Sen. Graham Demands Special Advice Probe As Biden Fractures Silence Over Classified Documents
2 weeks ago thecryptokang
"Every conservative out there is completely disgusted. "
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S. C. ), a senior member of the United states senate Judiciary Committee, on Wednesday called for Attorney General Merrick Garland to appoint a unique counsel to investigate the managing of classified documents simply by President Biden while this individual served as vice president.
Graham said the appointment of the special counsel is necessary to check into Biden after Garland announced the appointment of profession prosecutor Jack Smith to investigate former President Trump's possession of classified documents with Mar-a-Lago.
" I believe if you believe a special advice is necessary to assure the public concerning the handling of classified documents by Donald Trump, you should apply a special counsel towards the mishandling of classified files by President Biden whenever he was vice president, " Graham said during a job interview with Martha MacCallum on Fox News.
" When there is not a special counsel appointed to find out how this occurred with President Biden regarding classified information … it is going to hurt the country, " Graham warned.
Graham warned that many conservatives think prosecutors and the media are applying a different set of specifications for Trump and Biden.
" Every conservative out there is completely disgusted with the standard that is present in America when it comes to conservatives plus everybody else, " he said. " Garland, if you're hearing, if you thought it was necessary to appoint a special counsel concerning President Trump, then you have to do the exact same thing regarding Leader Biden when it comes to handling classified information, " Graham stated.
Additionally , President Biden has broken his stop on the issue .
At a news conference Wednesday for the North American Leaders' Summit in Mexico, President Biden said he won't know why classified documents were lying around in the former office at the Penn Biden Center (this had been before the second batch of classified papers were discovered).
" People know I take classified paperwork and classified information significantly, " he said.
" When my lawyers were clearing out my office at the University associated with Pennsylvania, they set up your workplace for me — a safe office in the Capitol, once i — the four yrs after being vice chief executive, I was a professor at Penn.
" These people found some documents in a box — you know, the locked cabinet, or at least a closet. And as soon as they did, they will realized there were several categorized documents in that box. And they did what they should have carried out: They immediately called the Archives — immediately called the Records — turned them to the Archives. "
" And I was briefed about this discovery and surprised to learn that there were any government records that were used there to that office.
" But I can't say for sure what's in the documents. I've — my lawyers never have suggested I ask exactly what documents they were. I've turned over the boxes — they already have turned over the boxes to the Archives. And wish cooperating fully — cooperating fully with the review plus — which I hope will be finished soon, and will be more detail during those times. "
As a reminder, when up to date about the FBI raid of Trump's Mar-a-Lago residence to retrieve classified documents, Biden inquired " how could anyone be that irresponsible? "
thecryptokang
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Reflection amplitudes in non-simply laced Toda theories and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz
Changrim Ahn, P. Baseilhac, V. A. Fateev, Chanju Kim, Chaiho Rim
We study the ultraviolet asymptotics in non-simply laced affine Toda theories considering them as perturbed non-affine Toda theories, which possess the extended conformal symmetry. We calculate the reflection amplitudes, in non-affine Toda theories and use them to derive the quantization condition for the vacuum wave function, describing zero-mode dynamics. The solution of this quantization conditions for the ground state energy determines the UV asymptotics of the effective central charge. These asymptotics are in a good agreement with Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz (TBA) results. To make the comparison with TBA possible, we give the exact relations between parameters of the action and masses of particles as well as the bulk free energies for non-simply laced affine Toda theories. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.
Dive into the research topics of 'Reflection amplitudes in non-simply laced Toda theories and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.
thermodynamics Physics & Astronomy 100%
free energy Physics & Astronomy 59%
wave functions Physics & Astronomy 57%
ground state Physics & Astronomy 48%
vacuum Physics & Astronomy 46%
symmetry Physics & Astronomy 42%
Ahn, C., Baseilhac, P., Fateev, V. A., Kim, C., & Rim, C. (2000). Reflection amplitudes in non-simply laced Toda theories and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz. Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics, 481(1), 114-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0370-2693(00)00417-2
Ahn, Changrim ; Baseilhac, P. ; Fateev, V. A. et al. / Reflection amplitudes in non-simply laced Toda theories and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz. In: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics. 2000 ; Vol. 481, No. 1. pp. 114-124.
@article{32dc70baf9074ee892040fea78a4af1d,
title = "Reflection amplitudes in non-simply laced Toda theories and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz",
abstract = "We study the ultraviolet asymptotics in non-simply laced affine Toda theories considering them as perturbed non-affine Toda theories, which possess the extended conformal symmetry. We calculate the reflection amplitudes, in non-affine Toda theories and use them to derive the quantization condition for the vacuum wave function, describing zero-mode dynamics. The solution of this quantization conditions for the ground state energy determines the UV asymptotics of the effective central charge. These asymptotics are in a good agreement with Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz (TBA) results. To make the comparison with TBA possible, we give the exact relations between parameters of the action and masses of particles as well as the bulk free energies for non-simply laced affine Toda theories. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.",
author = "Changrim Ahn and P. Baseilhac and Fateev, {V. A.} and Chanju Kim and Chaiho Rim",
note = "Funding Information: We thank F. Smirnov and Al. Zamolodchikov for valuable discussions. P.B. gratefully thanks for the hospitality of KIAS where part of this work was done. This work is supported in part by MOST 98-N6-01-01-A-05 (C.A.), Korea Research Foundation KRF-99-015-DI0021 (C.A.) 1998-015-D00071 (C.R.), and KOSEF 1999-2-112-001-5(C.A., C.R.). P.B.'s work is supported in part by the EU under contract ERBFMRX. V.F.'s work is supported in part by the EU under contract ERBFMRX CT960012. ",
Ahn, C, Baseilhac, P, Fateev, VA, Kim, C & Rim, C 2000, 'Reflection amplitudes in non-simply laced Toda theories and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz', Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics, vol. 481, no. 1, pp. 114-124. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0370-2693(00)00417-2
Reflection amplitudes in non-simply laced Toda theories and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz. / Ahn, Changrim; Baseilhac, P.; Fateev, V. A. et al.
In: Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics, Vol. 481, No. 1, 18.05.2000, p. 114-124.
T1 - Reflection amplitudes in non-simply laced Toda theories and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz
AU - Ahn, Changrim
AU - Baseilhac, P.
AU - Fateev, V. A.
AU - Kim, Chanju
AU - Rim, Chaiho
N1 - Funding Information: We thank F. Smirnov and Al. Zamolodchikov for valuable discussions. P.B. gratefully thanks for the hospitality of KIAS where part of this work was done. This work is supported in part by MOST 98-N6-01-01-A-05 (C.A.), Korea Research Foundation KRF-99-015-DI0021 (C.A.) 1998-015-D00071 (C.R.), and KOSEF 1999-2-112-001-5(C.A., C.R.). P.B.'s work is supported in part by the EU under contract ERBFMRX. V.F.'s work is supported in part by the EU under contract ERBFMRX CT960012.
N2 - We study the ultraviolet asymptotics in non-simply laced affine Toda theories considering them as perturbed non-affine Toda theories, which possess the extended conformal symmetry. We calculate the reflection amplitudes, in non-affine Toda theories and use them to derive the quantization condition for the vacuum wave function, describing zero-mode dynamics. The solution of this quantization conditions for the ground state energy determines the UV asymptotics of the effective central charge. These asymptotics are in a good agreement with Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz (TBA) results. To make the comparison with TBA possible, we give the exact relations between parameters of the action and masses of particles as well as the bulk free energies for non-simply laced affine Toda theories. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.
AB - We study the ultraviolet asymptotics in non-simply laced affine Toda theories considering them as perturbed non-affine Toda theories, which possess the extended conformal symmetry. We calculate the reflection amplitudes, in non-affine Toda theories and use them to derive the quantization condition for the vacuum wave function, describing zero-mode dynamics. The solution of this quantization conditions for the ground state energy determines the UV asymptotics of the effective central charge. These asymptotics are in a good agreement with Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz (TBA) results. To make the comparison with TBA possible, we give the exact relations between parameters of the action and masses of particles as well as the bulk free energies for non-simply laced affine Toda theories. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V.
Ahn C, Baseilhac P, Fateev VA, Kim C, Rim C. Reflection amplitudes in non-simply laced Toda theories and Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz. Physics Letters, Section B: Nuclear, Elementary Particle and High-Energy Physics. 2000 May 18;481(1):114-124. doi: 10.1016/S0370-2693(00)00417-2


Sonoran Alliance - Arizona Political News & Opinion for Conservatives
Arizona Politics, News, Commentary and Information with a Blatantly Conservative Worldview Presented by an Alliance of Writers, Activists, Consultants and Government Insiders.
You are here: Home / 2008 / Archives for January 2008
AZ RTL voting guide
January 31, 2008 by Sonoran Alliance 3 Comments
Arizona Right to Life has posted their voting guide online.
Filed Under: Sanctity of Life
Trouble in Maricopa
January 31, 2008 by Sonoran Alliance 64 Comments
A source inside the Maricopa County Executive Guidance Committee (EGC) has told us that District 11 Chairman Rob Haney is moving forward with a resolution opposing McCain at the next EGC meeting on February 7th. The information was provided to us by someone normally opposed to McCain who none-the-less wanted to move on to other issues and opposed bringing forward the motion. Despite some opposition from certain members there are still enough Haney allies opposed to McCain that the resolution has a very good chance of passing at the EGC meeting on the 7th. We are not in contact with all 28 members on the committee but we do know that Haney does have some strong allies and can be very successful at lining up votes. Haney was forced to send out an advanced copy of the resolution because of past complaints from committee members about not having enough time to read the resolutions before the meeting. We were able to obtain a draft copy of the resolution printed below.
STATEMENT OF OPPOSITION TO THE CANDIDACY OF SENATOR MCCAIN FOR PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
Whereas, Our National Republican Committee members, Bruce Ash and Sharon Giese have chosen to endorse the presidential candidacy of Senator McCain during the primaries thereby reviving the angst, revulsion and polarization amongst the majority of the Arizona Republican activists who oppose said candidacy; and
Whereas, Senator McCain's, dual-citizenship holder and Spanish liaison advisor, Dr Juan Hernandez, (who was an advisor to former Mexican President Vicente Fox), has repeatedly stated his "think Mexico First" position and repeatedly, when American interests were at odds with the interest of Mexican illegals, Hernandez has sided against America; and
Whereas, Senator McCain repeatedly proclaims that his Amnesty bill is not Amnesty, refuses to vote to allow drilling for oil in Alaska thereby weakening our national security while causing as steep rise in inflation, buys into Gore's unproven hysterical rhetoric stating Global warming is caused by human activity, and makes the disingenuous claim that he is pro-life while repeatedly voting for embryonic stem cell research and fetal tissue research with tax payer money; and
Whereas, In a straw poll during the Maricopa County Republican precinct committeemen meeting of January 19, 2008, Senator McCain was voted as the most unacceptable Republican presidential candidate by amassing an overwhelming negative vote of 427 of the 721 ballots cast; and
Whereas, Leading conservative voices, including Delay and Santorum, have warned us that McCain is not a conservative and poses a great danger to the Republican Party; and
Whereas, McCain has demonstrated his ease with the truth by mischaracterizing Romney's statement on timetables for Iraq; and
Whereas, This grassroots leadership body censured Senator McCain in 2005 for his failure to faithfully perform his duty to uphold the Constitution and for his undermining the Republican mandate of the 2004 election: therefore
Be it resolve, That we, the Maricopa County Republican Committee state most emphatically that Senator McCain is not our favored Republican candidate for President of the United States.
Filed Under: Political Parties
McCain-Huckabee '08?
January 31, 2008 by DSWikfors 8 Comments
Now the talk is all about Huckabee remaining in the race in order to guarantee a VP role with McCain.
If there is a deal in the works, does this now make a McCain nomination more palatable for core conservatives?
Given the Ancient Mariner's age, do Huckabee conservatives continue to vote for him knowing they'll have to be patient four years in order to get what they really want?
Or, do Huckabee conservatives throw all their support behind Romney and hope the GOP's nominee remains conservative?
Then again, will conservative wake up this fall and realize they've nominated a Democrat in GOP clothing?
Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections
A Public Solution to Public Outrage
January 31, 2008 by Arizona Freedom Fighter 1 Comment
The Arizona Republic simply does not know how to accept the public's view of the world.
For instance, about 15 people, almost all reporters, showed up at the 9-11 Memorial in Wesley Bolin Plaza yesterday to listen to LD8 Republican Representative John Kavanagh announce his bill to resolve the controversy over the slogans engraved into the steel ring of the memorial. The slogan panels will be removed and replaced with a time line of events. Other informational pieces will be installed at the site to tell of other parts of the day. This bill has such huge support that more than 80 of the 90 members of the Legislature signed-on as sponsors.
The Republic reports, "But the proposal aired Wednesday is drawing complaints. Some feel it usurps the public process that a citizen commission followed in creating, and then amending, the memorial just east of the state Capitol."
Yeah, the complaints issue might be correct, if a reporter's questions could be viewed as "complaints." But, when did questions asked by reporters during a press conference become "public complaints?"
Or, maybe the reporter could be referring to Billy Shields, the ex-union executive and fireman who chaired the committee that created the repulsive slogans to begin with.
Yeah, he complained to her about a "public process" being bypassed. He ignores the fact that the change being supported by the Legislature was also arrived at in public meetings with opportunity for public comments. It was then drafted into a bill and signed by most of the Republicans and Democrats elected by the public to make such decisions. In fact, there will be more public hearings before the bill becomes law.
Or, maybe she is referring to the artist, turned state representative, Steve Farley.
He wouldn't sign Kavanagh's bill because it interfered with artistic license. "The last thing we want is for Arizona to have a reputation where artists don't want to do work because politicians are looking over their shoulder, telling them what to do." Wasn't it a government appointed commission that decided what would be included in the art? Why wasn't that a problem for Farley?
Let's see, the art is going to belong to the state and be displayed on state property. Seems it would be of public interest that the art is acceptable to most of the people of the state. This idea that selection is censorship ignores the basic fact that even artists are censors of their work when they decide what to create and art galleries and art museums make censorship decisions every day in what they will display. The state should do the same. No, this is also a matter of sponsorship by the taxpayers of Arizona.
The commission that created this monstrosity knows the public didn't get involved in the original process because the public never imagined the idea that a 9-11 memorial would be tarnished by slogans praising or memorializing the enemy.
Only the Arizona Republic would want to make a controversy out of a bi-partisan plan to fix an on-going controversial problem of mean-spirited slogans on a monument that Kavanagh described as "embarrassing to Arizona" and so far in disrepute with the public that many citizens of the state simply won't visit it. Kavanagh said, "9-11 belongs to all of us."
Kavanagh's plan is a good resolution to an ugly problem.
Filed Under: Media, Memorial
Electability
One of the reason's McCainiacs site for supporting him is electability. When discussing electability it is important to look at the background of the candidate, specifically whether they are a senator or governor.
Since 1900 there have been 8 open presidential elections (non-incumbent.) Senators have won twice and a governor once. Both victories by senators were pre-1964. The gubernatorial victory was post 1964.
Since 1900 five incumbent presidents have been turned out of office by a challenger (1912, 1932, 1976, 1980, and 1992.) All five challengers were governors.
Since Senator Kennedy's win in 1960 there have been 11 presidential elections. Five of the losers in those races were senators (1964, 1968, 1972, 1996, and 2004.) Only one of those who lost was a governor (1988.) Two other losers were Vice Presidents and former senators (1984 and 2000.)
This is an overwhelming trend that governors have the advantage when the country is in the mood for change and that senators have an overwhelming record of losing elections since the beginning of the television era.
The Democrats are going to nominate a senator. The Republicans have a choice whether to nominate someone who has been in Washington since 1982 or someone who has served as an executive of a state. If the GOP goes with the senator then we surrender an advantage over the Democrats. If we go with a governor then we can credibly run a Washington outsider against the Democrat insider.
Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, History
The South is in play on Feb 5th
January 31, 2008 by Sam Adams Leave a Comment
Twenty-one states have their primary or caucus on February 5th. Four of those are Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, and Tennessee. Governor Mike Huckabee was doing well in several of these states. Recent polls show that Huckabee has slipped significantly in Georgia and Tennessee. There was not a recent Alabama poll at the time of this post but if the other two states are any guide he is vulnerable there as well. Senator McCain is the beneficiary of Huckabee's slide in Georgia and Tennessee. If Huckabee slips further the question becomes where do the rest of his voters go. It defiantly puts those states in play. Missouri is another state where Huckabee may fade from the top tier.
Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee allocate delegates by results in each congressional district. Thus a strong second may result in several delegates. Missouri is winner-take-all so there is no prize for second place, even if close.
Arkansas is Huckabee's home state so we would not expect a big change there.
Romney still in the race
Update: Romney gains in Illinois. With Rudy out of the race McCain moves up 3%, Romney up 6%, and Huckabee up 5% in IL. The state is not winner take all there are delegates available to others beyond the top winner.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dh_fhdwViA8
Despite Senator McCain's clear win in Florida Governor Romney is still in the race. Romney had a strong performance in Wednesday's debate. Romney is still in the top tier of the Rasmussen daily tracking poll. The former governor is still competitive in California. Like Florida, California is a closed primary state but it is not winner take all. The delegates are assigned by each congressional district, making a close second still valuable.
Will Giuliani voters follow him to the McCain camp?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5Co7x3A12s
Two of Rudy's strengths were his stand on the threat of Islamic extremism and his executive experience. At first glance it seems like McCain is a good fit with Rudy on the terror threat but did Rudy want to close Guantanamo and ban waterboarding? McCain wants to do both, sending the terrorist in Guantanamo to Kansas. Does he also assign an ACLU lawyer to each one of them? McCain has been very strong on the war in Iraq but his views on Guantanamo and enhanced interrogation seem at odds with Giuliani's strengths.
Rudy's other strong point was his executive experience in cleaning up New York City. McCain has no similar record running such a large organization, public or private. Will voters attracted to America's Mayor go for a 25-year member of congress? We'll have a much better idea on February 6th but my guess is that not all of them will go for McCain.
What was done to McCain while he was held prison in Viet Nam was sadistic and probably of very little intelligence value to his captors. Waterboarding has been documented as valuable in saving lives when used against high value terrorists. Yes, terrorists fighting out of uniform in a battle where innocent civilians are targeted. Does a president McCain really want to extend Geneva Convention protection to terrorists?
While on the topic of waterboarding I have a question. If it is so brutal why do people let themselves be subjected to it all the time and post the videos on YouTube?
Waterboarding demonstration on MSNBC
Longer version of the MSNBV video
Public demonstration of waterboarding in DC
CodePink does a public waterboarding for Feinstein
Public demonstration at ACLU
Public demonstration at Berkeley
Redneck waterboarding
Update: Michell Malkin covers the endorsement.
Rush decides to stay in the race
January 30, 2008 by Sonoran Alliance Leave a Comment
Update: Hugh Hewitt on the race. It's not over.
EIB-1 on stand-by.
Here is the YouTube video of Rush talking to his supporters. Despite the fact that McCain now has 8% of the needed delegates Rush vows to continue.
Filed Under: Campaigns & Elections, Media
Where to from here?
January 30, 2008 by Sam Adams 3 Comments
There is no doubt that McCain's win in Florida was big. The state was hotly contested and his 5% margin was convincing. I do not mean to sound like on of our other writers, who we understand will be taking a few days off to "adjust his attitude", but there is one interesting thing I noted in the Florida numbers. The top Republican vote getter is still in the mid-30s. With 7 candidates in the race at the time McCain won New Hampshire with 37% of the vote. Eleven days latter McCain scored another big win in South Carolina with 33% of the vote. Yesterday, with 5 candidates in the race, McCain won Florida with 36% of the vote. That is 1% less than he won on January 8 with two more candidates in the primary.
I am not predicting that someone besides McCain will win the nomination. Rather I am pointing out that while McCain is clearly the frontrunner he has a little more work to do before he locks up the nomination. Giuliani has all but withdrawn and endorsed McCain. Interestingly Huckabee looks like he is staying in. He is ahead in several Southern states and knows how to operate without much money.
The big question is where does Romney go from here. He has a few safe states on February 5th. Does he pour in the funds to compete in other states? At one time we thought Arizona might have been competitive. At this point, with winner take all, I would not spend much money on the state. That leaves some states like California with a winner take all by district and other western and mid-west states with caucus meetings. The primary is not over but it is getting there slowly.
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POST COVID FUTURES ROUND TABLE
Upgrading Social Governance – Part II
Salman Zaidi, Director Programs, Jinnah Institute
Safiya Aftab, Executive Director, Verso Consulting
Mosharraf Zaidi, Senior Fellow, Tabadlab
Zafarullah Khan, Governance and Democracy Expert
Fauzia Yazdani, Social and Public Policy Advisor
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought existing fault lines into sharper focus and has raised concerns regarding the lack of a coordinated strategy in the face of such crises, stated Safiya Aftab. However, Pakistan is not by any means the only country that faced governance issues during this unprecedented time. In the Pakistani context, the health and education sectors have posed pressing questions in particular. Another aspect that was highlighted was the gendered impact of the crisis. Fauzia Yazdani pointed out that the mortality rate for children under the age of five is determined by a mother's education, financial standing, and geographic location. She emphasised that it is important for the conversation to be anchored in looking at how the population dynamic is evolving and how the country is expanding. Furthermore, in times of such crises, priorities pertaining to education and health are the first to be sidelined in the cases of women, especially in households facing budgetary constraints.
Building on the intersection of gender and class, Mosharraf Zaidi stated that it would be impossible to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 without factoring in its impact on the work and livelihood of millions of low-income households across the country. On gender-based violence, Mr. Zaidi posed a couple of pertinent questions that need to be examined. "How much of gender violence is rooted in political oppression? To what extent is gendered violence being furthered because of the perpetual economic crisis these households find themselves in?" He further added that the volume of data being collected by the government currently is unprecedented in Pakistan's history; this can be instrumental in helping devise better macro and micro policies. He added a caveat that the issue of who owns the data and how it can be accessed and by whom is a concern but a different debate entirely. In addition to the data angle, he pointed out that another positive during the pandemic has perhaps been the success of social protection programs such as the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP).
Reflecting on the state of affairs, Zafarullah Khan remarked that a couple of things have changed indefinitely. Particularly, the sense of space we were used to and the traditional structures and institutions, in addition to service delivery mechanisms that are no more conducive to social distancing SOP's. "The entire notion of supply chains has been disrupted. How can we have an alternate supply chain for essential services in the future when there is such a crisis?" Mr. Khan further remarked that authoritarianism has had a great laugh during the pandemic. "The data collection while helpful for governance, also raises pertinent questions regarding data protection and abuse." He added that there is a need to reimagine emergency clauses because giving blanket authority to populist or authoritarian regimes can have serious repercussions.
On the topic of technology gaining increasing importance since the onset of the pandemic, Mosharraf Zaidi opined that the technology question is perhaps overstated in the context of Pakistan. He explained that Pakistan has an enormous out of school population, and also a feature phone vs smartphone divide. Platform based solutions such as Zoom or WebX can perhaps solve some problems, but not all of them. "There is a need for retraining and helping the workforce learn new skills to adapt to this changing environment. Pakistan must do this in a time dwindling fiscal capacity; this is what sets Pakistan apart from the other countries." With regards to social protection initiatives, he stated that there is a need for continuing relief measures such as the Ehsaas grant. To have a real conversation about universal basic income seems premature at this point considering the state's capacity at the moment. In each of these non-COVID issues, there is one thing in common, a lack of funding. "How can we then address the digital divide and ensure provision of social protection? These gaps can only be filled with competence and money. The state needs to dedicate itself to find ways to fill these gaps, and that can only be done by raising money."
Focusing on the health care sector, Fauzia Yazdani pointed out that technology has undoubtedly helped in recent times. This was illustrated by the setting up of psychosocial support helplines to assist women facing abuse amidst the pandemic. Moreover, phone applications such as the Women's Safety app also helped in reporting crimes pertaining to gender-based violence. On the other hand, going forward, it is expected that we will face significant challenges relating to Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health (MNCH), and it is likely that we will have more complicated surgeries and unattended births because of the obstacles faced by Lady Health Workers (LHV). The fact that Basic Health Units (BHU) and Rural Health Clinics (RHC) are operating at a significantly reduced capacity further compounds the problem. She pointed out that abortion cases in Pakistan are four times that of in the US. This statistic perhaps encapsulates the crisis our health sector is facing.
On the subject of how governance can be improved going forward, Fauzia Yazdani stated that telehealth models need to be explored further as they have been successful in parts of Africa as well. Moreover, in Pakistan's context, the issue is not limited to just the access to health services, but also the provision of commodities. She reiterated the importance of paying attention to the population dynamic and the need for instituting family planning measures. "Instead of funding initiatives such as the Tiger Force, the funds should perhaps be diverted towards the education and health sectors in areas of the country that are severely lagging behind. It is not just a matter of money, but also political will." Agreeing with Ms. Yazdani's remarks, Mosharraf Zaidi added that there is a clear case for universal basic income in Pakistan. Additionally, there is a need for a much more robust set of laws that protect citizens' data and allow for access to data for service delivery. "At some point, there should be legislation to enforce the framing of policy and decision making using available data. There is a lot of data out there that is currently not being used for policy making on issues such as where to build infrastructure, schools, how many beds a hospital should have, and whether it should be primary, secondary, or tertiary health care." He explained that these decisions are often arbitrary, based on personal or limited financial gain of the individual involved or notions of popularity as opposed to actual need. In consensus with the other panellists, Zafarullah Khan concluded by stating that the life vs livelihood narrative put forth by the government during the pandemic is problematic to say the least. "We need to reimagine our state and its priorities, and start focusing on the reallocation of our resources."


Experts express concern over Florida surgeon general's approach to COVID-19 testing
By Aaron Mesmer
Coronavirus in Florida
Florida surgeon general says only symptomatic need testing
Aaron Mesmer reports
TAMPA, Fla. - With long lines and high demand at COVID-19 testing sites, Florida's surgeon general is calling for a change in the way the state is testing for COVID-19. But not all experts agree with the approach.
Hillsborough County's testing site at Progress Village, some people have had to wait over an hour and there have been long lines at testing sites across Tampa Bay.
With that in mind, Florida's surgeon general said he believes the state needs to change to a "high-value testing" approach.
During a news conference with Governor DeSantis Thursday morning, Dr. Joseph Ladapo said his new guidance is to focus on testing only people who are symptomatic, going against current CDC guidance which calls for testing a wider range of the population, based on various factors.
RELATED: Record weekly COVID-19 cases reported worldwide but fewer deaths, WHO says
That includes testing anyone who has come in contact with a person who tested positive for COVID-19, even if they have no symptoms, as well as those whose employers or schools require them to be tested.
"Testing people for a respiratory virus when they have no symptoms on a massive scale is abnormal. What we did before the pandemic is normal. What we did before this pandemic is what was normal which is if you have symptoms, we'll test you and if you test positive, we'll treat you," Ladapo said.
Current wave of COVID cases could peak this month
Dr. Jeffrey Shaman of Columbia University projects the US will see its peak of new cases during the week of January 16, when the daily average will near 750,000.
RELATED: Florida providing 1 million at-home COVID tests for seniors, DeSantis announces
Dr. Thomas Unnasch at USF Health -- who studies COVID's impact on Florida -- said the state's new testing approach would only work in a world where there's an effective treatment for the disease.
Right now, monoclonal antibody treatments are available in Florida, but data shows they don't always work, especially against the omicron variant.
"If you can't promise an effective treatment to people, what is the best way of protecting that at-risk population? Not having them get exposed in the first place, and the way that you can do that with testing is to most effectively try and reduce the amount of spread of the virus in the population," Unnasch said.
Meanwhile, the governor announced he is sending 1 million at-home testing kits to nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The state's emergency management director says the state had been stockpiling these kits as COVID cases subsided last year.
However, many of them are now expired.
The state is asking the federal government for an extension on those testing kits and is currently waiting for a response.


Cancelled SEZs in Maharashtra will have to return govt land
According to an official from Industries Department, more than 24,000 hectares were acquired for SEZs by industrial houses in the state.
November 23, 2015, 08:42 IST
The Development Commissioners have recommended to the Board of Approval to cancel these SEZ projects. The formal approval had been granted to these projects by BoA.
MUMBAI: Cancelled Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Maharashtra will have to return the Revenue department land they have acquired, but they can keep the land bought from farmers, officials said.
The previous Manmohan Singh government had approved 139 SEZs in Maharashtra during its 10-year rule at the Centre, he said.
Land measuring 24,784 hectares, both public and private, was bought for the SEZs by various industrial houses in the state. These lands are still in their custody, though the licenses of 70 SEZs were either cancelled or their promoters quit the scheme, after a change in policy by the central government, he said.
In the remaining 69 SEZs, the businesses have not yet been set up on the land acquired, the official said.
Apurva Chandra, Principal Secretary (Industries), said, "If the land has been acquired from farmers, it will remain with the entrepreneur for whom the SEZ was approved. If the land is acquired from the Revenue department, the state will take it back in case the SEZ is cancelled."
Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse admitted that most of the industrial houses have not returned huge tracts of land to the original owners or the government.
"Once the UPA government changed its SEZ policy, several industrial houses expressed their unwillingness to continue in the SEZ scheme," he said.
A rule framed by the Revenue Department states that the land acquired by industrialists from farmers should be returned to them in case they fail to start their ventures on it within 10 years.
The state has given sops like exemption from paying stamp duty and local body taxes for setting up SEZs.
Apurva Chandra
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T-rex ancestor 'feathered'?
Another older news item from my backlog. My comments are bold and in square brackets.
T-rex ancestor 'feathered', The Australian, Leigh Dayton, February 09, 2006 ... MACHO meat-eating Tyrannosaurus rex had a feathery forefather, which sported a delicate crest on its snout and long slender arms. This smaller and comparatively dandyish ancestor of fearsome T-rex was discovered in the badlands of Xinjiang in far-western China where it lived in the Late Jurassic period, about 160 million years ago. "It was a very spectacular animal," said paleontologist Steve Salisbury, of the University of Queensland in Brisbane. The new dinosaur had a mix of primitive characteristics - like three-fingered hands and blade-like teeth on the sides of its jaw - and more modern T-rex traits such as U-shaped teeth in the front of its upper jaw. The huge "nasal crest" on the dinosaur's nose was a surprise to the discovery team of Chinese, Canadian and US researchers, led by Xing Xu of the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology in Beijing. They speculate today in the journal Nature that it may have been a cumbersome sexual ornament, similar to the peacock's tail and the elk's antlers. Because the 3m-long dinosaur - named Guanlong wucaii , or "crowned dragon of the five-coloured rocks - and a more recent member of the same lineage, Dilong, apparently had primitive feathers, Dr Salisbury suggested another surprise: that T-rex may also have had a spot of plumage. "It may have had immature feathers, protofeathers, when it was young," said Dr Salisbury. He added that some sort of feathered covering was probably a characteristic of all coelurosaurs, a group of swift small-bodied creatures that were ancestral to several groups of bipedal three-toed animals, including birds and the Tyrannosauridae, T-rex and its kin. ... [Having followed this "feathered dinosaur" issue from the beginning in 1998, and accepting since 1995 that birds share a common ancestor with reptiles (and therefore possibly, but not necessarily dinosaurs), I have all along considered to be a `groupthink' delusion that the Chinese "feathered dinosaurs" upon which this whole paradigm is based, had true feathers.
There has always been a minority of eminent dissenters, like the leading ornithologist Alan Feduccia who have seen these fosssil "feathers" first-hand and up-close, and yet rejected them as not true feathers, declaring "Feathered dinosaurs ... a myth":
"In 1975 the late Jurassic bird Archaeopteryx was an earthbound, predatory, feathered dinosaur that could not fly. According to the dogma of the time, hot-blooded dinosaurs developed feathers to trap heat, and their wing feathers elongated as insect traps. Since then, however, the evidence for hot-blooded dinosaurs has been dismantled and Archaeopteryx has been shown to be a bird in the modern sense, with fully developed elliptical wings similar to modern woodland birds, and asymmetric flight feathers that form individual airfoils, a flight scapula/coracoid arrangement, and a reserved hallux, found only in perching birds, and known in no dinosaur. Too, as new specimens emerged, the creature has been shown to be more and more birdlike. As cladistic evidence for a dinosaurian origin of birds increased, other feathered dinosaurs (artistic inventions) have emerged, including feathered Coelophysis, Deinonychus, and more recently Unenlagia and Velociraptor; however, there has never been any evidence for these assertions. Most recently, feathered dinosaurs began to emerge from China. First was the downy dinosaur Sinosauropteryx, a rather typical compsognathoid with a line of filaform structures on the middorsal line. Of concern, however, is that down is a secondary adaptation in modern neonate birds and would be maladaptive in a terrestrial dinosaur; downy baby ostriches, when wet, will die from hypothermia unless they seek the shelter of the mother's wings. Today there is no doubt that these structures are not down or feathers but collagen fibers that support a frill or skin flap running along the back. However, after Sinosauropteryx, an article in Nature [Ji, Q., Currie, P.J., Norell, M.A. & Ji, S-A., "Two feathered dinosaurs from northeastern China," Nature, 25 June 1998, Vol. 393, p.753] announced the discovery of two additional feathered dinosaurs from China, named Protarchaeopteryx and Caudipteryx. A cladistic analysis using some 90 anatomical features showed these creatures to be more primitive than Archaeopteryx and therefore feathered dinosaurs. However, the specimens are some 15 to 30 million years younger than Archaeopteryx; half of the characters are primitive and should therefore not have been used, and half of the characters are not present in the fossils, thus leaving two to three skull characters that cannot be ascertained in the crushed specimen. Interestingly, the entire cladogram is rooted in the latest Cretaceous Velociraptor, which occurs some 80 million years after the earliest known bird. Indeed, Caudipteryx shows a suite of features that show it to be a secondarily flightless bird, a Mesozoic kiwi, including a protopygostyle (fused tail vertebrae), an avian occiput, reduced fibula, wing feathers attached as in archaic birds, etc. Finally, there are now excellent specimens of theropod skin, one even showing muscle fibers, and not one shows signs of anything but typical thick tuberculated reptilian skin. Feathered dinosaurs remain a myth." (Feduccia A., "1,2,3 = 2,3,4: Accommodating the cladogram," Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA, Vol. 96, Issue 9, 4740-4742, April 27, 1999)
It is now evident the `feathered dinosaur' paradigm is degenerating, with vague and meaningless statements like, "immature feathers, protofeathers" and "some sort of feathered covering," being "probably a characteristic of all coelurosaurs." That some dinosaurs had an integument made up of fibrous scales does not mean they were feathers or even "protofeathers" (whatever that means)!]
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Epigenetic Therapies for Treatment of Mental Disorders
by Contributor · Published February 8, 2019 · Updated May 28, 2020
Mental health disorders range from anxiety and depression to schizophrenia and dementia, affecting a significant number of people worldwide. Current treatments tend to be short-term and carry high risks of withdrawal symptoms, among other adverse side effects. Epigenetic therapies are relatively recent and novel treatments being studied for their use against mental disorders, targeting illnesses at the source – the genetic code.
What is Epigenetics?
Effects of Epigenetic Modification
Epigenetic Therapies
RG108 – A Promising Drug Candidate
Genetics is the study of heredity, in which parents pass their genes to their offspring. These are located in the nucleus of each cell in the organism, providing the instructions to building proteins. In turn, they govern the way our bodies work, so defects in our genes are the cause of a variety of diseases.
However the incidence of certain disorders that 'run' in families cannot be fully explained by the genome alone2. The most suitable biological mechanism proposed to explain this is epigenetics, originally described by C. H. Waddington, a British evolutionary biologist, in 1942.
Epigenetics ('epi-' is Greek for 'above') presents a mechanism in which chemical compounds are added to genes, affecting the way they code for proteins. These natural processes are crucial for normal development, especially in cell differentiation, where different proteins are expressed based on the same genome3.
This regulation does not involve changes in the genetic code, so it is not a form of mutation. While epigenetic changes affect an individual's phenotype (the result of gene expression), it does not change the genotype (the DNA responsible for that particular characteristic).
In addition, the environment is able to influence epigenetic changes, changes that may even be passed down to later generations4. Studies have shown that depriving the mother of food during early pregnancy increases the risk of coronary heart disease, obesity and schizophrenia later in the child's life5,6.
Maternal stress has been shown to also affect epigenetics in the fetal brain, contributing to mental health issues7. Other epigenetic mechanisms may also result in illnesses such as cancer8.
There are three main epigenetic mechanisms proposed: DNA methylation, histone modification, and non-coding RNA associated gene silencing (not pictured)9.
From as far back as 1969, DNA methylation has been linked with affecting long-term memory function10. New studies provide further evidence that epigenetic mechanisms are able to regulate long-term neuronal changes. In addition, these changes also affect neuroplasticity, learning capacity, memory and other related functions11-14.
It is thought that handedness could be the result of epigenetic factors, with genome-wide association studies showing no single influential gene in handedness preference. Left-handedness in an individual could be the result of epigenetic changes brought about by environmental factors31.
Environmental factors cause epigenetic modifications, which would then affect handedness in an individual31
DNA methylation involves inserting a methyl group – a small molecule – into DNA. This occurs at the 5′ position of cytosine in DNA, by an enzyme known as DNA methyltransferases (DNMT). DNMTs are usually active during development, cell division, and differentiation. Therefore it was believed that methylation patterns were stable in differentiated cells.
However, new studies show that the mammalian adult nervous system cells undergo significant methylation, contradicting this claim15,16. Inhibiting the DNMT enzyme – and thereby preventing methylation – slows the formation of long-term memories14.
On the back of these results, researchers are starting to examine the role of epigenetics in psychiatric diseases. Faulty epigenetic mechanisms are thought to contribute to depression, psychosis, Alzheimer's, autism, addiction, etc17-19. Therefore, the development of epigenetic therapies to counteract this is of great value.
But a major obstacle in brain drug design is the blood-brain barrier, limiting the number of drugs candidates that target the brain. Due to the nature of this barrier, only molecules with high lipid solubility and low molecular size are able to cross it.
Epigenetic therapies are not exactly new; a number are already approved for the treatment of various cancers20. The problem facing current epigenetic drugs is high toxicity and severe side effects. This is acceptable in the case of life-threatening conditions such as aggressive forms of cancer, but not viable for diseases requiring a more subtle approach.
A few studies show possible therapeutic effects of drug candidate RG108 for the treatment of mental health illnesses, which will be discussed in greater detail.
Chemical structure of RG108
One promising drug candidate that fits the bill is RG108, a compound exhibiting high selectivity and low toxicity. RG108 is also able to cross the blood-brain barrier and binds to the active site of DNA methyltransferase. This blocks the activity of the enzyme and prevents DNA methylation in the brain21.
Abnormal learning and memory patterns have links to individuals with drug addiction. Synaptic plasticity causes neurons to 'fire' too much or too little, changing the strength of such impulses. Drugs such as cocaine can override mechanisms that regulate this, and one such mechanism is the increase in DNA methylatiom in the brain23. Administration of RG108 and blocking the DNMT enzyme significantly reduced drug-seeking behavior in rats, with the effects persisting for up to 1 month24.
In depression, stress is thought to have the biggest contributing factor. Recent studies show that depression increases the rate of DNA methylation while decreasing the expression of genes involved in neural plasticity. Researchers were able to modulate stress-induced changes in DNA methylation with RG108, which induced antidepressant-like effects in animal models25.
In another study focusing on obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), researchers treated OCD-like behavior (obsessive grooming) in the 3 different mice models to subcutaneous injection of one dose of RG108. RG108 reduced OCD-like behavior in all 3 mice models6. They also studied the role of DNMT methylation on memory and showed direct evidence of altered DNA methylation in a memory-related gene26.
Based on these results, it is clear that mental health outcomes can benefit from epigenetic therapies such as RG108. Other areas that epigenetic drugs could have a large impact are in disorders characterized by memory dysfunction. These include PTSD (overactive recall of traumatic memories) and Alzheimer's (impaired short-term and eventually long-term memory).
Schizophrenia and mood disorders also show links to epigenetic modifications, where the DNMT1 enzyme is selectively overexpressed in neurons. Brain tissue obtained from individuals who suffered from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and psychosis exhibited hyper-methylation that decreased the expression of Reelin – a protein involved in normal neurotransmission, memory formation and synaptic plasticity27,28.
Novel research shows that epigenetic mechanisms can even play a role in developmental disorders such as autism30. These results support the hypothesis that mental health disorders can arise from faulty neural processes resulting from epigenetic changes. Further studies are required to better understand these mechanisms, as well as to identify epigenetic biomarkers that represent these diseases.
Technology such as genome-wide detection of epigenetic modifications will allow researchers to design safer, more specific and more effective epigenetic therapies. The design and development of these novel therapies provide exciting prospects for the future of mental health management.
This article was written by Catarina Cunha via Write For Us.
Avery, O.T., C.M. Macleod, and M. McCarty, Studies on the Chemical Nature of the Substance Inducing Transformation of Pneumococcal Types : Induction of Transformation by a Desoxyribonucleic Acid Fraction Isolated from Pneumococcus Type Iii. J Exp Med, 1944. 79(2): p. 137-58.
Hotchkiss, R.D., The quantitative separation of purines, pyrimidines, and nucleosides by paper chromatography. J Biol Chem, 1948. 175(1): p. 315-32.
Holliday, R. and J.E. Pugh, DNA modification mechanisms and gene activity during development. Science, 1975. 187(4173): p. 226-32.
Waddington, C.H., The epigenotype. 1942. Int J Epidemiol, 2012. 41(1): p. 10-3.
Painter, R.C., T.J. Roseboom, and O.P. Bleker, Prenatal exposure to the Dutch famine and disease in later life: an overview. Reprod Toxicol, 2005. 20(3): p. 345-52.
St Clair, D., et al., Rates of adult schizophrenia following prenatal exposure to the Chinese famine of 1959-1961. JAMA, 2005. 294(5): p. 557-62.
Griffiths, B.B. and R.G. Hunter, Neuroepigenetics of stress. Neuroscience, 2014. 275: p. 420-435.
Vogelstein, B., et al., Cancer genome landscapes. Science (New York, N.Y.), 2013. 339(6127): p. 1546-1558.
Egger, G., et al., Epigenetics in human disease and prospects for epigenetic therapy. Nature, 2004. 429(6990): p. 457-63.
Holliday, R., Epigenetics: a historical overview. Epigenetics, 2006. 1(2): p. 76-80.
Jarome, T.J., et al., EZH2 Methyltransferase Activity Controls Pten Expression and mTOR Signaling during Fear Memory Reconsolidation. J Neurosci, 2018. 38(35): p. 7635-7648.
Lubin, F.D., et al., Epigenetic mechanisms: critical contributors to long-term memory formation. Neuroscientist, 2011. 17(6): p. 616-32.
Wang, Y.J., et al., Histone acetylation in the olfactory bulb of young rats facilitates aversive olfactory learning and synaptic plasticity. Neuroscience, 2013. 232: p. 21-31.
Miller, C.A. and J.D. Sweatt, Covalent modification of DNA regulates memory formation. Neuron, 2007. 53(6): p. 857-69.
Goto, K., et al., Expression of DNA methyltransferase gene in mature and immature neurons as well as proliferating cells in mice. Differentiation, 1994. 56(1-2): p. 39-44.
Feng, J., et al., Dynamic expression of de novo DNA methyltransferases Dnmt3a and Dnmt3b in the central nervous system. J Neurosci Res, 2005. 79(6): p. 734-46.
Philibert, R.A., et al., MAOA methylation is associated with nicotine and alcohol dependence in women. American journal of medical genetics. Part B, Neuropsychiatric genetics : the official publication of the International Society of Psychiatric Genetics, 2008. 147B(5): p. 565-570.
Bonsch, D., et al., Lowered DNA methyltransferase (DNMT-3b) mRNA expression is associated with genomic DNA hypermethylation in patients with chronic alcoholism. J Neural Transm (Vienna), 2006. 113(9): p. 1299-304.
Nestler, E.J., et al., Epigenetic Basis of Mental Illness. Neuroscientist, 2016. 22(5): p. 447-63.
Verma, M. and V. Kumar, Chapter 21 – Epigenetic Drugs for Cancer and Precision Medicine, in Epigenetics of Aging and Longevity, A. Moskalev and A.M. Vaiserman, Editors. 2018, Academic Press: Boston. p. 439-451.
Heerboth, S., et al., Use of epigenetic drugs in disease: an overview. Genetics & epigenetics, 2014. 6: p. 9-19.
Hyman, S.E., Addiction: a disease of learning and memory. Am J Psychiatry, 2005. 162(8): p. 1414-22.
Nielsen, D.A., et al., Epigenetics of drug abuse: predisposition or response. Pharmacogenomics, 2012. 13(10): p. 1149-1160.
Massart, R., et al., Role of DNA methylation in the nucleus accumbens in incubation of cocaine craving. J Neurosci, 2015. 35(21): p. 8042-58.
Sales, A.J. and S.R. Joca, Effects of DNA methylation inhibitors and conventional antidepressants on mice behaviour and brain DNA methylation levels. Acta Neuropsychiatr, 2016. 28(1): p. 11-22.
Genoux, D., et al., Protein phosphatase 1 is a molecular constraint on learning and memory. Nature, 2002. 418(6901): p. 970-5.
Veldic, M., et al., Epigenetic mechanisms expressed in basal ganglia GABAergic neurons differentiate schizophrenia from bipolar disorder. Schizophrenia research, 2007. 91(1-3): p. 51-61.
Veldic, M., et al., DNA-methyltransferase 1 mRNA is selectively overexpressed in telencephalic GABAergic interneurons of schizophrenia brains. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2004. 101(1): p. 348-353.
Lardenoije, R., et al., The epigenetics of aging and neurodegeneration. Progress in Neurobiology, 2015. 131: p. 21-64.
Tordjman, S., et al., Gene-Environment Interactions in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Role of Epigenetic Mechanisms. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2014. 5(53).
Schmitz, J., Metz, G. A., Güntürkün, O., & Ocklenburg, S. (2017). Beyond the genome—Towards an epigenetic understanding of handedness ontogenesis. Progress in Neurobiology, 159, 69-89.
Tags: Drug DesignDrug DevelopmentEpigeneticsMental HealthNovel Therapies
Strategies to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
by Sean · Published December 29, 2019 · Last modified May 27, 2020
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You are here:Home / News / LIVING HIGH LIFE BY FABIO LELI
LIVING HIGH LIFE BY FABIO LELI
The Open Reel represents now the first long documentary project Living High Life (Vivere alla grande) directed by Italian Fabio Leli and produced by Human Tree, in collaboration with Banca Etica, Libera Puglia and the support of Compagnia Sharahzad. The film has been premiered out of competition at the last Locarno International Film Festival and at the last Milano Film Festival for Italy.
Italy is under attack. The invader is not a foreign country. The enemy has an easy recognizable face, but its presence is now so strong and rooted, that is almost considered an ally by the Italian Government. The enemy is legalized gambling, a perfect machine that works on several levels, and that the last year has sucked Italians 100 billion euro.It sucked, but spontaneously. It seems an invisible and involuntary tax, a poor's fee. The invasion develops economically, but also territorial, political, social, and cultural media. It's a vicious cycle involving all these aspects and modifies them for the top goal: profit. But a profit of a few, in contrast to the suffering and poverty of many, too many. Undoubtedly because the only sure way to win and accurate with gambling is just one: handle it.
Speaking of gambling in 2015 could be "fashionable", since lately we hear journalistic voices about scandal on TV. But the subject is treated in the same manner with which the media treat any other subject, or with detachment, pointing to the audience rather than to information. They talk about numbers, about how the legal gambling gives a return to the State or companies who run it, about how many players get sick of "game addiction" (a journalistic term that does disgust, because the playful aspect here has nothing to do) or maybe they show on tv hooded people sentenced, front of a wall, to tell how much money they threw away in gambling, when maybe they hide behind a lot more than just figures of money. But above all where were those same journalists, when in 2009 the crisis gripped the Italian population, which even then was beginning to pour so manic in tobacco shops, bingo halls or in front of slot machines?
FABIO LELI
After graduating in Communication in 2009 and graduated in Direction and Screenplay at the Academy of Cinema and Television "Griffith" of Rome in 2011, he wrote and directed two short films: The Ways of Poker Are Endless and Beyond the Sea. He worked as assistant director on several national and international sets, including Run Away, the award-winning web series nationally and internationally, and was co-writer and translator for the film Guido Superstar of the Italian-Canadian director and actor Silvio Pollio. In 2014 he made his first documentary film Living High Life, whose short version opened the Notorious Film Festival of Cagliari and The Social Networld – A Love Story, the award-winning short film screened at the National Institute of Culture "Roberto Rossellini" of Los Angeles. In 2015, he has completed the feature film version of Living High Life, premiered at the Locarno International Film Festival.
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Palace of Westminster Image by Flickr user Trodel
Cyclist who chased Westminster terror suspect: "You have a cup of tea and biscuit and carry on"
Robert Nicholson gives eyewitness account of moment driver ploughed through group of cyclists yesterday morning
Wed, Aug 15, 2018 12:11
A cyclist who chased after the Westminster terror suspect yesterday morning said, "You have a cup of tea and a biscuit and carry on" when he was asked his reaction to the incident.
29-year-old Salih Khater, who has been arrested on suspicion of terror offences, drove through a group of cyclists at Parliament Square before crashing into a barrier outside the Palace of Westminster.
> Updated: Cyclists injured in Westminster terror attack as driver crashes through them
Three cyclists were injured in the incident, with one treated at the scene and the other two taken to hospital and subsequently released.
Cyclist Robert Nicholson, who was on his way to work, witnessed what happened and chased after the car after it hit the group of cyclists.
Yesterday, he told Sky News: "Usually you get anything from 10 to 30 cyclists waiting – there were about 15 cyclists there this morning.
"You could kind of see just round the corner of Big Ben there was an ambulance with its lights on and siren blaring.
"All of a sudden, whipping round the corner – just from the traffic lights – was this small Ford Focus-type car and just rammed straight through the group of 10 to 15 cyclists that were stood there (and) probably hit the lady cyclists a couple of foot to my right."
At first he believed it was a road traffic collision or perhaps a motorist being pursued by the police.
He said: "My immediate reaction was I wasn't hit on the bike so I jumped off my bike and ran after him.
"He [the driver] obviously carried on, swerved into the lane for the Houses of Parliament, crashed into the barrier.
"And at that point, when armed police yelled 'clear out, get out the way' I realised it was a little more serious."
TV footage showed Mr Nicholson running after the car, and police officers at the barrier jumping out of the way of it.
"The police officers at the barrier were obviously quite shocked at that sort of sudden impact but very quickly responded," Mr Nicholson continued.
He said that one cyclist was left lying in the street after she had been struck "full on by the car directly. She'd kind of flown up onto the bonnet.
"Very luckily she had a helmet on, so that probably reduced any head injuries she had.
"She was lying stationary in the middle of the road.
"Very luckily because there was an ambulance just behind them, paramedics were there within seconds and able to respond to her."
Asked how the incident had affected him, he said he had already put it to one side.
"As a cyclist you probably get a little bit used to that anyway, of just the odd near miss and stuff like that happening in London," he explained.
"And, also being English, you have a cup of tea and a biscuit and you carry on the next day," he added.
"I'll just carry on cycling in, carry on walking in. I hope the other cyclists recover quickly and they start cycling in again."


Story From Henry Ford Health System: How to nap like a pro
Getting sufficient shut-eye is as important to health, well-being and even shedding unwanted pounds as diet and exercise.
How to nap like a pro Getting sufficient shut-eye is as important to health, well-being and even shedding unwanted pounds as diet and exercise. Check out this story on Freep.com: https://on.freep.com/1LHYj37
Story from
How to nap like a pro
Henry Ford Health System Staff Published 6:52 a.m. ET Oct. 20, 2015
This story is provided and presented by our sponsor.
If you let go of the guilt, you might discover the many health benefits of napping.(Photo: Shutterstock)
Getting sufficient shut-eye is as important to health, well-being and even shedding unwanted pounds as diet and exercise. In fact, adequate sleep directly affects your ability to eat well, move and de-stress.
But when you're short on sleep, are you more likely to reach for a supersized latte to get moving, skip the gym and get take-out for dinner because you're too wiped out to cook? If this cascade of events happens to you a few times each year: no problem. Trouble is, nearly two-thirds of Americans report their sleep needs aren't being met during a typical week. Add to that the stigma of a daytime nap (you're lazy!) and it's no wonder sleep deprivation is a growing epidemic in this country.
"Most people need seven to eight hours of sleep each night," says Christopher Drake, Ph.D., a Henry Ford sleep medicine specialist. So if you're consistently logging less than that, you not only compromise alertness but set the stage for hormonal and metabolic changes that can increase your risk for the nation's top killers: high blood pressure, diabetes and heart disease.
The good news: making naps part of your daily routine can help compensate for a sleep deficit, says Drake. And it's a relatively simple step—compared to eating well and exercising—in the quest for optimal health and well-being.
Whether you're nodding off at work during an afternoon slump or sneaking in a weekend siesta, we've got you covered with five steps to successful snoozing:
1. Take advantage of timing
Cultures that celebrate "siesta" are on to something. Prime naptime is around 2 p.m. when there's a dip in our bodies' natural circadian rhythm (your body's internal clock).
2. Set the stage
Unfortunately, most companies don't have nap rooms and that makes daytime snoozing difficult for those of us with typical 9-5 jobs, particularly amidst the incessant glow of computers, fluorescent lighting and cellphones. The antidote? If your job situation allows it, create a soothing environment that's dark, cool and quiet. Silence devices, shut the blinds, turn off the lights and hang a sign on your office door that says, "Nap Time." If you're thinking that won't fly in your office, try "Meeting in Progress" or "Do Not Disturb." Then, break out the preparatory props: earplugs, an eye mask and a comfortable pillow.
3. Drink a cup of joe
It may seem counterintuitive, but a small jolt of caffeine before you sleep acts as a preemptive strike against post-snooze grogginess. Dubbed "sleep inertia," this post-deep-sleep state can make limbs feel like concrete, eyes struggle to focus and minds function at a snail's pace. Sip immediately before you snooze to prevent caffeine from interfering with sleep. "The caffeine acts like a built-in alarm clock," says Drake. The only difference is, you won't want to hit "snooze."
4. Avoid napping close to bedtime
Taking naps late in the day can impact your ability to sleep at night. Drake's rule of thumb: don't nap within six hours of when you typically turn in.
5. Release the guilt
Taking a power nap does not make you lazy. It's an effective strategy to boost alertness and productivity, not to mention its effects on your psyche!
Still falling asleep at your desk despite a good seven- to eight-hour snooze? See a sleep specialist. Sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea and narcolepsy, can reduce the restorative quality of sleep. Getting an appropriate diagnosis can dramatically improve your quality of life.
Dr. Christopher Drake is board-certified in sleep medicine and behavioral sleep medicine. Visit the Henry Ford Sleep Disorders Center or call (313) 916-4417 for an appointment with a sleep medicine specialist.
If you are interested in learning more about sleep research studies, please contact (248) 344-2460 or email ashull1@hfhs.org
For more tips on health and wellness, visit henryfordlivewell.com and subscribe for weekly updates.
This story is provided and presented by our sponsor Henry Ford Health System.
Members of the editorial and news staff of the USA TODAY Network were not involved in the creation of this content.
Read or Share this story: https://on.freep.com/1LHYj37
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The MIT Press journals join MIT Press Direct on the Silverchair Platform
SupaduDev | MIT Press Direct, Open Access
With the addition of 39 of the Press's journals, MIT Press Direct offers a comprehensive, unified access point for all MIT Press digital content
Silverchair and the MIT Press announce the launch of 39 of the Press's journals on the Silverchair Platform. These journals join the thousands of MIT Press ebooks on the Press's institutional content platform MIT Press Direct, which launched in 2018.
MIT Press Direct now provides a more comprehensive, unified access point for all MIT Press digital content, offering a seamless and consistent experience for users. The MIT Press Direct site delivers significant works in economics, business innovation, machine learning and AI, environment, evolution, and energy. On the Silverchair Platform, the MIT Press journals now benefit from a flexible platform that can accommodate the diverse content that the MIT Press publishes, ranging from highly technical titles with LaTeX mathematical computations to heavily illustrated art and architecture volumes.
"We are thrilled to expand our partnership with the MIT Press and look forward to what the Press can now achieve with their digital content on a unified platform," said Thane Kerner, CEO of Silverchair, the leading independent platform partner for scholarly and professional publishers. "Our collaboration with the MIT Press has been both energizing and enjoyable, and we are proud to support them and other distinguished university presses in meeting the changing and expanding needs of their users."
"We are delighted to once again partner with Silverchair and unite our ebooks and journals on a single platform," said Nick Lindsay, director of journals and open access at the MIT Press. "The newly expanded site will allow us to deliver a competitive, contemporary experience for our journals to our institutional and individual customers."
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Home > Blog > 176 Year Old Newspaper Fights Slavery; Echos Today's News
176 Year Old Newspaper Fights Slavery; Echos Today's News
Last August we received a plea via email: "We want a scan of four pages of a fragile 1841 newspaper that is approximately 16 7/8″ x 22 3/4″. I suspect this is too small a job for your company, but I thought I'd try. We are a small museum with a pitifully small budget." How could we resist?
What Jane Rissler, director of the Jefferson County (W Va.) Museum and author of the email, didn't know is that we keep our eyes open for the occasional pro bono project – something small, something of historic interest, something we can promote and, because we are a business, something that can foster a future relationship. This particular project fit the bill – or as it happened, the lack of one.
The masthead of this Morning Star edition discovered in Harpers Ferry, W. Va. bears the signature of Reverend Nathan Cook Brackett.
Renovations and Revolutions
The newspaper in question was an original edition of the Morning Star newspaper dated February 10, 1841. This was not a newspaper tucked neatly in museum archives. Instead, it was an opportunity that – quite literally – fell from above.
Dr. Darren Lisse (left) presents the 1841 edition of the Morning Star to James Taylor (right), president of the Jefferson County (W. Va.) Black History Preservation Society.
The newspaper was accidentally discovered by Dr. Darren Lisse, a Jefferson County physician, who was renovating a local historic home. As he pulled down an old horsehair ceiling as part of the restoration, the folded newspaper tumbled along with the ceiling. The paper was framed and for several years graced the walls of the renovated home. Eventually, Dr. Lisse contacted the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society which was thrilled to learn of the paper's existence and the document was transferred in a formal ceremony on July 14, 2016.
The Morning Star was published by the Freewill Baptists from 1826 – 1911. It's original function was to disseminate the news and beliefs of the Freewill Baptist denomination. Under new leadership in 1834, the once-conservative newspaper made an editorial turn to promote the cause of abolition and met with resistance from both local government and its readership. By the publication of this 1841 edition, however, the call of freedom for all was widely embraced and the Morning Star became a flagship voice for the abolition of slavery.
On the front page of the edition discovered by Dr. Lisse, one can plainly see "N Brackett" in bold handwriting, giving this particular copy additional significance. Reverend Nathan Cook Brackett was a Freewill Baptist minister who educated freed slaves and eventually helped to found Storer College in 1867, the only West Virginia college at the time open to African American men and women. Brackett was well-liked by all races and pushed forth the idea that African Americans could and should educate each other rather than rely on missionaries.
No Such Thing as Old News
Crowley Imaging used a Zeutschel large-format scanner to digitize and preserve the pages electronically. The overhead scanner uses a cool LED lighting system, a sophisticated software program and a low-pressure glass plate that is gentle on an original. A slight border was allowed around the newspaper edges to ensure that all data was captured. The images were delivered via thumb drive as 300 dpi color TIFF and JPG Q80 derivative files and also as a 300 dpi color multi-page searchable PDF document.
With the exception of the issue of slavery, it seemed to me as I perused the PDF that many of the articles found in this issue of the Morning Star are not that different than those on today's news pages. Punctuation and formal language aside, it seems we may not have progressed as far in nearly two centuries as we think we have.
Here are a few excerpts that caught my eye (italics and topic heads are mine; the punctuation is original). You can read the whole paper here:
A large State convention has recently been held at Columbus, the capital—which, says the correspondent of the Philanthopist [sic], was " a body of men, that for respectability and weight of character, clearness of intellect and argumentative talent, independence and fearlessness of spirit, and determinateness of purpose, has never been surpassed by any other assembly of Citizens in the state of Ohio."
The article reports on a number of resolutions made at the convention, including:
3. That slavery exists under the jurisdiction of the Federal government, that it uses the power of this government to extend its domination and advance its interests at the expense of the interests of free labor; that it has invaded the Federal Constitution, and violated some of the most precious rights of the people of this union; that it has operated most injuriously on the legislation and politics of the free states, and on the domestic and foreign policy of the nation.
The war with China is supposed to be ended, the "Brother of the Sun and Moon" having agreed to pay the English $15,000,000,and give them an island near Canton, if they would evacuate the Chusan group.—The tea speculators are in agony.
The war in Affghanistan [sic] has ended by the defeat and surrender of Dost Mohammed to the British forces.
Public Debauchery
Rum. A man by the name of Orcutt was found drunk in Concord a few days since by the police and put into a place for safe keeping till he became sober.
Congressional Doings, or talkings rather: for talk continues to be the order of the day. The debate over, not on, the Treasury Note Bill, in the House, has continued to the present time.
The article continues, mentioning the specifics of a bill and then launches into perhaps my favorite paragraph.
The only item besides, worth noting, we give in the words of the correspondent of the New York Evangelist.
"There was a rare scene in the House yesterday (January 21) occasioned by the introduction of an Abolition petition by Mr. Adams. The Speaker decided, that the portion of it relating to the non-admission of slave holding Territories into the Union, was admissible. An appeal was made from the decision of the chair. At length a point of order was raised, then another, and another; till at last the whole concern became so involved and entangled, that no one seemed to know precisely how matters stood; and a member sung out, "You are out of order all round!" And in fact, this member appeared to be nearer the mark than all of them."
Today, the fragile newspaper is safely stored in the Jefferson County Museum archives with the hopes that a reproduction may one day be on display. For now, say Rissler, "We are caretakers for this loan from the Jefferson County Black History Preservation Society and are happy to be so. This is an important part of our local and national history."
Below are several links to further enhance an understanding of how this accidental find fits into American history. As a side note, this year will see several celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Storer College's founding, including a display at the Jefferson County Museum.
Abolitionist paper presented to Jefferson County organization (Martinsburg Journal)
Presentation made to Jefferson County, WV African-American group (WVAlways.com)
A black college closed in 1955, but its fading alumni fight to pass on a legacy (Washington Post Magazine)
Storer College Alumni keeping history alive (Frederick Post)
About the digitizing capabilities of Crowley Imaging
For more information on the digital and analog conversion services offered by Crowley Imaging, please visit our website or call (240) 215-0224. General inquiries can be emailed to blog@thecrowleycompany.com. Stay connected and follow The Crowley Company on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.
Tags: abolition, Black History, Freewill Baptists, Jefferson County, Morning Star, newspaper scanning, Storer College
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Russia says US HIMARS and warehouse full of ammunition destroyed in strike
By Chris G. Robinson On Aug 13, 2022
Russia said it destroyed a High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) in its latest statement of a successful strike against the weapon the United States supplied to Ukraine.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said his country's forces managed to hit the multi-rocket launcher system that allowed Ukraine to target command centers and Russian ammunition depots.
"Around Kramatorsk in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), a HIMARS launcher and a warehouse with ammunition were destroyed," Konashenkov said during a video briefing on Saturday, according to the state-run Tass news agency.
He said strikes "by operational and tactical aviation and army, missile and artillery forces against military installations on the territory of Ukraine continue".
U.S. soldiers by an M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launcher vehicle, in Morocco on June 9, 2021. Russia said on August 13, 2022 that it hit the system and its ammunition.
FADEL SENÉ/Getty Images
Russian forces had also destroyed two Mi-24 helicopters at a helipad in the Domanevka area of the Mykolaiv region, he claimed. "Four command posts, personnel, weapons, military and special equipment in 143 districts were also affected," he added.
Russia's claim has not been independently verified and Newsweek contacted the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense for comment.
Moscow has made a number of unverified claims in recent weeks that it had successfully targeted HIMARS that had been supplied to Ukrainian forces.
Also on Saturday, Russian Foreign Ministry official Alexander Darchiev reiterated claims that Ukraine's military was using HIMARS to carry out strikes using US intelligence, a charge Washington has denied.
Moscow has repeatedly criticized the US arms supply to Kyiv, with Darchiev telling Tass that Washington was "increasingly becoming a direct party to the conflict".
However, as previously pointed out Newsweekretired U.S. Marine Corps Col. Mark Cancian said the ammunition the U.S. has provided Ukraine for the systems could run out in the next three to four months.
He said Newsweek he estimated that the United States had given Ukraine around 10,000 HIMARS missiles and as such "will have to reduce the number of missiles supplied as supplies will run out".
"I think there will be a series of discussions within the Pentagon," Cancian added.
HIMARS missiles known as Guided Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (GMLRS) have a range of over 50 miles. HIMARS also launches its weapons and can get away quickly before enemy forces locate the launch site and have been credited with helping Ukrainian forces hit important Russian targets.
Since the war began on February 24, the United States has sent $9.1 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including helicopters, drones and heavy artillery, in addition to HIMARS. Weapons include 7,500 Javelin anti-armour missiles and 1,400 Stinger anti-aircraft missiles
SpaceX launches 46 Starlink satellites and lands a rocket on a drone
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Home > News and events > 2012 > October 2012 > Kenyan colonial torture victims win right to full trial against the British Government after 50 year
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Kenyan colonial torture victims win right to full trial against the British Government after 50 years
Tortured Kenyans can continue with their claim against the British Government
In an historic judgment, the High Court today rejected the British Government's attempt to strike out the claims of three Kenyan victims of British Colonial torture on the grounds that the claims were time barred. The judgment means the Government will now have to face potentially thousands of claims from Kenyans who suffered similar torture.
The Government will now face a full trial or seek settlement with those which it accepts have been tortured by the British colony.
The Judge, Mr Justice McCombe ruled that "…a fair trial on this part of the case does remain possible and that the evidence on both sides remains significantly cogent for the Court to complete its task satisfactorily"
The Judge also made reference to the 'Hanslope archive' of secret documents, stating that the 'lost' archive of some 8,800 files 'filled in the gaps' in the knowledge of both parties making a fair trial possible.
This is the second time in two years that the British Government has lost in its efforts to use legal technicalities to have the case against it thrown out.
Last year it argued on the grounds that the Kenyan Government was legally responsible for any abuses committed by the British colony. The Court rejected those arguments in April 2011.
During the latest two-week hearing in the High Court, in July 2012, leading Counsel for the British Government conceded the claimants had been tortured by British officials. This is the first time the British Government has accepted that the colonial regime in Kenya was responsible for torture of Kenyans prior to independence.
Despite this admission, the Government continued to deny legal responsibility by claiming that the case was out of time. They argued that it was impossible to have a fair trial after more than fifty years primarily because so many witnesses had died. This argument was rejected today by Mr Justice McCombe who, after a detailed review of the evidence, held that the documentary and witness evidence is so extensive that a fair trial is possible.
In the first Judgment in 2011 he held:
"The materials evidencing the continuing abuses in the detention camps in subsequent years are substantial, as is the evidence of the knowledge of both governments that they were happening and of the failure to take effective action to stop them." (Paragraph 128)
In the second Judgment, given today, he held:
"I have reached the conclusion….that a fair trial on this part of the case does remain possible and that the evidence on both sides remains significantly cogent for the Court to complete its task satisfactorily. The documentation is voluminous….and the governments and military commanders seem to have been meticulous record keepers. The Hanslope material has filed the gaps in the parties' knowledge and understanding and that process is still continuing. I am not satisfied that the defendant has adequately taken into account the number of potential witnesses, presently identified or otherwise, at levels of government and the army lower than politicians, senior civil servants and generals, who might be able to supplement its case on the documents." (paragraph 95)
Martyn Day, Senior Partner at Leigh Day said today:
"This is an historic judgment which will reverberate around the world and will have repercussions for years to come.
The British Government has admitted that these three Kenyans were brutally tortured by the British colony and yet they have been hiding behind technical legal defences for three years in order to avoid any legal responsibility. This was always morally repugnant and today the Judge has also rejected these arguments.
Following this judgment we can but hope that our Government will at last do the honourable thing and sit down and resolve these claims.
There will undoubtedly be victims of colonial torture from Malaya to the Yemen from Cyprus to Palestine who will be reading this judgment with great care."
Leigh Day represents three Kenyans who were victims of grave acts of torture at the hands of British officials during the Kenya Emergency in the 1950s and 1960s. The claimants have each suffered unspeakable acts of brutality, including castrations and severe sexual assaults.
The claimants represent the wider community of hundreds of elderly Kenyans who are still alive and were the victim of abuses during the Emergency. President Obama's grandfather was among those who were detained and abused at the time.
The Kenya Human Rights Commission and the Kenyan Government are supporting the claims. Three leading academic experts on the Kenya Emergency have all put in lengthy statements in support of the claimants.
For more information please contact David Standard, Head of Media Relations at Leigh Day & Co: 07540 332717 or Rebekah Read (at the RCJ) on 07835 638648.
Information was correct at time of publishing. See terms and conditions for further details.
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EveryMatrix announces new Chief Technology Officer
Fri, Mar 1, 9:42am by Staff Writer
One-stop shop casino content aggregator EveryMatrix has announced the appointment of Rafael Campuzano as its new Chief Technology Officer.
Mr Campuzano brings experience to the role after formerly working as a chief technology officer at Bit8.
Armed with more than 19 years of experience, he has extensive technical expertise.
Mr Campuzano has worked in several reputable telecom and software companies before joining the iGaming industry in 2016.
The chief executive officer of EveryMatrix Ebbe Groes commented: "Rafael is an authentic, passionate tech person and we are positive that his hands-on approach will generate many valuable insights and exciting new ideas."
"We are thrilled to have Rafael joining our team, and we are sure his talent and comprehensive knowledge will greatly contribute to our expansion," Mr Groes said.
"He will oversee managing the continued very fast growth of transaction while bringing performance to even higher levels than today!"
Mr Campuzano added that he already loves the enthusiasm of his team and that they are striving for excellence.
"From an operational perspective, my focus is to make sure our clients can concentrate on what really matters to them thanks to our stable and smooth-running applications and systems," he said.
"Furthermore, I will work with the teams to help them deliver the best features to our clients, while beating competitors' time to market," Mr Campuzano said.
According to Calvin Ayre, more than 30 new casino clients have been launched by EveryMatrix, including regional market leaders such as Norse Tipping, Tipico and Adjarabet.
EveryMatrix products work together as an entire platform or can be used independently to accommodate a range of clients from bookmakers to lotteries and from existing large operations to newcomers.
EveryMatrix appoints new CTO – @EveryMatrix https://t.co/8oP1PQRnhq pic.twitter.com/zfbVO7h55v
— Yogonet News (@YogonetNews) November 28, 2016
Playtech and Norsk extend partnership
Technology firm Playtech's partnership with the national operator of gambling in Norway, Norsk Tipping, has been extended for a further 10 years.
One of Playtech's subsidiaries, Videobet, has agreed to the extension that allows Playtech to continue to provide the system technology for all of Norway's video lottery terminal (VLT) gaming systems.
The partnership between Playtech and Norsk Tipping began in 2003.
The deal has seen Videobet's VLT products and services become available in more than a thousand of Norsk Tipping's retail outlets across Norway.
The contract extension underlines Playtech's position as a market leading technology supplier in regulated and newly regulated markets, particularly across Europe.
Under the renewed contract, Videobet will continue to maintain and extend the cutting-edge capabilities of its VLT system.
The system has successfully operated Videobet and third party content for more than 10 years, with Videobet currently extending the open capabilities of the system by adding support for Remote Game Servers.
The head of gaming operations at Norsk Tipping Hans Erland Ringsvold said: "we are very happy with the technology and services provided by Playtech and the Videobet team. We are confident that their VLT technology, coupled with their professional expertise and experience from a wide range of markets will continue to provide great value for Norsk Tipping and ensure that we can fulfil our future VLT strategy and business objectives."
Playtech's chief operating officer Shimon Akad told Calvin Ayre: "for more than 15 years we have successfully supported Norsk Tipping in delivering a VLT program for the Norwegian market."