Category Archives: Post Human

A new centre designed to promote civic engagement in post-Soviet countries has formally begun operating in Prague. Backed, among others, by Czech charity People in Need, the Prague Civil Society Centre is seeking to cultivate values such as openness and human rights in countries including Belarus, Russia, Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine. The move comes amidst growing tensions between the West and Vladimir Putins Russia. I spoke with Rostislav Valvoda, head of the centre, and began by asking him to explain its mission:

Vladimir Putin, photo: CTK The mission of the centre is to empower civil society across the countries of Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia. This means civil society organizations, NGOs, and citizen initiatives that can be both physical and online-based bloggers. We simply use a broad understanding of civil society to include opinion-makers as well as some professional groups such as journalists, independent filmmakers, artists and so on.

Cultivating this kind of civic engagement could arguably be viewed by the leadership in Russia Vladimir Putin as some kind of meddling in his sphere of influence

We do not see this as meddling. We see it as supporting a civil society in terms of what a civil society wants, and what the needs of the people on the ground are.

Tell me something about the funding that has come together for this project. I understand it is a kind of joint operation with People in Need, the US Agency for International Development, the Swedish and Czech governments too, as well as some private foundations.

The centre is being established in partnership with two founding organizations People in Need, and the Human Rights House Foundation, a Norwegian-based NGO, and also in co-operation with the renowned Polish think-tank the Institute for Public Affairs. These are the three founding organizations. And we have attracted funding from five donors two private donors, the CS Mott Foundation and the Oak Foundation; and then the US, Swedish, and Czech governments.

Rostislav Valvoda, photo: Czech Television Given that Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty is also situated in Prague and is also beaming news in an eastward direction, is the Czech Republic becoming a kind of centre for cultivating democracy in post-communist countries?

We certainly hope that the centre will become a hub for activists and civil society actors from Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia. But at the same time that the centre will not be just a big brick and mortar institution, but rather a coordinating centre, and the activities will take place in other countries in the region, and also across Central Europe that means in Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and even in Germany.

Why is such a centre necessary? Obviously, given the growing tensions between the West and Russia, do you feel that there is more need for a centre like this now than there may have been ten years ago or so?

We do not see the reason for the centres creation being rooted in the current tensions. Rather, we see the necessity by the growing pressure that is being put on civil society in places to the east of the Czech Republic. Meaning, we are seeing growing pressure through legislation with ever more curbs being put on NGOs and human rights defenders, for instance, in places such as Russia and Azerbaijan, and we think that this trend is of concern.

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New Czech-based civil society centre to help cultivate post-Soviet democracy

Crysis II (2) - Playthrough #3 - Post Human Warrior - No Bullshit, Pure Gameplay
Subscribe ;D http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=SnikkasHD Hello beautiful people around the web! part 3 Going up! have fun, for those...

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Crysis II (2) - Playthrough #3 - Post Human Warrior - No Bullshit, Pure Gameplay - Video

"One billion people, 15 per cent of the world's population, are persons with disabilities, and their rights cannot be ignored," a group of United Nations human rights experts said on Friday, as they urged negotiators and UN Member States to include rights of such persons in the new development framework.

The 17 new post-2015 sustainable development goals (SDGs), crafted by an Open Working Group of the UN General Assembly on the issues and expected to be adopted in September 2015, will succeed replace and expand the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and will frame agendas and policies for the next 15 years.

"No one should be left behind if we want to ensure a fully inclusive society for all," the group of three UN human rights experts said in a statement, urging international negotiators and all UN Member States to firmly include the human rights of persons with disabilities in the new development framework.

"The inclusion of persons with disabilities in the SDGs is fundamental if we are to achieve sustainable development that is genuinely rights-based," said the UN special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Catalina Devandas Aguilar.

She also said, "Whereas people with disabilities were invisible within the MDGs, we have seen promising advances in ensuring that the new development framework is sustainable, inclusive and accessible."

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, drew attention to the issue of food security.

"We know that nutrition and disability are closely linked. Both children and adults are often discriminated against, due to social stigma and negative cultural norms," Elver said.

Worldwide, an estimated 805 million people are chronically undernourished. Since many persons with disabilities live in absolute poverty, these two large populations overlap to a considerable extent, making food security of utmost importance.

States are particularly responsible for making sure that vulnerable and marginalised people, including those with disabilities, are able to access adequate and nutritious food, she said.

"Food must be physically and economically accessible," Elver added. "To achieve this, States must ensure that a disability perspective is taken fully into account in nutrition policy and programming, maternal and child health policy, and broader health initiatives."

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Rights of people with disabilities cannot be ignored: UN

With the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star Games behind us, and the Academy Awards looming on Sunday, it brings to mind two of the greatest forms of entertainment: sports and cinema.

Though these Oscars will be notably light on sports movies, The Post took a look back at sports movies of the past to pick out the best of the best.

Many like The Natural and Field of Dreams are nostalgic, longing for a bygone era that hasnt existed in years, if it ever existed outside our dreams. Many have clear-cut winners and losers, heroes and villains. But the best ones are often so much more than that.

If sports are a microcosm of life, life isnt fair. Sometimes when you lose, you really win, and sometimes when you win, you really lose. The best sports movies show people in all their flaws the anger of Raging Bull, the self-destruction of The Hustler, the guilt of On the Waterfront. In short, theyre human.

There are plenty of great pictures and performances from which to choose. The Post limited the field to just movies that focused primarily on sports, though some exceptions were made for individuals who played sports figures in what were deemed non-sports movies. Now, the envelopes, please.

Rocky

The ultimate underdog Rocky pulled off the upset against sports movie heavyweights Hoosiers and Raging Bull. Sylvester Stallone got the inspiration for the screenplay after watching the heavyweight title fight between Bayonnes Chuck Wepner and reigning champ Muhammad Ali, and insisted he play the lead. Good call.

Stallone, who trained with Jimmy Gambina every day for about five months before shooting, became a star, and the film won the Academy Award for Best Picture, ranked 57th on the American Film Institutes 100 Years 100 Movies 10th Anniversary Edition.

Stallone got sued by Wepner for a share of the profits and settled in 2006. For the movie that gave us the most-used workout music in history Gonna Fly Now the line Yo, Adrian! and five sequels, its the least he could do.

Nominees: Hoosiers, Raging Bull, Field of Dreams, The Natural, Remember the Titans, The Fighter, Requiem for a Heavyweight, Million Dollar Baby and The Hustler.

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Reel champions: The Post doles out its all-time Sports Oscars

Nearly two-thirds of surveyed survivors of human trafficking in Southeast Asia show symptoms of depression, while another 40 per cent suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study.

The research, which was published yesterday in Lancet Global Health and included input from Cambodian victims, found the highly exploitative and dangerous conditions frequently endured by human-trafficking victims inflict an immense psychological toll.

Physical, sexual, and psychological abuses are signature features of human trafficking. Roughly half of participants were physically or sexually abused many suffering extraordinary forms of violence (eg, knife and dog attacks, burning, and choking), the study by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and the International Organization for Migration says.

Those instances of often extreme violence and abuse were strongly associated with poor mental health outcomes.

Participants described various physical health complaints, but symptoms of poor mental health were most prevalent and severe, the researchers said.

In addition to high rates of depression and PTSD, more than 5 per cent had attempted suicide in the month preceding the interviews.

The survey included participants who were trafficked into myriad forms of forced labour such as fishing, factories, domestic work, undesired marriages and sex work. The worse the conditions extremely excessive overtime, restricted freedom, hazardous living conditions, severe violence the more likely the victims were to report mental health issues.

Findings certainly point out the central importance of providing health care for people who have been trafficked and in particular the need to identify mental health support approaches that can be delivered in relatively low-resource settings, said Dr Cathy Zimmerman, one of the studys authors.

But anti-human trafficking advocates noted that such health services are extremely limited in Cambodia, where post-care is mostly provided by NGOs focusing on reintegration and vocational training.

Most [trafficking victims] are looking for jobs and a way to regain their income, because it is an immediate need, said Brett Dickinson at the International Organisation for Migration and a contributor to the report.

Originally posted here:
Trafficking, trauma linked: study

20 February 2015 One billion people 15 per cent of the worlds population are persons with disabilities, and their rights cannot be ignored, a group of United Nations human rights experts said today, as they urged negotiators and UN Member States to include rights of such persons in the new development framework.

The call came as the second session of negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda closes this week in New York.

The 17 new post-2015 sustainable development goals (SDGs), crafted by an Open Working Group of the UN General Assembly on the issues and expected to be adopted in September 2015, will succeed replace and expand the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and will frame agendas and policies for the next 15 years.

No one should be left behind if we want to ensure a fully inclusive society for all, the group of three UN human rights experts said in a statement, urging international negotiators and all UN Member States to firmly include the human rights of persons with disabilities in the new development framework.

The inclusion of persons with disabilities in the SDGs is fundamental if we are to achieve sustainable development that is genuinely rights-based, said the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Catalina Devandas Aguilar. Whereas people with disabilities were invisible within the MDGs, we have seen promising advances in ensuring that the new development framework is sustainable, inclusive and accessible.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Hilal Elver, drew attention to the issue of food security.

We know that nutrition and disability are closely linked. Both children and adults are often discriminated against, due to social stigma and negative cultural norms, Ms. Elver said.

Worldwide, an estimated 805 million people are chronically undernourished. Since many persons with disabilities live in absolute poverty, these two large populations overlap to a considerable extent, making food security of utmost importance.

States are particularly responsible for making sure that vulnerable and marginalised people, including those with disabilities, are able to access adequate and nutritious food, she said.

Food must be physically and economically accessible, Ms. Elver added. To achieve this, States must ensure that a disability perspective is taken fully into account in nutrition policy and programming, maternal and child health policy, and broader health initiatives.

Link:
Rights of people with disabilities cannot be ignored in development agenda, UN experts

Miami, FL (PRWEB) February 20, 2015

RxSorbo, a leading online retailer of top-rated sport insoles including walking shoe insoles, is pleased to announce that they have published an informative blog post on walking shoe insoles and the sport of racewalking. The company's shoe insoles are extremely popular among both amateur and professional walkers.

Walking is perhaps one of the activities that make us human, explained Rj Yozwiak, Manager of RxSorbo. Today, walking is the number one sport in the United States, and we receive many inquiries about our insoles for both amateur walking and the sport of racewalking. Our post begins an explanation of how our insoles can help.

To read the informative blog post on walking shoe insoles, please visit http://www.rxsorbo.com/blog/walking-sport-yes-weve-got-great-insoles/. To browse the complete set of available insoles for walking, hiking and all sports, one can visit the http://www.rxsorbo.com/insoles/. There find information about the companys classic heel pads, classic insoles, and more.

Walking as a Sport: Racewalking and Amateur Walking

Racewalking is an olympic sport that is growing in popularity everyday. At the same time, millions of Americans are passionate walkers. What the two share in common is a concern about choosing the best shoe insole for walking, and about protecting one's feet from the daily pounding of a sports walk. To that end, RxSorbo has an informative section on its website on walking at http://www.rxsorbo.com/insoles/walking/. There one can browse different recommendations for walking. The blog post, in contrast, is the beginning in a series discussing various tips and techniques about selecting the best shoe insole for walking, whether that be amateur or professional.

RxSorbo insoles were developed by a Materials Scientist to mimic human flesh. The resulting technology- Sorbothane is a one-of-a-kind visco-elastic polymer. 100% unique - Sorbothane is a solid that naturally flows like a liquid - Sorbothane absorbs impact shock and provides comfort better than any other insole material available today.

About RxSorbo

RxSorbo is the source for Sorbothane Shoe insoles (shoe inserts). Sorbothane uniquely absorbs up to 94.7% of impact shock, and makes for quality shoe insoles for many conditions. People come to RxSorbo for shoe insoles for foot maladies from Plantar Fasciitis to Morton's Neuroma to metatarsalgia to many other conditions. From Shoe inserts for running to top-rated insoles for dress shoes to gym shoes, reviews of the companys shoe insoles prove they are among the best shoe insoles.

RxSorbo http://www.rxsorbo.com/

Link:
Educational Post Explaining Walking Shoe Insoles for Walking as a Sport, Released by RxSorbo

Thursday February 19, 2015 03:37 PM

The Associated Press

(c) 2015, The Washington Post.

By inserting bits of human DNA into mice, scientists were able to make their brains develop more rapidly and ultimately grow bigger in the womb. The study, published Thursday in Current Biology, suggests that the evolution of this gene may be one of the things that sets us apart from our close relatives in the primate world.

Human brains are unique, even when compared with our close genetic relatives, such as chimpanzees. Our brains are about three times heavier than those of our cousins, and are more complex and interconnected as well. It's generally accepted that these neurological differences are what allowed us to evolve the higher brain function that other primates lack. But just what genetic changes allowed humans to surpass chimps in the brain arena is one that's still being answered.

There are a lot of physical differences to examine more closely, but size is such a dramatic one that the authors of the new study chose to start there.

Using databases created by other labs, the Duke University scientists cross-checked areas of human DNA that had developed differences from chimp DNA with areas of DNA they expected to be important for gene regulation. Regulator genes help determine how other genes will express themselves, and the researchers suspected that some of these regulators might be making brain development more active in human embryos than in chimps.

They ended up focusing on a region called HARE5 (short for human-accelerated regulatory enhancer), which testing indicated had something to do with brain development. They suspected that the enhancer, which is found close to a molecular pathway important in brain development, might have changed in a way that influenced brain size in humans.

"We discovered that the human DNA sequence, which only had 16 changes in it compared to the chimp sequence, was being expressed differently in mice," said study author Debra Silver, an assistant professor of molecular genetics and microbiology in the Duke University Medical School.

In fact, HARE5 was regulating how many neural stem cells the precursors of brain cells a mouse embryo could produce.

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Scientists pinpoint a gene regulator that makes human brains bigger

Feb 8, 2015; Sacramento, CA, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic (1) drives baseline against Sacramento Kings guard Ben McLemore (23) during the first quarter at Sleep Train Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

First of all, dont use the expression human capital when talking about NBA players. Its a vaguely creepy neologism to begin with, but useful when describing aggregates of hundreds, thousands or even millions in economic terms. When describing the 15-man (give or take) playing staff of an NBA team, its downright impersonal. Its explicitly and almost intentionally transforming men into the machines which were the original capital investments.

The treatment of NBA players or athletes in general as fungible widgets or inputs in a production function is probably not a new thing. At the end of the day, its a business has been a stock answer in an athlete approach free agencys repertoire for many years. But the perception is that using thecalculating, depersonalizing language of the accountant or investment bankeris new. How could it not be, with the influx of finance industry veterans to the ranks of ownership?

This language is part and parcel of a mindset often described as analyical. Not unfairly so, as this new wave of owners has ushered in a wave of quant-centric front office personnel across the league. On one hand, this is a great boon to the league and its fans. We simply know and can learn much more about the game than was even possible three years ago. However, with this outlook there comes a great danger in losing sight that the players are people first, and as such subject to imperfections, emotions and inconstancy. Changing the environment around a player for the worse and its only natural to expect a dip in performance.

In plainer terms, if you treat someone like crap, they are less likely to perform for you. Getting a paid a lot of money is certainly nice, but money alone doesnt obviate the need for job satisfaction and basic human contentment. Being told either directly or by virtue of actions that one is of now value other than the value of the service they perform can and will wear on many. Not every player, some are likely so stoic, so emotionally removed from the business or simply clueless as to these cues to care. But some will react badly.

Fans and commentators usually treat those reactions unkindly. As if the concerns for being appreciated in ones work dont exist in whatever profession in which fans labor. Perhaps its the illusion that the moneydoes solve everything, or maybe its tinged by the jealousy that unlike most workers, athletes sometimes have the leverage to make their complaints over working conditions stick.

In any event, unsettled players are areal risk to a franchise. It might be pointless to appeal to a sense of decency (in the extreme version of this MBA mindset, there is little room for such niceties), but pointing out the practical, tactical problems with a disgruntled workforce might illustrate the issue as well. Simply put, if a certain method of asset management ends up devaluing or degrading some or all of those assets, that cost must be taken into consideration.

These internalities can take many forms. A collection of bad attitudes or unprofessional players can stunt the growth of a young player, either by teaching bad habits or at least hindering the development of good ones. A player might lose some motivation, allow his skills and conditioning to decline, knowing hell still collect a paycheck if a paycheck is all the job now means to him. Worst of all, it can sabotage the relationship between team and player to the point where rational self-interest causes the player to act in a manner detrimental to the organization.

Whether in the form of contract year gunning or an untimely trade demand,the entire framework of the team might be disrupted, and not in current bad-means-good colloquial terms.

Certainly, Phoenixs best laid plans are scattered to the wind with Goran Dragic expressing his desire to be out of the Valley of the Sun toot suite. While the team was busy arbitraging free agency, letting Channing Frye walk and adding Isaiah Thomas for less, Dragic saw another competitor for playing time, touches and shots arriving. In a contract year. With another would-be lead guard in Eric Bledsoe having signed a big money extention late in the offseason. After Dragichad been the point guard performingat a (sadly unrecognized)All-Star level a year ago in the Suns shocking 48 win season. Not to mention Frye was Dragics partner in a deadly pick-and-roll combo. Add that together and its more than a little understandable he lost trust in the organization his past contributions were devalued, his chances of putting up the numbers sadly still needed to secure a big next contract reduced. For all the loyalty he supposedly owes the organization, have they done right by him?

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Human Capital in the NBA

Provided by Washington Post

The headlines have been grim. Europe's Jews face "rising anti-Semitism"; in some countries, many are leaving in "record numbers." In separate incidents in recent months, gunmen have targetedJews and Jewish institutions in Paris and Copenhagen. Even the Jewish dead have not been left in peace, with reports of graves beingdesecrated.

But the future of tolerance and multiculturalism in Europe is far from bleak. The bigotry on view has been carried out by a fringe minority, castall the more in the shadeby the huge peace marches and vigils that followed the deadly attacks. And some communities are trying to build solidarity in their home towns and cities.

One group of Muslims in Norway plans to form a "ring of peace" around a synagogue in Oslo on Saturday. On a Facebook pagepromoting the event, the group explained its motivations. Here's a translated version of the invite:

According to the Times of Israel, Ervin Kohn, a leader of Oslo's small Jewish community, had agreed to allowing the event on the condition that more than 30 people show up a small gathering would make the effort look "counter-productive," Kohn said.Close to 1,000 people have indicated on Facebook that they will attend.

"We think that after the terrorist attacks in Copenhagen, it is the perfect time for us Muslims to distance ourselves from the harassment of Jews that is happening," 17-year-old event organizer Hajrad Arshadsaid in an interview with Norwegian television.

"If someone wants to attack the synagogue, they need to step over us first," posted another of the event's organizers on Facebook.

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Norwegian Muslims will form a human shield around an Oslo synagogue