#James Scott sustainable agriculture

[envirotechaccelerator]

Vertical Farming: Feeding the World with Less Land and Lower Emissions

by Envirotech Accelerator

The burgeoning global population, coupled with diminishing arable land and increasing concerns about climate change, propels the need for innovative food production techniques. Vertical farming, a cutting-edge approach to agriculture, utilizes multi-level indoor facilities, enabling the cultivation of crops in urban areas with high efficiency and minimal environmental impact.

James Scott, founder of the Envirotech Accelerator, insightfully remarked, “The future of agriculture lies not in expanding outward, but rather in growing upward — harnessing technology to nourish our planet while preserving its precious resources.”

Controlled environments — a hallmark of vertical farming — allow for the optimization of growing conditions such as light, temperature, and humidity (Despommier, 2009). Consequently, these factors lead to faster crop growth and higher yields per unit area compared to traditional farming methods (Kozai, 2018).

Furthermore, vertical farming is remarkably resource-efficient. The closed-loop systems in these farms recycle water and nutrients, significantly reducing water consumption (Kalantari et al., 2017). Additionally, since vertical farms are located in urban settings, transportation-related emissions can be minimized, as produce can be distributed locally.

Nevertheless, certain challenges persist. The initial investment required for establishing vertical farms is substantial, and the energy consumption of these facilities, primarily due to artificial lighting, is a major concern. Continued research and development in energy-efficient technologies, such as LED lighting and renewable energy sources, are crucial in addressing these issues (Kozai, 2018).

Despite these challenges, the potential of vertical farming in revolutionizing food production is immense. Its capacity to utilize limited space effectively, reduce resource consumption, and minimize emissions underscores the importance of embracing this novel approach in the quest for sustainable agriculture.

References:

Despommier, D. (2009). The Vertical Farm: Feeding the World in the 21st Century. Thomas Dunne Books.

Kalantari, F., Tahir, O. M., Jonsson, A., & Frostell, B. (2017). A review of vertical farming technology: A guide for implementation of building integrated agriculture in cities. Agriculture, 7(4), 33.

Kozai, T. (2018). Resource use efficiency of closed plant production systems with artificial light: Concept, estimation, and application to plant factory. In Proceedings of the International Symposium on Plant Production in Closed Ecosystems (pp. 17–30). International Society for Horticultural Science.

Read more at Envirotech Accelerator.

[dailyanarchistposts]

Question of the State

Appealing to Verso Books’s mainly Marxist audience, Vettese and Pendergrass sometimes exhibit a strange infatuation with central planning, going so far as to speak nostalgically of the Soviet Union’s Gosplan. I find these parts the least convincing, particularly in light of Gelderloos’s devastating critique of the state.

As Gelderloos argues, states throughout history have demonstrated ecocidal patterns in order to maintain control over their populations. First, Gelderloos refers to James Scott’s work on states imposing monocultural agriculture and forestry. Homogenous crops are easier to surveil and tax, and they keep populations relatively immobile. Second, he notes that states tend to impose dependence by seizing the commons from communities with the most stakes in and knowledge of local conditions. This often takes the form of deliberate environmental destruction, an act of “catching the fish by draining the pond,” such as when the U.S. government exterminated bison to take away a food source for Great Plains peoples. Even land grabs in the name of conservation have an ecologically destructive effect in the longer term, since states are far worse caretakers than commons-based communities directly invested in protecting their surroundings (19–20, 28).

Self-proclaimed socialist states, too, have a highly ecocidal record. The Soviet Union, aside from allowing the world’s worst nuclear power meltdown, plundered the countryside and implemented highly-polluting forms of industrialization. Hugo Chavez and Evo Morales encouraged extractivist policies detrimental to Indigenous peoples and ecosystems. China is the world’s top carbon polluter.

Even Cuba’s post-1988 ecological transition, praised by both books, should be credited to popular society rather than to Havana’s government. During this period, Cubans rapidly started organic and urban gardens, replaced car commutes with biking, and returned about a third of farmland to wilderness (Vettese and Pendergrass, 83). It was the horizontally-structured campesino-a-campesino movement, not central planning, that spread sustainable agroecological techniques, boosting both per-hectare and per-hour yields.[9] Gelderloos reports that Cuba’s transition “was decentralized in nature, and some who lived through that moment tell me the main thing the government did was to get out of the way and allow communities to self-organize” (135–6).

Still, as much as I share Gelderloos’s belief in making ourselves ungovernable, I do think our movements could use considerable practice in self-governance. It’s understandable that he rejects the desirability of a unified global plan (168), such as that of Vettese and Pendergrass, and considers heterogeneity and decentralization to be assets for movements. However, I can’t help but feel he’s understating the necessity for coordination and structure. While there’s plenty of discussion of cooperatives and communes, there’s little talk about how they’d confederate and achieve bioregional, continental, or even worldwide goals. It’s worrying that Gelderloos doesn’t seem to hold out hope for preventing a cataclysmic 2 degree Celsius temperature rise above pre-industrial levels (182), enough to lock in the “Hothouse Earth” trajectory leading to much higher temperatures.[10]

If we’re going to prevent such scenarios, a great deal of bottom-up planning and cooperation will be required. Syndicalism and social ecology barely appear in the book, but these theories provide detailed alternatives to statecraft. If we horizontalists don’t provide convincing theories of stateless planning, I worry that we’ll lose ground to eco-Leninists.

[ajkcollege]

The Dr. R.S. Lal Mohan Inaugural Endowment Seminar at Scott Christian College

Celebrating Legacy and Conservation

Introduction The Scott Alumni Association (SAA), in collaboration with the Department of Zoology & Research Centre at Scott Christian College (Autonomous), successfully hosted the Dr. R.S. Lal Mohan Inaugural Endowment Seminar on September 23, 2024, at 10 a.m. in the SAA Seminar Hall. The event brought together students, alumni, and environmental enthusiasts to honour the remarkable contributions of Dr. R.S. Lal Mohan, a pioneer in eco-awareness and conservation in Kanniyakumari District.

A Tribute to Dr. R.S. Lal Mohan

Dr. R.S. Lal Mohan (1937-2024) was fondly remembered as the "Father of Eco-Awareness" in Kanniyakumari District. An alumnus of Scott Christian College (1956-1960), Dr. Lal Mohan later pursued his postgraduate studies at Annamalai University, where he specialized in dolphin research. As Principal Scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), his ground-breaking work on river and marine dolphins expanded scientific understanding and led to the identification of a new fish species, Lalmohana Velutina.

Throughout his life, Dr. Lal Mohan advocated passionately for environmental protection. He led impactful campaigns against nuclear power projects in Koodankulam and the ICCT harbor at Enayam, tirelessly promoting sustainable resource management. His "Catch them Young" initiative aimed at instilling eco-consciousness in the youth of Kanniyakumari, inspiring future generations to safeguard their environment.

As an institution builder, Dr. Lal Mohan played vital roles in organizations like INTACH and the Conservation of Nature Trust (CNT). His relentless efforts to strengthen biodiversity and raise environmental awareness left a lasting impact on communities across Kanniyakumari District.

Endowment Seminar Highlights

The inaugural seminar featured prominent speakers, including Dr. S. Lazarus, Emeritus Scientist and Former Professor & Head of the Centre for Marine Studies, who delivered a compelling Endowment Lecture on "Artificial Reef." The event was inaugurated by Prof. Dr. Ajeet Kumar Lal Mohan, Vice Chancellor Convenor Committee Member of Bharathiar University, and Secretary of AJK Group of Institutions. Dr. D. Henry Raja, Principal in charge of Scott Christian College, presided over the seminar, and Dr. E. James R. Daniel, former principal and Secretary of the SAA, introduced the endowment and its significance.

Conclusion The Dr. R.S. Lal Mohan Inaugural Endowment Seminar was a fitting tribute to a man whose life’s work continues to inspire generations toward environmental stewardship. This event not only celebrated his legacy but also provided a platform for meaningful discussions on ecological conservation. Attendees left with renewed commitment to protect the environment, honoring Dr. Lal Mohan's lifelong mission to preserve the natural world for future generations

[brookston]

Holidays 11.17

Holidays

Athens Polytechnic Uprising Remembrance Day (Greece)

Bowler Hat Day

Cervical Cancer Elimination Day pf Action

Coping With Uncertainty Day

COVID-19 Anniversary Day

Creative Alienation Day

Danny Devito Day (New Jersey)

Day of the Volkswagen

Electric Greeting Card Day

Freedom and Democracy Day (Czech Republic, Slovakia)

Global Day of Action for Climate Justice

Heidi Day (US Football)

Here To Go Day

International Candidate Attorney Day

International Day for the Fight Against Lung Cancer

International Day of Simulation & Gaming

International ERG Day

International Students’ Day

John Peter Zenger Day

Life Day

Little Mermaid Day

Malabo Festival (Equatorial Guinea)

Martyrs’ Day (Orissa, India)

McHappy Day (Canada)

National Alex Scott Lawson Day

National Black Cat Day

National Cowboy Shit Day

National Epilepsy Day (India)

National Farm Joke Day

National Jaden Day

National Journalism Day (India)

National Reuben Day

National Testosterone Day

National Unfriend Day

National Yeti Day

Omega Psi Phi Day

Polytechneio (Greece)

Presidents Day (Marshall Islands)

Public Restroom Hand Dryer Appreciation Day

Revolution Day (Mexico)

Shogi Day (Japan)

Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) Awareness Day

Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day (Czech Republic, Slovakia)

Substitute Educators Day

Take A Hike Day

Tazaungdaing Holidays (Myanmar)

Tori No Ichi (Rooster Day #2; Japan)

Tuberous Pea Day (French Republic)

Utopia Memorial Day (Republic of Molossia)

Velvet Revolution Anniversary Day

World Day to Combat Prostate Cancer

World Peace Day

World Petroleum Day

World Prematurity Awareness Day

World Vasectomy Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Baklava Day

Homemade Bread Day

International Happy Gose Day

National Butter Day

3rd Friday in November

Children in Need Day (Ireland, UK) [Friday of 2nd Full Week]

International Stand Up to Bullying Day [3rd Friday] (Also 3rd Friday in Feb)

Music T-Shirt Day (Australia) [3rd Friday]

National Agriculture Day (Australia) [3rd Friday]

Substitute Educators Day [3rd Friday]

World Sustainable Toys Day [3rd Friday]

Independence Days

Blue Army (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Canterbury Province Day (New Zealand)

Cartagena Independence Day (Colombia)

New France (a.k.a. Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia; Declared; 1860) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Acisclus (Christian; Saint)

Aignan of Orleans (a.k.a. Anian or Agnan; Christian; Saint)

Al Dente Day (Pastafarian)

Bronzino (Artology)

Charles Lock Eastlake (Artology)

Dionysius, Archbishop of Alexandria (Christian; Saint)

Elizabeth of Hungary (Christian; Saint)

Gennadius of Constantinople (Greek Orthodox Church)

Gregory of Tours (Roman Catholic Church)

Gregory Thaumaturgus (Christian; Saint)

Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesareia (Orthodox Church)

Hilda of Whitby (Christian; Saint)

Holda’s Blot (Pagan)

Hugh of Lincoln (Church of England)

Smoke Somewhat Out Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Summer Squall (Muppetism)

William III (Positivist; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

All Dogs Go to Heaven (Animated Film; 1989)

Americana, by The Offspring (Album; 1998)

The American President (Film; 1995)

Another Thin Man (Film; 1939)

Apples and Oranges, by Pink Floyd (Song; 1067)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Film; 2023)

Bolt (Animated Film; 2008)

Breathless, by Kenny G (Album; 1992)

Buddy’s Adventures (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Casino Royale (US Film; 2006) [James Bond #21]

The Civil War: A Narrative, by Shelby Foote (History Book; 1963)

The Dognapper (Disney Cartoon; 1934)

Double Fantasy, by John Lennon (Album; 1980)

Drip-Along Daffy (WB MM Cartoon; 1951)

Duck Soup (Film; 1933)

1899 (TV Series; 2022)

Fireman Sam (Animated TV Series; 1987)

GoldenEye (US Film; 1995) [James Bond #17]

Happy Feet (Animated Film; 2006)

Harlem Nights (Film; 1989)

Heroes (Film; 1977)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Film; 2000)

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Film; 2023)

Justice League (Film; 2017)

Justice League: Secret Origins (WB Animated Film; 2001)

Land of Confusion, by Genesis (Song; 1986)

Let It Be …Naked, by The Beatles (Album; 2003)

The Little Mermaid (Animated Disney Film; 1989)

The National Lampoon Radio Hour (Radio Series; 1973)

A Nod Is As Good As A Wink … To A Blind Horse, by The Faces (Album; 1971)

The Punisher (Film; 2017)

The Queen (Film; 2006)

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (Animated Film; 2000)

The Saint Overboard, by Leslie Charteris (Novel; 1936) [Saint #17]

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Animated TV Series; 2023)

1776 (Film; 1972)

Spirit, by Jewel (Album; 1998)

Steel Magnolias (Film; 1989)

Tales of a Librarian, by Tori Amos (Compilation Album; 2003)

Teaser, by Tommy Colin (Album; 1975)

This American Life (Radio Series; 1995)

Who Let the Dogs Out, by Baha Men (Song; 2000)

Today’s Name Days

Florin, Gertrud, Hilda (Austria)

Alfej, Elizabeta, Igor, Zakej (Croatia)

Mahulena (Czech Republic)

Anianus (Denmark)

Egil, Egon, Einar, Einari, Eino, Heinar (Estonia)

Einari, Eino (Finland)

Élisabeth, Élise, Hilda (France)

Florin , Gertrud, Hilda, Walter (Germany)

Genadios (Greece)

Gergő, Hortenzia (Hungary)

Elisabetta, Gregorio (Italy)

Hugo, Uga, Ugis, Urdze (Latvia)

Benita, Getautas, Gilvilė, Viktorija (Lithuania)

Hauk, Hogne, Hugo (Norway)

Dionizy, Floryn, Grzegorz, Hugo, Hugon, Salome, Salomea, Sulibor, Zbysław (Poland)

Grigorie, Lazar, Zaharia (Romania)

Klaudia (Slovakia)

Gregorio, Hilda, Hugo, Isabel, Victoria (Spain)

Naemi, Naima (Sweden)

Annalisa, Annalise, Annelise, Hilda, Hildie, Hildy (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 321 of 2024; 44 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 46 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 18 of 28]

Chinese: Month 10 (Gui-Hai), Day 5 (Ji-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 4 Kislev 5784

Islamic: 4 Jumada I 1445

J Cal: 21 Mir; Sevenday [21 of 30]

Julian: 4 November 2023

Moon: 21%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 13 Frederic (12th Month) [William III]

Runic Half Month: Nyd (Necessity) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 55 of 89)

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 25 of 29)

[brookstonalmanac]

Holidays 11.17

Holidays

Athens Polytechnic Uprising Remembrance Day (Greece)

Bowler Hat Day

Cervical Cancer Elimination Day pf Action

Coping With Uncertainty Day

COVID-19 Anniversary Day

Creative Alienation Day

Danny Devito Day (New Jersey)

Day of the Volkswagen

Electric Greeting Card Day

Freedom and Democracy Day (Czech Republic, Slovakia)

Global Day of Action for Climate Justice

Heidi Day (US Football)

Here To Go Day

International Candidate Attorney Day

International Day for the Fight Against Lung Cancer

International Day of Simulation & Gaming

International ERG Day

International Students’ Day

John Peter Zenger Day

Life Day

Little Mermaid Day

Malabo Festival (Equatorial Guinea)

Martyrs’ Day (Orissa, India)

McHappy Day (Canada)

National Alex Scott Lawson Day

National Black Cat Day

National Cowboy Shit Day

National Epilepsy Day (India)

National Farm Joke Day

National Jaden Day

National Journalism Day (India)

National Reuben Day

National Testosterone Day

National Unfriend Day

National Yeti Day

Omega Psi Phi Day

Polytechneio (Greece)

Presidents Day (Marshall Islands)

Public Restroom Hand Dryer Appreciation Day

Revolution Day (Mexico)

Shogi Day (Japan)

Smith-Magenis Syndrome (SMS) Awareness Day

Struggle for Freedom and Democracy Day (Czech Republic, Slovakia)

Substitute Educators Day

Take A Hike Day

Tazaungdaing Holidays (Myanmar)

Tori No Ichi (Rooster Day #2; Japan)

Tuberous Pea Day (French Republic)

Utopia Memorial Day (Republic of Molossia)

Velvet Revolution Anniversary Day

World Day to Combat Prostate Cancer

World Peace Day

World Petroleum Day

World Prematurity Awareness Day

World Vasectomy Day

Food & Drink Celebrations

Baklava Day

Homemade Bread Day

International Happy Gose Day

National Butter Day

3rd Friday in November

Children in Need Day (Ireland, UK) [Friday of 2nd Full Week]

International Stand Up to Bullying Day [3rd Friday] (Also 3rd Friday in Feb)

Music T-Shirt Day (Australia) [3rd Friday]

National Agriculture Day (Australia) [3rd Friday]

Substitute Educators Day [3rd Friday]

World Sustainable Toys Day [3rd Friday]

Independence Days

Blue Army (Declared; 2017) [unrecognized]

Canterbury Province Day (New Zealand)

Cartagena Independence Day (Colombia)

New France (a.k.a. Kingdom of Araucanía and Patagonia; Declared; 1860) [unrecognized]

Feast Days

Acisclus (Christian; Saint)

Aignan of Orleans (a.k.a. Anian or Agnan; Christian; Saint)

Al Dente Day (Pastafarian)

Bronzino (Artology)

Charles Lock Eastlake (Artology)

Dionysius, Archbishop of Alexandria (Christian; Saint)

Elizabeth of Hungary (Christian; Saint)

Gennadius of Constantinople (Greek Orthodox Church)

Gregory of Tours (Roman Catholic Church)

Gregory Thaumaturgus (Christian; Saint)

Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesareia (Orthodox Church)

Hilda of Whitby (Christian; Saint)

Holda’s Blot (Pagan)

Hugh of Lincoln (Church of England)

Smoke Somewhat Out Day (Church of the SubGenius)

Summer Squall (Muppetism)

William III (Positivist; Saint)

Lucky & Unlucky Days

Tomobiki (友引 Japan) [Good luck all day, except at noon.]

Premieres

All Dogs Go to Heaven (Animated Film; 1989)

Americana, by The Offspring (Album; 1998)

The American President (Film; 1995)

Another Thin Man (Film; 1939)

Apples and Oranges, by Pink Floyd (Song; 1067)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Film; 2023)

Bolt (Animated Film; 2008)

Breathless, by Kenny G (Album; 1992)

Buddy’s Adventures (WB LT Cartoon; 1934)

Casino Royale (US Film; 2006) [James Bond #21]

The Civil War: A Narrative, by Shelby Foote (History Book; 1963)

The Dognapper (Disney Cartoon; 1934)

Double Fantasy, by John Lennon (Album; 1980)

Drip-Along Daffy (WB MM Cartoon; 1951)

Duck Soup (Film; 1933)

1899 (TV Series; 2022)

Fireman Sam (Animated TV Series; 1987)

GoldenEye (US Film; 1995) [James Bond #17]

Happy Feet (Animated Film; 2006)

Harlem Nights (Film; 1989)

Heroes (Film; 1977)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (Film; 2000)

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (Film; 2023)

Justice League (Film; 2017)

Justice League: Secret Origins (WB Animated Film; 2001)

Land of Confusion, by Genesis (Song; 1986)

Let It Be …Naked, by The Beatles (Album; 2003)

The Little Mermaid (Animated Disney Film; 1989)

The National Lampoon Radio Hour (Radio Series; 1973)

A Nod Is As Good As A Wink … To A Blind Horse, by The Faces (Album; 1971)

The Punisher (Film; 2017)

The Queen (Film; 2006)

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie (Animated Film; 2000)

The Saint Overboard, by Leslie Charteris (Novel; 1936) [Saint #17]

Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (Animated TV Series; 2023)

1776 (Film; 1972)

Spirit, by Jewel (Album; 1998)

Steel Magnolias (Film; 1989)

Tales of a Librarian, by Tori Amos (Compilation Album; 2003)

Teaser, by Tommy Colin (Album; 1975)

This American Life (Radio Series; 1995)

Who Let the Dogs Out, by Baha Men (Song; 2000)

Today’s Name Days

Florin, Gertrud, Hilda (Austria)

Alfej, Elizabeta, Igor, Zakej (Croatia)

Mahulena (Czech Republic)

Anianus (Denmark)

Egil, Egon, Einar, Einari, Eino, Heinar (Estonia)

Einari, Eino (Finland)

Élisabeth, Élise, Hilda (France)

Florin , Gertrud, Hilda, Walter (Germany)

Genadios (Greece)

Gergő, Hortenzia (Hungary)

Elisabetta, Gregorio (Italy)

Hugo, Uga, Ugis, Urdze (Latvia)

Benita, Getautas, Gilvilė, Viktorija (Lithuania)

Hauk, Hogne, Hugo (Norway)

Dionizy, Floryn, Grzegorz, Hugo, Hugon, Salome, Salomea, Sulibor, Zbysław (Poland)

Grigorie, Lazar, Zaharia (Romania)

Klaudia (Slovakia)

Gregorio, Hilda, Hugo, Isabel, Victoria (Spain)

Naemi, Naima (Sweden)

Annalisa, Annalise, Annelise, Hilda, Hildie, Hildy (USA)

Today is Also…

Day of Year: Day 321 of 2024; 44 days remaining in the year

ISO: Day 5 of week 46 of 2023

Celtic Tree Calendar: Ngetal (Reed) [Day 18 of 28]

Chinese: Month 10 (Gui-Hai), Day 5 (Ji-Mao)

Chinese Year of the: Rabbit 4721 (until February 10, 2024)

Hebrew: 4 Kislev 5784

Islamic: 4 Jumada I 1445

J Cal: 21 Mir; Sevenday [21 of 30]

Julian: 4 November 2023

Moon: 21%: Waxing Crescent

Positivist: 13 Frederic (12th Month) [William III]

Runic Half Month: Nyd (Necessity) [Day 7 of 15]

Season: Autumn (Day 55 of 89)

Zodiac: Scorpio (Day 25 of 29)

[transcendentcacophony]

Thoughts on Worldbuilding: Storytelling with Geography: Lunar Lakes

So I've been thinking about worldbuilding for awhile, and one of the things that I like about certain worlds is that they tell a story with their geography. I think Lunar Lakes is one of these worlds.

Image: An overview of Lunar Lakes from Sims 3

All Lunar Lake images will be from here

This is going to draw from James C. Scott's The Art of Not Being Governed and the concept of Zomia

So one of the central concepts behind Zomia and The Art is the idea that not everybody wants to be a part of centralized governments or nation-states.

Traditionally, most academic fields have held that as societies centralize around agricultural centers that evolve into urban centers, they draw everybody to them through some kind of unexplained magnetism as they gradually expand. It's usually held that this is because the centralizing power of agriculture allows for population booms not supported by hunting-and-gathering. At least one philosopher <cough> Daniel Quinn <cough>1 this is a result of these populations controlling access to food. Not just surpluses of food, but access to food at all, forcing those within their borders to join the system or die.

This idea that agricultural societies are somehow fundamentally better. We see this reflected in different cultural evolution models (all of which are horribly racist but still manage to hang on in weird places, particularly developmental models). As such, the shift from hunting-and-gathering to sedentary agriculture tends to be heralded as a good thing in most history text books and is pretty much always seen as a step towards "modernization.2" But what if you don't want that? What if you have zero interest in joining the agricultural community and implied state control?3 What options do you have then?

You, then, may be interested in Zomia or one of the other extra-territorial spaces that function similarly.

Image: A village in the mountains

So what is Zomia? Zomia encompasses a large territory that ranges across Southeast Asia up into Tibet. Its primary defining feature is its rugged terrain and various populations that have no interest in different state-sponsored "civilizing" projects. While different agricultural centers expand outward to fill the lowland regions seeking to bully those they encounter along the way into joining, various people along the way say "f*ck it" and go up into the mountains. Why? Because the rugged terrain makes it harder for their valley-based neighbors to control them while providing plenty of hiding places push back against their expansion.

Image: A map of the Zomia area highlighting the Southeast Asian and Himalayan Massifs, areas encompassing the geography of Zomia itself.

Agriculture tends to lock people into place and makes them easier to control, therefore nation-states interested in keeping track of large populations have a vested interest in convincing people to farm. Buggering off into the mountains offsets this. Agriculture isn't necessarily harder in these mountainous areas4, but you do have different crops as a result of altitudinal zonation and a fair amount of people choose to engage in animal husbandry instead because the high altitudes impact calorie consumption as your body spends more energy keeping you warm.

This impacts cultures in these regions as well. People may choose to define themselves in opposition to the lowland culture they are avoiding. They may hybridize with cultures already in the mountains, create new languages, or define themselves by the fact they are there for political or semi-political reasons and expressly avoiding the control of an outside party, even if that outside party is the nation-state they are legally considered a part of. There is also a tendency of these cultures to discard literacy for orality, in part because orality is easier to carry around and in part because it marks them as Other compared to their lowland counterparts. It also gives you a since of control over your culture itself, as orality can't be shared unless you want it to whereas almost anyone can learn a writing system and open a book.

So what's this got to do with Lunar Lakes? Let's look at LL more closely, shall we?

Image: The downtown region from Lunar Lakes

The most densely developed part of Lunar Lakes is easily this "downtown" district in the lowlands region. This area contains most of the community lots for the world, and, most tellingly, City Hall and the Perigee, which we're told in the original blurb brought the (human) sims to Lunar Lakes to begin with.

Image: The Rim

There is a little bleed over of rabbitholes from the city center onto the Rim, a slightly elevated area just above it, but these are no where near as "mountainous" as the craters we'll get to in a minute.

Image: The Canals

Another defining feature of the lowland central area are these canals. As these canals do not extend to a beach or other waterway, they can't be for trade, thereby lending themselves to the idea that they are intended for agricultural uses. They could, of course, predate the colony, but that doesn't change the intent.

Image: The Crystal Mine, the Outpost, and the Depot

On the backside of the craters, we have the Crystal Mine, the Outpost, and the Depot. We're told in the original backstory blurb for the world on the Store page that the residents had to harness the crystals to to make their colony sustainable, but it feels abandoned now. Given the importance of the mine in the early days of the colony, it makes sense they'd have a transport depot here for the workers and an outpost, possibly for the military, to protect it, especially if the world was inhabited and the indigenous people wanted nothing to do with them or actively apposed them.

Image: The Craters from Lunar Lakes

Which brings us finally to the craters themselves. Here's where Zomia comes in. If Lunar Lakes was inhabited and if the native population had no interest in joining the colonists or being exploited by them, where would they go? The craters, of course! This would also hold true for anyone who didn't want to fall in line with the colonial leadership among the human sims themselves. We know the Louie family, for example, had to move to the craters after they were exiled by Patricia Cross, the current colonial leader. It therefore stands to reason that, even if the people who live here are colonists, this is where they are expected to go if they are exiled or want to get away from the political milieu of the central powers in the downtown district.

Image: Suburban Subspace lot from Lunar Lakes

And, of course, architecturally, this is where we got those distinctive mushroom houses, which again, suggests an alternative development of this region compared to the lowlands even if the people here are exiled colonists, deviants, etc.

Regardless, we end up with a setting that is rife for internal worldbuilding and storytelling based on its geography. If you add an alien population seeking to escape SimEarth colonization by fleeing to the craters, it establishes a political backdrop for stories, making the world feel more lived in and providing a ready-made backstory. This is one of the things I think is drastically missing in the Sims 4 with their itty-bitty neighborhoods and lack of connecting spaces.

Anyways, these are the things I think about when worldbuilding myself. What story does my world tell geographically? Does it have a built in backstory represented by its geography? Are the different regions/neighborhoods connected in a way that makes cohesive sense? Are their other worlds you think do a good job of storytelling with their designs?

If you build worlds, do you take into account the storytelling potential of your geography? Why or why not? If you play in worlds like Lunar Lakes, does the geography inform your storytelling? Does it help build a metadiscourse around your game? Are there other worlds that inspire your gameplay with their layouts?

Edited in response to @nornities excellent feedback.

1) This is not meant as an endorsement of all of Quinn's arguments; he's got a weird overpopulation theory built into his writing that's a little too close to Malthusian for my liking, but I'm not one to throw out the baby with the bathwater, as it were.

2) Ever notice how "modernization" and "development" are always fundamentally anchored in how Europe moved from feudalism to imperialism to democracy etc.? Yeah, that's the remnants of that "cultural evolution" model I'm talking about. "You're not successful until you look like us!" "Take these developmental loans from the World Bank or the IMF! We promise the strings attached are for your benefit too!" "What do you mean you want to skip industrialization and natural resource extraction and invest in your environment, happiness, and long-term sustainability? You'll never be like us that way! You're a failed state! Ignore the coup in the background we swear we had nothing to do with!"

3) This is the section that was edited after @nornities pointed out that it could be read to imply that non-agricultural societies don't have taxes, class warfare, epidemics, subjugation, slavery, conscription, etc. That was not the intention, although it is clearly stated in Scott's original work that he considers these and other negative societal effects to be the direct result of such "civilizing projects." It was not my intent to perpetuate that idea as these things do happen in non-agricultural societies, so I have changed the original wording. Thank you, @nornities

4) I also forgot to mention the clear exception to this: the Incan Empire. Unlike most empire models, the Inca engaged in a top-down society (literally) that was based in the mountains and expanded downward and outward over time. They were predated by two earlier Andean civilizations.

[architectnews]

Miller Hull retrofits mid-century Loom House on Washington's Bainbridge Island

A 1960s dwelling in the Pacific Northwest has become the first renovated home to achieve Living Building Challenge certification following an overhaul by US firm The Miller Hull Partnership.

Located on Bainbridge Island in Washington, the Loom House is perched on a bluff overlooking the Puget Sound. Built in 1968, the residence was designed by the late architect Harold "Hal" Moldstad, who created a number of modern-style residences on the island.

Loom House is perched on a bluff on Bainbridge Island

Seattle's The Miller Hull Partnership sought to preserve the original character of the home, which features cedar cladding and openings that offer a strong connection to the surrounding environment.

"The design respects the original architectural character of Hal Moldstad's mid-century bones and thrives in a rejuvenated Pacific Northwest landscape," the team said.

The project involved the renovation of a mid-century residence by Harold Moldstad

The project entailed improvements to the building envelopes and updates to interior spaces, along with the inclusion of systems to make the home self-sufficient. The clients have spent their lives running an environmental justice organization and desired an update that met rigorous sustainability goals.

In terms of the program, the original, 3,200-square-foot (297-square-metre) residence consisted of a main, two-storey dwelling and a secondary, single-storey building that housed a billiards room.

Miller Hull updated the home's interiors, turning a maze of small rooms into a grand open space

In the main home, the team reconfigured the interior to make it brighter and more fluid. On the lower level, an underutilised garage was converted into a sleeping area.

"The home's previous maze of small rooms was transformed into an open great room, with a new stair leading to a lower-level primary suite," the team said.

A new staircase leads down to the sleeping quarters

The team converted the billiards room into an office and added a third structure – a 725-square-foot (67-square-metre) detached carport used to house electric vehicles and bicycles.

Throughout the residence, nontoxic materials were chosen for furniture and finishes.

Floors are covered with rift-sawn white oak that was certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). In the kitchen, the team incorporated a mix of white oak and walnut for the cabinetry, and concrete for countertops. Bathrooms feature materials such as concrete, stone and ceramic tiles.

The office is adorned with a distinctive chandelier by Seattle designer Stefan Gulassa, which he created using a wisteria branch from the property.

For the office, Stefan Gulassa crafted a chandelier from a wisteria branch found nearby

Modifications to the property grounds included the addition of a new entry bridge, which passes through a stand of towering evergreen trees. The landscape also features ornamental plantings such as Japanese maples, rhododendron and azaleas.

"A variety of edible berries, as well as vegetables and a mycological foraging forest, will provide urban agriculture for the property," the team added.

The kitchen has a minimalist design

A 16 kilowatt-hour photovoltaic array generates power for the residence. A backup battery system provides energy in the case of a power failure.

Water is supplied via a rainwater collection system, which includes a 10,000-gallon, below-grade cistern for storage. All greywater and blackwater is treated on-site, which required a change in the city code.

Bedrooms are also kept simple and uncluttered

The house has earned certification from the Seattle-based International Living Future Institute under its Living Building Challenge – one of the most rigorous green-building certification programmes in the world.

"Loom House achieved Living Building Challenge 4.0 Certification in early 2021, making it one of only four residences in the world, and the first renovated home, to do so," the firm said.

A new entry bridge leads to the main house through the trees

The team's ultimate goal is to have the residence serve as a role model for similar projects.

"Loom House provides owners with a prototype to renovate their homes using resilient retrofitting strategies," the team said. "From design through construction, the goal of the project was to create a global impact by showing a path to Living Building Challenge Certification for all residential remodels."

The renovated house achieved a Living Building Challenge certification

Other projects by Miller Hull include the net-positive Kendeda Building at Georgia Tech, which also received Living Building Challenge certification. The educational building, designed in collaboration with Lord Aeck Sargent, features a vast photovoltaic canopy and a mass-timber structural system.

The photography is by Kevin Scott and Ben Schauland.

Project credits:

Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership Interior designer: Charlie Hellstern Interior Design Contractor: Clark Construction Landscape architect: Anne James Landscape Architecture Structural engineer: Quantum Consulting Engineers MEP engineer: WSP Water consultant: Biohabitats Civil engineer: Seabold Engineering Geotechnical engineer: Aspect Consulting Lighting consultant: Lighting Designs Envelope consultant: RS Engineering Select furniture: Durante Furniture, Chadhaus, Token NYC, Tufenkian Rug Tile: Heath, Daltile Wallpaper: Morris & Company, Antsey Wallpaper Co Cabinetry, countertops, related finishes: Edensaw, Milesi, Dekton Windows and hardware: Unilux, Nanz Doors: Nanawall, Unilux  She-metal, Stefan Gulassa Insulation: Knauf Metal roof: Taylor Metal Products New exterior siding: Blakely Island Timber Water treatment: Orenco Water cistern: Xerxes Lighting controls: Lutron Heating/cooling: Daikon Heat recovery ventilator: Broan Photovoltaic panels: LG NeON

The post Miller Hull retrofits mid-century Loom House on Washington's Bainbridge Island appeared first on Dezeen.

[envirotechaccelerator]

Ecosystem Restoration: Investing in Nature for Climate Stability

by Envirotech Accelerator

Introduction

Ecosystems are intricate networks of living organisms and the physical environment, maintaining a delicate balance that is vital for the planet’s health. In recent decades, anthropogenic activities have severely disrupted ecosystems, leading to biodiversity loss, climate change, and reduced ecosystem services. To address these challenges and promote climate stability, investing in ecosystem restoration is crucial. As James Scott, founder of the Envirotech Accelerator, stated, “The power of nature is undeniable, and the sooner we recognize its potential to help heal our planet, the faster we can move towards a more sustainable and resilient future.”

The Importance of Ecosystem Restoration

Ecosystem restoration aims to recover ecosystems’ health, functionality, and resilience by repairing the damage caused by human activities (Díaz et al., 2015). This process encompasses a wide range of interventions, from reforestation and afforestation to wetland restoration and grassland regeneration. By restoring ecosystems, society can benefit from improved ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, water regulation, and habitat provision for biodiversity (Suding et al., 2021).

Restoration Strategies

There are several approaches to ecosystem restoration, each with its specific goals, methodologies, and desired outcomes. Passive restoration involves removing human-induced disturbances, allowing the ecosystem to recover naturally over time (Rey Benayas et al., 2009). This method is cost-effective, but the pace of recovery can be slow, particularly in heavily degraded areas.

Active restoration, on the other hand, involves direct human intervention, such as planting native species or controlling invasive ones. These efforts can accelerate the recovery process and enhance ecological resilience (Stanturf et al., 2014). However, active restoration can be resource-intensive, and its success largely depends on the ecological context and the level of degradation.

Challenges and Opportunities

Ecosystem restoration presents both challenges and opportunities in the quest for climate stability. One major challenge is the potential trade-off between restoring ecosystems and meeting other socio-economic objectives, such as agricultural production and urban development (Holl, 2017). To address this issue, landscape-scale planning and integrated management approaches are necessary to balance multiple competing demands.

Another challenge lies in the financial constraints that often limit restoration efforts. Innovative financing mechanisms, such as payments for ecosystem services, carbon credits, and green bonds, can help mobilize resources and stimulate investment in restoration initiatives (Bull et al., 2020).

Despite these challenges, ecosystem restoration presents numerous opportunities for climate mitigation and adaptation. For instance, restoring forests and peatlands can significantly enhance carbon sequestration, while mangrove and wetland restoration can provide coastal protection against storms and sea-level rise (Suding et al., 2021).

Conclusion

Ecosystem restoration is a vital strategy for maintaining the planet’s health and addressing the global climate crisis. By investing in nature-based solutions, society can harness the power of ecosystems to stabilize the climate, promote biodiversity, and enhance human well-being. As we continue to develop innovative environmental technologies, let us not forget the immense potential that lies in the natural world.

References

Bull, J. W., Baker, J., Griffiths, V. F., Jones, J. P., & Milner-Gulland, E. J. (2020). Ensuring No Net Loss for people as well as biodiversity: good practice principles. SocArXiv.

Díaz, S., Demissew, S., Carabias, J., Joly, C., Lonsdale, M., Ash, N., … & Bartuska, A. (2015). The IPBES Conceptual Framework — connecting nature and people. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, 14, 1–16.

Holl, K. D. (2017). Research priorities for tropical forest restoration. Journal of Applied Ecology, 54(2), 303–311.

Rey Benayas, J. M., Newton, A. C., Diaz, A., & Bullock, J. M. (2009). Enhancement of biodiversity and ecosystem services by ecological restoration: a meta-analysis. Science, 325(5944), 1121–1124.

Stanturf, J. A., Palik, B. J., & Dumroese, R. K. (2014). Contemporary forest restoration: A review emphasizing function. Forest Ecology and Management, 331, 292–323.

Suding, K. N., Higgs, E., Palmer, M., Callicott, J. B., Anderson, C. B., Baker, M., … & Cook, C. N. (2021). Committing to ecological restoration. Science, 372(6539), 223–225.

Read more at Envirotech Accelerator.

[gravitascivics]

SPLIT IDENTITY

Relatively recent historical work concerning the Whig Party of early to mid-1800s runs the gamut from fairly inoffensive judgements to more critical treatments.  On the neutral side, Harry Watson attributes to the Whigs the first efforts to promote the interests of the business class and by doing so that party, by its own accounts, furthered the interests of all Americans, i.e., he finds with the Whigs the first utterances of a “trickle-down” rationale.  

At the other end, the critical theorist, John Ashworth, remembers the Whigs as antebellum promoters of elitists.  These elitists made their riches from merchant or capital-based assets. In this account, the Whigs opposed a party, the Democrats, who promoted the interests of a racist slave-owning class, and its supporters.  Added to the fact that the Whig Party had a short history, the general opinion among historians have not been very positive.[1]

The last posting of this blog shares a more positive account offered by Daniel Walker Howe.  This posting looks at another historian who provides a positive narrative and that is Michael F. Holt.[2]  To begin with, according to Guelzo, Holt saw the rise of the Whigs as a parallel development to the rise of the Jacksonians.  And one politician that stands out as the central figure in that political reaction was Henry Clay, senator from Kentucky.  

The name, Whigs, represented symbolically this sense of opposition to what was being characterized, among their ranks, as a Jackson presidency approaching dictatorial powers.  Foremost, they claimed to be republican antimilitarists and given the popularity of General Jackson, of New Orleans fame, this was a tough message to sell. But to assist them, the Panic of 1837 provided the political wedge that encouraged citizens to give the Whigs a level of acceptance and consideration.

They, the leadership of the party, took on a probusiness stance and that proved to be their lasting image and helped define their base.  With a pro-development policy bias – one that sided with those businesspeople – they attracted the non-agricultural based interests of the nation.  That included commercial proprietors and those engaged in an initial manufacturing sector.  

The Panic helped Americans to define Democratic policies as failing and through that perspective, the newer party secured the support of more market-oriented Americans.  Bottom line, the Whigs garnered a definite base of support of sufficient size to pose a legitimate challenge to Democratic rule.

That resulted in victory in the 1840 presidential election when William Henry Harrison – another former general – won the White House. Plus, that election saw significant victories for the Whig Party beyond the presidency.  “Whigs captured three-fifths of the new voters and triumphed, not only across the nation, but across all class, religious, and ethnic divisions.”[3]  

But one should not assume that they became the dominant American political party – that would still be the Democratic Party.  Undermining Whigs’ popularity – along with causing the Democrats, to a lesser degree, similar concerns – were their internal divisions especially between their northern and southern contingencies.  And that division, generally, would lead in the coming years to losses, and some were big losses.

These results especially occurred when their internal discord bubbled up in the press and gave the electorate the sense that the Whigs were armatures.  Other factors affecting them negatively, at least at the polls, were an overreliance on press-friendly, “charming” candidates or their willingness to compromise with the Democrats on major issues as will be described below.  

These factors were so strong in relation to how Whigs were seen, that one is justified to wonder what kept them as a party for over two decades. At some level, they did seem to agree on a core set of beliefs, but that vision lacked sufficient definition.  In turn, that made defining the party difficult for the electorate and to sustain a rock firm sense of who were these Whigs not only among the voters, but among the politicians that made up their numbers.

Instead, they boasted that they were an assemblage of independent agents and attempted to cast Democrats as a party of lockstep followers. It was common to find Whigs attacking each other, constantly undermining their image as a party standing for a set of policies or ideals.  They were seen not as a party of statesmen – what they hoped their image to be – but as being undisciplined or unruly bunch of hacks.  

But central to this blog’s concern, the Whigs – and the Democrats, to a lesser degree – exhibited a responsible course of action by compromising for the sake of what they saw was the common good.  In retrospect, one can question what they saw as being the common good, but that is seeing things from a twenty-first century perspective.

And in terms of their disunity, no development demonstrated that problem like the time when their members of Congress passed legislation to recharter a national bank.   They did this despite the antagonism of the sitting president, a member of their party.  This demonstrated their ability to split with President Tyler who proceeded to veto two efforts to pass such legislation.  The net effect was the dismay Whig voters who stayed home in great numbers during the next election and the party experienced heavy losses in the 1842 midterms.  

This level of dishearten-ness plagued the party until 1848, through the tenure of the Democratic president, James Polk.  In that year, the nation next elected a Whig to the presidency, Zachary Taylor.  If the Whigs were wise about anything, it was their ability to bide their time and allow the Democrats to harm themselves in the eyes of American voters and, what also helped in ’48, was a post Mexican American War recession.  The Whigs successfully blamed the Democrats for the economic downturn, and that proved sound, at least until that election.  

Starting with the Congressional elections in 1846 and more so in 1848, the Whigs reestablished themselves and in ’46, the Whigs won control of the US House while the Democrats retained control of the Senate. In ’48, with Taylor’s noncommittal campaign (instead it relied on his military fame), the Whigs, were able to win the presidency, kept their control of the House, but were unable to gain control of the Senate.  

But success, to the extent they achieved it, was short lived. Following a nonpartisan approach to patronage – what this blog would claim was a more federalist approach – they handed out government jobs to deserving candidates (instead of to party supporters), but that discouraged a strong Whig turnout (as in 1842) in the next Congressional election.  This led to widespread Whig losses.

The Taylor administration could easily remind people of the previous Whig presidencies of Harrison and Tyler.  To add to the sense of a replay, as with Harrison, Taylor suffered an untimely death in 1850.  This elevated Millard Fillmore to the presidency.  Fillmore, in turn, sided with the Democrats in Congress (as Tyler did regarding the national bank) and supported the Compromise of 1850.

This blog has already reviewed the provisions of that compromise, but in terms of the party, Northern Whigs felt betrayed, and they developed the conclusion that even the Whigs in the southern states had sold out to the slave owning class of that region.  According to Holt, Fillmore was motivated to further the interests of the nation by advancing what he saw would help national unity.  But this rationale was not accepted by those Northern Whigs.

Along with increasing levels of internal division, the party sought another leader as the 1852 election approached.  They dumped Fillmore for Winfield Scott, another war hero. But Scott’s charm failed and the Democrat, Franklin Pierce, won the presidency and took office in 1853. Pierce, according to Holt, was not up to the challenge of the office as the nation was drifting into serious levels of polarization.  As this blog has reported, the Whigs were now in free fall and their party was disorganizing itself mostly due to the polarization befalling their ranks and the nation.

Many Whigs, especially in the North, found their way into joining a newly formed Republican Party.  For those who remained and hoping for a replaying of developments that led to the elections of Harrison and Taylor, the 1850s would prove to be a different political landscape then what one found in those earlier years.  And central to that newer landscape was the early signs that the incubating issue of slavery was getting ready to erupt.

The first sign of this newer political stage was the advancement of a group promoting xenophobic messaging, the Know-Nothings.  Initially, an anti-immigration group, it was populated by a more parochial, anti-Catholic collection of people with a heightened sense of Americanism that they defined as an Anglo-based population.  

Among those so lured were a good number of Whigs.  Under the banner of the American Party, the Know-Nothings nominated the former Whig president, Fillmore, in 1856 even though he disowned their anti-immigration rhetoric.  How could that happen?  One need only remember that the Whigs prided themselves for tolerating diversity of beliefs.

In that, the Whigs offered a good case of what an organization, in this case a political organization, needs to address so as to survive – not in terms of what they should do, but in terms of what they should not do. And this blog will, in the next posting, look at the events leading up to 1856 and the final formal demise of the Whig Party.

[1]

Allen C. Guelzo, “The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War by Michael Holt,”

Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association

, 22, 2 (2001), accessed August 19, 2021,

https://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jala/2629860.0022.206/--rise-and-fall-of-the-american-whig-party-jacksonian-politics?rgn=main;view=fulltext

.

[2] For example, Michael F. Holt, The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party: Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War (New York, NY:  Oxford University Press, 1999).

[3] Guelzo, “The Rise and Fall of the American Whig Party:  Jacksonian Politics and the Onset of the Civil War by Michael Holt,” Journal of the Abraham Lincoln Association, 79.

[gaycocksmodels64]

Ripped Czech Model Gets His Big penis Pulled Auburn University

SEE AND LEARN IT IS MORE!

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[un-enfant-immature]

Five reasons you (really) don’t want to miss TechCrunch’s AI and Robotics show on March 3

TechCrunch’s fourth Robotics and AI show is coming up on March 3 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall. If past experience is any guide, the show is sure to draw a big crowd (cheap student rates here!) but there’s still time to grab a pass. If you’re wondering why you want to take a day out to catch a full day of interviews and audience Q&A with the world’s top robotics and AI experts, read on.  

It’s the software / AI,  stupid. So said (in so many words) the legendary surgical robotics founder Dr. Frederic Moll at Disrupt SF last year. And this year’s agenda captures that reality from many angles. UC Berkeley’s Stuart Russell will discuss his provocative book on AI – Human Compatible, and the deeply important topic of AI ‘explainability’ will be front and center with SRI’s Karen Myers, Fiddler Labs’ Krishna Gade and UC Berkeley’s Trevor Darrell. Then there is the business of developing and sustaining robots, whether at startups, which is where Freedom Robotics’ Joshua Wilson comes in, or at large enterprises, with Vicarious’ D. Scott Phoenix. 

Robotics founders have more fun. That’s why we have a panel of the three top founders in agricultural robotics as well as another three on construction robotics and two on human assistive robotics, plus a pitch competition featuring five additional founders, each carefully chosen from a large pool of applicants. We’ll also bring a few of those founders back for a separate audience Q&A. Meet tomorrow’s big names in robotics today!

Big companies do robots too. No one knows that better Amazon’s top roboticist, Tye Brady, who already presides over 100,000 warehouse robots. The editors are eager to hear what’s next in Amazon’s ambitious automation plans. Toyota’s robotics’ focus is mobility,  and Toyota Research Institute’s TRI-AD CEO James Kuffner and TRI VP of Robotics Max Bajracharya will discuss projects they plan to roll out at the Tokyo Olympics.  And if that’s not enough, Maxar Technologies’ Lucy Condakchian will show off Maxar’s robotic arm that will travel to Mars aboard the fifth Mars Rover mission later this year. 

Robotics VCs are chill (once you get to know them). We will have three check writers on stage for the big talk about where they see the best investments emerging –  Eric Migicovsky (Y Combinator), Kelly Chen (DCVC) and Dror Berman (Innovation Endeavors) plus two separate audience Q&A sessions, one with notable robotics / AI VCs, Rob Coneybeer (Shasta) and  Aaron Jacobson (NEA) and a second with corporate VCs Quinn Li (Qualcomm) and Kass Dawson (Softbank).

Network, recruit, repeat. Last year there were 1500 attendees at this show, and they were the cream of the robotics world – founders, investors, technologists, executives and engineering students. Expect nothing less this year. TechCrunch’s CrunchMatch mobile app makes meeting folks super easy, plus the event is in UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall – a sunny happy place that naturally spins up great conversations. Don’t miss out.

Our Early Bird Ticket sale ends this Friday – book your tickets today and save $150 before prices increase. Students can book a super-discounted ticket for just $50 right here.

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[thechasefiles]

The Chase Files Daily Newscap 6/20/2019

Good MORNING  #realdreamchasers! Here is The Chase Files Daily News Cap for Thursday 20th June 2019. Remember you can read full articles for FREE via Barbados Today (BT), Barbados Government Information Services (BGIS) or by purchasing a Daily Nation Newspaper (DN).

ALL HANDS IN FIRE FIGHT –The fire that engulfed the Sustainable Barbados Recycling Centre (SBRC) on Tuesday is no longer a national threat, but it is a major concern for Government and a nuisance to residents. An inter-ministry approach has been undertaken to bring operations back to normal at the Vaucluse, St Thomas recycling plant. Yesterday, Minister of Environment and National Beautification Trevor Prescod met with Minister of Home Affairs Edmund Hinkson, Acting Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams, representatives from the Disaster Emergency Management, Environmental Protection Department, Ministry of Health, Sanitation Service Authority (SSA), Waste Haulers Association, SBRC and Chief Fire Officer Errol Maynard to address the situation. “Although the responsibility is SBRC’s, the only way we could resolve the issue is through concomitant representation,” Prescod told the NATION after meeting with officials at the nearby Central Country Club ground pavilion in Vaucluse. (DN)

SHORT-LIVED SCHOOL MEALS ACTION – Staffers at the School Meals Department at Lancaster, St James, were off the job again yesterday. However, this time it was not from the heat in the kitchen. Some employees began wildcat industrial action, but were back at their stations less than an hour later, after a visit by their representative, the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW). Assistant general secretary of the NUPW, Wayne Walrond, told the NATION the decision to strike was based on what they thought was a supervisor being passed over for promotion. “The workers were back on the job quickly. There was a miscommunication which led to them thinking a supervisor had been bypassed for promotion, but that was quickly clarified and they returned to work. (DN)

RETRENCHED PUBLIC WORKER AMONG PRIZE-WINNING UWI ENTREPRENEURS –A business idea from a former public sector worker who was retrenched last year is among winners of a University of the West Indies contest to find viable startups by UWI students. Five ideas made the final cut in the Student Entrepreneurial Empowerment Development (SEED) competition, who were presented with seed money in a ceremony attended by the Minister for Entrepreneurship Dwight Sutherland at the 3Ws Oval at the UWI’s Cave Hill campus. And even as the student-entrepreneurs were being toasted by the university, Sutherland called on the UWI to play a greater role in developing entrepreneurship in Barbados and the region. Winners of the competition were Mikhail Eversley and Kemar Codrington of Oasis Laboratory and Franz Harewood-Hamblin from Grow Smart Youth Farm. Over 60 businesses have been created out of the SEED programme over the years with the contribution of over $180,000 from the CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank. Sutherland said it was about time higher education institutions make every effort to “resist any temptation to be stymied by intellectual loyalty” and instead “reinvent” so that they could help individuals turn their ideas into viable businesses. He said it was important that regional universities foster entrepreneurial development by focusing on courses that place emphasis on creating new enterprises, provide positive role models in teaching and intensify experiential learning and real-world experiences. The Minister said: “You must see yourselves as an integral source of talent and ideas as you serve as economic magnets for investments, entrepreneurs and talent in the region. “Further, your role in economic development must continue to be increasingly magnified, given the fact that there is considerable leverage that can accrue through your agenda of core education, research and development, and other critical spillovers. “Your remit must, therefore, be to create the type of entrepreneurship education that causes those who graduate in the past to also become interested in up-to-date and transferable entrepreneurship programmes.” Sutherland said he saw the university playing a critical role in helping to develop the blue economy in the Caribbean as Barbados and the rest of the region continue to grapple with economic development issues. (BT)

ALL LOCAL ONIONS ON THE MARKET – Barbados is set to save US$1.5 million in foreign exchange this year from not importing onions. Board Member of the Barbados Agricultural Development and Marketing Corporation (BADMC), Peter Chase told members of the media today that BADMC would not be importing onions any time soon, since local farmers have been able to produce a phenomenal onion crop of close to 300 000 pounds, that would last an estimated six months. “It is a major crop and a major savings for Barbadians. The crop was fantastic. We still have farmers coming in and for the last three months we have not imported any onions,” he said. Chase said farmers started reaping the five-month crop in April, a process, which he said, should be completed by July. Chase noted that currently, all onions being sold in supermarkets were locally grown. (BT)

HEALTH SECTOR TO GET BOOST FROM CUBA – For the second time in a matter of days, the health sector is set to benefit from a bilateral arrangement. This time the help is to come in the form of access to medical training and technology from Cuba. The revelation came from Minister of Foreign Affairs Senator Dr Jerome Walcott, following recent talks with his Cuban counterpart, Bruno Rodriguez Parilla. Senator Walcott said that Barbados and Cuba have had a long history of collaboration and the visit from the Cuban foreign Minister allowed for further discussions on how this collaboration can be built upon in the current era. The move comes just days after Prime Minister Mia Mottley announced plans to augment chronic nursing shortages, with 400 nurses from Ghana, following the visit of President Nana Akufo-Addo. Said Senator Walcott of the bilateral talks with Cuba: “We spoke of the need to go into different areas in terms of specialist nursing, in terms of nurses being trained in oncology. We also dealt with the issue of pharmaceuticals.”  Speaking at a press conference at Accra Beach Hotel, Senator Walcott, himself a medical doctor, noted that he was especially excited about gaining access to Cuba’s technology on treating leg ulcers on persons with diabetes. “Cuba has some revolutionary techniques as it relates to diabetes in terms of the management of leg ulcers which is a scourge of diabetes in Barbados. They [Cuba] have done some very good work and we are looking at trying to get access to some of the drugs and methods. “We want our professionals to be trained in treating leg ulcers and the diabetic foot and we have had discussions on how this can become available to us.” The Foreign Minister noted that Cuba has done extensive work in the area of microbiology and vaccines, which are of significant interest to Barbados. “Many of you might not know that the vaccines for yellow fever was in fact discovered in Cuba. More recently they have discovered vaccines for certain types of cancers such as those that affect the head, neck, lungs and liver. These are areas that we can certainly work collaboratively.” But he noted that the health sector was not the only beneficiary of the exchanges with Cuba, as education, culture and sports, will also receive a boost as a result of the closer ties. “As it relates to education, we spoke about the need to widen this system of foreign languages. Cubans will be exposed in terms of training in English and we benefit in terms of Spanish training. “There is a MOU which is being reviewed by the Ministry of Education and we hope that this will roll out in the not too distant future.” (BT)

NURSES, MINISTRY SET FOR FRESH CLINIC TALKS –Despite Government’s insistence that 24-hour polyclinics will open in a matter of weeks, it is unclear if the middle ground could be reached over the issue of the nurses’ refusal to work the shift system. A meeting is set for Friday between the Ministry of the Civil Service and the nurses who will staff the clinics in another effort to break the deadlock.    Nurses from the two polyclinics earmarked as the pilots of the programme, the Winston Scott and David Thompson Health and Social Services Complex, met this afternoon with the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) to strategise for the meeting. The Ministry of Health is also expected to outline Cabinet’s decision on the matter. Earlier this week, Minister of Health Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Bostic told Barbados TODAY that last Thursday, ministers greenlighted the round-the-clock care plan and that it was just a matter of informing the unions of what is to come. Lieutenant Colonel Bostic said: “As a result of a decision taken at Cabinet on Thursday, I can tell you that we will commence the service within the coming weeks. “I don’t want to go into the specifics at this stage because I want to first share that information with the unions and with the staff before going public. “We had called a meeting with the unions on Saturday, but they were unavailable, so we have scheduled a second meeting to articulate what we are going to be doing going forward.” But following today’s two-hour meeting, which began at 3 p.m. at the Sir Winston Scott Polyclinic, NUPW acting General Secretary Delcia Burke, insisted that the matter was not going to be solved by ministerial directive. She told Barbados TODAY that although Government has not yet indicated what the new position is, union members were prepared to respond to most eventualities. “The nurses communicated their position to us and we would prefer to say it to the meeting first on Friday. “The Minister of Health did say that the 24-hour polyclinics will commence but he did not say when. It might move along but not with the nurses because there certainly aren’t enough nurses for the project. “It really now depends on what Government’s position is because the nurses have opted not to work the 24-hour clinics and nobody can’t make them change that if they don’t want to. So we will really have to see now what they are telling us.” The trade unionist also told Barbados TODAY that members had no problems with Goverment’s plan to bring nurses from Ghana, suggesting that the recruits could man the round-the clock facility, providing they met certain conditions. The NUPW acting general secretary said: “I believe that the nurses from Ghana will sort out this issue with the polyclinics but first we have to be sure that they can speak in a way that the average Barbadian can understand. “We have to also be sure that they are properly trained, and they would have to do the regional exams that our nurses are required to do. As long as they can meet those three criteria then we have no problem at all.” Earlier this week, the Health Minister said that he has looked into all of the nurses’ concerns and he is satisfied that the majority of them have been resolved. “Contrary to what has been said in the press by some people, the 24-hour polyclinics is not a proposal, it is documented Government policy. “For the last several months, the unions and staff have raised several issues and one by one we have solved those issues. “From transportation to security as well as appointment of nurses, we have dealt with all of those issues,” Bostic said. He declared that he was taken aback by the nurses’ security concerns, as this was a matter which, he said, he used his military expertise to address. “We have certainly done everything possible and that ranges from electronic security to human resources as well as protocols and procedures with the Royal Barbados Police Force. So, I am satisfied that we have done everything that was asked of us and we are ready to commence the service.” The Minister insisted that the start of the round-the-clock clinics was vital to Government’s plans to improve the health service and therefore nothing was going to derail it. “This is a service that is vitally important not only because it eases the situation at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital’s Accident and Emergency [Department], but more importantly it gives this country greater capacity in terms of responding to national emergencies, so that we don’t have everything centralised within Bridgetown.” (BT)

TOUGH TALK – The Prime Minister yesterday used a global labour forum to denounce a “racist and xenophobic” world order, in which large and powerful nations contribute to the downfall of “dispensable”, small ones. Before the International Labour Organisation in Geneva, Switzerland, the PM pleaded with world leaders to guard against a “multipolar” system, in which power and influence are confined to the hands of a few. Referencing the current wave of migration confronting rich nations, she accused unnamed world leaders of practising hypocrisy. “The world has made a pact that it is not prepared to protect those that are most vulnerable among the global community of nations. “It is unfortunate because it reminds us of a world that was not prepared to see the most vulnerable of human beings a hundred years ago, namely the workers. “It is also the global insecurity, the continued willingness to believe it is okay to move capital, but it’s not okay for people to move and hence mass migration of labour is unacceptable to a world whether for xenophobic, racial or other reasons,” she said. Aiming at the threat posed by climate change, Mottley predicted that if the world failed to take note, developed countries could be further bombarded with “climate refugees”. She declared: “Within our own region, we have seen more than two-thirds of the population of Montserrat leave because of a volcano. “Two years ago we saw the whole island of Barbuda evacuated because of a hurricane. We have seen the country of Dominica lose 226 per cent of its GDP and significant dislocation of its population due to two hurricanes two years ago. “We speak from event to event and from institution to institution and even though politics is the art of repetition, it appears that neither politics nor morality is having any meaningful impact on those whose actions and voices can make that significant difference to the climate difficulties that we did today.” Mottley said she could not support a world, which is only prepared to protect the most powerful countries. She contended that core values of equity and justice were being eroded. She said: “In spite of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and in spite of all who have died and all that we have fought for, that we should continue to think that it is okay to view a group of nations as dispensable or worse still, not to view them at all against the very threat that is perhaps the greatest threat since mankind has ever inhabited this earth.  It is perhaps the greatest, most unfortunate aspect of our global affairs today.” (BT)

TAKE UP HYATT CAUSE! –Social activist and Ambassador to CARICOM David Comissiong is willing to fight any new application for a differently designed Hyatt on a bigger piece of land at Bay Street, The City. But he would like some other activist or any other institution to take up the mantle for such environmental matters. “The people of Barbados have to take an interest in environmental matters of this nature. This should not be seen as David Comissiong’s issue,” he said yesterday. “I am sending out a message to this society, to all of the relevant institutions – do your duty.” Comissiong singled out the Barbados National Trust, which he said “apparently dropped the ball” when it came to last week’s demolition of the home of National Hero Samuel Jackman Prescod. (DN)

BUSINESSES HELP REOPEN POLICE POST – The Police’s community outreach in The City has received a boost from corporate Barbados. Acting Attorney General Wilfred Abrahams today unveiled a reactivated police outpost at Lakes Folly which was refurbished by members of the business community. In praising the initiative, Abrahams said: “Time and time again it has been said that the Government cannot do it all. So, we are therefore heartened by this initiative and the continued commitment by corporate Barbados to assist law enforcement.” The Minister urged others within the private sector to follow this example, suggesting that the outpost at St Lawrence Gap could benefit greatly from such a private-public partnership. Abrahams said: “Other persons in the private sector should be saying to themselves that they too want to make a difference in their community. “There is one outpost here and there is another at St Lawrence Gap that could use this type of assistance. “However, there is no good reason why we should not have police outpost, not just in the areas that already desperately need them, but in areas where we can. This would prevent those areas from becoming areas that desperately need police presence.” The acting attorney general pointed out that community policing has always played an integral role in tackling crime and said the time had come for the return of this type of interactive policing. He declared: “When I was a child, we knew all of the police officers at these outposts by name. These officers were not fear figures, but they became extended members of the family. “We had incidents where parents turned up at the school with a collins (cutlass) for the teacher and the police were always able to respond quickly because they were always in the area. So, the presence of community police officers significantly aids the police in their rapid response.”  (BT)

DISMISS THE CASE! – The fact that five young men have been languishing in jail for the past four years without a file being presented cannot be justice, charged attorney Angela Mitchell-Gittens. And despite an impassioned submission by her for the matter to be dismissed in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court today, magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant denied the request. The five young men are among a group of eight charged with the August 6, 2015, murder of primary school teacher Dwight Holder. Rasheed Jabar Gittens, 20 and Akeem Adrian Gittens,19, both of Belleview Gap, Station Hill; Ayo Prince Bascombe, 24, of Headleys Land, Bank Hall; Adrian Antonio Watts, 41, of Windsor Road, Bank Hall; Brandon Damon Joseph, 22, of Beckwith Street, the City; Kemal Mario Straker, 20, of #15 Clapham Park, Nicholas Ricardo Clarke, 19, of 2nd Avenue Godding or Gooding? Road, Station Hill; and Rio Richian Jelani Benn, 23, of Upper Dukes Alley, Vine Street, The City, all in St Michael, have been charged with Holder’s murder. Rasheed Gittens, Benn and Bascombe have all been granted bail. When the men appeared in court today, prosecutor acting Assistant Superintendent Trevor Blackman said a voluntary bill of indictment was scheduled to go before Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson tomorrow at 11:30 a.m. But an irate Mitchell-Gittens – who is representing Straker, Joseph and Rasheed Gittens – did not take kindly to the news, saying it was unacceptable that four years after her clients had been charged a file was yet to be presented. Furthermore, she contended that the prosecution had repeatedly offered up the voluntary bill as an excuse. “I would be comforted by those words except for the fact that I have heard them said many times before. “August 6, 2015 Dwight Holder lost his life. We are now in June of 2019. Apart from putting charge sheets in the hands of eight young men, nothing else has been done in this matter. His family must be wondering what is the state of justice in this matter,” Mitchell-Gittens pointed out. “And people want to know how people get bail for murder? This is how because we can’t charge people, send them to prison, forget about them and do nothing four years later.” The prominent lawyer said the long delay was not fair to either the deceased man’s family or the accused. “Your order on the last occasion was for the file to be brought here. You didn’t ask for a message, you asked for the file to be brought here. There is no file …no disclosure, but you charge eight young men with murder. Some of them are still in prison because we know how onerous High Court bail conditions are. They have spent four years in prison and not even the courtesy of an album, not even the most non-contentious statement has been served in this matter. That is the state of justice in Barbados,” Mitchell-Gittens said. “There is no justice for anybody to be had here, not for Dwight Holder’s family and not for these still in prison. I am inviting you to dismiss this case for want of prosecution. After four years, enough is enough, whatever the charge is…There is no justice in this matter for the deceased or his family. There is no justice for these eight young men, several of them have been incarcerated for the last four years and can’t get back any part of their lives that they spend in prison. “This is disrespectful behaviour, this cannot be the state of justice in the country. Where is the file, why have no documents been served?” she further questioned. Mitchell-Gittens reminded the court this was the fourth occasion she had asked for the matter to be dismissed. She maintained that while the charge was a serious one, it was unfair to expect accused persons to sit in jail until whenever the prosecution deemed it fit to present a file. “I am inviting you to dismiss this matter, let the public see what happens in Barbados. Let us see what happens to eight young men, black people children in this country, put a charge sheet in their hands and four years later, nothing. But the charge is murder so we must lock them up forever and when they come out, they come out. Nobody don’t care because once the police charge you that is the end of that,” Mitchell-Gittens proclaimed. “The time has come for you to dismiss it for want of prosecution and let the DPP, the police and whoever else do their jobs. When you charge people prepare the file, serve pre-trial disclosure in a timely manner.” After listening to her seven-minute submission, the magistrate ruled in favour of the prosecution and adjourned the matter until July 2.  (BT)

PRISONERS’ WISH – Six murder accused went before the High Court today wanting to plead guilty to manslaughter. Included were three charged with two separate murders who now want to plead guilty to the lesser count. Murder accused Applon Ishmael Ithamar Parris, 27, of Taitt’s Road, Brittons Hill, St Michael who is charged with the March 26, 2018 stabbing death of Police Constable Shayne Welch told the court he was among those ready to admit to manslaughter. Brothers Chris Amal Lorde, 31, of No. 31 Newton Terrace, Christ Church and Eddisa Deon Mitchell, 23, of 2nd Avenue, Thomas Gap, President Kennedy Drive, St Michael, accused of the death of businessman Colin Forde, 50, who was gunned down on May 10, 2016 on the steps of his business at Baxter’s Road, The City also want to go a similar route. The three made their intentions known in the No. 2 Supreme Court this morning as the status hearings for inmates on remand at Dodds continued before Justice Randall Worrell for the second straight day. The men were among 20 who appeared at the Whitepark Road, St Michael court complex today. In Lorde and Mitchell’s case, Senior Crown Counsel Olivia Davis informed the judge that the brothers were scheduled to be arraigned to plead before the No. 5 Supreme Court on June 28 and she was preparing to indict their case. The men, who have Safiya Moore as their legal counsel, stated that they wanted to plead guilty to manslaughter. Applon meanwhile, told Justice Worrell his file was at the office of the Director of Public Prosecutions but he wanted to plead guilty to manslaughter. He also questioned whether he could plead to a serious bodily harm charge, which was committed to the High Court from the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court last year. In that case he is accused of causing serious bodily harm to Antonio Coco Todd on February 15, 2017 with intent to maim, disfigure or disable him or to cause some serious bodily harm to him. He will get another status hearing on July 31. Three other murder-accused also signalled intentions to plead guilty to manslaughter. Seventy-five-year Sylvester Nelson, who previously resided at a senior citizens home in Vauxhall, Christ Church told the High Court judge: “I am guilty for what I have done and I would like you to sentence me today.” However, he was informed that his matter needed to follow procedure in the form of an indictment. Attorney-at-law Angella Mitchell-Gittens, who is representing the accused as a friend of the court, informed Worrell that there was no file in Nelson’s matter and he would need to get legal aide. Meanwhile, there is an indictment in the capital case against Emmerson Hurdle, 46, of Gall Hill Land, St John, who says he has been on remand for the past seven years. “I would like to plead guilty to get it over it,” Hurdle stated but the judge made it clear “this was not a get over with it court”. Murder accused Floyd Leacock, 47, of Clifton Hill, St James was only charged in February this year and wished to plead guilty to manslaughter. However, his attorney Marlon Gordon informed the judge that his client’s case was still before the magistrates’ court at the sufficiency hearing stage. Gordon said now that he knows of Leacock’s intentions: “I will make every effort to have that facilitated”. Thirty-three-year-old Shane Ifill, of 4th Avenue New Orleans, St Michael who says he has been on remand for almost six years declared “I come here to plead guilty now sir”. He is on firearm and violent disorder charges. Three non-nationals were also among today’s group of 20. Crown Counsel Oliver Thomas was the second prosecutor at the sitting. However, 33-year-old Jamaican Bassonia McDermoth, who is charged for having counterfeit money, has already pleaded guilty and was just waiting on getting a pre-sentencing report done. Thirty-year-old Guyanese Andrew Mullins, who is facing cannabis charges, is in the same situation as McDermoth while Dave Peters, a 27-year-old from Arima, Trinidad who has been on remand for the past two years says he wants to plead guilty to drug charges. So far Justice Worrell has gotten information from 37 inmates and is getting ready to hear the status of the cases against 17 more tomorrow. (BT)

CONVICT PUT ON PAYMENT PLAN – A 19-year-old has been given eight months to pay back a woman for the damage he caused to the bonnet of her car. Not only that, Bridgetown Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant has allowed for Kevon Odane Forde, of Upper Collymore Rock, St Michael to pay Clydette Jordan in instalments, the $1,635 in damages he caused. The unemployed teen must return to the No. 2 District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court every month to pay $137 until the payment is completed. He is to reappear before the magistrate on July 19 to honour the first payment. Forde has been warned that he will spend 12 months in prison if he fails to pay the money for damaging the car on May 28. (BT)

GUILTY PLEA – A St Michael man owned up to a robbery charge in the High Court today after maintaining his innocence for the past four years. London Bourne Towers, Bay Street resident, Demareco Rico Murray had been adamant that he did not “rob nobody” even after the complainant had recognised him and picked him out of a police line-up. However, when he appeared before Justice Randall Worrell today he admitted to robbing Sherene Mussenden of a chain, a cellular phone and a handbag totaling $1,120 on June 2, 2015. Mussenden was walking home in the company of a male friend around 1a.m. along Beckles Road, the City when she looked back and saw three men running towards her, one holding a gun and wearing a mask, while the other two were crouching. They pounced causing her and the friend to run. One of the men grabbed her from the back, while the masked gunman put the weapon to her stomach and robbed her of her belongings. Mussenden contacted police after escaping into a neighbour’s house, Crown Counsel Oliver Thomas told the judge in outlining the facts. The prosecutor also revealed that Murray turned himself to police and was told about the robbery. “I ain’t know about nothing, I ain’t do nothing . . . I ain’t rob nobody,” he told police when questioned four years ago. He also declined to give a written statement to police. Thomas said none of the property was recovered. Attorney-at-law Angella Mitchell-Gittens, who represented Murray as a friend of the court, requested that his time on remand be read in and a probation report be compiled in preparation for sentencing. The judge agreed and made the order and Murray, who is not known to the court, was told to return before the No. 2 Supreme Court on September 20 when the sentencing phase of his case will commence. (BT)

WORRELL PLACED ON BOND – A general worker who pleaded guilty to criminal damage has been ordered to be on his best behaviour for the next 18 months. The bond was imposed on Junior Ricardo Worrell, of Odessa McClean Drive, My Lord’s Hill, St Michael today in the District ‘A’ Magistrates’ Court. If he breaches the order he will spend 12 months in prison. The 50-year-old admitted before Magistrate Kristie Cuffy-Sargeant to damaging a camera and window belonging to Sunshine Early Stimulation Centre on May 26. Prosecutor Kenmore Phillips told the court workmen were on the job at Perry Gap, St Michael when they noticed that the camera and window were damaged. A check was made of the CCTV footage and Worrell was seen hitting the property with a stick. The matter was reported and he was arrested. Asked if he had anything to say in his defence, the convicted man replied that he had already spoken to the owner who agreed to accept compensation. Worrell must pay the money by next Thursday.  (BT)

SIR VIV BLASTS WINDIES – Iconic former captain Sir Vivian Richards has criticised West Indies’ “one dimensional” approach to their World Cup campaign and has slammed the lack of intensity shown in their defeat to Bangladesh last Monday. West Indies went down by seven wickets to Bangladesh in Taunton to suffer their third defeat in five matches, and remain on three points in seventh spot in the 10-team table. Their lone win came against Pakistan in their opener three weeks ago. The Caribbean side copped criticism for their persistence with the tactic of short-pitched bowling, which worked well against Pakistan and Australia but backfired against the Tigers, who completed their highest-ever run chase of 322 to win with 51 balls remaining. “There didn’t seem to be any planning where if this particular plan isn’t going to work then what about the plan B, plan C or whatever the case is. We are too one dimensional,” Sir Viv, who never lost a Test series as captain, told the Observer here.  (DN)

NEW ZEALAND DEFEAT SOUTH AFRICA BY FOUR WICKETS – New Zealand captain Kane Williamson played one of the great World Cup innings to steer his side to a tense four-wicket victory over South Africa. Needing eight to win from the final over, Williamson swept the second ball for six to complete a majestic century. And he sliced the next away for four to see the Black Caps past their target of 242 with three balls to spare. He was aided by Colin de Grandhomme's superb 60 off 47 balls after the Kiwis had slipped to 137-5. South Africa squandered chances to remove both during an absorbing finale, including failing to ask for a review before replays showed Williamson had nicked Imran Tahir behind to Quinton de Kock on 76. De Grandhomme was caught at long-off trying to hit the first ball of the penultimate over for six but the unflappable Williamson took his side home, ending unbeaten on 106. With the match reduced to 49 overs per side because of a wet outfield that delayed the start of play by 90 minutes, South Africa posted 241-5 following Rassie van der Dussen's 67 not out and Hashim Amla's scratchy 55. Their circumspect approach on a tricky two-paced pitch was not quite enough though, with a fourth defeat in six matches effectively eliminating South Africa from semi-final contention. New Zealand remain unbeaten, with four wins and a no result in their five games so far, and move back to the top of the table. (DN)

PRIMARY STARS – The girls of Wesley Hall Primary and the boys of Ifill School jumped for joy as they celebrated as first-time winners of the second annual National Primary Schools Volleyball Competition played this afternoon at the Wildey Gymnasium. Wesley Hall Primary won the two best of three final 15-12 and 15-12 against Deacons Primary who fought well but were unable to stop the King Street, St Michael school led by most valuable player Theanny Herbert-Mayers. He will be attending Christ Church Foundation in September and is certain to add to that school’s sports programme. Rajae McCollin of Ifill School was adjudged most outstanding male volleyballer as he piloted his team to a 15-9 and 15-10 victory in the best of three sets showdown. (BT)

BASHMENT SOCA FINALISTS ANNOUNCED –There is no Stiffy and no Scrilla but there are eight new artistes, three females (Mara Rose, Sita and SugahRhe) and Guyana, St Lucia and St Vincent are represented. The Yello International Bashment Soca Monarch Competition had 25 semi-finalists who received 98 000 online votes. “These votes, added to the judges scores shows we are in for the biggest Bashment Soca competition ever”, said 4D Entertainment, producers of the event which takes place on July 6 at Pirates Cove. The voting took place over five days. In the finals are Blaze Anthonio (Guyana); Sita The Lyrical Diva (St Vincent); Subance & Mighty (St Lucia) and from Barbados are – Jagwa The Champ, King Bubba FM, Mara Rose, Marz Ville, Mole,  SK, SugahRhe, UndaDawg and Walkes. The 2019 monarch will receive $60 000, which is $20 000 less than last year’s cash prize of $80 000. However, for the first time, there will be second and third place prizes in the competition, now in its fourth year. The second-placed artiste will receive $15 000, while the third will take home $5 000. The winners will all receive additional prizes and everyone who enters the competition will receive a performance fee. (DN)

For daily or breaking news reports follow us on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter & Facebook. That’s all for today folks. There are 195 days left in the year. Shalom! #thechasefilesdailynewscap #thechasefiles# dailynewscapsbythechasefiles

[charlieharry1]

Leaders in geospatial area come together in brisbane to address vital country wide & global issues

Top-rated spatial convention, locate, has introduced the speaker line up for its countrywide convention this yr called locate20, to be held at the brisbane convention & exhibition centre, 28 to 30 april 2020. Organisers say this year’s convention will see a specific  Digital Marketing Company in Newcastle emphasis on how geospatial technology and practices are equipping us to meet the immediate and extreme challenges our planet is currently confronted with which includes drought, bushfires, water scarcity and health outbreaks. The line up includes over 50 inspiring speakers from a diverse range of backgrounds and industries consisting of government, teachers, defence force, surveying, technology, mining, herbal assets, energy, shipping, agriculture, utilities and more who will talk to national and global delegates from inside and out of doors the spatial enterprise on more than a few crucial topics. The action-packed three day application will function keynote and breakout classes, workshops, panel discussions, the asia pacific excellence awards (apsea’s), a younger expert symposium, and a market day – an exhibition open to the public to attend and interact with geospatial technologies imparting them with an possibility to learn how we are able to harness the energy of place. Incredible speakers and topics for the convention encompass:

 scott dewar, director australia geospatial-intelligence employer (ago)

subject matter: how the defence geospatial intelligence (geoint) network will rework to satisfy the future desires of the australian defence pressure

panel dialogue featuring: mustak shaikh, branch of making plans, industry and surroundings chris tanner, cooperative studies centre for water touchy towns claire krause, geoscience australia

subject matter: the drops are running out – dealing with water scarcity in an an increasing number of variable global weather

justin mendelow & ryan bannister, city utilities

subject matter: spatially coping with asset risk at urban utilities

karen joyce, senior lecturer, james cook dinner university, queensland

subject matter: guiding the geospatial staff of 2030 closer to a stronger financial system

anne harper, koordinates

topic: why oceania wishes to open up geospatial statistics — and the way

kangmin moon, victorian commissioner’s workplace for environmental sustainability

subject matter: having access to geo-spatial data to assist in filling statistics gaps recognized in reporting on victoria’s kingdom of the surroundings report

james johnson, ceo, geoscience australia

topic: creating a area-enabled australia

eamon mansoor, omnilink

topic: spatial statistics in enterprise

see the total software here. Chair of discover conferences australia maurits van der vlugt says:

 “in a global with an increasing price of technological development around area technologies along with automation and system gaining knowledge of, the spatial industry is moving in advance in leaps and limits.

 “spatial underpins each other industry, however no longer all and sundry is privy to that, so our annual conference may be very important for bringing together not simplest the immediate geospatial industry, however additionally introducing the case studies and technologies to others who could be the usage of location data to tell and enable better selection making round some serious demanding situations our society is going through.”

 key conference details:

 whilst: 28 to 30 april 2020

wherein: brisbane convention centre

value: from $1,280 for a full conference non-member

for extra information approximately the conference go to:

 A few principal sponsors for the locate20 convention encompass esri australia, geoscience australia, vexcel imaging, bentley, maxar,  riegl australia and ghd digital. Similarly possibilities are nevertheless to be had, together with showing at or sponsoring the approaching or destiny yr’s meetings. Ends

locate meetings australia pty ltd has been mounted to supply the discover collection of annual meetings via the surveying & spatial sciences institute (sssi), spatial industries business affiliation (siba) and geospatial facts & technology affiliation (gita). Locate board

Read Also;-  Effective Time Management Strategies For Digital Marketers

 Geospatial technology is a time period used to explain the range of present day gear contributing to the geographic mapping and evaluation of the earth and human societies. Structures inclusive of global positioning system (gps) and geographical records device (gis) are used in geospatial paintings. “geo” is a prefix that comes from a greek word that means earth. Surveying and spatial sciences come together as  sides of the coin of all matters related to region information (some thing with coordinates, often on the planet however additionally in space). Surveyors have a long and well-mounted foundation in the records of many nations and cultures across the planet as the creators of accurate and precise data of vicinity facts that underpin the smooth operation of society – round cadastral (property) obstacles (land surveying); round constructing and civil creation (engineering surveying); across the planning, construction and operation of mines (mining surveying), around information and measuring the geography of land under the sea (hydrographic surveying); and knowledge the shape and length of the earth and it’s converting surface through the years (geodetic surveying). Surveyors use many tools to adopt their paintings, utilising a range of technology from theodolites to photogrammetry. Spatial technology goes hand-in-hand, nearly inseparably, with surveying as the management and implemented use of this region information – from the creation of small and huge spatial datasets of many sorts and skills, interpretation of remotely sensed photos and photogrammetry, to cartography (the display of area information as maps in diverse mediums) to modelling (making use of area to correctly and exactly predict how a product or situation may play out within the real international) to complex analyses (for example to recognize constraints or make comparisons). Increasingly more, the geospatial industry as an entire is moving toward shooting and modelling  Digital Marketing Agencies in Newcastle the sector round us digitally in 3-d and 4d, allowing a spatial facts framework to end up the workbench for different records that links to its vicinity context. That is both a spatial statistics science and an facts management art, bringing together both surveyors and spatial scientists as custodians if first-class vicinity statistics and its powerful control. Spatial facts may be associated with almost any dataset in the global, and in a quiet, humble way, geospatial underpins the work that each one other industries do.

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[eichy815]

I *Still* Stand AGAINST Scott Walker

Four years ago, I wrote an op-ed piece entitled “I Stand Against Scott Walker.”  This was my attempt to persuade folks from my homestate to reject incumbent Governor Scott Walker’s bid for a second term.  Alas, the national “red wave” of the 2014 midterms helped to propel Walker to victory – by a margin of approximately 127,000 votes (almost 6%) over Democratic challenger Mary Burke.

Now, here we are on the cusp of the 2018 midterms.  Governor Walker is running for a third consecutive term, as Wisconsin doesn’t have gubernatorial term limits. He will be running against Tony Evers, the State Superintended of Education.  Predictably, outside groups have supported Walker with a barrage of sleazy ads perpetuating lies about Evers – most notably, trying to implicate Evers of being complacent in child molestation.

But, with at least half of voters in this current national climate enraged at Donald Trump, this is going to be the toughest political race of Scott Walker’s life.  Since getting reelected in 2014, he has only ramped up his depraved, scorched-earth, sociopathic handiwork.  If there’s any year when Walker could finally be defeated (since he also survived a recall attempt in 2012), this is the one.

Last time around, I highlighted how Scott Walker has spawned a cult of nationalistic, Duck Dynasty-esque blind loyalty.  The phrase “I Stand With Scott Walker.  Do You?” was used as a subliminal method of trying to intimidate Wisconsinites into voting for him.  But, let me just review Walker’s record of fiscal irresponsibility and bullying tactics from his first term...

– he stripped workers of their pensions while escalating their state-supported health care premiums

– he removed most protections for a majority of unions

– he slashed education funding for K-12 and universities alike (including when he allocated public money for a new Bucks Stadium that was nearly identical to the amount he’d cut from higher education)

– he cut wages for state employees

– he appointed cronies to key positions with a salary bump

– he wasted millions of dollars in taxpayer money on his own private security detail

– he ended the planned high-speed rail projects between Wisconsin’s major cities

– he appointed judges to the State Supreme Court who would side with him to quash the Joe Doe probe that had investigated his illegal campaign financing activities

– he used a private email server (sound familiar?) to coordinate with county aides for his reelection campaign

– he delivered only half of the job increases he’d promised in 2010 (during his first gubernatorial run), and roughly one-quarter of THOSE job increases were brought in by the previous Governor

– the original version of his proposed Voter I.D. bill contained no protections for voters with extenuating circumstances (and the Republican-controlled State Assembly and State Senate had to go back in and fix those provisions before passing it)

So now let’s look at how Walker has only ADDED TO this laundry-list of “fiscal cannibalism.”

The most striking example would be the ill-conceived Foxconn deal.  At Trump’s behest, Walker negotiated an agreement between the Taiwanese-owned company, which manufactures electronics and LCD screen panels.  It will include the construction of two major plants in Mount Pleasant and Racine County, which will cost Wisconsin taxpayers millions of dollars over the next several decades in repaying bonds taken out for the deal.  

Walker would purport that the job growth brought into the state via the Foxconn deal will more than make up for any temporary borrowing at the taxpayers’ expense.  That’s an awfully-sketchy roulette wheel to spin, in the face of a meandering journey The Badger State has taken to recover from The Great Recession. And the state still hasn’t fully recovered.  On top of that, Walker egregiously inflates the claims of job/manufacturing growth allegedly made under his reign.

A large portion of the expense that comes with the Foxconn deal is due to the financial burden that will be shifted onto Wisconsinites when funding the road construction and electrical lines necessary to accommodate any Foxconn-related projects. Meanwhile, Wisconsin’s pothole-ridden roads (not-so-affectionately dubbed “Scottholes”) are some of the worst in the country.  Plus, he is using eminent domain (which, ironically, conservatives usually OPPOSE as an example of extreme government overreach) to seize private land that will facilitate these projects.

And, even if job creation from Foxconn pays for itself in the long run:  there is still the risk of its newly-minted Eastern Wisconsin manufacturing plants pumping copious gallons of undertreated water back into the lake, after that water is sucked up for factory use.  The Taiwanese businesspersons who benefit from Foxconn’s Wisconsin-based foothold have no personal incentive to make sure Lake Michigan isn’t re-polluted by their laborers...even though they are more than happy to take Lake Michigan’s water to advance their commerce, in the first place.

Speaking of clean water:  Walker pushed A.B. 554, which was legislation to legalize out-of-state companies’ abilities to purchaser water/sewer utilities used by the Wisconsin public.  He also promoted Bill 21 (aka “Act 55”), which, among other things, allows pipeline companies to seize and condemn Wisconsin landowners’ private property for the purpose of constructing new oil pipelines.

Back in 2016, during the demonstrations at Standing Rock, Walker authorized the deployment of Wisconsin National Guard troops to “help out” with quelling peaceful water-protectors at the North Dakota / South Dakota border.  So he not only wasted Wisconsin taxpayer dollars in an unlawful manner...he supported an armed conflict that resulted in nonviolent Sioux demonstrators (and their allies) being pelted with water cannons and rubber bullets (where, in one case, one woman – Sophia Wilansky – nearly lost her arm because of it). He appointed James Kroll to be the state’s new “deer czar,” and, together, they’ve pushed a proposal that would turn over authorization of hunting tags to private management corporations (driving up costs for hunters)

When it comes to the criminal justice system, Scott Walker has bloated the state’s budget to turn Wisconsin into one of the highest mass incarceration contributors in the nation.  His long history in this area stretches back to his days as a state assemblyman, where he turned a blind eye to harsh working conditions for prison employees...and continues to do so, as Governor.

Tony Evers, as the Democratic nominee for Governor against Walker, has come off as mild-mannered and conciliatory.  Wisconsin Democrats are hoping that affability and pragmatism will offer up a stark contrast to the milquetoast, robotic demeanor of Governor Walker.

Virtually anyone from the Democratic Party – and even a lot of possible alternatives from the Republican Party – would provide a welcome sanctuary from Scott Walker.  But one thing that stands out about Tony Evers – particularly in contrast to Walker’s previous Democratic challengers, Tom Barrett and Mary Burke – is how his platform of standard Democratic core issues also incorporates one of the most ominously-silent brewing crises which our country is poised to face, in the coming decades.

That would be the underreported topic of agri-sustainability.  I have written about this looming giant quite often.  But I’m not a candidate for elected office (nor will I ever be one).

Evers, on the other hand, devotes an entire section of his 2018 campaign site to Diversified Agriculture.  Aside from vowing to protect Wisconsin’s current farmers, he advocates for “a blue-ribbon commission to advance agriculture and economic opportunities in rural Wisconsin” while also getting behind “farm marketing labels [to] support Wisconsin-grown farm products” and “increase[d] international export development initiatives.”

Very few Democratic candidates across the country (and virtually ZERO Republican candidates) have taken upon themselves to prioritize this issue.  Evers, on the other hand, cites solutions such as “increase[d] incentives to support agriculture and rural businesses through training, labor attraction, market development, and business support” along with “business investment in value-added processing for farm products.”  One avenue for this, that Evers proposes, is to utilize the UW-Extension system for providing “support and market assistances” to farmers, as well as building coalitions with Governors and agricultural innovators from other states to explore regional initiatives (including those that will strengthen the American dairy industry).

If anything, Evers (along with his lieutenant-gubernatorial running mate, Mandela Barnes) is “too nice.”   It’s astonishing that his campaign (not to mention the liberal outside groups who were supposedly said to be “saving their money” until after the August 2018 primary) has failed to display in their campaign ads a clip from the September 16, 2015 GOP presidential primary debates where Donald Trump himself called out then-candidate Scott Walker on what an abysmal job Walker himself had done during Walker’s first term as Governor.

Meanwhile, conservative outside groups (led by the Koch brothers) perpetuate lies about Evers allegedly being lenient on pedophiles...or having mismanaged Wisconsin’s education system during his time as State Education Superintendent.

In actuality, Walker is the one who has failed to take action against child molesters.  It’s disingenuous for Walker to claim that Evers has single-handedly destroyed Wisconsin’s education system when Walker was the one who cut millions of dollars in education funding in the first place (only to give himself a pat on the back once he reinvested the money he’d originally cut).

He can’t have it both ways.  Walker can’t take credit for improving Wisconsin’s education system while simultaneously alleging that it has gone downhill under the tenure of Evers.

And, as recently reported by John Nichols of The Nation:  Walker’s own former cabinet members have come out against him about Governor Walker’s draconian top-down approach.  By all accounts, Walker has managed to rival the tone-deaf regime of his Democratic predecessor, Jim Doyle.

If Scott Walker prevails over Tony Evers tomorrow (as they appear to be deadlocked in a statistical polling tie) – and if Walker’s margin of victory is less than 100,000 votes – it will have been several factors coming together that led to such a disaster.

Rain and thunderstorms are projected for several parts of the state, tomorrow.  I wouldn’t put it past the Walker-cultists to stand out in the rain for hours...while anti-Walker voters are more likely to stay home (as so many of them did in 2010 and 2014).

There are also the electronic touchscreen voting machines.  While plenty of precincts throughout Wisconsin use optically-scanned paper ballots, too many voters still naively use the touchscreens to cast their votes...not realizing how susceptible those machines are to mechanical error – or even outright hacking.

But the most disturbing last-minute development for Wisconsin’s 2018 midterms (aside from the fact that all of the Republican candidates “coincidentally” appear first on the ballot in each of this year’s races) has been Walker’s eleventh-hour Executive Order for the Wisconsin National Guard to be deployed to “provide essential services to the Wisconsin Elections Commission.”

The vagueness of this unprecedented action is more than troubling...including the lack of details provided to the public.  Will it take the form uniformed soldiers patrolling outside of major election precincts – for the clandestine purpose of intimidating voters (especially those who might dispute having been purged from any voter rolls)?

Or will these soldiers from the National Guard actually “give cover” (physically) to precinct captains and vote-tabulators as the actual returns are being calculated?

Regardless of whether the intent is the former or latter...things could get really nasty, at the polling places.  Especially if voters who find themselves purged from the rolls are pressured by armed guards to leave the precincts.  This could rival the escalations I expect that we will see in Georgia on General Election Day, as Brian Kemp blatantly abuses his power to potentially attempt to steal an election from insurgent challenger Stacey Abrams.

May the deities take mercy on my birth state, if Scott Walker manages to net himself a third term!

[envirotechaccelerator]

Bioenergy: Ethical Considerations and Environmental Implications

by Envirotech Accelerator

Abstract

Bioenergy, derived from organic matter, plays a significant role in the global energy mix. Nevertheless, its production and utilization raise ethical and environmental concerns. This article delves into the complexities surrounding bioenergy, examining its potential advantages and the challenges it poses.

Introduction

Bioenergy represents an essential component of the renewable energy landscape, providing a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels. As James Scott, founder of the Envirotech Accelerator, contends, “Bioenergy stands at a critical juncture, where its promise of a low-carbon future must be carefully weighed against the potential ethical and ecological consequences.” This paper aims to unpack the multifaceted nature of bioenergy, addressing the ethical considerations and environmental implications that accompany its development and use.

Bioenergy: A Primer

Bioenergy encompasses various forms, including biofuels (such as ethanol and biodiesel), biogas, and biomass-based electricity generation. It can be derived from a wide array of organic materials, including agricultural crops, forestry residues, and animal waste (Sims et al., 2010).

Ethical Considerations

Food vs. Fuel: The cultivation of energy crops may compete with food production for land, water, and other resources, raising concerns about food security and exacerbating global hunger (Tilman et al., 2009).

Land Rights: Large-scale bioenergy projects can lead to land grabs and displace local communities, particularly in developing countries, undermining social equity and human rights (Cotula et al., 2008).

Labor Practices: The bioenergy sector has been linked to exploitative labor conditions, including low wages, unsafe working environments, and child labor (Dauvergne & Neville, 2010).

Environmental Implications

Greenhouse Gas Emissions: While bioenergy can potentially reduce greenhouse gas emissions, indirect land-use change and intensive farming practices may offset these benefits (Fargione et al., 2008).

Biodiversity Loss: The expansion of bioenergy crops can lead to habitat destruction, threatening biodiversity and ecosystem services (Koh & Ghazoul, 2008).

Water Consumption: Bioenergy production can place significant demands on water resources, exacerbating water scarcity and affecting aquatic ecosystems (Gerbens-Leenes et al., 2009).

Conclusion

Bioenergy holds considerable promise as a renewable energy source, yet its ethical and environmental implications demand careful consideration. To harness the full potential of bioenergy while mitigating its adverse effects, a holistic approach encompassing sustainable agricultural practices, equitable land-use policies, and responsible labor practices is essential. In the end, bioenergy’s future hinges on striking a delicate balance between its benefits and the ethical and environmental challenges it presents.

References

Cotula, L., Vermeulen, S., Leonard, R., & Keeley, J. (2008). Land grab or development opportunity? Agricultural investment and international land deals in Africa. IIED/FAO/IFAD, London/Rome.

Dauvergne, P., & Neville, K. J. (2010). Forests, food, and fuel in the tropics: the uneven social and ecological consequences of the emerging political economy of biofuels. Journal of Peasant Studies, 37(4), 631–660.

Fargione, J., Hill, J., Tilman, D., Polasky, S., & Hawthorne, P. (2008). Land clearing and the biofuel carbon debt. Science, 319(5867), 1235–1238.

Gerbens-Leenes, P. W., Hoekstra, A. Y., & van der Meer, T. H, (2009). The water footprint of bioenergy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 106(25), 10219–10223.

Koh, L. P., & Ghazoul, J. (2008). Biofuels, biodiversity, and people: understanding the conflicts and finding opportunities. Biological Conservation, 141(10), 2450–2460.

Sims, R. E., Mabee, W., Saddler, J. N., & Taylor, M. (2010). An overview of second-generation biofuel technologies. Bioresource Technology, 101(6), 1570–1580.

Tilman, D., Socolow, R., Foley, J. A., Hill, J., Larson, E., Lynd, L., … & Williams, R. (2009). Beneficial biofuels — the food, energy, and environment trilemma. Science, 325(5938), 270–271.

Read more at Envirotech Accelerator.

[gloriacumming43-blog]

The North Georgia Farm Trail Covers 5 North Georgia Counties

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