. I like to sleep in.”

Shadow said nothing. He just stared emptily into the dark room before him.

Kit glanced between him, the open door, and the two soldiers standing watch just a few feet away.

When Lisa had pulled her aside yesterday evening and told her in hushed, excited whispers about this assignment, Kit didn’t know what to feel. The idea had been too ephemeral to fully comprehend at the time, and now here she was, standing so close to this force of nature, or rather, the product of an act against it.

He really was terrifying, even shackled, silent, and completely powerless. He was at her mercy, and yet Kit felt like a kid playing with matches.

She was to be his guide, his confidant. Gaining his trust had seemed impossible yesterday, now she wondered if there was any point even trying.

But Lisa was always right, and if she thought it was possible to talk Shadow round, then it must be. Though now, warily watching Shadow as if he were a firework that could go off at any moment, Kit wasn’t sure how long she keep up this pretence of control.

“Tomorrow, I’ll show you where you can get some food and then we can take a walk around the base. If you need me before then, my room is just a few doors down. Number 736. And let me know if there’s anything you’d like for your room. We tried to make it comfortable for you but just ask if there’s anything else you need.”

Shadow stared into the gloom. The warm glow from the hallway lit up the furniture: a bed and a desk, a cabinet and a small table to eat at. There were warm blankets on the chair, a rug on the floor, and books on every shelf. A home from home, though not like any he’d ever known.

“This is an odd kind of confinement,” Shadow said quietly, almost to himself.

“You’re not under arrest, Shadow. You can go wherever you want, you can do whatever you want to do. There are no bars, no handcuffs, no expectations… So long as you follow the rules, you’ll do fine. You could be happy here. This is a good place. And the woods are beautiful. I’ll show you tomorrow.”

“And is that your role here, fox? Tour guide?”

“I’m your keeper.”

Shadow turned his head, nose wrinkled in derision.

“And what does that mean exactly?”

The dreaded question.

He had this way of looking at her, so intense and steady. It made Kit feel like he could see straight through her. With a gaze like that, lying to him seemed fruitless.

Honesty teetered on the tip of her tongue, threatening to spill forward and reveal that she had absolutely no clue what being his keeper meant. She had no idea what she was doing, but if she let that slip, if Shadow knew that she was way out of her depth, then she would be a goner, and everything Lisa and her colleagues had been working towards would be over.

“It means I’m supposed to look out for you,” she said, which was at least how she’d come to interpret her role. “And to make sure you don’t run off.”

“Nothing can stop me when I want something.”

“Well, I can be very persistent.”

Shadow looked her up and down again, sizing her up, making a hundred calculations in a split second. He was working her out, pinpointing any weaknesses and planning a way out of here. But the bracers were heavy on his wrists, a cold, constant reminder of his circumstances.

“I don’t doubt that,” he said.

With another huff and a disdainful look, he went into his room and slammed the door shut behind him.

Stunned, it took Kit a few moments to gather herself.

Her ears twitched against her will. She could hear Shadow moving around inside the room, picking things up and dropping them back down again carelessly, opening cupboard doors, peering curiously into the en suite, then the rustle of bedsheets.

It took one of the soldiers gruffly calling her name to bring her back to the present.

Clutching her borrowed jacket tighter around her body, Kit poked the door with her forefinger.

“Sweet dreams,” she said, then rolled her eyes. “Asshole.”

Kit thanked the soldiers, then went to bed, her mind whirring and whirling from all that she’d seen.

When at last she slept, she dreamt restlessly of a dark room and a pair of terrifying, wonderful scarlet eyes.

Next Chapter

Master List

#shadow the hedgehog #shadow x oc #sth #sonic movie 3

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covid-safer-hotties · 2 months ago

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Also preserved on our archive

Link includes interactive graphs and charts!

By Josh Robertson

In short: Australian life expectancy has gone backwards for the second year straight after a surge in COVID-19 deaths in 2022.

An Australian girl born today is expected to live to 85.1 years, and a boy to 81.1 years

Australians still have the fourth-highest life expectancy in the world after Japanese, Swiss and Koreans.

A decades-defying slump in life expectancy for Australians has continued for a second year straight, with a peak in COVID-19 deaths driving a greater decline among women.

Data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) showed the life expectancy for women had fallen by 0.2 years between 2021 and 2023, compared with a drop of 0.1 years for men.

Australian women continue to outlive men, with a female born today expected to live 85.1 years and a male 81.1 years.

An Australian celebrating their 60th birthday today can expect to live longer - another 24.2 years for a male and 27.1 years for a female. Those numbers reflect having survived the first several decades of life.

ABS head of demography Beidar Cho said the overall drop in life expectancy was due to COVID-19 deaths spiking at 15,982, a rise of 4,100 from 2020 to 2022.

Australia's death rate increased in 2021 but was still lower than before the pandemic.

In 2022, the number of deaths jumped by almost 20,000, almost half of those attributed to COVID-19.

Last year, the number of COVID-19 deaths almost halved to 5,001.

The pandemic-era decline followed decades of Australians living longer.

"Despite this decrease, Australians still have a higher life expectancy than many comparable countries, like New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, and Canada," Ms Cho said.

The latest comparable data from overseas showed only Japanese (84.1 years), Swiss (83.7 years) and Koreans (83.6 years) lived longer than Australians, who shared the same life expectancy as Spaniards (83.2).

Sweden, Luxembourg, Israel, Italy and Ireland rounded out the top 10.

Within Australia, the ABS found life expectancy at birth was generally higher in capital cities than in remote areas.

Suburbs in Sydney boasted the highest expectancy, with males living in Baulkham Hills and Hawkesbury expected to reach 85.5 years, and females in North Sydney and Hornsby 88.2 years.

The lowest expected ages for both males and females were in outback Northern Territory (71.9 years and 75.5 years respectively).

By state or territory, the Australian Capital Territory had the highest life expectancy for both males (81.7 years) and females (85.7 years) — sharing the latter with Western Australia.

While the whole of the Northern Territory also had the lowest expectancy for both men (76.4 years) and women (80.4 years), it showed the largest rise for both over the decade to 2023 (1.5 years and 1.2 years).

The Northern Territory was the only state or territory where male life expectancy increased between 2021 and 2023 (0.2 years).

#australia #mask up #covid #pandemic #public health #wear a mask #covid 19 #wear a respirator #still coviding #coronavirus #sars cov 2 #life expectancy

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krittikasurya · 6 months ago

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Some thoughts on Krittka Nakshatra (originally posted on substack and twitter)

Krittika at its best really understands how to both simultaneously enjoy and appreciate things while also being able to give critical commentary and feedback, and I think a lot of people have a hard time wrapping their heads around this level of multifaceted behavior. In a world where black-and-white, all-or-nothing thinking is common and encouraged, people often forget that two things can be true at once. Krittika natives have the creativity and flexibility to understand and implement this “two truths at once” concept into their everyday lives. People think Krittika natives are being insolent or abrasive when the native is just simply speaking on what they’ve learned, gathered, observed and experienced and being straightforward about it…taking the data they’ve accumulated and turning it into something that’s easy to digest. Absolute truths rarely exist, and Krittika exposes the complexities we experience on both a collective and individual level.

Krittika’s goal isn’t to trash things necessarily. I think the goal Krittika natives have is to help themselves and others see things in a different, profound way. Offering refreshing perspectives on many different aspects of life is something the natives take pride in. The Martian influence of the Aries portion of the nakshatra makes one very analytical and strategic. Observing and learning through action and expeirnce, the Aries side of this nakshatra knows how to take things back to the drawing board. They understand that trial and error are some of the best teachers, and that there is always room for change. The Venusian influence of the Taurus portion gives the native discernment and good taste. The discriminatory nature of Venus leaves little to no room for indifference, especially when it comes to connections, arts, and culture. Venus appreciates excellence, and Krittika will accept nothing less. Krittika serves as the bridge between the sun’s (Identity) and the moon’s (Mind) exaltation points, giving both signs vast intelligence that manifests slightly different, but one thing remains the same: The sharp, quick witted nature of the nakshatra that seeks improvement within themsleves and the world around them. In today’s society, echo chambers are growing increasingly common, creating less nuance and mental flexibility, and more groupthink. From arts to politics, the effects of all-or-nothing thinking seems almost inescapable. Mediocrity is the acceptable normal, and Krittika is on a mission to change that.

When not channeled appropriately, Krittika natives can be high strung individuals, hypercritical of both themselves and others while forgetting to appreciate the beauty of life, and the beauty within themsleves. Some constantly feel the need to “shake the table” or say what they believe others are afraid to say, not fully realizing the implications of making ego driven “critiques.” Some “critiques” can be so ego driven, that they are dowright incorrect, mean or hateful in nature. They can be prone to tunnel vision and extreme anger, especially when they feel like their way is the only way. Krittikas can be demanding, exhibiting dictator-like control over their communities which can lead to a “walking on eggshells” feeling for the people around the native. It is imperative that Krittikas don’t lose sight on what’s important: not crossing the thin line between enlightening analysis, and downright negativity.

Krittika natives experience a lot of pleasure from giving critique as well, because they believe that there’s something really cool about being able to get others to think in ways they may not have before, and introduce various perspectives on any given subject. Krittika’s shakti (power) is to purify or burn away impurities, and sharing thier critical thoughts and assessments is one of the best ways to do it in today’s world. If we as a collective are going to consume things, Krittikas believe we can and should evaluate and question what we consume. Things should be questioned more. “Impurities” should be pointed out. The status quo should be challenged in all aspects of life.

Krittika isn’t scared to point out things that are flawed and it infuriates some individuals that Krittika natives don’t just sit and “go with the flow” all the time. Krittika has a burning lust for awareness of the world we live in. Krittika knows that sometimes there will be conflict, they’ll ruffle a few feathers and invoke certain emotions that make others feel uncomfortable, but when done tactfully that has the power to change the world (however big or small you consider your world to be).

#krittika nakshatra #krittika #vedic astrology #vedic astro observations

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andmaybegayer · 9 months ago

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Since January 2021, all new cars and small vans that can run on liquid fuels have to be equipped with approved on-board fuel consumption monitoring (OBFCM) devices before they can be placed on the EU market. These devices record the vehicles’ fuel or energy consumption and the total distance driven.

The first data from a sample of 600 000 cars indicates that the real-world fuel consumption and CO2 emissions from diesel and petrol vehicles on the road are around 20% higher than indicated by the official values from the standardised WLTP type-approval test used for regulatory purposes. This discrepancy is in line with what the Commission had anticipated. For plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, the real-world CO2 emissions were on average 3.5 times higher than the laboratory values, which confirms that these vehicles are currently not realising their potential, largely because they are not being charged and driven fully electrically as frequently as assumed.

man that sucks. I would have assumed that especially in Europe PHEV would be really popular to charge at home since fuel costs are so high but if you're just using it as a conventional hybrid it's even worse because you're lugging around a bigger battery with a smaller engine. I wonder how much of that is poor understanding of how PHEV works and how much is difficulty accessing charging infrastructure. I guess if you're able to run on petrol you might just not change your normal habits as easily as with pure electrics.

The WLTP value being off by 20% for pure IC cars isn't that unusual, everyone knows that spec sheet fuel consumption is optimistic.

Some tables from the report itself, linked below the article

Dataset sampled

Representativeness

Total emissions and economy values being realized by vehicles in the dataset

#cars #climate change

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dragon-in-a-fez · 7 months ago

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Hi again dragon-in-a-fez! I have a question. I'm taking a course on childhood abuse and trauma at my college, and it's been a little tense but peaceful. My professor (has a child/developmental psychology PhD) has mentioned that the majority of parents do NOT abuse children, although child abuse is not rare. I did share with him studies of how violent discipline is still common around the world*, and we both agree spanking is obviously abuse. But he still says no, the majority of parents are not abusive, and I can't make general statements.

Today we had a class about sexual abuse and we discussed a little on how we could possibly know or decide what is abuse. We both mentioned if the kid feels discomfort or pain as one criterion, as is the case with spanking. And by that standard also, he mentioned if a parent is giving a child a shower/wiping their butt after pooping, the parent is not abusive if they have to touch the child's genitals but get no sexual pleasure out of it, and the child doesn't feel bad. But then he mentioned how there are things we make kids do that he says are not abusive, like having them do homework or go to bedtime. He then went from there when i asked him about making a child hug/kiss a parent/relative. He said that's totally different from sexual abuse since parents are resoonsible for teaching children socially acceptable behavior and norms. We also mentioned how sexual abuse is defined when it's deemed "inappropriate" (with the implication being that is what society and social norms say).

But i have some problems with my professor's takes, although i admit he knows 100x more than i do. Im just a student. First of all, since when did social norms ever dictate right from wrong? "Socially appropriate" doesn't rqual right, "socially inappropriate" doesn't equal wrong. Second, social norms and the very idea of what is "socially approproate/inappripriate" can be easily weaponized against chilldren. After all, parents/adult control society and are the ones dictating social norms in the first place. For example, like i just said, its still socially appropriate to make kids hug/kiss against their will, as well as to spank them. Its seen as socially inappropriate and bad manners for kids to refuse hugs/kisses. Its socially inappropriate for kids to say fuck or shit, but its socially appropriate to slap or spank kids who say fuck/shit or for any other perceived offense, or make them ingest soap. Its seen as socially inappropriate/impolite to talk about sex, especially with children. Even tho that knowledge could very well save children from abuse.

But anyways, Im no expert, though im still a lil skeptical of what my professor has said. How would you respond, as a professor in children's studies? I look forward to your take on this, and I trust your expertise. Do you think you can cite studies/reports too? I think my professor would be happy to look more into what I've been saying. Thanks for listening!

/*https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/137/3/e20154079/81439/Global-Prevalence-of-Past-year-Violence-Against?autologincheck=redirected

http://globalreport.knowviolenceinchildhood.org/global-report/time-end-violence-childhood/

well, for starters, the last time I saw a survey of parents that asked if they'd ever hit their children, 58% said yes (this was in the UK - it's higher in the US but admittedly my knowledge there is based on older data). so you can't simultaneously acknowledge that hitting children is abuse and believe the majority of parents aren't abusive. like, that's just math. that's one where you can probably find data pretty easily.

the rest of it isn't going to be so data-driven. let me take a step back and explain what I mean.

one of the things I encourage my students to do is challenge how we decide what is child abuse and what isn't. historically, that determination has been made based on a question of whether something will harm development or lead to worse outcomes for a hypothetical future adult. (this goes back to the earliest child protection laws, which were framed as religious duties not to endanger the child's immortal soul.) this is still the way child abuse is often operationalised, as a question of "this thing is abusive if it will make the kid a worse adult in some measurable way".

to me it's obvious that that's bonkers. what we should be doing is defining child abuse the way we define other forms of abuse: as improper treatment of a person, in relation to that person's human rights to dignity, safety, and self-ownership.

I think your professor is probably stuck in that former mindset, and their logic is going something like: we don't have objective evidence that making kids hug people causes lasting harm into adulthood, and culturally we believe it does make kids grow up into adults who can connect with others, so the net impact on development is positive, so it's not abuse.

when someone has that mindset about spanking, it's (comparatively) easy to push back on, because all you need to do is point to decades of strong research evidence that spanking is developmentally harmful. so it's theoretically possible to get them to understand that it's abusive without actually needing to challenge their overall mental framework of abuse.

for something like consent to affection, the counterargument is more difficult. it needs to start with: you have to rethink how you're making your determinations about abuse. you have to see abuse not in terms of developmental harm, but in terms of denial of personhood. for someone who's been mired in a developmentalist view of childhood for a long career, that can be really difficult. I don't know that I have any specific advice - except to remain steadfast in your person-centred framework of how we should treat each other, and understand that you're not wrong and you're not alone.

#cw child abuse

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youareprobablywrong · 8 months ago

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Is the Gaza Ministry of Health Lying about Casualty Data?

No. There is no evidence to suggest that this is the case. Arguably, the real time reporting on the ground would indicate that the data is likely very accurate, if not still underreported. The MoH (Ministry of Health) has been verified in previous conflicts has having been accurately reported. This verification has been done by independent parties, but most specifically Israel and the United States.

What would be some red flags for faked data?

Some noticeable trends would be:

Absence of statistical outliers

Near uniformity in reporting

Increases/decreases that do not make sense given contexts

First and second order digit comparisons

Why would MoH or anyone lie about casualty data?

Those who have attempted to cast doubt on Gaza's reporting have done so to delegitimize their entire system. They allege that Gaza's Ministry of Health has in their best interest (for the sake of propaganda and to sway the world) to fabricate through casualty reporting the severity of the destruction so as to paint Israel as the aggressor.

While the motive is surely true, the data at present does not support the idea that this is what the MoH is doing.

What is true is that the quality of data being reported has decreased over time. This is in part driven by the near total collapse of the health system in Gaza. It is the health system (actual doctors and nurses) that is responsible for reporting deaths. Their method for reporting is consistent with other countries (like Israel, United States, EU, etc.) in which they have a name, and a personal identification number (Palestine's version of a social security number). This information is verifiable.

There is also satellite imagery that validates the level of physical destruction. This objective means of assessing the spread of damage would, for reasonable people, give the impression that there would be significant numbers of dead and injured.

As of today, that number stands at more than 110,000 casualties (34,000+ dead and 76,900+ injured).

The facts are that the average daily number of people killed and injured has decreased significantly over time. This is while also seeing a higher ratio of killed over injured which suggests that the IDF is using better intelligence and better ordinance to strike legitimate targets. To be fair, two months of carpet bombing that occurred from the outset has left the IDF with no other choice as doing this also diminished Israel's capacity to perpetually monitor every single person within the Gaza Strip.

So, if you hear someone alleging that the Gaza Ministry of Health is fabricating their casualty numbers, kindly tell that person to fuck off. This is simply a rhetorical device that is meant to divest the people of Gaza of any legitimacy, indeed their humanity.

If, as the news has been reporting for several weeks now, Israel executes a ground assault into Rafah, we should expect to see casualty numbers increase with significant spikes, followed by precipitous decreases.

#politics #israel #gaza #genocide #palestine #hamas #israel palestine conflict #gaza ministry of health #ministry of health #data #faking data

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umlewis · 14 days ago

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The Real Deal

Silverstone, 11 June 2006. With England in the grip of World Cup fever, the crowd for the British Grand Prix is expected to be down on recent years. There is little likelihood of any home success in the main event. Still, the stands and spectator banks are starting to fill up slowly as the GP2 race starts at 9 AM. Lewis Hamilton has started down in eighth place, but he is working his way through the field with characteristic aggressive driving. He is soon closing on the squabble for second place. Brazil's Nelson Piquet, Jr. and the Monegasque driver Clivio Piccione go through Copse side by side at around 140 mph, but, as they accelerate out of the corner, they are suddenly three wide as Hamilton draws alongside. Into the five sweeping bends that make up the daunting Becketts complex they go, with Piquet on the inside. Hamilton carries huge momentum around the outside of the first left-hander to claim the racing line and second place as the road goes right then left again; Piquet drives straight through a temporary advertising hoarding. The cheers from the crowd are by far the loudest of the weekend as the young driver, then known only to hardcore petrolheads, picks off the leader and cruises to victory. Unknown he no longer is: 'Lewis Hamilton + Silverstone' is now one of the most popular searches on YouTube. Had Britain's latest sporting hero-in-waiting heard the excitement of the crowd? "I didn't, no," he said afterwards. "It all went silent at that point because we were so close, and I don't know if my body was preparing for something. You know when, if you're going to crash, your body gets ready to protect itself? I felt my body and the adrenaline all building up ready for something, and when I came out it all relaxed, kind of saying, "Phew, thank God for that.'" "I'm working my arse off," he continued, "not only to do the best job possible, but also to get that seat at McLaren. I really want that. It's an opportunity not many people get. If I can get that seat then I think - and I feel very confident - that I can make best use of it.'

A little under a year later, Hamilton not only has that seat at McLaren but, when we meet soon after his second place in the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, he is leading the Formula One drivers' championship. Today, however, he is back doing the unseen graft of testing. Along with the other 10 teams that contest the world championship, McLaren have moved on from Barcelona to the Paul Ricard circuit near Marseille in the south of France. The former home of the French Grand Prix is now simply a test track, albeit about the most sophisticated in the world - as you would expect from a facility owned by Bernie Ecclestone, the billionaire ringmaster of Formula One. Everything is of the highest standard and, just as the proprietor would like, the team vehicles are lined up so precisely they would do justice to the contents of David Beckham's fridge.

At the back of a grey McLaren bus, sheltered from the warm Mistral wind, sits Lewis Hamilton. It is 12 hours since testing began and he has driven 98 laps, posted the fastest time by more than a second and been through a two-and-a-half-hour debrief with his engineers. For a short while he is alone, staring at a computer screen with a diagram of the circuit and a screed of data on it. Not all his work is at 190mph and in front of 140,000 people.

After the excitement of a grand prix, testing must seem like a chore. Does it make him a better racer?

'I don't think so,' he says, preparing to close the laptop. 'You get that crafting from karting, the wheel-to-wheel racing you have there.' Karting is where most successful racing drivers first turn a wheel in anger; the competition is ferocious.

'The more racing you do the more you learn,' Hamilton continues. 'I'm a racer naturally, so that's why I believe I'm good in the races. In the race it's all about consistency, and to get consistency you need to learn about the car and that comes from testing. But the test is mainly to build your awareness of what is around you, that you are understanding the car and to fine tune the car and yourself. Sometimes I don't make any changes to the car and I find half a second in myself. Some people find it really difficult, like the engineers, they say, "What can we do?" and I say, "Don't do anything. I quite like the car as it is, I just need to improve myself."'

Hamilton is seeking to improve skills that have seen him make a record-breaking start to his F1 career. He finished third in his first race, the Australian Grand Prix, then second in Malaysia and Bahrain - a record run on the podium for a rookie, which he extended in Spain to become the youngest driver to lead the world championship.

At last Sunday's Monaco Grand Prix, Hamilton finished second yet again, this time behind his McLaren team-mate, double world champion Fernando Alonso. But there were signs of frustration from the young Englishman at a victory missed, as he slipped to second in the title race. Hamilton was called in for his first pit stop earlier than he expected, just as he was preparing to put in some really quick laps to extend his advantage over Alonso, who had already stopped.

'I was actually quite surprised because I was fuelled to do five laps, maybe six laps, longer than Fernando and they stopped me with three laps to go,' Hamilton said after the race. 'There wasn't much time to pull out a gap or improve my time; I wasn't really given much time for it. I came in two or three laps after him [Alonso]. That was unfortunate, but that's the way it goes. I've got number two on my car, I am the number two driver, it is something I have to live with.'

McLaren's team principal, Ron Dennis, rebutted allegations of team orders and race manipulation, strictly against F1 rules since 2002 when Ferrari instructed Rubens Barrichello to allow Michael Schumacher past to win the Austrian Grand Prix. 'We are scrupulously fair at all times in how we run this grand prix team,' he said. 'We will never favour one driver, no matter who it is. We don't have team orders, we had a strategy to win this race. There will be places where they will be absolutely free to race, but this isn't one of them.'

That last line attracted the attention of the FIA, the sport's governing body, who started investigating 'incidents' concerning the McLaren team during the race.

Since his debut in Melbourne on 18 March, Hamilton has transformed the popularity of grand-prix racing, not least because he is young, British, good looking and thrillingly fast. He is also mixed race in a sport that is overwhelmingly white; inevitably, he has been compared with Tiger Woods. 'I've never seen a rookie as good as him,' says Damon Hill. 'Nobody has. He's coped with everything he's faced. He's been superb.'

Triple world champion Sir Jackie Stewart is equally impressed. 'I think Lewis is going to rewrite the book,' he said recently. 'We'll see a new generation of what I call properly prepared, professional racing drivers. I'm talking about fully rounded; [Michael] Schumacher became that, but even Schumacher wasn't as good as he should have been, not in terms of the driving but the total package. I believe Lewis will create the benchmark for a whole generation of drivers. Niki Lauda and James Hunt changed the culture of racing drivers, but they weren't role models. They said nothing, didn't give a damn. Lewis Hamilton can become a role model.'

Even the unflappable Bernie Ecclestone is excited by Hamilton. 'He's got a lot of talent,' he says. 'The guy's a winner. It became clear pretty quickly that he will win a grand prix some time - sooner rather than later. He'll win the championship - but I don't think this year. It would be asking a bit much and be a lot of pressure to expect that. It would be fantastic if he did, but I don't think we should talk about that at this stage.'

It is impossible when meeting Hamilton not <to be impressed or struck by just how young and fresh-faced he is, even when dressed up in McLaren T-shirt and jacket. He is courteous, intelligent, engaged and never loses eye contact, even if you sense that, as we talk, he would rather be getting on with some hardcore data analysis. He speaks of his time on the practice circuit with relish. 'It is quite satisfying when you go out and you know that you needed to brake 10 metres later … building up the courage to brake those 10 metres later, not lock up the tyres, and really pull it off. Sometimes you go into a corner and you think, "I'm not going to make it," but you say, "OK, we're going to do it." And you do it and you think, "Shoot, what was the big fuss in the first place," but you think about the advantage you've gained when you exit the corner - you're like, "Yeah, that was good." It's an amazing feeling.'

A grand-prix team can take more than 100 personnel to a race and that doesn't include the test team who work away from the public gaze. Hamilton is eager to acknowledge that there are others who contribute to his success. 'Sometimes you don't even notice the changes the engineer has made,' he says. 'My engineer is so smart and he understands what I say and the way I communicate - that's a great feeling. When someone understands what you're talking about and is able to translate that into your car, it runs better.'

Hamilton has been supported by McLaren since Ron Dennis recruited him into the team's driver development programme as a 13-year-old in 1998. The team contributed as much as £5m to his career, and offered technical support and advice as he worked his way up to the junior formulas. He graduated to racing cars in 2001 and has won the championship in every series he has driven. The step to F1 was a natural progression and everything was done - including keeping him distant from the media - to ensure that Hamilton was as prepared as possible. He has appeared at the obligatory press conferences, but has never before done an interview.

'I am amazed and proud to be here,' he says now, 'and I'm learning all the time. As soon as I signed for the team they sent a steering wheel round to my house so I could learn all the controls and the sequences for the start. I just kept it in my lap. When I got to the first race, I wasn't nervous about the start because I knew everything.'

McLaren made sure Hamilton was physically prepared and it is hard to imagine anyone looking fitter. Countless trips to the gym ensured that he would develop the strength and stamina to cope with the rigours of racing an F1 car for up to two hours in extreme heat.

'It was extremely exciting to do all the training,' Hamilton says. 'There was a point where we were doing all the same things over and over again, but then we started changing things and it became exciting again. You wouldn't believe what it's like in the car, the forces that are on you. I finish every race with a black …' - he pauses, half smiles and then continues - ' …a darker line down my side where I've been pushed against the seat. But the race is the most exciting part, the first corner, the first pit stop. I am just going to get stronger and stronger. I'm not yet at my best.'

Hamilton, who was born on 7 January 1985 in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, has been immersed in motor racing since the age of eight. His parents, Carmen and Anthony, separated when he was two, and he lived with his mother until he was 10, before moving in with his father and stepmother Linda. A day out with his dad to Rye House kart track, a few miles south of Stevenage, changed the path of his life. He had already been karting and proved to be a natural, soon lapping his father, but now he decided that racing was what he wanted to do. A deal was struck between father and son: if Lewis worked hard at school, Anthony would support his son's karting.

Anthony was working as an IT manager as Lewis began making a name for himself on the kart circuit. Taking time off became a problem as his son's racing and testing took him all over the country and overseas. Eventually Anthony took redundancy so he could spend more time at the track. He did contract work and was sometimes doing two or three jobs at a time, including putting up estate agents' signs. In time, he set up his own computer company, which now employs 25 people, but his main role in life is working as his son's manager on a daily basis.

This article is more than 17 years old The real deal This article is more than 17 years old Oliver Owen Sat 2 Jun 2007 19.08 EDT

He is soon closing on the squabble for second place. Brazil's Nelson Piquet Junior and the Monegasque driver Clivio Piccione go through Copse side by side at around 140mph, but, as they accelerate out of the corner, they are suddenly three wide as Hamilton draws alongside. Into the five sweeping bends that make up the daunting Becketts complex they go, with Piquet on the inside. Hamilton carries huge momentum around the outside of the first left-hander to claim the racing line and second place as the road goes right then left again; Piquet drives straight through a temporary advertising hoarding. The cheers from the crowd are by far the loudest of the weekend as the young driver, then known only to hardcore petrolheads, picks off the leader and cruises to victory. Unknown he no longer is: 'Lewis Hamilton + Silverstone' is now one of the most popular searches on YouTube.

Had Britain's latest sporting hero-in-waiting heard the excitement of the crowd?

'I didn't, no,' he said afterwards. 'It all went silent at that point because we were so close, and I don't know if my body was preparing for something. You know when, if you're going to crash, your body gets ready to protect itself? I felt my body and the adrenaline all building up ready for something, and when I came out it all relaxed, kind of saying, "Phew, thank God for that".

'I'm working my arse off,' he continued, 'not only to do the best job possible, but also to get that seat at McLaren. I really want that. It's an opportunity not many people get. If I can get that seat then I think - and I feel very confident - that I can make best use of it.'

After the excitement of a grand prix, testing must seem like a chore. Does it make him a better racer?

That last line attracted the attention of the FIA, the sport's governing body, who started investigating 'incidents' concerning the McLaren team during the race.

'If I didn't love it, I'm sure I wouldn't be as good as I am today because I'd have put half the effort in and just have done the races,' Lewis says, recalling the time he spent testing in his early karting days. 'I think you find drivers who just rely on their racing ability and don't do the hard yards. When you're young you don't really understand that philosophy: work hard and see the result. You think, "I can't be bothered to work hard now," and when you get there you struggle and complain. But if you really put the effort in you see the result. Even if you don't do well you know you've done the work, so next time you can improve on it.'

As soon as Hamilton started competing, the results were spectacular. Adam Jones, a journalist and ex-racer who now runs 100ccPR, an agency that deals in public relations for kart racers, remembers meeting Hamilton in 1994. 'Martin Howell, who owned the Playscape indoor kart track in Clapham, introduced us. He said, "Adam, this is Lewis - he's going to be a Formula One world champion." I shook his hand and said, "You're going to be a grand-prix champion, eh?" and Lewis looked at me and said, "Yes, I am." I thought, "Yeah, right." What struck me wasn't Lewis's steely determination but Martin's tone. He wasn't patronising Lewis or me; he meant what he said. Every magazine or newspaper article about Lewis mentions his karting background, but what they fail to say is just how good he was back in those days. Lewis hasn't just suddenly arrived; he's been around a long time.'

Michael Eboda is editor of the New Nation, the newspaper aimed at Britain's black community. He recalls arriving at Buckmore Park kart track in Kent to interview Hamilton and his father for The Observer in 1997. 'I got there and asked someone where I could find Lewis Hamilton. They said, "He's the only black kid here and he'll be about three laps ahead of everyone else." He was.' Eboda remembers the 12-year-old Hamilton as being polite and assured as they chatted in the back of a beaten-up old Peugeot hire car. He didn't want his father with him as they talked, but Eboda was more than a little surprised by the answer when he asked how Hamilton drives a kart so fast. 'I don't know why I'm so quick,' Lewis had said. 'When I come to a corner the answer just comes. I take what the answer says and it makes me take it as quickly as possible.'

He has always gone as quickly as possible. Kieran Crawley is boss of M-Sport, one of Britain's leading kart teams, and worked with the Hamiltons as Lewis made his way up through the karting levels. He remembers a race in Belgium, when Lewis was competing in the Junior Intercontinental A class, that proved just how quick he could be. 'Lewis was always stalling the kart, but you were allowed to wait by the side of the track with an engine starter. As they rolled on to the grid I could see Lewis looking for me. I thought, "Oh no, he's stalled it." I got the starter into the side pod just as the lights went to green. Lewis went off from the back of the grid and was already half a lap down. He caught the pack and went through it to finish fourth. He was up against some very good drivers - including Robert Kubica, the Pole who is now an F1 driver for BMW - and beat them. In F1 we haven't seen him come from the back, but that's when he's at his most dangerous. When he makes mistakes, just watch him go. I want to see him make some mistakes - then you'll see just how good he is.'

Does Hamilton relish the thought of charging through from the back after a mistake? It must happen one day soon in F1, as it did in Istanbul last year, in GP2, when he spun and worked his way up from 16th to second.

'I rarely make mistakes in races,' he says. 'In Istanbul that was one of the few mistakes I've ever made.'

But surely it was worth it?

'It was,' he says, smiling. 'It was great, but I was struggling in the car. The rear end was not right. Straight after that [the spin] I somehow extracted a little bit more from the tyres and I had this boost and everything's right, the car was great and things need to be …'

Momentarily he is lost in the memory of that epic drive. 'Look at Kimi [Raikkonen] in Japan in 2005, when he came from the back. Everything was right, the car was fantastic and he got out of trouble when he did some of the most amazing moves you've ever seen. He was buzzing, he enjoyed it and he won. I love those experiences. I love coming from the back.'

Hamilton's physical gifts don't just belong behind the wheel of a racing car. He took up karate after he caught the eye of the school bully. By the age of 12, he was a black belt. He was also a more-than-useful footballer at John Henry Newman School in Stevenage and played in the same team there as Ashley Young, the England under-21 midfielder who joined Aston Villa from Watford in January for £9.65m. 'I was quicker than Ashley Young, stronger than him, so I had that with me. But he was very skilled and very neat and would dribble the ball round people very nicely. I was very powerful in the team, I was always a midfielder and in my team I was the fittest by far because of my racing and the training I did. I'd run up and down and up and down and if someone tackled me I'd get them back. I'd always get them back because I never gave up, whereas a lot of people would get tackled then just leave it for the next stage of the game. I'd never let that happen.'

Like all top sportsmen, Hamilton is hugely competitive, whether in a racing car or out ten-pin bowling with his mother. Do all the fun things in life involve keeping score?

'I think at a young age everything I did competitively I wanted to win, and I hated not being the best at any sport I did. When I competed against anyone I thought, "I've got to win." But I've got to a point now that I play golf and I lose, and I can deal with it. It's not a negative energy, I can control that energy.'

So does he let his mother win at bowling?

'I don't ever let anyone win if I'm honest,' he says. 'I should let my brother win at some things, but it's very hard for me to do that.'

He is referring to his half-brother, Nicholas, who is 15 and has cerebral palsy. The two are extremely close. 'I always wanted a brother and I remember when my parents [as he always refers to his father and step-mother] first told me they were going to have a boy, I was well excited. It's quite a cool feeling to watch someone grow up, to see the difficulties and troubles he's had, the experience he's had. To go through them with him and see how he pulls out of them. I think he's just an amazing lad and I really love to do things for him. This weekend we're going racing remote-control cars. We bought him a new one, then I bought one so we can race together. I've been a couple of times and I get hassled a little bit now, but I had my dad to take me and he doesn't have time, so when I do have time I love to just take my brother down to the track. He loves a challenge and he's got a lot steeper challenges.'

The future for Lewis Hamilton has limitless possibilities. He will win many grands prix and world championships, perhaps even more than the seven titles that Michael Schumacher won before he retired at the end of 2006. He will very soon be improbably wealthy, even if, for now, his salary is reported to be £500,000 a season (team-mate Fernando Alonso is rumoured to earn 20 times as much). Dominic Curran, a director of Karen Earl Sponsorship, believes Hamilton has the potential to earn hundreds of millions of pounds. 'He has arrived with about as big a bang as possible,' Curran says. 'He's got something different - he's the first black F1 driver - which opens up a whole new market for him. Plus, he has charisma and star quality, he's a good-looking guy who speaks well, which is attractive to sponsors. And he's clean-cut.'

What does Hamilton think of all this? How does he see himself in the future? 'I think when I'm done I'd just like to go back to living a normal life and have a family and no worries,' he says. 'Just enjoy doing things with my brother. There's a lot of experiences in life which I haven't had yet, and doing that with him and doing that with my friends and not having the worries, just enjoying. It's such an important thing.'

How does he account for being so calm and grounded?

'It comes from my parents, yeah, and being taught to appreciate things. I was like every kid, you know. You get in trouble … I liked living life on the edge but I was always taught to appreciate things and say "thank you". I got that from my dad but also from my mum. A lot of my personality comes from my mum. It's a real half and half.'

At McLaren there is nothing but praise for their record-breaking recruit. 'I could launch into a whole range of eulogies,' says Ron Dennis. 'You just need to look at the history of F1 to see how his debut compares. How could anyone expect a start like this? And it's not just what he does on the track but it's what he says and how he says it. You have the impression that here is a guy who will keep his feet on the ground. He has enough Brownie points to avoid criticism if something goes wrong - which it will. It's inevitable for any driver. But you have the feeling that Lewis will be able to cope with that too.'

The team's chief executive, Martin Whitmarsh, knows exactly just how good Hamilton is. 'Since I joined McLaren in 1989, I've worked with a lot of great drivers, including [Alain] Prost, [Ayrton] Senna, Mika Hakkinen and now Fernando Alonso. It's pretty clear that Lewis ticks all the necessary boxes. It's too early to analyse, but if the trend continues there is no reason why he could not become the greatest driver ever.'

Hamilton's influence is extending far beyond the insular world of F1. Michael Eboda, of New Nation, can already see the impact he is having on black Britons. 'He's incredibly popular and, for the want of a better expression, he's a fantastic role model, as is his dad. It sends out a message to people that that is the way to bring up a kid.'

McLaren are excessively protective of their new star, in a manner reminiscent of how Alex Ferguson once chaperoned the young Ryan Giggs at Manchester United. This interview took many months to negotiate, and there were many stipulations on what I could and could not ask Hamilton - such as about race and ethnicity or indeed whether he intended, like most F1 drivers, to become a tax exile. At the Spanish Grand Prix meeting last month Hamilton had mentioned that he might one day have to move to Switzerland for tax reasons, but his father quickly killed the story.

McLaren need not worry excessively, because Hamilton will not let the team down. He has not been fazed by what he has achieved so far in his career, let alone in F1, where he has placed the superstars, including his team-mate, the double world champion Fernando Alonso, under intense pressure. The Lewis Hamilton story is much nearer the beginning than the end and the world is still waking up to just what is possible.

Is this what worries McLaren then, that they fear their new superstar might start to feel and act like one?

Perhaps Hamilton should answer that for himself. 'I've never read about something I've said, because I know what I've said,' he says before we part. 'My parents might say, "There's a good piece in the paper, do you want to read it?", but I won't read it. It's a good way of keeping your feet on the ground because when you read stuff like that you think, "Wow, it's great," and you feel yourself floating. As I don't read the stuff about me, I don't feel like a superstar. I don't understand people who do have that mentality, "I'm a superstar!" It's just a job. It's a fantastic job, and people just perceive you for some reason as a superstar, but at the end of the day I'm just Lewis. I've always been Lewis, and it's important to me to stay like that because people will take me like that.'

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darkmaga-returns · 21 days ago

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Here is the link:

Aaron Siri REVEALS the Shocking Truth Behind Vaccine Trials – SF509

“Today I’m talking to Aaron Siri, the attorney taking on Big Pharma and exposing the cracks in vaccine mandates and public health regulation. From forcing the CDC to release hidden data to challenging mandates all the way to the Supreme Court, Aaron’s work uncovers how profit-driven motives and regulatory conflicts of interest shape the public health narrative.”

It’s not just the “show trials” for the experimental C19 modified mRNA injections – it’s almost EVERY vaccine on EVERY schedule in the US and around the world.

o-one is “anti-vaxx” in the same way that no-one s “anti-surgery” or “anti-bandage” or even “ant–antiseptic”!

But vaccines have been “authorised” using appalling scientific and medical methods – methods that are almost guaranteed to cause deaths and harms because the data submitted by big pharma is sloppy, slipshod and of really, really low quality.

For those who aren’t in the know about the toxic vaccines approved by eh FDA and CDC – especially parents – this video is a “must see”.

Do not be taken in by the label “anti-vaxx” – that is a marketing term designed to deflect and distract from the toxicity of improperly authorised “vaccines”.

Be “Pro-health”.

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monarch-afterdark · 9 months ago

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Titan History: Kong

Welcome once again to Monarch: After Dark, the digital gateway between you and the organisation dedicated to understanding and navigating this troubled new world we live in.

Apologies for the lack of communication in recent weeks, Monarch has been hard at work collecting data and collaborating with global governments through the most recent Titan crisis, including the disposal of deceased Titan remains and the best course of action to take with Godzilla in his new resting place.

That said, today's communication will be going over a Titan who has been surging in popularity across the globe over the past few years; the undisputed king of the Hollow Earth, Kong.

(Pictured above: Kong approaching an Apex Cybernetics research facility on Skull Island, circa. 2017)

Monarch Database File: Kong

Monarch Designation: Titanus Kong

Height: 337 feet

Weight: Unknown

Nature: Unknown

Behavioural Classification: Protector

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Until recently, Kong was believed to be the last of his kind. Born during a climactic final battle between his parents and a horde of Skullcrawlers (ravenous amphibian predators on Skull Island), Kong grew up in an isolated world filled with danger at every angle. Growing up to become the guardian deity of Skull Island, Kong was held in great reverence by the native Iwi tribe that lived on the island. His species, designated Apus giganticus, were also known protectors of the Iwi, fighting off the Skullcrawlers and other threats until their last breath.

During his centuries on the island, Kong fought a variety of creatures, from the Mire Squad and Sirenjaws to other Titans such as the mysterious Kraken or night-bringer Camazotz. However, in 2021, a storm generated by Monster Zero fused with the perpetual storm surrounding Skull Island and plunged it into chaos. Three years later, in 2024, Kong was removed from the island as the key to a daring plan to uncover a Hollow Earth energy source to stop Godzilla. The two alpha Titans clashed twice before setting aside their differences to take down Apex Cybernetics' rogue superweapon, Mechagodzilla.

Currently, Kong now resides in the Hollow Earth alongside a newly-freed tribe of his speices, an orange ape-like Titan which he seems to have adopted as a son, and the ancient ice Titan Shimo.

(Pictured above: Monarch officials reviewing recovered footage of Kong from the doomed 1973 expedition to Skull Island, circa. 2019)

While Kong's exact origins are unknown, research conducted within the Iwi settlement appears to place his birth somewhere in the 17th Century, making him perhaps the youngest Titan on record. However, his entangled history with Monarch began much later, in 1973.

In a time where Monarch was on its last legs and facing the possibility of being shut down, founding figure William Randa and geological advisor Houston Brooks lobbied to piggyback on a Landsat expedition to Skull Island. With a military escort courtesy of the Sky Devils squadron, the team dropped seismic charges on the island to map the bedrock beneath the surface. Unknown to them at the time, their charges awakened the Skullcrawlers living in thermal vents beneath the island and incurred Kong's wrath.

Kong swiftly destroyed the Sky Devils' helicopters, leaving the survivors split into two groups. One, including Brooks, encountered the Iwi and stranded WW2 pilot Hank Marlow, where they learned about Kong and his history with the Skullcrawlers. A second, including Randa, embarked on a mission of revenge driven by Colonel Preston Packard.

(Pictured above: Kong battling the remnants of the Sky Devil squadron after being lured into a napalm trap, circa. 1973)

After being lured into a napalm trap by Packard, Kong was initially helpless to battle the recently awakened Skull Devil, the last of the adult Skullcrawlers that had a hand in wiping out his family centuries prior. Recovering quickly, the two beasts engaged in a brutal encounter. Following some assistance from the expedition survivors, Kong triumphed by tearing out the Skull Devil's innards, avenging his parents in the process.

His next major sighting occured in 1993, but without a Monarch presence on Skull Island at the time, this is pending investigation. According to witnesses, Kong did battle with a large underwater Titan (designated 'Kraken'), after being coaxed to the island's coast by Annie, a young girl stranded on the island for years with a strange dog-like beast as a companion. After exchanging many blows, Kong ultimately killed the Titan by tearing its body in half.

In 1995, Aaron Brooks (Houston's son) led an unauthorized expedition to Skull Island, as he felt unsatisfied with leaving protection against the Skullcrawlers to Kong alone. During their stay, mythographer Walter Riccio experienced vivid visions of Kong's origins, under the influence of an Iwi medicinal drink. When Riccio destroyed the wall to the Iwi village, Kong stepped in to vanquish the Mother Longlegs swarm that seized their chance and killed Riccio before communing with Aaron and the Iwi.

(Pictured above: Artistic rendition of Kong tearing the "Kraken" Titan in two, based off eyewitness testimony, circa. 1993)

In the following decades, Kong was largely left to his own devices as the island's guardian. Though Monarch teams briefly assisted him in 2015 with a crisis involving the unknown organisation Janos Biotech and the island's Snarehunter population, and Kong himself kept a horde of Skullcrawlers that attempted to leave the island in response to Monster Zero's 'alpha call' in 2019, no major events really transpired between 1995 and 2021.

In 2021, as mentioned previously, Skull Island was plunged into chaos when one of Monster Zero's residual storms merged with the storm system surrounding Skull Island. When darkness fell, the bat Titan Camazotz emerged and battled Kong for dominion over the island. Thanks to a daring pilot triggering a sonic boom to disorient Camazotz, Kong was able to prevail, though he was ultimately unable to save his home.

Three years later, and the artificial habitat Monarch built for Kong was unable to hold him much longer. He was reluctantly taken to the sea and transported to Antarctica's Outpost 32 (now rebuilt as a Hollow Earth station), though not without attracting Godzilla, who destroyed the naval fleet transporting him and almost drowned the ape. Following the acquisition of an axe left in the Hollow Earth by his ancestors, Kong and Godzilla clashed again in Hong Kong. While Godzilla prevailed through sheer power, Kong refused to submit to his rule.

(Pictured above: Kong leaping onto Godzilla's back from a building after staging an ambush, circa. 2024)

After being revived by an exploding H.E.A.V, Kong jumped in to stop Mechagodzilla from executing his organic counterpart. Setting aside their differences, the two Titans teamed up to take down the mecha. A blast from Godzilla's atomic breath charged up Kong's axe, and he was able to deal the finishing blow by hacking Mechagodzilla to pieces and holding its severed head in triumph. The two Titans regarded each other one more time before parting ways.

Which brings us to the present. While much of what transpired is still being compiled to our databanks, it is known that Kong returned to the surface on three different occassions. The first was to have an infected tooth removed at a Monarch facility, the second was in Egypt to coerce Godzilla into assisting him, and the third was a two-on-two battle in Brazil between Kong and Godzilla, and Shimo and the "Skar King", evil ruler of the Kong tribe in Hollow Earth.

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And there you go! An up-to-date account of Kong's history in the modern world, intertwined with Monarch from the 1970's. Currently, Kong is enjoying life down in the Hollow Earth, and as the world should do, this is where we leave Kong's story be, until the world needs him again.

Until next time,

Monarch: After Dark

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