Home/Front: Silicon Valley Rebels Vs. The US Air Force : Rough Translation - NPR - Translation

Jamiel Law for NPR

Jamiel Law for NPR

Military investment helped create Silicon Valley, and their collaborations brought us innovations like GPS, the internet...even duct tape. But over the years, distrust grew and collaboration stalled.

While Silicon Valley raced toward the future with its unofficial "move fast and break things" motto, the military has failed to keep up — slowed by a complex bureaucracy. Modern day Silicon Valley, with its open offices and foosball tables, could not be more different from the Pentagon. How will the two reach across this divide to solve the military's urgent tech problems?

Listen to Rough Translation wherever you get your podcasts, including NPR One, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Pocket Casts, Spotify, and RSS.

News - Courtesy Translation: Hessen's new opening steps - DVIDS - Translation

Press Release from the Hessen State Government from 22 JUNE 2021
Courtesy Translation: Nadine Bower, Public Affairs Specialist

Corona Cabinet

"Continue to remain calm and mindful"

Minister President Bouffier and Health Minister Klose on the decisions of the Corona cabinet.

Today, the Hessen state government has decided on further opening steps in view of declining infection numbers. "We are pleased that the incidences are falling significantly, that the measures have been successful, and that we can therefore justify further relaxations. As of today, the nationwide incidence is 9.2 and all Hessen districts are well below 50. This is first and foremost the achievement of the people who have largely adhered to the rules," said Hessen Minister President Volker Bouffier after the cabinet meeting. "Therefore, starting Friday, a far-reaching return to more normality will be possible. The mask requirement in the open air is no longer necessary and meetings with more people are possible again. At the same time, however, we must remain cautious, as, for example, the effects of the new Delta variant cannot be assessed yet. Should the infections increase again, new restrictions may become necessary, which would then be implemented on the basis of the established Hessen escalation concept. We must continue to be calm and mindful so as not to risk our achievements."

“Nowadays, we now know much more about how to deal with virus variants and how to transmit infections; we have testing and vaccination facilities. Masks, distance, hygiene, ventilation are very simple ways to prevent transmissions every day. It is important to get vaccinated as soon as an offer exists. A look at the current massive spread of the Delta variant in Portugal, England or Russia should warn us to carefully preserve the finally possible freedoms beyond the summer," said Health Minister Klose.

The following regulations have been adopted taking into account all health, economic and social factors:

Mask requirement:
- No more mask requirement outdoors. Masks recommended if distances cannot be observed.
- Mask obligation (medical mask) indoors up until one has reached their seat.

Private meetings:
- No restrictions. Compliance with the distance and hygiene rules. Tests recommended.
- Event rules apply for gatherings of 25 people and more

Curfews:
- Remain lifted.

Workplace:
- No restrictions under state law.

School:
- Face-to-face lessons for all classes. Mandatory testing: 2x per week.
- Masks in the school building and classroom until seated. Lessons without a mask.
- Masks mandatory in the event of outbreaks at the school.

Childcare:
- Regular operation with hygiene measures. Groups can be mixed again. (Transitional period until July 5th)
- Masks are not required for teachers.

Sports:
- Team sports are possible.
- Swimming pools open with limit on number of visitors
- Gyms open with contact data collection & distance rules and hygiene concept

Cultural offers:
- Open with hygiene and spacing concept – inside and outside.

Events (25 and more people):
- Possible with conditions, including distance and hygiene concept, Indoors: Test required; contact data collection.
- Maximum participants: 250 inside and 500 outside (vaccinated and recovered do not count). Larger events are subject to approval.
- Exceptions possible, for example for professional gatherings

Services on the body:
- Open with mandatory masks. Hygiene rules and contact data collection.

Retail:
- All stores open without square meter limit. Masks mandatory.

Gastronomy:
- Open with hygiene and distance concept – inside and outside. Contact data collection.
- Masks mandatory for staff and guests up until seated.
- Indoors: Test required.

Clubs / Discotheques:
- Outdoor areas open with conditions – including tests required, limit on number of people.
- Indoors: Open as bar / gastronomy.

Hotels and overnight accommodation:
- Open with conditions, including mandatory tests 1x per week, distance and hygiene rules.

Public transportation:
- Masks mandatory in the vehicle and in the station buildings
Higher education:
- Regular operation under pandemic conditions with further simplifications.

Prostitution establishments:
- Open with mandatory testing, hygiene rules and contact data collection.

If the incidences in a district or a district-free city rise above the 50 mark for seven days in a row, there will be district-specific restrictions on site. If the infection process can be clearly limited to an area, targeted hotspot measures will be taken. Starting with an incidence of higher than 100, further measures take effect in accordance with the escalation concept. These include, for example, stricter contact rules and a renewed extension of the mask requirement.

Additional information

The development of infections in Hessen has declined sharply and continuously in recent weeks. State-wide, the incidence value is now at 9.2. Nine counties fall below the threshold of 5 new infections.
The occupancy of hospitals and intensive care units with Covid-19 patients has also fallen sharply. The death toll in connection with a corona infection has also fallen significantly.

At the same time, the number of people vaccinated has increased. More than 50 percent of Hessen residents have been vaccinated at least once and have thus already received a certain degree of protection against severe disease progression. Almost 30 percent have already received full vaccination protection.

In addition, the summer temperatures lead to increased outdoor activities. Rapid and self-tests determine with good accuracy whether a person is currently contagious due to an acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. They can offer additional security in numerous situations, such as when using services, eating at restaurants or in schools.

In May 2021, after a long lockdown period, which was characterized by comprehensive restrictions on public life, the Hessen state government withdrew a first part of the ordered restrictions and transferred them to a gradual opening concept in the area of contact and operating restrictions linked to the development of the incidence values. These first relaxations have proved their worth, especially in view of the continuously sharp decline of the number of new infections.

However, the pandemic is not over yet. In particular, with regard to the increasing spread of the delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which first appeared in India, there remains cause for concern. A number of the previous restrictions will therefore continue to be maintained.

In the course of the new regulation, the regulations of the Corona Facility Protection Ordinance and the Corona Contact and Operating Restriction Ordinance will be combined and transferred into a single and clear Coronavirus Protection Ordinance.

The rules on public contact restrictions will be lifted and replaced by an appeal for responsible behavior in the pandemic. Every person is required to behave in such a way that they and others do not expose themselves to avoidable risks of infection. Special care should be taken in the case of encounters with persons at risk. It is recommended to wear masks everywhere where distances cannot be observed. People who have not yet been vaccinated or recovered should be tested regularly.

The facility protection of hospitals, day-care centers and schools, for example, will be adapted to the current pandemic situation in the respective areas. Here, the triad of negative proof, mask obligation and contact tracing play a special role.

The different infection hazards in indoor spaces are also taken into account. In this context, for example, the possibility of organizing events, the practice of sports and the operation of cultural and leisure facilities, restaurants, overnight accommodation establishments, service companies, clubs, discotheques and prostitution establishments is also subject to appropriate conditions. The quarantine obligation already in effect on the basis of a positive test result will remain in place.

Link to the escalation concept of the Hessen state government: https://ift.tt/392ls12

Link to the regulation: https://ift.tt/3qm1Gpj

Source: https://ift.tt/2SiUHRq

Date Taken:	06.23.2021
Date Posted:	06.23.2021 09:59
Story ID:	399488
Location:	WIESBADEN, HE, DE

---

Web Views:	7
Downloads:	0

---

PUBLIC DOMAIN  

This work, Courtesy Translation: Hessen's new opening steps, by Nadine Bower, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://ift.tt/2vbbNT7.

'Bakya' featured as Oxford English Dictionary's word of the day - GMA News Online - Dictionary

"Bakya" was featured as the Oxford English Dictionary's (OED) word of the day on Tuesday.

In OED's tweet, the bakya was described as a noun for a type of backless sandals which is commonly made of wood and is usually used in the country as part of tradition or culture.

"A backless sandal with a thick wooden sole and a strap of rattan, plastic, or some other material, traditionally worn in rural areas in the Philippines," it read.

It added that the bakya can sometimes have an "ornately carved or painted heel."

OED WOTD: bakya, n. In the Philippines: a type of backless sandal with a thick wooden sole and a strap of rattan, plastic, or some other material, traditionally worn in rural areas in the Philippines and sometimes having an ornately carved or painted heel. https://t.co/mR4fb3E8fO

— The OED (@OED) June 22, 2021

In the dictionary's website, meanwhile, its adjective form was defined as a derogatory term for someone who lacks "refinement or sophistication."

In August 2020, the English editor for the OED stressed that Philippine English is legitimate.

The Oxford English Dictionary has made room for several Filipino words over the past few years including "bongga," "mabuhay," "trapo," and "kilig."

—Franchesca Viernes/MGP, GMA News

Translation: Popular Science Platform Shut Down After Nationalistic Backlash - China Digital Times - Translation

A Chinese science media platform has suspended operations after being accused of bias against China. PaperClip (回形针), a Beijing-based platform known for popular science videos, has been caught in a nationalistic uproar in recent months. Last week, blogger @赛雷话金 posted a video in which he accused two former PaperClip staffers of being “anti-China.” The video contained screenshots showing that one former staffer had taken to Twitter to express her support for the pro-democracy movements in Hong Kong and Taiwan. The other staffer is said to have worked at a U.S. military lab after leaving his job at PaperClip. Both people have since changed their social media account settings to private. PaperClip has issued an apology and ceased operation until further notice.

This is not the first time that PaperClip got caught in a nationalistic backlash. The platform produces sleek and concise animated videos that explain science topics. It gained popularity last year in February for their video explainer on COVID-19. Shortly afterwards, however, they drew criticism for a video in which they linked meat consumption to deforestation and urged Chinese consumers to be more mindful of their environmental footprint. Because the video was produced in partnership with World Wildlife Fund, an international NGO, some further accused PaperClip of being unpatriotic, some even speculating that PaperClip was conducting “infiltration” on behalf of “foreign forces.” Others took issue with another video by PaperClip in which a map of China did not include Taiwan. Following these controversies, PaperClip apologized and suspended operation for a few weeks last year.

On Saturday, PaperClip said that it would cease operation until further notice. It also promised to invite experts from the mainstream media to review their content, and retrain their staff.

PaperClip is not the only science channel to fall victim to nationalist backlash in recent weeks. In late May, prominent Weibo user Wuheqilin (@乌合麒麟) shared a post that accused Japanese troops of committing atrocities against Chinese civilians during WWII. @乌合麒麟 has 2.8 million followers and is known for his nationalistic stance. Science blogger @Ent_evo chimed in and pointed out what he perceived to be inconsistencies in the original post. He soon found himself drowning in waves of criticism. A popular science account Science Squirrel Club (科学松鼠会), to which @Ent_evo was a contributor, briefly came to his defense, before having to apologize and cut ties. The two accounts each had around four million followers before being shut down by Weibo.

Other platforms that specialize in science, medicine, and culture have also been subjected to similar attacks. In 2014, Elephant Magazine (大象公会), a media platform known for articles on culture and art, was briefly shut down on WeChat. Its founder suspected that articles they shared about Xinjiang were to blame. DXY (丁香医生), a platform that specializes in medicine and healthcare, has long been criticized for “biases against Chinese traditional medicine.” [See a recent CDT translation of another article from DXY on the use of “conversion therapy” on gay and trans children.]

Liu Su, a botanist and science writer, recently took to Weibo to his thoughts about the recent take-downs of these science education platforms, and the future of truth and patriotic fervor in the Chinese media space. The post has been translated in full by CDT:

Liu Su: The Times Have Changed, and So Have I

In March, the Tencent News mobile app added a “recommended reading” feature, where users with a nose for newsworthiness have the ability to “flip” stories so that they are more likely to show up in regular users’ feeds. This can, to some extent, mitigate the voluminous flood of garbage information.

I’ve known one of the editors at Tencent News for quite a while, and they invited me to be their “science education officer” and recommend articles. I said yes. Sina Weibo is a ghost of its former self, so it’s good to have another source of relatively clean information.

Now I’m on the app every day. But my editor must be disappointed, because I share very little original content, and most of the stories I “flip” are about current affairs and culture, not science. There’s one main reason for this: I am fairly familiar with the pop science world, and I find all kinds of errors that I’m just not willing to pass along to readers.

For example, today I came across the headline “What Is Tumbleweed, and Why Is It All Over America, But Not China?” The reason tumbleweed has become a noxious weed in the American West, the article claims, is that Americans don’t eat it. Whereas in China, “It doesn’t matter if the plant grows ‘knives,’ if it’s edible, we’ll eat it.” China isn’t inundated with tumbleweed because we’ve eaten it all, just like crayfish.

This is pure, unadulterated horse manure. The “tumbleweed” referred to in this article is Kali tragus, a plant in the family Amaranthaceae (formerly Chenopodiaceae), which research suggests may not be a single species but a collection of morphologically similar “cryptic” species, and for which there is no proper classification. Kali tragus is native to the Eurasian mainland, and is distributed in a number of provinces and regions in China. It was introduced to the United States in the late 19th century, quickly spreading in parts of the U.S. and Canada. If you know the tiniest amount about invasive species, you know that plants don’t become invasive because “no one eats them.” It’s because their new environment offers favorable growing conditions and lacks the diseases and pests of its native range.

While K. tragus is edible when it’s young and tender, it’s not exactly what you’d call a delicacy. And like many other plants in the same family (including vegetables with a long history of cultivation, such as amaranth and spinach), they are high in oxalic acid, so they’re not even that good for you. This article states that “people love to use this [plant] as a wild herb, and commonly eaten in northern China… There are over a hundred ways to prepare it.” Utter nonsense. If it’s that good, why don’t they sell it at the grocery store?

Crayfish (Procambarus clarkii), while much tastier than tumbleweed, cannot be eaten into submission. They are truly invasive here in China, and they are wreaking environmental havoc in Yunnan and other provinces. The reason is simple: Most of the crayfish we eat are farmed, first because it’s cheap, and second because humans can control the quality. It costs a lot to catch crayfish in the wild, and because they are omnivorous, they may contain toxins. Anyone who says “I’ll go to Yunnan and wipe out this invasive species” is all talk and no action.

But I have to admit, in my rush to seize the moment I’ve gotten addicted to talking, too. As Dr. Ge Jianxiong of Fudan University once said, nowadays when we talk about history, we talk about politics. Actually, it goes far beyond history: when we talk about science, we talk about politics. And if you don’t talk about politics, it doesn’t matter if you’re the Science Squirrel Club (科学松鼠会) or PaperClip (回形针), you will be smashed under the iron fist of the people. A few years ago, this was inconceivable, but history moves fast. You can’t help but wonder, what will things be like a few years from now?

The first thing that comes to my mind is that, while pop science stories like “why is the ocean blue” and “how many parts are there to the Chinese space station” are ubiquitous, any narrative that has risen to the level of folk belief is unlikely to survive. “Yuan Longping made sure the Chinese people never went hungry” is one such simple belief. If you challenge this, people will keep reporting your article until it disappears, and your Weibo account will be put in a little dark room for 15 days. After that, who knows, maybe they’ll put you in a little dark room for 15 days.

Or take the claim that you can’t wish someone a happy Dragon Boat Festival, you can only wish them good health. This saying came out of the digital blue in 2015, but just a few years later it has already become a “folk custom.” I can still make a wisecrack about it for now, but who knows, maybe in the future you won’t even get halfway through your wisecrack before they mock 18 generations of your ancestors.

Or “cherry trees are Chinese.” I’m glad that there were still some media platforms willing to publish my refutation of this a few years back. In spring 2020 I did a livestream for the Chen Shan Botanical Garden in Shanghai, and mentioned the relevant facts without a hitch. But when I did the livestream this year I was told not to mention Japan, and I was a very good boy and did as I was told. Obviously, no crisis ensued. In the future, who knows, maybe I’ll have to state clearly that cherry trees come from China. If your patriotism isn’t absolute, you are absolutely unpatriotic.

Or how about the idea that “any invasive species will be gobbled up by our insatiable nation?” I can criticize it now, but maybe in the future I’ll be gobbled up by… it’s too terrifying to finish this sentence.

Two days ago, Guokr published a piece by Wang Dapeng, an associate researcher at the China Research Institute for Science Popularization, saying that responsible science education must listen to and respect the values of the public. “The ability to connect scientific questions to cherished public values is a key factor in determining the efficacy of science education.” There’s nothing wrong with this statement. In communication studies, it’s cliché. But I would like to say, as I said more than ten years ago, that science education in China should be split into two camps, one for the “leftists” and one for the “rightists”; and we need more in the “leftist” camp. After all these years, I can’t say how much more we have in the “leftist” camp, but clearly the “rightist” camp is being pushed to the margins. Did science writers not understand Wang’s logic before? No, it’s just that the times have changed.

This year, my wife has warned me many times about “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” online, that I need to think of the family and set a good example for the next generation. I wasn’t convinced at first, but by now I’ve come around to her argument. In the end, science education is something I do for myself, for my own pursuit of knowledge. I have to understand the thing myself, that’s the first step, before I can think of sharing it with others. This being the case, I probably won’t keep doing science education. It will save me the second step. Anyway, it won’t keep me from learning.

As for the new era of science education, that’s for the young folks to take care of. Just as with history, as long as there is humanity, there will be science education in some shape or form. The pursuit will never perish. [Chinese]

Yakexi contributed to this post.

Support for YouTube livestream, real-time translation and other features Google is adding to Meet for onl - Times of India - Translation

Internet search giant Google has announced new features it is going to add to Google Meet for education customers.
The company is adding features to not only increase the utility of the platform for teachers and students but also making it more secure by giving greater access to admins.
Live Translate support
For educators with the Teaching and Learning Upgrade or Education Plus, Google will offer live translated captions, later this year. With the live translations enabled, Google claims that users will be able to listen to someone speaking one language and see real-time captions in another language.

Livestream directly on YouTube
Users will soon get the option to make Meet calls livestream on YouTube that will enable anyone to attend it. Google says that this functionality would be ideal for school board meetings, school events and more. Google said that the public live streaming will be rolled out in beta later this year and will be widely available for customers with the Teaching and Learning Upgrade or Education Plus in early 2022.
Closed captions during live streams
Another feature Google will add in the coming months is support for closed captions during live streams. This means they will be able to visually display the audio in a program.
More controls for admins
Google said that it will add settings to the Admin console that will enable school authorities to create policies for who can join their school’s video calls. Further, in the coming weeks, admins with Education Standard and Education Plus will have the option to end any meeting in their organisation directly from the investigation tool. It will also not allow anyone to rejoin the meeting without the host present.
Security enhancements
When it comes to security enhancements, Google will tweak some features that will give more control to teachers.
These include things like permission from teachers to join a meeting for anyone who is not on the Classroom roster, automatic admission of students who are on the Classroom roster to the meeting once the teacher is present, placing of students in the “waiting room” and inability to see or talk to other students until a teacher is present.

Today's Crossword: Only a teacher could have created the dictionary - Gulf News - Dictionary

Who decided it would be a good idea to write down every word in a dictionary? Image Credit: Stock photo/Pixabay

Spoiler alert: You might need a dictionary to complete today’s Crossword! We will provide you with definitions, and you have to guess which words we are referring to.

Click start to play.

Did you ever wonder how dictionaries – marvelous books that instantly enlighten and clarify – came to be? According to Oxford English Dictionary’s website, the number of words used in English more than doubled between 1500 and 1650. At the time, London was becoming an urban city – its population increased by eight times over these years.

Many of the new words were borrowed by English speakers from Greek or Latin during the Renaissance, or from far-off lands visited by travellers and traders. With printed matter becoming more easily accessible, and the emergence of grammar schools, it was the perfect time for the creation of the English dictionary.

In fact, a schoolmaster named Robert Cawdrey is credited with creating a wordlist for his students in 1604 that could be considered the first ever English dictionary.

However, most early dictionaries were bilingual and served a practical need – Latin-English dictionaries for example, were used by people in various professions, such as medicine and law.

Today’s dictionaries, especially digital ones, hold practically every word under the sun. But the earliest dictionaries were more specific – they contained only difficult words and simplified them for readers. For instance, some inclusions dealt with technical terms and foreign language words that were used by traders but not known to everyone.

Do you still refer to the dictionary when you are confused by a word or need some clarity? Play today’s Crossword and let us know at games@gulfnews.com.

Arabic translation of General Soleimani's autobiography “I Feared Nothing” released - Tehran Times - Translation

TEHRAN – An Arabic translation of Lieutenant-General Qassem Soleimani’s autobiography “I Feared Nothing” has been released at the 22nd Iraq International Book Fair in Baghdad.

The book was introduced during a special meeting, which was attended by Hojjatoleslam Falah Quraishi, the director of the Asil Islamic Cultural Institute, and a group of Iranian and Iraqi cultural figures.

“Fear is one the feelings that, according to some hadiths, if people do not have it they would not go the right path, but the lack of fear mentioned in the title of the book in fact refers to the fear that Martyr Soleimani had of God, and this was the main characteristics of Hajji Qassem Soleimani,” Quraishi said.

“Due to the special conditions in the region, Commander Soleimani was present in Palestine, Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen. In this book, we read that this person, who had such a serious presence in the region, had a tender spirit and the fear of God,” he added.     

He noted that the book doesn’t show all aspects of Soleimani’s character, and added, “However, it showcases some small parts of his immortal soul.”  

The original edition of “I Feared Nothing” published by the School of Hajji Qassem was released in January 2021 on the first martyrdom anniversary of Soleimani who was assassinated in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad.

The book was introduced at the IRIB International Conference Center during a special meeting attended by Soleimani’s daughter Zeinab. 

Zeinab said that her father wrote the book with his injured hand adding, “The book is an account of the life of a man from the heart of a remote village of Kerman [Province] who had recounted some parts of his simple and compelling life story for you before.

“This is the story of the transformation of a man who evolved from living as a shepherd into an exalted position as high as the sky. I would like to inform those people who saw him only in his army uniform how he had grown up, and ‘I Feared Nothing’ is a beginning of a great mission to know an awe-inspiring man.”       

The ceremony went on with the unveiling of a note written for the book by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei.

The Leader had received a rough copy of the book from Zeinab during his recent meeting with Soleimani’s family.

“Whatever causes us to remember the dear martyr is really soothing and pleasant,” the Leader wrote in his note on December 27, 2020.

“Although he was highly acknowledged by God Who blessed him with a worldly reward due to his pure and exemplary behavior, we also have a duty [to him]. I have not read this book yet, but it seems to be a step in this direction.”     

Photo: Asil Islamic Cultural Institute director Hojjatoleslam Falah Quraishi speaks during the unveiling ceremony of the Arabic translation of Lieutenant-General Qassem Soleimani’s autobiography “I Feared Nothing” at the 22nd Iraq International Book Fair in Baghdad.

MMS/YAW