In drawing up a balance sheet of why Chavez’s constitutional reform proposal — that aimed to create a framework for the transition towards socialism — was narrowly defeated in a national referendum on December 2, one factor stands out. The Bolivarian revolution’s Achilles heel is the lack of a political instrument capable of confronting the challenges faced in the struggle to construct a new, socially just, Venezuela.
It is in this context that the 1676 delegates elected to the PSUV’s founding congress are meeting to debate the program, principles and statutes of this new political instrument.
The draft statement of principles of the PSUV presented to the congress argued that this political instrument “is born as an expression of the revolutionary will of the people and their political leadership”.
According to the draft program, in order for this instrument to be an anti-capitalist tool, it “requires the full and democratic participation of workers, peasants, youth, intellectuals, artists, housewives, small producers and petty traders from the countryside and the city, in the formation and running of all its component organs, in discussion and decision making in regards to programs and strategies, and in the promotion and election of its leadership”.
Chavez argued that the PSUV had to fight to avoid the rise of a “new Bolivarian oligarchy”, of a new layer of capitalists, because these groups could easily convert themselves into traitors and counterrevolutionaries. He added it is important to stop capitalists infiltrating the PSUV.
This led to moves by those associated with different power blocs in the now dissolved Movement for the Fifth Republic (MVR) — Chavez’s party and the largest pro-Chavez group until the PSUV — to make moves towards controlling selection of promoters. These promoters went on to become de facto organisers of a large number of the local battalions.
At the same time, the aggressive discourse of Chavez who called on existing pro-Chavez groups not willing or reluctant to dissolve and become part of the new party “to go over to the ranks of the opposition”, increased scepticism among some groups about joining the PSUV.
Some of this was to be expected, given the different levels of commitment, consciousness and time among the great mass of supporters of the revolution. However it is certain that the massive number of registrations, which in some states exceeded the number that who had voted for Chavez in the December 2006 elections, was in some areas the result in part of “stacking” and pressure.
Cases of battalions being “kidnapped” by “aspiring leaders” linked to the old power blocs came to light as elections for spokespeople and delegates began to occur in October. In some cases this lead to violent clashes.
The “rebellion of the battalions” against the provisional leadership of the PSUV in the aftermath of the referendum was another example that the bureaucrats haven’t been able to get it all their own way.
Ultima Noticias reported on January 23 that the congress had also voted to allow media access to the congress. “Sometimes it seems that they don’t want people to know what is happening in the congress. The governors fear losing their positions because that is where they get their money from” said Henry Soto, a delegate from the state of Falcon. He added that he regretted the fact that some delegates “were imposed in order to maintain quotas of power”.
Acknowledging some of the errors, Chavez has withdrawn his call for all Chavista parties to dissolve, instead calling for an alliance of all “patriotic and revolutionary” forces to fight the elections. He has also publicly stated that tendencies and currents are part of the new party.


Two Republican primaries in the Deep South expose potentially serious cracks in the party's religious-right foundation.
It’s way too early for liberal secularists to start breaking out the bubbly. But two recent Republican primaries–in Deep South states, of all places–have exposed some potentially serious cracks in the party’s religious-right foundation. In Alabama and Georgia, national icons of Christian conservatism made high-profile runs for state office against old-school, Chamber of Commerce Republicans. In both cases the religious-right candidates began the race with high popularity ratings. In the end they both got clobbered.
The louder jolt rumbled out of the Peach State on July 18, when former Christian Coalition boy genius Ralph Reed lost the Republican primary for lieutenant governor–a race seen by his admirers as a first step toward the White House–to obscure State Senator Casey Cagle by an emphatic 56-to-44 margin. Reed’s once-invincible campaign was continually thrown off track by widening revelations about Reed’s lucrative consulting work on behalf of Jack Abramoff’s Indian casino clients–namely, the way Reed scored a cool $5.3 million by conning thousands of Christians into joining faux anti-gambling campaigns in Texas, Alabama and Louisiana. But what truly doomed his chances–and split religious-right voters into squabbling camps–were lonely-but-loud voices on the religious right who challenged their fellow believers to hold Reed to account. In World magazine, the leading national journal of the evangelical right, editor Marvin Olasky (like Reed, a former Bush adviser) took Reed to task in passionate editorials that stunned many readers. In Georgia, Christian Coalition president Sadie Fields defended her man to the end, but others spoke out in disgust. “It is time for Christians to confront and rebuke Ralph Reed, not make apologies for him,” wrote Christian lobbyist Clint Austin, a former Reed adviser, in a letter widely distributed to Georgia Republicans in the final days before the primary, when the polls still showed Reed in a dead heat with Cagle.
The Christian right had already suffered an earlier rebuke in June, when Alabama Republicans rebuffed, by a nearly 2-to-1 margin, the effort by Roy Moore, the former “Ten Commandments Judge,” to unseat incumbent Governor Bob Riley. The vast majority of Alabamians had cheered Moore’s installment of a two-and-a-half-ton granite monument to Old Testament law in the state’s judicial building when he was chief justice, and most stood by him when he was removed from office for defying court orders to remove it. But the limitations, and downright scariness, of Moore’s theocratic vision became all too apparent when he ran for governor. On election day a big chunk of the Christian right stayed home. Georgia’s “foot soldiers” followed suit a few weeks later–enough to make Republican strategists shudder as they look toward November.


Without taking anything away from the role of the President of Estonia and her team, the annual list of recipients of the highest awards Estonia can bestow, tends to resemble those who are giving out the award; however, this means we can all have an influence on future lists, writes ERR's Toomas Sildam.
As per tradition, the president picked a selection of people to decorate whose commitment to their profession or to the community has made Estonia a better place. This is why those awarded numbered just 112.
However, she also gave another important criterion in her choices, linked with her sovereign decision as head of state. This criterion is summed up by loyalty to the principles on which modern Estonia is based – openness and democracy, knowledge and enterprise, caring and awareness.
In view of the president's activities over the past year, many people from Ida-Viru County, and especially Narva, are of course on the list [President Kaljulaid has put a particular focus on this region of Estonia, even basing herself in Narva and working out of that border city, for a total of four weeks over the second half of 2018-ed.] .
We can add to this the two somewhat august expressions of gratitude bestowed on the recently-departed former Secretary of State, Heiki Loot, who had been in that role for a long time, and the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Priit Pikamäe, soon to take up a post as European Court of Justice (ECJ) Advocate General in Luxembourg [both men received the Order of the National Coat of Arms, Third Class-ed.].
One notable absence is also a part of tradition, namely that there are no politicians nominated for any awards. Naturally this would have been a delicate matter in any case, particularly this year as we lead up to the general election in March and the European elections in May, as any decorations could have been interpreted as a personal endorsement or expressing a political preference. The president is, of course, a neutral when it comes to party politics.
It is nevertheless still tempting to scan the list of awardees for the bright stars and big names, whose contribution can easily be summed up in one sentence. But by taking such an attitude, we would be making ourselves a trap. Estonia gives its thanks via the decorations, not only for those known to us from the TV or the papers. Estonia also appreciates those who have gone the extra mile beyond their daily routine, or volunteered their time and experience to improve something, often whilst balancing that with family life.
In short, the are relied upon by Estonia. These people give a certain gloss and appeal to the list, especially after President Kaljulaid's predecessor, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, cut the regular awards list from several hundred to around a hundred.
One more thought, if I may. It still may look to many of use, that there is somebody who has been unfairly left off the list.
As noted above, without taking anything away from the president and her team, the list of recipients is simply a reflection of those giving out the awards. This means we all have the opportunity to shape the list, however, by paying attention to those around us who we think deserve recognition, and even by boldly proposing them to the president's office.
Naturally the head of state is under no obligation to pick anyone, but this would at least give the opportunity for them to be considered. That way, some of these suggestions may make the list next year, and receive Estonia's highest levels of gratitude.


spokesman said, signalling a major escalation of the country's war.
consistently refused to address in the more than one-month-old conflict.
participating with the southern resistance to fight around Aden airport.
limited force - 40-50 from special forces."
United States, Britain and France.
Hadi, who was based in Aden for several weeks before fleeing to Riyadh.
its southern border, in September.
agency UNICEF said at least 115 children were among the dead.
information on possible casualties from the attacks.
coalition spokesman was not immediately available to comment on the report.
was no immediate word on casualties.
airport, where there have been clashes for three days, local sources said.
an intervention in Yemen's internal affairs.
to prevent an Iranian cargo plane from landing there.
continue to assist local militias fighting the Houthis.


An Illinois man was completely unaware that he accidentally shot a 3.5 inch nail into the center of his brain, and carried on as normal for almost two days before going to the hospital.
Dante Autullo, from Orland Park, Ill., shot himself in the head with a nail gun Tuesday morning but as he only suffered a small cut, he assumed the nail had missed and went out to plow some snow, the Naperville Sun reported.
But after work Wednesday, the 32 year old felt nauseous after a nap and went to the Palos Community Hospital, Orland Park, for a checkup.
An X-ray revealed the nail had lodged itself sideways in the center of his brain, just millimeters away from the section of the brain that controls motor functions.
Autullo's mom, Jerri said doctors were shocked because he was "walking and talking" despite having the nail in his brain for 36 hours.
The X-ray image was so shocking that most of the family's friends thought it was a hoax when Dante Autullo posted it on his Facebook wall.
"I hoped that it wasn't going to be as bad as it looked," Jerri Autullo said.
The father of four was taken to Christ Medical Center, Oak Lawn, Ill., where he had surgery to remove the nail Thursday morning.
The surgery was successful and Autullo, who had part of his skull removed and replaced with a titanium plate, appeared to be recovering well.
"It's a miracle," Autullo's fiancée Gail Glaenzer told the newspaper. "Un-freaking-believable."


On behalf of our Board of Administrative Council, you are invited to attend the celebration of Seaview United Methodist Church 100th Yr Anniversary on September 22, 2018. The event will start at 11 a.m. with a service led by Bishop Elaine J. W. Stanovsky. A luncheon to follow complete with a feast including special food from the South Pacific. Entertainment will be provided by the Youth.
To families who were or are members of the church, you are welcome to join us for this event. We are deeply grateful for your support over the years. We look forward to sharing our joy with all of you at this milestone occasion.
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by Vocativ StaffBox like a girl? Well, this Russian woman fights with the men.Tatyana Dvazhdova started training about five years ago, but soon realized that competitions for women were scarce. So, the 22-year-old shaved her head, grew her leg hair, and started fighting as “Vladimir.”Fighting as a man, she has already won three fights against men. When she’s not defeating men inside the ring, Dvazhdova is fighting for gender equality in sports.A girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do. The post This Russian Female Boxer Fights As A Man appeared first on Vocativ.


Lucien Boyer photographed in 2015.
Lucien Boyer has been named chief marketing officer at Universal Music Group’s sister division Vivendi Village.
Boyer will be tasked with helping accelerate the development of integrated marketing offers across Vivendi’s myriad businesses.
Boyer, who joins the group from Havas Sports & Entertainment, where he served as president & global CEO, is responsible for identifying partners willing to associate their brands to the Group’s activities in talent, live events, merchandising, as well as in content production, broadcast and distribution.
Boyer reports in his new role to Simon Gillham, member of Vivendi’s management board and chairman of Vivendi Village.
Vivendi Village is the division which gathers Vivendi Ticketing (ticketing in the U.S., U.K., and France.), MyBestPro (experts counseling), Watchever (subscription video-on-demand) and the Paris-based concert venue L’Olympia.


There’s no truth to the rumor that former Rutgers defensive great Hamady Ndiaye is appealing the NCAA for another season of eligibility. It only appeared that way this afternoon at practice as Ndiaye scrimmaged with the Scarlet Knights on the eve of their clash with in-state rival Seton Hall.
Posted in Uncategorized on February 24, 2012 by Keith Sargeant.


Rutgers Professor Paul G. Falkowski.
Newswise — Burning coal for electricity is in decline, while the use of natural gas, solar and wind power are on the rise. But how close are we to creating a clean energy economy to help protect our planet from the impacts of climate change? Rutgers Today asked Paul G. Falkowski, Bennett Smith Professor in Business and Natural Resources in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences and director of the Rutgers Energy Institute, about energy use, the presidential candidates’ positions and the outlook for cleaner energy.
How significant a factor is our energy use when it comes to the health of our planet?
Falkowski: It’s extremely important. It’s actually probably one of the most existential threats to us over the coming decades. The issue isn’t just political. Climate change has been called out as a potential strategic threat to national security by the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Climate change cannot be mitigated without a change in energy use.
How would you describe the presidential candidates’ positions on energy?
Falkowski: I think the Republican position on energy is extremely backward-looking. They’re trying to appeal to voters who think the future of the country is coal and other fossil fuels, with no attempt to understand or think about the consequences of climate change. Coal is not being consumed the way it used to be and it never will be. Moreover, over the last several years, the United States has become virtually independent of foreign oil and natural gas. It’s amazing to me that the American populace thinks we still import huge amounts of oil from Saudi Arabia or other Middle Eastern countries. We don’t. We have a very robust energy economy that is based on fossil fuels and the Democrats’ position has been to try to transition, over the next several decades, from dependence on fossil fuels as a major source of energy to energy that is generated from non-carbon-emitting sources. A huge investment has been made by the United States in general in solar energy, and to a lesser extent wind – you can see this all over the country. The Democrats’ plan, developed under the Obama administration, has been partially implemented. The continuation of that should be accelerated if we’re going to achieve decarbonization of especially electric power in the next 50 years or less.
What is the status of efforts to create a clean energy economy that would help limit global warming and climate change?
Falkowski: We’re 10 percent of the way there, maybe. This is a very heavy lift and there is no way we will get there without some kind of tax on carbon or a disincentive for using fossil fuels, which are in great abundance on the planet. This is where Congress has been negligent. Congress has not changed tax policy in years. As a consequence fossil fuels are very cheap and the search for alternative energy supplies has not been encouraged because of the lack of economic incentives. In Europe or most other parts of the world, fossil fuels are heavily taxed. Gasoline costs about $8 a gallon in Europe. In the United States, if it goes to $3 a gallon, we’re horrified. It’s even more expensive in Canada than it is in the United States.
What should the next president pursue when it comes to energy use and solutions?
Falkowski: The first thing to do is to try to further decrease the amount of coal being used anywhere in the United States. The second is to increase, in the interim, the amount of natural gas used because burning it releases much less carbon dioxide pollution than coal to get the same amount of energy. The third is to work with the Congress to develop an energy policy that’s not just contingent on technology –– but is based on changing the habits of people, the economics of fossil fuel use and social awareness.
To learn about more research at Rutgers that explores issues at the forefront of the presidential race visit our Rutgers Election 2016 page.


The DESA Working Papers are preliminary documents circulated in a limited number of copies and posted on this website, to stimulate discussion and critical comment on the broad range of economic, social and environmental issues associated with the United Nations Development Agenda.
Readers are invited to submit their comments directly to the authors. The views and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the United Nations Secretariat. The designations and terminology employed may not conform to United Nations practice and do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Organization.
The following documents are in PDF format. To be able to view and print pages from these files you will need the Acrobat Reader software. If you do not already have this plug-in installed on your computer, click here to download it free of charge.
Public-Private Partnerships and the 2030 Agenda for	Sustainable Development: Fit for purpose?
What can Uzbekistan tell us about industrial policy that we	did not already know?
Will Inequality Lead China to the Middle Income Trap?


Last time we paid a visit to the architectural salvage yard — a place where, if you’re diligent, you can find quality building materials that are cheaper and greener to boot. Today we continue the shopping list with more potential bargains, though they may require some careful vetting.
Structural items: Many salvage yards stock a plethora of materials such as brick, wood and steel beams, sheet metal, structural hardware, and the like. If you happen to find exactly what you’re looking for (or, more likely, something that’s close enough), you can save a lot of money — often 50 to 75 percent over lumberyard prices. Occasionally, you may have to massage your plans a little to make use of a real bargain, but that’s the nature of buying anything recycled.
Lighting fixtures: In general, older lighting fixtures are of much higher quality than modern ones, with heavier parts and more durable finishes. However, you should expect to rewire all vintage lighting fixtures, since their old-style cloth insulation becomes brittle with age and can cause short circuits. Professional rewiring can add appreciable cost to a "bargain" salvaged fixture, but the added expense is still usually justified for a top-quality vintage fixture. If you’re reasonably handy with things electrical, you may also be able to do this work yourself.


The bill’s supporters say the informational material used overseas to influence foreign audiences is too good to not use at home, and that new techniques are needed to help fight Al-Qaeda, a borderless enemy whose own propaganda reaches Americans online.
The upshot, at times, is the Department of Defense using the same tools on U.S. citizens as on a hostile, foreign, population.
A U.S. Army whistleblower, Lieutenant Col. Daniel Davis, noted recently in his scathing 84-page unclassified report on Afghanistan that there remains a strong desire within the defense establishment “to enable Public Affairs officers to influence American public opinion when they deem it necessary to “protect a key friendly center of gravity, to wit US national will,” he wrote, quoting a well-regarded general.


With the passage of the Corporate Welfare Tax Reduction Act, President Trump and his pal House Speaker "lyin" Paul Ryan have sealed the fate of the American middle class. Ryan and his Republican cronies now want to reduce the federal deficit aggravated by the tax reduction law by cutting Medicare and Social Security. Let's throw grandma over the cliff.
How do these fascists sleep at night?
There is a retirement crisis. Relying on inferior defined contribution pension plans an increasing inflated medical costs, retiring workers will be in dire straits. Their care will be thrust upon family (hear that millennials) or welfare. Of course, the President has promised not to cut Medicare or Social Security, but does anyone believe this congenital liar?
Since corporate taxes have been reduced from 35 percent to 21 percent, let's impose a 10 percent tax on all gross corporate earnings to fund Medicare and Social Security.
In addition if we want to make America great again for current and future workers, then require employer contributions to defined benefit pension plans an paid medical insurance like we used to have when America really was great.


In the first installment of this new series, food writer Mark Bittman opens up about his decision to join a startup.
I did know I was ready for a change. After 20 years of weekly deadlines, including the last five as a New York Times Opinion columnist, I was tired. I felt I was repeating myself (“industrial agriculture is poisoning our health and the planet,” written ad infinitum in myriad ways). I was frustrated by my inability to convince people to act, and eager to accomplish some new things myself. It was time to work on changing the food system from within.
But there were complications, chief among them that I’m essentially anti-capitalist. In 1970, I described myself as a revolutionary. (I was 20 and, given the era, this was perhaps understandable.) In my heart, I don’t believe making money is an honorable goal, even if it’s ostensibly linked to doing good things. I write cookbooks in addition to my journalism and my career, I’d contend, was primarily focused on doing good things: convincing people to change the way they eat, and educating them about the ethics of food.
Like I said, it’s complicated. You can make a living writing, but you’d be nuts to do it to get rich. A startup might fail, but had rich-making potential. And here was one with a goal of doing good. Was this an obvious sellout? If so, could I justify it, or was I just fooling myself?
On an early summer day, I asked four friends what they thought. These are people who’ve said things to me like, “You can never leave The Times; too many people are relying on you to say what needs to be said.” One was my ex. Two were food world gurus. The fourth was a young woman who reminds me of me at her age: super-dedicated to The Movement. I figured I’d get an interesting reality check.
None of them were as critical of my decision to join Purple Carrot as I was. One even said, “This is an obvious continuation of the work you’ve been doing.” They all agreed I was ready for a change, and that this was an interesting and compelling direction.
In other words, I was my own harshest critic.
I told Andy I wanted my title to be something like “Chief Ethical Officer” and my job to be prioritizing the mission, which includes things like encouraging part-time veganism, supporting sustainable agriculture and, in general, helping build the good food movement.
I also wanted to work on our packaging; when you tell people you’re selling meal kits, they immediately complain about how excessive and wasteful the boxes are. Our food had to be the best ever, and we could cut no corners in making it so. We had to source our ingredients responsibly. We had to treat everyone right whether they worked for us or our suppliers, and we had to figure out a corporate social responsibility program right away. After all, my reputation was on the line.
In short, we were going to be radically different than the “real” meal kit companies like Blue Apron and Plated. Little of this came as a surprise to Andy; he’d sought me out, and most of what I think was published and in the public record. He unhesitatingly agreed.
And thus began the struggle, with both my conscience and the realities of business.
It turns out sourcing for a new company is tricky; you don’t just call the “best” farmers around and tell them you need all their zucchinis: Those farmers may be hard to find, they may not have enough zucchinis, or they may have sold them to someone else. Figuring out how to transform great recipes into meal kits turns out to be not so straightforward either: There are many steps from sourcing to packing, and the possible pitfalls are many. And if Amazon can’t figure out how to avoid alienating customers with their recycled corrugated containers and box-sizing software, how could a startup with a claimed valuation of only $15 million solve its packaging problems?
Still, I loved the work. I’d wake up every day in a near-panic about the problems that needed to be solved–our recipes weren’t shaping up; a coveted investor fell through; I didn’t have the skills necessary to cope with some of the tasks confronting me–and yet every day there’d be some progress. My mornings were filled with dread, my afternoons hope, and my evenings…well, alcohol.
As our launch date approached, I was deep in the startup world; steep learning curves have always been inviting. But it was also a period of near-despair: We were going to launch without any of the things I thought essential: the ingredients from top-notch sources, the advanced and more responsible packaging, the perfectly executed recipes. I was going to be branded as a hypocrite–at least by myself.
I considered what could be done. I called Andy and said, “We have to pay everyone a minimum of $15 an hour, no matter what. This is something we control, it’s ultimately not a lot of money, and it makes this statement: ‘We intend to do the right thing.’” Andy made that happen.
I also said we should include return mailing labels for all of our packaging so that we, not our customers, would be responsible for re-using or recycling our junk. This, of course, is quite expensive, and more difficult to implement. We couldn’t do it for our launch, which was two weeks ago, but we’re going to make that happen soon.
Here’s how I came to terms with my disappointment: One of my investors introduced me to the “iterative beta,” the notion that we had to pick a launch date and stick to it. Of course the launch would be imperfect, but since we believe Purple Carrot has staying power, we could make things better week by week and month by month. He convinced me that my goals are real and achievable, not fantasies–but it is going to take time and work and money to get there. Running a company according to my values is not as easy as I thought it would be, but it’s also possible to relax, to see that the path ahead is long and winding–and promising.
So I’m working on sourcing better food, developing easier-to-follow recipes, setting quality standards for our buyers and our partners, and forging relationships with the kind of producers we want. We’re talking internally about social responsibility, and I’m planning to meet with some of the most influential B-Corp execs in the country in the next few months to shortcut my learning process.
I’m still conflicted. (I recognize this may seem like coy marketing, but unless we’re all going to go to group therapy together, we’re not going to resolve that). But I know a couple of things for sure: I’m not going to stop writing, and my dad would be proud.


What an awfully Canadian approach the Trudeau government is taking to the problem of potential foreign meddling in our elections.
A committee of senior bureaucrats, operating under the weighty acronym of the SITE (Security and Intelligence Threats to Elections) task force, will be standing by to alert voters if any outside entity tries to interfere with next fall’s federal election.
Whew! That’s a relief. The idea is it shouldn’t be left up to politicians to decide whether to blow the whistle, and it’s a good thought as far as it goes. The trouble is, it doesn’t go very far.
Of course we need to be on guard against foreign interference. Everyone wants to avoid a repeat of the 2016 U.S. presidential election, which the Russian government tried to influence through hacking and covert online means.
But we don’t want to make the mistake of fighting the last war. The growth of so-called fake news and disinformation of all sorts is inextricably linked to the rise of social media, which presents enormous opportunities to manipulate voters in ways they may never suspect. And it’s disappointing that the federal government is doing little to attack that where it would do the most good — through the social media companies themselves.
Bill C-76, the reform to election laws that was adopted in December, does take steps to prevent foreign interference. It bans, for example, the use of foreign money by “third party” advocacy groups in the period leading up to an election. That means social media companies can’t knowingly accept ads paid for with foreign funds.
But the government could have gone a lot farther. It could have listened to the all-party House of Commons committee on information, privacy and ethics, which urged it to do more to protect Canadians’ privacy online and force Facebook, Twitter and the rest to up their game in monitoring malicious content.
The committee urged the government to label content produced automatically by “bots” more clearly and to remove fraudulent accounts that impersonate others. It suggested the government require the companies to remove “manifestly illegal content” quickly or face big fines.
The government could also have listened to knowledgable outsiders, such as the authors of a report last August by the Public Policy Forum. They recommended that the Elections Act be amended to bring “complete transparency to digital advertising.” Voters should have the same right to know about online political ads as they do about those on traditional publishers and broadcasters.
Instead, the government chose to go easy on the social media platforms. Bill C-76 didn’t include any of the measures suggested by the MPs and others. And Democratic Institutions Minister Karina Gould would say only that her department is having “ongoing conversations” with Facebook and Google.
In other words, the social media companies are being left pretty much on their own for now to address the problem. Facebook Canada says it plans to bring out new tools by June to ensure transparency for political ads along the lines of ones already introduced in countries like Britain and the United States. But it’s far from clear how effective those will be.
The reality is that the threat to elections — and democracy in general — doesn’t just come from nefarious foreign actors, or even mainly from them. It’s easy to demonize Russian (or Chinese) trolls, but the danger is much more widespread and hard to control.
The internet makes it easy for political parties, third-party front groups, or really anyone at all to pollute the information stream with falsified or twisted information (“deep fake” videos that are almost impossible to distinguish from the real thing are the latest worry).
This is complex stuff and governments are understandably reluctant to try to regulate information. But the greater risk lies in trusting social media companies that have stumbled repeatedly in this area to do it entirely themselves. Relying on a committee of security bureaucrats to sound the alarm if all else fails is a remarkably timid approach.


Postcards are being sent to a random and scientific sample of 3,000 households until Feb. 13.
The City of Franklin is doing its second citizen survey to gauge what residents want and need from their government.
Franklin leaders said the National Citizen Survey is designed to provide a baseline of how the city government is serving residents and make comparisons with other cities. This year the city will work with the National Research Center.
In the first survey in 2016, residents rated the quality of life in Franklin as excellent or good with 97 percent.
“Franklin is a great community as the 2016 results show us," Franklin Mayor Ken Moore said. "It is important to once again take the survey to help us chart our community’s future. Understanding the perceptions and experiences of our citizens will help the City of Franklin better serve the community."
The survey centers on community livability and includes questions about the quality of life in the community, local policies, demographics, rating of local government services and residential use of services.
Postcards are being sent to a random and scientific sample of 3,000 households until Feb. 13. Respondents will receive invitations to participate in the mail, and their confidential responses will be analyzed.
An online version of the survey will open to all City of Franklin residents March 12 and run for two weeks. Online results will be presented separately from the random sample, mail-in responses.
The Board of Mayor and Aldermen will receive a final report the second week of May.


Former Lincoln-Memorial University forward Emanuel Terry made his summer league debut as a starter for the Denver Nuggets.
Terry put up six points, six rebounds and a steal while showcasing his athleticism on a couple of monster dunks.
I was told to watch for Emanuel Terry by a Nuggets exec and that dunk is why.
He is an incredible athlete vertically and horizontally.
Terry is the first LMU player to earn a spot on an NBA summer league roster.
If there was ever a Splitter deserving of the opportunity, it's Terry. He won virtually every award possible his senior season including Conference Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, National Player of the Year from small college basketball and was a consensus All-American.
The Nuggets Summer League team will take on the Celtics Saturday night at 11 p.m. ET.


Samsung is going all out once again to take another bite out of Apple with its new handset, but the competition is getting harder.
Samsung has chosen the United States for the official launch of the Galaxy S4, in its quest to secure its lead in the crucial American market. Apple outsold Samsung in the U.S. for the first time in the quarter ending in December, even after Samsung spent US$400 million on advertisements in the U.S. last year.
In the last two years, both Apple and Samsung have gone to head to head for dominance in the high-end smartphone market. During that same time, Samsung edged out Nokia with enough inexpensive low-end phones .
Samsung has sold 100 million Galaxy S phones worldwide since they first came out in 2010. While that is still well below and less than half of number Apple iPhones sold in the same period--268 million--Samsung's sales are also increasing.
The South Korean firm increases the screen size of each release in contrast to its predecessor, as every successive generation of the Galaxy line has larger than the one before. The Galaxy S3 has a 4.8 diagonal screen, substantially larger the Apple iPhone 5's 4-inch screen.
That being said, Galaxy S4 will still look very similar to its predecessor. It will have a 5-inch (1080p) display , weigh 130 grams, and be 7.9 mm thick.
The Galaxy S4 will have an updated camera, with 13 megapixel rear camera and 1.9 megapixel front camera, along with software for new custom editing photo features, such as Nokia's PureView and HTC’s UltraPixel technology.
In terms of processing, the Galaxy S4 will have either a 1.9GHz, quad-core Snapdragon Fusion Pro; or proprietary 1.6GHz octa-core Exynos 5 Octa chipset, along with 2 GB of of SD RAM. The OS will be Google Android 4.2 and will feature the TouchWiz user interface, in addition to the Eye Scrolling feature, making it easier to read on the phone's display and finally, the S Pen stylus functionality.
Last year, Samsung surpassed Apple as the world's largest maker of smartphones, controlling 30 percent of the market versus Apple's 19 percent. But Apple's iPhone is still the best-selling smartphone globally, as sales of Samsung's Galaxy S and Note are much lower.
Furthermore, as overall market growth slows, it is also becoming more competitive. Mobile manufacturers such as Huawei, HTC , and LG Electronics have announced products with features and hardware comparable to those the upcoming Galaxy will reportedly have.


Minister warns that second white whale has same protection as Migaloo.
Pets & Animals MIGALOO is continuing to head north - but with his own Queensland Government bodyguard - after complaints of boats getting way too close.
News Video: Helicopters, charter boats, drones and research vessels out in force to catch a glimpse of the animal.


LOGAN – How agriculture will end up faring from the current weather season has not yet been determined. Utah State University Extension Agricultural Agent Clark Israelsen said those who depend on snow for their irrigation water will probably need to worry because the hopes for a good snowpack have been dwindling quickly.
Israelsen said there is a bright spot. One year ago there was difficulty with baby calves being born because it was so wet and muddy and cold. This year he said baby calves are being born and they are running, bucking and enjoying the sunshine. Israelsen said he is optimistic things will turn out all right.


"There was no option to get lazy," the Education Perfect chief executive reflects on his decade as an entrepreneur. Watch his Raw and Real interview with Todd Scott.
Cam Calkoen was born with cerebral palsy – and was told his two biggest challenges would be the way he walks and talks. He turned both to his advantage and is now in-demand worldwide Watch Cam Calkoen’s Raw and Real interview with Todd Scott.


After years of positive signs, deforestation in BrazilâEUR(TM)s Amazon is on the rise, with a sharp increase in 2016.
TAKE ACTION NOW! Sign the Petition to END Amazon Crude!
The oil spill was reported Wednesday morning in the northern Peruvian Amazon. It is the fourth spill reported this year from an aging pipeline owned by the state-run company PetroperÃº.
For decades, the indigenous tribes of the Amazon rainforest have been struggling to protect their ancestral lands from logging.
Environmental activists are killed in increasing numbers globally. Please support these brave leaders today and call for Ecuador and China to stop their dangerous plans!
Sapara leaders have been speaking out against the Ecuadorian government's plans for oil drilling on their territory in the Amazon, and now they have received threats over their efforts to defend their lives, land, and culture.
Dam construction in remote parts of the Amazon is historically proceeded by increased lawlessness as illegal loggers and squatters flock to the project site to cut timber and make land grabs from longtime farmers and other settlers.
Some estimates say that we are losing 137 plant species every single day due to deforestation, species that could potentially be the cure for many of the terrible diseases we are unfortunately forced to confront.
TAKE ACTION: Yahoo - Stop Your Deadly Ivory Trade!


Specialist Services All access is available via the internet, all payroll staff are qualified to IPP Diploma standard or working towards this.
Simple, easy to use payroll bureau service. Using the internet to connect your payroll needs to our payroll experts.


SPRINGFIELD – Gov. John R. Kasich reappointed three members of the Clark State Community College Board of Trustees on Nov. 27. Mike McDorman and Peggy Noonan of Springfield and Kyle Hall of Urbana will continue their service to Clark State through Nov. 30, 2024.
Clark State’s Board of Trustees oversees the operations of the college. Trustees are appointed by the governor for six-year terms. Board work sessions and regular meetings are generally held on the third Tuesday of each month.
Hall, president of the Hall Company in Urbana, has been on the board since September of 2016 after being appointed to fill a partial term. He is a member of the board’s Government/Community Relations Committee.
McDorman, president and CEO of the Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce, has been on the board since March of 2014. He chairs the board’s Government/Community Relations Committee.
Noonan has been on the board since August of 2010. She was the board’s vice chair in 2014 and chair in 2015 and 2016. She chairs the board’s Governance and Policy Committee and is a member of the board’s Finance and Facilities Committee.


The Straits Times is introducing the ST Singaporean of the Year award to recognise newsmakers who go above and beyond in serving the community or beating the odds.
Examples include a couple who took in wayward children after their own son was killed, and bedsheet promoter Noriza A. Mansor, who helped an elderly stranger who was standing in a supermarket covered in his own faeces.
Mr Francis Ng, 54, and his wife, Madam Joyce Tan, 52, once blamed a group of troubled youths for leading their son Darren astray. Darren was hacked to death in a vicious gang attack when he was 19.
After their son's death, the couple let go of their bitterness and opened their home to around 30 troubled youths so they could hang out in a safe space.
A Singaporean who also touched readers' hearts is Ms Noriza, 49.
While others walked past Mr Tan Soy Yong who had soiled his pants while shopping with his wheelchair-bound wife, she stepped forward to help.
Besides buying him a new pair of shorts, Ms Noriza, armed with tissues and a pail of water, cleaned up the 76-year-old before taking him and his wife home in a cab.


A North Korean missile launch on Wednesday violated a United Nations resolution and the Japanese government will strongly protest, Kyodo news agency quoted a Japanese government statement as saying.
Japanese Defence Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters after the launch that there had been no effect on Japan’s security and that the government would continue to collect and analyse information.
A U.S. official said previously the missile launch appeared to have failed in flight over the Sea of Japan.


ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) - The FBI first focused on 21-year-old Sean Duncan when family members reported that he had converted to Islam and may have radicalized.
The bureau's interest deepened after his name showed up on a 10-page list of people who had contacted a suspected recruiter for the Islamic State.
Those suspicions boiled over to an arrest when the bureau executed a search warrant Friday at Duncan's northern Virginia home. According to an FBI affidavit, agents knocked on Duncan's door to execute the warrant but no one answered.
Instead, Duncan ran out the back door, barefoot. Agents ordered Duncan to stop, but before he did, he tossed a clear plastic bag over the agents' heads. Inside the bag, according to an affidavit, was "a thumb drive that had been snapped into pieces, and placed in a liquid substance that produced frothy white bubbles."
Now Duncan is charged with obstruction of justice for the alleged destruction of evidence in a terrorism investigation, carrying a potential 20-year prison sentence.
Duncan made a brief initial appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Alexandria, wearing a black T-shirt with a U.S. flag on the back saying "Herndon Police Supporter." A public defender was appointed to represent Duncan. A magistrate ordered that Duncan remain jailed until a detention hearing, which was scheduled for Monday at the defense's request.
The public defender, Elizabeth Mullin, declined comment after Tuesday's hearing.
It is not known whether prosecutors plan to bring additional charges against Duncan. Joshua Stueve, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, which is prosecuting the case, declined to speculate Tuesday on additional charges but acknowledged that the affidavit includes details linking Duncan to what is "certainly an ISIS-related terrorism investigation."
The affidavit says Duncan has been under FBI scrutiny since February 2016, when he was living in Aspinwall, Pennsylvania, a Pittsburgh suburb. Family members told authorities that Duncan had converted to Islam and may have radicalized, according to the affidavit.
Late that month, Duncan and his wife flew to Turkey, with a connecting flight to Bangladesh. But Turkish authorities denied the couple entry into the country, and they were sent back to the U.S.
In other terror cases, authorities have said that people looking to join the Islamic State often try to do so through Turkey.
The affidavit also spells out contact between Duncan and a woman who was arrested in a foreign country for planning to join the Islamic State. According to the affidavit, Duncan sought to make her his second wife and travel to Syria with her. The woman declined his proposal.
The affidavit also states that Duncan's name, listed as "Sean Ibn Gary Duncan," showed up on a 10-page list of people who had reached out to an Islamic State recruiter in another foreign country.
Lastly, police in the Pittsburgh area provided the FBI evidence taken from Duncan's phone in June 2017, when police there were investigating the death of Duncan's 4-month-old son, Muhammad. A review of the phone found numerous searches related to the Islamic State, weapons, body armor and hidden cameras.
An autopsy conducted by the Allegheny County medical examiner listed the cause of the baby's death as "sudden unexplained infant death."


Horn, A. S. and Hoffman, W. J., "The Marian Philatelist, Whole No. 49" (1970). The Marian Philatelist. 49.


Donald Trump was in the cross-hairs of the Obama administration’s top intelligence chiefs long before he took the oath of office. From candidate to president-elect and then president, Trump was targeted in an unprecedented smear campaign by openly partisan former Obama intelligence officials who have continued to wield out-sized influence in the Trump administration, a report said.
National security officials under Obama have “shown themselves to be intense adversaries” of President Trump “in public and behind the scenes,” Rowan Scarborough wrote in a Dec. 5 report for The Washington Times.
Then-FBI Director James Comey, who succeeded his mentor Robert Mueller, began a criminal investigation of the Trump campaign, in whole or part, based on a discredited dossier financed by the Democratic Party with an aim to destroy the Republican candidate. The dossier’s salacious and sometimes far-fetched scenarios of Russia-Trump collusion on the Russian hack of Democratic Party computers have not been confirmed publicly.
To date, there has been no public confirmation of Trump-Russia election collusion charges.
“Conservatives suspect all this has happened as Obama administration holdovers and former aides were working to sabotage the Trump administration,” Scarborough wrote.
A major New York Times story on Feb. 14 based in part on “former American officials” did much to fuel the Trump-Russia collusion narrative.
“Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election, according to four current and former American officials,” The Times story read.
But Comey, in testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee, said that almost the entire New York Times story was wrong and that he notified members of Congress that it was not true. In other words, there were no such “repeated contacts” with Russian intelligence.
Scarborough noted that another story “that seemed to rise up from Obama holdovers” was the narrative that Trump fired Comey in May because the FBI director had asked for more resources for a Russia-Trump investigation. Several senior Justice Department officials said no such request was made. Comey has not made that charge.
Comey elevated the dossier’s importance by briefing the president-elect at Trump Tower in New York City. Shortly thereafter, the briefing was leaked to CNN.
Comey wrote contemporaneous memos about his meetings with Trump and then leaked them to The New York Times via a middleman.
Obama national security aides requested the unmasking of an undetermined number of Trump associates during the campaign, suggesting to Republicans that they were spying.
Obama people also have floated the talking point that the Trump campaign team violated the 1799 Logan Act by talking policy with Russian Ambassador Sergey I. Kislyak during the transition.
When The Washington Post wrote, based on top-secret intercepts, in February that retired Mike Flynn had spoken about sanctions against Moscow with Kislyak, the story brought up the obscure Logan Act as a possible violation.
That transition conversation with Kislyak proved to be Flynn’s undoing. He pleaded guilty last week to providing false statements to the FBI when he denied discussing sanctions.
Meanwhile, if the Obama national security state declared war on Trump, “it seems the FBI waged peace” with Hillary Clinton during the probe into her alleged mishandling of classified material on her home email server during her tenure as secretary of state, Scarborough wrote.
Comey, the Senate Judiciary Committee discovered, wrote an exoneration statement months before the investigation was concluded, even before interviewing Clinton.
CNN reported that Peter Strzok, the anti-Trump counterintelligence agent kicked off the Mueller probe, had a hand in changing the statement to Clinton’s culpability.
The draft wording was changed from “grossly negligent” – which is the legal definition of mishandling classified information – to “extremely careless,” the words Comey used at the exoneration press conference.


Joey Porter has been racking up the frequent flyer miles over the last week covering an array of Pro Days. Now add Wisconsin to that list. Porter was spotted at the Badgers’ Pro Day this afternoon, per this photo from Owen Riese.
He’s on hand to watch outside linebackers TJ Watt and Vince Biegel. Watt is the more tantalizing prospect and someone to keep in mind for the 30th overall pick, even though we haven’t mentioned him much on this site.
Watt crushed the Combine, running a 4.69 at 252 pounds, jumping 37 inches in the vert, and a wild 6.79 in the three cone. He has just one year of production but it was a good one, adding up 15.5 TFL and 11.5 sacks for Wisconsin last season.
Biegel, on the other hand. wasn’t an impactful pass rusher at Wisconsin, never recording more than 5.5 sacks in a season and during his senior year, just four of them. At the Combine, he ran a 4.68, jumped 33.5 inches, and most impressively, a 6.92 three cone, one of the top numbers at his position. He’s considered a mid-round pick.
Our Josh Carney recently wrote the scouting report on him. He liked his run defense and effort to the football but noted he “didn’t win consistently with his pass rush moves.” You can check out the full report at the bottom of the article.
Look for a scouting report on Watt in the next couple days.
Update: Reflecting the headline, Mike Tomlin also attended the workout.
Even bigger update: Tony Pauline of draftanalyst.com reports Tomlin/Colbert had dinner with Watt and Biegel.


Week in Review: Election Nears; Kerry Remarks Highlights of the week's news include the possibility of a political realignment after the outcome of the midterm elections; Sen. John Kerry's "botched joke" and dismantled U.S. checkpoints in Iraq.
Highlights of the week's news include the possibility of a political realignment after the outcome of the midterm elections; Sen. John Kerry's "botched joke" and dismantled U.S. checkpoints in Iraq.
Democrats and Republicans are fighting for control of Congress. U.S. troops pull back from checkpoints in Baghdad, giving in to demands from the Iraqi prime minister. And the upcoming Nicaraguan presidential election may return former Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega to power.
NPR senior news analyst Dan Schorr is with us to talk about these stories.
Hello, Dan. So good to be with you.
NEARY: Well, President Bush this week, Dan, is traveling around the country, campaigning for Republican candidates. He's been concentrating his efforts on red states, where Republicans usually are expected to win. Why is the president spending so much time in friendly territory?
SCHORR: Well, because he's not quite so sure anymore that they are going to win. Some of the latest polls to come in, like Andy Kohut, indicates for House seats that the Democrats now can claim to get maybe as many as 20, six to eight percent being undecided. The change of strategy that's going on among the Republicans, I think it's simply because they're not sure that sure states are sure anymore, like Nebraska or Montana, for example.
NEARY: So what are you expecting? Are the Democrats going to take over the House? Will they win?
SCHORR: Well, the chances seem very good, depending on all the polls, that they have a quite good chance of taking over the House, and not such a good chance - but still a little chance - of even taking over the Senate. You know, what we're looking at right now is what they sometimes call the possibility of a re-alignment. For 12 years it's been pretty well all Republican. And now the time has come when it may be moving back into the Democratic column, thanks to the various things that have happened in this administration, starting with Iraq.
NEARY: Now, Senator John Kerry found himself in some hot water this week for remarks that he made at a campaign stop in California. Senator Kerry warned college students that if they didn't study hard, they might end up serving in Iraq. Later, he apologized. He said it was a botched joke. It's not what he meant to say. But will those words have lasting affect on this congressional race, do you think, or on his career?
SCHORR: Oh, I don't think it will have much affect on the congressional race, but on his career, if any, I think yes. He came out sounding as though - and there was a great deal of confusion from beginning to end as to just what he said and just what exactly he meant to say in speaking to Pasadena College out in California - might have been trying to tell them that if they want to get good jobs and not have to be reduced to going into the Army, they should study hard. It was supposed to be a speech about learning and studying. It didn't work very well. It sounded as though he's making a very nasty dig at President Bush. And as to whether Senator Kerry will run again, I don't know if he planned to, but I must say this set back his chances some.
NEARY: Let's turn now to Iraq. Military checkpoints around the Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City were dismantled this week, on orders from Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. He ordered the U.S. military to take them down. What does that mean when Prime Minister Maliki is continuing to distance himself from the U.S.? And what does it mean that the U.S. military complied with his demands?
SCHORR: It means that Prime Minister Maliki has constituents just like an American has constituents. He has to play to Iraqis. He has to keep them onboard. And one way of keeping them onboard is to be able to say they're not being pushed around all the time by the U.S. Army. They're reaching probably another little difficult moment because pretty soon now it appears that former President Saddam Hussein is about to be delivered his first, his first verdict in all the trials that are going on there. I assume that you'll be hearing from Saddam supporters when that happens. So I think that Maliki really has to straighten himself out. He has troubles ahead.
NEARY: And Dan, Nicaragua is in the news again, for the first time in quite a while. Presidential elections on Sunday. Former President Daniel Ortega, the Sandinista leader and the great foe of Washington during the 1980s, is making a strong showing, expected possibly to win this election.
NEARY: What do you make of all this?
SCHORR: What I make of all this is that after they finished with the Iran-contra affair, some 20 years ago, they thought perhaps if they could raise the living standards of Nicaraguans, they wouldn't go in for communists or the neo-communists. Apparently that hasn't quite happened. And so Daniel Ortega is making some kind of a comeback. Except, I can assure you, that this time it will not be an Iran-contra affair.
NEARY: ...after some maneuvering in Beijing between American and North Korean officials.
NEARY: Now, North Korea had agreed to talks before, before pulling out in protest of U.S. policies. So is there anything that indicates that if this round of talks goes forward, that more progress is going to be made at this point?
SCHORR: Well, clearly what North Korea is looking for is getting prestige, raising a sense of being recognized by the United States. They want to talk to the U.S., the great superpower on that side. And U.S. doesn't want to. And so they have to figure out ways in which you do and you don't. In this case, they got together, Chris Hill, the U.S. assistant secretary, got together with the Chinese and the North Koreans and they agreed to go back to a six-party talk. But now the North Koreans can say, yeah, but we got them to do that. And so games are being played while nuclear arms are being built.
NEARY: But still significant, isn't it, that an agreement was reached to have these six-party talks.
SCHORR: Well, it's better to have them than not to have them. But I simply wouldn't count on a great deal happening as a result of them.
NEARY: Senior news analyst Daniel Schorr.
Good talking with you again, Dan.


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During a ceremony Tuesday in Heredia, north of San José, AMCHAM unveiled the winners of this year’s Contribution to the Community Awards, an initiative started by the chamber 10 years ago to encourage businesses to carry out educational, social and environmental programs.
The grand winner in the large business category was the Compañía Bananera Atlántica, a branch of Chiquita Brands International, for its “Nature and Community” program, which protects more than 100 hectares of forest and educates citizens about environmental responsibility.
Ecodesarrollo Papagayo S.A. won the grand prize in the medium business category for its program “PapagayoPeninsula,” which promotes responsible development in the PapagayoGulf, off the northern Pacific coast.
Wal-MartCosta Rica was honored in the social responsibility category for its program “FertileLand,” while the beverage company Florida Ice and Farm won in the environmental category for its recycling and dengue prevention program. In the education category, Microsoft Costa Rica took home the prize (all winners received elegant glass trophies) for its “Alliance for Education” program, and the Arias & Muñoz law firm won as a medium business in the education category for its ELW program to teach English to lawyers.
AMCHAM gave honorable mentions to Sykes Latin America for its program “Planting Hope” and Procter and Gamble Costa Rica for its “Eliminating Barriers” program.
The chamber also recognized the first winner of the Alberto Martén Chavarría Award created this year for media coverage of corporate social responsibility. The honor went to Carolina Acuña, of the daily La Prensa Libre.
The luncheon ceremony was attended by guest of honor President Oscar Arias, who bestowed the winners their trophies and seized the opportunity to speak to the roomful of businessmen and women about his tax-reform initiatives.
“The tax reform my government is proposing can be seen as an extension of the principles of corporate social responsibility you all represent,” Arias said.


HSBC Insurance's Mr Martin says that more than most other nationalities, Singaporeans worry about poor health in later life.
Prudential's Ms Hunter says there is ''a disconnect'' between perceived needs and what is actually required.
Two recent surveys have highlighted the fact that Singaporeans are not financially prepared for the future, in part because there is a general lack of understanding on how to go about the task.
An HSBC Bank poll found that Singaporeans are most concerned about their health (67 per cent) and long-term financial security (56 per cent). It also found that nearly 80 per cent are worried about the costs of healthcare treatment, medication and rehabilitation - far higher than the global average of 57 per cent.
Long-term care and quality of life as we age is another key issue, with 65 per cent citing it as a major concern. Mr Ian Martin, HSBC Insurance Singapore's chief executive, told The Sunday Times: "More than most other nationalities, Singaporeans are worried that poor health in later life is going to stop them from being able to properly look after themselves or their family."
The global average for health concern is a lower 65 per cent, according to the poll. The problem is being compounded by the fact that many people are not putting the right financial measures in place to protect themselves and their families.
The HSBC survey noted that of those who are concerned about their financial security, 40 per cent said they could not manage well or have nothing specific in place if something unforeseen happens.
The remaining 60 per cent have coverage but are unsure of the payout or feel that it won't be enough.
About 57 per cent of those considering taking out insurance have not done so, citing cost as a reason. This is higher than the global average of 53 per cent. And nearly 40 per cent do not know what to expect in terms of payout.
Meanwhile, a survey by insurer Prudential indicates that Singaporeans are facing a protection gap.
It found that 85 per cent of those polled were potentially underinsured by industry standards, with only five times their annual earnings set aside for unexpected personal and financial events.
The Life Insurance Association Singapore recommends that people aim to have about 10 times their annual earnings as basic life cover.
Over the past five years, 70 per cent of Singaporeans have not increased their life insurance cover to keep pace with rising income levels.
This group of respondents cited budget constraints as the key barrier to getting more cover (48 per cent), followed by competing financial needs, with 35 per cent indicating they have other priorities.
Prudential said the lack of awareness on the right level of protection needed during times of crisis could be one reason why Singaporeans are not sufficiently insured.
Its poll found that 61 per cent of Singaporeans believe they have enough savings and life insurance cover to protect themselves and their families against life's crises.
However, in reality, only 15 per cent have 10 times or more of their annual income set aside.
Ms Angela Hunter, Prudential Singapore's executive vice-president and chief marketing officer, said there is obviously "a disconnect" between what Singaporeans think they need to ensure a secure financial future for themselves and their families and what is actually required. "In deciding on life insurance cover, one should consider factors such as income, expenses, outstanding debts, as well as existing savings and investments," said Ms Hunter.
Mr Martin said it is a misconception that insurance products can be complex, time-consuming and costly. He suggested four ways people can prepare for the future: identify your biggest concerns; know your future aspirations; have an action plan; and review it regularly.
Both Ms Hunter and Mr Martin encourage customers to seek professional advice on the options available so that they can make an informed decision.
The HSBC survey polled about 11,500 people aged at least 25 from 12 countries, including 1,000 here. The research was conducted in October and November last year via face-to-face interviews and online.
The Prudential poll was conducted online from June 24 to 30 and surveyed 353 working adults aged between 25 and 49 .


HOLYOKE - The City Council Tuesday night approved a $390,000 appropriation for schematic design and project management costs for the proposed two new middle schools.
The Peck School site will receive a bulk of the outlay, around $370,000, with the remainder for the second project at Cabot and Chestnut Streets.
The School Building Committee oversees the projects, which fall under the purview of the Massachusetts School Building Authority. Members of the committee attended Tuesday's session.
School Committee member Dennis W. Birks Jr. asked the council to approve the expenditure. Over a year ago, the council set aside $800,000 for schematic designs.
Councilor Joseph M. McGiverin said the $390,000 allows the projects to move forward. The MSBA will reimburse the city 80 percent of the $390,000.
He said two middle schools "make sense" for Holyoke, with savings realized through two future school closings.
McGiverin said interest on 20- and 30-year bonds remains at historical lows. But he was not pleased with the MSBA's current reimbursement formula, especially for Gateway cities like Holyoke.
The current per-square-footage costs for both buildings reduce the city's reimbursement to 60 percent or less.
McGiverin blamed a lack of understanding from Beacon Hill on how the MSBA's formulation affects low-income communities.
Ward 3 Councilor David K. Bartley said an expanse of the Chestnut Street site is owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield. He wanted clarification on how and when the city would gain site control.
While Bartley supported the outlay, he remained skeptical about entering negotiations with diocese citing the city's failed attempt on the former Mater Dolorosa Church sale.
Mayoral Chief of Staff Rory Casey said the diocese placed a "private price tag" of $140,000 on the property. An appraisal was forthcoming, and he said the Holyoke Housing Authority owns several smaller parcels in and around the site.
He said the diocese had no interest in using the parcel for religious purposes.
Any matters pertaining to a purchase must go before the council, Casey said. Eminent domain remains an option.
Mark Dupont, a diocese spokesman, said the diocese and the city discussed a sale in the past year but not recently.


iradiophilly is proud to be broadcasting LIVE from the 5th Annual Haverford Spring Festival on Brookline Blvd in Havertown, PA on May 6th.
You can listen on iradiophilly.com. There will be a Listen Live button on this page, or a menu option called "Haverford Spring Fest" on our homepage when we start the broadcast. You can also download and listen on our mobile apps on the "Live Broadcast" station.


A-Gas driver Richard Wilson in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
A-Gas driver Ray Padgett in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
Fans enjoy the March Meet on Saturday at Auto Club Famoso Raceway.
Funny Car driver Kris Krabill in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
Fuel Altered driver Eric Gates in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
E-Gas driver Paul Miller in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
A-Gas Tom Tourek in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
C-Gas driver Marc Brenzinger in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
Funny Car driver Rian Konno in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
D-Gas driver Bruce Boardman in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
Funny Car driver Dan Horan in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
C-Gas driver Craig Renke in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
A-Gas driver Kamaka Pocock in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
Top Fuel driver Rick McGee in March Meet at Auto Club Famoso Raceway on Saturday.
Nearly every year, while he was growing up, his family would make the trek from their home on the Central Coast to attend the popular drag racing event.
For Capps, it was an exciting opportunity to watch highly-competitive racing and meet some of the sport’s legendary figures.
This year the 53-year-old NHRA Funny Car superstar is back at Famoso attempting to accomplish something he’s always dreamed of; winning a March Meet trophy.
It’s one of the few things the 2016 NHRA Funny Car world champion hasn’t done during his illustrious 25-year racing career.
Capps, who has 61 NHRA event titles to his credit, is competing at this year’s March Meet in the Fuel Altered division.
It puts him behind the wheel of a car that’s much different than the Funny Car that he normally drives.
Capps is one of eight fuel altered drivers to qualify for the division’s elimination rounds, which begin at 11:45 this morning and conclude in the afternoon.
Several other divisions, including, Funny Car, Top Fuel, Rear Motor Top Fuel, and 5.90 Funny Car will run elimination rounds throughout the afternoon, culminating with all the finals before being run before the track is scheduled to go dark at 5 p.m.
During Saturday’s Round of 16 of Funny Car eliminations, Tony Jurado of Pleasanton posted the low ET of 5.532 seconds. However, he jumped the start causing him to be disqualified.
No. 1 qualifier Dan Horan along with defending March Meet champion Bobby Cottrell were among Funny Car drivers to win on Saturday afternoon to advance to today’s second round.
Rick White, led Top Fuel qualifying at 5.723 seconds and 254.52 MPH.
Capps was the No. 4 qualifier in the Fuel Altered division. Capps said he’s having an unbelievable time behind the wheel of his new ride.
Capps needs to win three times today to capture the trophy he’s always wanted to possess.


LOS ANGELES — The Walt Disney Co. on Monday began warning Cablevision subscribers in New York that the local ABC television station signal may go dark this weekend in a dispute over how much it is paid by the cable operator.
It plans on taking out ads in local newspapers, radio stations and online to inform viewers of the situation, and set up a Web site, , to plead its case. Cablevision, meanwhile, has also set up a Web site and a page on Facebook.


The SOHOpelessly Broken contest pitted hackers against 10 router models from different manufacturers: Linksys EA6500, ASUS RT-AC66U, TRENDnet TEW-812DRU, Netgear Centria WNDR4700, Netgear WNR3500U/WNR3500L, TP-Link TL-WR1043ND, D-Link DIR-865L, Belkin N900 DB and the Open Wireless Router firmware developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF).
There were three challenges. In one researchers had to demonstrate unpatched -- zero-day -- vulnerabilities in the preselected devices, and received points based on their criticality. The second challenge was a capture-the-flag-style game in which contestants had to hack into routers running known vulnerable firmware to extract sensitive information, and the third was a similar surprise challenge targeting a router from Asus and one from D-Link.
Four contestants participated in the zero-day vulnerability contest and demonstrated exploits for a total of 15 flaws. Eleven of the reported vulnerabilities were submitted by Craig Young, a researcher at security firm Tripwire.
Young is no newcomer to finding vulnerabilities in routers. In February he published research showing that 80 percent of the 25 best-selling SOHO wireless router models on Amazon had vulnerabilities.
Not all of the flaws reported during SOHOpelessly Broken were critical, and in some cases the contestants had to combine several of them to achieve a full compromise, said Stephen Bono, president of Independent Security Evaluators, the security firm that organized the competition together with the EFF.
A full compromise would entail successfully gaining access to execute privileged commands, essentially an attack that gives the hacker full control over the router.
Seven attacks resulted in full compromises and these were performed against the ASUS RT-AC66U, the Netgear Centria WNDR4700 (which suffered two separate hacks), the Belkin N900, the TRENDnet TEW-812DRU and a router made by Actiontec Electronics and provided by Verizon Communications to its subscribers.
The Actiontec router wasn't among those pre-selected for the competition and was brought in by one of the contestants.
"We made an exception and accepted the submission anyway," Bono said.
In another case, one contestant demonstrated a full compromise of his own D-Link DIR-865L router, but it turned out that the device was running a firmware version older than the one indicated by the organizers that wasn't vulnerable to the reported exploit.
One interesting aspect is that only four of the reported vulnerabilities were completely new. The other ones had been discovered and patched in the past in other router models from the same manufacturers, but the vendors did not fix them in the routers selected for this competition.
This type of patching inconsistency happens frequently in the router world, Bono said. Vendors often fix vulnerabilities only in the models for which those flaws were reported by researchers and fail to test if their other products are also vulnerable. In some cases vendors never fix the reported vulnerabilities at all, and sometimes they're not even able to because the flaws are actually in code supplied to them by chipset vendors, he said.
Bono doesn't think the routers that weren't hacked during the contest don't have any vulnerabilities. He believes the results are related to which models the four contestants had access to in advance so they could analyze them, rather than one router being more secure than another.
In general SOHO routers are not designed with security in mind because manufacturers operate on small profit margins and rush to get products to market as fast as possible rather than invest in secure development lifecycles and security audits, Bono said.
Since most routers are vulnerable regardless of who made them, there is little incentive for secure development. However, with large-scale attacks against routers becoming increasingly common and more people understanding the risks associated with router compromises, security can become a differentiator in this market, Bono said.


Monday April 8, 2019: On General Hospital today, Sonny and Jason ponder their next move, Willow tells Chase more about Shiloh, and Robert has some information for Anna.
Alexis corners Neil at The Floating Rib. He wants to maintain boundaries and tries to escape, but she insists on an impromptu session. She informs him that her daughter is in a cult. Reluctantly, he sits and lets her explain. The shrink advises her to do nothing. Her daughter is an adult and she needs to treat her like one or things will get worse. She doesn’t have time to wait. He suggests she try using positive memories to urge Kristina into looking at the group more objectively. Then he hands her the bill. Across the room, Maxie tells Peter that she turned down her high school crush. She had to because she has feelings for Peter and thought he had feelings for her too. He thought he’d made it clear that he does. Peter admits he cares about her more than he ever has about anyone. They start kissing. Anna and Finn watch them from a table. He holds a ring box in his hands. She’s happy to see Maxie and Peter kissing. Finn tells Anna that he loves her. Robert interrupts. Scorpio explains that Anna was the courier in Berlin. Anna gets upset and walks off. Maxie pulls away from Peter. He tells her they would be great together. Lulu arrives and informs them that she’s leaving Port Charles. She needs a reset and doesn’t know how long it will take. Maxie understands and will miss her. Peter says she can go but he wants her to stay on staff and write a book about her experiences. He wishes her well. Lulu’s jaw drops when Maxie kisses him. Anna joins Peter at the bar and he says that if she encouraged Maxie, that was a very mom thing to do. Meanwhile, Maxie confirms for Lulu that she and Peter are ‘a thing’. Her friend is happy for her. They toast to their friendship. Peter returns and Lulu takes off. Anna returns to Robert and Finn. Scorpio says that the memories of Alex’s she has must be valuable or they wouldn’t have bothered implanting them in Anna.
Sonny and Jason go to his office and discuss what to do about Shiloh. Jason thinks that the longer they wait, the worse things will get. Sam shows up and explains that Shiloh has some influential followers, like Margaux. That makes sense to Sonny; she’s the kind of person Shiloh would target. After Sam exits, Jason says they should eliminate Shiloh now. They analyze the cult’s strategy. Sonny can’t figure out what the point of the cult is. They wonder if he uses people for ransom. Jason suggests there might be a way to take him down legally. Neil arrives. Sonny invited him.
Kristina brings the money she borrowed to Shiloh at Dawn of Day. Later, Sam arrives and tells her sister that she wants to schedule another session with Shiloh. Kristina is thrilled and admits she was jealous about her sister earlier. Excitedly, she tells Sam that something big is happening tonight. Harmony arrives with Daisy. They go to the attic to set up the session while Kristina fills Sam in on how Harmony runs the Beecher’s Corners section of the group. Harmony and Daisy return and Sam takes off. She sneaks back in and heads to the attic. Amid the pillows and candles, she finds a tattooing kit.
At school, Willow assures Chase that she wouldn’t go back to Dawn of Day for any reason. She tells her boyfriend that some parents wanted her fired. Willow wonders if she really is biased against a student but hopes that’s impossible. Chase encourages her and admires how passionate she is about children. “She’s always been that way,” Shiloh says as he interrupts. She is creeped out and Chase is defensive. He threatens to charge Shiloh with harassment. Shiloh takes out an old picture of her smiling when she was in the cult. She insists that it was never her home and asks him to leave. Shiloh says there will always be a place for her in the family. After he exits, she rips up the picture. She doesn’t think that she’ll be free until she gets rid of the tattoo.
Shiloh returns to Dawn of Day while Sam is still in the attic.
Jason is forced to act fast.


A new, more conservative TV network is reportedly in the works, after recent events and reports that suggest Fox News Channel is moving further left, per Mediaite. Former Fox News Chief Roger Ailes, as well as high-powered television executives and potential funders are meeting Friday to discuss what a new network could look like.
Why it matters: The drama is reflective of a massive change hitting the right-wing media ecosystem that has dominated political coverage for the past decade.
Our thought bubble: Audience demand doesn't shift from business-side pressures. We're watching Sinclair Broadcasting Group take strategic steps to fill that void at the local level, but if Fox goes more mainstream at the national level, there will almost certainly be a market opening for a new right-wing channel to gain some steam, at least before the cable business bubble bursts.
Why now: The controversy comes at the heels of an internal rift between Fox brass. On Thursday, Fox News Anchor Sean Hannity tweeted his frustration with reports that Fox President Bill Shine, accused of covering up sexual harassment allegations, could be removed. Shine represents what's left of Fox's traditionally conservative leadership, after the high-profile departures of former President Roger Ailes and former star anchor Bill O'Reilly.
The rift is also representative of the internal drama and business pressures facing the Murdoch family, whose management style has been tested throughout a series of high-profile scandals and potential acquisitions.


On the 15th anniversary of its war against women, the Augusta National Golf Club commemorated the event Wednesday not with mournful band or heartfelt hymn, but a single click.
For the first time, the most exclusive American sports venue unlocked its venerable Magnolia Lane gates for a competitive championship round to be played by golfers other than those in the Masters.
That round will be played by women.
In a morning announcement that could be the equivalent of this week’s most enduring Masters roar, new Augusta chairman Fred Ridley revealed the establishment of the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship to be played here next April.
The golf world instantly was filled with the sound of jaws hitting the floor. A club that did not even allow women members until 2012 was now going to invite them to spend a day competing on their most sacred of grounds?
It was enlightening. It was invigorating. It was also pretty stunning.
The club will invite 72 of the world’s best amateurs. They will play the first two rounds at a nearby course. Those with the lowest 30 scores will advance to the finals at Augusta on the Saturday before Masters week, in a round that will be televised globally and treated exactly like the Masters.
Well, all except for the green jacket. They’ll give the winner something they hope will be equally treasured, they’re just not sure what.
“We don’t know yet, we’ve got to work on that,’’ Ridley said, smiling.
Even though women’s amateur golfers are not well known, the national affinity for the Augusta course could make that round the most watched domestic women’s sports event, with only the women’s World Cup drawing bigger ratings.
This is already perhaps the most surprising women’s sports event, considering the 85-year-old club has been known not only for picturesque beauty but also social ugliness.
There were no African Americans allowed to play in the Masters until 1975. There were no African Americans allowed to join the club until 1990. Then, precisely 15 years ago, then-chairman Hootie Johnson engaged in an infamous verbal war with feminist activist Martha Burk over her insistence that the private club admit women.
Johnson claimed they would not allow female membership ‘’at the point of a bayonet.’’ Burk fought back by encouraging Masters sponsors to end their association.
Johnson simply televised the tournament without sponsors. Burk fought back by staging a sparsely attended protest down the street from the course during the middle of Masters week.
The fight didn’t really end until eight years later, when Augusta finally admitted two women, and it will be forever noted in the life stories of both combatants. In fact, when Johnson died in July at age 86, the incident was listed high in his obituary.
Johnson was replaced by former Atlanta Olympic Committee president Billy Payne, who ushered in the first women members. Last fall, the retiring Payne was replaced by Ridley, a former U.S. Amateur champion and United States Golf Association president who is clearly an advocate for the power of the game’s inclusiveness.
Thus begins a new era at the home of one of sports’ most powerful voices, and women golfers everywhere are noticing.
Moore is a junior at University of Arizona, and women golfers often leave school early to turn pro, but she said this announcement would convince her to remain an amateur until she gets a chance to play Augusta.
It will indeed be compelling to see women playing in a golfing cathedral that, for the only four days a year it appears on television, previously showcased just men.
Augusta already hosts the Sunday finals of the Drive, Putt & Chip championship for junior golfers. This will only add to the club’s increasing legacy of empowerment.
For years, women watched the Masters and knew they could never play there. That has changed.
And one day, perhaps, there actually could be an entire week devoted to women, maybe an actual women’s Masters?
“After seeing this happen, why not?’’ Gatch said.
As improbable as this would have sounded before Wednesday, yes, here at Augusta National, anything now seems possible.


School crossing guard Francis Light said he didn't know what to think one morning last month when a woman approached him at his post outside Oak Forest Elementary School and asked for a urine sample.
"I've been doing this school job for about 16 years, and I never heard of anyone taking a drug test, at least the crossing guards," said Light, 79. "Most of us are old people anyways."
"About two hours later, when I got back home, they called and told me I was terminated," Light said. "They told me I had 10 days to turn in my equipment — you know, a stop sign, raincoat, stuff like that."
He shouldn't have been surprised, said Terry Abbott, a Houston Independent School District spokesman.
"Every employee understands if you refuse the drug or alcohol test, you are automatically terminated," Abbott said. "We cannot allow people who are responsible for children's safety to refuse to take a drug or alcohol test."
Light signed a form acknowledging as much in September.
"They give us rules and regulations, and every year they get thicker and thicker," said Light, an Air Force veteran of World War II. "I don't know if I ever read them."
Light said he drank his last beer 51 years ago and has never used illegal drugs. He would have submitted to the drug test, he said, except he couldn't find any Oak Forest administrators to tell him it was required.
"My nurse, my secretary, my principal — nobody was there," Light said. "I didn't have anybody there to talk to, and I didn't know who this lady was."
Now, some Oak Forest parents are lobbying the school district to give Light a second chance.
"This is just one of those situations where a better look at what's going on would serve everyone well," said parent Jim Capfer. "I trust my kid's life with this man."
About 30 parents have come out in support of Light so far, Capfer said.
But HISD can't make an exception for Light, Abbott said, even if Light has a perfect work record.
"It would completely destroy our ability to keep children safe if we allowed people to refuse the drug or alcohol test," he said.
Light said he understands what's at stake. He was on duty April 14 when fifth-grader Anthony Dwight was struck and killed by a vehicle while riding his bike just beyond Light's crosswalk.
"It's still bothering me a lot," Light said. He remembers Anthony as the boy who often offered to sing him the songs he'd learned that day in school. "I think I lost 5 pounds that week."
While he'll miss the $250 checks he received every other week from HISD, Light said it's the relationships with the students he'll miss the most.
"I made a lot of friends over at that school," he said. "They're all good people and all good kids."


Compass recruits on behalf of international schools worldwide. Many of the schools we assist are members of COBIS, FOBISIA, BSME, HMC and often IB accredited. Our team is geographically spread to allow us to make visits to international schools and attend relevant exhibitions and conferences.
We offer a service that is entirely free to teachers who register with us, providing advice and guidance based upon our own experiences of working in education both in the UK and internationally.


LAS VEGAS, April 1, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Remark Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARK), a diversified global technology company with leading artificial intelligence (AI) solutions and digital media properties, reported its financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ended December 31, 2018.
"We closed the year on a strong note, generating solid top-line growth at both of our business segments," said Kai-Shing Tao, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Remark Holdings. "Our success in turning around Vegas.com under our ownership during the past three years has allowed us to move forward in monetizing this asset and transitioning into a pure-play AI enterprise. Our sale of Vegas.com will allow us to substantially reduce our debt, restructure our balance sheet and streamline our cost structure, as we shift all of our attention on expanding our AI business.
"KanKan contributed $2.4 million to our fourth quarter revenues; which excludes an additional $4.6 million that will be recognized in future periods, beginning in the second quarter of 2019. KanKan's fourth quarter delivery was its highest since we launched our AI operations. Our operating momentum has continued in the first quarter of 2019, as we demonstrate the effectiveness of our solutions at retail, including elevating engagement, increasing sales and driving deeper connections with shoppers.
"Looking ahead, we're focused on building on the success of our retail launch, while continuing to work with our partners in the safety and security space to develop tailored AI solutions for construction sites, campuses, restaurants, and traffic monitoring and enforcement. As a pure-play AI company, we will be optimally positioned to maximize our resources, including our proprietary technology, to expand our business in multiple sectors, with the goal of building a stream of recurring revenues, supported by modest recurring capital costs."
Continued to work closely with a diverse group of clients in executing on various stages of deployment regarding KanKan AI solutions in retail, construction sites, traffic control, restaurants and entertainment.
Entered into an agreement to sell Vegas.com, LLC to VDC-MGG Holdings LLC, an affiliate of Remark's senior lenders, for an anticipated enterprise value of approximately $45 million. The cash proceeds of the transaction will be used to pay amounts due to Remark's senior lenders, leaving only approximately $10 million of remaining debt owed to the senior lenders.
The sale of Vegas.com will transform Remark into a pure play AI company and allow the company to significantly reduce debt, restructure its balance sheet and its cost structures. The sale of Vegas.com remains subject to certain closing conditions, including approval of the transaction by our stockholders. We will hold a special meeting of stockholders to obtain stockholder approval for the transaction. The closing of the transaction is expected to take place during the second quarter of 2019.
Revenue for the fourth quarter of 2018 was approximately $22.3 million, compared to $18.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2017. Results reflect a $4.0 million increase in revenue resulting from transaction growth in the Travel & Entertainment segment, offset by a $.3 million decrease in revenue from the Company's other business units. Our Technology & Data Intelligence segment contributed $2.4 million in revenue from the deployment of our AI-based retail and safety solutions. A further $4.6 million was delivered for our AI- based public safety and risk management solutions, but revenue recognition will be deferred until such time as we collect the amounts due from the customer. We anticipate collections to begin in the second quarter of 2019.
Total cost and expense for the fourth quarter of 2018 was $32.4 million, compared to $40.0 million in 2017, driven in part by a reduction in impairment charges to $2.2 million, from $14.6 million in 2017, which included recognized losses of $5.8 million and $8.8 million, on impairments of long-lived intangible assets and goodwill respectively, which were acquired through the CBG acquisition. During the fourth quarter of 2018 we also recorded a $.6 million impairment of the remaining long-lived intangible asset acquired in the CBG acquisition, and a $1.6 million impairment of goodwill related to the sale of substantially all the remaining assets of Banks.com.
The Company's cost and expense for the fourth quarter of 2018 also included a $4.7 million increase in cost of revenue in the Technology and Data Intelligence segment to deliver projects, and a $1.5 million increase in paid-search costs in the Travel & Entertainment segment resulting from the competitive nature of the paid-search marketplace. Also, during the same period, Remark recorded $2.0 million less in employee stock compensation.
Operating loss was $10.1 million, compared to $21.4 million due to the decrease in total cost and expense.
Adjusted EBITDA was negative $4.6 million, compared to negative $2.2 million.
Net loss was $(7.1) million, or $(0.19) per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $(89.2) million or $(3.47) per diluted share. Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2018 included a non-cash gain of $5.7 million related to a change in the fair value of Remark's warrant liability, which occurred due to the decrease in the Company's stock price during the period. The same period of 2017 included a non-cash loss of $66.5 million related to a change in the fair value of Remark's warrant liability, which occurred due to the increase in the Company's stock price during that period.
At December 31, 2018, the cash and cash equivalents balance was $14.4 million, and total restricted cash was $11.1 million, bringing the total combined cash position to $25.5 million, compared to a total combined cash position of $34.3 million at December 31, 2017. Cash decreased primarily due to an increase in total expense as the Company grew its operations in China and engaged in multiple proof-of-concept projects, the timing of payments related to elements of working capital, and paying security deposits related to the Travel & Entertainment business.
Mr. Tao will hold a conference call today April 1, 2019 at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1:30 p.m. Pacific Time) to discuss these financial results. A question and answer session will follow management's presentation.
Please call the conference telephone number 10 minutes prior to the start time. An operator will register your name and organization.
The conference call will be broadcast simultaneously and available for replay via the investor section of the Company's website here.
A replay of the call will be available after 7:30 pm Eastern time on the same day through April 5, 2019.
Remark Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ: MARK) delivers an integrated suite of AI solutions that enable businesses and organizations to solve problems, reduce risk and deliver positive outcomes. The company's easy-to-install AI products are being rolled out in a wide range of applications within the retail, financial, public safety and workplace arenas. The company also owns and operates digital media properties that deliver relevant, dynamic content and ecommerce solutions. The company is headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, with additional operations in Los Angeles, California and in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu and Hangzhou, China. For more information, please visit the company's website at www.remarkholdings.com.


Thirty years into the AIDS epidemic. the world will come together to review progress and chart the future course of the global AIDS response at the 2011 UN General Assembly High-Level Meeting on AIDS from 8–10 June 2011 in New York.
The High Level Meeting on AIDS is taking place 10 years after the historic 2001 United Nations Special Session on HIV/AIDS, and the 2006 signing of the Political Declaration where UN Member States committed to moving towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.
More than 30 Heads of State, Government and Vice Presidents are expected to attend the meeting which will include official plenary and five panel sessions along with 40 individual side events.
Although some countries are still struggling to reach their universal access targets, many have made significant strides in responding to their epidemics. Twenty-two countries have achieved universal access to services which prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The rate of new HIV infections has decreased by 25% in the last 10 years, deaths have reduced by 20% in the last 5 years and 6.6 million people are now accessing antiretroviral therapy, compared to just a few thousand in 2001.