#Drennn.

C’est un sujet qui alimente de nombreux débats depuis quelques années déjà, et qui est récemment revenu sur la table, alors que plusieurs associations ont décidé de mener des actions à leur encontre. Il s’agit des ralentisseurs illégaux, qui seraient au total plus de 450 000 sur l’ensemble du territoire et que 40 millions d’automobilistes ainsi que plusieurs avocats tentent pas tous les moyens de combattre. Alors que plusieurs procédures ont été mises en place pour tenter d’arriver à bout de ces fléaux de la route, responsables de dégradations sur les véhicules, voire même d’accidents de la route, l’histoire que nous vous racontons devrait faire date. Et pour cause, un maire vient officiellement d’être condamné à détruire un ralentisseur illégal installé sur sa commune. Une décision radicale qui devrait faire jurisprudence alors que de nombreuses associations se battent pour faire respecter les normes en vigueur. Tout commence en 2018, lorsqu’un certain Christophe L., adhérent de l’association « Pour Une Mobilité Sereine et Durable » met le maire de la ville de Saint-Jean-Le-Vieux en demeure, après avoir franchi un ralentisseur trop haut, ayant engendré plus de 2 500 € de frais de réparation sur son véhicule. Sauf que l’édile refuse catégoriquement de détruire l’ouvrage, malgré un constat d’huissier prouvant que celui-ci est illégal. Comme le relatent nos confrères du site LesVoitures.com, le ralentisseur est en effet installé sur une route sur laquelle circulent plus de 3 000 véhicules par jour ainsi qu’une ligne de bus, sans parler des dimensions non réglementaires, avec une hauteur de 19 centimètres. Finalement, après longue une bataille juridique, le maire décida de modifier l’infrastructure en question et d’ajouter un radar pédagogique, afin de prouver qu’il y a bien moins de 3 000 véhicules circulant chaque jour sur cette route, la limite légale pour l’installation d’un ralentisseur. Sauf que voilà, dans les faits, il y a en moyenne 7 800 véhicules qui passent tous les jours sur la D36 où est installée le plateau de la discorde. Conséquence, la Cour Administrative d’Appel de Lyon condamne définitivement l’élu à détruire le ralentisseur, qui aura déjà coûté plus de 100 000 € en frais de justice et de travaux aux contribuables. Mais ce n’est pas tout. Car à ce montant hallucinant il faut également ajouter les frais de destruction et de remise en état de la chaussée, les nouveau frais de justice, ainsi que l’indemnisation du plaignant, pour un total dépassant alors les 148 000 €. Nul doute que cette décision devrait faire jurisprudence pour d’autres situations similaires, alors que les ralentisseurs non conformes sont présents aux quatre coins du territoire. Car si un guide édité par le CERTU aiguille les maires sur les dimensions des différentes infrastructures, celui-ci n’est en aucun cas reconnu par la loi, celle-ci se basant alors sur le décret 94-447 et sa norme NF 98-300. Celui-ci édicte toutes les normes des ralentisseurs de types plateaux et coussins berlinois, qui sont en réalité bien plus complexes qu’on ne pourrait le penser !

Of the many trends accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and Europe, the sharp increase in city-dwellers seeking outdoor experiences presents a notable opportunity for brands. As urban and outdoor lifestyles coalesce, young urban consumers now seek to integrate a growing interest in outdoor activities with their city lifestyles for a cohesive urban-outdoor lifestyle. After a year of COVID-19 restrictions, early claims of permanent urban flight are now largely contested. More significant than people moving away from cities are the extended visits to natural settings and the rise in po[CENSORED]rity of activities like hiking, bird watching, and biking. Further, the rippling impacts of the global Black Lives Matter movement provoke a reconsideration of traditionally whitewashed spaces like climbing, fishing, camping. A campaign to “Diversify the Outdoors” sees the widespread advocacy of People of Color in outdoor spaces with community groups like Team Onyx, the first all-Black professional expedition team. With a mission to make adventure sports more inclusive of BIPOC and LGBTQ communities, Team Onyx competes in expedition races in all areas including swimming, surfing, rowing, climbing, running, and biking. Another notable group is Hike Clerb, an intersectional womxn’s hike club in Los Angeles. Their mission is to make hiking more accessible and approachable for womxn of all backgrounds and abilities, emphasizing group healing of a community hike. Groups like these exemplify that Millennials and Gen Zs are increasingly demanding diversity and inclusivity as a core element of cultural identity. Diverse and accessible narratives and influencers liberate consumers to openly explore their passions and expand their identities—making outdoor spaces more accessible to new consumer cohorts. As demand for wellness gains omnipresence, post-pandemic consumers will seek activity, connection, and healing in nature without surrendering their interests and aspects of identity rooted in urban life. Foto: Camp Yoshi Consumer values Urban-outdoor consumers shop with a trend-conscious eye, valuing aesthetic continuity and technical performance across arenas. They identify with brands that speak to their complete identities, unifying form and function, blurring urban and outdoor sensibilities. The pandemic has made city-dressing more technical, comfort focussed, and casual. Preexisting streetwear and athleisure trends converge with an expanding and diversifying wellness market as well as trends in outdoor wear. The outdoor apparel market is projected to grow by $3.9 billion between 2020 and 2024, as the global consumer base becomes more urban. Over 34% of outdoor customers currently live in cities, and this proportion is expected to grow in coming years, further blending the two spheres. A recent Outdoor Industry report suggests that young and diverse urban outdoor consumers are currently leading market influencers. Their spending habits focus most on outdoor apparel, and they are more likely to influence the purchasing and activity decisions of their social circles. Central to the report’s findings is that these consumers do not consider themselves “traditionally outdoorsy,” as many discovered outdoor activities in adulthood. Best - in - class examples As urban and outdoor cultures coalesce, a gap emerges between performance-focused outdoor offerings and urban sportswear brands. Savvy brands entering the market are finding success by considering what separates Patagonia from Nike and what sits in the white-space in between. Where urban sports brands like Nike and Adidas meet these consumers’ aesthetic needs, they fall short in their failure to offer products and designs with an identity focused on outdoor activities. In the inverse of this dynamic, traditional outdoor brands like Patagonia and REI clearly articulate their identities but often encounter an aesthetic disconnect with urban consumers. In the American market, this gap is nominally filled by a small handful of brands such as Outdoor Voices, The North Face, and Girlfriend Collective. However, this new consumer cohort is looking to connect with brands that satisfy an urban aesthetic. The cultural moment calls for products made for 7-days-a-week gear for the city as much as the forest. Foto: New Balance x Snow Peak Tokyo Design Studio Japanese urban- outdoor influence The Japanese hybrid urban-outdoor lifestyle and pre-existing consumer base present a compelling example of what may lie in store in the West. These brands are born of the traditional Japanese practice of balancing city life with time in nature. Notably, many originated in the 1980s out of a backlash against an excessively demanding corporate culture and widespread interest among urban consumers for lifestyle balance and outdoor recreation. We see similar dynamics at play today in the United States with two-thirds of workers experiencing work-from-home burnout while rising cases of “Nature-Deficit Disorder” point to our craving for outdoor experiences. Rooted in craft, material integrity, and hyper-functionality, Japanese brands express the DNA of outdoor apparel in an aesthetically-driven urban context. Think workwear with a mountaineering twist. With strong visual sensibility, these brands skew gender-neutral and present consumers with a compelling vision of what fashionable, functional, progressive urban-outdoor dual citizenship looks like. In Japan, urban-outdoor culture successfully appeals to streetwear devotees, traditional outdoor gear-heads, and those in the West who don’t feel seen by the American outdoor orthodoxy and tradition. Urban-outdoor style presents an opportunity in a shifting landscape both in the Inter-Covid and post-pandemic markets. Looking forward, it is also emblematic of larger-scale trends in how consumers are shaping their identity in response to a social climate of inclusivity, self-care, re-integration with nature. By acknowledging the realities of consumers’ lives, brands meet them where they are, accepting their complete identities as both urban dwellers and nature enthusiasts. Harnessing the urban-outdoor mentality allows brands to appeal to consumer-demand for aesthetic continuity across all purchasing decisions. Products built for durability and a wide range of activities prove more sustainable, attracting an increasingly eco-conscious consumer base. Similarly, approaching consumers as dual urban-outdoor citizens appeals to emerging markets. Gen Z, the largest and most diverse generation in American history, is quickly becoming famous for their mingling and merging of radically heterogeneous identities. As flexibility becomes a central aspect of individual identity, the character of outdoor-ism becomes more malleable and open. Brands find success when they prove able to match consumer agility, expanding their own design identities and purpose. A few examples CAMP YOSHI Outdoor Experience Founded in the Fall of 2020, Camp Yoshi is a curated camping experience creating space for Black outdoorsmen to connect with nature. Founded by Chef Cultural Curator and designer Rashad Frazier, the team provides guided expeditions, gear, transportation, and meals. Through this all-inclusive model, in addition to partnerships with key brands such as Snow Peak and Leatherman, Camp Yoshi aims to maximize the accessibility of outdoor activities. SNOW PEAK Urban-Outdoor Brand Snow Peak made high-design camping gear for 56 years before the founder’s granddaughter launched the brand’s first apparel collection in 2014. Today, Snow Peak’s impeccable aesthetic taste and commitment to function give rise to exciting products like an outdoor kimono, a camping sake set, and 79 varieties of tents. GO OUT Magazine and Festival Written for an audience interested in “outdoor activities and urban outdoor style,” Go Out Magazine approaches outdoor lifestyle with the attitude of a street style publication. Go Out also hosts an annual camping festival where guests pitch limited edition tents, shop on “Brand Avenue,” and listen to live music by artists such as Akkogorilla or TOMOO. VISVIM Luxury Urban-Outdoor Brand Visvim sits in the sphere of luxury, representing the high end of urban-outdoor culture. Designer, Hiroki Nakamura, spent his early career working in snowboard design and combines this background knowledge in technical materials with a devotion to traditional craft. Characteristics of the brand include high price points and waiting lists (even Kanye West signed up for one). Beyond the hype, Nakamura’s interest in “outdoor, Americana utility gear” manifests throughout his work.

RAMALLAH, Tuesday, February 15, 2021 (WAFA) – Palestine today called on the European Union to pressure Israel to allow holding the general elections in East Jerusalem. Speaking during a meeting with the EU representative in Palestine Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff in Ramallah, Fatah Secretary-General Jibril Rajoub briefed Burgsdorff on the outcomes of the recent meeting attended by fourteen Palestinian factions in Cairo regarding the agreement to hold elections for the first time in nearly 15 years. He affirmed the factions’ adherence to what was agreed in the meeting and spotlighted the preparations underway for the general elections. He emphasized the need for international pressure on Israel to allow holding the elections in Jerusalem and stressed the importance of EU’s role in monitoring elections throughout its three phases. Burgsdorff confirmed the EU’s readiness to offer all forms of support to ensure successful elections, including dispatching international monitors, and welcomed the outcomes of the Egypt-hosted meeting between the factions on the elections. The EU diplomat had also separate meetings with member of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Executive Committee Ahmad Majdalani and Deputy Fatah Chairman Mahmoud al-Aloul. Majdalani and al-Aloul highlighted the necessity of holding the elections as a means conducive to ending the intra-Palestinian division, achieving national unity, reinvigorating the Palestinian political system structure as well as to addressing the huge challenges to the Palestinian question.

vote 3 text blur

Games Workshop had another big streaming presentation on Saturday, announcing a whole raft of new miniatures and two new games for 2021. The highlight of the presentation was a new model depicting a mechanized Sister of Battle, further cementing the Adepta Sororitas as a premiere fighting force in the 41st millennium. The new model is called the Paragon Warsuit, and it stands easily twice as tall as a standard Sister of Battle on the table. It comes with a melee weapon and the option to mount one of three ranged weapons, including a flamer or a Melta weapon. It’s not yet clear how these new units will fight on the table, or even what size or cost a formation will be, but they’re easily one of the more ambitious and striking models released for Warhammer 40,000 in the last several years. The announcement was accompanied by some nice stained glass animations as well. The United Kingdom based company is also expanding the po[CENSORED]r Kill Team line with a new boxed set. Titled Kill Team: Pariah Nexus, it aligns with the latest Warhammer 40,000 Indomitus boxed set released last year. It will feature Space Marines and Necrons fighting it out on what looks like a fairly two-dimensional board made to look like the interior of a Necron starship. It’s a far cry from the large, multi-level buildings that came packed with the original Kill Team boxed set in 2018. Of note for slow painters, like myself, rules are coming soon for playing Kill Team with the models that were bundled in the Indomitus set. That means you’ll be able to put that team of Assault Intercessors to use even if you’ve not finished painting all the Bladeguard Veterans and Outriders quite yet. In addition to multiple new new books, there’s also a pair of lavish new models for non 40K systems. They include a massive new Warmaster Titan for Adeptus Titanicus, the largest yet added to that game. Warhammer: Age of Sigmar is also getting a lithe and energetic Sevireth, Lord of the Seventh Wind. But the real surprise is that Games Workshop will also be releasing a brand new game in the Warhammer Quest series. Warhammer Quest has its roots in the 1990s, where it was spun out of the classic HeroQuest line and a partnership with Milton Bradley. It most recently emerged as Warhammer Quest: Blackstone Fortress, a hybrid of traditional board game and tactical wargame. That $150 boxed set was followed by multiple expansions, so expect the same treatment for this new property, which is titled Warhammer Quest: Cursed City. There will likely be dozens of models in the boxed set, but only two were revealed: vampire hunter Jelsen Darrock (likely one of the hero characters) and a Gravekeeper named Gorslav. Finally, there’s a new boxed set of Dark Angels Space Marines and a new Codex Supplement: Dark Angels to go with them, plus a heavier version of the classic Land Speeder to boot. These models and more go up for pre-order on Jan. 30.

Welcome

« La bourse auto-moto pour nous c’est important car grâce à ses profits, on peut ensuite financer une partie de nos sorties », annonçait l’an passé, François Herbouiller, président de l’association Volants et guidons. Un club qui compte un peu plus de 80 adhérents venant de tout le pays de La Châtaigneraie, de Mortagne-sur-Sèvre, des Sables-d’Olonne mais aussi du département des Deux-Sèvres limitrophe ou encore de Cholet (Maine-et-Loire)… « Ce qui plaît à nos adhérents, c’est la simplicité des rapports que nous entretenons entre nous, sans chichi et sans ostentation : nous acceptons tout le monde », précisait alors le président de Volants et guidons. Comme chaque année, la bourse auto-moto, qui draine régulièrement plusieurs milliers de visiteurs, aurait dû avoir lieu le premier dimanche de mars. « Mais au vu des conditions sanitaires actuelles, c’est avec regret que nous annulons cette bourse qui aurait été la 28e du nom », fait savoir François Herbouiller.

A study led by researchers at Lund University in Sweden showed a connection between lifestyle intervention in pregnant women with obesity and epigenetic alterations in the baby. The study is published in the journal Diabetes. An international collaboration between researchers in Sweden, Denmark and Spain investigated whether children's genes were programmed differently if a pregnant woman with a BMI over 30 underwent lifestyle interventions. The study involved 425 pregnant women, all of whom have a BMI over 30, which is defined as obesity. They were divided at random into three different groups: Group 1 had a lifestyle intervention that included both physical activity (they were urged to walk 11 000 steps per day and use a step counter) and a recommendation for a Mediterranean diet of 1200-1675 calories per day. Group 2 had a lifestyle intervention that only included physical activity Group 3 continued to live as usual (control group) The researchers examined the umbilical cord blood of 208 of the newborn babies to see if epigenetic changes had taken place. One way in which epigenetic changes occur is through DNA methylation, in which the activities of nearby genes are changed by molecules that attach to the DNA. Such changes arose in 370 genes at a total of 379 places in the genome, in the children whose mothers were part of the groups that received lifestyle intervention. Several of the genes that had changed epigenetically regulate metabolism, adipose tissue development and insulin release. It was previously known that several of the altered genes are linked to type 2 diabetes. The researchers also wanted to find out if the epigenetic changes affected the babies' growth. The children involved in the study were therefore followed up at 9, 18 and 36 months. Twenty-two of the epigenetic changes found are associated with the children's BMI over time. "In our study we cannot demonstrate a direct causality, but our results suggest that physical activity and a healthy diet during pregnancy in women with obesity affect epigenetics in the newborn babies, and it probably also affects the children's body composition and growth later in life", says Charlotte Ling. Kristina Renault, an obstetrician and consultant at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagen and one of the researchers behind the study, has previously shown that a lifestyle intervention that includes physical activity with or without a healthy diet leads to reduced weight increase in pregnant women with a BMI over 30. The same group took part in the current study. "Increased physical activity and a healthy diet during pregnancy can reduce weight increase in pregnant women with obesity, which counteracts some of the otherwise increased risks connected to a high BMI. The fact that the muscle mass of the children appeared to increase and that DNA from the umbilical cord showed epigenetic DNA changes suggests a potentially beneficial programming effect from a healthy lifestyle on the children's health", concludes Kristina Renault.

It looks like Activision is gearing up for the full reveal of Season Two in Call of Duty: Warzone as players are starting to be hit with deliberate visual HUD glitches and are finding new machines on the Verdansk map. Detailed in the tweets below thanks to Charlie Intel, one player on Rebirth Island is hit with static on the sides of their screen as well as what sounds like a beeping radar. This is similar to what happened when Treyarch's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War was teased within Warzone, where Battle Royale competitors were hit with graphical bugs on purpose. Just a few minutes later, the Twitter account posted a video of a new machine found in the Downtown district of the Verdsansk map. It has a prompt that appears to activate Zombies, but nothing happens when pressed at the time of writing. Back on the original Blackout map in Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, players could spawn in a wave of the undead and eliminate them all for better loot. You'd be giving away your position to nearby opponents in the process, so it was always a risk to pull off. Could Season Two bring that mechanic back? What do you want to see out of Call of Duty: Warzone next? A new location on the map? A new look for pre-existing locations? Share your hopes and dreams in the comments below.

Smart wearable devices offer a wealth of data for analysis. But for the devices to be design and produced, critical engineering challenges must be addressed. Imagine being assigned a 40mm x 40mm guardian angel. This may sound strange but is definitely true for R. Rajhans, a senior citizen living in India who was able to detect his irregular heart rhythms and receive timely medical attention because of the Apple Watch Series 5 gifted to him by his son. This is not an isolated incident; many such cases have been observed across the globe emphasizing the vital role of smart wearable tech in the near future. Wearables such as activity trackers, smart medical devices, smartwatches, touch-enabled t-shirts, and more, have the ability to enhance our lifestyles by providing quality insights regarding one or more biometric parameters of our body which are being continuously monitored and processed by the sensors embedded within these smart devices. The wearable tech market size is expected to cross USD 100 billion by 2027 growing at an impressive 15.9 percentage CAGR. While many companies want to be a part of this growth story and grab a substantial share of this pie, designing them can be quite challenging and the bitter truth is only a select few will taste success and all others will fade into oblivion. In light of that, the following points should be taken into consideration while designing these wearables: Smart Wearable Do’s 1. Low power and energy-efficient protocols: Smart wearable devices run on tiny batteries that are expected to last for days at a stretch without the need for charging them. Considering the fact that these devices are an integral part of a user’s daily life, enhancing battery life is of utmost importance. Designers should stress selecting PCB components with low run and sleep mode currents. In fact, many chip makers have designed ICs such as the ones belonging to PIC24FJ256GB412 family, which consume less than 100nA in sleep mode making them an apt choice for wearables. In addition to the components, energy-efficient wireless protocols should also be adopted wherever possible to reduce power consumption while transmitting data. These protocols can be industry-standard like BLE, Wi-Fi, and NFC or proprietaries like MiWi and SimpliciTI. Further minimization of power consumption can be achieved by reducing the frequency of data transfer outside the device and transmitting raw data to the cloud where the data can be stored, processed, and re-transmitted if needed. 2. Small form factor: No one wants a giant electronic device attached to their skin like glue all day long. In the domain of wearable design where every millimeter counts, miniaturization of the device is a must and special emphasis must be placed on this factor while choosing components like flexible batteries and modules with integrated antennas such as BMD-350. A highly compact and sleek design with a plethora of features is the ultimate choice of hardware engineering experts and enthusiasts. 3. Ensure security: Many people have cited privacy and security of the data as their biggest concern with wearables and it’s not difficult to see why that’s the case. We carry them wherever we go and these devices collect all the details of our daily lives, analyze and even store that in the cloud. A lot of this data is quite personal in nature because of which improving security in such devices is a non-negotiable element of wearable design. Using MCUs with inbuilt hardware crypto engines, implementing software protection models, utilizing better authentication techniques like passcodes or smart locks are a few ways in which the security of these wearables can be boosted. 4. Aesthetically appealing design: The smart wearable should appeal to all the senses of the user to ensure continued use for a long time. This includes an elegant and robust industrial design that is pleasant to our eyes and comfortable to wear(preferably hypoallergenic). Also, the device must boast of a visually appealing UI which focuses on key concepts like lightweight interactions and glanceability. 5. Choose the right product development partner: The design of any wearable device requires a multidisciplinary approach. A confluence of disciplines like electrical, firmware, software, mechanical and industrial design is needed to create a market-ready product. Very few companies can boast of having such eclectic teams but it is not a viable strategy for most. Hence, it is a necessity for many companies to get in touch with suitable product development partners who can collaborate with the in-house teams and take the product from the design to the mass-manufacturing stage. Having the right partners with prior experience in wearable tech can save a lot of time and money. Finding reliable partners with expertise in the different domains was an uphill task till a few years back, especially because of the lack of centralized platforms thereby causing delays. However, the companies can now get in touch with digital marketplaces which connects the project owners with multiple vendors on the same platform. They also enable the project owners to filter vendors based on their budget, location, and engineering services needed. Engineering don’ts 1. Don’t expect the first iteration to be pitch-perfect: In fact, it may be nowhere close to it. Starting from a Proof of Concept (POC) to creating the Minimum Viable Product (MVP), there will be a lot of changes required in each design iteration. These changes will be shaped by the feedback obtained from the design team and some early users. It is crucial to move fast, set definite targets for each stage, and ensure that these targets are met in a timely fashion. 2. Don’t miss the details: Leaving minor details for the last adversely affects the time to market of the product. Designers should always have a broader picture in mind. There can be several issues with the mass manufacturing of wearable devices even if the preliminary design works just fine. Does the device need any complex manufacturing facility which only a few vendors can provide? How to reduce the design and supply chain costs? Is the design robust enough for use in a safety-critical environment? – Due attention should be paid to minutia like these. If there is a novel technology involved, the firm should prepare months in advance for filing a patent. Then there are time-consuming certifications like FCC, CE, ISO, and others, which depend on the industry verticals the wearable is catering to. Hence attention to the details is a must. 3. Don’t forget to build a robust community: A vibrant online community for both the users and the developers can work wonders in the long run. Community support can help in resolving queries of new users along with easier integration with third-party apps. It also enables the company to collaborate with other businesses. For example, a smartwatch manufacturer can easily partner with gyms, hospitals, and healthy fast-food chains and let them run ads on their community pages thereby generating more revenue for the company and also enhancing customer satisfaction through these bundled services. 4. Don’t ignore product innovation: In this rapidly changing world, not staying abreast of the latest technological developments can hurt the design firms really badly. A brand-new sensor integrated with the latest model of iPhone or the emergence of a more reliable and cheaper technology can make even a trendy smart wearable redundant pretty quickly. Hence, companies need to keep an eye out for the new entrants in the wearable landscape. Along with that, they must increase their R&D budget in order to stay ahead of the curve. After all, product differentiation and constant innovation is the key to sustained growth in the wearable industry. Wearable tech is here to stay and Covid-19 has only accelerated its adoption. As many tech companies ramp up their investment in the wearable segment in order to meet the burgeoning consumer demand, only the ones with the best design decisions and well-formulated marketing strategies will emerge as the winners of this wearable revolution.

February 11, 2021 – Hardware components should be built separately from software to minimize the risk of cyberattacks, experts say. Technologies like artificial intelligence are increasingly being embedded into hardware, making it challenging to prevent and keep separated cyberattacks from component failures, said Jennifer Roberts, Deputy Director at the DARPA Information Innovation Office. That fact makes hardware harder to trust, experts said. Devices and the systems running those devices both need to have safety features in place to mitigate risk in the event of a breach, said experts at the Silicon Flatirons Trust and Tech Worthiness in the Tech Sector conference. Protecting hardware from attacks is complicated. It is built to act a certain way, and if one component of that is compromised, it still needs to know how to act the way we expected it, Roberts said. Bolstering supply chain security during hardware and software deployment is critical to prevent cyberattacks, she said. Separating and sealing off parts of hardware from software can prevent against system failures or even accidents. “Take your car for example,” said Roberts. “If someone hacks your software-based entertainment system, you wouldn’t want them to also be allowed to hack your hardware-based steering wheel while you’re driving—they need to be separated.” Failures are inevitable, but they can be minimized, she said. This is especially true with medical devices. There are scores of medical devices that combine both hardware and software components that, if breached, would cause serious patient harm, said Jessica Wilkerson, a cyber policy advisor at the FDA Center for Devices and Radiological Health. Whether it’s a hardware or cyberware component, mitigating these dangers must be done, she said. Winning trust in hardware is a lifelong pursuit. Trusting in a technical environment is by nature different than trusting in the human environment, said Brian Scriber, vice president at Security Technologies and CableLabs. Just because a device may have delivered trust in the past three years, doesn’t mean you can trust it in the next minute, he said.

. Alors que le groupe souhaite diversifier ses activités, Total changera de nom dans les prochains mois et sera rebaptisé TotalEnergies. Un moyen de symboliser sa transition, alors que le prix du pétrole s’est effondré. Total, ce sera bientôt du passé. Et pour cause, le groupe pétrolier français s’apprête à changer de nom dans les mois à venir, sous réserve de l’accord des actionnaires. Bientôt rebaptisé TotalEnergies, le major tricolore souhaite en effet affirmer son changement de cap, comme l’a souligné son PDG Patrick Pouyanné lors de la présentation des résultats de l’année 2020. Le but est en effet ici « d’ancrer la stratégie multi-énergies du groupe dans un nouveau nom. En septembre, c’était une idée, elle a depuis fait son chemin ». Car si le pétrole reste encore l’activité la plus lucrative pour le groupe, ce dernier souhaite désormais s’en affranchir de plus en plus et diversifier ses activités. Patrick Pouyanné l’a en effet confirmé très clairement, affirmant que « nous ne voulons plus croître dans le pétrole ». Une décision aisément compréhensible, alors que les prix du baril se sont effrondrés et que la demande a chuté de 9 % au cours de l’année 2020. Forcément, cela s’est évidemment ressenti dans les résultats du groupe, qui a enregistré des pertes de l’ordre de 7,2 milliards de dollars l’an dernier, contre 11,2 milliards de bénéfices en 2019. Si le résultat global reste meilleur que celui de Shell, comme l’a souligné Patrick Pouyanné, il n’en reste pas moins que Total n’a pas été épargné par la crise. Il faut dire que l’épidémie de Coronavirus n’y est sans doute pas pour rien, alors que l’offre dépassait la demande, notamment pendant le premier confinement, alors que la plupart des automobilistes étaient resté chez eux. Néanmoins, Total précise que les pertes sont principalement dues à des « dépréciations d’actifs de près de 10 milliards d’euros, dont l’essentiel dans les sables bitumeux canadiens » et non au manque à gagner lié aux activités de vente de carburant. Par ailleurs, ces pertes datent de l’été dernier et ne seraient donc pas une surprise pour l’entreprise, qui précise que le changement de nom n’a rien à voir avec la crise. Vers de nouvelles activités Néanmoins, la chute de la demande de pétrole a sans aucun doute permis à Total de confirmer son idée de renouveau, alors que le groupe cherche depuis plusieurs années déjà à se diversifier, bien conscient de l’essor des nouvelles mobilités. L’entreprise française souhaite en effet amorcer sa transition avec un objectif pour le moins ambitieux : faire partie du top 5 des producteurs mondiaux d’énergies renouvelables. La firme vise alors 25 GW de capacité de production d’électricité « propre » d’ici à 2025, et a d’ores et déjà amorcé ce virage en faisant notamment l’acquisition de fermes solaires. Depuis plusieurs années, Total exploite également la biomasse pour fournir des carburants plus propres, tels que le biodiesel ou le biokérosène, devenant alors le premier distributeur européen. Au total, le groupe prévoit d’investir plus de 70 milliards de dollars dans sa transition énergétique d’ici à 2030, tandis que la part de produits pétroliers devrait quant à elle passer de 55 à seulement 30 % sur la même période. Le but de l’entreprise est également d’augmenter la part de ses activités autour de l’électricité, tout en réduisant ses émissions de CO2 de 40 % d’ici à la même échéance.

About half of new teleworkers say they have more flexibility now; majority who are working in person worry about virus exposure The abrupt closure of many offices and workplaces this past spring ushered in a new era of remote work for millions of employed Americans and may portend a significant shift in the way a large segment of the workforce operates in the future. Most workers who say their job responsibilities can mainly be done from home say that, before the pandemic, they rarely or never teleworked. Only one-in-five say they worked from home all or most of the time. Now, 71% of those workers are doing their job from home all or most of the time. And more than half say, given a choice, they would want to keep working from home even after the pandemic, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. While not seamless, the transition to telework has been relatively easy for many employed adults.1 Among those who are currently working from home all or most of the time, about three-quarters or more say it has been easy to have the technology and equipment they need to do their job and to have an adequate workspace. Most also say it’s been easy for them to meet deadlines and complete projects on time, get their work done without interruptions, and feel motivated to do their work. To be sure, not all employed adults have the option of working from home, even during a pandemic. In fact, a majority of workers say their job responsibilities cannot be done from home. There’s a clear class divide between workers who can and cannot telework. Fully 62% of workers with a bachelor’s degree or more education say their work can be done from home. This compares with only 23% of those without a four-year college degree. Similarly, while a majority of upper-income workers can do their work from home, most lower- and middle-income workers cannot.2 Among those who are not currently teleworking all of the time, roughly eight-in-ten say they have at least some in-person interaction with other people at their workplace, with 52% saying they interact with others a lot. At least half of these workers say they’re concerned about being exposed to the coronavirus from the people they interact with at work or unknowingly exposing others. Even so, these workers are largely satisfied with the steps that have been taken at their workplace to protect them from exposure to the virus. While the coronavirus has changed the way many workers do their job – whether in person or from home – it hasn’t significantly reshaped the culture of work for a majority of employed adults. Among workers who are in the same job as they were before the coronavirus outbreak started, more than six-in-ten say they are as satisfied with their job now as they were before the pandemic and that there’s been no change in their productivity or job security. Even higher shares say they are just as likely now to know what their supervisor expects of them as they were before and that they have the same opportunities for advancement. For workers who are working from home all or most of the time now but rarely or never did before the pandemic (and are in the same job they had pre-pandemic), there have been some clear upsides associated with the shift to telework. About half (49%) say they now have more flexibility to choose when they put in their hours. This is substantially higher than the share for teleworkers who were working from home all or most of the time before the pandemic, only 14% of whom say they have more flexibility now. In addition, 38% of new teleworkers say it’s easier now to balance work with family responsibilities (vs. 10% of teleworkers who worked from home before the coronavirus outbreak). On the downside, 65% of workers who are now teleworking all or most of the time but rarely or never did before the pandemic say they feel less connected to their coworkers now. Among more seasoned teleworkers, only 27% feel this way. The nationally representative survey of 10,332 U.S. adults (including 5,858 employed adults who have only one job or have multiple jobs but consider one to be their primary) was conducted Oct. 13-19, 2020, using the Center’s American Trends Panel.3 Among the other key findings: A majority (64%) of those who are currently working from home all or most of the time say their workplace is currently closed or unavailable to them; 36% say they are choosing not to go to their workplace.4 When asked how they would feel about returning to their workplace if it were to reopen in the month following the survey, 64% say they would feel uncomfortable returning, with 31% saying they would feel very uncomfortable. For those who are choosing to work from home even though their workplace is available to them, majorities cite a preference for working from home (60%) and concern over being exposed to the coronavirus (57%) as major reasons for this. Younger teleworkers are more likely to say they’ve had a hard time feeling motivated to do their work since the coronavirus outbreak started. Most adults who are teleworking all or most of the time say it has been at least somewhat easy for them to feel motivated to do their work since the pandemic started. But there’s a distinct age gap: 42% of workers ages 18 to 49 say this has been difficult for them compared with only 20% of workers 50 and older. The youngest workers are among the most likely to say a lack of motivation has been an impediment for them: 53% of those ages 18 to 29 say it’s been difficult for them to feel motivated to do their work. Parents who are teleworking are having a harder time getting their work done without interruptions.Half of parents with children younger than 18 who are working at home all or most of the time say it’s been difficult for them to be able to get their work done without interruptions since the coronavirus outbreak started. In contrast, only 20% of teleworkers who don’t have children under 18 say the same. Mothers and fathers are about equally likely to say this has been difficult for them. Teleworkers are relying heavily on video conferencing services to keep in touch with co-workers, and there’s no evidence of widespread “Zoom fatigue.” Some 81% of employed adults who are working from home all or most of the time say they use video calling or online conferencing services like Zoom or Webex at least some of the time (59% use these often). And 57% use instant messaging platforms such as Slack or Google Chat (43% use these often). Among those who use video conferencing services often, 63% say they are fine with the amount of time they spend on video calls; 37% say they are worn out by it. In general, teleworkers view video conferencing and instant messaging platforms as a good substitute for in-person contact – 65% feel this way, while 35% say they are not a good substitute. Among employed adults who are not working from home all of the time and are interacting in-person at least some with others at their workplace, concerns about coronavirus differ by gender, race and ethnicity. Women (60%) are more likely than men (48%) to be at least somewhat concerned about being exposed to the virus. And Black (70%) and Hispanic (67%) workers are more likely to be concerned than White workers (48%). In addition, Black and Hispanic workers are less likely than White workers to be very satisfied with the measures that their workplace has taken to protect them from being exposed to the coronavirus.

WiBotic’s Commander software package keeps track of the charging status for a fleet of drones spread out over a wide swath of terrain — for example, the surroundings of Ellensburg, Wash. (WiBotic Graphic) It’s hard enough to remember to keep your smartphone charged up, so can you imagine how much harder it’d be to track the charging status of dozens of drones or robots? Now WiBotic has an app for that: a software platform that manages the battery-charging routines for mobile devices that use its wireless charging system. Today the seven-year-old Seattle startup unveiled its first software product, an energy management package called Commander. “Commander was developed mostly through listening and learning from our customers who were building robots, and then deploying robots, and then deploying fleets,” said Ben Waters, the company’s CEO and co-founder. WiBotic makes charging stations that a drone can drop onto, or that a robot can sidle up to, in order to top off its batteries and continue working without having to be plugged in. The technology is well-suited for aerial drones, warehouse robots, autonomous underwater vehicles — and even future rovers on the moon. The system comes with a built-in control panel that lets operators set up a battery-charging schedule for each robot, but Waters said some of WiBotic’s customers wanted a more sophisticated system to control a whole fleet of robots in an orchestrated way. “When companies start to deploy a robotic fleet, whether that fleet is five vehicles or 10 vehicles or 100,000 vehicles, the logistics behind charging can become very complicated,” he said. That’s the need that Commander fills, for a price that’s calculated on a per-robot, per-month basis. (WiBotic is still fine-tuning its pricing schedule for the service.) “It’s not a required product,” said Matt Carlson, Wibotic’s vice president for business development, “but we think with larger fleets it’ll provide a lot of benefit.” Commander will let customers deploy a networked charging infrastructure for an entire fleet, regardless of battery chemistry, voltage or charge speed requirements. Charging routines can be adjusted based on availability and time constraints. For example, the parameters can be tweaked to charge robots rapidly during the day, when there’s high demand; and slowly during the night, to maximize battery life. For now, the Commander software is optimized for Wibotic’s hardware. But Waters can easily imagine expanding Commander’s reach to other types of devices. “We really thought about it as something that might be applicable to any type of battery fleet — you know, hundreds of power tools that need to be charged up at a construction site,” he said. “The world’s growing in electrification in general. So while we’re starting with autonomous systems, we think Commander could be a useful software platform for a lot of battery-powered applications.” Like workers at most other businesses, WiBotic’s 15 full-time employees have been facing challenges due to the continuing coronavirus pandemic. “We are operating in a whole bunch of ZIP codes around the Greater Seattle area, and there are a couple of folks in Oregon as well,” Waters said. “We’ve had access to a lab facility, but it’s certainly challenging when there’s hardware in the mix. Reflecting back on the last year, that definitely had something to do with our efforts on the software side.” Looking past the hardships, Waters believes the pandemic’s aftershocks and the rise of e-commerce could open up new opportunities. “Robots have played a role in areas that have been constrained by COVID,” he said. “Robots have been needed because companies just need more people and robots to move things around in the warehouse.” And then there’s the final frontier. WiBotic already has the moon rover project, but Waters is setting his sights even higher. He took special note of the fact that NASA’s Perseverance rover is due to deliver a mini-helicopter to Mars next week. “We’re excited to see how the first drone on Mars performs,” Waters said. “I think if it performs well — or if it does not perform well — either way, hopefully it will inspire others to deploy more vehicles in space, and we’ll have a good charging and energy management platform available for those folks.”

A brand new entry of the Intel Alder Lake Desktop CPU has been made within the Geekbench benchmark. This particular entry is yet another 16 core variant which we have already seen a couple of times before but comes with slightly better clock speeds but still retains an ES state. Intel 12th Gen Core Alder Lake Desktop CPU Spotted With 16 Cores, 24 Threads & 2.20 GHz Base Clocks, On Par With The Core i9-10900K CPU The Intel Alder Lake Desktop CPU is an engineering sample and should be part of the 12th Gen Core family when it launches in the third quarter of 2021. As we know, the Alder Lake CPUs will feature a hybrid design that will feature both Big x86 and smaller Atom cores. Intel’s 12th Gen Alder Lake-P Mobility CPU With 14 Cores & 20 Threads Spotted, Up To 4.70 GHz Clocks For Early Sample The bigger cores (Golden Cove) will feature multi-threading so it should be equivalent to 8 cores and 16 threads. The smaller cores (Gracemont) however won't feature SMT and will be configured at 8 cores and 8 threads. This would yield a total of 16 cores and 24 threads.

Epic Games has announced MetaHuman Creator, a new cloud-based extension of the Unreal Engine which will allow developers to design high-fidelity models faster than ever before. Think of it like the most advanced RPG character creator you could possibly ever imagine, and you’ll pretty much be on the right track. The results are remarkable, as demonstrated in the trailer embedded below:a “MetaHuman Creator sets a new benchmark for both the believability of digital humans, and also for the ease of creating them,” reads the blurb on Epic Games’ website. “You can directly mani[CENSORED]te facial features, adjust skin complexion, and select from preset body types, hairstyles, clothing, and more. You can even edit your character’s teeth!” The technology has been designed for both animated movies and video games, and you can get a little glimpse of its potential in the video below. In the clip, we see a person brought to life, with different skin shaders, nose shapes, and much more. “MetaHuman Creator is a cloud-streamed app that takes real-time digital human creation from weeks or even months to less than an hour – at an unprecedented standard of quality, fidelity, and realism.” Truly incredible stuff, and hopefully it leads to some huge innovations in video game story-telling over the coming years.a

Owners of BMW, Mercedes and Tesla models as well as other premium cars may soon face higher insurance premiums as the result of new raw data sent to insurers. Since 2009, Thatcham’s insurance rating system has placed cars into a group of between one and 50, using a capped algorithm to help insurers determine what the cost of cover for a particular model of vehicle should be. Although this process has not changed, Thatcham recently sent out a set of raw, uncapped data to insurers, which saw around 500 models of car hypothetically placed in groups higher than 50. to use it to increase premiums on the cars in question, which are typically expensive, powerful, premium models. Which brands are affected? Three of the worst-affected brands are BMW, Mercedes and Tesla. For example, the data placed a BMW i8 in uncapped group 66E, a Mercedes S65L AMG in group 60E and a Tesla Model X P100D in group 58E. Other affected brands include Audi, Jaguar, Land Rover, Nissan and Porsche. The highest category listed in the data was 77E, which the Audi R8 V10 Performance Decennium was placed in. Auto Express understands raw insurance group data is regularly shared between Thatcham and its member insurers, but that this is the first time the cap at group 50 has ever been taken off. The data was shared with Auto Express by Adrian Flux. A spokesperson for the specialist motor insurer said: “We already know that many BMW, Mercedes and Tesla vehicles are among the most expensive to insure. “They’re new, high-powered and high-value vehicles that are costly to repair, which puts them in a higher risk category. Drivers are aware of that, but what they won’t be aware of is that their insurance is likely to have gone up overnight now the cap has been taken off. “Some vehicles have had a 40 per cent increase in car group and, while Thatcham says it’s for internal use only, lots of insurers will build this into their rates for cars in group 50, which will ultimately hit some drivers in the pockets.” Insurance group ratings are based on the cost of a car’s value, the cost of its spare parts, repair times, performance, security and braking performance. The ratings used to be capped at insurance group 20, before the 50-group system was introduced in 2009. In a statement, Thatcham said: “As of December 2020, in addition to Group Rating, Thatcham Research now provides a more detailed list of data to insurers. “This enhanced vehicle risk data provides more granular information on a vehicle, and is in response to insurers’ desire to provide more personalised and accurate premiums by understanding new technologies that either make driving safer, affect their performance or security levels, or how easy they are to repair.”

The majority of Americans are stressed, sleep-deprived and overweight and suffer from largely preventable lifestyle diseases such as heart disease, cancer, stroke and diabetes. Being overweight or obese contributes to the 50% of adults who suffer high blood pressure, 10% with diabetes and additional 35% with pre-diabetes. And the costs are unaffordable and growing. About 90% of the nearly $4 trillion Americans spend annually for health care in the U.S. is for chronic diseases and mental health conditions. But there are new lifestyle “medicines” that are free that doctors could be prescribing for all their patients. Lifestyle medicine is the clinical application of healthy behaviors to prevent, treat and reverse disease. More than ever, research underscores that the “pills” today’s physician should be prescribing for patients are the six domains of lifestyle medicine: whole food plant-based eating, regular physical activity, restorative sleep, stress management, addiction reduction or elimination, and positive psychology and social connection. We are a primary care preventive medicine physician and a computational immunologist, both committed to applying state-of-the-art research to inform the clinical practice of lifestyle medicine. Our findings and recommendations were just published. We highlight the key take-home points for each of the areas below. We believe that future research should include larger trials or new research methods with emphasis on quality of diet. This would include more data on the micronutrient composition and protein sources of plant versus animal-based foods – not just proportion of fat, carbohydrates and protein. Such trials should include children, as many adult disorders are seeded as early as infancy or in utero. Regular physical activity For decades, surgeon generals’ guidelines have emphasized that daily moderate-to-vigorous aerobic physical activity has both immediate and long-term health benefits. For example, why we age and the rate at which we age – chronological age versus biological age – is determined by multiple molecular processes that are directly influenced by physical activity. And now scientists are gaining a better understanding of the cellular and molecular changes that exercise induces to reduce disease risk. Research priorities for scientists and physicians include obtaining a deeper understanding of the type, intensity and frequency of activity, and better insights into the molecular and cellular alterations that occur with exercise. Restorative sleep Sleep helps the cells, organs and entire body to function better. Regular uninterrupted sleep of seven hours per night for adults, eight to 10 hours for teenagers and 10 or more for children is necessary for good health. Though understudied, there is evidence that high-quality sleep can reduce inflammation, immune dysfunction, oxidative stress, and epigenetic modification of DNA, all of which are associated with or cause chronic disease. Therefore, research into the biological mechanisms that underlie the restorative properties of sleep could lead to environmental or po[CENSORED]tion-based and policy approaches to better align our natural sleep patterns with the demands of daily life. Stress management Though some stress is beneficial, prolonged or extreme stress can overwhelm the brain and body. Chronic stress increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, irritable bowel disease, obesity, depression, asthma, arthritis, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, neurological disorders and obesity. One of the most powerful mechanisms to reduce stress and enhance resilience is by eliciting a relaxation response using mind-body therapies and cognitive behavioral therapy. More research is need to gain a better understanding of how these therapies work. Addiction reduction and elimination Many social, economic and environmental factors have fueled the national rise in substance abuse generally and, most tragically, the opioid epidemic. Physicians and researchers are beginning to understand the underlying physiology and psychology of addiction. Yet the continued stigma and disjointed or absent access to services remains a challenge. Clinicians and scientists need to explore how to predict who is more vulnerable to addiction and find ways of preventing it. Treatment that incorporates integrated care focused on all the patient’s needs should be prioritized. Positive psychology and social connection Maintaining a positive mindset through the practice of gratitude and forgiveness has a significant impact on psychological and subjective well-being, which are, in turn, associated with physical health benefits. Social connectivity, namely the quantity and quality of our relationships, has perhaps the most powerful health benefits. Conversely, social isolation – such as living alone, having a small social network, participating in few social activities, and feeling lonely – is associated with greater mortality, increased morbidity, lower immune system function, depression and cognitive decline. Further study is needed to uncover how an individual’s biology and chemistry change for the better through more social interactions. Inflammation’s role in lifestyle-related diseases Unhealthy lifestyle behaviors produce a vicious cycle of inflammation. While inflammation is a healthy, natural way the body fights infections, injury, and stress, too much inflammation actually promotes or exacerbates the diseases described above. The inflammatory response is complex. We have been using machine learning and computer modeling to understand, predict, treat and reprogram inflammation – to retain the healing elements while minimizing the detrimental more chronic ones. Scientists are unraveling new mechanisms that explain how chronic stress can turn genes on and off. Overcoming challenges and barriers We and others who study lifestyle medicine are now discussing how we can leverage all of these approaches to improve clinical studies on the impacts of lifestyle interventions. At the same time we and our colleagues realize that there are environmental challenges and barriers that prevent many people from embracing these lifestyle fixes. There are food deserts where healthier foods are not available or affordable. Unsafe neighborhoods, harmful chemicals and substances create constant stress. Poor education, poverty, cultural beliefs and racial and ethnic disparities and discrimination must be addressed for all people and patients to appreciate and embrace the six “pills.” The application of lifestyle medicines is particularly important now because unhealthy lifestyles have caused a pandemic of preventable chronic diseases that is now exacerbating the COVID-19 pandemic, which disproportionately afflicts those with these conditions. Ask your doctor to “prescribe” these six “pills” for a longer and better life. After all, they’re free, work better than or as well as medications and have no side effects!

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump leaves Air Force One upon arrival at Dobbins Air Reserve Base, Marietta, Georgia, as he makes his way to a campaign rally in Dalton, Georgia, U.S., on the eve of the run-off election to decide both of Georgia's Senate seats January 4, 2021. REUTERS/Leah Millis/File Photo reuters_tickers January 20, 2021 - 18:01 By Will Dunham WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Donald Trump led the United States for four tumultuous years with a right-wing populist approach and an "America First" message, but left office with his presidency in tatters and the country's democratic institutions dented after a calamitous last chapter. The Republican businessman-turned-politician produced policy accomplishments including tax cuts, curbs on legal and illegal immigration, a rightward shift of the federal judiciary, a rollback on environmental rules deemed burdensome and diplomatic deals between close U.S. ally Israel and Arab states. Having lost his bid for re-election, Trump on Wednesday bequeathed new Democratic President Joe Biden a United States bitterly divided along regional, political, socioeconomic and racial lines amid a relentless COVID-19 pandemic and a wounded economy. In his final weeks in office, Trump promoted false claims of widespread voter fraud, stood accused of inciting a mob of supporters to rampage through the U.S. Capitol and became the first president ever to be impeached twice. An exodus of senior officials including Cabinet members shaken by the Capitol attack left him increasingly isolated in his final days at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. He retreated from governing after the election even as the pandemic intensified. Trump's administration provided financial backing for COVID-19 vaccine development efforts, but after the first vaccines won regulatory authorization in December, it failed to plan for mass vaccinations to get the shots into people's arms. The U.S. COVID-19 death toll surged past 400,000 on his last full day as president on Tuesday. About 40 percent of the pandemic's U.S. toll occurred after the Nov. 3 Election Day. Ignoring the advice of public health experts to wear a protective mask, Trump personally endured a bout with COVID-19 and was hospitalized for three days of treatment before returning vigorously to the campaign trail in October. Shortly before the U.S. Congress met on Jan. 6 to certify the election's outcome - typically a perfunctory task - Trump delivered an incendiary speech repeating his false claims of a stolen election and exhorted thousands of supporters gathered near the White House to march on the Capitol. "We will not take it anymore," Trump told his supporters. "... If you don't fight like hell, you're not going to have a country anymore." Their assault on the Capitol delayed formal certification of Biden's victory while they clashed with police, vandalizing the building and forcing lawmakers to hide for their own safety. Five people died in the violence. A week later the Democratic-led House of Representatives impeached him on a charge of inciting an insurrection, setting up a post-presidency Senate trial and possible disqualification from ever again holding the presidency - a first in American history. Twitter and other social media companies stripped him of the platforms that he had until then used so effectively. 'MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN' After decades of fame first as a brash and media-savvy New York real estate developer and then as a reality TV personality, Trump, 74, tapped into discontent among many Americans to become a political phenomenon unique in the country's 244 years. He won election in an Electoral College upset against Democrat Hillary Clinton in 2016 in his first run for public office, though he lost the national po[CENSORED]r vote by about 3 million. At rallies as a candidate and president, Trump soaked in the adulation of supporters, many wearing red baseball caps emblazoned with his slogan, "Make America Great Again." They cheered his taunts against Democrats, liberals and elites, and his attacks on journalists as "the enemy of the people." On the world stage, Trump abandoned international agreements he cast as unfair to the United States including a nuclear deal with Iran and a climate accord, alienated longtime allies and praised authoritarian foreign leaders. He showed deference to longtime U.S. adversary Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin. U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that Russia used a campaign of hacking and propaganda to boost Trump's 2016 candidacy and interfered again during the 2020 campaign to try to denigrate Biden. After the Nov. 3 election, Trump plunged the United States into a political crisis by falsely claiming victory while his lawyers and allies spun an unfounded tale of an international conspiracy to rig the outcome against him. His campaign and supporters challenged Biden's victories in election battleground states, but failed to present solid evidence to back up their claims, losing in court after court. The judicial rulings were exemplified by U.S. District Judge Matthew Brann, who wrote that a Pennsylvania Trump lawsuit wholly lacked legal merit, adding: "This claim, like Frankenstein's Monster, has been haphazardly stitched together." RECORD TURNOUT With record voter turnout, Biden defeated Trump with a tally of 306 votes to 232 in the state-by-state Electoral College and a national po[CENSORED]r vote margin of more than 7 million. Trump became the first incumbent president to lose a re-election bid since George H.W. Bush in 1992. Trump also became the first president since Herbert Hoover in 1932 during the Great Depression to lose the White House and see his party lose both chambers of Congress in a single term. Critics including senior Democrats and former members of his own administration portrayed Trump as a peril to democracy with autocratic tendencies. They also faulted him for using the executive clemency powers of the president to benefit friends and allies. "He is a clear and present danger to the nation that we all love," House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said during the Jan. 13 impeachment debate, calling Trump "a vital threat to liberty, to self-government, and to the rule of law." Even through his many controversies, Trump maintained passionate support among many Americans, especially white men, Christian conservatives, rural residents and people without a college education. Critics accused Trump of pursuing policies built around "white grievance" in a nation with a growing non-white po[CENSORED]tion. His detractors also denounced Trump for employing falsehoods. Fact-checkers listed thousands of them during his presidency. Trump pushed back at questions about his mental state. "Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart," Trump wrote on Twitter in 2018, describing himself as "a very stable genius." In his first impeachment, the House in December 2019 charged him with abuse of power and obstruction of Congress after he asked Ukraine to investigate Biden and his son on unsubstantiated corruption accusations. The Republican-led Senate kept Trump in office by acquitting him in February 2020. A special counsel appointed by the Justice Department, Robert Mueller, documented 2016 Russian election interference to sow discord in the United States, disparage his Democratic opponent Clinton and help Trump. Mueller detailed numerous contacts between Trump campaign figures and Russians. Both the campaign and Russia denied any wrongdoing. Trump called the investigation a "witch hunt" and declared "complete and total exoneration." Mueller's report did not accuse Trump or his campaign of a criminal conspiracy with Russia, but nor did it exonerate Trump of committing obstruction of justice in trying to impede the investigation. Trump's attorney general subsequently cleared him of obstruction. In farewell remarks at Joint Base Andrews after leaving the White House on Wednesday, Trump promised supporters, "We will be back in some form," and boarded Air Force One for a flight to Florida that took off while Frank Sinatra's classic song, "My Way" played over a loud speaker.

punch et son agilité. Tel un pied de nez à l’autorité, elle affiche un style encore plus décalé. Essai Yamaha MT-07 2021 Pas facile de renouveler un best-seller comme la Yamaha MT-07. Depuis 2014, le roadster japonais s’est écoulé à 39 000 exemplaires en France et caracole en haut de classement du marché du deux roues. Outre son style affirmé, cette moto compacte et légère brille par sa facilité de prise en main et le punch de son petit bicylindre en ligne. Même dans sa version bridé à 47 ch pour les permis A2, cette mécanique fait preuve de tonus. En 2018, la deuxième génération de MT-07 a revu son look et bien optimisé ses suspensions. Pour 2021, Yamaha a surtout planché sur le moteur afin de passer les normes antipollution et antibruit Euro5. Au final, la puissance ne baisse que de 1,5 ch et la machine avoue 2 kg de plus. Ce très léger surpoids s’effectue surtout au niveau de l’échappement plus volumineux. Pour compenser, les ingénieurs ont gratté 500 grammes en redessinant le réservoir et 200 g en optant pour un petit phare lenticulaire sur la tête de fourche. Le centre de gravité est donc légèrement abaissé. A cela s’ajoute un guidon élargi de 3,2 cm qui améliore encore la maniabilité remarquable de l’engin. La partie cycle repose sur les même suspensions Kayaba mais les freins profitent de nouveaux disques élargis en provenance de la MT-09 et les jantes chaussent de nouveau pneus Michelin Road 5. Leviers de frein noirs et rétroviseurs sont aussi hérités de la grande sœur. L’instrumentation LCD modernisée se montre très lisible et permet de faire défiler facilement les informations de l’ordinateur de bord depuis le guidon. Les commandes très accessibles et bien disposées intègrent des warnings et une gâchette d’appel de phare. Dommage que la prise USB figure toujours au catalogue des options ! En y regardant de plus près, on regrettera également que la finition n’ait pas vraiment progressée. La mousse apparente au milieu du cadre, les gainages de câbles grossiers et autres vis apparentes laissent à désirer. Une Yamaha MT-07 2021 moins brutale mais plus agile Au démarrage, le moteur se montre moins sonore mais conserve son petit son agréable et une belle souplesse d’utilisation. L’arrivée plus progressive du couple améliore l’agrément en ville quitte à perdre un peu de bestialité en usage sportif. Mais les accélérations restent toniques. L’échappement Akrapovic apporte une tonalité un peu plus grave mais s’avère assez disgracieux et réclame un surcoût délirant de 2999 € ! Avec seulement 168 kg à sec, la Yamaha MT-07 2021 se faufile en ville avec grâce et remonte les files en évitant les rétros. La boîte précise permet de trouver aisément le point mort et l’embrayage ne fatigue pas la main gauche. Sur route, la légèreté fait aussi merveille pour bondir d’un virage à l’autre et le guidon élargi accentue la vivacité à l’inscription. L’absence d’antipatinage nécessite d’être méfiant sur le mouillé à la remise des gaz, même si les pneus Michelin offrent un grip remarquable. L’amortissement procure un bon compromis entre qualité de filtration et tenue de cap. La fourche plonge un peu au freinage à la prise des leviers de frein mais ne s’affaisse pas et l’amortisseur relativement souple contient bien ses rebonds…du moins à rythme raisonnable. Sur voie rapide, la moto reste bien stable et vibre peu même à 130 km/h en 6ème où le moteur tourne à 5500 tr/mn. Après une journée sur la selle, nous n’avons pas souffert des lombaires ni du fessier même si la selle n’est pas très rembourrée. Si l’ordinateur de bord indiquait une moyenne de 5,7 l/100 km, nous avons enregistré 5,2 l/100 km à la pompe après une virée de 200 km dans les hauteurs de Marseille. Le tarif de 7299 € augmente de 200 € mais reste compétitif pour une machine polyvalente, plaisante et à la fiabilité éprouvée. Verdict : Bien que filtré, le troisième millésime de la Yamaha MT-07 2021 n’est pas bouchonné. Les évolutions apportées n’ont certes rien de révolutionnaires mais devraient suffire à maintenir le roadster nippon en haut de l’affiche.

Three years ago, a 28-year-old Mumbai-based photographer passed on a female condom–that was gifted to her by someone who did not want to use it — to a friend. “I gifted it to another friend who I thought would use. As for me, I was not sure how it works, and have also heard it’s uncomfortable,” she said. But, as it turned out, even the friend never used it. Nandni Sharma, a 38-year-old Delhi-based publicist relates to the episode and shares a similar sentiment. When asked if she would like to use female condoms, she replied, “not sure”. This is despite the fact that she first read about female condoms in a “woman’s magazine couple of years ago, and was intrigued how they worked”. Female contraceptives are known to be extremely beneficial; they not only help prevent unwanted pregnancies but are equally important for promoting safe sexual practices. “If used correctly, they are 95 per cent effective. They protect against unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs),” said Dr Anubha Singh, gynecologist, IVF expert, and medical director, Shantah Fertility Centre, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi. In comparison to contraceptives like male condoms and Emergency Contraceptive Pills (ECPs), however, female condoms are lesser-known and even lesser-used, according to experts. So, what is holding women back? Indianexpress.com reached out to experts in various fields to understand the importance of talking about female contraceptives, especially female condoms, that are considered “cumbersome” to use. According to Himani Bajaj, 31, a PhD research scholar at Ambedkar University Delhi who has undertaken research focused on young women’s experience of negotiating contraceptives, none of her 35 subjects in the age group of 18-32 years “had ever used a female condom”, with ECPs or male condom being the preferred choices. “Some of them cited the fact that it is simpler to pop a pill or ask the male partner to put a male condom instead of placing the condom inside the vagina,” shared Bajaj. What are female condoms? Female condoms act as a contraceptive barrier that can be worn inside the vagina. They prevent unwanted pregnancies by stopping sperm from meeting an egg while also preventing sexually transmitted infections that may occur due to body-to-body contact. Female condoms can be placed into the vagina upto eight hours before getting intimate with a partner. They are made of either polyurethane, natural rubber, or synthetic rubber, all of which do not use MBT/ZMBT or mercaptobenzothiazole, a chemical material that has recently been identified as a potential carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, as per World Health Organization. What are the benefits? Dr Shobha Gupta, gynecologist and IVF expert from Mother’s Lap IVF Centre, Pitampura, New Delhi, said female condoms provide the same benefits as male condoms but “allow women to take more active and independent responsibility for preventing pregnancy and the spread of STIs”. “When you use female condoms, you don’t need to rely on your male partners to provide and wear their own condoms. Other benefits include convenience, male genital erection is not required, increased sexual arousal, and it rarely causes allergic reactions,” she said. How to use a female condom? Find a comfortable position. While holding the outside of the condom at the closed end, squeeze the sides of the inner ring together with your thumb and forefinger and insert into the vagina. “It is similar to inserting a tampon. Using your finger, push the inner ring as far up as it will go until it rests against the cervix,” explained Dr Gupta. ALSO READ |New drug to boost women’s sex drive approved in US Is it for every woman? “It depends on one’s needs and preferences. It also depends on its availability, as not much awareness is there,” Dr Gupta said. “What is that? We only keep male condoms,” said a chemist from a well-known pharmacy that indianexpress.com reached out to over the phone. This lack of availability coupled with promoting safe sex practices prompted Pee Safe, an intimate hygiene brand, to recently foray into the female condom segment with Domina. “The female po[CENSORED]tion today is aware of its rights, including those related to hygiene and sexual health. Internet penetration has further influenced buying behaviour. Our aim is to not only address this segment but also ensure that we play a part in preventing sexually transmitted infections like AIDS,” said Vikas Bagaria, founder, Pee Safe. Known as India’s first manufacturer of female condoms, Cupid Limited’s sale figures are around 25,000 pieces per annum, mostly on “online platforms”. “We have done sales of around 23 million pieces in 2019-2020 worldwide for female condom. Most of this sale is to the Ministry of Health in countries like South Africa and Brazil. If the Indian health ministry also procures and promotes the use of female condoms, then its awareness and demand will increase in India. The MRP of our two-piece wallet of female condoms is Rs 95,” said Swapnil Dhage, marketing manager, Cupid Limited, which manufactures Cupid Angel female condoms. However, as per technology research company TechNavio, in terms of market scope, the APAC region, driven primarily by India and China, is set to be the fastest-growing market for female condom. It estimates that the global market size for this product category is approximately 800 million. The sales, like Dhage pointed out are mostly online, considering very few physical pharmacies keep stock. Even as the market is set to witness an upward trajectory, currently, the “unavailability”, high cost, lack of basic know-how of insertion techniques, and awareness have been pointed out as viable causes for the lack of such contraceptive use. While a pack of 10 male condoms costs Rs 180, a pack of two female condoms is priced around Rs 100. “The costing is more due to the construction of the condom as a male condom has just latex whereas a female condom also comes with a ring, and a synthetic rubber or polyurethane,” stressed Dhage, while stating that actual manufacturing cost “can’t be disclosed owing to business reasons”. Despite many studies and evidence showing positive user experience and acceptance, female condoms have remained out of most government programs, said Dipa Nag Chowdhury, programme director, Po[CENSORED]tion Foundation of India. “Some studies have also highlighted concerns around its acceptance by men. Additionally, pricing and packaging are also some of the other issues seen as reasons for their poor uptake,” explained Nag Chowdhury. So, what can be done? “Going forward, female condoms must be po[CENSORED]rised and made available to all women, as an integral part of the world’s commitment to providing universal access to sexual and reproductive health and family planning services,” said Nag Chowdhury. Dr Singh added, “Based on past research on the rate of successful use of barrier methods of contraception, the results are divided into two categories: perfect use or typical use. In reality, only a few people use the female condom correctly every time. Proper education, therefore, should be given on how to use them perfectly.”

We begin with pipelines. Alberta Premier Jason Kenney is urging President-elect Joe Biden to show Canada respect and reconsider his plans to quash the Keystone XL expansion once he takes office — or at least sit down and talk before he does. Kenney is also calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to raise the issue with Biden again. Not everyone is unhappy with the news, however. Among the federal Green and NDP ranks, the decision is being welcomed. Green Party Leader Annamie Paul said it shows the U.S. is about to be led by a committed “climate warrior,” while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said, “This is the direction that the future requires, we’ve got to fight the climate crisis.” Canada’s Natural Resources Minister Seamus O’Regan said today the government is continuing to “make the case” for the project, echoing a statement last night from Kirsten Hillman, Canada’s ambassador to the U.S., which said the federal government “continues to support the Keystone XL project and the benefits that it will bring to both Canada and the United States.” In typical economic downturns, like the one we’re in the throes of now, insolvencies go up. But with a drop in business insolvencies for much of the COVID-19 pandemic, Canada has bucked the trend. The number of insolvencies, whereby businesses can’t pay their debts, fell to 474 in the second quarter of 2020, according to Statistics Canada, representing a decrease of 29.4 per cent compared to the same quarter in 2019. The number of insolvencies remained unchanged for the third quarter of 2020, down 13.8 per cent year-over-year, according to a new StatCan report published today. Jolson Lim reports.eline_in_2009.jpg A day after Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole said “there is no place for the far-right in our party,” his office is condemning the fact that MP Derek Sloan accepted a donation to his failed leadership campaign from a notorious neo-Nazi. “Mr. O’Toole is outraged that anyone would accept donations from this individual and will be looking into the matter,” his spokesman said. That story from Press Progress. Nearly two years after it was grounded around the world in the wake of two crashes that killed 346 people, the Boeing 737 Max has been cleared for takeoff in Canada come Wednesday. Transport Canada said today its review of the aircraft is completed and the resulting “airworthiness directive” includes changes that must be made before the plane can return to Canadian airspace. As CBC News reports, WestJet is expected to be the first airline to fly the Max again on Thursday. Before getting booted from caucus on Friday, PC MPP Roman Baber appears to have had the ear of Premier Doug Ford. An analysis by iPolitics of the premier’s schedules from that time period show Ford met with Baber more than any other member outside of cabinet from June 2018 until the start of the pandemic in March 2020. Now sitting as an independent member, Baber was given the boot for “spreading misinformation” about public health restrictions in the face of COVID-19. Campaign signs began to appear on St. John’s streets last Friday morning on the eve of the first anniversary of a ferocious winter storm that paralyzed eastern Newfoundland and became known as “Snowmageddon.” The record-breaking snowfall led to a declaration of a state of emergency and the intervention of the Canadian Forces to restore a semblance of everyday life. Later on Friday, as the supper-hour television news programs went to air and a storm packing 100 km/h winds bore down on St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador Premier Andrew Furey announced there would be a winter election. Roger Bill has this look at what the parties have on offer. A number of tech companies are actively seeking government contracts in areas of digital transformation, data storage and IT products and services. And as pre-budget consultations continue in advance of the 2021 budget, which is expected to be delivered in the coming months, a number of businesses are reaching out to the government on taxation, financial reporting and financial literacy. More details in this week’s Lobby Wrap. In The Sprout: PM issues supplementary mandate letters In The Drilldown: Biden plans to cancel Keystone XL pipeline permit In Other Headlines: Canada to wait longer than Europe for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (Globe) Ontario looks to expand critical care capacity with addition 500+ hospital beds (CTV) N.S. begins ‘presumed consent’ organ donation (Global) Canada’s spy-catching system caused delay, anxiety in Delisle case: former FBI official (CP) Alberta’s COVID-19 vaccine supply on brink of exhaustion (CTV) How the Nova Scotia killer got his guns and wealth (Global) With just two days to go before the inauguration, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris resigned from the Senate today. “As I resign from the Senate, I am preparing to take an oath that would have me preside over it,” she said in a piece she penned for her constituents in California, adding, “…This is not goodbye. This is hello.” Speaker Nancy Pelosi is raising alarms about Michael Ellis, a former GOP operative and Trump loyalist, being installed as the top lawyer at the National Security Agency. As the Hill reports, she sent a letter to acting Defense Secretary Christopher Miller demanding that the former White House official not be put in the position of general counsel at the NSA. In a tweet today, she blasted Ellis, saying “the attempt to install an unqualified Trump loyalist as NSA General Counsel just 72 hours prior to the start of a new Administration is highly irregular and highly suspect. This placement should not move forward.” As for Miller, he said today that while law enforcement officials are vetting National Guard troops stationed in the nation’s capital, authorities have “no intelligence indicating an insider threat” to President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration this week. That comes on the heels of a weekend report by the Associated Press that concerns of insider threats had prompted the FBI to vet National Guard troops stationed in D.C. to increase security around the inauguration. More from The Hill. Still with Pelosi: A woman charged with disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds in the wake of the Jan. 6 riot apparently planned to steal a laptop computer from the House Speaker’s office and sell it to Russian intelligence. Court documents filed today reveal that’s what Riley Williams told a former “romantic partner,” who in turn told the FBI. Sounds like something a real patriot would do, no? Still with crimes, sources tell CNN President Donald Trump is set to issue 100 pardons and commutations on his final full day in office Tuesday. Among the latest batch? White collar criminals and high-profile rappers, but so far no indication he’ll include himself. As Trump’s impeachment trial approaches, his personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani says he can’t defend the president because he was a “witness.” You’ll recall at the rally ahead of the storming of the Capitol, Giuliani called for “trial by combat.” “Because I gave an earlier speech … I am a witness and therefore unable to participate in court or Senate chamber,” he told ABC News yesterday. Surely this has nothing to do with their recent falling out and Trump’s refusal to pay him? Despite calls from Western countries for his release, Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was ordered detained for 30 days for violating the terms of a suspended jail sentence. The opposition leader was detained yesterday as soon as he landed in Russia. It was the first time he had been home since being poisoned by a nerve agent, which he has blamed on Vladimir Putin. Reuters reports. World Health Organization director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said today the world is on the brink of a “catastrophic moral failure” if rich countries hog COVID-19 vaccine doses while the poorest suffer. As AFP reports, he denounced the “me-first” attitude of wealthy nations and also blasted vaccine manufacturers for chasing regulatory approval in rich countries rather than submitting their data to the WHO to green-light vaccine use globally. In Featured Opinion: Jane Cooper: STEM education must be reformed to engage Indigenous youth The Kicker: Finally, one of the best feeds on Twitter is Canadian Forces in the United States 🇺🇸 (@CAFinUS). This being Martin Luther King Jr. Day south of the border, today the feed featured a thread about Lanier Phillips, a black sailor whose life was forever changed during WWII when his warship ran aground in a February storm in St. Lawrence, Newfoundland and Labrador. Moving and inspiring, his is a story that never gets old and remains ever so relevant. Have a good night.

DH 2 Good song