Gillmor Gang - Robert Scoble, John Taschek, Kevin Marks, and Steve Gillmor. Recording has concluded.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/fZNzb_3YPr8/
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MONTREAL - Not that he doesn?t appreciate all the wonderful things that have come his way in this city, but it?s days like this when Gregory Charles wonders what it would be like if his family had stayed put in Trinidad where the temperature is about ? mmm ? 70 degrees warmer.
?Half of my family grew up in a place where it?s 36 degrees every day of the year,? Charles notes. ?The other half of my family had it worse. Still my maternal grandparents and great-grandparents from Quebec would probably hit me across the head if I were to complain about the weather. Besides, it could be worse, and it has been worse here.?
Ah, spoken like a true Montrealer.
Charles allows that perhaps it was the elements as well as the determination of his family that pushed him into overachieving and becoming as close as anyone in these parts to being a modern-day Renaissance man. Charles is an award-winning singer, musician, actor, choir director, radio and TV host, teacher and, oh yeah, lawyer. Almost easier to list the occupations he doesn?t have.
Charles is about to add another credit to his r?sum?. On Saturday evening at the downtown La Plaza Holiday Inn, he will be presented the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award at the 27th Vision Celebration Gala, which is held annually by the Black Theatre Workshop to kick off Black History Month festivities in Montreal in February. Charles is being honoured not only for his international artistic success, but also for his community involvement. He joins an impressive list of past award winners: Oscar Peterson, Oliver Jones, Ranee Lee and Trevor Payne, among other notables.
Charles will warm up the crowd Saturday night by tickling the ivories complemented by some inspired crooning. Also on the performing bill will be 12-year-old classical piano prodigy Daniel Clarke Bouchard, who brought the house down at Place des Arts in December at the 30th anniversary Montreal Jubilation Gospel Choir Christmas concert.
?I?m obviously very proud about the award, but in a funny way, I?m even prouder for my dad. I?m a parent now and I appreciate even more now what my parents did for me and for the role models they were. So when I?m recognized for the work I have done with kids and artists as a community-involved person, my first reflex is to think who my models have been. My dad used to tell me: ?If you can walk, run. If you know, teach.? And this has applied to pretty much everything I?ve done.
?My parents were just perfect. My mom was my general and so honest and demanding. I could always trust her to tell me how she felt. My dad was so positive and socially so astute. Everybody who has ever spoken to my dad feels like they?re the most important person on the planet. He made me feel like I could accomplish anything I set my mind to.?
Charles also points out that his parents would always stress for him to think in terms of ?team? ? and not individual goals. He hopes to impart the same philosophy to his year-old daughter when she grows up. Charles credits his wife, Nicole, a Microsoft exec, for keeping the family on an even keel.
An overachiever, too? ?Let?s say she?s an ambitious person. I can never admit to being an overachiever, either. But I can admit to being very ambitious, that life is more interesting when you follow Captain Cook?s credo: which is not to go any further than anybody else, but to go as far as is possible. And love whatever you do with all your heart and all your soul.?
He recalls how his mother used to decry the word ?satisfaction.? She felt it ?unbearable? that it meant to do ?enough.? She thought the word should be linked to doing ?everything in one?s power.?
Even by his mom?s strict definition, Charles has to feel satisfied. He began early. When he was 7, he won a piano contest at the Canadian Music Competition. After performing with symphony orchestras around the country, he would later apply his piano skills on tour with C?line Dion before breaking out as a solo act.
Charles now does about 200 concerts a year around the planet. He is forever hosting variety shows as well as his TV and radio programs. His first one-man show, Black and White, has played to more than one million people, and he holds the house record at the Bell Centre for doing it 43 times. The show also hit the legendary Carlyle Caf? in New York and received glorious plaudits from The New York Times.
One could go about his record sales, acting accomplishments, awards ? including two F?lix prizes for best stage show and best male singer. He is a judge on and a member of the teaching faculty of Star Acad?mie. He is founder and president of the Mondial Loto-Qu?bec de Laval. Plus, he is also head of the Gregory Foundation, a local charity that offers support to young Canadians in the arts. He has been teaching aspiring artists for the last 18 years. He has also been involved with specialty music and science summer camps for kids as well as programs for inner-city kids in St. Henri. To those ends, he does about 30 fundraisers a year.
And can?t forget that Charles also has a doctoral degree in civil law.
OK, so he?s not a medical doctor ? yet. But there?s still time. He?s only 44.
Charles is also one of the few who is a fixture in both the anglo and franco cultural communities.
?I?ve been lucky to receive such rich culture from both my French-Canadian and English-Canadian families,? says Charles, whose cousin Kevin Brereton is the well-known rapper k-os. ?Add to that, my Caribbean background. I have been so enriched by all these components and all these people. And I do believe my constant desire to better myself is a result of my roots.
?I don?t expect to be given the key to heaven for what I?ve done. I?m simply the result of what my parents made and I?ve followed through on what they taught me.? Pause. ?And even being a lawyer proves one can still turn out to be a decent person,? he cracks.
?Actually, I probably would have turned out to be a really lousy lawyer had I chosen to continue on that path. But it also connects with who I am. Lawyers are taught to believe in possibilities, and that principle has guided me. I don?t believe it?s possible to change the world, but I do believe that when you apply yourself, it?s possible to change your world. And the way to do that is to move people, be it by song, words or deeds.?
Charles passes down advice he picked up from then-young vedette Ren? Simard several decades back: ?I asked him how one makes it in showbiz. His response: ?Never say no.? I was a little disappointed with the answer then. But I learned to appreciate it later.?
And Charles rarely says no, be it to gigs, fundraisers or doing national anthems at Habs games.
?Talk about pressure. If you sing and they lose ? as they did against the Leafs last Saturday when I sang ? they won?t want to see my face again.
?It proves you can?t get too smug in this business.?
The Black Theatre Workshop?s 27th Vision Celebration Gala takes place Saturday at La Plaza Holiday Inn, 420 Sherbrooke St. W. Cocktails are at 5:30 p.m., followed by dinner at 6:30 p.m. Gregory Charles will be presented with the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Achievement Award. Charles and pianist Daniel Clarke Bouchard will perform. For tickets, call 514-932- 1104 ext. 225. For more information, go to blacktheatreworkshop.ca
bbrownstein@montrealgazette.com?
Twitter: @billbrownstein
? Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette
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Meryl Davis, right, and Charlie White compete in the senior pairs short dance program at the U.S. figure skating championships in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Meryl Davis, right, and Charlie White compete in the senior pairs short dance program at the U.S. figure skating championships in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Meryl Davis and Charlie White smile after winning the senior pairs short dance program at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Meryl Davis and Charlie White compete in the senior pairs short dance program at the U.S. figure skating championships in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
Meryl Davis and Charlie White compete in the senior pairs short dance program at the U.S. figure skating championships in Omaha, Neb., Friday, Jan. 25, 2013. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? Meryl Davis and Charlie White topped the only competition they have in the United States.
Themselves.
The Olympic silver medalists and 2011 world champions scored a career-high 79.02 points in the short dance Friday in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, topping the 76.17 they scored at the 2011 Grand Prix final as well as their 76.89 from last year's U.S. meet. The International Skating Union only recognizes scores from its events as official records.
With more than an eight-point lead over Madison Chock and Evan Bates (70.8), Davis and White are all but assured of winning a record-tying fifth U.S. dance title Saturday as long as they show up. Four other couples also have won five titles, most recently Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto.
"There are a lot of reasons to stay motivated," Davis said. "We feel we're making huge strides in what we're putting out on the ice. What better place than your national championships to show that?"
The only couple close to Davis and White is Canada's Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, and their rivalry is the best thing going in dance these days. Virtue and Moir won the Olympic title as well as the world crowns in 2010 and 2012 while the Americans won worlds in 2011 and beat the Canadians last month in the Grand Prix final.
Oh, they train together in suburban Detroit, too.
Here in the States, though, no one comes close to Davis and White's exquisite performances. The short dance can be a mind-numbing event, with all of the skaters required to perform the same dances ? this year it's the Yankee polka and the waltz ? during their 2:50 routine. Watch one or two teams, and it all becomes a blur.
But Davis and White not only make it fresh, they make it entertaining.
The speed and ease with which they skated was breathtaking, as if their blades were talking to the ice. Their twizzles ? traveling spins ? were done in perfect unison. Doing one would be impressive enough ? think rubbing your stomach while patting your head, and you get the idea ? but they did five and then another four, never losing their stride, connection to the music or their connection to each other. And when they began their polka with a series of hops, you half-expected an oompah band to stroll out of the Zamboni garage.
They were so good, the audience was on its feet, the first standing ovation of the competition.
"We were really pleased," Davis said. "We've really been evolving our overall comfort on the ice, our speed and energy, and it really paid off in our performance today."
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CAIRO (AP) ? Egyptian health officials say a teenager has been killed in clashes between protesters and police in the city of Suez on the second anniversary of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak's regime.
The officials in the Suez Canal city identified the teenager as Mahmoud Issa, 14, and said there may have been more fatalities. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.
At least 186 people have been injured in clashes around the country, according to the head of the country's ambulances services, Mohammed Sultan.
The clashes came as the country's mainly liberal and secular opposition held rallies across much of Egypt saying the goals of the 2011, anti-Mubarak pro-democracy uprising have not been met and denouncing Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-1-protester-killed-anniversary-rallies-203003847.html
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Ever lost your internet connection? Do the loathsome words "executive customer service" resonate with you? They shouldn't if you live in Deutschland -- at least, not after today. While that course of customer service whinging can occasionally yield some form of restitution stateside (we're being generous), for Germans it's now almost unnecessary. In a ruling issued today, a federal court in Karlsruhe has determined interruption of internet service to be grounds for compensation, as it can be categorized as an "essential material item," Reuters reports. The decision, which allows impacted users to file compensatory claims, stems from a 2008 - 2009 incident in which a private German citizen incurred a loss of phone, fax and internet service over a two month period. Apparently, the man had already been partially reimbursed for having to rely on mobile phone service, but decided to take things a little further. In other news, Americans can just threaten to switch to FiOS. Worked for us.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Reuters
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Yazan Homsy / Reuters file
A church in Homs was heavily damaged in fighting, as seen here in December. It is unclear whether the damage was caused by Syrian government or opposition forces.
By John Newland, Staff Writer, NBC News
Armed opposition groups in Syria appear to have looted Christian churches and destroyed a Shiite Muslim mosquee in recent months, New York-based Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.
The rights group said it had previously documented the destruction of a Sunni mosque in Taftanaz by government troops fighting for President Bashar Assad.
The war has already killed more than 60,000 Syrians, according to U.N. estimates.
Human Rights Watch warned an increase in sectarian violence can only make things worse.
"The destruction of religious sites is furthering sectarian fears and compounding the tragedies of the country," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
"Leaders on both sides should send a message that those who attack these sites will be held accountable," she added.
Sunni Muslims make up about three-quarters of the population, and most of the rebel fighters are Sunnis, according to the CIA's World Factbook.
Assad, however, is a member of the Alawite sect, which is more closely linked to Shiite Islam. Many of his appointees in high government and the military are also Alawites.
Human Rights Watch noted that international humanitarian law requires warring parties to avoid deliberate targeting or seizure of religious buildings that aren't being used for military purposes.
The group said it found evidence in three villages of attacks against religious sites after opposition groups had taken over and driven out government forces. In each area, religious minorities had fled in large numbers, if not entirely.
Villagers flee
In Zarzour, majority Sunnis told the group that their Shiite neighbors fled because they feared they would be attacked by opposition fighters if there was a perception that they had been supportive of government forces.
The Sunni villagers told Human Rights Watch that the Shiites had given "preferential treatment" to government forces when they were in Zarzour.
The rights group said its observations and witness accounts indicated that opposition fighters deliberately started a fire in a Shiite mosque when it took over the village.
In Jdeideh, local residents told observers that gunmen "operating in the name of the opposition" had broken into and stolen from a Christian church after the area came under rebel control.
Observers from the group said it appeared that gunmen had broken in, stolen from the church and fired numerous shots inside, shattering windows and causing structural damage.
A villager told observers that the fighters had used the adjacent priest's quarters to fire at government forces and had stolen medicine from a clinic owned by the church, looted homes and kidnapped civilians.
The rights group said it could not determine whether there was a religious motive for any looting or kidnapping.
In a third village, Ghasaniyeh, the group found that a local church had been broken into and gasoline and diesel fuel had been stolen. An observer found that the church doors had been forced open and that a cross had been left on the floor, but the group said the building otherwise was undamaged.
"The opposition of Syria should back up its claims that it will uphold minority rights by protecting places of worship," Whitson said in her statement.
Calls and emails to the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces and a representative of the Syrian National Council were not immediately returned.
A look at the violence that has overtaken the country.
Related:
Syrian refugees: 'We escaped death'
Activists: Assad forces used 'poisonous gases'
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Jan. 22, 2013 ? Researchers from Technische Universit?t M?nchen (TUM) have developed a new generation of image sensors that are more sensitive to light than the conventional silicon versions, with the added bonus of being simple and cheap to produce. They consist of electrically conductive plastics, which are sprayed on to the sensor surface in an ultra-thin layer. The chemical composition of the polymer spray coating can be altered so that even the invisible range of the light spectrum can be captured. This opens up interesting new development possibilities for low-cost infrared sensors aimed at compact cameras and smartphones .
Image sensors are at the core of every digital camera. Before a snapshot appears on the display, the sensors first convert the light from the lens to electrical signals. The image processor then uses these to create the final photo.
Many compact and cellphone cameras contain silicon-based image sensors produced using CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) technology. Prof. Paolo Lugli and Dr. Daniela Baierl from TUM have developed a cost-effective process to improve the performance of these CMOS sensors. Their approach revolves around an ultra-thin film made of organic compounds, in other words plastics.
The challenge lay in applying the plastic solution to the surface of the image sensors. The researchers tested spin- and spray-coating methods to apply the plastic in its liquid, solution form as precisely and cost-effectively as possible. They were looking for a smooth plastic film that is no more than a few hundred nanometers thick. Spray-coating was found to be the best method, using either a simple spray gun or a spray robot.
Thin coating with high sensitivity to light
Organic sensors have already proven their worth in tests: They are up to three times more sensitive to light than conventional CMOS sensors, whose electronic components conceal some of the pixels, and therefore the photoactive silicon surface.
Organic sensors can be manufactured without the expensive post-processing step typically required for CMOS sensors, which involves for example applying micro-lenses to increase the amount of captured light. Every part of every single pixel, including the electronics, is sprayed with the liquid polymer solution, giving a surface that is 100 percent light-sensitive. The low noise and high frame rate properties of the organic sensors also make them a good fit for cameras.
Potential for developing low-cost infrared sensors
Another advantage of the plastic sensors is that different chemical compounds can be used to capture different parts of the light spectrum. For example, the PCBM and P3HT polymers are ideal for the detection of visible light. Other organic compounds, like squaraine dyes, are sensitive to light in the near-infrared region.
"By choosing the right organic compounds, we are able to develop new applications that were too costly up until now," explains Prof. Paolo Lugli, who holds the Chair of Nanoelectronics at TUM. "The future uses of organic infrared sensors include driver assistance systems for night vision and regular compact and cellphone cameras. Yet, the lack of suitable polymers is the main hurdle."
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Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/strange_science/~3/LdqHPRuGJ0E/130122122409.htm
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