Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A is targeted for 2:49 a.m. EST on Saturday, March 2. It will dock at ISS - yes dock not be attached. Ripley (with alien?) to ISS
[Bloomberg] Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are rebounding in developed countries after being firmly in retreat for decades. The consequences can be devastating. Syphilis, for example, causes more than 200,000 stillbirths and infant deaths worldwide annually, and years later can lead to blindness, dementia or paralysis.
The resurgence is a result of multiple factors including inconsistent condom usage and the abuse of illicit recreational drugs. At the same time, some common STIs, such as gonorrhea and shigellosis, are becoming harder to treat due to antibiotic resistance.
In the U.S., which has the highest rates of sexually transmitted disease in the developed world, the crisis is costing an estimated $16 billion annually in preventable health-care expenses.
#2
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) have been rising among gay and bisexual men, with increases in syphilis being seen across the country. In 2014, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men accounted for 83% of primary and secondary syphilis cases where sex of sex partner was known in the United States. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men often get other STDs, including chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. HPV (Human papillomavirus), the most common STD in the United States, is also a concern for gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Some types of HPV can cause genital and anal warts and some can lead to the development of anal and oral cancers. Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men are 17 times more likely to get anal cancer than heterosexual men. Men who are HIV-positive are even more likely than those who do not have HIV to get anal cancer.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/01/2019 13:51 Comments ||
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#3
I'm going to guess that the subcutaneous birth control implants make some ignorant folks feel immune to getting pregnant and don't feel the need to use condoms.
h/t Instapundit
The Federal Bureau of Investigation said on Monday violent crime dropped across the country in 2018.
The agency released the Preliminary Semiannual Uniform Crime Report comparing the first six months of 2018 with the first six months of 2017. In the report, the FBI said robberies, murders, non-negligent manslaughter, burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft, and aggravated assaults were all down in that time period. However, it also found rape increased slightly. Could this have something to do with cops no longer afraid of being branded racists whenever they have to deal with African American criminals?
[Free Beacon] Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt (R.) signed a bill into law on Wednesday that eliminated permitting requirements for concealed gun carry inside the state.
The bill, H.B. 2597, would allow anyone who is 21 years old or older to legally carry a concealed firearm so long as they are legally allowed to possess a firearm. It also includes exemptions for anyone between the age of 18 and 21 to be able to carry without a permit so long as they are a member of the military, national guard, or are an honorably discharged veteran.
Oklahoma follows South Dakota as the second state to adopt a permitless carry‐often referred to as "constitutional carry"‐in 2019. It is now the 15th state to adopt such a system. Twenty-seven other states and the District of Columbia employ a "shall-issue" system where those who pass background checks and meet other requirements must be given permits to carry. The other eight states employ a "may-issue" system where those who pass the checks and meet the stated requirements may still be denied permits by government officials.
[DailyExpress] The armed assailants attacked the center which is run by French charity Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday. On Sunday, assailants set fire to a treatment center in the city of Katwa in the Ebola-ravaged eastern region of the country.
Emmanuel Massart, MSF's Emergency Coordinator in the city said: "This attack was traumatic for patients, their relatives and staff present inside the center at the time. It has also crippled our ability to respond to what is now the epicenter of the outbreak." Tribalism or Death cult, or /sarcasm overly agressive anti-vaxxers?
Seems to me if you are doctoring in a war zone, you either need an organic defense capability, some strong local friends, or to bring along an ass-kicking private military company.
[TheDrive] Demand for the 2019 Rolls-Royce Cullinan appears to be absolutely on fire, as the British automaker claims that despite expanding production and hiring more employees, there simply isn't enough supply to satisfy the extreme demand fuelled by brand loyalist and new-found female, younger buyers.
According to Automotive News, Rolls-Royce's order log for Cullinan SUVs is jam-packed until June, and that's not counting the current orders that dealerships are placing each and every day. In order to alleviate the problem, the ultra-luxury brand hired 200 more people, bringing its global headcount to 2,000, and beefed up its production pipeline in late 2018, but that's hardly made a dent.
"I would like to have a little bit more supply," Martin Fritsches, CEO of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Americas told Automotive News. "And I don't get it because we are running on 100 percent of production capacity, increasing the production capacity throughout the weeks and months, but still not being able to catch up to demand."
Some of the additional demand can be attributed to the new customer demographics that the Cullinan has helped uncover, such as female and young, affluent buyers who may be buying their first Rolls-Royce vehicle, but most likely won't be their last. On the other hand, the idea of owning an adventurous, "weekend-only" Rolls with four-wheel-drive also appeals to current owners.
[ELUNIVERSAL] The president of the Parliament indicated that he will return to the country after holding meetings with leaders of several nations such as Colombia, Brazil and Paraguay.
[France24] The United States and North Korea on Friday put forward starkly different accounts over the breakdown of a high-stakes summit in Hanoi but offered guarded hope that they could meet again.
After weeks of building expectations and with a signing ceremony ready to go, President Donald Trump abruptly ended his second-ever meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and declared a deadlock.
"Sometimes you have to walk and this was just one of those times," an unusually downbeat Trump told reporters.
"Basically they wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety and we couldn't do that," Trump said before flying back to Washington.
In an exceptionally rare meeting with reporters, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho summoned the press in Hanoi at midnight and denied the White House account that Pyongyang was only seeking a complete deal.
North Korea had offered to "permanently and completely dismantle all the nuclear production facilities" at its main complex in Yongbyon if the US dropped sanctions "that hamper the civilian economy and the livelihood of our people", Ri said.
JUST IN: North Korea's foreign minister says if the United States removes partial sanctions they can permanently dismantle all nuclear material production; says Pyongyang asked U.S. to lift some sanctions, not entirely pic.twitter.com/yKqx9X7wfC
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news] North Korean officials made a rare appearance on Thursday after President Trump departed Vietnam to publicly dispute aspects of his claims about the breakdown in talks. Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho said the country asked for 'partial sanctions' relief, primarily in the areas harming North Korean citizens and affecting their livelihoods. In return, Pyongyang offered to 'permanently' close its plutonium and uranium facilities in the Yongbyon region in the presence of U.S. inspectors. He said North Korea asked the U.S. to lift sanctions corresponding with five United Nations ...an organization originally established to war on dictatorships which was promptly infiltrated by dictatorships and is now held in thrall to dictatorships... resolutions adopted between 2016 and 2017. Trump said that North Korea was 'not ready' to meet the United States' conditions. Ri said talks broke down 'when it became crystal clear that the US is not ready to accept our proposal,' according to a Bloomberg. The U.S. president expressed confidence that an accord could be struck in the future that would see North Korea denuclearize, but the Ri told news hounds: 'Our proposal will never change.' He left media availability without taking questions. His deputy Choe Son-hui did interact with press, and took a question in English from an NBC news hound on Otto Warmbier. Choe declined to comment, telling a rowdy group of news hounds would only talk about denuclearization. She proceeded to answer questions in Korean for three and a half more minutes before she left the scrum at Melia Hotel in Hanoi. Trump speculated at his presser that 'top leadership' in North Korea did not know about the college student's arrest and his condition, considering it wasn't to Kim's 'advantage' to send him back in a coma.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/01/2019 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] An underage girl and her brother have gone into hiding after the girl accused her father and uncle of forcing her into a marriage.
Police said the girl started the paperwork but haven't done much else with the police against her father, her uncle and the man they tried to force her to marry for threatening her.
The case was registered with Koral police under PPC sections 506(ii) and 498(b).
The girl, 15, is a 10th grade student who was living with her family in Koral. She alleged that her father forced her to marry a 45-year-old man who was already married and has four children.
She told police the man drives a taxi and peddles drugs, and owns a number of properties.
Police quoted her as saying her parents were forcing her to marry the man, and called a maulvi to the house to arrange a nikkah on Jan 13.
She said she refused to sign the marriage certificate, after which her elder brother took her to his home in Sara-e-Kharbooza the same day.
The next day the man, his sibling and his mother came to her brother’s house and told him to hand over his ’wife’.
When her brother refused, the man’s family threatened them.
The girl was then brought to the women’s cop shoppe by her brother, and the police took her to Darul Aman.
Her father visited her at the Darul Aman a few days later and assured her he would not force her to marry the man. She returned home with her father on Jan 23.
Police said four days later, her father tried to forcefully send her to the man, telling her that he married her to the man "as Wali".
The girl again sought her brother’s help, and they went into hiding as their relatives and the man were searching for them.
Police quoted the girl as saying they had threatened the siblings and tried to kidnap her and take her out of the city.
When contacted, Koral Station House Officer Saifullah said the girl was safe and sound with her brother. He said she had alleged that her father sold her to the man for a significant sum of money.
The SHO said both the girl’s father and the man he forced her to marry were from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. He said they had left their homes as, when the police approached them as part of the investigation, their houses were locked from the outside.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/01/2019 00:00 ||
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[DAWN] The Gulberg police on Wednesday started the paperwork but haven't done much else against four people, including a woman, on charges of subjecting a minor maid to severe torture in Raja Town.
A video of torture-ridden Areej Fatima, 8, went viral on social media which drew the attention of the media.
Submitting an application to the police, Robina Iqbal, child protection officer at Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, said a media person had informed her to get a minor girl into custody who was with a councillor, Afzal Ahmed. The girl was employed by the family of Ms Wardha, Ahmed, Sadaqat and Haji Munir.
Fatima has torture marks on her face, legs, eyes, neck and her tooth is also broken.
The suspects used to beat her with sticks and iron rods and about two days ago she was beaten up again.
Fatima of Jaranwala has been serving at the house of the suspects for a couple of years.
The child protection bureau has taken the girl into custody and started her treatment.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/01/2019 00:00 ||
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When jihad outranks research, the outcome follows.
[DAWN] At the opening ceremony of the 5th Science and Technology Exchange Programme (STEP) International Conference at Bloody Karachi ...formerly the capital of Pakistain, now merely its most important port and financial center. It is among the largest cities in the world, with a population of 18 million, most of whom hate each other and many of whom are armed and dangerous... University (KU), speakers expressed concern over the alarming decline in the sectors of education, science and technology and called for united efforts to change this dismal situation.
The event, titled ’Health challenges of communicable diseases and non-communicable diseases’, was organised at the KU’s International Centre for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS).
Dr Panjwani Centre for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD) of the ICCBS hosted the science conference in collaboration with Mustafa (PTUI!) Science and Technology Foundation (MSTF) in Iran.
Regretting lack of progress in science and technology in the Moslem world, Prof Atta-ur-Rahman, chairman of the Task Force on Technology Driven Knowledge Economy, said it’s unfortunate that not a single institution in Moslem countries had been conferred with the Nobel Prize so far.
"The challenges of the 21st century require that Pakistain change its economic directions. We must drastically change the strategy for socio-economic development as natural resources have lost their importance," he said.
It was the ability of nations to manufacture and export high value-added goods, which determined their state of development, he added.
Citing Singapore’s example in this regard, he pointed out that it was for this reason alone that tiny Singapore with a population 40 times less than that of Pakistain had exports of $330 billion, 15 times higher than those of Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
03/01/2019 00:00 ||
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#1
Pakistan had a Nobel winner in Physics. Mohamed Abdus Salam, an Amadi Muslim from Pakistan, won the Nobel in 1979 with Weinberg and Glasshow for Electro Weak unification.
The earliest written records indicate the Egyptians and Babylonians used all the elementary arithmetic operations as early as 2000 BC. These artifacts do not always reveal the specific process used for solving problems, but the characteristics of the particular numeral system strongly influence the complexity of the methods. The hieroglyphic system for Egyptian numerals, like the later Roman numerals, descended from tally marks used for counting. In both cases, this origin resulted in values that used a decimal base but did not include positional notation. Complex calculations with Roman numerals required the assistance of a counting board or the Roman abacus to obtain the results.
Early number systems that included positional notation were not decimal, including the sexagesimal (base 60) system for Babylonian numerals and the vigesimal (base 20) system that defined Maya numerals. Because of this place-value concept, the ability to reuse the same digits for different values contributed to simpler and more efficient methods of calculation.
The continuous historical development of modern arithmetic starts with the Hellenistic civilization of ancient Greece, although it originated much later than the Babylonian and Egyptian examples. Prior to the works of Euclid around 300 BC, Greek studies in mathematics overlapped with philosophical and mystical beliefs. For example, Nicomachus summarized the viewpoint of the earlier Pythagorean approach to numbers, and their relationships to each other, in his Introduction to Arithmetic.
Posted by: Frank G ||
03/01/2019 7:43 Comments ||
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#7
Islam. Just need the Koran.
Socialists. Just need Das Kapital.
#8
The conception that the Muslim world was the leading light in science at the time Europe was in the dark (or at least pre-dawn) ages is correct, but ignores the fact that their pre-eminence came from conquering and co-opting the then-leading Greek science base, particularly in Alexandria.
Given that the Koran and Hadith are basically spooky-mystical, Islamic scientific progress has suffered greatly since then. On the other hand, the current "intersectionality/diversity/pick any gender but pizza" fads in western education will even the playing field and we'll all be digging in the dirt with a stick in a few years.
#9
The Arabs did manage to give the world two major things that have made the modern world possible though. Their sails (further modified of course) made colonization of the Americas possible, and Arabic numerals were vastly superior to the Roman ones still in use in Europe even in the beginning of the Renaissance. But since then, Islam has basically given people war, plagues, and heartache, to varying degrees.
#11
Mohamed Abdus Salam, an Amadi Muslim from Pakistan
Following the loss of Bangladesh, in 1974 Prime Minister, Zulfikar Ali Bhutto constitutionally redefined the Ahmadi sect as not Muslim. As far as I can tell, functionally the Ahmadiyyas were, until that moment, the Gulenists of Pakistan, so their takedown from positions of leadership throughout Pakistani society was gleefully pursued by those who had been outcompeted by them. Much more here.
Depict for us Europe, O fictor,
Unsqueezed by an Arab constrictor,
And Rome in the East
Still secure in her lease
Till the Mongols arrive to evict her.
h/t Instapundit
A new paper written by zoologist Dr Susan Crockford to mark International Polar Bear Day today has found that global polar bear numbers have continued to rise. Numbers have been steadily increasing since 2005, with 2018 data estimating the highest number of polar bears globally since they were protected by international treaty in 1973.
Numbers are so high that Inuit leaders have been pleading with he Canadian government for more polar bear population control as violent attacks against native populations have dramatically risen in recent years. Far from the 2007 predictions of a 67% decline in global polar bear numbers, the new report reveals that numbers have risen to the highest levels in decades. Happy International Polar Bear Day!
#4
Far from the 2007 predictions of a 67% decline in global polar bear numbers
If the predictions of your model or theory don't match the observations, then your model is wrong - no matter how elegant or how much time you spent on it or how much you believe it. It's wrong.
I thought it's about 19th century, imagine my surprise - it's about today
Martin County, Florida, sheriff William Snyder increasingly resembles Casablanca’s Captain Louis Renault who expressed "shock" that there was gambling at Rick’s Café Americain. We know the reason for the fictional gendarme’s incredulity; the real lawman’s surprise at prostitution and human trafficking taking place in his front yard is a bit harder to understand.
News reports out of Jupiter, Florida, say more than 170 individuals face charges in what may be part of a $20 million human-trafficking network that stretches from South Florida to China. Authorities say they have video evidence of wealthy white men from as far away as New England buying sex from Chinese women at a strip-mall massage parlor and spa.
There is much more to this sordid story, however, than grubby guys paying for something they could do for themselves at home for free. The story provides a prime opportunity to take a hard look at the stark truth behind the dirty little secret of our nation’s failed immigration policies.
Each year, as many as 17,500 victims of human trafficking come into this country, according to U.S. State Department estimates. No one knows for sure the accuracy of that number, just as no one knows how many of those victims end up in the sex slave industry. That is because human rights groups, ethnic organizations, labor unions, and other religious and social entities who are first in line to declare racism and discrimination when defending people who voluntarily sneak into this country, refuse to acknowledge the overt abuse and degradation of foreign sex slaves.
The State Department says the U.S., Japan, and Australia are the top three destination countries for sex traffickers; California, New York, and Texas have the most sex trafficking activity in this country.
A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.
Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.
Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.
Rantburg was assembled from recycled algorithms in the United States of America. No
trees were destroyed in the production of this weblog. We did hurt some, though. Sorry.
[DailyExpress] The armed assailants attacked the center which is run by French charity Medicines Sans Frontiers (MSF) in the eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo yesterday. On Sunday, assailants set fire to a treatment center in the city of Katwa in the Ebola-ravaged eastern region of the country.
North Korea
[DAWN] At the opening ceremony of the 5th Science and Technology Exchange Programme (STEP) International Conference at 
