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http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Ftaryn-kiekow%2Fworld-to-japan-stop-killi_b_11780122.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dgreen%26ir%3DGreen&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
World to Japan: Stop Killing Whales  
The World Conservation Congress passed with overwhelming support a motion today denouncing the killing of whales under the guise of science.

The motion censures Japan's "scientific research" whaling, which Japan uses to evade the international ban against commercial whaling. Among other things, the motion calls on Japan to revoke its existing lethal whale research programs. It also calls upon all states to refrain from engaging in research programs that kill whales.

The expertise and reputation of the World Conservation Congress makes this motion especially noteworthy. Hosted every four years by the world's largest network of conservation experts - the 1,300 member International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) - the World Conservation Congress brings together thousands of scientists and other environmental professionals from over 170 countries, including members from 89 states, 129 government agencies, and over 1,000 domestic and international non-governmental organizations. The IUCN is considered the global scientific authority on conservation issues due to both its diverse membership and its reliance on over 16,000 experts from a range of disciplines such as species survival, ecosystem management, and social and economic policy.

This international clout makes the motion - entitled "Concerns about whaling under special permits" - yet another compelling condemnation of Japan's whaling.



The IUCN joins other illustrious international bodies in denouncing Japan's whaling. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has adopted 22 resolutions over the years calling on Japan to half or restrict its "scientific research" whaling. And in a 2014 landmark decision, the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) found that Japan's research whaling program in the Antarctic (JARPA II) was illegal. Although Japan initially agreed to abide by the ICJ judgement (and conducted only nonlethal research the following season), it later denounced the ICJ's jurisdiction over disputes involving living marine resources.

Japan then issued itself a new research plan that allows it to kill 333 minke whales per year.

The IWC Scientific Committee - the world's foremost experts on whales - reviewed Japan's new plan and concluded that the lethal sampling of whales was not scientifically justified. Nonetheless, Japan resumed its "scientific research" whaling in December 2015 and killed its entire self-allocated quota of 333 minke whales last season - including 200 pregnant females.

Since the moratorium on commercial whaling took effect in 1986, Japan has killed over 15,000 whales under the guise of science.

Enough whales have died.

The decisive action today by the World Conservation Congress harpoons Japan's "scientific research" whaling program and encourages the use of non-lethal research options.

It also reflects an international scientific consensus that there is no legitimate reason to kill thousands of whales in order to study them. The IWC has spoken. The World Court has spoken. And now, the world's leading conservation organization has spoken.

The message is clear: it's time to stop killing whales.

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
gaia  

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http://redirect.viglink.com?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.newscientist.com%2Farticle%2F2103867-elephants-footprints-leave-behind-tiny-oases-for-aquatic-life%2F&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Elephants' footprints leave behind tiny oases for aquatic life  
In a Ugandan swamp forest, ponds formed by the stomping of elephants are quickly inhabited by dozens of species  
gaia  

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http://twitter.com/4thewildtiger/status/770995001731928064 
@John_CITES "illegal trade ... is now at an industrial scale driven by transnational organized crime" https://t.co/tOV88NbOcc 
https://t.co/tOV88NbOcc 

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http://thenextweb.com/apps/2016/08/31/68-million-dropbox-passwords-stolen-by-hackers/  
68 million Dropbox passwords stolen by hackers  

Earlier this week, Dropbox reset user passwords for all accounts that hadn't changed them since 2012, following its discovery of a file containing hashed and salted passwords that were obtained in a previous security breach. Now, Motherboard reports that the company's systems were hacked in 2012, and the attackers were able to get away with 68 million usernames and passwords. The legitimacy of the data was verified by Motherboard and vouched for by security expert Troy Hunt. If you hadn't changed your password since mid-2012, there's not much reason to worry: since Dropbox forced a password reset on those accounts,…

This story continues at The Next Web  
technology  

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http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/31/nearly-a-million-people-ditched-cable-tv-last-quarter/  
Nearly a million people ditched cable TV last quarter  

As US cable companies continue their respective plots to stop the flight of paying customers, companies like Netflix, Hulu, Sony and others are reaping the biggest rewards. Last quarter alone, an estimated 812,000 subscribers cut the cord on pay-television service, according to a recent study by consulting firm SNL Kagan. The number of cord cutters is representative of families that have elected to cancel bundled video service from cable, satellite or telephone companies. But this isn't new for cable companies. “It is a bit of an acceleration and the biggest quarterly loss that we've seen,” says Ian Olgeirson, an analyst with SNL…

This story continues at The Next Web  
technology  

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http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/30/indiegogo-campaign-wants-bring-holograms-every-home/  
Indiegogo campaign wants to bring holograms into every home  

Holograms aren't just for science fiction anymore. Earlier this year we reported a story on a company that secured the rights to take Notorious B.I.G.'s likeness on tour, via hologram. Before that we saw Tupac rock Coachella. Sprinkled in for good measure we've seen Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston take to their respective stages to pay homage to the fallen superstars — or at least their hologram likenesses. But are holograms a viable household technology? We're skeptical, but this Indiegogo campaign wants us to believe it's a possibility. The ‘HoloVit' campaign page is devoid of any real detail and the technology selling for a…

This story continues at The Next Web  
technology  

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http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/30/snapchat-just-deleted-facebook-account/  
Snapchat just deleted its (Facebook) account  

Today, Snapchat unpublished its official Facebook Page. While we were unable to secure an on-the-record quote, it seems that the move was simply one spurred by lack of interest. The last time the Page had been updated was August 2013. After failing to update a Page for two years, it's easy to see why the company lost interest. Before closing, Snapchat's page had over 6.5 million Likes. As mentioned though, interest was waning and aside from the two year hiatus from posting a status, the company never really got in the Facebook groove. Most of the posts when it was…

This story continues at The Next Web  
technology  

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http://thenextweb.com/insider/2016/08/30/skip-itunes-entirely-and-browse-apples-mobile-app-store-from-the-browser/  
Skip iTunes entirely and browse Apple's mobile App Store from the browser  

Searching for mobile apps on a desktop is a real pain in the ass. Rather than the sleek and semi-intuitive App Store residing on your iPhone, you get arduous task of finding what you need on iTunes. Nobody wants to mess around with iTunes anymore. If you know what you're looking for, you can basically avoid the iTunes search entirely by searching on Google. It'll add an extra step to the process by sending you to an itunes.apple.com link, but clicking the ‘View in iTunes' button gets you where you need to go after the slight bit of inefficiency. For discovery…

This story continues at The Next Web  
technology  

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http://thenextweb.com/apple/2016/08/30/how-iphone-6-and-6-plus-owners-can-join-the-class-action-lawsuit-against-apple/  
How iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners can join the class action lawsuit against Apple  

Last week we reported Apple's so-called ‘touch disease' — a gray bar at the top of the phone that leads to an un-responsive (or under-responsive) display. This problem struck a chord with iPhone 6 and 6 Plus owners plagued by the same problem, and judging by the comments on our own Facebook page… there are a lot of you. Three plaintiffs yesterday filed a class action lawsuit detailing the problem in the US District Court of Northern California. The complain, lodged by California legal firm McCuneWright sought repair, recall and/or replacement of all affected iPhones and the extension of Apple's standard…

This story continues at The Next Web  
technology  

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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2016/aug/31/castles-in-the-sky-the-worlds-best-unsung-buildings-in-pictures  
Castles in the sky: the world's best unsung buildings in pictures  

From a Russian workers' club to an Italian office giving medievalism a modern twist, RIBA fellow Alan Powers salutes 10 underappreciated architectural gems

Continue reading...  
design  

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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/29-august-4-september-2016/islands-bridges-stamp-series-showcasing-work-roger-dean/  
Islands and Bridges: The work of Roger Dean  

Design Week: How did the Islands and Bridges first come about?

Roger Dean: A group of people on the Isle of Man the guy who runs the local radio station, 3FM; a business partner of mine who lives there, David Moseley; and a man called Wayne Lee thought it would be a good idea if I had an exhibition of my paintings on the Isle of Man.

So that was arranged and we also met the post office to see if they were interested in having a set of stamps, and they were. The stamps came out on 19 August which was the first day of my exhibition.

DW: Why did the Isle of Man catch your attention in particular?

RD: I've been going back and forwards to the Isle of Man for a number of reasons, mostly business. Last year I did a presentation at the Isle of Man Film Festival, and I also gave a small talk to the students of the art school there.

DW: How did you and the Isle of Man Post Office select which of your works feature?

RD: I did a preliminary selection and showed them some designs, but they left the choice to me. I made the choice from paintings that were in the exhibition. The set of stamps, from my point of view, was to coincide with the opening of the exhibition so in a way it was to celebrate the opening.

DW: What was the appeal of having your album artworks used on stamps?

RD: I like the idea of seeing miniature versions of my paintings. It had a whole new feel for me. The paintings are typically very large three of the paintings used are 6 feet by 4 feet. I love the jewel like intensity of them reduced very small.

DW: They all include very vivid landscapes how do you translate that amount of detail onto something as small as a stamp?

RD: Tales from Typographic Oceans had a lot of pieces of landscape in there. There's a waterfall in the foreground from a place called Brimham Rocks in Yorkshire, and rocks on either side that come from Cornwall.

At that size it's hard to see it is that artwork, but two million or so people who bought the original album will know it very well, so I guess they're pleased to see it.

DW: Do you think nostalgia plays a part in the stamps' appeal to people?

RD: I hadn't really thought of it in terms of nostalgia, but yes it's a kind of reinforcement of it. And Yes are actually touring in America at the moment playing Tales from Topographic Oceans.

DW: Can you describe the original Isle of Man-inspired commission for the stamp series?

RD: I was asked had I done anything specifically related to the Isle of Man, which at the time I'd been considering. Previously I'd been taken as a guest to all kinds of interesting places and one place in particular caught my attention: Niarbyl.

Over many many hundreds of millions of years, one American tectonic plate and one African plate allegedly met there. I had already done some sketches and things with the notion that it would not necessarily be a portrait of the place, but a portrait of a place that I'd kind of made my own.

I called the painting Meeting Place because it's where the two rocks meet. It's actually quite a small rock but I'd painted it like a mountain, with trees around it that would make it look vast.

It's a painting that's 120cm by 80cm so it's smaller than some of the others, but I think it looks nice small; it works well on a sheet of all the same ones.

Islands and Bridges is available to order from the Isle of Man Post Office website and the exhibition runs 19 November at the Manx Museum in Douglas.

The post Islands and Bridges: The work of Roger Dean appeared first on Design Week.

 
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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/29-august-4-september-2016/dundee-launches-design-competition-tackle-homelessness/  
Dundee launches design competition to tackle homelessness  

The city of Dundee is inviting designers to enter a competition which looks to tackle homelessness.

The first ever Dundee International Design Challenge is being run by UNESCO City of Design Dundee.

A digital solution to improve lives

UNESCO is a United Nations organisation which promotes culture worldwide and grants cities cultural status. Dundee was awarded UNESCO status for design in 2014.

The competition is calling for designers to create a digital design solution that will improve the lives of homeless people, and potentially prevent homelessness happening in the first place.

The brief states the solution needs to “reconnect homeless people with everyday life”, and must take into account their limited access to digital technology.

Based on four criteria

The main issues applicants should look at include legal rights, food poverty, substance abuse, accommodation, emotional support, communication and prevention of homelessness.

Entries will be assessed by an industry panel based on four criteria innovation, feasibility, potential for development and budget.

The challenge is open to individuals or teams working in a UNESCO City of Design, which currently includes Dundee (Scotland), Bilbao (Spain), Curitiba (Brazil), Helsinki (Finland) and Turin (Italy), or those who are working with UNESCO in some way. The prize will only be awarded to one person.

£6,000 prize and three-month placement

The winner will receive £6,000 prize money, and a three-month placement in Dundee to develop their prototype with all expenses covered, mentor support, studio space and an exhibition at the end of the residency.

The closing date for entries is 5pm on 28 November 2016. For more information on how to enter, head here.

Dundee was granted UNESCO status for its contribution to the design industry through areas such as medical research, game and comic book design.

Computer games Grand Theft Auto and Lemmings were developed in the city, alongside The Beano comic. The V&A Museum of Design also opens in Dundee in 2018.

The post Dundee launches design competition to tackle homelessness appeared first on Design Week.

 
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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/29-august-4-september-2016/when-is-it-right-to-write/  
When is it right for designers to write?  

I recently received a tweet (from a professional writer) commenting on a DBA course helping consultancies develop and write content marketing. The writer's argument will be familiar to many a designer “leave it to the professionals”. This is a phrase many DBA members will level at their own clients when it comes to design.

However, most consultancies cannot afford to employ a full time writer, so this got me thinking when is it right to write?

No one would question that in most business situations bringing in an expert in the field produces better results than a DIY approach, and the value of a professional writer is undoubted. But does this imply that designers should not write? What of all that expertise, passion and opinion sitting in their heads?

“Your content is there to open doors”

After all, says content marketing strategist, Ian Rhodes, from Brand Less Ordinary: “Your content is there to open your doors and show your potential customers what makes your agency tick. It provides you with the opportunity to show your audience the value and identity of your agency. It helps you show people why what you make matters.” Could it be that those at the coalface within your business are perfectly placed to deliver this? Can what is lacked in writing talent, be made up for with passion and insight?

Pancentric head of marketing Joe Carstairs says that one of the biggest advantages of an “all-in approach” where everyone on the team is involved in content marketing is “the brand amplification it can create”, meaning that, “employees who evangelise about their company are a powerful new business tool.”

He also sees it as a great way to capitalise on under-utilised resource. “Sharing the content marketing load around a consultancy is a great way to fill any dips in production. While the content created by people with different skillsets adds diversity to what is generated,” he says.

To be successful however, it does all have to stem out of a good content marketing strategy that is well thought through and implemented in a considered manner. But says Carstairs, once that is in place then “a simple style guide, some clear content pillars and a bit of editorial oversight is all your colleagues need to get going.”

Some writers must be employed

There are, of course, some consultancies which sell their ability to help clients with their own content marketing. In cases like this it is imperative that writers are employed so it makes sense for them to also be utilised in the promotion of the consultancy.

ThinkBDA is a Buckingham based creative consultancy offering design and marketing services. These services include helping clients with their content. ThinkBDA managing director David Knowles says, “Content writing is a skill it is about crafting words in such a way as to draw people into a subject.”

“Having an in-house content person gives flexibility allowing us to be more reactive when faced with creative client challenges,” says Knowles, who adds: “Just because someone doesn't have ‘writer' in their job title doesn't mean they can't produce content. Our whole team can contribute in what is often a team effort.”

What to write about?

First up, ask yourself (and your agency as a whole): “Why do we want to produce content? What image are we trying to portray?”

If what you are talking about has no bearing on:
a. Positioning you and your business as experts in your field,
b. Raising your profile among your peers within your industry, then stop right there. You are wasting your time. Similarly a tweet saying “We offer great design at competitive prices” is not going to get a potential client clicking through.

If you find yourself spending all your time writing about 1060's Japanese Manga, but are unable to link it to your client base then I suggest you carry on doing this within the confines of your own personal blog far removed from your business.

Content should be audience relevant and you need to find the issues that affect both you as a business and your clients preferably at the same time. They are pretty broad customer engagement, client relationships, return on investment. Then delve into the more sector specific issues depending on your client base.

“Give clients a reason to choose you”

To get started find a trusted source that deals with issues affecting you and use them for inspiration. Newcastle-based Wonderstuff founder Paul Alderson says: “We often look at the DBA for inspiration up and coming events on their website, their ezine then we ask ourselves ‘What is our opinion on that subject?' Our staff are not writers but they are communicators. The more they write the better they get and it equips them to form their own opinions, something we have always encouraged.

“Once you have a clear idea of who you are targeting and what values you want to align yourselves with, it becomes easy. By putting your beliefs out there you give clients a reason to choose you, a consultancy that does great work, but also has the same outlook as the client.”

To broaden the content output from your consultancy you need to trust your staff to illustrate their expertise, opinions and passion. But as Alderson says, you need a clear strategy in place one that has been developed in conjunction with your positioning and new business plans. This takes time and consideration, but can produce fantastic rewards for a consultancy looking to differentiate themselves in a crowded marketplace.
Adam Fennelow is Head of Services at the DBA. 

The post When is it right for designers to write? appeared first on Design Week.

 
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https://www.designweek.co.uk/issues/29-august-4-september-2016/ikea-set-open-restaurant-diners-cook-food/  
Ikea set to open restaurant where diners cook their own food  

Ikea has designed a dedicated restaurant space where diners cook under the instruction of a head chef before sitting down to eat with up to 20 of their friends.

The pop-up Dining Club has been conceived and designed in-house by Ikea and is set to open in London's Shoreditch on 10 September. The whole experience is free for diners.

Ikea has been inspired by its understanding that people are spending less time cooking and eating together in the UK. It will mean that diners get to “mimic an actual dinner party, but one where diners can host more guests than usual,” Ikea says.

A Food for Thought masterclass will offer further tutelage on topics like “Swedish Baking, The Future of Food, and Clean Eating.”

An Ikea homewares shop selling kitchen products has also been set up within the space as well as a kitchen showroom featuring units, fixtures and fittings.

Ikea was unable to confirm whether The Dining Club will be rolled out further or made permanent.

Head here to find out more or to make a reservation.

The post Ikea set to open restaurant where diners cook their own food appeared first on Design Week.

 
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https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/aug/30/great-fire-of-london-1666-350th-anniversary-which-buildings-disappeared  
Lost in the Great Fire: which London buildings disappeared in the 1666 blaze?  

This week 350 years ago, the Great Fire of London burned through 400 of the city's streets. Matthew Green reveals the extraordinary structures lost in the blaze from old St Paul's to a riverside castle and what survived, only to vanish later

“Oh the miserable and calamitous spectacle!” wrote John Evelyn in 1666, “mine eyes … now saw above 10,000 houses all in one flame.” The conflagration he witnessed from 2-5 September destroyed much of the medieval metropolis, swallowing 400 streets, 13,200 houses, 87 churches, and 44 livery halls.

Many of the City of London's most iconic buildings were consumed: St Paul's Cathedral, the Royal Exchange, Newgate Prison, Christ's Hospital, even Whittington's Longhouse, one of the biggest public toilets in Europe, in the Vintry. Evelyn was aghast at the destruction of so much of the medieval centre: “London was, but is no more”.

Related: How London might have looked: five masterplans after the great fire

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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/aug/31/beazley-designs-of-the-year-design-museum-london  
Astronaut coffee and DIY heart surgery Designs of the Year unveiled  

Ikea's flat-pack refugee shelter, an online sexual health test and Taipei's scooter share among ideas to go on show at London's new Design Museum

David Bowie's final album cover, a build-your-own robotic surgeon and a coffee cup that allows astronauts to drink in space are among the Designs of the Year, a 70-strong lineup of ingenious innovations that will be exhibited at the Design Museum's new home in Kensington from 24 November.

Related: Design Museum aims for Tate Modern effect in new home, says director

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http://www.designboom.com/art/coney-art-walls-brooklyn-open-air-museum-street-art-08-31-2016/  
coney art walls turn brooklyn landmark into an open-air museum  

overlooking the heart of the coney island amusement district, the space brings creativity and artistry to the famous boardwalk and beach.

The post coney art walls turn brooklyn landmark into an open-air museum appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

 
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http://redirect.viglink.com?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.com%2Fquora%2Fare-dogs-really-that-diff_b_11794770.html%3Futm_hp_ref%3Dscience%26ir%3DScience&key=ddaed8f51db7bb1330a6f6de768a69b8  
Are Dogs Really That Different From Wolves?  
How are dogs and wolves similar and different? originally appeared on Quora - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights.

Answer by Oliver Starr, wolf handler, wilderness advocate, on Quora:

How are dogs and wolves similar and different? In a word? Intensity. Take any behavior exhibited by even the most uninhibited dog, then turn it up to thirty-seven and you've got that same behavior in a wolf.

Put another way, dogs dig holes; wolves dig mines. Dogs might rip up your sofa, a wolf will reduce one to feathers,splinters, springs and bits of fabric no more than a one-inch square.

I like to call wolves "raw dogs", "proto-dogs", or "the blueprint". Even with captive bred wolves, they exhibit a broader and more complex range of behavior than what I've experienced with dogs.

Even primitive dog breeds (more "wolf like" dogs) seem to be less adept at solving problems and more inclined to look towards a human for help.

Wolves have around 33% more gray matter than a comparably sized domestic dog. In general, I've witnessed the ability among wolves and high content wolfdogs to solve problems quickly that stymy dogs until they give up.

Aqutaq [my wolf], for example is incredibly adept with a lead line. She fully understands the concept of the line and that it connects us in such a way that we must be on the same side of any tall obstacle. She might be sixteen feet in front of me and on the wrong side of a tree, yet she'll anticipate this issue, and alter course such that she moves to pass the tree on the side that matches mine.

If she becomes entangled while moving through brush, she also understands to retrace the path of the line to unwind it.

Physically, they're very similar, although domestic dogs can eat foods that contain many more carbohydrates as a result of their long-term association with people. Wolves are also only reproductively active once a year, whereas dogs can cycle multiple times. Pound for pound wolves are stronger, have better endurance, have a much greater bite force, and are faster than all but a very select few breeds of dog.

For those that are curious, in my life I've had many different breeds of domestic dogs including:

• 
  
• Malamutes
• 
  
• Shepherd-Collies
• 
  
• Border collies
• 
  
• Dachshunds
• 
  
• Pomeranians
• 
  
• Heinz-57 mutts
• 
  
• Varying wolfdog mixes
• 
  
• Selectively bred high-content wolf dogs
• 
  
• Wild-caught wolves (the one that ate me)
• 
  
• Offspring of same wild caught wolf
• 
  
• Offspring of lower-content wolfdogs
• 
  

This question originally appeared on Quora. - the knowledge sharing network where compelling questions are answered by people with unique insights. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.



More questions:​

• 
  
• Wolves: What should I do if I see a wolf in the wild?
• 
  
• Bears: What should I do if I encounter a bear in the wild?
• 
  
• Predators: Is it possible for humans to live safely alongside predators?
• 
  

-- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.

 
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https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/aug/31/hartog-dish-oldest-european-object-left-in-australia-returns-after-400-years  
Hartog dish: oldest European object left in Australia returns after 400 years  

Oldest European object left on Australian soil on loan from Amsterdam, and WA Maritime Museum says it will probably not leave the Netherlands again

A pewter plate that is the oldest European object to be left on Australian soil has been loaned to a Perth museum 400 years after it was originally nailed to a wooden post in Shark Bay, Western Australia.

The flattened engraved plate was left by the Dutch explorer Dirk Hartog in 1616 in the Dutch East India company ship Eendracht, meaning unity or concord, which had arrived there en route to Java.

Related: It's not 'politically correct' to say Australia was invaded, it's history | Paul Daley

1616 the 25 October is here arrived the ship Eendraght of Amsterdam, the upper merchant Gillis Miebais of Liege, skipper Dirck Hatichs of Amsterdam. The 27 ditto (we) set sail for Bantam, the undermerchant Jan Stins, the first mate Pieter Dookes Van Bil. Anno 1616

Related: Indigenous treasures, briefly on loan to Australia, are about to be taken away again

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http://www.designboom.com/art/redball-project-antwerp-public-art-installation-08-30-2016/  
redball project squeezes into architectural landmarks across antwerp  

around the belgian city, 'redball' visits famous sights such as the law courts designed by architect richard rogers and the HETPALEIS performing artists center.

The post redball project squeezes into architectural landmarks across antwerp appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

 
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http://www.designboom.com/art/benedetto-bufalino-walled-football-field-beach-anglet-france-08-30-2016/  
benedetto bufalino installs a walled football field on a beach in anglet, france  

seen from a distance, the outline of this low, walled enclosure conjures the image of a life-size lego construction.

The post benedetto bufalino installs a walled football field on a beach in anglet, france appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

 
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http://www.designboom.com/art/zaha-hadid-lilas-pavilion-sothebys-beyond-limits-sculpture-exhibition-chatsworth-house-08-30-2016/  
zaha hadid's lilas pavilion featured at sotheby's beyond limits sculpture exhibition  

the display, which runs from september 10th to october 30th, 2016, serves as a platform for the sale of outdoor art.

The post zaha hadid's lilas pavilion featured at sotheby's beyond limits sculpture exhibition appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

 
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http://99u.com/articles/54325/a-science-backed-guide-to-taking-truly-restful-breaks/  
A Science-Backed Guide to Taking Truly Restful Breaks    

When deadlines are looming, the phone keeps ringing, and your inbox is overflowing, the idea of taking a break seems faintly ludicrous. The only option, you tell yourself, is just to plough on. Understandable, but shortsighted you'll end up paying a heavy price in the long term.

Just as you need to refuel your car and recharge the batteries in your cell phone, it's important to give yourself the chance to recoup your energy levels throughout the workday. In fact, the more demanding your day, and the less time you feel like you have to take any breaks, the more crucial it is that you make sure you do take regular breaks to prevent yourself from becoming exhausted.

But not just any kind of break will do. Psychologists and business scholars have recently started studying the most effective ways to relax during a workday  they call them “micro breaks” and their latest findings point to some simple rules of thumb to sustain and optimize your energy levels through a grueling nine to five. We've crunched the data into the following three-step process to reach peak restfulness.   

Step 1: Fully switch off

It's extremely tempting, especially when we're tired, to spend breaks doing things that are convenient, but aren't truly restful. This might be internet shopping, browsing the latest news, or skimming an industry magazine. However, studies show that brief work breaks are only genuinely rejuvenating when they give you the chance to fully switch off. By contrast, any kind of activity that involves willpower or concentration, even if it's not in a work context, is only going to add to your fatigue levels.

Consider a study published this year by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and George Mason University that involved nearly a hundred Korean office workers keeping a diary for ten work days, in which they noted how much work pressure they had after lunch and what they did during any work breaks. Each participant ultimately noted how fatigued they felt at the end of the day. The researchers coded the work break activities as relaxing (such as daydreaming or stretching), as nutrition-based (grabbing a coffee), social (chatting with colleagues), or cognitive (reading newspapers or checking emails).

As you'd expect, feeling that work demands were more intense around lunch time went hand in hand with feeling more end-of-day fatigue. Crucially, the right kind of break provided a protective buffer against this link between work demands and fatigue. Which kind of break was this? Only relaxation and social break activities had any benefit. Cognitive activities during work breaks actually made fatigue worse, likely because reading websites or checking emails taxes many of the same mental processes that we use when we're working.

Another related study, published this year by a pair of researchers at Ajou University in South Korea and the Korea Institute for Research in the Behavioral Sciences, found that workers who spent their lunch break using their smart phone, as opposed to chatting with friends, felt like they'd enjoyed as much distraction from work as the sociable folk, but they actually ended up feeling more emotionally exhausted in the afternoon.

There's a popular theory in psychology that says our concentration and willpower levels are like fuel in a car  the more you use them in one activity, the less you have left over for other tasks. The theory has recently come under criticism for being overly simplistic, but if nothing else, it provides a useful analogy to make sense of the new research findings on workday breaks: As your energy reserves get gradually depleted through the day, you're only going to allow these reserves to replenish if you genuinely relax in your break times.

Step 2: Take short breaks early and often

A key insight from the research is that it makes a difference when you take breaks. Most of us feel more energetic in the morning than in the afternoon, and it can be tempting to wait until we're flagging later in the day before allowing ourselves a short break. However, findings suggest that we actually respond better to breaks in the morning  it seems you need to have some fuel in the tank to benefit from a re-fill.

This was one of the main findings to come out of a study of 95 employees at Baylor University across five days, in which they filled out brief surveys about how they were feeling after each break they took. Breaks taken in the morning were much more beneficial, in terms of the improvements in how the workers said they felt afterwards physically and mentally.

A related detail from this study was that if you take frequent breaks, then they don't need to be as long to be beneficial  a couple of minutes might be enough. On the other hand, if you deprive yourself of many breaks, then when you do take one, it's going to be need to be longer to have any beneficial effect.

Of course, when you're embroiled in a complicated creative project, the idea of breaking off for 30 minutes or an hour can seem unappealing and impractical and so you end up wading on, meaning your performance is likely to suffer. Crucially, if you remember and have the self-discipline to take breaks early and often, you won't be faced with this dilemma later in the day  you will be less fatigued, and any breaks you take at this later juncture needn't be as long and disruptive.

Step 3: Get out of the office

For creatives who work in a large office building, it's easy to find yourself spending whole days indoors  you might take breaks to the water cooler or the staff canteen, but nothing beats getting outside and away from the work environment. One problem with staying in the office, is that even if you take a decent lunch break and chat with colleagues, there's still that pressure to maintain a good impression and you often end up talking shop.

When researchers led by John P. Trougakos at the University of Toronto recently studied the effect of different lunch break activities among nearly a hundred university workers, they found that staff who socialized at lunch or did any work-related activities at lunch were rated as more fatigued by their colleagues at the end of the day. This was especially the case if the socializing was imposed by management  something to bear in mind for bosses who try too hard to foster camaraderie in the work place.

If you can get outside, even if it's just a five minute walk around the block, you potentially depending on where you're located also get to benefit from a rejuvenating dose of nature. Countless studies have shown how a green environment gives us a mental recharge, and what's really encouraging is that recent work has shown that this doesn't have to be a tropical rainforest. A modest urban park is all it takes. 

Coda

There's a work zeitgeist today that says you have to be constantly busy to succeed. If you've got time to go for a short walk, you're obviously not consumed by drive and ambition, so the mistaken ethos goes. The psychological reality is that your mental and physical reserves are limited and it is only by taking frequent short breaks of a truly restful nature that you will fulfil your true potential.

A final thought  you might have the view that you'll push yourself relentlessly during the day, squeezing every minute for what it's worth, and then completely flake out after dark. This strategy of extremes might work for a robot, but not a human. Psychology research from the University of Konstanz in German and Portland State University shows that over-exhaustion at the end of the day makes it even more difficult to recuperate after work hours. In other words allowing yourself proper breaks during the day will make your out-of-hours recovery more effective, ultimately boosting your productivity and creativity in the weeks and months ahead.

 
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Sea Shepherd Returns to Taiji, Japan; New Challenges, New Strategies  
Since 2009, Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has been on the ground in Taiji, Japan, documenting and bringing to light the atrocious dolphin drive hunt taking place from September to March.

Originally dubbed Operation Infinite Patience, this Sea Shepherd campaign has volunteers on the ground enduring constant police harassment and surveillance, physical threats and criticism, all while suffering personal trauma from witnessing the brutal slaughter.

These volunteers are known as Cove Guardians. They come from all over the world, at their own expense, to bring attention to this dolphin drive -- a drive which sees cetaceans being killed, molested, torn apart from their families, and transported to life sentences in aquatic prisons called marine parks where they are forced to perform tricks for tourists.


Killers remove a drowned dolphin from the nets. (Photo credit: Sea Shepherd)


In recent days, there has been a great deal of speculation on social media about Sea Shepherd 'abandoning' Taiji and shutting down the Cove Guardian program. That is wrong. Sea Shepherd has not abandoned any of its campaigns and we remain true to our policy of never giving up until we achieve our goals. We have Infinite Patience!

For the naysayers, there was never any question of not being in Taiji. We even have a film crew already scheduled to be there. Our challenge this year is how to proceed with the Cove Guardian strategy in light of the fact that all veterans, including Cove Guardian leaders, have been denied entry to Japan. These logistical obstacles are not to be misconstrued as Sea Shepherd quitting Taiji.

I began the Taiji campaign in 2003 when I sent Sea Shepherd crew member and photographer, Brooke MacDonald there to get the first images shown to the world. This was before the Academy Award winning documentary The Cove, before the Dolphin Project and before anyone even knew about this slaughter.


The cove water is red with the blood of slaughtered dolphins. (Photo credit: Sea Shepherd)


Brooke's pictures and video remain the best images, for the simple reason she did not encounter any obstacles in taking those pictures. For 13 years we have been on the forefront of the Taiji campaigns. We are the only group to have actually released dolphins when 16 pilot whales were freed after we cut nets and two Sea Shepherd crew members spent a month in jail for doing it.
 
My own involvement goes back to 1982 when I went to Japan's Iki Island and negotiated the end to their dolphin slaughter. No dolphins have been killed at Iki in 34 years.
 
My life has been dedicated to defending dolphins around the world, especially in Japan. For people to criticize me and Sea Shepherd for not doing enough is insulting. Sea Shepherd has done amazing work within the boundaries of practicality, the law and the resources available to it. I would also venture to say that it has done more to oppose the slaughter than anyone.


A dolphin is lifted by crane in to a tank for sale and transport. (Photo credit: Sea Shepherd)

Last year, Operation Infinite Patience was renamed Operation Henkaku, which means to reform, to change, to transform. Changing strategies, enhancing strategies and exploring new strategies is not quitting. It is adapting. That is what we are doing.
 
There was never any question about ending our work in Taiji. The Cove Guardian program is not over. However, it must adapt to Japan's policy of denying entry to veterans, especially Cove Guardian leaders. Sea Shepherd USA is committed to ending the slaughter of dolphins in Taiji and we will continue to have infinite patience to see this commitment through.

For all the Cove Guardians who have participated, the reality is that they made - and still continue to make - a difference. Because of the Cove Guardian program, the world is far more aware of the situation than it was before the program. It is my belief that all the Cove Guardians who witnessed the atrocities in Taiji have had their lives profoundly changed. Their passion continues. My passion continues. Sea Shepherd's passion continues.

Operation Henkaku, as part of the enduring Operation Infinite Patience, continues and there will more announcements coming soon.


Butchering dolphins. (Photo credit: Sea Shepherd)
 
 

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https://www.theguardian.com/science/2016/aug/31/truth-about-hd164595-solar-flare-radio-waves-et-calling  
Solar flare, radio waves or ET calling what's the truth about HD164595?  

Russian scientists think they may have received a signal from a star 94.4 light years from Earth. Other expert alien-spotters have moved quickly to investigate

Name: HD164595.

Age: 4.5 billion years, give or take.

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