Humboldt State’s Gardner, Cappa earn first-team all-D2CCAA Super Region Three honors
ARCATA >> Ja’Quan Gardner and Alex Cappa have been the foundation of what the Humboldt State football team has been able to do on offense the past two-plus season.And they’re continuing to rack up the awards — for good reason.Gardner, the Jacks’ record-setting junior running back, and Cappa, the man who blocks for No. 32 and protects quarterback Robert Webber’s blind side, were both named 2016 Conference Commissioner’s Association Super Region Three first-team all-region selections.Both …
The Stupid Evolution Quote of the Week goes to Mark Gladwin (04/25/2007) who said something the gentler sex will probably wince at: “Study the pregnant women, because that’s where you’ll see evolution in action.” No offense intended, we hope. A runner-up goes to Deborah Charlesworth, who in Current Biology April 17 named Darwin as a scientific hero and associated Darwin-doubters with militant ducks. Asked what is the biggest current challenge facing the scientific community, she said,I think it is the difficulty of communicating an understanding of what science really is. This is affecting young people who don’t feel the fascination of science, and it is allowing the spread of all kinds of irrational beliefs, such as quack medicine. Evolutionary biology is under repeated attack from those who think, or wish, that non-natural processes must be involved.Another contestant was Charles Lineweaver in Astrobiology Magazine who, in reviewing a book about the Gaia hypothesis, swept away Darwin-doubters with one hand while scratching his head over a fundamental Darwinian question with the other hand: “Forget the debates with creationists and intelligent designers; the scientific debate about the unit of selection is one of the most important challenges that Darwinism has ever had to face.” A new prize for Stupid Evolution Quote of the Month should probably be instituted for contestants like the following. David Brooks, a conservative columnist for the New York Times, wrote in an editorial entitled “The Age of Darwin” that evolution has become the “unifying grand narrative” of the modern age. Writing from Jerusalem, where he compared the holy sites to the Rockefeller Museum, he wrote in superlatives that would make Darwin blush:And it occurred to me that while we postmoderns say we detest all-explaining narratives, in fact a newish grand narrative has crept upon us willy-nilly and is now all around. Once the Bible shaped all conversation, then Marx, then Freud, but today Darwin is everywhere…. According to this view, human beings, like all other creatures, are machines for passing along genetic code. We are driven primarily by a desire to perpetuate ourselves and our species…. The cosmologies of the societies represented in the Rockefeller Museum looked up toward the transcendent. Their descendants still fight over sacred spots like the Holy of Holies a short walk away. But the evolutionary society is built low to the ground. God may exist and may have set the process in motion, but he’s not active. Evolution doesn’t really lead to anything outside itself. Individuals are predisposed not by innate sinfulness or virtue, but by the epigenetic rules encoded in their cells.He ended, “We have a grand narrative that explains behavior and gives shape to history. We have a central cosmology to embrace, argue with or unconsciously submit to.” This editorial by David Brooks (read it in its entirety at Free Democracy) brought sharp rebukes from Richard Kirk at The American Spectator and Bruce Chapman at the Discovery Institute. Kirk accused Brooks of personification in his depiction of the “logic” of evolution: “One must slip a personifying image of Mother Nature through an intellectual back door to make the term mean what Brooks implies in his paean-of-sorts to Richard Dawkins’ ‘Blind Watchmaker.’” But the bluntness of the wording in the editorial led some to believe that surely Brooks was satirizing Darwin. That’s what Logan Gage at Discovery Institute first thought, but now he’s not sure. Maybe our readers can tell if it was all just a joke.Update 04/28/2007: The verdict is in. Logan Gage wrote again for Evolution News that despite his incredulity Brooks would say such things, he stands corrected: Brooks would, and did.For the sake of Mr. Brooks’ reputation, we certainly wish he had been joking. A worse statement of utter capitulation to Darwin could hardly be found. It is totally groundless, self refuting, simplistic and uninformed – if he meant it seriously. Current Biology, true to form, dredged up another Darwin lover for its biweekly interview. The answer to the obligatory question “Do you have any scientific heroes?” must include “Darwin” or else you get dunked. It’s all a game the editors play. Deborah Charlesworth, like her husband Brian, are card-carrying members of the Darwin Party attack force. This means they have to portray the peace-loving Visigoths as the attackers. At least she also included Gregor Mendel as a scientific hero. Charles Lineweaver showed the childlike faith in Darwin, characteristic of good disciples, that can permit the most damning questions to remain unanswered while ignoring those who have a different approach. Oddly, he can give the time of day to weird science like Gaia, but not offer one short sentence to the kind of theistic science that built modern science in the first place (online book). It’s quotes like these that lead one to resign oneself to the strategy of Max Planck who, when asked why quantum mechanics became accepted, remarked that the doubters simply died off. Sad to say, a younger generation of more open-minded scientists willing to consider design arguments will likely have to tolerate the rantings of Darwin’s old fogies (like certain Senators) for a few more years.(Visited 12 times, 1 visits today)FacebookTwitterPinterestSave分享0
Public housing in Colorado’s Boulder County not only took a green turn in 2009, it took a turn toward energy efficient modular construction.By late October, in the town of Lafayette, the county’s Housing & Human Services division had unveiled the tangible results of its Paradigm Pilot Project: a modular single-family home and adjacent duplex manufactured by project partner All American Homes and designed to deliver near net-zero-energy performance. As noted in a story recently posted by the Daily Camera, the long-term performance of the buildings and the collaborations and initiatives that brought the project to life could have significant implications for similar county projects in the future.“This was an experiment to see how well this comes together,” Scott Simkus, developer for the county’s housing department, told the Daily Camera. “This is the first time the factory has built a near-zero-energy project.”In addition to having well-insulated exterior walls and roofs, the Paradigm Pilot homes are sited to take advantage of passive solar gain and are supported by solar power and ground-source heat pump systems whose design allows the systems to be scaled up for larger modular-construction projects.The county also used Paradigm Pilot as a training vehicle for unskilled workers and partnered with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory, HB&A Architects, Farnsworth Group, Lighthouse Solar, Major Geothermal, and All American Homes on a range of project priorities, from design to construction protocols to performance testing.
Studying environmental studies in Class XII is proving to be a disadvantage for students of ISC Board who are applying to Delhi University this year.Since the subject does not figure in the list of elective subjects (approved by DU’s Academic Council) that can be included in a candidates best of four aggregate, most colleges are either refusing to consider environmental studies as a valid subject or marking negatively for the same.”DU has no fixed criteria when it comes to the inclusion of environmental education while calculating best- offour aggregate. I had to approach different colleges and check. To make matters worse each college treats this subject differently,” said Parull Khanna, who scored 88 per cent in the subject.In 2004, the Supreme Court passed an order which made environmental education a compulsory subject for all students from Class I to Class XII. Central Board of Secondary Education ( CBSE) was of the belief that in order to have compliance, a separate subject is not a necessity and introduced components in science, social studies, mathematics, language and other subjects. The ISC Board, on the other hand, made environmental education a compulsory subject in 2005.”The four subjects that a candidate includes in his best of four aggregate should be in some way relevant to the discipline he or she wishes to study in. Environmental Studies doesn’t really seem to fit anywhere and hence does not figure in the list of elective subjects supplied by the university to the college,” said Gurpreet Singh Tuteja, deputy dean, students’ welfare, DU.advertisementFor more news on India, click here.For more news on Business, click here.For more news on Movies, click here.For more news on Sports, click here.
Tom Fennario APTN National NewsMontreal is spending a lot money to tear down a subway entrance that offers the city’s homeless shelter from bad weather.The entrance is near Cabot Square, a downtown park popular with Inuit.Some say the money should be spent better.
Rafael Benitez revealed that Newcastle United’s willingness to stick to their game plan was key behind their shock comeback 2-1 win over Manchester City.Sergio Aguero’s goal in the opening 24 seconds of the game at St James’ Park appeared to set City on route to a 19th Premier League win this season.But things soon began to change when Aguero later had a goal disallowed after referee Paul Tierney deemed that Kevin De Bruyne had taken a free-kick before he gave it the go-ahead with City rarely troubling Newcastle keeper Martin Dubravka afterwards.Benitez’s side began to grow in confidence in front of their home crowd and were awarded for their patience when Salomon Rondon scored an equaliser in the 66th-minute.Matt Ritchie then fired home a penalty in the final 10 minutes of the match after Fernandinho had fouled Sean Longstaff in the area to hand Newcastle all three points.Speaking after the victory, a jubilant Benitez praised the reaction of his squad following the very early setback by sticking to their game plan.“We had a game plan – it was not to concede a goal in the first minute,” said Benitez, according to Liverpool Echo.“The reaction of the players was important. We said in the half-time to stay in the game. The fans appreciate how we played and the way we won against a very good team. We stuck with our game plan.
Chelsea hat-trick hero Tammy Abraham hopes for more Andrew Smyth – September 14, 2019 Tammy Abraham hopes this season will be his big breakthrough at Chelsea after firing his first hat-trick for the club in Saturday’s 5-2 win at Wolves.“We were good enough to score two and lucky enough not to concede. Overall we needed to win one of these games.“I think they were surprised they scored so early and maybe they had more confidence they could win. There’s pressure and I think that was another factor – a draw wasn’t enough for them.”The win moves Newcastle up to 14th-place in the Premier League and, crucially, five points above the drop zone.Meanwhile, City’s title hopes suffered a major dent with Pep Guardiola’s men sitting six points behind leaders Liverpool and having played one more game than their rivals.FULL TIME – Newcastle United 2 Manchester City 1. It’s a superb win for the Magpies! #NUFC pic.twitter.com/76osmK1RfC— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) January 29, 2019
Flanders declined to comment on the specifics of the repositioning other than to say he expects to make a separate announcement sometime this year.“Having a president to manage day-to-day operations will go a long way in enhancing efficiencies and avoiding duplication of efforts,” Flanders said of Vaickus’ appointment. “I’m confident he can help unify our often disparate operating units. We’re in every segment of media, internationally. The complexity is significant.”Vaickus will continue to oversee Playboy’s licensing business—what Flanders has described as the company’s fastest-growing segment. Playboy also named Playboy Digital executive vice president Scott G. Stephen executive vice president of the recently combined print/digital group. Reporting to Vaickus, Stephen’s responsibilities will expand to print publications, the company said.“Absolutely Committed” to PrintThe print edition of Playboy, the company’s flagship product, has had a difficult 2009. Of the more than 30 big-circ. consumer magazines—including AARP, Reader’s Digest, Maxim and Newsweek—only Playboy fell short of fulfilling its rate base through the first half of the year, delivering a total paid and verified circ. of 2,453,266, compared to its 2.6 million rate base, according to ABC’s most recent FAS-FAX report.In terms of advertising pages, the magazine saw a decline of 30.2 percent compared to the same period last year, according to PIB figures.Despite those losses, Flanders said the print edition of the magazine will survive the company’s forthcoming strategic repositioning. “I am absolutely committed 100 percent to keeping Playboy in print,” he said. “The magazine is the cornerstone of what we do, it’s what the brand was built on. “That doesn’t mean we won’t continue to expand in other segments of the business that might grow faster,” Flanders added, “but print isn’t going anywhere.” SEE ALSO: What to Expect of a Playboy RepositioningRecently-appointed Playboy Enterprises CEO Scott Flanders said he is planning to announce a “strategic repositioning” of the company before the end of the year. As part of that plan, he promoted Alex L. Vaickus from executive vice president and president of global licensing to the newly-created position of president, overseeing all of the company’s business operations.“We are in the process of reviewing all of our go-to market strategies,” Flanders told FOLIO: Tuesday. “We see opportunities for growth that will only be brought about with change.”
“We think about labeling very carefully,” said Condé Nast’s Dirk Standen. “We aren’t trying to fool our readers.” Lacy agreed, continuing, “From my perspective, we all have to look at things that are non-traditional,” but reiterating seconds later that, “print is the fundamental underpinning of any media program.” “The silver bullet is our knowledge of the consumer,” added Lacy, “and our ability to move away from our reliance on things like direct mail and the newsstand.” “There’s not a day that goes by when I’m not asked for a cover,” added Essence editor-in-chief Vanessa De Luca. “They want to be associated with a brand that’s trusted. They can’t create that relationship on their own.” On a panel about native and content marketing, Hearst Magazines digital media VP Lee Sosin stated that the recently-released FTC guidance on best practices in native advertising will level the playing field and help legacy brands rise to the top, ostensibly due to their relative adherence to transparency and journalistic integrity compared to less-established startups in a crowded digital field. “We have the greatest content makers in the world,” said Condé Nast president and CEO, Bob Sauerberg, on an afternoon panel that included Ripp, Hearst Magazines president David Carey, Meredith chairman and CEO Stephen Lacy, and Rodale Inc. chairman and CEO Maria Rodale. See also: AMMC Day One Recap Like advertisers, individuals still recognize the power of being associated with popular magazine brands, reported the speakers on a panel about selling celebrity news. Ripp closed an optimistic CEO panel by urging the audience to “seize this moment of disruption in magazine media,” but the discussion wasn’t the only highlight of an event program brimming with marquee names—both within magazine media and without. When Stelter turned the discussion towards just what types of efforts the companies were making to embrace change, Ripp reported that Time Inc. had just hired its first ever chief data officer, arguing that everything publishers do is in some way a data collection effort now. Promoting greater synergy among brands, too, is key. Sauerberg said video for Condé Nast. Lacy described learning to better interact with the consumer and shifting marketers “to the bottom of the purchase funnel.” Rodale, whose company announced the bold move to cut print advertising from Prevention on Monday, said there’s simply not as much to lose anymore, so even the largest publishers feel free to take risks. “Consumer revenue, in any shape or form,” stated Rodale. “Trust in the media is at an all time low. Consumers are willing to pay for media that’s free of bullshit.” “The only thing that limits us is our creativity and our willingness to think differently,” added Time Inc. EVP of business development, Erik Moreno. Indeed, where the “Independents” touted all of the bold and innovative ways they’re embracing and thriving in a fast-evolving magazine media world on Monday, Tuesday’s programming allowed the industry’s giants to reassert both the enduring prominence of their brands and their positions as powerful creators in today’s content-hungry environment. Secret service personnel weaved through the crowd of magazine media pro’s at the Grand Hyatt in advance of First Lady Michelle Obama taking the stage alongside actresses Lena Dunham and Julianne Moore to promote the White House’s charitable education initiative Let Girls Learn. Condé Nast, Hearst, Meredith, and Time Inc. pledged a combined $9 million in advertising space to the cause. Obama drew some cheers from the sharp audience when she referred to her successor as the “First Spouse.” Magazine covers remain a powerful commodity, the panel argued, and publishers are in a position to leverage that authority, said The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard Media Group president Janice Min. Stelter closed the discussion by asking each participant to name their biggest growth area for the year ahead. “We’ll keep fighting for the print business,” said Sauerberg, adding that consumers love magazines and predicting that this connection will allow magazine media to flourish as the economy—and advertisers’ bottom lines—improves. Brand power, after all, extends across any medium. None of the five executives blinked when asked by CNN’s Brian Stelter what made them nervous in today’s climate. Arguing that all media is naturally disruptive, Carey said publishers have been forced to adapt and have become much better at subscription generation. Time Inc. chairman and CEO, Joe Ripp, closed day one of the American Magazine Media Conference (AMMC) Monday afternoon by declaring that, once again, “content is king.” “No one has ever said, ‘I’m dying to see my client at the top of the feed on ESPN.com,'” said ESPN The Magazine and ESPN.com editor-in-chief Chad Millman. “You can’t make a poster out of that.” Elsewhere on the event program, Arianna Huffington promoted her upcoming book, “The Sleep Revolution,” and late-night host Seth Meyers chatted about the Iowa caucuses over lunch with Gayle King, New York Magazine columnist Jonathan Chait, Time editor Nancy Gibbs, and Vanity Fair contributing editor Michael Kinsley.
