fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Children of ISIL in Exile
By: Ian Gill
Tags: Syria

Source: Bulent Kilic /AFP/Getty Images

On Monday, November 11th, a federal court in The Hague, The Netherlands, ordered the Dutch government to repatriate dozens of women and young children with connections to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). While the Dutch government plans to appeal the court decision, the case highlights a continuing problem that affects dozens of countries around the world.

The UN estimates that 29,000 children of foreign insurgents currently reside in Syrian displacement camps, calling these children “among the world’s most vulnerable.” To this point, however, many Western nations have been slow to repatriate, and some have even begun the treacherous process of revoking citizenship to ISIL members and their families. The UK has stripped hundreds of ISIL members of their citizenship, often only if they have dual citizenship. In February of this year, Home Secretary Sajid Javid of the UK revoked the citizenship of Shamima Begum, a woman who traveled to Syria four years ago at age 15, and her newborn child, claiming that the British Nationality Act of 1981 §40(2) grants the government the ability to revoke citizenship of those who have acted “in a manner which is seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the UK” and have reasonable access to another form of nationality. Even if Begum would be able to gain Bangladeshi citizenship, as Javid suggests, she and her child became stateless as a result of a UK directive in direct violation of international law. Since the revocation of her citizenship, her 1-month-old child died in a Syrian refugee camp. Even while President Trump and other US officials have called on Western leaders to repatriate ISIL members, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has refused to recognize the citizenship of Hoda Muthana, an Alabama woman who traveled to join ISIL in 2014, or her toddler son.

This failure to repatriate has profound impacts, both for Syria and for citizenship laws around the world. Many of these children of foreign fighters are held in poorly-supported displacement camps in northern Syria, increasing the need for an already limited amount of resources. Being exiled from their country of inherited citizenship, these children are stateless, victims not of their own choices but of unfortunate circumstances. The decision not to repatriate will also leave a deep and dangerous legacy for citizenship laws around the world. While many countries, including the US, recognize citizenship inherited through birth (i.e. citizenship is passed on from parent to child), the decision to revoke or not recognize the citizenship of these children in an extreme circumstance like this will undermine the previously-held conception of citizenship as an inalienable right.

Repatriation of thousands of children will not be easy and will take years of proper planning to fully integrate these children back into their countries of citizenship. To fail to uphold the rights of citizenship, however, would be a grave mistake for the United States and other countries.
The reason for the tremendous support of the Syrian opposition is oil
By: Sardar Mesto
Tags: Usa In Syria, Syrian Civil War, Syria

The United States, which seized Syrian oil with the help of the Kurdish Armed Forces, deployed hundreds of its troops in the oil-bearing regions.

Donald Trump, who during the Turkish operation “Source of Peace” decided to withdraw the US military from northeast Syria, further admitted: — “We are in Syria for oil.” With the start of Turkey’s military operation, the United States left 16 bases and military posts in the region. But in Deir ez-Zor, Al-Hasak and Raqqah, where there are billions of dollars of oil, they have not budged. Moreover, 800 US troops withdrawn from northern Syria were sent to oil fields. After the suspension of the Turkish operation, the United States returned to six bases and points in the oil regions of Syria.

In addition, Washington’s leadership set about creating two new military bases at the oil-rich Deir ez-Zor. 250–300 troops, armored vehicles, heavy weapons and ammunition were additionally sent to these areas. The US military continues to patrol the fields occupied by Kurdish armed forces in Syria.

The day before, during his visit to Germany, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the provision of the United States “huge resources” to the Syrian Democratic Forces, which are fighting terrorists. Washington is proud of this and will continue to support the Kurdish units, as it considers this to be of interest. The United States plans to keep oil under control by sponsoring SDS, and this plan is not limited to Syria. This region has strategic importance for the transfer of Iraqi oil to the Mediterranean Sea.

According to a spokesman for the US Department of Defense, Jonathan Rath, the US is funding the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDS) from oil revenues in Syria.

It became known about the existing 85-year plan, involving the transportation of Kirkuk and Syrian oil to the Israeli port of Haifa. It was he who determined the latest events in the region. If the oil pipeline, which the United States expects to lay in the region now controlled by the Kurds, can be launched at full capacity, then 5 million barrels of oil per day can be transferred to the Israeli port of Haifa.

As part of the aforementioned plan, the Abu Kemal checkpoint between Iraq and Syria was opened. And after that, Washington announces the complete withdrawal of its contingent from the territory of Syria?
Humanitarian controversy strikes as the UN fails to renew cross-border aid for Syria
By: Veronica Ruvalcaba
Tags: Syria

Russia and China have vetoed the UN resolution for sanctions to be imposed on Syria for humanitarian aid leaving over 2.7 million people without access to lifesaving aid.

For over eight years, the Syrian Civil War has been claiming the lives of our Syrian brothers and sisters with only the UN to assist in providing cross-border aid. The United Nations (UN) was formed following the devastation of World War II with the central mission being to maintain international peace and security, protect human rights, deliver humanitarian aid, promote sustainable development, and uphold international law. Resolution 2165 was established in 2014 as a “reaffirmation to it’s strong commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Syria,” following the death of more than 150,000 Syrians, 10,000 of them being children. Then, on December 13, 2018, the Security Council adopted Resolution 2449, authorizing a one-year extension to reach the growing number of Syrians being affected by the war.

Why are Russia and China opposing the renewal of the UN resolution?

“The Security Council could only agree on a resolution that is grossly inadequate to the needs of the Syrian people. Syrians will suffer needlessly as a result of this resolution. Syrians will die as a result of this resolution. I want to be very clear about who must bear responsibility for this outcome, it is the Russian Federation,” said Kelly Craft, Permanent Representative of the United States during informal comments to the media. “The Russians actively, triumphantly support the Assad regime’s to starve its opposition.”

An investigation by the UN and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (POCW) found that the Syrian government forces were using chemical weapons made of chlorine gas and mustard gas. When inhaled, chlorine gas turns into hydrochloric acid killing the victim by burning the lungs and drowning in body fluid. The use of chlorine as a weapon was banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention that Syria joined in 2013.

Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s government has denied their use of chemical weapons, but the UN/OPCW inquiry found that the Syrian government has used helicopters to drop barrel bombs containing chlorine gas. Russia has questioned the UN/OPCW inquiry results and has said there is not enough proof for the security council to take action.

When asked what the division says on the broader dynamics on the council, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation, Vassily Nebenzia evaded the question by answering, “You ask me too a difficult question, Friday night after an exhausting security council meeting and you want a reply that would require me to be a professor of university.”

Why is Russia protecting the Syrian Government and denying aid to millions of suffering people? Where is their humanity?
Russia and China Cut Aid To Syria, The UN Responds
By: Casandra Mancl
Tags: China, Russia, United Nations, Syria

In recent events, Russia and China have used their veto to block giving aid to Syria during its humanitarian crisis. This was the second time in four months that both countries vetoed a resolution for helping Syria.

Russia is a close ally and supporter of Syria, as well as their President Bashar al-Assad. But why would they treat Syria like this? The New York Times reports that Russia instead wanted to propose a new resolution by only approving of two entry points through turkey, and only providing aid for six months.

The UN has offered humanitarian assistance to refugees for decades providing medical supplies, food, and health care as well as clean water. The new mission of the UN is to send these deliveries from two border crossings in Turkey and one through Iraq for a year. This can lead to millions more deaths within Syria if the UN is unable to provide aid to the country.

The United States made a similar move with Syria in August 2018 where are the Trump administration ended a civilian-aid program. Trump claims that this was an effort to focus on developing the US and the US military. Perhaps Russia might be doing the same thing.

Kelly Craft, representative of the United States to the United Nations, states, “The US will not abandon its principles, its responsibilities or its enduring concern for the well-being of the Syrian people. While the Russian federation cannot abandon what it does not possess, they should nonetheless feel the weight of international condemnation for the appalling actions.”

The representative of Russia to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, commented on why Russia abstained from agreeing on a resolution back in in December saying, “We were working on our own resolution we agreed to work on the text of the pen holders not everything in that resolution satisfies us completely but as a matter of compromise.”
China and Russia Block Aid In United Nations Vote
By: Xenia Contreras
Tags: China, Russia, Syria, Veto, Comm206

For the past eight years Syria has been home to one the longest civil wars in history. This war encompasses two parties, the Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his supporting soldiers vs anti-government rebel that call their group the Islamic State (IS). The current Syrian government has international supporter from Russia and Iran, while the United States, Turkey and Saudi Arabia are supporters of the rebels. Other western countries such as the United Kingdom have found a middle ground by supporting the civilian population caught between the current Syrian regime and the Islamic State rebels. This civil war was fueled by a climbing unemployment rate and the lack of political freedom. on March 28, 2011, a protest took place were al-Assad’s army killed four peaceful protesters, while also shooting at mourning bystanders at the victim’s funerals, which lead to another death. The people of Syria were outraged and these actions caused a divide in the country.

China and Russia are supporters of the Syria’s President, Bashar al-Assad. China and Russia do not want outside military action to intervene with Syria’s internal affairs. The two countries vetoed the votes to continue supplying aid, which is a crucial lifeline for many Syrian civilians and rebels. “Syrians will suffer needlessly as a result of this resolution, Syrians will die as a result of this resolution”, said Kelly Craft.

China’s United Nation ambassador, Liu Jieyi was opposed to the uses of chemical weapons but felt it was premature to impose sanctions. Russia’s President Vladimir Putin suggested sanction against Syria would be “totally inappropriate”, in hopes to have a peace talk in the future.

On January 10, 2020 United States Ambassador Kelly Craft was present at the Security Council Stakeout and gave a powerful statement. “People across Syria are desperate for the help that the united nations was created to provide”, said Kelly Craft. “it is the Russian federation, that brought us to this point,” said Kelly Craft. The denial of aid and sanctions leaves the United Nations at a stands still. On one hand, the Syrian people are in dire need of help, meanwhile, China and Russia and attempting to “prevent foreign military action in sovereign countries:”. One thing is clear, the United States and Russia are in a proxy war and Syria is the stage.
You are most definitely a Warhawk.
Tags: Iran, Terrorism, Syria

You are most definitely a Warhawk. Creating a dichotomy of good vs evil will always result in death and endless wars wherever the US sees evil.

The fact that anyone in the West feels a greater right than Iran to act within it’s regional geography is approving our Imperialism to change regimes as we see fit.

Maybe you were unaware that since 2012 US has advocated regime change in Syria. Or look to 2005 elections in Palestine. NATO interventions in Libya ring a bell? After Gaddafi was deposed in 2011 their chemical stockpile went missing. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.globalresearch.ca/hillary-clinton-approved-delivering-libyas-sarin-gas-to-syrian-rebels-seymour-hersh/5522647/amp&ved=2ahUKEwjsiqmV64HnAhWPK80KHbZaBmkQFjAJegQIBRAB&usg=AOvVaw3OVvkVYPIquEU1MWisTidh&cf=1

People like you prey on fears within people to justify acts that are inexcusable. Invading a sovereign country because we don’t like how they run their country is Imperialism, the thing we pretend doesn’t exist.
The Conflict in Syria And the Consequences of War
By: Abdul Samad
Tags: Syria

May be we don’t want to hear about or deal with it that in the 21st century, in the age of social media where the information can fit into the palm of your hand, in a world where you can see and hear the victims and their horror stories in real time. In this world we are standing doing nothing while the children are being slaughtered every single hour.

Don’t ask me who is right and who is wrong, because nobody knows and frankly it doesn’t matter. What matter is that it’s happening right now in front of our eyes and nobody in UK or in France or in Asia or in Germany or in America is doing anything to stop it. Who is marching in the street for the innocent men and women, who is shouting for the children, no one.

The UN is holding meetings of its security consoles and wiping away tears when they see the image of a father holding the body of his little daughter, there is a word for this, hypocrisy.

Eventually, life goes on but the situations created by war in Syria for the last years is such a mirror to the whole world in which he reflect his image.

As a human being I’m ashamed that we chose leaders who are incapable of being articulate in their condemnation and powerful in their actions. The peaceful majority of humanity is irrelevant once again. We need a remind?Why innocent will die all the time, which has nothing to do with this war.
A report about the United Nations Resolution on Humanitarian aid in Syria
By: Quinn Barrabee
Tags: Humanitarian Aid, United Nations, Syria

In 2014, the United Nations along with Russia and China constructed Resolution 2165, which entails giving jurisdiction to the UN’s humanitarian agencies to provide/deliver aid for those who are across the Turkish border. Mainly to the areas of northern Syria that are already in the hands of armed opposition, that are exacerbating the already very dire humanitarian situation, focusing on Idlib and the surrounding area.

With that said, on January 10, 2020, the US ambassador Kelly Craft talked on the issue “The council could only agree on a resolution that is grossly inadequate to the needs of the Syrian people”. According to Craft, the consequences of the council’s decision are that more Syrians are going to die and needlessly suffer because of the security council’s decision. Craft then points out the people responsible for this is the Russian Federation, because of them vetoing a compromised proposal on December 20th then working tirelessly to divide the council, Craft then draws the conclusion that by doing these things Russia actively supports the Assad regime to starve its opposition.

Russia’s ambassador Vassily Nebenzia also spoke on the matter “Not everything satisfies us completely, but has a matter of compromise we went along with it”. After saying this, Nebenzia states that Russia abstained from letting the resolution go, while also stating that if Russia’s resolution was adopted it would surely end in failure. According to an article written by Edith M. Lederer for The Washington Post, “Nebenzia said he abstained the resolution even though Russia only has two crossing points from Turkey, which are in Bab al-Salam and Bab al-Hawa while also getting a six-month extension because Moscow did not agree to all the points that were stated in the resolution sponsored by German and Belgium”. (Lederer)

Belgium’s Ambassador Marc Pecsteen de Buytswerve also talked on the issue “The UN organizations could not have been clearer this lifeline is indispensable”. According to Buytswerve, he agreed to the compromised solution in order to maintain as much as possible of the cross-border mechanism. Buytswerve also states that roughly 2.7 million people in adlib will obtain humanitarian aid which is greatly needed.

Germany’s Ambassador Christoph Heusgen speaks on the issue as well “We deeply regret that it has not been possible to agree on the third border crossing at ally obeah”. Heusgen then adds that is essential for the delivery of humanitarian aid to northeast Syria. According to the same article written by Edith M. Lederer for The Washington Post, wrote that Heusgen stressed the heavy price that came with closing the border crossing at Al Yarubiyah. (Lederer)
Syrians Set to Suffer as a Humanitarian Crisis Escalate
By: Isaac Fernandez
Tags: Syria, Middle East, United Nations, United States, Humanity

United States ambassador, Kelly Craft

The United Nations Security Council failed to agree on a lifesaving resolution that had provided aid to millions of Northern Syrians since 2014. Resolution 2165, which authorized humanitarian aid across Turkey, Jordan, and Iraq borders, expired this past Friday. According to Amnesty International, the delivery of supplies across borders assisted civilians by giving them access to necessary services such as potable water and vital health care.

Two separate draft resolutions failed to pass. The first proposal which was co-sponsored by Kuwait, Germany, and Belgium, nearly received unanimous votes except for negative votes from China and Russia. Both ambassadors from China and Russia believe that Syria’s sovereignty must be respected and that reasons for the initial creation of the proposal have changed. The second draft, sponsored by Russia, was opposed by the United States, Dominican Republic, France, Poland, Peru, and the United Kingdom.

In a recent statement from U.S. ambassador, Kelly Craft, she addresses council dynamics, “You know, there are winners and losers, and I feel like the Security Council lost a lot of credibility. Most importantly, I think the Syrians, they lost. The international community lost. We gave the Russians an inch and they took a million.” Craft ends the conference with a powerful message to the Syrian people, “The Trump administration cares deeply about humanitarian efforts. As long as Donald Trump is in the White House and I’m the ambassador at the United Nations, I can guarantee you, we will not for one second forget the Syrian people and the humanitarian aid that they deserve.” Russia’s ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, had no answer to the question of council dynamics in recent talkings with the media. “You are asking me too difficult a question on a Friday night after [an] exhausting Security Council meeting,” played off Nebenzia. “You want me [to] reply that requires to be a professor [in a] university, which I am not.”
The Vetoed Renewal of 2165
By: Tristyn Borden
Tags: Syria

The Vetoed Renewal of 2165

Syria is in a crisis of losing humanitarian aids. This is one of the worst humanitarian crises of our time! More than 12 million people that make up over half of the country’s pre-war population have been killed or forced to flee their homes. Tristyn Borden Jan 14, 2020·2 min read

In 2014, the UN resolution 2165 was adopted by UN agencies and their executing partners. This enabled them to send over 30,000 trucks of humanitarian assistance across Jordan, Iraq, and Turkey to help those in opposition-controlled areas of Syria. On December 20th, Russia and China failed to renew the UN resolution 2165. This change will leave millions of people in Syria left without lifesaving aids.

The cause of this devastating change was the Russian Federation. Other Security council members tried to fight for a fifth crossing point and extend the mandate for another year. With this, the Russian Federation threatened them with the veto. “I want to be very clear about who must bear responsibility for this outcome it is the Russian Federation that brought us to this point. It is the Russian Federation that vetoed a compromised proposal in December 20th and has since worked tirelessly to divide the council” said Kelly Craft. The United Nations support Syria and its people, and will continue to uphold their responsibilities, principles, and continued concern for the well-being of the Syrian people.

Permanent representatives of both Belgium and Germany to the United Nations made a few comments to the media regarding the humanitarian situation in Syria. “Our resolve to work for the people in Syria remains unchanged as does our willingness to continue to advocate for unobstructed delivery of humanitarian aid this is our shared responsibility and indeed our obligation as members of the Security council” said Marc Pedsteen de Buytswerve and Christoph Heusgen.

In response to the humanitarian situation in Syria, Russia avoided all questions being asked. There were no subtitles posted to their response and due to heavy accents, it was highly difficult to pull a direct quote from their response.
MAN FROM TOMORROW (EPISODE 42)
By: Kartik Hegadekatti
Tags: Serial Fiction, Fiction, Suspense, Novel, Thriller

Martin turned away from Kevin and Anita. His gaze was cast out on the deserted street and the property beyond. Something black speeding down the road toward them caught his eye. It came closer without losing speed. Martin realized it was a black BMW, and the driver’s window was quickly rolling down from view. There was something about that vehicle that sent Martin’s body into a panic. The car’s Headlights were not on. It was like the black BMW were an extension of the night itself. Unseen, stealthy. It was being driven without headlights. And that only meant that the driver didn’t want to his victims to see the car coming.

“Get down!” Martin shouted, jumping at Anita, throwing them both to the Kerb just as a bullet shot out in their direction. seconds after the shot sounded, Kevin screamed in pain. Martin rolled off of Anita, only to see Kevin crumple to the floor. Before moving to check the state of the man, he saw that the BMW stopped in the middle of the street, and the car doors were opening its occupants hopping out.

While Anita was picking herself up, distressed and confused, Martin moved to grab Kevin by the arms so he could begin to drag him toward the shop. Once Anita realized what he was doing, and that Kevin had been shot, she scrambled to help. Hooded strangers were walking towards them dressed in black.

She whipped the garage door open before rushing back to help Martin pull Kevin into the shop. His weight was more than either of them could handle alone, and together, they barely made it inside before a masked man approached; his strides slow and measured as the door slammed shut in front of him. He seemed sure he would get his mark without even needing to try. Anita used every locking mechanism available, but what she heard next sent shivers up her spine.

Something pressed against the door. “You can’t keep me out with simple locks,” a cold voice sounded from the other side. Anita stepped away when there was a clank against the metal frame. Then the horrendous sound of metal gnawing at metal vibrated from the door, and she ran. They weren’t going to be safe for long.

She moved through the shop, following the trail of blood that Kevin left in his wake as he half-walked and half-dragged by Martin, also holding his briefcase in one hand. She closed all of the doors behind her, and locked those that she could as she went. While she was unsure how long it would take the man in black to break through the door, she wasn’t about to make it easy for him.

“Martin!” she shouted, having lost them in her attempt to slow down the man pursuing them. The building was a lot larger than she expected. Moments after she called to him, she heard his response and rushed in that direction.

(To Be Continued Tomorrow…..)

[The complete Book ‘MAN FROM TOMORROW’ can be downloaded at amzn.to/2MSf1ng ]
Black Friday Live Now
Tags: Crypto Treasures, Black Friday, Live Now, Crypto Planet, Deals

Hello Everyone,

Black Friday has arrived with the best discounts of the year!

Take this opportunity and get the most of Crypto Treasures, Crypto Planet, and Treasure Battle!

* Crypto Treasures:

- Get 100% BONUS when purchasing any Gold Package

- Buy One, Get One Free Ruby

- Receive Double Spins (100 Total) when purchasing from the Shop

- All In-Game Items are 20% OFF

- Chests in the Shop are 20% OFF

Download Crypto Treasures from Google Play:

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Download Crypto Treasures from the App Store:

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* Crypto Planet:

- Get 100% BONUS when purchasing any Crystal Package

- Buy One, Get One Free Amethyst

- Receive Double Planet Protector Games (30 Total) when purchasing from the Shop

- Chests in the Shop are 20% OFF

Download Crypto Planet from Google Play:

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* Treasure Battle:

- Ships are 50% OFF

Download Treasure Battle from Google Play:

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Only until December 1st at 11:59 PM EST!

Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

The Phoneum Team
Best Black Friday deals 2019: encryption software
By: Michy Tord
Tags: Cybersecurity, Black Friday, Security, Encryption, Deal

Update: Even though Black Friday event is over, you can still grab these deals as they are valid during Cyber Monday as well.

We are counting down the days to Black Friday 2019, one of the biggest shopping events of the whole year. However, if you still have a question when is Black Friday this year — it starts on the 29th of November. Users should assess their actual needs and think critically whether they need a particular product or not since the Black Friday ads alongside the temptations are waiting just around the corner. Black Friday cyber deals are not an exception and the situation is quite similar. Therefore to avoid wrong decisions while choosing a security product (I am going to focus on the file encryption side) here are the best buy deals you shouldn’t miss:

NordLocker

Recently NordVPN, one of the best rated VPN services in the world, introduced their new product NordLocker. This file encryption app comes with a solution for storing the files either on your computer or in the cloud with end-to-end encryption. Their Black Friday offer is an ultimate 50% off on the 1-year plan, and instead of a full price $98 pay only $47.88.

Get limited NordLocker deal with 50% off by applying a coupon code BLACKSALE.

How to use a special code?

In the website, before ordering a plan choose a “got coupon?” section and just simply enter a code BLACKSALE. By doing so the discount will automatically be added.

It is hassle-free to share your files with NordLocker, and its drag and drop function encrypts any kind of data in a matter of seconds. NordLocker is ready to use as soon as you install it and it can come as a handy tool for everyone: even if you are an advanced user or a complete beginner. Only you will be able to access encrypted data with your own password.

Icedrive

Icedrive for this Black Friday sales time prepared even two different offers for a lifetime plans which are as follows: 56% off for a plan with 1TB of data (price with a discount $99) and 60% off for a plan with 5TB of data (price with a discount $299).

Find Icedrive deal here.

This file encryption tool will give you the ability to encrypt various files and keep them totally away from danger and prying eyes on the cloud based storage.

Tresorit

Tresorit on Black Friday provides a deal up to 50% off for business plan only. This file encryption tool suggests several main peculiarities and is well accepted in the market. However, this application allows to upload your files to folders in the cloud only.

Get Tresorit deal with 50% discount.
2021 Hashed Blockchain & Crypto Market Predictions
By: Simon Seojoon Kim
Tags: 2021, Ethereum, Bitcoin, Blockchain, Predictions

Grayscale in the US provides further evidence of the increasing institutional interest as it is a vehicle through which institutional investors have gained exposure to Bitcoin. In early 2020, Grayscale started out with $2 billion in assets under management (AUM), and the AUM rapidly grew to $20 billion by late 2020. Most of its assets are concentrated in Bitcoin, and it is expected that such a focus will be maintained.

Moreover, the CME recently overtook OKEx on the trade volume of futures, and the news indicates that institutional interest in Bitcoin will outweigh, if not already, retail interest as more players enter into the market through traditional entities. Combined with the phenomenon that more and more public companies such as MicroStrategy are directly purchasing Bitcoin, the maturation of digital assets as an attractive investment asset class will naturally lend to more players seeking to hedge against the quantitative easing of central banks.

Amid such indicators, it is worthwhile to note that Bitcoin’s total market capitalization has exceeded that of the stressed countries’ currencies such as Venezuela. In 2021, there may be even countries purchasing Bitcoin as a reserve asset.

With these in mind, Hashed will be making the following predictions for 2021:
Why Holochain’s Price could hit 0.26 $ in 2021
By: Thomas Starzynski
Tags: Prediction, Cryptocurrency, Holochain, Price, Crypto

Let’s Talk Price

I‘d love to elaborate more on the impact Holochain might have on privacy, data ownership, collaboration and the overall evolution of humanity, but as we are in a crypto currency bullmarket, most people are interested in price and the incredible gains possible. Thus, the last section will focus solely on the price of the Holo token, and what I believe it’s future potential is.

Putting Things Into Perspective

When valuing a disruptive technology, it is worthwile to compare it to historically similar patterns, in order to build a frame of reference. In this case I will compare the current Holochain price action with the price rally of one of the best performing altcoins during the 2017 crypto currency bullrun, XRP Ripple.

Why Ripple?

I believe Holochain will be one of the most exciting and disrupting projects in 2021, because it is a progression of blockchain technology, in the same way as Ethereum was a progression of Bitcoin in 2015.

In 2015 Ethereum unlocked new possibilities that were previously not possible on Bitcoin, in the same way Holochain will unlock new possibilities that are currently not possible on Ethereum.

Under these circumstances, comparing Holochain to one of the best performing altcoins in the previous bullrun, at least to me, seems not too far fetched.

Let’s start with a bit of history: In 2017, Ripple Labs XRP token experienced an astonishing appreciation from 0.0065$ in the beginning of 2017, to 3.36$ by the end of the cycle on January 8th 2018. This is a return on investment of 515x in just as little as 1 year.

XRP’s price during the 2017 bull market. Source: coinmarketcap.com

This price incease did happen in two mayor rallies, seperated by an approximately three month long 60% correction, as the following chart illustrates:

XRP’s 515x token price appreciation in 2017. Source: coinmarketcap.com

Holochain Price Prediction

In the beginning of 2021, Holochain was in a similar situation as XRP in January 2017. The Marketcap of both assets was around 100 Million (Holochain) and 230 Million (Ripple). Since then, Holochain completed its first wave 1 (50x) rally, and as of the time of writing, has entered a consolidation phase.

When mapping the history of XRP onto Holochain’s Holo token, one could make the following predictions:

(1) the ongoing correction will take a few more weeks or even months, resulting in a bottom price at 0.0126, which then will mark a -60% correction. (2) the bottom at 0.0126 will kickstart a second wave hype cycle, which will lead to another 21x gain over a period of multiple months, resulting in a top price at 0.26. This will also mark the beginning of the next crypto bear market.

Mapping the price of Holo token onto the XRP 2017 bull market rally. Source: Crystal Ball 🔮
Parts of the Brain that Predict the Future
By: Emily Etzig
Tags: Brain, Predictions, Science

Many parts of the brain work together to predict the future based of off events that have already occured. We mainly anticipate events and predict things with two significant parts of the brain. A basic way your brain predicts the future is when a popular song comes on and your brain knows the tune and you bob your head to the tune. The brain works together to infer the future and interpret the past. Many scientists believe that the brain is actually split between the parts that collect the information from the past and the parts that predict the future. The two sections of the brain that predict the work to predict the future are the basal ganglia and the cerebellum. A rhythm-based system is the thing in your head that makes these predictions. When your brain makes a prediction it is basically just a giant coincidence that contains timing. The brain uses past events to create a future image for the timing of the brains ideas. A lot of people that make predictions for the future are also very open minded and able to change their opinion based off of new presented information. A good prediction comes from interpreting all events and really scanning the situation. Making predictions is not a talent, it is a skill that many people have learned to used throughout the years. Anyone can learn how to predict the events that will happen in the future based off of the timing of the event.
Retain MySql General logs longer for audit purposes
By: Anirban Roy
Tags: AWS, MySQL, Athena, Open Source, Ad Server

MySql is one of the most pervasive databases which is both relational and highly performant. It is one of the major offering by Amazon Web Services under its RDS managed databases suite. Its open source nature have created a huge fan base and promoted community support evolving the product over its long standing years of existence.

In any enterprise one of the most crucial capability is its ability to track changes in the different critical data on which they might running on. This serves as a very handy tool in case of issues arising due change in certain data which otherwise can be a gargantuan task to debug. This is where Mysql’s general logs stored under the table mysql.general_log can do wonders in providing insights about access patterns and change history to the critical data stored in the database instance.

However, for any moderate size business the number of transactions can be considerably high and the ability to retain all the changes done to the data can be a challenge inside the MySql instance itself for an extended time period where it can be used for debugging/investigation. Meaning that the table mysql.general_log can get quickly bloated and based on retention policy, which may not be long, MySql will purge any old data. As such we need an alternate way to store this data so that it can be efficiently accessed of a longer time epoch. In this post I am presenting a simple way to do this and access it leveraging Amazon’s Athena service.

The steps required to achieve can summarized broadly below:

1. Read periodically from the mysql.general_log table and store the records in S3 as a CSV or some structured format understood by AWS Athena.

2. This data is structured. Create an Athena table over this S3 bucket.

3. Run Athena queries on top this table to view access patterns and change histories of the tables and data in the MySql instance.

Architecture of the system

S3 storage is cheaper compared to the storage overhead on the MySql instance and as such the data can be retained for longer periods without any issues.

The necessary code and project is open sourced and licensed under GNU-GPL3 and can be found under Github below. Please follow the instructions in the README.md to set it up and preserve your database’s access patterns with a longer retention in a query-able form.

Github: https://github.com/gumgum/mysql-general-log-extractor
An All-Female Team Is Behind This New ‘Iconic’ San Francisco Attraction
By: Matt Charnock
Tags: Construction, The Presidio, San Francisco, Women, Parks

Construction is an incredibly male-dominated industry. The idea of cladding together wood, steel, and cement still sits in the minds of many as a “man’s job,” never mind the fact that women working in construction trades is at its highest point in 20 years. Now, one of San Francisco’s newest large-scale land projects — Presidio Tunnel Tops—is helmed by an all-female team.

The Presidio Tunnel Tops project — deemed essential and on track for a debut this fall — will comprise 14 acres of new national parkland inside the Presidio. Described by the team as a soon-to-be “iconic must-see” San Francisco destination, iit will feature scenic overlooks with views of the Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco, paths and gardens, and a welcome plaza with both food stations and visitor services. Instead of opting for large glazed acres, the team has chosen to intentionally designate sections of land for certain activities; nature lovers flocking to the new land can enjoy a campfire circle, picnic grounds, and more.

That the construction crew behind the site ended up only with women wasn’t exactly intentional — it happened serendipitously.

“There were no mandates for us to have an all-female team, it just kind of evolved, really,” says Noreen Murphy Hughes, one of the design managers of Presidio Tunnel Tops. “ All of us play off each other very well, and it’s a true collaboration — no one feels like they can’t ask questions, bounce off ideas, or feel at all intimidated if they need to get information from someone else on the team.”
Introducing PMX 15: Our model for a mid-rise timber building
By: Mark Bauernhuber
Tags: Construction, Cities, Mass Timber, Sustainability, Architecture

Introducing PMX 15: Our model for a mid-rise timber building

We’ve spent the past year refining our approach to factory-made mass timber buildings. This two-part blog series unpacks key findings for a 15-story model based in Seattle. Mark Bauernhuber Follow May 25 · 3 min read

This post was co-written by Lily Huang and Kristin Slavin.

Mass timber is one of the most promising innovations in urban development, with the potential to help cities dramatically reduce their carbon footprint. It’s also catching on fast. Several notable mass timber projects have recently been approved or entered construction, including the 25-story Ascent tower in Milwaukee.

For the past few years, Sidewalk Labs has been researching and developing a factory-based approach to fabricating mass timber buildings. By manufacturing a core “kit of parts” offsite, we think it’s possible to produce sustainable, high-quality mass timber buildings with greater speed and reliability, at a cost that meets market requirements. As part of that work, we developed Proto-Model X — basically, a proof-of-concept for how factory-made mass timber buildings could work. We call it PMX for short.

In early 2020, we released a PMX design for a 35-story mass timber building — a height that has yet to be achieved in practice. This work taught us some important lessons. We demonstrated that it’s feasible to reach this height with an all-timber structural system, further reducing the building’s carbon footprint. We also learned how to design a kit of parts that’s efficient to manufacture without compromising on design quality.

Next, we wanted to test our ability to design a safe wooden structure in a seismic region. We decided to do that with a mid-rise building 15 stories tall, for a couple reasons. Many cities have a greater market demand for mid-rise buildings, and U.S. states and cities are also starting to adopt the 2021 International Building Code, which grants regulatory approval for timber structures up to 18 stories tall.

Another key difference with PMX 15 is that we took the model all the way to construction documents, or the 100 percent design stage. That means we created all the supporting technical documentation needed for submission to local authorities for a construction permit. Going this far taught us even more about our kit of parts and its constructability, costs, and carbon impact.
Michael Wellman Alaska utilizes industry standard practices to manage projects
By: Michael Wellman Alaska
Tags: Michael Wellman Alaska, Construction

Construction industry is always aimed at exquisite engineering, brilliant designs, and the highest technical standards. It is here to provide people with living space, highlight the new architecture, and enhance the transportation. Excellence in construction demands more than just technical advances.

Planning and schedule being considered the important part of the construction management, It includes the planning and scheduling of construction activities to help engineers complete the project in time and within budget. Indeed, construction management is about providing the project owner with effective management of the schedule, cost, quality, safety, scope, and function. It is highly compatible with all project delivery methods.

Being into the construction management demands you to supervise and manage the contractors and laborers at the construction sites. These construction managers usually meet with the architects and civil engineers on projects or the upcoming builds.

An expertise in construction management assists in various work disciplines which include project planning, scheduling, estimating, proposal preparation, procurement improvement, construction analysis, contract evaluation, quality assurance, and project administration.

Being a pro into the construction management, Michael Wellman Alaska makes use of the industry standard practices to manage the projects successfully. He addresses all the six areas of construction management services which include schedule, cost, safety, quality, function, and scope.

Apart from holding an extensive expertise in the construction industry, Michael Wellman Alaska is highly proficient in project estimation, contracts interpretation, development, creation and deliverance, project management, business expansion, advertising and budgeting. Besides construction management, he holds a solid background in business management. He knows how to increase the profitability and slashes cost by creating business wide idea program.

Michael is highly skilled in budgeting where he is solely responsible for creating budgets that will allocate the monetary resources of the company in the wisest way possible. He conducts an in-depth analysis of various financial systems. Besides, he uses an extensive collection of modeling systems and tools to accurately maintain the database of monetary information.

Apart from budgeting, Michael Wellman Alaska is highly proficient in proposal review and creation. Besides construction management, he holds a solid background in business management. He knows how to increase the profitability and slashes cost by creating business wide idea program.
The Art in Construction: ‘People would walk around MidTown and stop specifically to look at the murals’
By: Kristiana Abacan
Tags: Art, Construction, Reno

(UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, RENO) As many Reno locals know, the MidTown district has been a cultivating spot for construction this year. An $87 million project on Virginia Street has caused some disruption, but the heart of Reno still continues to attract artists to share their eye of art for the visitors of Reno’s MidTown.

In 2018, Reno held their annual MidTown Art Walk. It is an annual summer event that brings locals and tourists alike to the heart of Reno for the sake of promoting all types of art from painting, music, dance and so on. This year, however, Reno missed out on hosting their Art Walk due to the construction of Virginia Street. The Art Walk will not be hosted until the Summer of 2020.

The construction began in the summer of 2019 calling it the Virginia Street Project to help “beautify the MidTown district for a clean shopping experience with all the new businesses like Nomad Boutique that will help [MidTown],’’ says Mike Dunne, co-owner of Dragonfly Bath and Body in the Sticks Plaza of Midtown.

Dunne also continued with how the “first wave [of construction] began with utilities such as plumbing then the second wave came for beautifying with better sidewalks and trees.” Although their plaza has their own designated parking lot, Dunne said that “people stray away from the construction when there are multiple ways to get here.” On the other hand Denelle Padgett, co-owner to neighboring store Hello Yoga, claimed that construction hasn’t drastically affected their yoga business.