1. category
  2. Transhuman News

Page 2,069«..1020..2,0682,0692,0702,071..2,0802,090..»

Category Archives: Transhuman News

Wester, city’s first pediatrician, dies at age 90 – The Robesonian

Posted: February 14, 2017 at 10:47 am

SOUTHPORT Thad Wester, Lumbertons first pediatrician and among the initial waves of doctors who helped establish what is today Southeastern Health, died Sunday in Southport.

Born on Christmas Day 1926, Thaddeus Bryan Wester, who had been in declining health, was 90 years old.

Wester came to Lumberton in 1954 and practiced medicine here for 30 years. In addition to being a physician, Wester was an outdoorsman, accomplished sailor, pilot, conservationist and a driving force behind the development of Bald Head Island into a resort community, where he was its first mayor, serving for two years.

Arthur Gene Douglas, a psychiatrist who practiced medicine in Lumberton for 32 years, called Wester his mentor, and followed him to live at Bald Head Island.

When I moved to Lumberton in 1965 he was my senior by eight years and was my mentor, said Douglas, who retired in 1997. He helped me transition from military medicine to civilian medicine. He was always helpful and supportive, particularly with my efforts to establish mental health services in Lumberton and Robeson County.

Wester, a native of Henderson, earned an undergraduate degree from Duke University in 1946 and his medical degree from Duke in 1950. A World War II veteran, he served two and a half years in the Navy, being discharged as a lieutenant.

He was recruited to Lumberton by Dr. D.E. Ward, a retired surgeon who is now 96.

He was a great doctor, a dedicated community man, and a great church man, said Ward, who hunted, fished and played golf with Wester.

Wester and his wife Lee, who survives him, moved into a home on 28th Street near Southeastern General Hospital and then to their long-time home on 30th Street, where they raised four children, Ellen, Bryan, Ginny and Amanda.

He founded the Lumberton Childrens Clinic, which continues operating today.

Wester served at various times as chief of staff at the hospital, president of Robeson County Medical Association, president of the North Carolina Medical Association, was Robeson Countys health director for three and half years, and was deputy state health director for eight years.

He was also instrumental in the recruitment of physicians as the hospital became Southeastern Medical Center, then Southeastern Regional Medical Center, and is today Southeastern Health.

Douglas was among those doctors, but their friendship of 50 years was not confined to the halls of the hospital.

Douglas family used to vacation at the Westers home, the first built at Bald Head, in 1973, behind the 12th green of the Bald Head Island golf course.

Thad and I shared a love for the outdoors and camped, hunted, fished and gardened together frequently, Douglas said. Thad was a sailor and we had many wonderful times sailing. We also shared a love of golf and Thad was an excellent player.

If I had a dime for every beer we consumed surf fishing I would be a millionaire.

Wester spent the late fall and winter of his life at Bald Head. He was profiled in a story in Our State Magazine in 2013 called the Generator Society of Bald Head Island about how folks who went to the island before it had electricity lived off generators.

Without Thad, Bald Head Island would not be the best place in the world to live, Douglas said.

Wester established the Bald Head Island Conservancy, which worked to protect sea turtles that nested in the island, and served as its president. He was accomplished fisherman, establishing and serving as dean of the Bald Head Island Conservancy Fishing School.

Perhaps Thads greatest skill was his ability to take a very diverse group of individuals with very diverse views, allow each to express their views, and then bring the group to consensus, with all happy with the consensus, Douglas said.

He was always an advocate for preserving the beauty of the Island, Douglas said. He is a major loss to our community.

The Westers were longtime members of Trinity Episcopal Church in Lumberton, where he served at various times as senior warden, vestryman, superintendent of Sunday School and lay reader.

Among the organizations he served and honors he picked up: Duke University trustee for 12 years; president of the North Carolina Health Directors Association, 1987; founder and president of the Bald Head Island Property Owners Association; Distinguished Alumni Award, Duke University Medical Center, 2001; Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, 1978; Outstanding North Carolina Health Director, 1986; Order of Long Leaf Pine, 1994; U.S. Public Health Service Medal, 1993.

Funeral arrangements are incomplete, but plans are for memorial services in Lumberton and at Bald Head Island.

Thad Wester

http://robesonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/web1_Wester-Thad-001-3.jpgThad Wester

Editor Donnie Douglas can be reached at 910-416-5649.

.

Read more from the original source:
Wester, city's first pediatrician, dies at age 90 - The Robesonian

Posted in Gene Medicine | Comments Off on Wester, city’s first pediatrician, dies at age 90 – The Robesonian

Politically incorrect Grammy choice paid off for Princess Joy Villa – World Tribune

Posted: at 10:46 am

by WorldTribune Staff, February 13, 2017

The same old song at the Grammy Awards this year was bashing President Donald Trump . . . over and over.

One artist chose a different path.

Her reward was to see the sales ranking of her album, I Make the Static, skyrocket on Amazon from #543,202 to #3 overnight.

Singer-songwriter Joyce Villa, who goes by the name Princess Joy Villa and identifies as bi-racial, shocked the red carpet gawkers with her red, white and blue gown emblazoned with Make America Great Again in front, and Trump across the train.

I hope you enjoy tonights #grammyawards2017 and remember to forget your problems and focus on the future, Villa said.

You are infinite and beautiful and no one can stop you but you. So go out and celebrate yourself as a winner no matter what, together with those you adore.

Villa probably isnt a Trump fanatic and wore a dress sure to go viral on social media, Rick Moran wrote for American Thinker. Her social media comments suggest some irony in using Trumps campaign slogan.

Still, she could not have been unaware of the physical danger she was putting herself in by wearing a dress that expressed pro-Trump sentiments.

The twitterverse also lit up over Beyonce, who many say delivered a strong pro-life message in performing while pregnant with twins.

According to the Daily Caller, the star wore a bejeweled gown and a gold crown atop her head as she performeda choreographed number that was dedicated to birth and motherhood.

Among the tweets: Is Beyonce making a pro life pitch?? For black women??

@Beyoncethat was beautiful and just about as prolife@prolifeallianceas an artist, woman, mother, and daughter can get.#ProLifebless you

Lifenews.com, however, pointed out that Beyonce has never said she is pro-life. She has supported Planned Parenthood, the nations largest abortion provider, andother pro-abortion causes in the past.

Still, her life-affirming words are worth celebrating because they affirm to a huge audience that a babys life in the womb is unique, precious and worthy of protection.

Beyonce pro-life, Make American Great Again dress, Politically incorrect Grammy choice paid off for Princess Joy Villa, Princess Joy Villa, WorldTribune.com

Login To Your FaceBook to Make Comments

Read this article:
Politically incorrect Grammy choice paid off for Princess Joy Villa - World Tribune

Posted in Politically Incorrect | Comments Off on Politically incorrect Grammy choice paid off for Princess Joy Villa – World Tribune

Why retailers are pulling back from the Trump brand – News8000.com – WKBT

Posted: at 10:46 am

Related content

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - Companies are dropping the Ivanka and Donald Trump lines.

The question is why -- is it business? Or politics?

Nordstrom, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Neiman Marcus, Kmart, Sears, Belk and Burlington have announced plans to eliminate or minimize their inventory of Trump-related brands.

The stores insist these decisions were based on performance, but none shared any sales figures.

Ivanka Trump's company says it is growing and had "significant year-over-year revenue growth in 2016." But because it's a private company, Ivanka's brand doesn't have to disclose its financials.

But several retail experts said they believe the stores' decisions were likely driven by business factors.

One veteran retail analyst points to Ivanka's decision to step away from the company as evidence that the brand may not be going strong.

"If the Ivanka Trump brand were going to be the next Ralph Lauren or Tory Burch, do you think Ivanka might've figured out a way to keep her finger in the pot, stay part of it?" said the analyst, who asked not to be identified.

Another retail analyst, Richard Jaffe from research firm Stifel, said companies like Nordstrom make decisions based on money.

"It isn't about a woman named Ivanka or her father -- it's about the hundreds of thousands of customers who come into the store and say no this is not for me," Jaffe said. "When a customer votes with their dollar, you recognize that it's your job to offer newness and novelty to inspire them to buy."

Jaffe said there are likely lots of Trump supporters who shop at Nordstrom, but if sales are down, that means they're not buying the product either.

The different demographics of the Ivanka and Donald Trump brands may make Ivanka's line more susceptible to political winds, according to Jamie Turner, the author and CEO of 60SecondMarketer.com.

Ivanka's brand, which caters to Millennials, may be more "sensitive to what they see as politically incorrect," he said. That could drive them to "react to what's going on in the Trump administration through their pocketbooks."

"The Donald Trump brand skews older. They focus on older males who might not be as sensitive to the things he's saying," Turner said.

Nordstrom, which said it will stop carrying Ivanka's line, said earlier this month that "over the past year, and particularly in the last half of 2016, sales of the brand have steadily declined to the point where it didn't make good business sense for us to continue with the line for now."

Ivanka's sales surged in late 2015, according to Slice Intelligence, a retail analysis firm that used data from five stores that carry her products. The uptick in sales came just months after Donald Trump announced his run for president.

But by January 2017, online sales of Ivanka's brand dropped 26 percent compared with the previous year, according to Slice.

--Danielle Wiener-Bronner contributed to this report.

Here is the original post:
Why retailers are pulling back from the Trump brand - News8000.com - WKBT

Posted in Politically Incorrect | Comments Off on Why retailers are pulling back from the Trump brand – News8000.com – WKBT

China Loosens Social Media Censorship To Uncover Dissent – MediaPost Communications

Posted: at 10:46 am

Just remember, when an authoritarian government expresses interest in your opinions, its not necessarily with your best interests at heart.

Thats what the Chinese government has been doing over the last few years, according to a study by researchers in Hong Kong, Sweden, and the United States.

The study found that the regime has been selectively loosening its grip on social media censorship and allowing users to discuss some sensitive topics but its doing this in part to better track dissent and nip potential protest movements in the bud.

For the study, titled Why Does China Allow Freer Social Media? Protests versus Surveillance and Propaganda and published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives, researchers analyzed more than 13 billion posts made to Sina Weibo, a Chinese-language microblogging platform akin to Twitter, and correlated these with 545 collective protest events.

They discovered that online censors often allowed free discussion of controversial topics including official corruption and pollution, in many cases accompanied by calls for protests and strikes, apparently with an eye to preventing or limiting the latter.

advertisement

advertisement

Overall, around three million posts relating to protests or social conflict and another 1.3 million relating to strikes were allowed to remain by censors.

Towards that end, the authors state we find that social media can be very effective for protest surveillance, as Most of the real-world protests and strikes that we study can be predicted one day in advance based on social media content.

In one case, the city government of Chengdu simply canceled the weekend, requiring workers to show up at their workplaces and students to be in school, in order to head off a protest over a planned toxic chemical factory.

In fact, users seem to assume that their social media is being monitored, and use it as a channel to circumvent local officials and communicate directly with the central government.

In one interesting example, the user wrote: Billions of money went into the pockets of local officials and their business partners! President Xi, Premier Li, and Secretary Wang in the Central Discipline Inspection Department, do you read our microblogs? Can you hear our voice? Please eradicate these corrupt officials! Right now!

Continue reading here:
China Loosens Social Media Censorship To Uncover Dissent - MediaPost Communications

Posted in Censorship | Comments Off on China Loosens Social Media Censorship To Uncover Dissent – MediaPost Communications

BRAZIL’S PRESIDENT IMPOSES CENSORSHIP OVER CASE INVOLVING FIRST LADY – plus55 (blog)

Posted: at 10:46 am


plus55 (blog)
BRAZIL'S PRESIDENT IMPOSES CENSORSHIP OVER CASE INVOLVING FIRST LADY
plus55 (blog)
Brazil's First Lady Marcela Temer has been a victim of extortion. A hacker entered into her phone and e-mail accounts, threatening to pull President Temer's name through the mud. The First Family reacted quickly. The State Court in Braslia, at the ...
Brazil's Two Largest Newspapers Forced by President and Judge to Delete Reporting; We're Publishing It HereThe Intercept
Brazilian judge censors O Globo and Folha for publishing first lady's ...Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas (blog)
Judge Censors Folha Article about an Extortion Case Related to the First Lady, Marcela TemerFolha de S.Paulo
teleSUR English
all 10 news articles »

View post:
BRAZIL'S PRESIDENT IMPOSES CENSORSHIP OVER CASE INVOLVING FIRST LADY - plus55 (blog)

Posted in Censorship | Comments Off on BRAZIL’S PRESIDENT IMPOSES CENSORSHIP OVER CASE INVOLVING FIRST LADY – plus55 (blog)

Ron Paul: Repeal Obamacare’s Abortion Mandates | FITSNews – FITSNews

Posted: at 10:45 am

WILL CONGRESS STOP FORCING PRO-LIFE AMERICANS TO SUBSIDIZE ABORTIONS?

Last month marked 44 years since the Supreme Courts Roe v. Wade decision declaring a constitutional right to abortion. Roe remains one of the Supreme Courts most controversial decisions. Even some progressive legal theorists who favor legalized abortion have criticized Roe for judicial overreach and faulty reasoning.

Throughout my medical and political careers, I have opposed abortion. I believe abortion is the killing of an innocent human life and, thus, violates the non-aggression principle that is the basis of libertarianism. Unfortunately many libertarians, including some of my close allies, support legalized abortion. These pro-abortion libertarians make a serious philosophical error that undermines the libertarian cause. If the least accountable branch of government can unilaterally deny protection of the right to life to an entire class of persons, then none of our rights are safe.

While I oppose abortion, I also oppose federal laws imposing a nationwide ban on abortion. The federal government has no authority to legalize, outlaw, regulate, or fund abortion. Instead of further nationalizing abortion, pro-life Americas should advocate legislation ending federal involvement in abortion by restoring authority over abortion to the states.

Congress should also end all taxpayer funding of abortion and repeal Obamacares abortion mandates, along with the rest of Obamacare. Forcing pro-life Americans to subsidize what they believe to be murder is, to paraphrase Thomas Jefferson, sinful and tyrannical. That is why I was glad that one of the first actions of the new House of Representatives was to pass legislation ending all taxpayer support for abortion. Hopefully the bill will soon pass in the Senate and be signed into law by President Donald Trump. Congress should follow this action by passing legislation allowing antiwar taxpayers to opt out of funding the military-industrial complex as well.

The House-passed bill also repeals Obamacares mandates forcing private businesses to cover abortion and birth control under their health insurance plans. Of course I oppose these mandates. But, unlike many other opponents of the mandates, I oppose them because they violate the rights of property and contract, not because they violate religious liberty.

Opposing the mandates because they violate the religious liberty of a few, instead of the property rights of all, means implicitly accepting the legitimacy of government mandates as long as special exemptions are granted for certain groups of people from certain groups of mandates.

President Trump has already protected pro-life taxpayers (and unborn children) by reinstating President Reagans Mexico City policy. The Mexico City policy forbids US taxpayer money from being used to support any international organization that performs abortions or promotes abortions. Using taxpayer money to perform and promote abortions overseas is not only unconstitutional and immoral, it also increases resentment of the U.S. government. Unfortunately, as shown by the recent Yemen drone strikes, President Trump is unlikely to substantially change our militaristic foreign policy, which is responsible for the deaths of many innocent men, women, and children.

Ending taxpayer support for abortion is an important step toward restoring limited, constitutional government that respects the rights of all. However, those who oppose abortion must recognize that the pro-life causes path to victory will not come through politics. Instead, pro-lifers must focus on building a culture of life through continued education and, among other things, support for crisis pregnancy centers. These centers, along with scientific advances like ultrasound, are doing more to end abortion than any politician. Anti-abortion activists must also embrace a consistent ethic of life by opposing foreign policy militarism and the death penalty.

Ron Paulis a former U.S. Congressman from Texas and the leader of the pro-liberty, pro-free market movement in the United States. His weekly column reprinted with permission can be foundhere.

Banner via iStock

Originally posted here:
Ron Paul: Repeal Obamacare's Abortion Mandates | FITSNews - FITSNews

Posted in Ron Paul | Comments Off on Ron Paul: Repeal Obamacare’s Abortion Mandates | FITSNews – FITSNews

Transhumanist politician wants to run for governor of California – Engadget

Posted: at 10:42 am

"We need leadership that is willing to use radical science, technology, and innovationwhat California is famous for--to benefit us all," he wrote in a Newsweek article. "We need someone with the nerve to risk the tremendous possibilities to save the environment through bioengineering, to end cancer by seeking a vaccine or a gene-editing solution for it, to embrace startups that will take California from the world's 7th largest economy to maybe even the largest economy--bigger than the rest of America altogether."

When we spoke to him in November, Istvan made it clear that he would be looking at the Libertarian Party if he were to run for president again. Not only does he identify as libertarian, he also saw the benefit of working with a more established political party, instead of starting one from the ground up.

"The most important thing I learned from my presidential campaign is that this is a team sport," Istvan said in an email. "Without the proper managers, volunteers, spokespeople, and supporters, it's really impossible to make a dent in an election. That's part of the reason I joined the Libertarian Party for my governor run. They have tens of thousands of active supporters in California alone, so my election begins with real resources and infrastructure to draw upon. That's a large difference from my Presidential campaign, where we essentially were shoe-stringing it the whole time."

While Istvan says he considered running for local positions around the Bay Area, he described the competition as "fierce." He believes there's a better shot at snagging Republican and disgruntled Democrat votes by running against California Governor Gavin Newsom, who's already declared that he's running in the next gubernatorial election.

Istvan also sees the need for a pro-science and technology candidate today, especially given the Trump campaign's disdain for science. "This idea that we should drop environmental science, or be cautious on genetic engineering, or focus on the revitalization of nuclear weaponry is something I disagree with," he said. "I believe we should bet the farm on various radical technologies: artificial intelligence, gene therapies, 3D printed organs, driverless cars, drones, robots, stem cell tech, exoskeleton tech, virtual reality, brain wave neural prosthetics, to name a few. This is the way to grow an economy--with much creative innovation, what California is famous for."

Of course, just because Istvan wants to run doesn't mean he'll actually score the Libertarian Party nomination. His announcement, at this point, is basically just a statement of intent.

Read more here:
Transhumanist politician wants to run for governor of California - Engadget

Posted in Transhumanist | Comments Off on Transhumanist politician wants to run for governor of California – Engadget

Stunning Transhumanism Dominates New ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Trailer – Inverse

Posted: at 10:42 am

Though Blade Runner is coming back this fall, Ghost in the Shell will give it a run for its cyberpunk money. As the Major (Scarlett Johansson) regains her quasi-human memories, her story doesnt just dabble in cyberpunk, it revels in it.

The arresting new trailer for Ghost in the Shell makes previous cyborg or transhumanist cyberpunk movies like The Matrix seem quaint. Literally everyone in in this trailer sports some kind of biohacking or cyborg accoutrements. But Scarlett Johanssons the Major mashes up visual cyberpunk cues with a convincing and totally immersive aesthetic. Its not just that the new Ghost in the Shell trailer looks cool; its that it looks believable.

Giving audiences the most extensive visual details yet, the trailer also introduces what will probably be the films primary baddie: the mysterious Kuze. In the narrative of previous iterations of Ghost in the Shell (a manga and an anime movie), the Majors human consciousness is put inside of robot body, making her a spiritual cyborg. In the new film, Kuze is seemingly at the center of the conspiracy surrounding her complex origin.

Ghost in the Shell opens on March 31.

Photos via Paramount/Dreamworks

Follow this link:
Stunning Transhumanism Dominates New 'Ghost in the Shell' Trailer - Inverse

Posted in Transhumanist | Comments Off on Stunning Transhumanism Dominates New ‘Ghost in the Shell’ Trailer – Inverse

Human-powered flying crafts sail into this year’s Regatta | Pittsburgh … – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted: at 10:41 am

To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the EQT Pittsburgh Three Rivers Regatta will partner with Red Bull to bring a human-powered flying craft competition to the lineup of water, land and air events on the weekend of Aug. 4-6.

The contest on Aug. 5 Red Bull Flugtag (which means flying day in German) involves teams of five pairing together to create homemade flying machines. The teams then send them off a 22-foot-high flight deck to see which craft sails farthest before hitting the water.

In Boston last year, winning team Flite-Riot flew its craft 69 feet. The current record stands at 258 feet, set by a team calledChicken Whisperers from Long Beach, Calif.

Prospective pilots must submit their designs to http://www.RedBullFlugTag.comby May 1.Judges will review applications and select 40 teams to compete in a follow-up announcement on May 8.Participants must be 18 years of age or older.

Courtney Linder: clinder@post-gazette.comor 412-263-1707. Twitter @LinderPG.

View original post here:
Human-powered flying crafts sail into this year's Regatta | Pittsburgh ... - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted in Post Human | Comments Off on Human-powered flying crafts sail into this year’s Regatta | Pittsburgh … – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Black Lives Matter Leader: White People are ‘Sub-Human,’ ‘Genetic Defects’ – Mediaite

Posted: at 10:41 am

The co-founder of the Toronto chapter of the Black Lives Matter protest movement has come under scrutiny in recent days for an old Facebook post that declared white people were genetically inferior to their black peers.

Whiteness is not humxness, wroteYusra Khogali,in a now-deleted post (using gender-neutral alternative spelling). In fact, white skin is sub-humxn. All phenotypes exist within the black family and white [people] are a genetic defect of blackness.

Khogali proceeded to go on an extended pseudoscientific rant about the benefits of dark skin, according to The Toronto Sun. Melanin enables black skin to capture light and hold it in its memory mode which reveals that blackness converts light into knowledge, she claims at one point. Melanin directly communicates with cosmic energy.

White [people] are recessive genetic defects. This is factual, she claimed, nonfactually.

Khogali made the Facebook post months ago, but her comments resurfaced after she declared Canadian Prime MinisterJustin Trudeaua white supremacist terrorist, earning her criticism from liberal allies.

[image via screengrab]

>>Follow Alex Griswold (@HashtagGriswold) on Twitter

Have a tip we should know? tips@mediaite.com

See original here:
Black Lives Matter Leader: White People are 'Sub-Human,' 'Genetic Defects' - Mediaite

Posted in Post Human | Comments Off on Black Lives Matter Leader: White People are ‘Sub-Human,’ ‘Genetic Defects’ – Mediaite

Page 2,069«..1020..2,0682,0692,0702,071..2,0802,090..»

  1. category
  2. Transhuman News