Roberto Abraham Scaruffi

Friday 26 February 2016

The European Union Times


Posted: 26 Feb 2016 06:26 AM PST


The next-generation ATLAS robot is here and it’s quieter, smarter and much steadier on its feet – all without those restrictive cables.
Google-owned Boston Dynamics released a video today of the newest iteration of its ATLAS biped robot being harassed by humans as it attempts various tasks including picking up boxes, opening doors and keeping to its feet in the snow.
The apparent bullying by its human overlords, who try to push ATLAS and knock boxes out of its hands, is all in aid of testing its compensatory systems. A bipedal robot has to be able to stay on its feet and/or recover from falls if it’s to be of any use and ATLAS certainly proves its ability to stay standing. The video shows ATLAS taking running steps backwards to keep its balance when it’s shoved by a hockey stick and getting back to its feet when it eventually does fall over.
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Posted: 26 Feb 2016 06:18 AM PST


A political science professor who has accurately predicted the winners of previous presidential elections asserts that his statistical model shows Donald Trump has a 97-99% chance of taking the Oval Office if he wins the Republican nomination.
Stony Brook University Professor Helmut Norpoth has created a statistical algorithm that uses a candidate’s performance in party primaries and patterns in the electoral cycle to forecast the winner of the presidential election.
Should Trump follow through on his huge momentum and become the Republican nominee, he has a 97% chance of beating Hillary Clinton and a 99% chance of beating Bernie Sanders in the general election, according to Norpoth, who presented his findings at the SUNY Global Center in Manhattan earlier this week.
“The bottom line is that the primary model, using also the cyclical movement, makes it almost certain that Donald Trump will be the next president,” Norpoth told The Statesman, “if he’s a nominee of the [Republican] party.”
The model factors in the unlikely scenario of an incumbent party remaining in power after two terms but does not account for “party nominees or the conditions of the country at the time”.
The accuracy of the model built by Norpoth stands at 96.1%, and works for every single presidential election going back to 1912, with the only exception being the 1960 contest, when John F. Kennedy narrowly defeated Richard Nixon.
“You think ‘This is crazy. How can anything come up with something like that?’” Norpoth said. “But that’s exactly the kind of equation I used to predict Bill Clinton winning in ‘96, that I used to predict that George Bush would win in 2004, and, as you remember four years ago, that Obama would win in 2012.”
According to Norpoth’s model, in a popular vote Trump beats Hillary 54.7 percent to 45.3 percent.
“The probability of that [outcome] is almost complete certainty, 97 percent. It’s almost ‘Take it to the bank,’” said the professor.
However, the professor’s confidence in Trump beating Hillary isn’t replicated in polls of a hypothetical head to head between the former Secretary of State and The Donald.
According to a Real Clear Politics average, Trump lags behind Hillary by almost three points, although that gap has reduced in recent weeks.
His forecast is also contradicted by betting odds, which universally predict Hillary Clinton to be the next President, with Trump’s chances of taking the Oval Office a long shot at around 250-1.
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Posted: 26 Feb 2016 06:02 AM PST
US food major Mars is recalling products in 55 countries after plastic found in one of its candy bars in Germany.
Reports said on Tuesday that US chocolate company Mars Inc. is recalling millions of candy bars and other items in 55 countries after plastic was found in one of its products.
The discovery has been reportedly made in Germany where a customer is believed to have found a piece of red plastic in his Snickers bar last month.
After he complained to Mars, the plastic was traced back to a plant in south of the Netherlands which determined that it came from a protective cover used in the plant’s manufacturing process.
Reports said the company had recalled millions of its products from the UK, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Germany. But it also extended as far as Vietnam and Sri Lanka in Asia as well as dozens more countries.
Other products affected include Milky Way Minis and Miniatures and certain kinds of boxes of Celebrations.
The products involved have best before dates from 19 June 2016 to 8 January 2017.
The US company has not said how many bars are affected or how much it will cost it.
The company said in a statement: “With this recall, we would like to prevent consumers who have purchased one of the above-mentioned products from consuming it,” BBC reported.
The US-based company, which also makes M&Ms chocolates and Wrigley’s chewing gum, said a full list of affected products could be found on its national websites.
Mars, a family-owned company since it was founded in 1911, recorded annual global sales of around $33 billion. The rival of Kraft Foods and Nestle employs more than 18,400 people in Europe alone and operates in 74 countries worldwide, AFP reported.
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Posted: 26 Feb 2016 05:49 AM PST

The Federal Aviation Administration say unregistered drone users could now face fines as high as $250,000 for flying their UAVs or the possibility of up to three years in jail.
On Monday, the FAA announced that a total of 368,472 drones had been registered with agency, surpassing the number of airplanes on record with the federal government.
The FAA announced the registration rules last December with a February 19 deadline. With the deadline now passed, the agency said: “Failure to register an aircraft may result in regulatory and criminal sanctions.”
“The FAA may assess civil penalties up to $27,500,” the FAA said in a frequently asked questions post on its website. “Criminal penalties include fines of up to $250,000 and/or imprisonment for up to three years.”
According to The Hill, FAA administrator Michael Huerta was encouraged by the response to the drone rules after an increase in reports of sighting by commercial airline pilots.
“The speed with which we were able to roll this out is a testament to the invaluable input we received from the diverse task force of stakeholders we brought together to work on this issue,” Huerta said in a recent speech at a drone policy summit in Washington, the Hill reported.
There had also been a step up in complaints from law enforcement and firefighters encountering the drones while trying to put out fires, especially during last summer’s spate of forest fires in California.
“It’s proof that when government and industry partner, we can innovate, cut through red tape, and use technology to tackle emerging risks,” Huerta said.
The FAA imposed a $5 registration fee which was met with objection from drone advocates calling it a “drone tax.” In response the FAA granted applicants a refund for signing up within the first 30 days. The registration fee is valid for three years. As of Monday evening, a drone user could still register on the website.
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Posted: 26 Feb 2016 05:33 AM PST

The failure of the borderless Schengen Area scheme implemented by the European Union has prompted Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg to warn her country will abandoned the Geneva Convention and close the border if Sweden collapses.
Solberg said on Tuesday a border closure and rejection of the EU Schengen Area will be imposed in the “event that it all breaks down, that the flow (of refugees) just comes, and they all end up in Norway, because we are at the top of Europe. Norway is the end point, is not it.”
“We are prepared for the worst,” she said.
The Bar Association in Norway insists the country is bound under “international obligations” to accept migrants without considering their asylum applications.
In October Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom said the tidal wave of immigrants entering the country has destabilized the government and placed an immense burden on its socialist system. In response, the government has looked abroad to borrow money and is now considering hiking taxes on citizens to pay for the influx.
“I think most people feel that we cannot maintain a system where perhaps 190,000 people will arrive every year—in the long run, our system will collapse,” Wallstrom said.
Wallstrom’s remarks follow those of Prime Minister Stefan Löfven.
On October 9 during a press conference he said the nation is in a state of crisis. Following an emergency government meeting to address the problem Löfven said Sweden faces “one of the largest humanitarian efforts” in its history.
According to Danish historian and author Lars Hedegaard Sweden’s liberal refugee policy has endangered the Scandinavian country. “The final consequence of… Sweden’s immigration policy is that the economy will collapse—because who is going to pay for it all? And economic breakdowns, once they happen, always happen very fast,” he said.
Sweden’s liberal multicultural policies resulted in ethnic conflict and riots in 2015 and 2013.
Daniel Vesterhav, interim departmental head of Sweden’s crime statistics agency Brottsförebyggande Rådet, said last June criminal gangs have engaged in violence against rival ethnic groups. “We’re talking about easily offended individuals who, when they perceive themselves to be offended, take action to protect their honor,” he said.
In addition to economic peril and ethnic tension the country is attempting to deal with Islamic radicalization.
Sweden’s national security agency, the SAPO, officially estimated that 299 Swedish nationals have travelled to fight with the Islamic State, although the number is considered to be much higher.
Ulf Boström, a former policeman who is Sweden’s only integration police inspector, said on Wednesday Gothenburg and other large Swedish cities host “different centers of very strong Wahhabi leaders and they work like religious engines” for international jihadism.
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Posted by Roberto Abraham Scaruffi at 19:22