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[JURIST] Human Rights Watch (HRW) [official website] has expressed concern [press release] about the treatment of anti-government protesters detained during Thailand’s latest round of political violence [JURIST news archive]. The group is chiding the Thai government for enacting an emergency decree giving Thai security forces broad power to arrest individuals without formal charges and hold them in secret detention. The decree, which lacks judicial oversight, also prevents detainees from having access to legal counsel or family members. HRW released the statement Thursday after security forces dispersed thousands of anti-government protesters known as red shirts [BBC backgrounder] from Bangkok’s main commercial district and arrested several of the group’s leaders. HRW acting Asia Director Elaine Pearson [official profile] said:

This terrible crisis is no excuse for mistreating detained protesters or holding them in secret detention. Those who committed crimes should be properly charged, but all should be treated according to international human rights standards and due process of law…Secret detention sites and unaccountable officials are a recipe for human rights abuses. Those arrested should be promptly brought before a judge and charged with a criminal offense or released.

HRW labeled Thailand’s emergency decree “draconian,” and alleged that the isolation tactics being used by the government greatly increased the risk of “disappearances,” torture, and other human rights abuses.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva [official profile; JURIST news archive] on Friday promised an independent investigation [JURIST report] into the recent clashes between security forces and the red shirts, many of whom support ousted [JURIST report] prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra [BBC profile; JURIST news archive], removed from power in a 2006 military coup. Abhisit discussed plans for reconciliation aimed at helping the country heal after the nearly two month-long conflict in Bangkok, which has left more than 80 dead. He pledged that due process of law would play an important role in the reconciliation, and that all people would be encouraged to participate in the democratic process. During their protests, the red shirts demanded that Abhisit resign and called for new elections. A member of Abhisit’s cabinet has said, however, that new elections will not be held [CBC report] until the situation in the country had stabilized. The Thai government implemented a curfew [JURIST report] in Bangkok and other areas of the country on Wednesday in response to violence that erupted when the leader of the red shirts announced an end to the protests. The curfew remains in effect as the government tries to maintain order.

Sprouts sold at Trader Joe’s, Walmart, Kings Super Market, Numero Uno Stores, Cárdenas Markets, Gonzalez Northgate Markets, Wal-Mart stores, Jons Markets, and Canton Foods have been recalled after an outbreak of salmonella sickened more than 20 people in 10 states.

There have been no deaths but 4 people have been hospitalized.

The recalled alfalfa sprouts are labeled and packaged as follows:

• Caldwell Fresh Foods – 4-ounce plastic cups and one pound plastic bags, and 2-pound and 5 pound plastic bags in cardboard boxes with sticker affixed with the printed words Caldwell Fresh Foods.
• Nature’s Choice – 4-ounce plastic cups
• California Exotics brands – 5-ounce plastic clamshell containers

If you’ve purchased these sprouts, return them to where you bought them or simply discard them. If you experience the symptoms of salmonella after consuming sprouts, seek medical attention.

Caldwell Fresh Foods Recalls Alfalfa Sprouts Because of Possible Health Risks [FDA]

The soccer game between Inter Milan and Bayern Munich at the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final is scheduled to air on Saturday, May 22, 2010.

Last year, the Champions League final game between Manchester United and Barcelona drew 1.43 million viewers in the United States making it the most-watched UEFA soccer game in the history of U.S. Cable.

This year’s final will be held at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium in Madrid, Spain, a face-off between Inter Milan (Italy) and Bayern Munich (Germany) and it can all be seen at 1:30 PM Central time on Fox.

TThe winners will complete the Treble, a feat never before achieved by any team from either of their two countries. They will also will play against Atlético Madrid, the champion of the 2010 UEFA Europa League Final, in the 2010 UEFA Super Cup, and also enter the semi-final round of the 2010 FIFA Club World Cup.

Watch Bayern Munich vs Inter Milan game of the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final live steam online. Click HERE.

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So here’s the thing: TechCrunch’s M.G. Siegler apparently awoke to an over-the-air update of Android 2.2 (Froyo) on his Nexus One. And immediately, everybody and their mother started posting "Froyo being pushed out to the Nexus One!" Thing is, only a scant few people seem to actually have gotten the update thus far. So maybe it’s being pushed out, and maybe it’s not. Let’s all take a deep breath, m’kay?

If in fact it is on the way, we’ll have the manual update location shortly, and we’ll bring you the instructions, just like last time, so you don’t have to wait on the OTA update.

For those of you who are running custom recover modules (such as Amon RA’s or ClockworkMod, it’s noted that you’re going to have to go back to the stock recovery to update Froyo.

For what it’s worth, I’ve rolled back my N1, and no update’s come down yet. The fact that a tech journalist got an update certainly is a hell of a coincidence, but maybe I’m just jealous, huh? Anyhoo, sound off in our forums if you find out anything. And for the really adventurous, there’s an entire thread at XDA Developers of people saying they don’t have the update. [via TechCrunch]

Old Navy Flip Flop Sale 2010 today! Old Navy Flip Flop is now available for a very cheap price! Don’t miss the chance to own an Old one of the top searches in the web today.  For the Old Navy store hours and promo, read details below:

Promo: 2 DAYS ONLY! SAVE 15% + FREE SHIPPING when you spend $75 or more on any Old Navy purchase*. Enter promo code ONCAMP15 at checkout. Starts 5/22/10 and ends 5/23/10.

Restrictions: Offer valid on Old Navy merchandise through 5/23/10 at 11:59 pm ET in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico) at Old Navy online. Not valid at Old Navy stores. Qualifying amount applies to merchandise only, not value of gift cards purchased, packaging, applicable taxes or shipping & handling charges. Offer valid only on standard shipping to your order’s first “ship to” address anywhere in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). If you choose express or next day shipping options, additional charges will apply. Offer limited to one-time use only. No adjustments on previous purchases. Cannot be combined with other offers or discounts including Gap Inc. employee discount.

Don’t miss this chance, grab a flip flop on Old Navy Flip Flop Sale 2010! Stay tune as we bring you the Old Navy Flip Flop store hours…

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3. Puerto Rico Earthquake 2010: What country will be next?

The American professional golfer, Tiger Woods, was seen with a mysterious blonde beauty on the golf course in his gated Florida community. According to a recent report, this blonde is not his wife, Elin Nordegren.

A source told Radar Online that the blonde is “Elin look alike” and Woods seem to have fun with her. The source said “Tiger was on the golf course the other day, hitting balls… He was with a very pretty blonde who looked a lot like Elin. She was sitting in the golf cart while he was playing… They were talking and laughing and obviously having a good time,”

Woods has done it again. He had many mistresses and this blonde can add up to his collection. Nordegren is absolutely not this mysterious female since she doesn’t have any contact with Woods anymore. Even if Woods and Nordegren are married, they will not be this happy as the source stated. Both Woods and Nordegren have hired divorce lawyers and have been estranged since the sex scandal that led to the downfall of their marriage, according to a report.

Tiger seems to be enjoying his life without his wife. According to Radar, he was seen frequently in a bar known as Embers and an Orlando restaurant. It might be true that Woods is not happy after all with his marriage with Nordegren as what was stated by Joslyn James, Woods’ mistress no.8, in her interview. But who is this mysterious blonde girl? is she aware that Woods has a lot of mistresses and that she might end up like them?

Related posts:

1. Elin Nordegren and Tiger Woods Battle For Kids
2. Tiger Woods in Flashlight again with Devon James
3. Tiger Woods and Elin Nordegren: Official Breakup?

Filed under: Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Ford

Technology is your friend, but no one said it’s always going to be not creepy nice to look at. The fellow there next to the Ford Fiesta is named “Santos.” He’s a U.S. Department of Defense creation working part-time at Ford as a “computerized avatar.” His job? To perform “actions in the virtual world that can allow Ford to improve quality, safety and ergonomics in factories before an assembly line is built.”

Translation: Santos and his virtual musculoskeletal structure can test assembly line procedures at The Blue Oval, helping production-line engineers organize stations in a manner that maximizes efficiency and worker comfort. We’re just waiting for the day when Santos says, “The most efficient way to do this is… to eliminate the humans.” Enjoy the gallery of high-res photos below and the video after the jump – while you still can.

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Ford hires U.S. military’s virtual soldier as assembly line avatar

Ford hires U.S. military’s virtual soldier as assembly line avatar originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 22 May 2010 09:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Many people living in Bangladesh’s impoverished villages haven’t yet been reached by technology. But a determined band of InfoLadies—young women equipped with netbooks, phones, and medical equipment—are delivering technology’s benefits to those people, one village at a time. More »










Bangladesh – Asia – Government – History – Education

I’ve got some public face time coming up:

Tuesday, May 25, 5:30 pm: In San Diego, I’ll be talking at the American Society for Microbiology. I was asked to speak at the President’s Forum, “Tell the Story of Science.” My own talk is, “Newspapers, Blogs, And Other Vectors: Infecting Minds With Science In the Age of New Media.”

Random House will be kindly providing copies of Microcosm for sale at the meeting. I will spend some time signing them all when I get to the conference Monday. The books will be available at the American Society for Microbiology Press Booth. (I’ll update this post when I know exactly where the booth is located.)

I’ll also plan on hanging out at the booth at some point on Wednesday, hoping that I can meet face to face with some of the Loom’s microbiologist readers. (Again, I’ll update this post about exactly when I’ll be there once I get to the meeting.)

Thursday, June 3, 7 pm: The World Science Festival returns to New York for its third year, and I’m delighted to enter my third year of moderating panels for them. I’ll be part of “Modern MacGyvers,” a gathering of innovative thinkers who are designing solar panels for camels, cook stoves that could save millions of lives, and other important inventions.

I may be asked to moderate other panels; if so, I’ll update this post accordingly. I will definitely be going to some other sessions as an audience member: the line-up looks great.

Thursday June 3, 8 pm and 10 pm: The Science Channel is airing, “Creating Synthetic Life,” a show about Craig Venter’s new hand-made cell. The producers asked me to talk about the research Craig Venter and his team have been carrying out for the past fifteen years on the path to creating artificial life. At the time they interviewed me (a few weeks ago), I knew there was some big news coming down the pike, but wasn’t able to talk about the particulars. So I expect that I’ll turn up on the show speaking in hazy generalities set in the future tense. Feel free to set your TV on mute when I show up. But based on the previews, I think the rest of the show is worth checking out.

Might We Suggest…

• Android 2.2 Rolling Out To the Nexus One Right Now
  
  TechCrunch is reporting that Android 2.2, codenamed “Froyo”,  is going live for the Nexus One.  That’s right folks, it appears to already be on the way!  Get ready Nexus One owners!   If I were you,…

From NY Fed President William Dudley’s commencement speech at New College of Florida:

[T]he recovery is not likely to be as robust as we would like for several reasons…

Keep reading at Calculated Risk >

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

• Good News! Stocks Are Now Only 20% Overvalued!
• Seth Klarman: Stocks Will Have Zero Return For A Decade

Secretary of the State Susan Bysiewicz says she had a bad week, but that did not stop her from addressing state Democrats Saturday.

Bysiewicz said she appreciated the warm welcome she received when she walked on stage at the Connecticut Expo Center, appearing with her husband and her three children. 

“I guess I can take the Supreme Court justices off my Christmas card list,” she joked.

Until this past Tuesday, Bysiewicz was a candidate for attorney general. The state Supreme Court, however, ruled that she was not qualified to run only days before the convention, abruptly ended her candidacy.

She is not running for office this year, but said she will fight hard to get those on the Democratic ticket elected.

“I am going to fight for the Democratic principles we all share,” she said.  

Ford, like most modern manufacturing companies, is utilizing virtual reality tools at all levels of development. Gone are the days of designers and engineers hunching over drafting tables in a smoke-filled room, working on blueprints for what will next be molded out of clay.

These days development is done on 20-foot ultra-high resolution displays with real world testing done in a virtual world. Designers can experience nearly every aspect of a future vehicle before any physical piece is constructed. Ford even employs virtual tools for the manufacturing phase to maximize efficiency there as well.

I recently got a close look at a bunch of these tools and processes. I was granted access to everything from Ford’s gigantic full vehicle motion simulator to the gigantic video wall. These are some impressive toys.

Powerwall

Imagine a large room with a single computer workstation and a 20-foot screen as its display. That basically Ford’s Powerwall. It’s a place where designers to executives to auto dealers can gather and get a high-res look at Ford’s current and future lineup.

It’s a simple concept with Sony 4k projector connected to just a single high-end workstation, but the results are spectacular. Designers are no longer tied down to their cubicles and can explore their work in larger-than-life dimensions using AutoDesk & AutoStudio CAD programs to creating spectacular animations in Maya.

The Powerwall rooms are also equipped for worldwide collaboration and any one of them can host virtual meetings with the other seven Ford Powerwall studios found across the globe.

(Sorry for the pics. It’s nearly impossible to show the sheer scale of this screen. Use your imagination and picture those images 20-feet wide and you’ll get the idea.)

Programmable Vehicle Models

Much of a vehicle’s testing is now done virtually, a processes that helps streamline development while keeping cost down. Ford utilizes numerous tools for virtual testing with the PVM at the heart of the process. It immerses the tester in a virtual world assisted by the physical presence of a configurable vehicle sled.

This testing sled is a complex platform that’s able to match the physical dimensions of nearly any vehicle. Once the physical properties are set, a tester sits in the sled wearing a head-mounted virtual reality display equipped with reflective spheres to enable 1-1 movement mapping. A pair of gloves with the same IR-visible balls helps complete the illusion.

The goal here is to allow designers and engineers the ability to test out their designs without building a full-scale working model. Nearly everything from seating position to steering wheel position to blind spots can be evaluated and worked out.

The same lab also houses the so-called CAVE — Cave Automated Virtual Environment. This 3D environment is designed not so much for the ergonomics like in the PVM, but rather for style and craftsmanship. Four rear projectors generate 3D images on three sides and above the tester. The 3D glasses are equipped with motion-tracking sensors to further complete the environment.

It really has a WOW-factor. Once you don the glasses and sit in the single elevated seat, it really gives the feeling of being in the vehicle.

VIRTTEX

Ride testing is key to any vehicle’s development. It can be expensive constructing prototypes that do not function right or are simply wrong. This is where the VIRTETEX simulator comes in.

A 24-ft dome houses a full-size vehicle — in this case a Taurus X crossover — that’s connected to a series of computers. Hydraulics, five projectors, and a bunch screens then immerses drivers in a virtual world.

The benefits are nearly endless. No more expensive and potentially dangerous test vehicles as the system can simulate most of the driving dynamics of a compact car or full-size truck. Testing and polling can be done in a controlled environment without any variables. And it’s just so cool. Imagine playing Burnout Paradise or Grand Turismo in this thing. The Ford engineers said they’ve never broke out the games but you know the six blade servers with high-end Nvidia graphic cards that powers the displays are just screaming for a bit of downtime.

Virtual Manufacturing

Ford’s virtual tools even extends to the manufacturing arm of the company. Motion-capturing technology allows a team of developers to test-build vehicles early on. This allows the company to ensure that manufacturing line workers will not run into any issues.

Full-body motion capture suits are used to generator baseline manufacturing tolerances. The end result is that many manufacturing tasks are now designed so both a 6-foot male and a 5.2-foot female will be able to do preform the same task. If the man’s big hands can install a tiny plug deep in an engine compartment than so can the female’s smaller hands.

This drives down the high-cost of manufacturing later on. The company can plan out a line workers exact tasks before the vehicle ever hits the assembly line.

On Ford’s openness

The more interesting story, at least to me, is Ford’s open access to all these tools. Our access wasn’t something I sought out. We were invited along with other outlets to view all these tools. That’s something many companies would never do and when some actually open their doors, everything but the specific subject matter is covered by a conveniently-placed white sheet.

Of course we had to sign a confidentiality agreement just in case we saw any unannounced vehicles, but that’s normal and fine by me. Ford basically opened their door and said to a bunch of curious journalists, “Come on in, take a bunch of pictures of our design tools, and ask our engineers any questions you have.” Apple could learn a thing or two from this type of access and transparency. It’s refreshing.

An astute reader pointed out the irony of Torrington mayor Ryan Bingham dissing “career politicians.”

Bingham was first elected at 22, fresh out of Marist College, and, like most newly minted college grads, had very little work experience under his belt.

Moreover, he comes from a long line of folks who have made a career out of politics. His grandfather, Joe Ruwet, was a longtime state representative and his mother, Ann Ruwet, was serving in the legistaure when Bingham made his political debut.

But in his speech yesterday seconding Linda McMahon’s senate nomination, Bingham praised McMahon as someone who “has not spent her life in politics.”

 

  

Democrats unanimously endorsed incumbent Denise Nappier for state treasurer Saturday.

Nappier, of Hartford, is seeking her fourth term as treasurer. She was first elected in 1998 and is the first woman treasurer in Connecticut. She is also the first African American woman to be elected state treasurer in U.S. history.

In her endorsement acceptance speech, Nappier stressed that Connecticut needs a sound fiscal policy built on a foundation that allows everyone access to healthcare, quality education and affordable housing.

“I am fired up and ready to go,” Nappier told the crowd at the Connecticut Expo Center.

IPS and partners are celebrating International Biodiversity Day, May 22nd, with the launch in Rome of biodiversity reporting guidelines for journalists covering this vital but complex topic. The guidelines are part of a wider communication initiative for 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity. IPS worked with partners Bioversity International and the International Federation of Environment Journalists (IFEJ) on the guidelines, within the COM+ sustainable development communication alliance.

The 30-page publication was authored by Pankaj Sekhsaria and is available in English and Spanish. The main section provides context, definition, linkages and story ideas for journalists, supplemented by a calendar of biodiversity-related events and a list of international conventions and agreements. Mario Lubetkin, the Director General of IPS launched the guidelines during the “Settimana della Biodiversita”, a week-long celebration of agriculture, food and biodiversity organised in Rome by Bioversity International.

Throughout 2010 IPS is giving special emphasis to reporting on biodiversity and you can see all the coverage at One Planet – 1.4 million species. Recent popular stories include Ecosystem in Peril after Gulf Oil Spill, a series of stories from Namibia about the efforts of the San people to keep their land and harvest wild produce sustainably, and a story from Tokyo Prized Bluefin Tuna Adrift in a Sea of Conflicting Interests.

As part of this coverage, IPS will have a small team of reporters reporting from Nagoya, Japan in October 2010 for the tenth meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the major international agreement to protect biodiversity, that came out of the 1992 Earth Summit.

Download available:

Putting life on the front page – Bioversity Reporting Guidelines (English)

La vida en la portada – Guia Para Reportear Sobre Biodiversidad (Spanish)

Read more:

Bioversity – Culture Integral to Agriculture

Oceanlinx; named one of the world’s Top Ten Renewable Energy Investments by the UN, needs to go back to the drawing board to iron out some kinks in the design of its 2.5 MW wave energy power station.

A massive swell at the Port Kembla site, 93 miles off the coast of Australia was able to sink the continent’s first wave power device to feed power to the Australian grid. The $5 million pre-commercial pilot project had just begun supplying power to the shore in February 2010.

The wave energy industry is in its infancy. Other than this, only half a dozen pilots are actually are delivering electricity to grids, (most in Europe) and which designs will prevail remains to be seen. The US has tremendous potential off the Northwest coast from Oregon to Alaska.

Because it is a completely new industry, wave power entrepreneurs are trying out many different engineering designs to capture the power of the ocean. Some are sited on the sea floor, some float, and some are moored to the sea floor.

The Oceanlinx design was modeled on an off-shore oil rig – and moored to the sea floor (more…)

Geithner’s going to Germany to beg Angela Merkel to save Europe and stop saying stupid things that freak the markets out.

Join the conversation about this story »

Google pays a special tribute and celebration in their logo.

This 2010 two important events take place for fans of technology and cinema: the 30th anniversary of “Pac-Man” and the same number of years the premiere of “The Empire Strikes Back.”

To celebrate the game, Google wanted to pay tribute to transforming its famous logo in the “arcade” with the browser that users can remember how they were the first interactive games.

In Hollywood, thousands of fans from “The Empire Strikes Back” put up a week of activities commemorating the 30th anniversary of the arrival in the big-screen story by George Lucas.

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