el Hybrid Flash Multicasting Article in Flex Developers Journal By communicationtransformation.blogspot.com Published On :: Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:51:00 +0000 An article about Hybrid Flash Multicasting that features MediaPlatform's CTO, Greg Pulier, recently appeared in the Flex Developer's Journal. Click here to link to the article Here is the opening paragraph: Hybrid Flash multicasting is the second and decisive wave of innovation that will enable enterprises to stream video without overtaxing their network infrastructures. It eliminates the usual tradeoffs between video consumption and network investment, regardless of increased video traffic in budget-constrained corporate networks. Hybrid Flash multicasting also solves the cost and complexity challenges of IP multicasting. By combining a new form of multicasting, known as application multicasting, which leverages a peer-assisted model of video sharing with an IP multicast network, a video stream can reach virtually everyone on the network using existing bandwidth and infrastructure. Hybrid multicasting finally unlocks the full potential for video within the enterprise by combining IP and application multicasting to deliver streaming media using the most efficient algorithms within a dynamic self-optimizing topology. Full Article
el Interactive Media Strategies believes Microsoft could win big with Skype By communicationtransformation.blogspot.com Published On :: Fri, 13 May 2011 22:01:00 +0000 Interactive Media Strategies (IMS) is a market research firm that follows streaming media. They discuss the news of Microsoft’s $8.5 billion acquisition of Skype, and the prospects for Skype to emerge as a viable platform for business video communications. Their research compares usage levels for a range of social media and communications applications, including Skype, YouTube and Facebook. Here is a link to the video. They report that personal use of Facebook and YouTube is relatively high but that has not yet translated into comparable levels of corporate use. They believe this raises the question of whether YouTube and Facebook will be able to outgrow their focus on the consumer side of the business to compete in the enterprise market. Usage levels for Skype are significantly lower overall, but Skype’s penetration in business communications is higher than they see for other communications apps online among young users most likely to experiment with emerging technologies. IMS puts forth the opinion that if Microsoft could make it easier for technology laggards to embrace Skype - i.e. integrate Skype with the Microsoft Office suite - then Skype could achieve significant enterprise adoption. Full Article
el Unhinged Liberal Women Cry On Social Media Over Trump’s Victory And Falsely Claim They’ve Lost All Their Rights By conservativefiringline.com Published On :: Sun, 10 Nov 2024 04:15:48 +0000 The following article, Unhinged Liberal Women Cry On Social Media Over Trump’s Victory And Falsely Claim They’ve Lost All Their Rights, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. (Natural News) Liberals have been working hard to portray Trump as a misogynist, and it worked on a lot of women – with some of them buying into the false narrative that he will work against women so wholeheartedly that they are now having very public meltdowns over his victory. Revolver put together some of the … Continue reading Unhinged Liberal Women Cry On Social Media Over Trump’s Victory And Falsely Claim They’ve Lost All Their Rights ... Full Article Politics democrats election liberals rights Trump unhinged victory women
el Will These Deranged Celebrities Who Promised To End Their Lives Or Flee The Country If Trump Wins Actually Follow Through? By conservativefiringline.com Published On :: Mon, 11 Nov 2024 00:15:19 +0000 The following article, Will These Deranged Celebrities Who Promised To End Their Lives Or Flee The Country If Trump Wins Actually Follow Through?, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. (Natural News) Similar to what happened in 2016, a host of celebrities and influencers made wild claims that they would leave the country or even end their lives if Donald Trump won another term in the White House. Will any of them actually follow through? Take Rob Reiner, for instance. He promised to “set himself on … Continue reading Will These Deranged Celebrities Who Promised To End Their Lives Or Flee The Country If Trump Wins Actually Follow Through? ... Full Article Politics Bono celebrities Drano kill leave meltdown Midler suicide
el ‘Utterly Unacceptable’: After Helping Trump Win, Elon Musk Makes Crucial Endorsement For Senate Majority Leader By conservativefiringline.com Published On :: Mon, 11 Nov 2024 06:00:13 +0000 The following article, ‘Utterly Unacceptable’: After Helping Trump Win, Elon Musk Makes Crucial Endorsement For Senate Majority Leader, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. Despite a landslide victory for Donald Trump and his “Make America Great Again” agenda last week, a ferocious battle has suddenly broken out in the U.S. Senate over who will be the chamber’s new leader, with some saying outgoing Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to thwart the plans of the president-elect. “What the hell … Continue reading ‘Utterly Unacceptable’: After Helping Trump Win, Elon Musk Makes Crucial Endorsement For Senate Majority Leader ... Full Article Politics Cornyn McConnell Musk Scott Thune Trump
el Biden’s Corrupt FEMA Told Workers Not to Help Hurricane Victims Who Had Trump Signs By conservativefiringline.com Published On :: Mon, 11 Nov 2024 16:15:51 +0000 The following article, Biden’s Corrupt FEMA Told Workers Not to Help Hurricane Victims Who Had Trump Signs, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. Joe Biden’s corrupt Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has been caught telling its on-the-ground operatives not to help anyone with a Donald Trump campaign sign in their yard. The news broke late last week when a whistleblower revealed agency messages that told workers to refuse to help Trump supporters in the wake of Hurricane Milton … Continue reading Biden’s Corrupt FEMA Told Workers Not to Help Hurricane Victims Who Had Trump Signs ... Full Article Politics aid FEMA fired Florida Helene North Carolina Trump signs
el Lawfare Freeze: Judge Merchan Delays Decision On Trump Sentencing By conservativefiringline.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 00:15:30 +0000 The following article, Lawfare Freeze: Judge Merchan Delays Decision On Trump Sentencing, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. BREAKING: Justice Merchan has granted a request from prosecutions/defense to pause deadlines — including Trump's sentencing date — while they consider the effect of his election as president. https://t.co/LaeJlAyTDi pic.twitter.com/SAHVbo3HbG — Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) November 12, 2024 Developing … * * * Content created by the WND News Center is available for re-publication without charge … Continue reading Lawfare Freeze: Judge Merchan Delays Decision On Trump Sentencing ... Full Article Politics case delay lawfare Merchan Trump
el Forty-Seven Percent Of Harris Voters Believe Trump Will Not Be A Legitimate President; 54 Percent Want To Leave The Country By conservativefiringline.com Published On :: Wed, 13 Nov 2024 01:15:35 +0000 The following article, Forty-Seven Percent Of Harris Voters Believe Trump Will Not Be A Legitimate President; 54 Percent Want To Leave The Country, was first published on Conservative Firing Line. I really wish that everyone would just calm down. Emotions always run high immediately after an election, but what we are witnessing this time around is truly frightening. We live at a time when people feel free to express their deepest, darkest emotions on social media, and right now “freak out video” after “freak out … Continue reading Forty-Seven Percent Of Harris Voters Believe Trump Will Not Be A Legitimate President; 54 Percent Want To Leave The Country ... Full Article Opinion Politics country Harris leave liberals Trump voters
el My Faith in Nerds: Stronger Than Any Gelatinous Cube By www.43folders.com Published On :: Fri, 10 Sep 2010 20:01:57 +0000 dConstruct 2010: Merlin Mann - "Kerning, Orgasms & Those Goddamned Japanese Toothpicks" (NSFW) ME - Kerning, Orgasms And Those Goddamned Japanese Toothpicks on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it Let's be honest. I don't go...mmmm...places very often. I sit in this chair. I go to the Safeway with my daughter. Sometimes, I take the train downtown to get a haircut. I check the mail. But, by and large, like most nerds, I'm without question, a bit of a shut-in. Which makes it more than a little ironic that my first trip off the North American continent brought me all the way to Brighton, England's wonderful dConstruct Conference. Which wonderful conference placed me inside a very royal complex, alone on a very large stage, 90 seconds after being informed I'd better be entertaining, because I'd be conducting my oration on the same spot where, a scant 36 years earlier, ABBA had become international stars by singing an up-tempo number about giving up. So, y'know. No pressure. Commanded to this location by two of my web heroes, I was told I could speak about whatever I wanted. So, wow, to quote the ladies of ABBA, how could I ever refuse? Thus, I stood on that stage for over 35 minutes, rambling to 800 talented, creative people about Dungeons & Dragons, japanese toothpicks, torrenting Photoshop, as well as what I used to find myself doing after a long evening of shooting mutants in Stargate.1 But, mostly? Yes. Mostly, I stood on a stage thousands of miles from the chair from which I barely move, and I told a lot of really smart people that they were nerds. I also told them they should get out more. I swear: it made sense at the time. Some Serious Talent My talk about the challenges and opportunities of being a giant nerd seemed well received. Honestly, I'm very happy with how it turned out. But--oh, brother--was I ever up against some heavy hitters. Serious Lou Gehrig shit. I'll leave it to other, more eloquent folks to tell you what a wonderful day this was. But I will very much suggest you learn this for yourself by listening to the audio of the fantastic talks. Because every one of them is a corker. Additionally, like I said, Tom Coates put on one of the loveliest slide decks it's ever been my pleasure to see (56MB PDF). Great speakers, great hosts, wonderful attendees (who aren't above buying a yank a pint [thanks, everybody]). And, Thanks, dConstruct I have to admit, I'm kind of over conferences as a thing, which makes it even more crazy when I go to one, and it blows me out of the water with the care and quality of the event, the speakers, and the attendees. dConstruct was absolutely one of those blown-out-of-the-water events. (photo: happy.apple) As I learned over and over again--yes, like me--these folks are nerds. But, brother are they ever talented nerds who care and care. Which I just love so much. I'll take a nerdy bunch of fontdorks and cellists over a splashy mega-conference full of VC pitches and skanks pushing free Red Bull anytime. Anytime. dConstruct was simply a top-notch operation from end-to-end, and I'm insanely grateful that I was invited to participate. Thanks, Clearleft. And, you, the reader? If you get the chance next time, go. Heck, I might even leave this chair and go there, myself. Maybe. I suppose when Dr. Who's over, I could just let these 20-sided dice decide for me. Lemme see...what's my Armor Class and Hit Points...? Listen for Yourself2 dConstruct Podcast MARTY NEUMEIER - The Designful Company The Designful Company on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it BRENDAN DAWES - Boil, Simmer, Reduce Boil, Simmer, Reduce on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it DAVID MCCANDLESS - Information Is Beautiful Information Is Beautiful on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it SAMANTHA WARREN - The Power and Beauty of Typography The Power and Beauty of Typography on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it JOHN GRUBER - The Auteur Theory Of Design The Auteur Theory Of Design on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it HANNAH DONOVAN - Jam Session: What Improvisation Can Teach Us About Design Jam Session: What Improvisation Can Teach Us About Design on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it JAMES BRIDLE - The Value Of Ruins The Value Of Ruins on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it TOM COATES - Everything The Network Touches Everything The Network Touches on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it Kerning, Orgasms And Those Goddamned Japanese Toothpicks ME - Kerning, Orgasms And Those Goddamned Japanese Toothpicks on Huffduffer Download the audio | Huffduff it Hint: Number Three. ↩ Code for these was stolen wholesale from the dConstruct site. Jeremy, et al - don't hesitate to tell me if that's a problem.Srsly. ↩ ”My Faith in Nerds: Stronger Than Any Gelatinous Cube” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on September 10, 2010. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?" Full Article dConstruct Geeks Knowledge Workers Nerds Speaking
el A Sandwich, A Wallet, and Elizabeth Taylor's Cousin By www.43folders.com Published On :: Thu, 04 Nov 2010 22:31:36 +0000 Being a Parable for the Edification of Independents Seeking Independence THE PARABLE THE OSTENSIBLE CUSTOMER enters a deli and saunters up to the counter. The deli is tended by its rakishly handsome owner, THE SANDWICH GUY. "Hi," says The Sandwich Guy. "What looks good to you today?" "Slow down," says The Ostensible Customer, as THE LUNCH RUSH starts trickling in. "Lots of delis want my business, so, first I need to really understand what you can do for me." "Well," says The Sandwich Guy, "I guess I can try to do what I do for everybody here and make you a customized version of any of the 15 awesome sandwiches you see on my menu. What're you hungry for?" "Easy, easy, Ricky Roma! Before I make any decisions here I'm going to need to know a lot more about my options. Why are you so obsessed with 'what I want?'" "Okay, sorry," says The Sandwich Guy, uneasily eyeing the growing queue of The Lunch Rush now piling up behind The Ostensible Customer. "What else can I do to help here?" "That's better," says The Ostensible Customer. "Let's start by sitting down for a couple hours and going over all the ingredients you have back there." The Sandwich Guy laughs congenially and hands The Ostensible Customer a menu. "Friend, I can make you whatever you want, but, if it helps, the 15 sandwiches listed here show all the ingredients--right there between the name and the price..." "Whoa, whoa, whoa! The price?!? Already you're reaching for my wallet? Jeez, I barely just arrived." The Lunch Rush is getting restless and grumbling audibly. "Well. You know. I do sell sandwiches for a living," says The Sandwich Guy. "Did you have a certain budget in mind for your lunch?" "Oh, God, no. I'm nowhere near that point yet. I still need to learn a lot more about how you work, and so, obviously, I have no idea what I want to pay. Obviously." "Okay," says The Sandwich Guy, "but...I can't do much for you here without knowing either what you want to eat or how much money you want to spend. You get that, right?" The Ostensible Customer is miffed. "Listen, here. What I 'get,' so-called Sandwich Guy, is that you're not going to rush me into some tricky lifetime sandwich commitment until I understand precisely who I'm working with. And, so far, I do not like what I see. Still. I intend to find out more. So, meet me in Canada tomorrow to talk about this for an hour." The Lunch Rush begins waving their wallets as they lob their completed order forms at The Sandwich Guy's face. "Sorry," says The Sandwich Guy. "I can't do that. How about I just make you a Reuben. It's really good, it's our most popular sandwich, and it only costs eight bucks." "WHAT! EIGHT DOLLARS! 'Dollars' with a 'd?' That's way too much!" "I thought you didn't have a budget," says The Sandwich Guy. "Well, I don't. And, besides, I don't really 'need' a sandwich at all. Now, kindly fly to Canada." "That's not going to happen, sir." "Also," says The Ostensible Customer, "if I do decide to get a sandwich from you--and it's looking increasingly less likely that I will--I'll absolutely expect your deeply discounted price to reflect the fact that I'm not particularly hungry right now." The Lunch Rush begins lighting torches and chanting a guttural chant, not unlike the haunting overtone singing of Tuvan herdsmen. "Look," sighs The Sandwich Guy, "it sounds like you need a little more time. Here's a free Coke and a complimentary bowl of pickles. Please have a seat, take all the time you need, then just come on up whenever you're ready to order, okay?" "‘READY?!?’ TO...‘ORDER?!?’ Are you out of your mind?" "Mmmm...apparently." Presently, The Ostensible Customer turns beet-red. "This is an outrage! I can't even imagine how you stay in business when you treat your customers like this." The Lunch Rush grows silent as The Sandwich Guy slowly leans over the counter and smiles--his nose one slice of corned beef from The Ostensible Customer's nose. "Sir. First off: you aren't my customer yet. Right now, you're just some dude holding a bowl of free pickles." "Buh?" fumbled The Ostensible Customer. "And, second, the way I 'stay in business' is by making great sandwiches and having as few conversations like the one we're having as possible," The Sandwich Guy coos. "Because, the truth is, my real customers are actually all those nice people standing behind you. They're the people who buy my sandwiches with real money over and over again. I really like them, and so I give them almost all of my attention." The Sandwich Guy waves at The Lunch Rush. The Lunch Rush waves back. The Ostensible Customer looks stunned. "Sir," says The Sandwich Guy "enjoy your Coke and your pickles with my compliments. But, please step aside. Because right now, there's a whole bunch of hungry people trying to buy sandwiches that won't require me flying to Canada. Next, please!" The Lunch Rush roars approval. The Ostensible Customer is still stunned. Which is unfortunate. Because, several men from the back of the line spontaneously rush forward to drag The Ostensible Customer, screaming and grasping, onto the busy sidewalk outside, where they proceed to devour his flesh like those street urchins who eat Elizabeth Taylor's cousin in Suddenly, Last Summer. Meanwhile, The Sandwich Guy goes back to making sandwiches. And, The Lunch Rush goes back to eating them. THE MORAL(S)? The Sandwich Guy can't do much for you until you're hungry enough to really want a sandwich. Once you're hungry enough, you still have to pay money for the sandwich. This won't not come up. Few people become "a good customer" without understanding both 1 and 2. Few companies become "a smart business" without understanding 1, 2, and 3. Basing his business on an understanding of 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 doesn't make The Sandwich Guy a dick; it makes him a smart business. If you vacation with Elizabeth Taylor? Seriously. Avoid provoking the cannibalistic rent boys. THE HOPE Me? I just very much hope it takes you far less than 15 years to see and accept these sorts of things. Both as a customer and as a business. Guys, avoid working for anyone who's not hungry enough to compensate you for your sandwich. It literally doesn't pay. THE RESERVE READING Bloodhounding Budgets - Cognition: The blog of web design & development firm Happy Cog Tell them nicely that your price is a sucky $200K. The key here is to do so candidly, like you’re sitting on their side of the table and have to approve the budget with them. Admit that you’re way over the mark, and essentially apologize for it. I’ve said, “If you want to tell us to get lost, we understand”. Basement.org: Negotiation And Speculation: The Risk Of Selling Low All those variables can change except your worth. That can’t change. It’s an undeniable fact beyond subjectivity and beyond the reality-bending rhetoric of your client-to-be. You are worth what you are worth and unless you’re feeling charitable something else has to give. Project Budgets and Secrets (thedesigncubicle.com) Within the first few minutes of contact — in my effort to be as open and detailed on how I work as possible — the client counteracted by lying about not having a budget to clearly having a budget. Mule Design Studio’s Blog: Presenting Design Like You Get Paid For It Unspoken expectations unmet lead to seething unspoken frustration which ultimately bursts forth in an ugly mess when you’ve run out of budget. Don’t Be Afraid of the S-Word :: Tips :: The 99 Percent Remember that client who said that we were “pretty expensive” for them? A qualifying question in the first phone call could have saved us many hours of working on this deal. If you decide that the deal is unqualified, you just save it under another bucket: the unqualified deals bucket. ”A Sandwich, A Wallet, and Elizabeth Taylor's Cousin” was written by Merlin Mann for 43Folders.com and was originally posted on November 04, 2010. Except as noted, it's ©2010 Merlin Mann and licensed for reuse under CC BY-NC-ND 3.0. "Why a footer?" Full Article Business Freelancers Independence Money
el EIT Elsewhere | How to Experience Japan in San Francisco By www.everintransit.com Published On :: Wed, 11 Jan 2017 02:03:43 +0000 Get a taste of Japan — without leaving San Francisco! I’m excited to see my latest post is up on Thrillist. Some of my favorite Japan-inspired things to do and ways to experience Japanese history, art, and culture here in the Bay Area. Check it out: How to Experience Japan in San Francisco The article EIT Elsewhere | How to Experience Japan in San Francisco originated at EverInTransit.com Full Article California EIT Elsewhere Northern California San Francisco Bay Area
el 3 Easy Steps to Save Money for Travel By www.everintransit.com Published On :: Thu, 30 May 2019 21:45:27 +0000 Finding ways to save money is much easier than you think, because you’re probably spending money you don’t have to spend. The article 3 Easy Steps to Save Money for Travel originated at EverInTransit.com Full Article Points + Miles Travel Tips credit card points food saving money
el EIT Elsewhere | “Time Out: San José” in Delta Sky Magazine By www.everintransit.com Published On :: Thu, 03 Oct 2019 00:10:06 +0000 I was excited to finally get the word that an article I wrote sharing my love for my hometown – San Jose, California – is out in Delta Sky Magazine this month! Time Out: San José – (Image / PDF) (Thanks to Deb L. and Ginni R. for sending copies for me!) The article EIT Elsewhere | “Time Out: San José” in Delta Sky Magazine originated at EverInTransit.com Full Article California EIT Elsewhere San Francisco Bay Area San Jose
el EIT Elsewhere | Sharing the World’s Weirdest Plants on Fodor’s Travel By www.everintransit.com Published On :: Fri, 13 Mar 2020 04:49:55 +0000 The quirky folks at Fodor’s let me share some of the world’s weirdest plants, fungi, and microorganisms to inspire your #plantnerd bucket list (I’ve seen 5 out of 10 of these weirdos out in the wild!) 10 Plants From Around the World That Will Upset and Delight | Fodor’s Travel The article EIT Elsewhere | Sharing the World’s Weirdest Plants on Fodor’s Travel originated at EverInTransit.com Full Article California Responsible Travel United States eco EIT Elsewhere
el OOPS: SNL Tried To Help Kamala… But Boosted TRUMP Instead (VIDEO) By clashdaily.com Published On :: Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:40:07 +0000 It was supposed to be a push to help her over the finish line. It ended up giving Trump a free shot with their audience instead. The post OOPS: SNL Tried To Help Kamala… But Boosted TRUMP Instead (VIDEO) appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article Videos
el The STRONGEST Argument For Re-Electing Trump Was Published On The White House Website By clashdaily.com Published On :: Mon, 04 Nov 2024 10:50:00 +0000 Whether America realized it or not, on the last day of Trump's Presidency, Trump was already making his case for his return to the Oval Office. And it was a strong case in his favor. The post The STRONGEST Argument For Re-Electing Trump Was Published On The White House Website appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article News Clash
el AMERICA’S BIG BIRTHDAY: An Election Argument Everyone Seems To Be Missing By clashdaily.com Published On :: Tue, 05 Nov 2024 11:43:28 +0000 Whichever candidate is sworn into office this January is the President who will be making decisions about how America and her legacy is remembered. The post AMERICA’S BIG BIRTHDAY: An Election Argument Everyone Seems To Be Missing appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article Opinion
el MUST-WATCH: MAGA Voter Finds Hilarious Way To Sidestep Election Clothing Rules By clashdaily.com Published On :: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 06:24:11 +0000 If killjoy leftists can wear their self-parodying and ridiculous 'Handmaid's Tale' outfits, then they can't complain when a MAGA voter plays the same game... only better. The post MUST-WATCH: MAGA Voter Finds Hilarious Way To Sidestep Election Clothing Rules appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article Videos
el EPIC: When AI Swaps ‘Democracy’ For THIS Word, Journos Start Telling The Truth By clashdaily.com Published On :: Wed, 06 Nov 2024 06:35:52 +0000 Shamelessly, Big Media doesn't even try to hide their Democrat preferences anymore. They are happy to lie. But even the lies they tell can point indirectly to the truth. The post EPIC: When AI Swaps ‘Democracy’ For THIS Word, Journos Start Telling The Truth appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article Videos
el BOOM: Trump Prosecutors React To New Post-Election Realities… Here’s Their Plan By clashdaily.com Published On :: Thu, 07 Nov 2024 06:11:04 +0000 Republican primary opponents like Ron DeSantis said that every time they announced another indictment, his poll numbers got better. They should have known better. But they were blinded by hate. The post BOOM: Trump Prosecutors React To New Post-Election Realities… Here’s Their Plan appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article News Clash
el The RIGHT Rally: On Election Night, MAGA Takes Moment To Honor God Beautifully By clashdaily.com Published On :: Thu, 07 Nov 2024 06:45:37 +0000 There are a few moments in this race that historians will wrangle over as the 'real' reason Kamala lost. There are a couple of key events that are sure to make the list. The post The RIGHT Rally: On Election Night, MAGA Takes Moment To Honor God Beautifully appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article Videos
el Trump Scores Three Big Wins Less Than One Day After The Election By clashdaily.com Published On :: Thu, 07 Nov 2024 10:00:34 +0000 While the rest of us were busy cheering (or crying) about the election results, the world kept turning and events continued to unfold at home and around the world. The post Trump Scores Three Big Wins Less Than One Day After The Election appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article News Clash
el Why Democrats Lost the 2024 Elections By clashdaily.com Published On :: Fri, 08 Nov 2024 03:00:04 +0000 If Democrat politicians want our votes in the future then it would be nice if they said they were sorry for what they have done in the past. We don’t have far to look. Let’s see at why they lost and how they can win. The post Why Democrats Lost the 2024 Elections appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article Opinion
el Election 2024: the Aftermath By clashdaily.com Published On :: Mon, 11 Nov 2024 09:00:16 +0000 And in the aftermath of the election, a series of events have taken place, which are as follows: The post Election 2024: the Aftermath appeared first on Clash Daily. Full Article Opinion
el A.F. Branco Cartoon – DOJ vs Fair Elections By comicallyincorrect.com Published On :: Thu, 17 Oct 2024 12:00:27 +0000 A.F. Branco Cartoon – The DOJ is Suing Virginia over purging illegal registrations from their voter rolls. The Biden DOJ.. Full Article Political Cartoons DOJ
el A.F. Branco Cartoon – Elmer Fraud By comicallyincorrect.com Published On :: Sun, 20 Oct 2024 11:00:35 +0000 A.F. Branco Cartoon – Gov Walz trying to load his shotgun was emblematic of his entire reign in Minnesota. Now,.. Full Article Political Cartoons
el Democrats Have Another Problem to Worry About as Man Who Helped Trump Win Has Eyes on Blue State By www.westernjournal.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 00:06:25 +0000 Conservative activist Scott Presler, whose organization Early Vote Action helped swing Pennsylvania to the right in the general election, announced Monday he will be working to do the same in […] The post Democrats Have Another Problem to Worry About as Man Who Helped Trump Win Has Eyes on Blue State appeared first on The Western Journal. Full Article News 2024 election New Jersey Pennsylvania Republicans Voting
el Kamala's Campaign Is Still Aggressively Shaking Down Supporters For Cash By www.westernjournal.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 11:00:27 +0000 Even after her loss on Nov. 5, Vice President Kamala Harris’ election campaign is still hounding donors for money. Harris’ campaign has bombarded supporters with fundraising messages following her election […] The post Kamala's Campaign Is Still Aggressively Shaking Down Supporters For Cash appeared first on The Western Journal. Full Article News 2024 election Democratic National Committee Democratic Party Democrats Kamala Harris U.S. News WJ Wire
el Trump Makes His Pick for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Secretary: Report By www.westernjournal.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 13:43:48 +0000 In a surprise move that broke in the early hours of Tuesday morning, President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly picked South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem as his nominee to head the […] The post Trump Makes His Pick for Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Secretary: Report appeared first on The Western Journal. Full Article Commentary 2024 election Border crisis Border security Department of Homeland Security Donald Trump Kristi Noem South Dakota Trump administration
el CNN Host Reportedly Leaving Network After Short-Lived Stay: His Career Change Is Completely Absurd By www.westernjournal.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 14:42:13 +0000 Three years ago, Chris Wallace walked away from Fox News over concerns that those at the “Fair and Balanced” network were beginning to, as he put it, “question the truth.” […] The post CNN Host Reportedly Leaving Network After Short-Lived Stay: His Career Change Is Completely Absurd appeared first on The Western Journal. Full Article Commentary Chris Wallace CNN Establishment media Fox News Social media
el Melania Trump to Give Jill Biden the Cold Shoulder This Week: Report By www.westernjournal.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 14:52:45 +0000 Melania Trump will not be traveling with her husband to Washington on Wednesday when President-elect Donald Trump and President Joe Biden have a formal transition meeting, according to multiple reports. […] The post Melania Trump to Give Jill Biden the Cold Shoulder This Week: Report appeared first on The Western Journal. Full Article News Jill Biden Melania Trump Trump administration U.S. News White House
el NFL Analyst Michael Strahan Speaks Out After Becoming Embroiled in National Anthem Controversy By www.westernjournal.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 17:53:22 +0000 One of the greatest pass rushers in NFL history appears to be taking a pass himself when it comes to directly addressing a raging controversy. Pro Football Hall of Famer […] The post NFL Analyst Michael Strahan Speaks Out After Becoming Embroiled in National Anthem Controversy appeared first on The Western Journal. Full Article News Sports Celebrities Football Fox Sports Instagram National anthem NFL U.S. News Veterans Day
el Trump Makes His Pick for US Ambassador to Israel as Conflict in Gaza Remains Heated By www.westernjournal.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 20:31:25 +0000 President-elect Donald Trump announced Tuesday that former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is his pick to be the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. “Mike has been a great public servant, Governor, […] The post Trump Makes His Pick for US Ambassador to Israel as Conflict in Gaza Remains Heated appeared first on The Western Journal. Full Article News 2024 election Donald Trump Israel Mike Huckabee Politics
el Biden Asked If He'll Get a Hostage Deal by the End of His Term, and His Response Is Telling By www.westernjournal.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 21:08:42 +0000 Legendary Christian writer C.S. Lewis gave us an analogy to help explain otherwise inexplicable moments such as this. Tolerance, Lewis once wrote, “parodies love as flippancy parodies merriment.” In a […] The post Biden Asked If He'll Get a Hostage Deal by the End of His Term, and His Response Is Telling appeared first on The Western Journal. Full Article Commentary Biden administration Donald Trump Fire Hamas Israel Joe Biden Middle East U.S. News
el On-Air Talent Will Not Be Spared as CNN Prepares Mass Layoffs in Wake of Election: Report By www.westernjournal.com Published On :: Tue, 12 Nov 2024 23:36:38 +0000 CNN reportedly will be making more cuts in the near future, including to its highly paid on-air personalities, following poor election ratings. The New York Post reported that Fox News […] The post On-Air Talent Will Not Be Spared as CNN Prepares Mass Layoffs in Wake of Election: Report appeared first on The Western Journal. Full Article News 2024 election CNN Entertainment Establishment media Liberal media Media bias Politics Television
el Sport | Marco Jansen hopes for better showing against spin as T20 series takes Highveld turn By www.news24.com Published On :: Tuesday Nov 12 2024 15:29:43 Proteas all-rounder Marco Jansen, while acknowledging that spin has been a challenge for them in the ongoing T20 series against India, reckons things could be a bit different for Wednesday's third T20 in Centurion. Full Article
el Egyptian Government Television Episode About Farahat’s Book By cynthiafarahat.com Published On :: Mon, 31 Oct 2022 13:25:24 +0000 Cairo, Egypt Oct. 28, 2022 On Egyptian TV show, “Headlines,” Dr. Hossam Farouk dedicated an episode to discussing national and international coverage of the Secret Apparatus: The Muslim Brotherhood’s Industry of Death. It was a great honor having the book featured on this great show. Full Article Featured Articles
el My Brother Amir Farahat Abdelmalek Passed Away By cynthiafarahat.com Published On :: Mon, 06 Feb 2023 21:15:13 +0000 By Cynthia Farahat On Friday 27th, 2023 at 11:00 am EST, my sweet dear younger brother Amir Farahat passed away. Amir was the most loving father I have ever seen, a great brother, son, husband, and brother-in-law. My little Miró, my little prince, my soul is shattered by your loss. I will forever mourn your […] Full Article Featured Articles
el Newsroom: Insider Intelligence Slashes Ad Spending Forecast for Russia and Eastern Europe Amid Conflict By www.emarketer.com Published On :: Thu, 31 Mar 2022 04:01:00 GMT Total media ad spend in Russia to drop nearly 50%   March 30, 2022 (New York, NY) – Insider Intelligence expects the ongoing war in Ukraine to have a significant […] Full Article
el A novel method produces native light-harvesting complex II aggregates from the photosynthetic membrane revealing their role in nonphotochemical quenching [Bioenergetics] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-12-18T00:06:18-08:00 Nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) is a mechanism of regulating light harvesting that protects the photosynthetic apparatus from photodamage by dissipating excess absorbed excitation energy as heat. In higher plants, the major light-harvesting antenna complex (LHCII) of photosystem (PS) II is directly involved in NPQ. The aggregation of LHCII is proposed to be involved in quenching. However, the lack of success in isolating native LHCII aggregates has limited the direct interrogation of this process. The isolation of LHCII in its native state from thylakoid membranes has been problematic because of the use of detergent, which tends to dissociate loosely bound proteins, and the abundance of pigment–protein complexes (e.g. PSI and PSII) embedded in the photosynthetic membrane, which hinders the preparation of aggregated LHCII. Here, we used a novel purification method employing detergent and amphipols to entrap LHCII in its natural states. To enrich the photosynthetic membrane with the major LHCII, we used Arabidopsis thaliana plants lacking the PSII minor antenna complexes (NoM), treated with lincomycin to inhibit the synthesis of PSI and PSII core proteins. Using sucrose density gradients, we succeeded in isolating the trimeric and aggregated forms of LHCII antenna. Violaxanthin- and zeaxanthin-enriched complexes were investigated in dark-adapted, NPQ, and dark recovery states. Zeaxanthin-enriched antenna complexes showed the greatest amount of aggregated LHCII. Notably, the amount of aggregated LHCII decreased upon relaxation of NPQ. Employing this novel preparative method, we obtained a direct evidence for the role of in vivo LHCII aggregation in NPQ. Full Article
el Beijing briefing: is the Belt and Road going nowhere? By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Fri, 29 Jul 2022 18:14:17 +0000 Beijing briefing: is the Belt and Road going nowhere? The World Today mhiggins.drupal 29 July 2022 Scaling back infrastructure plans and investment in the Global South could cause China problems, says Yu Jie. Over the past two decades, China specialists around the world have tried to analyze Beijing’s approach to developing countries in the Global South, including Africa, Latin America, parts of Asia and the Pacific islands. China’s relationships with nations in these regions vary considerably. In some, ideology or geography are the biggest influencing factors; for others, economic and commercial gains matter most. However, many of Beijing’s recent engagements have attracted more criticism than praise. A domestic economic downturn means that Beijing has tightened its belt, spending less on overseas development. When President Xi Jinping came to power, he was keen to highlight how China’s power could shape and dictate the global agenda across multilateral platforms. His vision was for China to project discursive power and become an agenda-setter rather than a rule-follower. The Global South is the route to fulfilling his proposal. To this end, China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the latest Global Development Initiative are the means to Beijing’s ends. The former, launched in 2013, focuses on building physical infrastructure linking Global South countries; the latter aims to allow development through grants and capacity-building in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. China’s engagements with Africa and Latin America seem characterized by the rapid extension of Chinese finance to resource-rich African states, particularly oil producers, since the early 2000s. From 2003, for example, oil-backed infrastructure loans were made to the Angolan government for reconstruction after decades of civil conflict. By 2016, they totalled some $15 billion. However, Beijing’s appetite for offering cheap loans in exchange for natural resources has shrunk. It faces a dilemma between protecting the value of its investments while also defending its strategic interests and maintaining its self-image as a partner, not a predator, of Africa. Some of China’s Global South investments include serious climate and financial risks Beijing has historically preferred bilateral relationships for its development finance and investments over multilateral ones. This allows China control over the terms and conditions, while demonstrating its unwillingness to accept without question rules and frameworks devised years ago by western countries. China has already realized that some elements of its engagements with the Global South are no longer the flavour of the day, partly because some of its programmes include serious climate and financial risks without proper third-party due diligence in place. Growth through gigantic infrastructure investments of the sort that drove China’s own economic miracle is not a panacea applicable everywhere. Nor is relentlessly seeking endorsements from its neighbours and other countries from afar. China wants to be a ‘brother’ to the Global South Ideologically, China wants to be seen and respected as a leader of the Global South. Since its founding in 1949, the People’s Republic has maintained a ‘brotherly’ relationship with developing countries, notably in the UN context, where it remains a member of the G77 group of developing nations. The West has responded to China’s development agenda with its own infrastructure programmes, such as Washington’s Build Back Better World and the European Union’s Global Gateway. Great power rivalry should not be ignored, but it shouldn’t blind world powers to the need for collaboration in tackling global poverty and sustainable development. Nor should Beijing’s efforts to adjust its diplomatic and aid programmes to become a likeable partner of choice in search of a better economic future, be disregarded. Developing countries recovering from the pandemic crave meaningful assistance rather than diplomatic rhetoric Since launching BRI, China has poured hundreds of billions of dollars into building infrastructure in the Global South. And many developing countries hope that advanced economies and China can continue to act to alleviate poverty. But the brakes have been applied to Beijing’s spree as a result of China’s domestic economic slowdown. It has no wish to continue spending its foreign reserves. To go forward, China must remain open to what others want – or fear – from Beijing’s development initiatives and infrastructure investments. Many developing countries, facing insurmountable costs and damage exacerbated by the Covid pandemic, crave meaningful assistance rather than diplomatic rhetoric. The ultimate test of Beijing’s economic statecraft is whether it can engage with the Global South beyond relationships built on financial resources and political capital. It must also become more self-aware of how its words and deeds are received – and then act accordingly. Showering dollars and renminbi is not always guaranteed to win hearts and minds. In this respect, Beijing has more bridges to build. Full Article
el Russia–China defence and security relations: Insights from the expert community By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Wed, 31 Aug 2022 13:22:13 +0000 Russia–China defence and security relations: Insights from the expert community 13 September 2022 — 3:00PM TO 4:00PM Anonymous (not verified) 31 August 2022 Online Experts share insights on Russia–China military, defence, and security relations. In the defence and security realms, Russia–China relations resemble more pragmatic cooperation based on shared, calculated interests than an alliance. This event presents and discusses key findings from a recent expert survey conducted by Chatham House with the aim to gather insights on Russia–China military, defence, and security relations. Survey responses helped identify areas of bilateral cooperation but also crucial friction points and obstacles that prevent the relationship from developing further, as well as policy pathways for the West. Full Article
el Russia-China Defence and Security Relations By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Mon, 05 Sep 2022 11:16:50 +0000 Russia-China Defence and Security Relations This project explores the military and security linkages between Russia and China. jon.wallace 5 September 2022 The project seeks to provide a nuanced understanding of Russia-China relations in the defence and security realms. It also seeks to understand Russian political and security perceptions regarding Chinese inroads into what Russia considers its ‘near abroad’, as well as other sources of irritation and tension in the bilateral relationship. It offers recommendations to guide NATO policy responses. Full Article
el Beijing briefing: China bets on warmer EU relations By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Mon, 30 Jan 2023 11:13:40 +0000 Beijing briefing: China bets on warmer EU relations The World Today mhiggins.drupal 30 January 2023 With the Sino-US Xi relationship cooling, Xi Jinping is sending a new diplomatic team to Europe – but his ties to Putin may mean slow progress, writes Yu Jie. It has been a momentous year for Beijing. Twelve months after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, its relations with the West have become more strained than ever. And after President Xi Jinping secured an unprecedented third term in office at the 20th Party Congress, the country has embarked on a chaotic exit from the Covid lockdown amid hopes the economy will rebound quickly. Some are already asking if Beijing will set a course correction in its diplomatic priorities to spare itself some of the setbacks it incurred in 2022. But when it comes to foreign affairs, China’s priorities rarely change. The Chinese leadership seeks to create a stable external environment to allow its domestic economic development. This conservative maxim was adopted in the 1980s by Deng Xiaoping, and President Xi is likely to follow it as a time-honoured recipe for diplomatic reconciliation. China’s awkward position Beijing’s close relationship with Moscow and its failure to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have put China in an awkward position. Xi and his colleagues have begun to realize that cooperation with Russia comes with substantial limits to avoid undermining China’s own political priorities and longer-term economic interests. Interestingly, pundits interpreted the omission of ‘pursuing new types of great power relations’ in the 20th Party Congress report as an acceptance by the party leadership that its fraught relationship with advanced developed nations is likely to remain, with little prospect of improvement in the short term. Chinese diplomatic literature has always presented Russia as a great power, but the abandonment of such terms signals that Beijing is keen to put clear daylight between itself and Vladimir Putin, although international commentators may argue this is not enough and nothing has changed. There has been little sign of China using its influence to help resolve the Ukraine conflict. Facing, as it feels it now does, a ‘collective West’ and not the Americans alone, Beijing has concluded there are few reasons not to move closer to Russia. China’s neutrality towards Russia makes warmer relations with the EU difficult But a reset would appear necessary if China is to tackle its domestic economic woes. So far, Beijing’s main political tactic has been to reassure European countries that it is willing to use its ties with Russia to restrain Putin from entertaining the deployment of nuclear weapons. That was the message conveyed during the visit of Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, and it will be said again when both President Emmanuel Macron of France and Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, each visit later this year. Economically, China has traditionally relied on its relationships with the European Union and the United States to support innovation and growth. So, a perceived isolation from ‘a collective West’ is not an attractive option given Xi’s hopes of achieving a robust economic rebound after dropping the country’s ‘zero-covid’ policy. A precarious bilateral tie with the US has already reduced Beijing’s choice of partners and consumers. Worsening Sino-US relations and a tightening of access to overseas markets for Chinese companies have prompted Beijing not only to reconsider the country’s sources of economic growth but to reconfigure its approach to foreign affairs. China is making a renewed push to strengthen ties with the Global South, which does not see the war in Ukraine as black and white as the West does. Such a move is only possible because five decades of engagement with the ‘collective West’ has allowed China to emerge from poverty and become a global economic powerhouse. A new diplomatic team In an attempt to reset the tone of China’s relations with the EU, its largest trading partner, Xi has formed a new diplomatic team headed by Qin Gang, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, who is returning from his post in Washington as ambassador to the US and who has a background in European affairs. Achieving warmer relations will be easier said than done, however, as China has maintained its ‘neutrality’ at Russia’s aggression since February 2022. Full Article
el Beijing briefing: China aims for tech self-reliance By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Tue, 28 Mar 2023 09:44:39 +0000 Beijing briefing: China aims for tech self-reliance The World Today mhiggins.drupal 28 March 2023 Xi Jinping’s new appointments are tasked with a technology led recovery, but they face a daunting task to restore growth, writes Yu Jie. The three-day state visit to Moscow by President Xi Jinping in March may have eclipsed the National People’s Congress in Beijing a fortnight earlier, but as Xi seeks to establish a new global order with China at its centre, the political events in the Great Hall of People provide an important insight into the country’s longer-term economic plans. While a new cohort of cabinet members was appointed to sit on the State Council for the next five years, much of the attention remains on China’s economic stimulus plan to enable a rapid post-Covid recovery, as well as proposals to restructure central government. Mountainous task Three aspects of this year’s Congress deserve deeper scrutiny: Li Qiang’s confirmation as premier to succeed Li Keqiang’s decade-long subdued tenure under Xi; the extent to which Xi’s new cabinet sheds light on China’s economic and scientific self-reliance; and the unveiling of a major restructuring of central government administration in sectors such as finance and science. Local government debt and the volatile property market threaten huge economic uncertainty China’s new premier initially faces the mountainous task of restoring growth and market confidence. During a press conference much shorter than his predecessor would hold, Li Qiang praised China’s private business sector and repeated the words ‘China remains open to foreign business’ to address the growing anxieties among foreigners and Chinese private entrepreneurs. Beside the daunting task of economic recovery, Li Qiang faces another big challenge. Unlike his predecessors, he has never worked as a vice premier and overseen ministries under the State Council. The test for him will be to pursue a sound economic recovery plan while coordinating numerous central government agencies. He will also need to regulate relations among provincial heads who have a tendency to argue endlessly over the distribution of public finances. Even though Xi is secure in his third term, his involvement in shaping and implementing macro-economic policies is keenly felt. Li Qiang made explicit the State Council under his leadership will be the chief implementor of all policies approved by the president. This is a less equal working partnership with Xi than his predecessors on the State Council enjoyed in the past. Beijing published its official plan to restructure its central government administration announcing planned cuts of 5 per cent of its civil service. The newly established Central Commission on Finance intends to deal with systemic financial risks and to coordinate the financial regulatory bodies, central bank and Ministry of Finance. This is seen to reflect the Chinese leadership’s growing concern with the poor performance of local government loans and debt as well of the volatility of the property market, all of which threaten huge uncertainty for the economy. Beijing is responding to the tough US measures designed to dent China’s ambitions of technology supremacy As well as reorganizing the financial sector, Xi’s intention to pursue an integrated national strategy combining economic and scientific self-reliance has led to significant appointments following the Congress. As a starter, a new Central Commission for Science under the party leadership has been established. This commission will focus on providing a renewed impetus to accelerate China’s drive to achieve ‘scientific reliance’ and to ease the choke points in the economy, such as the supply chain for semiconductors. It remains unclear who will head this new commission or who will be on it, however, as scant detail has been made public. It is seen as a direct response to the tough measures adopted by the United States designed to dent China’s ambitions of technology supremacy. Departure from the past New appointees to the Politburo come with substantial backgrounds in science as well as a solid track record of running state-owned enterprises. This is a departure from the past. Instead of inserting financial specialists, Xi appointed two scientists, Liu Guozhong and Zhang Guoqing, as the vice premiers overseeing science, education and industrial policies. This signals that Xi intends to prioritize science and innovation during his third term. The appointment of technocrats to the State Council is seen as a move to strengthen innovation and prepare the Chinese economy, political system and society for potential external shocks. Full Article
el India-China relations: Is the Quad the answer? By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Tue, 28 Mar 2023 15:16:51 +0000 India-China relations: Is the Quad the answer? Interview NCapeling 28 March 2023 The threat of China’s military aggression is being felt across the world, but this is a phenomenon India has been contending with for decades. India’s border with China became the site of tense conflict in 2020, which led to India reinvesting in the Quad. Arzan Tarapore discusses key issues from his International Affairs article, such as how India is responding to increased aggression at the border and how a reinvigorated Quad may hold answers to balancing China in the Indo-Pacific. What have India-China relations been like in the past? Relations between India and China have varied over the decades. In the years following World War Two there was some hope they would find common cause in their international outlooks but that was quite quickly extinguished with their border war of 1962. Since then, the two countries have oscillated between detente and tension. It took decades for them to normalize their relations and slowly build trust through several confidence-building agreements. This was a dynamic, iterative process, with incursions prompting India to accelerate its infrastructure development, which in turn probably prompted more incursions by China More recently it seemed the two countries were both willing to set aside their border dispute in order to profit from their burgeoning economic relationship – as, for both, there is no question development and economic growth is the primary national objective. The question has been the extent to which their unresolved sovereignty and security issues undermine those goals as, at the same time, they both began paying more attention to the security of their territorial claims. China in particular matched its explosive economic growth with startling military modernization and assertiveness. Its long-standing military doctrine and terrain advantages means it relies heavily on quality military infrastructure on the Tibetan plateau and it has accelerated the pace of those infrastructure upgrades and expansion. In the 2010s, India belatedly began to improve its own transport infrastructure near the border, which threatened to reduce China’s military advantages. The earlier quiet on the border began to crack and China began launching border incursions with increasing frequency and scale. This was a dynamic, iterative process, with incursions prompting India to accelerate its infrastructure development, which in turn probably prompted more incursions by China. What happened around 2020 to change their relationship? The cycle of competitive security policies on the border reached a tipping point in 2020 with Chinese incursions at multiple points simultaneously in Ladakh, apparently designed to establish a new status quo on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) separating Indian and Chinese-controlled territory. The Indian political leadership played down the incursions but both Indian and Chinese militaries rushed to reinforce their positions near the border. They held multiple rounds of military talks which made halting progress. On 15 June 2020, a skirmish resulted in the loss of 20 Indian troops, and an unknown number of Chinese troops. In the weeks that followed, both sides further reinforced their positions in a scramble to gain positional advantage. How has India responded to China’s increasing military might? The Indian government’s response to the Chinese landgrab was to threaten the entire bilateral relationship. In a reversal of decades of policy, it argued China had demolished the painstakingly constructed confidence-building measures on the border, and so the relationship could not continue as normal until the border crisis was resolved. It imposed new restrictions on Chinese investment in India – even as overall trade continued to increase – and adopted a more assertive diplomatic posture. Strategically, the 2020 border crisis had two major effects. First, it reinforced the Indian proclivity to see its northern borders as the primary threat to Indian national security. India has heavily reinforced the border, reassigning some major formations and making numerous new investments in military capability to manage the threat. The significance of this however is that, in the context of budget scarcity, these military improvements come at the cost of potential increases in India’s capability in the Indian Ocean region – ultimately a more consequential zone of competition in the Indo-Pacific. The Indian government may yet change course and reallocate resources for power projection but, at this stage, I see no evidence of that. The second major strategic effect of the crisis was to unleash Indian cooperation with its partners, especially the US and the reinvigorated Quad grouping of Australia, India, Japan and the US. India has generally avoided formal international alliances, and the Quad was in hiatus for years – why has India invested in it now? India had always been mindful not to embrace external partners too closely so as to maintain its freedom of action and to not provoke a Chinese reaction. But since the Ladakh crisis, New Delhi has a newfound willingness to work more closely with the US, Japan, and Australia – because it calculates correctly that these partnerships enhance its freedom to act, and that China has already adopted the aggressive posture India feared. It is important to note however that the border crisis was not the only driver of India’s strategic adjustment. The crisis coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic which highlighted to India the ineffectiveness of existing international institutional arrangements. For New Delhi, then, the twin crises of Ladakh and the pandemic stressed the need for new international arrangements, and the Quad offered the best combination of agility and capability to meet the most pressing challenges of the Indo-Pacific region. What do the Quad partners hope to achieve in their renewed partnership? Beginning in 2021, the Quad assumed far greater significance. The first national leader summits happened – which have since continued at regular intervals – and its members have all agreed to a continually expanding agenda of work. It seeks to provide international public goods, and everything from climate action to telecommunications regulations. Critically, it has limited its security role to some niche and relatively unprovocative areas, such as humanitarian assistance and maritime domain awareness – issues which benefit the Indo-Pacific as a whole and do not intensify security competition. It has certainly eschewed military cooperation. Interestingly, the four Quad countries have also separately accelerated their military cooperation, bilaterally, trilaterally, and even quadrilaterally. But that cooperation lies outside the formal mechanisms of the Quad. What impact will these Quad actions have on Chinese aggression and the Indo-Pacific region? This Quad approach, which I call ‘zone balancing’ in my article, is specifically designed to build the capacity and resilience of regional states, and to not inflame dyadic security competition. The relatively uncompetitive character of these activities helps to deflate Chinese claims that the Quad is an antagonistic new bloc, and to ameliorate southeast Asian states’ concerns over the potential intensification of strategic competition. New Delhi has a newfound willingness to work more closely with the US, Japan, and Australia – because it calculates correctly that these partnerships enhance its freedom to act But the Quad’s agenda is not fixed and not bounded. It has expanded year on year and may continue to extend into new areas. This gives it a degree of flexibility and coercive leverage as Beijing cannot be confident about the Quad’s future direction. This slate of activities has a lot of utility in building the Quad’s regional legitimacy and habits of cooperation among its members. But it conspicuously does not address the region’s most pressing security challenges. It is not, in its current form, equipped to manage the challenge of territorial disputes or aggression. So the Quad will not address India’s unresolved border dispute with China, potential crises over Taiwan, or the South China Sea. I would argue, however, that the four members of the Quad have unparalleled advantages of capacity and geography. With further military cooperation, even outside the formal structures of the Quad, they have the potential to deter Chinese aggression, but that remains subject to their political preferences. Will other countries in different parts of the world adopt similar balancing strategies? Zone balancing could be an attractive strategy for other countries which want to either avoid the costs of hard military balancing, or to not provoke their rivals. It has been used in the past – such as the Marshall Plan during the early Cold War – and I would not be surprised if other countries competing with China, or even China itself, use it. Full Article
el Analysis of {beta}-lactone formation by clinically observed carbapenemases informs on a novel antibiotic resistance mechanism [Enzymology] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-12-04T00:06:05-08:00 An important mechanism of resistance to β-lactam antibiotics is via their β-lactamase–catalyzed hydrolysis. Recent work has shown that, in addition to the established hydrolysis products, the reaction of the class D nucleophilic serine β-lactamases (SBLs) with carbapenems also produces β-lactones. We report studies on the factors determining β-lactone formation by class D SBLs. We show that variations in hydrophobic residues at the active site of class D SBLs (i.e. Trp105, Val120, and Leu158, using OXA-48 numbering) impact on the relative levels of β-lactones and hydrolysis products formed. Some variants, i.e. the OXA-48 V120L and OXA-23 V128L variants, catalyze increased β-lactone formation compared with the WT enzymes. The results of kinetic and product studies reveal that variations of residues other than those directly involved in catalysis, including those arising from clinically observed mutations, can alter the reaction outcome of class D SBL catalysis. NMR studies show that some class D SBL variants catalyze formation of β-lactones from all clinically relevant carbapenems regardless of the presence or absence of a 1β-methyl substituent. Analysis of reported crystal structures for carbapenem-derived acyl-enzyme complexes reveals preferred conformations for hydrolysis and β-lactone formation. The observation of increased β-lactone formation by class D SBL variants, including the clinically observed carbapenemase OXA-48 V120L, supports the proposal that class D SBL-catalyzed rearrangement of β-lactams to β-lactones is important as a resistance mechanism. Full Article
el Mutation of an atypical oxirane oxyanion hole improves regioselectivity of the {alpha}/{beta}-fold epoxide hydrolase Alp1U [Enzymology] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-12-11T00:06:20-08:00 Epoxide hydrolases (EHs) have been characterized and engineered as biocatalysts that convert epoxides to valuable chiral vicinal diol precursors of drugs and bioactive compounds. Nonetheless, the regioselectivity control of the epoxide ring opening by EHs remains challenging. Alp1U is an α/β-fold EH that exhibits poor regioselectivity in the epoxide hydrolysis of fluostatin C (compound 1) and produces a pair of stereoisomers. Herein, we established the absolute configuration of the two stereoisomeric products and determined the crystal structure of Alp1U. A Trp-186/Trp-187/Tyr-247 oxirane oxygen hole was identified in Alp1U that replaced the canonical Tyr/Tyr pair in α/β-EHs. Mutation of residues in the atypical oxirane oxygen hole of Alp1U improved the regioselectivity for epoxide hydrolysis on 1. The single site Y247F mutation led to highly regioselective (98%) attack at C-3 of 1, whereas the double mutation W187F/Y247F resulted in regioselective (94%) nucleophilic attack at C-2. Furthermore, single-crystal X-ray structures of the two regioselective Alp1U variants in complex with 1 were determined. These findings allowed insights into the reaction details of Alp1U and provided a new approach for engineering regioselective epoxide hydrolases. Full Article
el The endosomal trafficking regulator LITAF controls the cardiac Nav1.5 channel via the ubiquitin ligase NEDD4-2 [Computational Biology] By www.jbc.org Published On :: 2020-12-25T00:06:30-08:00 The QT interval is a recording of cardiac electrical activity. Previous genome-wide association studies identified genetic variants that modify the QT interval upstream of LITAF (lipopolysaccharide-induced tumor necrosis factor-α factor), a protein encoding a regulator of endosomal trafficking. However, it was not clear how LITAF might impact cardiac excitation. We investigated the effect of LITAF on the voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.5, which is critical for cardiac depolarization. We show that overexpressed LITAF resulted in a significant increase in the density of Nav1.5-generated voltage-gated sodium current INa and Nav1.5 surface protein levels in rabbit cardiomyocytes and in HEK cells stably expressing Nav1.5. Proximity ligation assays showed co-localization of endogenous LITAF and Nav1.5 in cardiomyocytes, whereas co-immunoprecipitations confirmed they are in the same complex when overexpressed in HEK cells. In vitro data suggest that LITAF interacts with the ubiquitin ligase NEDD4-2, a regulator of Nav1.5. LITAF overexpression down-regulated NEDD4-2 in cardiomyocytes and HEK cells. In HEK cells, LITAF increased ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of co-expressed NEDD4-2 and significantly blunted the negative effect of NEDD4-2 on INa. We conclude that LITAF controls cardiac excitability by promoting degradation of NEDD4-2, which is essential for removal of surface Nav1.5. LITAF-knockout zebrafish showed increased variation in and a nonsignificant 15% prolongation of action potential duration. Computer simulations using a rabbit-cardiomyocyte model demonstrated that changes in Ca2+ and Na+ homeostasis are responsible for the surprisingly modest action potential duration shortening. These computational data thus corroborate findings from several genome-wide association studies that associated LITAF with QT interval variation. Full Article
el 30 Years of Non-Maghreb: What next for Algeria-Morocco relations? By www.chathamhouse.org Published On :: Tue, 13 Aug 2024 16:27:13 +0000 30 Years of Non-Maghreb: What next for Algeria-Morocco relations? 10 September 2024 — 2:00PM TO 3:15PM Anonymous (not verified) 13 August 2024 Online Experts discuss Algeria-Morocco relations and implications for regional actors. In 1989, the establishment of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) brought a promise of economic integration and strengthening of ties between Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia for the benefit and prosperity of their societies.Decades on, very little has been accomplished in developing the Maghreb project, and the region remains one of the least integrated in the world, despite significant social and cultural similarities between member countries. The last time the full UMA leadership met was back in 1994, with August 2024 marking 30 years of closed borders between Algeria and Morocco.Relations between the two largest Maghreb countries have deteriorated further since 2020 due to disagreements over issues of Western Sahara, and, most recently, the Abraham Accords, with Algeria cutting diplomatic ties with Morocco in 2021.In this webinar, experts will discuss:Which primary obstacles are hindering Maghreb integration and Algeria-Morocco relations?What are the costs and implications for regional countries?What are the positions of Libya, Tunisia, and Mauritania?What is required for a rapprochement and how can external partners support this? Full Article
