Fun4U: May 2019

Friday, 31 May 2019

Russia's Putin, Japan's Abe to hold summit meet on June 29

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will hold a summit meeting on June 29, when Putin visits Japan for a meeting of leaders of the Group of 20 nations, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2YYRFPU

Pompeo to press Germany on military spending, Huawei, Nordstream on delayed visit

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo began a five-day European trip on Friday with a delayed visit to Berlin, where he was expected to press Germany to boost its military spending, avoid dealings with China’s Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and reconsider a pipeline project with Russia.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2ww5hWR

Extinction Rebellion considers using drones to shut London's Heathrow Airport

Climate activists from Extinction Rebellion are considering using drones to shut London's Heathrow Airport this summer in a campaign against plans to build a third runway at Europe's busiest airport, the group said on Thursday.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2I6ifQq

U.S. wants new trade pact with Canada, Mexico passed by summer: Pence

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday he was pushing to get the U.S. Congress to ratify the new North American trade agreement this summer after both Canada and Mexico signaled they are ready to start the approval process.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2HLcdpy

Mexico says North American trade deal could double investment in 2019

Mexico's Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Thursday that ratification of a new North American trade deal could double foreign investment in the country in 2019, as uncertainty would be reduced.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2MjLm8p

Factbox: Tariff wars - duties imposed by Trump and U.S. trading partners

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would impose 5% tariffs on all goods imported into the United States from Mexico and raise them every month until they reached 25% unless the Mexican government takes action to stem illegal immigration.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2YYFGBT

Philippines sends trash back to Canada after Duterte escalates row

The Philippines has started returning dozens of shipping containers full of trash to Canada after a long-running row over waste exports that has tested diplomatic ties amid threats from firebrand President Rodrigo Duterte.

from Reuters: World News https://reut.rs/2JJC8zW

Bonus Daily Cartoon: Mueller’s Logic

Neil Dvorak’s Daily Cartoon reiterate’s Robert Mueller’s statement.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2W7TsAE

How to Draw a Horse

Emma Hunsinger illustrates the difficulty of learning to draw horses and the difficulty of putting words to your feelings.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2WGdiY5

The Trump Administration’s Self-Defeating Policy Toward the Guatemalan Elections

Jonathan Blitzer writes about the Trump Administration’s alignment with Guatemala’s quashing of anti-corruption efforts, including the activities of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, known as the CICIG, and the former Attorney General Thelma Aldana.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2VZaJvK

What to Do in N.Y.C. This Weekend: May 31-June 2, 2019

See Josh Kline’s prescient art about climate change, watch Dave Malloy’s new musical, eat spicy regional dishes at Szechuan Mountain House, and more.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2yEWDr6

Beto O’Rourke Struggles to Find His Place in the Democratic Presidential Field

William Finnegan joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss Beto O’Rourke’s Presidential candidacy, and the challenge of finding a Democratic candidate to defeat Donald Trump in 2020.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2W4hHj4

Graciela Iturbide’s Art of Seeing Mexico

Stephania Taladrid writes about the photographer Graciela Iturbide’s images capturing the daily lives, the mores, and the remarkable diversity of Mexican people.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2KmyHir

Revisiting a Symphonic AIDS Memorial

Alex Ross writes about John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1, a musical memorial to people who died from the AIDS epidemic that had its première at the Chicago Symphony, in 1990.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2WzpbPg

“When They See Us” Is Both Memorable Political Art and Misfired Entertainment

Troy Patterson reviews the new Netflix miniseries “When They See Us,” directed by Ava DuVernay, about the case of the Central Park Five.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2MjSMIL

A New European Parliament Won’t Solve the Continent’s Economic Problems

John Cassidy writes on the recent parliamentary elections in Europe, which saw victories for the Greens and the centrist liberal-democrat bloc, and how the fragmentation of the chamber does not bode well for the E.U.’s economy.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2XgSqmY

Daily Cartoon: Thursday, May 30th

Jason Adam Katzenstein’s Daily Cartoon will begin proceedings as soon as it’s politically tenable.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2HMDoAh

Female Trouble: The Debate Over “Woman” as an Adjective

Mary Norris on the grammatical and political debate over whether “woman” should be used as an adjective, rather than “female.”

from Everything http://bit.ly/2QIlD8d

What Democrats Are Waiting for Before They Impeach the President

Kashana Cauley imagines a humorous list of events and occurrences that Democrats must be waiting for before they impeach Donald Trump.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2Kc0P7D

The N.R.A.’s Questionable, Unreported Donations to Wayne LaPierre’s Wife’s Charity

The N.R.A. Foundation faces potential regulatory problems for not disclosing its financial support for the Christian organization Youth for Tomorrow, Mike Spies writes.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2WA9Wpa

How I Would Have Fared on the SAT’s Adversity Score

Jiayang Fan writes about the College Board’s new adversity index, which gives context to standardized-test scores with socioeconomic data, and the challenges of meritocratic college admissions.

from Everything http://bit.ly/2MjfUXH

Thursday, 30 May 2019

Everest deaths blamed on budget firms and influx of inexperienced climbers

An American mountaineer has become the 11th person in two weeks to die on Mount Everest as Sherpas and tour operators alike blame an influx of inexperienced climbers and budget tour operators for the spike in fatalities. Christopher John Kulish, 61, from Colorado, did not show any sign of distress when summiting the world’s highest mountain on Monday morning but died suddenly after descending. With a record number of climbers permitted to climb Everest this year, bottle necks have also contributed to greater exhaustion and in some instances, death. The death toll this season is the highest since 2015. The Nepalese government granted permission for 381 mountaineers to scale Everest from the southern side this spring season. Roughly 130 others will attempt to summit from the northern side in Tibet. Only around 5,000 people have climbed Everest since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay first scaled the 8,848m peak in 1953. With a permit costing $11,000 (£8,675) to scale the mountain the increase in numbers has been attributed to the Nepalese government making money to support its economy which has been hampered by political unrest and the devastating 2015 earthquake. Is it time to ban Western travellers - and their egos - from Mount Everest? Adventure tourism also plays a vital part in financially supporting the inhabitants of remote communities in north-east Nepal. However, in permitting more summits the government has allowed dozens of local budget climbing companies to emerge who charge cheaper prices but cut corners on safety. Climbing Everest with a premium, international firm can cost up to $100,000 (£78,900) while some cut-price local mountaineers charge only a quarter of this fee. The Nepalese government has for the first time said it may reduce the number of permits given to climbers next year. A government spokesperson told the Telegraph: "There are no such plans for now but there is possibility of doing so." “The biggest factor is that many inexperienced climbers are booking with low budget, local operators, who are not providing adequate support such as guide services, oxygen, medicines and leadership to ensure the climbers can ascend and descend safely,” said Garrett Madison, an American mountaineer specialising in Everest summits. Mr Madison led 29 people to a busy summit on May 23 where climbers say a bottleneck at the top caused people to wait for around 45 minutes in the perilous "death zone". A major clean-up operation ended with the recovery of 10,000 kilograms of rubbish and four dead bodies Credit: NARENDRA SHRESTHA/EPA-EFE/REX While the government says it implements background checks on prospective climbers, such as only allowing those to climb with experience of a summit over 6,000m, it has been accused of turning a blind eye to those who don’t meet criteria. “I wouldn’t say that people who sign up for Everest aren’t fully prepared as they practice for years but all who are currently attempting the summit are not professional mountaineers,” said Krishma Poudel, the Manager at Peak Promotions, a company that has organised expeditions for over 25 years. Her comments were echoed by Temba Tsheri Sherpa, who leads summits at Asia Voyage. “The largest number of climbers dying this season is because they have run out of oxygen… there are too many commercial expeditions where you pay less but get less of a service and less experienced guides,” he said. “A lot of climbers don’t have enough experience and they think the climbing is easy.” "If you want to maintain safety, the first thing is to minimise [the numbers] of climbers," Mr Tsheri Sherpa added. The Nepalese government told the Telegraph that it didn’t want to speculate on the cause of the recent spike in deaths. However, it said there was a possibility that they would reduce the number of permits given to climbers next year. Want the best of The Telegraph direct to your email and WhatsApp? Sign up to our free twice-daily Front Page newsletter and new audio briefings. Are you an avid mountaineer? What motivates you to climb the world's tallest peaks? We want to hear from you in the comments section below.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2EEIeNM

Landmark US opioid trial begins in Oklahoma

The first civil trial that could end up holding a drug company responsible for the US opioid epidemic began Tuesday in Oklahoma, in a landmark case that might impact thousands of others like it. The bench trial pits the state of Oklahoma against Johnson & Johnson. Two other drug companies named in the lawsuit settled ahead of the trial.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2JJ2WQU

College student pleads guilty to sneaking into Mar-a-Lago

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — A college student pleaded guilty Tuesday to sneaking into Mar-a-Lago during President Donald Trump's Thanksgiving visit in a manner similar to how a Chinese national gained admission four months later.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2HJkLNI

Today’s best deals: $7.22 Alexa smart plugs, $199 Apple Watch, $30 Fire TV Stick, 55″ 4K TV for $330, more

Today's daily deals roundup is a doozy, and it all starts with a deal that gets you top-selling Alexa and Google enabled smart plugs for just $7.22 a piece when you buy a 4-pack and use the promo code KYSCVKIE at checkout. Other highlights from Wednesday's roundup include AirPods 2 for just $139.99, SanDisk Ultra 64GB microSD cards for only $12.58 each, Fire TV Stick for $29.99 instead of $40, Fire TV Stick 4K for $39.99 instead of $50, a crazy Apple Watch Series 3 sale with prices as low as $199, a massive $80 discount on renewed Sony WH1000XM3 Wireless Noise Cancelling Headphones (this deal will sell out soon, but you can also buy them new and get a free 20,000 mAh portable charger) Eufy Lumos smart LED bulbs for $11.99 each, a gorgeous 55-inch 4K TV with built-in Fire TV for just $329.99, $40 off our favorite Instant Pot, and more. See all of today's top deals below.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2HJS9DS

Democrats toughen qualifying standards for third presidential debate

Seeking to cull its crowded 2020 presidential field, the Democratic Party will make it tougher for candidates to qualify for a third debate scheduled for September. The party will require contenders to meet both a higher polling standard and a larger fundraising target, the Democratic National Committee said on Wednesday. In the first two debates, scheduled for June and July, contenders have to meet just one of the two criteria, leaving open the possibility that as many as 20 of the 24 announced Democratic candidates could be on stage.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2HLgPvT

Global markets fall as China prepares to hit back at US in trade war

Dow Jones slumps after Beijing signals readiness to restrict exports of rare-earth elements

Financial markets around the world have sold off sharply after Beijing signalled a readiness to strike back at Washington in their escalating trade war by restricting exports of rare-earth elements.

Wall Street recorded steep losses on Wednesday as the Dow Jones slumped to the lowest level in almost four months, losing about 221 points to trade at 25,126. The S&P 500 index also fell to a two-month low, sliding by 19 points to 2,783.

Continue reading...

from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2QuEdjS

Boris Johnson faces court hearing for Brexit 'lies'

Boris Johnson, the frontrunner to become Britain's next prime minister, must attend court over allegations that he knowingly lied during the Brexit referendum campaign, a judge announced Wednesday. Johnson, the former foreign secretary, will be summoned to appear before a court over allegations of misconduct in public office, judge Margot Coleman said in a written decision, without specifying the date. The case is over the claim that Britain sends Â£350 million ($440 million, 400 million euros) a week to the European Union.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Xm5fwg

Stock markets fall as ECB adds to warnings on trade war – as it happened

Indiana abortion: Mike Pence 'commends' Supreme Court for upholding foetal burial law

Vice President Mike Pence has commended the Supreme Court for upholding a part of an Indiana law requiring the burial of foetal remains after abortions.Now he's encouraging the court to review state laws that restrict when and why an abortion can be performed, and says he hopes that "legal protections against discrimination based on sex, race, or disability will someday be extended to unborn Americans."Mr Pence signed the burial measure into law in 2016, when he was governor of Indiana.On Tuesday, the Supreme Court upheld a requirement that foetal remains must be buried or cremated after abortion.But it blocked an Indiana law barring abortions based on a foetus' sex, race or disability, prompting Mr Pence to cite Justice Clarence Thomas's position on the ruling in his hopes that Supreme Court will return to the decision.Justice Thomas joined the court in declining to review Indiana's law, but issued a 20-page statement in line with the vice president's, in which he agreed that the ruling is constitutional but condemned its practical application.He accused those who use abortion procedures, as well as birth control, of practising "eugenics.""Given the potential for abortion to become a tool of eugenic manipulation, the Court will soon need to confront the constitutionality of laws like Indiana’s," he wrote. "But because further percolation may assist our review of this issue of first impression, I join the Court in declining to take up the issue now."The Indiana law first came to the Supreme Court's docket in January, and the early summer decision marks a lengthy period of internal strife over it. Justice Sonia Sotomayor and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg said they would have declined to take up both aspects of the law, including the burials. Abortions rights advocates have condemned the burial law.“Today the court let another unwarranted restriction on abortion stand. While this ruling is limited, the law is part of a larger trend of state laws designed to stigmatize and drive abortion care out of reach," Jennifer Dalven, director of the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project, said in a statement.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2MfCyjR

US-China trade: what are rare-earth metals and what's the dispute?

The metals are used to produce a number of goods, including mobile phones and cameras

What are rare-earth metals?
Rare earths refer to a group of 17 elements that are prized for their unique magnetic and electrochemical properties.

They include elements such as gadolinium, lanthanum, cerium and promethium, and are vital in the production of cancer treatment drugs, smartphones and renewable energy technologies.

Continue reading...

from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2WaZSnf

Why these tables were empty at Chick-fil-As around the country this weekend

To honor soldiers who died while serving in the Armed Forces, the fast food chain set up "Missing Man Tables" at locations for Memorial Day weekend.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2MbElpZ

Bernanke, Paulson and Geithner: revisiting the 2008 financial crisis | Howard Davies

Three of the key players co-author a book about lessons of the past and make proposals for the future

Journalists, the adage goes, write the first rough draft of history. It’s a grand claim but perhaps the best of them achieve something close to that. In the case of the great financial crisis of 2008, Andrew Ross Sorkin of the New York Times did so in his book Too Big to Fail, which remains a useful description of how it felt on Wall Street when the markets began to collapse. Sorkin had good access to the key people involved.

The second draft of history is often written by the key people themselves. After the second world war, Winston Churchill confidently asserted that history would treat him kindly because “I propose to write that history”. When the financial crisis erupted, the same thought may have crossed the minds of Hank Paulson, Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner, who were US Treasury secretary, chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank and president of the New York Fed, respectively. All three published lengthy memoirs explaining why they did and didn’t, do what they did and didn’t do – inevitably, with a degree of self-justification in each case.

Continue reading...

from US news | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2JJZmpD

Dangerous tornado touches down in Kansas City; severe weather moves east into Missouri

A dangerous tornado touched down on the western edge of Kansas City, Kansas, forcing local residents to take shelter.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2Ia2V59

Facebook removes accounts originating from Iran that targeted Princess Eugenie

Facebook accounts originating from Iran that targeted Princess Eugenie have been taken down by the social media giant. Some 51 accounts, 36 pages, seven groups and three Instagram accounts were producing "coordinated inauthentic behaviour" and have been removed. A photo of Princess Eugenie marrying Jack Brooksbank with homeless people edited into the image was used by one of the now defunct pages. It claimed that the princess "expects the taxpayer to subsidise her dream wedding, while food banks are over run", in an apparent attempt to stir up tensions among the British public. Around 21,000 people followed one or more of the pages involved, Facebook said. An example of 'coordinated inauthentic behaviour' that has been removed by the Facebook following a crackdown on accounts originating from Iran Credit: Facebook/PA Princess Eugenie has been on the receiving end of social media trolling in the past, including being targeted by users for a grammatical error in an Instagram post. In December 2016, her mother the Duchess of York pleaded with people to “stop bullying” her daughters, in a comment that was believed to be directed at those criticising their limited Royal duties. “Let's focus more on this and less on tittle-tattle gossip. Stop bullying the York family, please,” she said at a Teenage Cancer Trust event. Facebook yesterday said that the pages were removed because they were distributed with suspected malicious intent and that those behind the activity misled people about who they are and their intentions, sometimes representing themselves as journalists. Nathaniel Gleicher, Facebook's head of cybersecurity, said: "We're constantly working to detect and stop this type of activity because we don't want our services to be used to manipulate people. "Policy, as is always the case with these takedowns, is we're removing these pages, groups and accounts based on their behaviour, not the content they posted. "Based on a tip shared by FireEye, a US cybersecurity firm, we conducted an internal investigation into suspected Iran-linked coordinated inauthentic behaviour and identified this activity. "We've shared our analysis with law enforcement, policymakers and industry partners." Last month it was reported that Iran carried out a number of cyber attacks on the Post Office and the UK's local government networks in the lead-up to Christmas.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2QzCj1j

Boeing aims for first flight of 777X in late June -sources

SEATTLE/PARIS, May 29 (Reuters) - Boeing Co is looking to make the first test flight of its 777X twin-aisle jet as soon as late June, people familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday, slightly later than the planemaker had planned, but still on track for putting the plane into airline service in 2020. Boeing hopes the new jet will extend its grip on the 'mini-jumbo' market, which it shares with rival Airbus SE's 365-seat A350-1000, and perhaps scoop up fresh orders following the demise of Airbus' A380 superjumbo. The test flight will likely be too late for Boeing to hit its previous target of flying the 777X to the Paris Air Show, which takes place June 17-23, where it had hoped to make a marketing splash in Airbus' backyard.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2WeU6RG

Melania Trump's most fashionable looks in Japan

Melania Trump is known for her designer taste and statement-making fashion -- and her trip to Japan this weekend was no exception.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2WlYGgj

Behold: Stunning renders show the iPhone 11 we wish Apple would make

Apple's new iPhone 11 lineup is set to debut just over than three months from now, but a fairly complete picture has already formed. We know that this year's iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Max, and iPhone 11R will look exactly like last year's iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR from the front, with the same all-screen design interrupted by the same large notch at the top of the display. We also know that the new iPhone 11 series will feature new rear cameras on the back of each handset. The iPhone 11 and iPhone 11 Max will have triple-lens cameras in a large square camera bump, while the iPhone 11R (or whatever Apple ends up calling it) will feature the same square camera bump but with only a dual-lens camera, likely the same setup that can currently be found on the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max.Beyond the new cameras and a few other changes like frosted glass backs and a round mute switch, there isn't much excitement to speak of when it comes to Apple's iPhone designs in 2019. Meanwhile, Android vendors have moved past the iPhone X design they all copied last year and begun to develop some sleek new designs of their own. Samsung's Galaxy S10 lineup features a beautiful all-screen design with hole-punch cameras instead of a notch, and phones like the OnePlus 7 Pro don't even break up the screen with a hole. Instead, they feature true-all screen designs and have a selfie camera that pops up out of the top edge of the phone when needed.Apple's iPhone 11 design is indeed a bit stale in comparison, which is likely why one graphic designer took all of the leaks and rumors we've seen so far and added his own unique spin to create an iPhone 11 with a much sleeker and more modern design.The image above shows the front of Apple's current-generation iPhone XS, which looks exactly like Apple's previous-generation iPhone X from 2017. It's a fine design, and we all know that people who use a smartphone with a notch don't even notice the notch anymore after a very short time. But it has been about two years since Apple first introduced this design, so there's no question that it's feeling a bit dusty at this point. That's especially true now since so many Android phone makers have released handsets with more modern looks.Graphic designer Muhsin M. Belaal Auckburaully, who goes by DBS Designing on YouTube, seems to agree that Apple's upcoming new iPhone 11 series is a bit dated. The overall look of the phone is still gorgeous, of course, so he took the iPhone 11's design and stuck a more modern display on the front, which includes a small hole at the top for Apple's front-facing cameras rather than a large notch. Here's how it came out:Now, there's no question that a display that extends farther to the edges of the front and a hole-punch screen with a tiny hole for the cameras is a bit improvement over Apple's actual iPhone 11 design. There's also no question that it could never happen. The TrueDepth camera system Apple uses for Face ID has more components than just two tiny lenses like the ones we see above, so it needs much more room.Around back, the graphic designer's iPhone 11 mockup looks exactly like the real thing, but he decided to add a fourth camera lens in the bottom-right corner of the square camera bump. We're not sure why, considering that there will be a rear-facing microphone there to capture audio for videos and Live Photos, but it doesn't really change the overall look of the phone.You can find more images of Auckburaully's iPhone 11 on his Behance page, and a video showcasing the design is embedded below.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvmtrmAKtu0

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2wqDMOs

Factbox: A United Kingdom divided over Brexit - Results of EU election

The Brexit Party came out on top and smaller pro-European Union parties also gained ground, while the Conservatives and Labour hemorrhaged votes to parties that took unequivocal positions for or against Brexit. WHO GETS ELECTED?

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2WaJWl7

Nigerian President Buhari sworn in for second term

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari was sworn in for a second term in office on Wednesday, vowing once more to tackle crippling security threats and root out corruption in Africa's key economy. "I do solemnly swear that I will be faithful and bear true allegiance to the Federal Republic of Nigeria," Buhari said, dressed in simple white robes and traditional embroidered cap. Buhari took the oath of office at what officials called a "low-key" ceremony.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines https://yhoo.it/2JP4Mjg