Montreal Pride makes space for TwoSpirit representation amid influx of online hate
Lindsay RichardsonAPTN NewsMa-Nee Chacaby’s grandmother could tell that her young granddaughter was different long before Chacaby herself came to the same realization.“I was a Two-Spirit child, which means I had two spirits in my body, mind and soul,” she explained. “She said they’ve existed way back seven generations – when she was four years old, she was told people existed like that.”Traditionally, Chacaby says these people – known by other names prior to the introduction of the term ‘Two-Spirit’ in 2010 – were revered in First Nations communities; seen as those who walk with the Great Spirit, and often called upon to lead ceremony.Despite this early designation, Chacaby recalls her earliest memories of ‘pride,’ as memories of resistance.“My first pride was about being denied to go enjoy my life,” she said. “It was a rough road for the first three years of my coming out.”“When I came out as a lesbian woman in 1988, I had a lot of battles with the First Nations and had battles with white people because they didn’t like me being who I was,” Chacaby added. “But I didn’t care – I was prepared to die for my own cause. For my own who I am.”With the same raw conviction chronicled in her autobiography, ‘A Two-Spirit Journey’ – a French version of which was recently published in Quebec – Chacaby came to Montreal ready to lead the charge at this year’s gay pride festivities as a Parade Grand Marshall.“I live by love. Respect. And to honour yourself, who you are,” she said.Amidst scrutiny from racialized and marginalized groups, Fierté Montreal adopted a new mandate in 2019: to diversity and attempt to Indigenize their festival offerings as part of their bid to host World Pride in 2023.As the most-attended Pride festival across Canada, it was no small feat.“One of the main priorities was to meet as many different cultural groups I could, and to get to know their needs, and get to know what I could do to help them and to do as many projects as possible this first year,” explained Félicia Tremblay, Fierté’s newly-appointed Director of Diversity and Community Relations.“As a black Cherokee Two-Spirit person, someone who’s grown up in much oppression around a very non-cultural environment, I feel it’s very personal for me to listen well – not to speak for the others, but mostly to listen well to them,” Tremblay added.One of the more visible offerings new to the festival this year was the “Two-Spirit Space” – a teepee, designed and constructed by Innu artist Serge Ashini, with assistance from his partner, MMIWG Inquiry commissioner Michele Audette.Throughout the festival, the Two-Spirit space was occupied by a knowledge keeper, available for advisement and questions, as well as an interactive art installation overseen by members of the 2S Circle of Montreal.Even during the festival’s opening ‘Reconciliation Ceremony’ – held on the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples – the Two-Spirit space was the epicenter of a flurry of activity.“It’s hard for me to talk about it without getting emotional, because every day it’s like there’s a new beautiful that happens,” Tremblay added. “Seeing Two-Spirit families, hearing feedback from people who feel less alone because they went to an activity where they felt heard.”Although Tremblay concedes they’re already thinking of ways to up the gamut for next year’s edition of the festival, starting to consciously showcase Two-Spirit identities is an indelible step towards reconciliation.“Statistically we are growing in numbers in these cities; it’s important that we also take those spaces,” John Sylliboy, a Two-Spirit researcher and doctoral candidate at McGill University, explained.While delivering a panel discussion with Chacaby, Sylliboy – hailing from the Eskasoni Mi’kmaw Nation – presented crucial facets of his research into what ‘Two-Spirit’ means within Indigenous cultural identity and language, as well as how those elements are impacted by life in urban settings like Montreal.“Elders are saying ‘we need to learn this and re-learn a lot of it so we have words, vocabulary, terms and phrases that young people could use to self-identify for their own well-being,’” Sylliboy explained.“In Quebec it’s a process by which a lot of people are stuck between identity of language and identity of culture – but a lot of that excludes indigenous culture. A lot of that excludes indigenous identity or even Two-Spirit identity,” he added.It’s hard to deny that Quebec’s politics still draw a dividing line.Premier Francois Legault attended the weekend’s festivities, despite a petition signed by hundreds dubbing him a “false ally,” and calling for him to opt out altogether.Many believe Legault’s leadership is bolstering division among cultural communities, and fuelling far-right vitriol.Even with diversity at the forefront in 2019, Fierté says they’ve logged thousands of hateful online comments across social media platforms since May – an “unprecedented” amount, according to festival President Jean-Sébastien Boudreault.“There’s so much work to do when you want to love somebody,” Chacaby said. “That what I’m trying to teach the young people; I want them to learn that love is the most important thing. Love can conquer evil. Love can conquer hate.“Hate adopts you. You adopt it so quickly. But love? You’ve got to work at it.”lrichardson@aptn.ca@sentimtl
Rio Tinto has reached agreement on the first sale under its planned programme to divest at least $15 billion of assets. The Group has signed an agreement to sell Kennecott Greens Creek Mining Co and Kennecott Juneau Mining Co, the subsidiaries holding its interests in the Greens Creek mine in Alaska, to an affiliate of Hecla Mining. Greens Creek is a silver, gold, zinc and lead underground mine and concentrator facility on Admiralty Island near Juneau. It is currently a joint venture between a Rio Tinto Kennecott subsidiary (70.3%) and a Hecla subsidiary (29.7%). The sale price is $750 million. The price comprises a cash component of $700 million and the balance in Hecla common stock. Closing is subject to customary conditions, including expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act. “The sale of our interests in Greens Creek is a very positive first step towards our target of realising asset sales of $10 billion in 2008,” said Guy Elliott, Chief Financial Officer of Rio Tinto.Bret Clayton, Rio Tinto’s Copper Product Group Chief Executive said, “Hecla Mining has for a long time been our joint venture partner and already has a solid understanding of the mine, the employees, the community and the State. Hecla is well placed to assume operation of the mine.”In November 2007, Rio Tinto announced the results of its overall strategic review of its asset portfolio following its acquisition of Alcan. Options are also being explored to divest Rio Tinto Energy America (coal), Rio Tinto Minerals’ talc business, Rio Tinto Alcan Packaging, Rio Tinto Alcan Engineered Products, Rio Tinto’s interest in the Cortez gold mine in Nevada, Rio Tinto’s Northparkes copper mine in Australia and Rio Tinto’s Sweetwater (USA) and Kintyre (Australia) uranium assets.
CHINESE POLICE HAVE arrested a man accused of stealing dozens of fossilised dinosaur eggs, but some eggs are apparently still unaccounted for.The man surnamed Wang allegedly stole 80 of the eggs from a collector in the eastern province of Zhejiang on the night of 9 January with the help of three accomplices, the official Xinhua news agency reported.Wang had previously visited the collector twice under the pretext of wishing to make a purchase, the report said.The four suspects divided the eggs between them and Wang took home 27 of them.Those 27 fossils were recovered by police after they arrested Wang in his home town in Huanan county in Heilongjiang province on 4 March, provincial police said in a statement.Wang’s three accomplices were also soon apprehended, according to the statement. It did not say what happened to the rest of the eggs.Contacted by AFP, Heilongjiang police confirmed Wang was in police custody but refused to confirm the status of the other suspects.There have been numerous similar previous finds in China.The southern city of Heyuan set the world record for the largest collection of dinosaur eggs, with nearly 17,000 found in the city since 1996 when a group of children playing on a building site came across some fossils.In December 2015 US police returned to China an illegally imported dinosaur bone fossil believed to be about 120 million years old.© – AFP 2017Read: For the first time ever, a dinosaur tail has been found encased in amber >Read: A 25-year-old PhD student at Trinity has just discovered that sharks used to eat their own young > By Associated Press Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article http://jrnl.ie/3297813 12,607 Views Dinosaur eggs in Steve Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. Image: United Archives/PA Images Short URL Tuesday 21 Mar 2017, 6:15 AM
Mar 21st 2017, 6:15 AM Chinese man arrested for allegedly stealing 80 dinosaur eggs The fossilized eggs were being held by a collector. . Share1 Tweet Email1 Image: United Archives/PA Images 15 Comments Dinosaur eggs in Steve Spielberg’s Jurassic Park. 
Republic of Ireland 1Georgia 0Paul Dollery reports from Aviva StadiumTHE REPUBLIC OF Ireland have started their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with back-to-back victories.Three days after an unconvincing 1-0 win away to Gibraltar, Conor Hourihane’s first international goal was the highlight of a much-improved performance as the Boys in Green saw off the challenge of Georgia tonight in Dublin. By Paul Dollery 24,525 Views Conor Hourihane’s ace ensures a happy homecoming for Mick McCarthy A free-kick from the Aston Villa midfielder was enough to see off Georgia tonight in Dublin. Share187 Tweet Email Subscribe Mar 26th 2019, 9:51 PM 52 Comments https://the42.ie/4561527 Short URL Conor Hourihane celebrates after scoring. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHOThe Corkman, who was winning his 10th senior cap, found the net with a delightfully executed free-kick to put his side in the ascendancy in the 35th minute. The strike ensured that Ireland have taken maximum yield from this double header of qualifiers.Seventeen years since his first reign as manager was ended by a defeat to Switzerland, Mick McCarthy was patrolling the Lansdowne Road touchline once again as Ireland sought to prevent a fourth consecutive home game without a win — or even a goal.Off-the-field matters — particularly those relating to FAI governance — dominated the build-up to this game. A rumoured protest materialised just before Ireland went in front, when the game was held up briefly due to tennis balls being launched onto the pitch from a handful of supporters among the 40,317 in attendance.Mick McCarthy admitted that starting with both Seamus Coleman and Matt Doherty on the right flank “didn’t work particularly well” in Saturday’s win against Gibraltar. When the teams were announced this evening, it emerged that Doherty was the sacrificial lamb from that failed experiment.Despite being one of the stars of his club’s Premier League campaign, the Wolverhampton Wanderers man was demoted to the bench for his country. He was joined there by Sean Maguire, who made his first competitive start in Gibraltar. Ireland manager Mick McCarthy pictured before kick-off. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHOFour months since he bid what was ultimately a faux farewell to international football, Glenn Whelan was drafted in for his first competitive start in a green shirt since the draw with tonight’s opposition in Tbilisi in September 2017. Robbie Brady was the other beneficiary from McCarthy’s two changes.Man-of-the-match David McGoldrick acted as the offensive focal point, with Brady and James McClean providing support from the wings. Jeff Hendrick was the most advanced operator in a three-man midfield which was also manned by Whelan and Hourihane.Georgia manager Vladimir Weiss made three adjustments to the side that started their qualifying campaign with a 2-0 home defeat to Switzerland on Saturday. Their most notable absentee again was the injured Giorgi Chakvetadze, a 19-year-old attacking midfielder who has notched five goals in his seven senior international outings thus far.At the risk of being guilty of hyperbole, Ireland arguably produced their most encouraging period of attacking football since Euro 2016 in the opening quarter. After Hendrick won possession with a good tackle, Hourihane capitalised and bore down on goal. Releasing the unmarked Brady to his right may have been a better option, but the Aston Villa midfielder backed himself instead, only to see his shot pushed away for a corner by Georgia goalkeeper Giorgi Loria. Tennis balls scattered across the Aviva Stadium pitch. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHOWith Hendrick and Whelan prospering in midfield, Ireland threatened on several occasions inside the opening 20 minutes. Brady and McGoldrick both had decent efforts but were unable to test Loria.The visitors had to wait until the 26th minute for their first sight of goal. Valerian Gvilia floated in a corner that found the head of Giorgi Kvilitaia, whose header was swept off the line by Whelan. Ireland goalkeeper Darren Randolph appeared to have it covered in any case, although some slight confusion between the pair may well have proven costly.The opening goal arrived 10 minutes before the interval. After Guram Kashia was penalised for a foul on McGoldrick, the taking of the free-kick was delayed as tennis balls littered the pitch. However, the interruption clearly didn’t irk Hourihane, who curled a superb left-footed effort around the Georgian wall to beat Loria to his right.Ireland were worthy of their half-time advantage, but they were almost robbed of it just before the break. After Solomon Kverkvelia’s ball into the box was knocked down by Otar Kiteishvili, it fell kindly for Gvilia. His strike was well saved by Randolph, before Enda Stevens and James McClean combined to prevent Kvilitaia from pouncing on the rebound.Twelve minutes into the second half, Ireland had the ball in the net following a magnificent passage of play, which ended with Stevens squaring the ball for Hendrick. Unfortunately for the Burnley midfielder, he was marginally offside when he tucked the ball into an empty net from close range. Ireland’s David McGoldrick is fouled by Guram Kashia of Georgia. Source: Ryan Byrne/INPHOGeorgia caused a couple of nervy moments for the Irish rearguard in their pursuit of an equaliser, particularly with just five minutes remaining when captain Jaba Kankava struck the outside of Darren Randolph’s post with a scintillating strike from distance.Nevertheless, a second goal in this game looked more likely to come at the other end. The two Sheffield United men in Mick McCarthy’s starting line-up came closest to providing it.Shortly after Enda Stevens fired wide with his weaker right foot, James McClean released David McGoldrick with a long ball. The striker managed to take the ball beyond goalkeeper Loria, but his touch was too heavy for him to make it count.Ireland’s failure to double their advantage made the conclusion of this contest more tense than it perhaps should have been, but Conor Hourihane’s strike was ultimately enough to accomplish the mission.REPUBLIC OF IRELAND: Darren Randolph; Seamus Coleman (c), Shane Duffy, Richard Keogh, Enda Stevens; Glenn Whelan, Conor Hourihane; Robbie Brady (Aiden O’Brien, 74), Jeff Hendrick, James McClean; David McGoldrick (Matt Doherty, 82).GEORGIA: Giorgi Loria; Otar Kakabadze (Tornike Okriashvili, 85), Solomon Kverkvelia, Guram Kashia, Davit Khocholava (Levan Kharabadze, 65); Nika Kvekveskiri, Jaba Kankava (c); Vato Arveladze (Valeri Qazaishvili, 73), Valerian Gvilia, Otar Kiteishvili; Giorgi Kvilitaia.Referee: Serdar Gözübüyük (Netherlands). Subscribe to our new podcast, The42 Rugby Weekly, here: Tuesday 26 Mar 2019, 9:46 PM Tweet thisShare on FacebookEmail this article
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram A house in Reservoir, Victoria, caught fire in the early hours last Thursday, with the sole occupant only just escaping safely. Peter Grapsas, 19, was fast asleep as the fire started, and woke up when police thumped on his window at 2.30am. “I was by myself. A friend had come over earlier and left around midnight. I fell asleep soon after,” Peter told Neos Kosmos. “I was lucky I heard the police bang on my windows. I checked where the fire was coming from and ran out the back of the house.”Police had been patrolling around the Reservoir area on Henty St when they saw smoke billowing out of a unit. Constables David Carroll and Cameron Curtis then proceeded to knock on the doors and windows of Mr Grapsas’ house. Neighbours were also alerted to the fire, although the blaze did not spread to other properties in the area. Four pumpers, a rescue unit and an aerial unit worked to control the blaze. While Mr Grapsas said while insurers are still assessing the damage done to the property, an estimated $100,000 damage was done to the home.
Facebook Twitter: @NeosKosmos Instagram US President Barack Obama indicated on Friday that life outside the eurozone would be far worse for Greeks than the austerity measures demanded in exchange for financial aid from Europeans whom he pressed to take action to stabilize the bloc.Addressing reporters in Washington, Obama said the Greek people must recognize, ahead of crucial general elections on June 17, “that their hardships will likely be worse” if they choose to leave the euro.In a nod to German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande, Obama urged European leaders to pursue growth alongside austerity, noting that they have the support of the US, whose economy is inextricably linked to theirs.Merkel, for her part, once again reiterated her desire that Greece remain in the eurozone, but as long as it honors the terms of the foreign bailout known as the memorandum. “This memorandum is the foundation for a favorable development and we have to say that clearly to all those who are seeking election in Greece,” she said.Former European Commission President Romano Prodi told Italian newspaper Il Sole 24 Ore that Greece is “a test for the future of Europe” and would also test the ability of EU member states to remain united.Meanwhile Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed “solidarity” with Greece, backpedaling on disparaging comments earlier this week. “Our culture dictates that we cannot sleep with a full stomach when our neighbor is hungry,” he said.The comments came a few days after the Turkish PM, in response to a comment by an opposition party leader who had claimed that the Greek economy was in a better state than the Turkish one, had described Greece as “going cap in hand” to international creditors.Source: Kathimerini
New categories for legal fishing proposed in Parks amendments bill Related Items:construction industry, planning department Facebook Twitter Google+LinkedInPinterestWhatsApp Taller buildings for Grace Bay to Turtle Cove approved at Cabinet Facebook Twitter Google+LinkedInPinterestWhatsAppProvidenciales, 29 Dec 2015 – The construction industry will lead in growth over the next two years according to the recently released GDP Report from the Department of Statistics. The charts show that construction will grow by 6% next year, by 10% for 2017 and then 3.5% in 2018. The report on the next three years reveals that by the third year, 2018, the biggest boom will be in the hotel/restaurant sector; that growth likely due to the surge in building in the country. Hotel and Restaurant will peak in 2018 at 6%, but forecasts have the sector to continue steadily with 2016 at 5% and 2017 at 4%. Another growing sector for the Turks and Caicos is wholesale retail; as merchants continue to set records with imports surging year on year. There will be growth of 4% next year, 6% in 2017 and retail and wholesale is predicted to climb, but slightly in 2018 at 1.5%. Public Administration will also see an upward trend for the next three years as the TCIs GDP is poised to grow by almost 6% according to the Strategic Policy and Planning Department. Recommended for you Planning Department to make changes to development manual
To contact City Hall call 262-9107, or visit the City’s official website at www.Soldotna.org for a full list of City departments and contact information. The caller may identify themselves as a City employee, but then proceeds to ask the person for private or confidential information. These calls are likely part of a scam, intended to gain personal information from unknowing victims. When in doubt, hang up and call the City back using an official number. Soldotna City Manager Stephanie Queen: “We received a couple of phone calls from people who were concerned thinking they had been contacted from someone in the city, and it looked like the phone number had come from the city. The person contacting them was asking for very personal information.” Facebook0TwitterEmailPrintFriendly分享The City of Soldotna is warning the public of a possible Caller-ID ‘spoofing’ scam that is circulating the local area.
Coal India, the central government-owned coal mining firm, on Tuesday reported about 15 percent decline in its consolidated net profit at Rs. 3,065.3 crore for the quarter ended June 30, as against a net profit of Rs. 3,596.9 crore during the same quarter last fiscal.The company’s net sales dipped 6 percent at Rs. 17,796 crore for the April-June period when compared to Rs. 18,995.8 crore in the same period last financial year, Coal India said in a regulatory filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange.Following the quarterly result announcement, Coal India stock was trading at Rs. 325.45 at around 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday, down 1.65 percent from its previous close on the BSE.During the quarter ended June 30, the coal production of the company witnessed a 3.5 percent growth year-on-year (YoY) at 125.67 million tonnes. The company’s off take also increased 2.98 percent at 133.24 million tonnes in the first quarter when compared to 129.39 million tonnes during the first quarter of the previous fiscal, the company said.Coal India, which is the world’s largest coal miner, earned Rs. 18,421.87 crore income from operations in the first quarter for the present fiscal. In the same quarter during the last fiscal, the company had earned income worth Rs. 19,518.08 crore from operations.Last month, the board of Coal India Limited (CIL) approved inking a deal with a South African government entity for acquisition of coal mines. The board’s decision has been conveyed to African Exploration Mining and Finance Corporation Ltd (AFMFC) to decide the date and place for signing of the agreement.Coal and Power Minister Piyush Goyal had earlier in August informed Parliament that the state-controlled coal mining firm is looking to enter into an agreement with the South African government to jointly acquiring mines in the African nation.
Close Gold imports in 2017 are likely to jump by a third to 750 tonnes on restocking by jewellers and a good monsoon rainfall expected to boost demand in rural areas during the upcoming festive season, a leading refiner told Reuters on Sunday.”Demand and imports are normalising after taking a hit last year. Jewellers are restocking after destocking last year,” Rajesh Khosla, managing director of MMTC-PAMP India, the country’s biggest refinery, told Reuters on the sidelines of the International Gold Convention in Panaji.Higher imports by the world’s second biggest consumer will support global prices, which are trading near their highest level in two months, but could widen the country’s trade deficit, the Reuters report said.Two-thirds of India’s gold demand comes from rural areas, where jewellery is a traditional store of wealth.In the first seven months of the 2017, imports more than doubled to 550 tonnes from the same period a year earlier, Reuters said, quoting provisional data from consultancy GFMS. This was in the wake of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime that kicked in on July 1, which raised tax on gold to 3 percent from 1.2 percent previously.The quarter ending in December typically accounts for about a third of India’s gold sales since it includes the start of the wedding season and festivals such as Dhanteras and Diwali, when buying gold is considered auspicious. Representational image.FlickrIndia’s gold consumption is rivalled only by China’s. India imported 557.7 tonnes of gold in 2016, the lowest in 13 years, according to the World Gold Council.Khosla said that import growth could taper off in coming months as jewellers had restocked earlier than usual this year, fearing higher taxes.Prithviraj Kothari, managing director of RiddiSiddhi Bullions, told Reuters that jewellery demand has improved this year but investment demand is still weak due to a rally in the stock market and the appreciating rupee.The rupee has risen nearly 6 percent so far in 2017 and is trading near its highest level in more than two years, the report said. Should you invest in gold in 2017?
Share Listen X – / 6Hundreds of mourners packed Bay Area Church in League City, some 10 miles north of Santa Fe.Media was not allowed in the building but a congregation member described the service as “very honorary.”
He said Cynthia Tisdale was called the “rock of the family” and the “glue that held them together.”One of the people speaking was Tisdale’s stepdaughter’s husband, who told a story of how she filled up his fridge and gave him cable TV when he had a rough stretch, the congregation member said.In a statement released earlier this week, Tisdale’s son described his mother as a caring person who worked with special needs children as a substitute teacher not out of necessity but because she wanted to help others.She also took care of her ill husband every day.Tisdale would have turned 64 next week. 00:00 /00:45 To embed this piece of audio in your site, please use this code:
Some have always been sceptical about just how much good games like Wii Fit are for you. Nevertheless gullible parents buy every single dance and fitness game for their weight-challenged children every Christmas, hoping those games will be better for them because they’ll have to get off the sofa in order to play them.A new study conducted by the Children’s Nutrition Research Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston concluded that playing active video games is no better than playing a game sat down.Previous studies have shown that adults and children who play active video games do engage in physical exercise when encouraged. However, these studies took place under ideal laboratory settings, this new study tested what the results would be in actual homes.The participants were children aged between 9 and 12 who had a larger than average body mass index and whose households did not already own a console. Each household was given a Wii and were randomly split into two groups. One group could choose two among the five most physically demanding games; Active Life: Extreme Challenge, EA Sports Active, Dance Dance Revolution, Wii Fit Plus and Wii Sports. The other group got to choose among the most popular games played passively including Disney’s Sing It: Pop Hits, and Madden NFL 10.The children wore accelerometers to measure physical activity over the 13-week long experiment. The researchers did not encourage them to exercise so they could clearly see if there was a change in attitude. They found no evidence to suggest the children playing active video games took part in more physical activity than the children who played the non-physical video games.Anthony Barnett, an exercise physiologist, thinks this is due to a popular phenomenon that when you prescribe physical activity the overall amount done never increases because the participant reduces the amount of other activity they were doing to compensate. So, if you play the Wii Fit for an hour you think it’s OK not to go for a long walk with the dog later.If you’re thinking of investing in the new Wii Fit U, I would suggest just playing what you really enjoy and keeping your fitness and your video games separate.More at NY Times.
Let us know what you like about Geek by taking our survey. ‘Astral Chain’ and Other Dumb Nintendo SongsHands-On: ‘Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020’ Seems Fine Were you ever left feeling disillusioned and disappointed by the original Super Mario Bros. movie? Did you feel like it wasn’t quite what you were looking for in terms of a movie based on one of the most popular video games in the entire world? You’re not alone. That’s probably part of why Nintendo is working to bring a new Mario movie to fruition — well, that, and money, if I had to guess. Nintendo has confirmed that it is working to bring an animated Super Mario movie to life with animation studio Illumination, the very same one that brought us cheery family movies like Despicable Me and its spinoff Minions.While previously The Wall Street Journal reported that the deal had been struck between both parties, Nintendo recently confirmed the move via its official Twitter account. The movie will be co-produced by Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and other vastly important Nintendo characters as well as Chris Meledandri, who previously worked on the Despicable Me movies.Nintendo and Illumination are partnering on a movie starring Mario, co-produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Chris Meledandri! pic.twitter.com/wVRPLIzcGJ— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) February 1, 2018Unfortunately, right now we don’t have much information as to what we can expect from the movie or even a name at this point, but we do know that it’s coming down the pipeline soon. With Mario mania at an all-time high following the release of Super Mario Odyssey and the upcoming new Mario mobile game Mario Kart Tour, the property’s more in-demand than ever, and it shows.There’s also another movie based on a popular game franchise coming in the form of the Detective Pikachu film, which looks decidedly awful (casting Ryan Reynolds for some bizarre reason as Pikachu). At least we know Miyamoto has our back when it comes to skipping out on a potentially horrible Mario movie — or at the very least he can give us something better than a glorified cartoon short. Here’s hoping!
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Journal information: Science (Phys.org)—A research team made up of members from Switzerland, France and Belgium has discovered that the scales on the heads of crocodiles are not arranged due to genetics but come about because of cracking in the skin while the skull is still developing. They describe their research and findings in their paper published in the journal Science. Crocodile. Image: Wikimedia Commons. Scale development in reptiles, the team notes generally comes about due to a process known as scale primordium, where units of development are genetically driven – scales grow in the shape and color that have been described by their DNA. That’s the case for crocodiles as well, they write, except for the scales that cover the head, where things are very different. Instead of regular patterns that occur due to scale primordium, there is chaos the researchers found, which led them to wonder if a different development process was at work.To find out, they took multiple high resolution photographs of the heads of 15 young crocodiles from every angle possible then used computer software to create 3D models made up of just the lines that formed the divisions between the scales. The lines were then analyzed using pattern recognition software and the results showed that the polygons that were created by the lines mimicked patterns seen in natural cracking, such as when mud dries or a pot is broken.Next, the team studied embryonic development of crocodiles in their lab, watching closely as Dermal Pressure Sensors (DPS) – sensory organs that detect surface water changes – developed as raised bumps or mounds in random fashion over the face, jaws and other parts of the head. Scale primordium never occurred. Instead thick skin developed over and around the DPS bumps. As the skull grew, grooves began to appear between the mounds that eventually became interconnected. As the grooves deepened they began to take on the familiar look of the adult resulting in the scaly look that crocodiles are known for.This discovery, the researchers say, provides more information to scientists studying the interplay between genetic determination and the physical and/or chemical processes in the environment that together determine the biologic development of organisms. Explore further More information: Crocodile Head Scales Are Not Developmental Units But Emerge from Physical Cracking, Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.1226265ABSTRACTVarious lineages of amniotes display keratinized skin appendages (feathers, hairs, and scales) that differentiate in the embryo from genetically controlled developmental units whose spatial organization is patterned by reaction-diffusion mechanisms (RDM). We show that contrary to skin appendages in other amniotes (as well as body scales in crocodiles), face and jaws scales of crocodiles are random polygonal domains of highly keratinized skin, rather than genetically controlled elements, and emerge from a physical self-organizing stochastic process distinct from RDM: cracking of the developing skin in a stress field. We suggest that the rapid growth of the crocodile embryonic facial and jaw skeleton, combined with the development of a very keratinized skin, generates the mechanical stress that causes cracking.
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only. Citation: Researchers find scales on crocodile heads are formed from cracks not genetically defined (2012, November 30) retrieved 18 August 2019 from https://phys.org/news/2012-11-scales-crocodile-genetically.html New ‘shieldcroc’ species of ancient crocodile discovered © 2012 Phys.org
Toronto: Besides boosting your energy and attention levels, drinking coffee may also protect you against developing both Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases, researchers have found. It could be due to phenylindanes – an antioxidant compound found in roasted coffee beans. “Coffee consumption does seem to have some correlation to a decreased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease,” said Donald Weaver, Co-director at University Health Network’s the Krembil Brain Institute in Toronto, Canada. Also Read – Add new books to your shelfFor the study, reported in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience, the team chose to investigate three different types of coffee – light roast, dark roast and decaffeinated dark roast. The caffeinated and de-caffeinated dark roast both showed phenylindanes, suggesting that the effect is not due to caffeine. Phenylindanes prevent or rather inhibit both beta amyloid and tau – two protein fragments common in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s – from clumping. Also Read – Over 2 hours screen time daily will make your kids impulsive”So phenylindanes are a dual inhibitor. Very interesting, we were not expecting that,” Weaver noted. As roasting leads to higher quantities of phenylindanes, dark roasted coffee appears to be more protective than light roasted coffee. However, the results do not suggest that coffee is a cure, said the researchers, adding that more study is needed before it can translate into a potential therapeutic. “What this study does is take the epidemiological evidence and try to refine it and to demonstrate that there are indeed components within coffee that are beneficial to warding off cognitive decline,” Weaver said. “It’s interesting but are we suggesting that coffee is a cure? Absolutely not.”
Vivaldi 1.11 improves accessibility features by Martin Brinkmann on August 10, 2017 in Internet – Last Update: May 22, 2018 – 13 commentsVivaldi Technologies released Vivaldi 1.11, a new version of the web browser to the public on August 10, 2017.The new version of the web browser introduces new and improved accessibility features to the user base.Among the highlights are options to control animations on sites that you visit in the browser, Reader Mode improvements, and a new option to adjust the mouse gesture sensitivity.Vivaldi 1.11Depending on where you go on the Internet, you may be bombarded by animations, usually in form of animated GIFs, or not see a single animation in years.Animations can be distracting, especially if they play on pages where they are don’t make up the core content, or are displayed in multitudes.The new controls in Vivaldi offer an easy toggle to control animations on the Web. The default loops animations on websites, but you may either disable them entirely, or limit animations to play once so that they don’t loop anymore.To change the animation behavior, click on the image icon in the Vivaldi status bar. There you find “load animations” which you use to configure the feature.The second new accessibility related feature lets users change the sensitivity of mouse gestures. Vivaldi supports mouse gestures to run actions such as going back or forward with the mouse only.Vivaldi users may set the minimum stroke length of the mouse gesture feature in Vivaldi 1.11. Basically, what it does is reduce the likelihood of strokes being detected as part of gestures when they should not be.The default sensitivity is set to 5 pixels, and you may change that to a maximum of 100 pixels.This is controlled via a slider in Settings > Mouse > Gesture Sensitivity.Reader ModeThe developers of the Vivaldi browser improved the browser’s built-in Reader Mode in several ways.The page customization settings are for instance accessible directly on a page that is displayed in Reader Mode.A click on the cogwheel icon opens the controls to change the font size and type, column width and height, and to toggle between a light and dark background.Another new Reader Mode options is support for custom themes. Basically, what you can do is select to inherit the theme of the Vivaldi browser so that it is used by Reader Mode as well.You find the option to do so next to the light and dark theme toggles when you display the Reader Mode controls in the browser.Vivaldi users may hide the Speed Dial options “delete” and “control” to avoid selecting these options by accident. The new options are available under Settings> Start Page > Speed Dial.As usually, a new release version of Vivaldi comes with a new Chromium core as well to take into account changes made to the underlying platform.Vivaldi 1.11 comes with a new V-logo, and new Windows installer backgrounds on top of that.Closing WordsWork on Vivaldi continues. The company streamed a coding session live recently in which one of Vivaldi’s developers worked on the upcoming Sync functionality of the web browser.Now You: What’s your take on the new Vivaldi 1.11 release?SummaryArticle NameVivaldi 1.11 improves accessibility featuresDescriptionVivaldi Technologies released Vivaldi 1.11, a new stable version of the customizable web browser to the public on August 10, 2017.Author Martin BrinkmannPublisher Ghacks Technology NewsLogo Advertisement