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Murray Hill on the life and versatility of a New York drag king

Monday, November 19, 2007

Drag—dressing in the clothing atypical of your born gender—in recent years has found mainstream success. Films such as Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar have prominently featured drag performers. But they have all focused on men in drag as women.

Murray Hill is a comedian, emcee and performer. He is also a drag king. Called “The Hardest Working Middle-aged Man in Show Business”, The New York Times christened him “the current reigning patriarch of the downtown performance community.” He is seemingly everywhere, emceeing a bingo night at the now closed, Jimmy Fallon-backed Mo Pitkins’ House of Satisfaction on Avenue A, or hosting the Polyamorous Pride Day in Central Park. Hill has become a legend in New York’s “anything goes” counterculture theater scene who is beginning to find mainstream success; which would be a first for a drag king.

David Shankbone’s examination of New York City‘s culture has brought him to the whip’s end of a BDSM dungeon, on the phone with RuPaul, matching wits with Michael Musto, grilling Gay Talese, eating dinner with Augusten Burroughs and quizzing the bands that play the Bowery Ballroom. In this segment he talks to downtown legend Murray Hill, former New York City mayoral candidate and comedian, on the last night of Mo Pitkins’ House of Satisfaction.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Murray_Hill_on_the_life_and_versatility_of_a_New_York_drag_king&oldid=4588772”

All About The Benefits Of Seeing A Naturopath

By Adrianna Noton

Naturopathy is a form of holistic medicine that focuses on treating the body as a whole; body, mind, and spirit. It purports that most illness is simply caused by an imbalance within it that must be restored in order for health to be enjoyed. This system of healing does not use pharmaceutical drugs, as it believes these only mask and do not treat the underlying cause of any disorder. Many different therapies may be employed to treat one illness, and natural remedies may be prescribed. These are some of the many benefits of seeing a naturopath.

With this type of treatment, the patient is expected to play a much more active role in his or her own healing than with traditional medicine where orders are given and followed. The naturopathic doctor is also a teacher, who educates the patient about the forces of nature that affect the body and the principles governing them. The patient thus becomes more aware of his own body and is expected to apply these teaching to his own lifestyle as to prevent disease.

Since no drugs are used in this method of healing, patients need not be concerned with side effects. In fact traditional drugs are seen as a pollutant to the body, that can in fact bring on illness if accumulated to a certain degree. Only all-natural preparations are given, not made in a lab, but purely of substances produced directly by nature such as plant and herbal extracts.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx04vMVGtP8[/youtube]

Another good thing about receiving this kind of treatment is that the methods used are fairly simple, based on principles and elements of nature and can be easily carried out at home without dependence on a doctor or treatment facility. Once taught, a patient can apply these therapies upon sensing symptoms that would indicate imbalance. Many chronic disorders are remedied using the various methods of treatment the naturopath may apply.

Each of these commonly used therapies in naturopathic medicine have been noted to positively effect certain conditions in the body. Mud packs and baths-used to improve digestion and skin conditions, acupressure-improves circulation, digestion, joints, massage-releases toxins, improves tone of muscles and circulation, color therapy-used to reestablish balance in the body and eliminate certain illnesses.

Not only are the treatments used in naturopathic medicine safe and simple, but they are also much less costly than regular pharmaceutical drugs are. In fact the most money needed to invest in this type of health regime is that which the patient needs to spend on ensuring a healthy and balanced diet. However this area is flexible, and the naturopath can devise a plan that is cost-appropriate for each patient, for instance recommending local produce that offers the same nutritive value as more costly imported ones.

Beginning a natural healing program has the added advantage of a marked improvement in one’s dietary habits. Naturopathy teaches that pH and blood imbalances due to poor diet contribute to many diseases, therefore it is imperative that a patient reduce the alkaline-lowering sweet, salty, spicy and sour foods and increase the amount of fruits and vegetables eaten which raise the alkalinity of the blood and promote health.

In general, anyone healthy or sick can enjoy the benefits of seeing a naturopath. The treatments are not harmful and if anything can set one’s body in a healthier state. The awareness of one’s own body and health is another advantage this kind of treatment has to offer, with the patient be an active participant in his own health, rather than a passive recipient.

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British adventurer flies powered paraglider over Everest

Friday, May 18, 2007

British explorer and mountaineer Edward “Bear” Grylls, has set a new altitude record by piloting a powered paraglider above Mount Everest reaching 29,494ft (8,990m). He and his fellow pilot, Giles Cardozo, who had invented and developed the parajet engine, set out on their attempt from the Himalayan village of Pheriche (altitude 14,435ft (4,400m)) in the early morning of 14th May.

Grylls, 33, is a mountaineer, best selling author and television presenter who spent three years with the elite British Special Air Service (“SAS”) forces. During this time he was involved in a horrific parachuting accident in which he broke his back in three places, almost severing his spinal cord. Remarkably, in 1998, after months of rehabilitation, he became at 23, the youngest British climber to scale Mount Everest and return alive.

Cardozo is considered to be one of the top paragliding pilots in the world, and it is reported that he and Grylls first came up with the idea for the attempt about a year ago when he had invented the engine that would take them up the mountain.

Grylls and Cardozo flew their paragliders together to 28,001ft (8,353m) surviving temperatures of minus 76°F (-60°C) and dangerously low oxygen levels, when a fault developed in Cardozo’s engine, and he had to abort his attempt just 984ft (300m) below the summit. Grylls went on to reach his record height at 09.33 local time. He had originally intended to cross the Mountain but turned back to base camp fearing that he might be arrested if he entered Chinese airspace.

On his return to Kathmandu, Grylls voiced his feelings of loneliness and exhilaration:

When Giles descended and I found myself alone so high up I was feeling a lot more vulnerable but I knew the weather and wind conditions were perfect. It was so amazing to look into Nepal, India and Tibet and all of a sudden these great Himalayan giants looked so tiny. It was a very special moment when I realised that there was no mountain in the world above me, especially after having stood on the top of the world myself nine years ago.
 

The attempt was sponsored by British technology and engineering group GKN. The project, GKN Mission Everest, raised £500,000 (approximately $1m) for Global Angels, a charity helping children in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

In a separate incident, a German paragliding champion has survived being sucked up by a storm to a height of 32,612ft (9,940m) whilst preparing for a world paragliding championship in Manilla, New South Wales, Australia.

Ewa Wisnierska, 35, the 2005 World Cup paragliding winner, lost consciousness and was covered in ice and battered by orange-sized hailstones as she was pulled upwards by the sudden tornado-like storm which she had been attempting to skirt. After regaining consciousness as she descended she was able to make contact with her ground team which had been tracking her by her GPS equipment, and landed safely 40 miles (60km) from where she took off.

Remarkably she spent only an hour in hospital after her experience, being treated for frostbite and blistering to her face and ears.

A fellow competitor, 42 year old Chinese man, He Zhongpin, who was also caught up in the storm, was not so fortunate and died from lack of oxygen and the extreme cold.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=British_adventurer_flies_powered_paraglider_over_Everest&oldid=2574597”

NASA prepares to launch mission to nearby asteroids

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

NASA is beginning the final preparations for next Wednesday’s launch of the Dawn probe, aboard a Delta II rocket. The Dawn probe, costing over US$250 million, will visit the dwarf planet Ceres and the asteroid Vesta. The launch was originally planned for mid-June, however due to a damaged crate, shipping delays, and a damaged solar panel, NASA chose to delay it until now. Last week the spacecraft was delivered to the launch pad, and engineers performed tests to ensure that it is ready for launch. Today, the payload fairings were installed, and the probe is ready for its launch next week onto its 5 billion kilometer (3.2 billion mile) mission.

As the Delta II launches, three stages of rockets will propel the probe towards its first target. With the help of ion thrusters, it will reach Mars in mid-2009. Using Mars’ gravity, the probe will speed up and proceed towards the first asteroid, Vesta, in late 2011. After orbiting for seven months, it will leave Vesta in mid-2012, and arrive at Ceres in 2015. After making scans of Ceres, it will enter an orbit around Ceres that will ensure that it does not impact the asteroid for half a century. This is required due to the United Nations’ “Outer Space Treaty”, which states that “harmful contamination” of these asteroids must be avoided.

The targets of this mission, Ceres and Vesta, couldn’t be less alike. Ceres (diameter 975 km, 600 miles) is larger than Vesta (578 km, 350 miles). This makes Ceres approximately the size of Texas. NASA believes Ceres could contain water beneath its outer crust because, like Earth, its inner layers are heavier than the outer layers, and Ceres’ outer layer is lighter than water. Vesta, on the other hand, is the size of Arizona, and has a surface of volcanic rock, which astronomers believe came from its hot inner layers. Vesta also has a large crater – almost 500 km (300 miles) across – on its southern pole. The collision that caused this likely blasted enough rock into space to fill a container 160 by 160 by 80 km (100 by 100 by 50 miles).

The probe will make several observations of these asteroids: it will compare the makeup, shape, size, and densities, analyze craters, and determine mass, gravity, rotation. To determine the makeup, the probe carries a mapping spectrometer, and tools to map emissions of neutrons and gamma rays. Using this information, NASA can compare the formation of these bodies to learn more about our solar system, for example, to test a theory which states that a number of stony meteorites may be debris from Vesta.

There’s one more piece of equipment aboard the probe: A small silicon chip containing the names of 350,000 people who submitted their names to the “Send Your Name to the Asteroid Belt” campaign. After next week’s launch, the spacecraft will deploy its solar panels and undergo two months of testing before it begins the cruise to Mars.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=NASA_prepares_to_launch_mission_to_nearby_asteroids&oldid=1985779”

UK house prices have fallen 10.5% this year, says Nationwide Building Society

Thursday, August 28, 2008

After dropping 1.9% in July, house prices in the United Kingdom are now falling at the fastest rate since 1990, according to Nationwide Building Society.

The average price of a home has dropped by £20,000 down to £164,654, losing 10.5% of its value in 2008. Property values fell by 1.9% in the past month, and 1.5% in July. In another study, it was revealed that house prices have been steadily falling since October last year.

Nationwide’s chief economist, Fionnuala Earley said that activities in the housing market had recently been “very subdued”, although there are signs of increased interests in home sales, possibly due to the appeal of lower house prices.

The Bank of England stated there has been an increase in the number of people taking out a fixed rate mortgage as opposed to a variable rate loan. Further research by Nationwide has concluded that mortgage approvals also fell by 65% last month.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=UK_house_prices_have_fallen_10.5%25_this_year,_says_Nationwide_Building_Society&oldid=2628195”

Fourth Of July Educational Activities For Children

By Nicole Dean

Patriotism is more than being a proud citizen of a country. It is also knowing the history and respecting what others have done to make the present freedoms possible in the land in which you live. During the various patriotic days celebrated over the course of the year, teach your kids why they are important.

The patriotic day we most often think of is the fourth of July. This is the day that Americans celebrate their independence from British rule. The thirteen original colonies were now independent states that could govern themselves. Many people died in the quest for that independence. Explain to your children the history of the American flag and the song composed about it by Francis Scott Key. Instead of buying flags to wave at the local Fourth of July parade, let them make their own. Show them a picture of the current flag and the flag of the thirteen colonies. Explain to them what the stars and stripes represent. They can choose which flag to re-create and display at the parade. Choose a piece of fabric used to make flags from the craft store and some quarter inch dowels to use as the pole.

Take a trip to Washington, D.C. We did this one year during the summer. Visit the Smithsonian Institutions. In the Museum of American History, children will get an education in the events that have shaped this country. They will also be able to view the actual flag that Francis Scott Key wrote about. The flag spans the entire length of the room in which it is housed. A huge glass partition allows people to view it without disturbing the restoration going on. Children can also see various equipment, artillery, and uniforms worn by soldiers throughout American history in each war in which we fought. History lives again at the Smithsonian Institute.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scJrN-4QmrI[/youtube]

Memorial Day is an occasion to celebrate those who fought and lived and those who lost their lives in foreign and domestic wars. People place flags and flowers on the graves of loved ones who served in the armed forces. Take your children to the gravesites of their relatives who fought at one time or another in a war. Tell them the story of that relative, so they in turn can tell their own children one day. This is an important family tradition worth starting.

Children can get creative with family history on Memorial Day. They can make a collage of old family photos to remember those loved ones who are no longer with them. Show them how to use care with fragile pictures. If the pictures are falling apart, they may need to be placed between self-laminating sheets to protect them before they are added to the collage. Have the children explain their handiwork to the family. Display the collages in a prominent place for all visitors to see.

On Arbor Day, show your children how to plant a tree and explain the significance. Without trees, we would have no oxygen to breathe. When forests are cleared for building new homes and other structures, we lose hundreds of valuable trees. The goal of the government and environmentalists is to get these companies to plant a new tree or two for each one that is lost. By planting trees of your own, you are helping the environment to continue to thrive.

Patriotic activities give kids a chance to learn about the history of their respective countries and their families. By helping them to remember those who have gone before, you give them a connection to the past. Their future will be brighter.

About the Author: Nicole Dean invites you to

showkidsthefun.com/themes-all.php

— a free website filled with activities to make memories with your children.

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GitHub blocks public access to youtube-dl after RIAA issues DMCA notice

This article mentions the Wikimedia Foundation, one of its projects, or people related to it. Wikinews is a project of the Wikimedia Foundation.

Monday, October 26, 2020

On Friday, code hosting and sharing website GitHub blocked the public access to youtube-dl, a software which can download videos from the internet via the command-line. The blockade came after GitHub received a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) take-down notice from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). After stripping the metadata from the notice, GitHub published the take-down notice on their site.

Initially started in July 2008 by Ricardo Garcia, youtube-dl is a script written in Python which can download videos from multiple websites including YouTube, LiveLeak and Vimeo. youtube-dl is a FLOSS software and is under public domain. Currently, the repository on GitHub is locked for viewers other than maintainers of the project.

RIAA’s DMCA notice alleged the script’s purpose of existence was to “circumvent the technological protection measures used by authorized streaming services such as YouTube” and “reproduce and distribute music videos and sound recordings owned by our member companies without authorization for such use”.

youtube-dl has multiple unit tests in its source code, which test whether the software works in different circumstances or not. Some of the tests include checking if the script can download Creative Commons licensed videos, videos which did not have square pixels, videos with no age restriction, “offensive to some audiences” per YouTube community and age-restricted videos. One of the tests included the URL of some copyrighted songs. Citing this test, RIAA’s take-down notice claimed “comments in the youtube-dl source code make clear that the source code was designed and is marketed for the purpose of circumventing YouTube’s technological measures”.

RIAA’s notice published by GitHub alleged violation of 17 U.S. Code § 1201 Circumvention of copyright protection systems which says “No person shall circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access to a work protected under this title”. RIAA listed a number of forks of youtube-dl and requested GitHub via the notice they all be made inaccessible.

The notice did not list any incident of anyone using youtube-dl to download or share copyrighted material, nor mention any damages that actually occurred. Unremarked by the notice, YouTube allows videos to be licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license. When a copyright holder chooses to release their work, be it a photograph, a video, or audio, under a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license, they allow everyone to freely own, share or modify the work as long as the reusers properly attribute the author of the work. YouTube also hosts many audio and video recordings in the public domain which can be used for any purpose without any restrictions.

youtube-dl is used by thousands of people around the world. Multiple Creative Commons-licensed and public domain videos on Wikimedia Commons are uploaded via a tool called video2commons, which relies on youtube-dl to download media. youtube-dl also lets users download videos from LiveLeak — a video-sharing platform for citizen journalism. Videos downloaded using youtube-dl are also used for the purpose of fair use, or for evidence.

youtube-dl comes with a small JavaScript interpreter where it acts as a web-browser would behave while receiving video data from the server. The script has “extractors” for various websites to handle videos from different sources. Whenever something is displayed on the user’s screen, the device has a copy of that content. Web browsers “download” data while surfing the web, though most of it is not persistent on the device. It is possible to download copyrighted photos by using a web-browser. The way the world wide web works, there are no technological prevention measures to prevent recording and sharing of content such as RIAA talks about in the notice. Photos and texts can be downloaded by taking screenshots, videos by screen recording tools, and audio by recording on a tape if not an audio recording software.

Multiple users expressed their disappointment on Twitter and Internet Relay Chat. One of the users said “this is yet another example of why we should use git as it was intended, as a distributed network, rather than rely on one single proprietary server”. Git is decentralised version-tracking software which is used by a large number of software companies and projects. It is possible to host one’s own git server for software development. While Microsoft’s GitHub is a centralised git server, development of software using git does not require a GitHub account.

Soon after the public access to the repository was locked, multiple users started sharing the source code via self-hosted git servers, Tor sites and via the Torrent protocol leading to a Streisand effect. Streisand effect is when a measure to censor information causes further spread of that information. The binary files of the software are still available on its website for users to download. Some people came up with esoteric ways to share the source code, by converting the compressed code into photographs and providing shell commands to convert to the source code.

GitHub’s DMCA repository, where the takedown notice was published for public viewing, was subject to contant vandalism from multiple GitHub users. One user submitted a pull request, merging the source code of youtube-dl along with the DMCA repository. This enabled users to view youtube-dl’s source code from within the DMCA repository, provided they know the commit id.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation said on Twitter “Youtube-dl is a legitimate tool with a world of a lawful uses. Demanding its removal from Github is a disappointing and counterproductive move by the RIAA.” Richard Stallman, the founder of the Free Software Foundation, has been highly critical of DRM (digital rights management, the subject of the DMCA) for many years now.

Wikinews reached out to Sergey M?, one of the maintainers of youtube-dl script, however Sergey said he “won’t give any comments at this time”. Later, he shared an update on the IRC channel. Sergey said, “they require complete removal of so called YouTube’s rolling cipher implementation […] GitHub requires in order to reinstate the repo […] under this conditions I could reinstate it in Saturday/Sunday already but this is an unsatisfactory outcome”. He also said, “I can’t guarantee whether [or] not we will bend over them considering the situation with @phihag [Philipp Hagemeister] but we’ll see soon what we can do in order to keep the max we have and mitigate potential legal issues at the same time”.

EFF is yet to respond to Wikinews queries. Wikinews also reached out to Philipp Hagemeister, a former maintainer and contributor of the youtube-dl project to discuss this takedown.

When did you get to know about the takedown notice and what were your initial reactions?

((Philipp Hagemeister)) I saw the takedown notice along with anyone else, on reddit. Since I am no longer involved with the youtube-dl project (except for occasional contributions, my maintainership ended in 2016), I don’t know any details.

((RS)) Does YouTube implement DRM for videos not under Creative Commons license, and if so, how does youtube-dl bypass it? Could you please elaborate the procedure?

((Philipp Hagemeister)) YouTube implements DRM for YouTube Movies. youtube-dl does not support those.

YouTube has multiple non-DRM video delivery protocols. I’m not up to date about specifics; my last dabbling in this was in 2015.

One of these protocols is described here. YouTube uses JavaScript to compute parts of the URLs. youtube-dl executes this JavaScript, just like a web browser.

((WN)) Could you also explain in brief how youtube-dl functions, and how the maintainers had intended it to be used?

((Philipp Hagemeister)) youtube-dl downloads and plays videos and music, just like any other web browser, from over 1000 different services. Its uses are varied: It enables video playback on many devices (e.g. Raspberry Pi) where the video services don’t work properly, it makes high-quality video playable for people with a bad or no Internet connection, it enables disabled users to use tools to play videos, and it is used for archival and research.

((WN)) What do you think of the DMCA notice?

((Philipp Hagemeister)) I think it is not warranted because youtube-dl is entirely legal. As the DMCA notice has no effect for me personally, I’m not really the right person to address it.

((WN)) Why were the copyrighted tests in the source code? Could they be replaced?

((Philipp Hagemeister)) I’m not sure why, but my guess is that users requested support for these videos and thus they were added as test cases. They can be removed trivially, without losing any function of youtube-dl.

((WN)) Are you aware Electronic Frontier Foundation said it was a “disappointing and counterproductive move”? What do you think should be the next steps?

((Philipp Hagemeister)) Yes, and I concur. I’m no longer involved in the project. If I were, I would probably just remove the test cases, block these music videos (RIAA is not worth the trouble for me, that can be done by other projects), and get the project back online.I understand people who think differently.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=GitHub_blocks_public_access_to_youtube-dl_after_RIAA_issues_DMCA_notice&oldid=4598392”

Whatever Happened To Business Ethics?

Whatever Happened to Business Ethics?

by

Ken Keis

“Live one day at a time emphasizing ethics rather than rules.”

Wayne Dwyer

Whatever Happened to Business Ethics?

Ethics: The discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation; a set of moral principles; a theory or system of moral values; the principles of conduct governing an individual or a group; a guiding philosophy; a consciousness of moral importance.

Corruption: Impairment of integrity, virtue, or moral principle; depravity, decay, decomposition; inducement to wrong by improper or unlawful means (as bribery); a departure from the original or from what is pure or correct.

Whatever Happened to Business Ethics?

After the Enron and WorldCom incidents, there seemed to be some progress in the business culture toward operating with some type of ethical guidelines but, after recent experiences, I wonder if we have made any progress.

What I find disturbing is that many individuals and organizations think it is completely okay to be unethical, if it gets them what they want. Even though I am a huge supporter of free markets and capitalism, there can be a dark side if the operation is void of ethics.

I agree with info-commercial guru Kevin Trudeau that the mandate of all publicly traded companies is to make money for the shareholders — end of story. The result is a conspiracy theorist’s dream come true where, at all costs, a profit must be made. Ethics are not part of the picture.

Here are examples that most of us have heard.

-HMOs withholding acceptance because their numbers are off this quarter

-Insurance companies intent on delaying or refusing payment so executives can get performance bonuses

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIK0T5UqveE[/youtube]

-Information about the harmful effects of drugs withheld from the authorities

-Misleading advertising to induce sales

-Protection of reputations with cover-ups

-Used car dealers turning back the odometer

-Building contractors taking deposits and not completing their work

And on it goes!

What is most disconcerting is the group of individuals who actually don’t see anything wrong with that type of conduct. In fact, in some university ethics classes, students did not see anything wrong with lying to get what they wanted.

But the point here is that it is not okay to compromise your ethics to get ahead.

Here’s a quote that outlines my general sentiments.

“The truth is that good ethics sometimes is good business, but sometimes it’s not. It depends on one’s goals and how one defines good business. Sometimes, good ethics can end in bankruptcy. Of course, so can bad ethics.

A fairer statement is that good ethics can be a very powerful business asset and that good things tend to happen to companies and individuals that consistently do the right thing and bad things tend to happen to those that even occasionally do the wrong thing.

But the crucial point is that the moral obligation to live according to ethical principles is not dependent on whether it’s advantageous. People of character do the right thing in the pursuit of virtue, not self-interest.”

Michael Josephson

Author and Business Professor

So the question is:

Are you a person or business of character that is committed to doing the right thing?

I recall, from my automotive-consulting days, that a sales manager asked the sales rep to lie about previous history and damage to a used car they were selling. The sales rep did it to keep his job but he had sold his soul.

The reality is there are no excuses for unethical conduct.

Thankfully now some individuals are being held accountable for their actions. In addition, individuals who did not take part in the unethical conduct but had knowledge of such events or actions are also being held accountable for their sin of omission.

You are not immune from prosecution if you have knowledge of unethical conduct.

I agree with Michael Josephson. In the long term, ethical conduct is a very powerful and positive asset to you and your organization.

I know that most of us at some time or another have either pushed the ethical limits or at least thought about it.

The key is: Don’t cross the line.

Be courageous and do the right thing.

Lives have been destroyed because of unethical and corrupt conduct. It is time we all took a stand.

Yes, each of us can make a difference and reap rewards from our good conduct.

Not that long ago, I was asked to be part of a mastermind group. Two of our primary objectives were:

-to set a good example; and

-to expect ethical conduct in the personal and professional development industry.

That’s an example of how we can each do our part to make a difference.

Lawmakers now understand there has been little consequence or accountability for unethical behavior in business but recent jail terms for guilty executives provide new hope.

I have found that individuals who are clear and strong in their identity, values, purpose, and passion are far less likely to succumb to the peer pressure of unethical or corrupt conduct.

Ken Keis, MBA, CPC, is an internationally known author, speaker, and consultant. He is President and CEO of CRG Consulting Resource Group International, Inc., Many professionals herald CRG as the Number One global resource center for Personal and Professional Development.

For information on CRG Resources, please visit

crgleader.com

For information on Ken s Training and Speaking Programs, please visit

kenkeis.com

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Whatever Happened to Business Ethics?

Iranian International Master Dorsa Derakhshani discusses her chess career with Wikinews

Tuesday, April 14, 2020

In February 2017, the Iranian Chess Federation announced two teenage chess players, Dorsa Derakhshani and her younger brother Borna Derakhshani, were banned from representing the national team. The federation announced their decision although Dorsa Derakhshani had previously decided and informed the chess federation she did not wish to play for Iran.

Dorsa Derakhshani is currently 21 years old and holds the International Master (IM) as well as Woman Grand Master (WGM) titles. Her brother, Borna, plays for the English Federation and holds the FIDE Master title.

Dorsa Derakhshani was banned since she did not wear a hijab, an Islamic headscarf, while competing at the Tradewise Gibraltar Chess Festival in January 2017. Under the laws of Islamic Republic of Iran, hijab is a mandatory dress code. Her brother Borna Deraskhsani was banned for playing against Israeli Grand Master (GM) Alexander Huzman at the same tournament. Iran does not recognise the existence of Israel, and previously, Irani athletes have avoided playing against Israeli athletes.

Mehrdad Pahlavanzadeh, the president of the country’s chess federation, explained the decision to ban the players saying, “As a first step, these two will be denied entry to all tournaments taking place in Iran and in the name of Iran, they will no longer be allowed the opportunity to be present on the national team.” ((fa))Farsi language: ?????? ????? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??? ????? ?? ?? ???? ???????? ?? ?? ????? ? ?? ??? ????? ?????? ??????? ????? ??????? ? ???? ???? ???? ?? ??? ??? ?? ??????? ????. He further stated, “Unfortunately, something that should not have happened has happened and our national interest is paramount and we have reported this position to the Ministry of Sports.” ((fa))Farsi language: ????????? ?????? ?? ????? ????????? ?????? ??? ? ????? ??? ?? ?? ?? ???? ?????? ???? ? ?? ??? ???? ?? ?? ????? ???? ?? ????? ?????.

IM Dorsa Derakhshani, who currently studies at Saint Louis University in the United States and plays for the United States Chess Federation, discussed her chess career, time in Iran and the 2017 controversy, and her life in Saint Louis with a Wikinews correspondent.

Retrieved from “https://en.wikinews.org/w/index.php?title=Iranian_International_Master_Dorsa_Derakhshani_discusses_her_chess_career_with_Wikinews&oldid=4583918”

Space Shuttle Discovery launches

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

The NASA Space Shuttle Discovery roared into the Florida sky at 10:39AM ET (14:39 UTC), 2 weeks after the launch was scrubbed due to a faulty sensor. The launch was the start of the STS-114 mission, which is planned to be completed on August 7, 2005.

Solid rocket booster separation was triggered two minutes and five seconds into the flight after burnout of the putty-like fuel packed inside each rocket. The firing of explosive bolts freed the twin boosters from the side of the external tank, allowing them to peel away from the space shuttle. Parachutes were then automatically deployed from the boosters, allowing them to slowly descend into the Atlantic Ocean where they will be towed back to shore.

Discovery initiated the command for main engine cutoff, or MECO, at the 8-minute, 23-second mark. MECO shuts down the orbiter’s three powerful engines in the rear of Discovery after completing the “uphill” climb into space.

With the ascent into space complete and fuel in the external tank exhausted, Discovery jettisoned the orange canister. Following jettison, Commander Eileen Collins pitched the orbiter up until the tank could be sighted through the orbiter´s upper windows. Mission Specialist Soichi Noguchi then took digital photographs and video of the external tank from a distance of just 1,500 feet.

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