The high-end appliance company Miele recently commissioned an interesting study about the kitchen of the future. It projected that in 50 years our food will be 3D-printed, walls in our homes will grow food, and we'll even have mini-fish farms right in our kitchens. But you'd be forgiven for feeling like you've heard this all before. Specifically, from Martha Stewart back in 1996.
James Blake addresses the crowd during an interview with Mary Joe Fernandez after losing on day three of the 2013 U.S. Open.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
James Blake addresses the crowd during an interview with Mary Joe Fernandez after losing on day three of the 2013 U.S. Open.
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Neither of them is over 35 years old. One of them played in ATP World Tour events just months ago; the other did so last year. But none of that will keep recently retired tennis players Andy Roddick, 31, and James Blake, 33, from joining a circuit of senior players.
The pair will be playing in the PowerShares Series, a touring set of one-day tournaments featuring tennis legends such as Pete Sampras, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. By joining the tour, Roddick could eventually get a chance to play alongside his former coach, Jimmy Connors.
We will pause here to acknowledge that any of the people listed above would make short work of us on any court, under any conditions. And it can be debated that the PowerShares Series isn't a traditional senior tour, as its minimum age requirement is that players be just 30.
"I am looking forward to playing on the PowerShares circuit," Roddick says, in a report on the Tennis site. "Having a chance to stay connected with tennis and compete on a limited basis through events like these fits perfectly with my life these days."
A look at the PowerShares site shows that it features a Tennis article identifying it as "the newly-named senior circuit" last year, when it changed its name from the Champions Series. The tour was founded in 2005 by a group that includes former tennis star Jim Courier, who plays in many events.
If you're wondering about the age cutoff for other senior tours, so were we:
In tennis, the ATP Champions Tour requires that players be retired and meet career criteria, such as holding a world No. 1 ranking or being a Grand Slam finalist.
While some sources report the Champions Tour requires that players are at least 35, Roddick is scheduled to play a tour event in early 2014, when he'll still be 31. The Champions Tour is also said to require a player be at least two years past their retirement; details about its policies weren't available for review at the time of this post.
In professional golf, the standard minimum age to join a senior tour is 50.
NEW YORK (AP) — Selected transcripts and audio of Richard Nixon's Oval Office conversations will be published in book form next August, the 40th anniversary of Nixon's resignation from the presidency.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt announced Tuesday that "The Nixon Tapes" will feature the first transcriptions of Nixon and his aides discussing subjects ranging from Vietnam to Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign.
The country first learned that the tapes existed during Senate hearings in 1973 that looked into the growing Watergate scandal, which eventually led to Nixon's departure. The last of some 4,000 hours of conversations was finally made public this year.
"The Nixon Tapes" will be edited and annotated by historian Douglas Brinkley, who helped compile a book of Ronald Reagan's diaries, and Luke Nichter, whose website www.nixontapes.org features digital recordings of Nixon's conversations.
New York City’s iconic (and sometimes terrifying) manhole covers haven’t changed in decades, but they may be about to gain a whole new purpose—as charging stations for electric cars and trucks.
NXT Superstar Xavier Woods created an online petition Friday afternoon that appeared to gain momentum over the weekend, urging the WWE Universe to sign and demand that “The Authority” #BringBackBigShow immediately.
Sign this petition to bring @WWETheBigShow back to @WWE He is definitely what's best for business #BringBackBigShow http://t.co/kOhSSAgMCR
— Xavier Woods (@XavierWoodsPhD) October 11, 2013
Last Monday on Raw, Big Show was slapped in the ring by Stephanie McMahon, fired from WWE and evicted from his home because he dared to defy “The Authority.” What ensued was an outpouring of support from his fellow Superstars, like John Cena, Zack Ryder and The Bella Twins as they and their Twitter followers signed Woods’ petition in droves. By Monday, the petition was gaining momentum across social media, with signatures from both WWE fans and Superstars alike.
As Michael Cole explained in a WWE.com exclusive video, a warrant for Big Show’s arrest may be issued as a result of the knockout blow that left WWE COO Triple H concussed and with a possible broken jaw. Will the NXT Superstar’s petition be enough to sway Stephanie McMahon and Triple H to drop their charges and #BringBackBigShow?
Sometimes, even the most earnest attempts at positive self realization don't work out quite the way we hope. Like when you are trying to impress your co-workers but end up crab walking in a leather uni-suit and fright wig while screaming, "I waltz through the valley of death, swatting wankers as I go!"
'Crime Prevention through Housing Design: Policy and Practice'
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
16-Oct-2013
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Contact: John Ramsdin j.p.ramsdin@hud.ac.uk 01-484-472-693 University of Huddersfield
The UK is a world leader in adopting and developing the principles of Designing Out Crime and they have proved to be a big success, says Dr Armitage, who is Reader in Criminology and Associate Director of the Applied Criminology Centre at the University of Huddersfield. Crime can be reduced by more than half when measures are introduced.
Currently, police forces and local authority planning departments work together to ensure that planning applications are assessed for crime risk, and that proposed developments incorporate crime prevention through environmental design measures.
But Government plans to boost house building by deregulating the planning system could sweep this away, says Dr Armitage, who has been researching, writing and teaching 'designing out crime' for more than ten years.
So, as the consultation period over the planning changes nears its end, she has been in talks with organisations such as the Association of Chief Police Officers, and she has held meetings with the recently-appointed Victims' Commissioner, Conservative peer Baroness Newlove -- widow of murder victim Gary Newlove and a campaigner against anti-social behaviour.
Dr Armitage expressed her concern over the proposed changes: "This is a devastating blow for those concerned with the security of homes, and raises many concerns -- not least the fact that decades of policy, guidance, incentives and regulations to encourage housing to be built to deter offenders will be lost."
Crime Prevention through Housing Design: Policy and Practice
Dr Armitage's new book is entitled Crime Prevention through Housing Design: Policy and Practice.
"It is based on academic research but aims to get the message across to practitioners such as planners, architects and the police," said the author, whose career as a criminologist has included a role as a Senior Consultant for crime reduction body Nacro and a year as a Senior Research Fellow at the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science.
"A lot of people think that designing out crime is about physical security, such as locks and bolts, but it is really about very subtle changes in architecture," explained Dr Armitage.
For example, a housing estate could be designed so that sight lines between properties are not obstructed by high walls or overgrown trees -- a technique known as "natural surveillance". Footpaths -- enabling would-be offenders to come and go quickly and easily -- can be limited, and other measures include narrowing the entrance to an estate and introducing a change in road colour or changing the texture to red brick.
"This is a subtle way of giving an impression to offenders that they are coming to a private area, without having to have any gates or fences," said Dr Armitage.
Her book analyses the effectiveness of such measures when they are introduced to housing developments, with reductions in crime of up to 75%.
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Crime Prevention through Housing Design: Policy and Practice, by Rachel Armitage, is published by Palgrave Macmillan.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
'Crime Prevention through Housing Design: Policy and Practice'
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:
16-Oct-2013
[
| E-mail
| Share
]
Contact: John Ramsdin j.p.ramsdin@hud.ac.uk 01-484-472-693 University of Huddersfield
The UK is a world leader in adopting and developing the principles of Designing Out Crime and they have proved to be a big success, says Dr Armitage, who is Reader in Criminology and Associate Director of the Applied Criminology Centre at the University of Huddersfield. Crime can be reduced by more than half when measures are introduced.
Currently, police forces and local authority planning departments work together to ensure that planning applications are assessed for crime risk, and that proposed developments incorporate crime prevention through environmental design measures.
But Government plans to boost house building by deregulating the planning system could sweep this away, says Dr Armitage, who has been researching, writing and teaching 'designing out crime' for more than ten years.
So, as the consultation period over the planning changes nears its end, she has been in talks with organisations such as the Association of Chief Police Officers, and she has held meetings with the recently-appointed Victims' Commissioner, Conservative peer Baroness Newlove -- widow of murder victim Gary Newlove and a campaigner against anti-social behaviour.
Dr Armitage expressed her concern over the proposed changes: "This is a devastating blow for those concerned with the security of homes, and raises many concerns -- not least the fact that decades of policy, guidance, incentives and regulations to encourage housing to be built to deter offenders will be lost."
Crime Prevention through Housing Design: Policy and Practice
Dr Armitage's new book is entitled Crime Prevention through Housing Design: Policy and Practice.
"It is based on academic research but aims to get the message across to practitioners such as planners, architects and the police," said the author, whose career as a criminologist has included a role as a Senior Consultant for crime reduction body Nacro and a year as a Senior Research Fellow at the Jill Dando Institute of Crime Science.
"A lot of people think that designing out crime is about physical security, such as locks and bolts, but it is really about very subtle changes in architecture," explained Dr Armitage.
For example, a housing estate could be designed so that sight lines between properties are not obstructed by high walls or overgrown trees -- a technique known as "natural surveillance". Footpaths -- enabling would-be offenders to come and go quickly and easily -- can be limited, and other measures include narrowing the entrance to an estate and introducing a change in road colour or changing the texture to red brick.
"This is a subtle way of giving an impression to offenders that they are coming to a private area, without having to have any gates or fences," said Dr Armitage.
Her book analyses the effectiveness of such measures when they are introduced to housing developments, with reductions in crime of up to 75%.
###
Crime Prevention through Housing Design: Policy and Practice, by Rachel Armitage, is published by Palgrave Macmillan.
[
| E-mail
| Share
]
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
The Good Wife is adding another key player for season five.
Weeds alum Hunter Parrish has joined CBS' critically acclaimed legal drama in the current season, The Hollywood Reporter has learned exclusively.
Set to appear in the seventh episode, titled "The Next Week," which airs Nov. 10, Parrish will play Jeffrey Grant, described as "an enthusiastic college student looking to experience everything life has to offer, until he's caught in a Kafkaesque DNA trip, accused of murdering a female classmate he swears he's never met."
Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and Cary's (Matt Czuchry) plans to leave Lockhart/Gardner will be exposed in the Oct. 27 hour, which begs the question: How will that affect the new case?
The news comes on the heels of Alias alum Victor Garberjoining the guest cast as a strict judge. Other season-five guest players include Melissa George, Jeffrey Tambor, Carrie Preston, Rita Wilson, John Benjamin Hickey and Ben Rappaport.
Repped by UTA and Management 360, Parrish starred as Silas Botwin for eight seasons on Showtime's Weeds and headlined Broadway's Spring Awakening and Godspell. He also starred in features It's Complicated and Paper Man.
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court said Tuesday it will not consider Gov. Jerry Brown's appeal of an order to trim the state prison population by another 9,600 inmates, leaving him with just one more chance to persuade a lower court to stop or delay a reduction that he says threatens public safety.
The justices did not comment on their order, which leaves in place the earlier ruling by a panel of three federal judges requiring California to reduce its prison population to improve medical and mental health treatment.
The case now goes back to the three judges, who repeatedly have ruled against Brown and at one point threatened to hold him in contempt if he didn't adhere to their order.
It's the second time Brown has been rebuffed by the nation's highest court. In 2011, Supreme Court justices ruled that the lower court panel had the authority to order California to reduce inmate overcrowding as the key condition for improving conditions.
At the heart of the case is a 2001 lawsuit filed on behalf of inmates who claimed medical treatment in the prisons was so poor it was leading to a death a week through neglect or malpractice. The federal courts agreed, saying conditions violated inmates' constitutional rights against cruel and unusual punishment.
In addition to spending billions of dollars on new medical facilities and staff, the state was ordered to reduce overcrowding, which was seen as a main obstacle to providing better health care. The state has also been forced to take similar steps to improve inmate mental health treatment, the subject of a separate lawsuit
Deborah Hoffman, spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, expressed disappointment with the high court and said the state will continue working to improve prison conditions. She noted that in the past two years, the prison population has been reduced by 25,000 inmates.
Brown signed a bill in September allowing the state to spend $315 million this fiscal year to house thousands of inmates in private prisons and county jails if the lower court doesn't postpone its January deadline for reducing the prison population. If the court agrees to a three-year delay called for in the legislation, the state must spend part of the money on rehabilitation programs intended to reduce the inmate count.
Last month, the court ordered the state to negotiate with inmates' attorneys toward a possible compromise. But the attorneys say there have been no face-to-face talks with administration officials, though a court-appointed mediator has been active. The judges ordered the mediator to update them next Monday on the progress of negotiations.
"Now that the court has ruled and the governor's out of legal options, it would be in their interest to try and resolve this in a way that is effective and productive," said Don Specter, director of the Prison Law Office that filed the lawsuit over prison medical care.
While the issue plays out in court, the state has been signing contracts with private prison operators to house inmates.
The Corrections Department and Corrections Corp. of America announced Tuesday that the state had signed a $28.5 million annual contract to lease the private California City Correctional Center, which will hold 2,381 inmates. The lease is for three years, with unlimited two-year renewals, and the annual cost will rise with inflation after the initial three-year contract expires.
Last month, the state signed a five-year, $30 million annual contract with Geo Group to lease two prison facilities in Kern and San Bernardino counties. The two facilities can hold 1,400 inmates.
The steps leave the state about 4,400 inmates above the population cap set by the courts. The state must reduce the population of its major prisons to about 110,000 inmates by the end of January under the current lower court order.
Last night the Google Play Store gave us a pretty good look at the Nexus 5 in black, and today a leak from Korean site UNDERkg (since pulled) purports to show us the device's retail packaging — along with a tantalizing hint at a possible white version. The couple of images showing the outside of the box reveal Google and LG branding, along with the Nexus 5 name. What's more, the device is pictured with a white back panel, as you can clearly see in the second image.
The box certainly fits with earlier Nexus branding, and though the leaked images are small, it looks legit to us. That said, there's no guarantee of any white model being available at launch, and we'll wait on the official word from Google before reaching for our wallets.