The Speaker Editors

Rediscovered Audio Of An Early Speech By Martin Luther King Where He Uses “I Have A Dream” For The First Time

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Martin Luther King
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A new early recording of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I have a dream” sentiment has been unearthed by researchers working on a documentary about the preacher and civil rights advocate.

The recording was made eight months before King made his historic speech in front of 250,000 people gathered at Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., Aug. 28, 1963.

King had preached about dreams since 1960. The earliest record was an NAACP speech called “The Negro and the American Dream,” the subject of which was the distance between the American Dream and the reality experienced by Black Americans.

The “I Have A Dream Speech,” which was delivered during the march on Washington, was an amalgam of several previous speeches and ideas. The speech was originally called “Normalcy, Never Again,” but the speech came to be referred to as “I Have A Dream” because of the impression King’s delivery made on hearers.

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South Sudan’s Top Rebel General “Fires” Leader

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Peter Gatdet
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One week before a scheduled signing of the peace deal that would have placed rebel leader Riek Machar once again in the seat of vice president, top rebel general Peter Gatdet has announced that he and other powerful commanders no longer support Machar.

General Peter Gatdet accused President Riek Machar of failing to keep the rebel ranks unified and using his position to seek personal gain.

“Therefore, any peace deal that [Machar] signs with the government of South Sudan will not be legitimate and will not be respected by the [rebel army], led by generals,” stated Gatdet, referring to the ongoing talks and the peace deal scheduled for next week.

Because opposition forces had lost confidence in Machar’s leadership, Gatdet said, Machar no longer held his title as commander and chief of the rebels.

Gatdet criticized Machar for becoming friendly with South Sudanese President Salva Kiir after being promised the vice presidency, and warned that any peace agreement signed without full support of the rebels would be likely to collapse.

“We strongly reject IGAD’s proposal that gives leadership of the transitional Government of National Unity to both President Kiir and Riek Machar. TGNU should be led by South Sudanese who have the country and its people at heart,” said Gatdet, referring to the East African trading bloc that had been mediating the deal.

Alphabet, New Parent Organization Will Handle A To Z At Google

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As part of Google’s stated ambition to “do more,” co-founders Larry Page and Sergei Brin have announced they will be restructuring under the umbrella of Alphabet, Inc., a new parent company that will encompass Google and all other Page and Brin projects.

Current Google CEO Page wrote in a blog Monday that in addition to having bigger “crazy” plans, the co-founders intended to make their company “cleaner and more accountable.”

Page will be CEO at Alphabet, and Brin will be president.

In Monday’s blog, Page mentioned some of the projects Alphabet will be focusing on, including a glucose-sensing contact lens and a lifespan controlling project called Calico.

The need for something above Google, Page wrote, was one of larger management capacity.

The new model for the company involves strong CEOs independently directing each business under Alphabet. Page and Brin will handle allocation of the capital that will support each branch.

Replacing Page as CEO of Google, which Page says will remain the largest part of Alphabet, although “slimmed down,” will be Sundar Pichai, who had previously been handling Internet product and engineering at Google.

Susan Wojcicki, CEO of YouTube, will remain in place, Page said in the blog.

By James Haleavy

Gunfire At US Consulate In Istanbul

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Istanbul
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Gunmen opened fire outside a US consulate in Istanbul, Turkey Monday morning, BBC reported.

The attack, which took place at around 8:00 a.m. Monday morning, followed just 10 hours after a bomb was detonated at a police station in Istanbul, injuring 10 people, including seven police.

Read more: Turkey suicide bombing may be first of seven

No one was injured in the attack, and the two gunmen fled when police returned fire.

By James Haleavy

Shots Fired During Ferguson Protest on Anniversary of Michael Brown’s Death

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Multiple gunshots rang out during a protest in Ferguson, Missouri Sunday night, scattering protesters on the one-year anniversary of Michael Brown’s death.

Police came under heavy gunfire from two sources, which resulted in exchanges that left two men wounded, the St. Louis Police Department reported.

At least one person — a young black man — was hit by gunfire and was taken to to Barnes Jewish Hospital, according to the St. Louis County authorities.

At least two unmarked police cars were also hit by bullets.

Police have asked people to leave the area of Ferguson and West Florissant. Riot police moved in to secure the area.

Video from RT’s live cam

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By James Haleavy

Leading Thalidomide Opponent Dies, Aged 101

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Frances Oldham Kelsey, a Canadian-born doctor and F.D.A. officer, argued tirelessly to keep the harmful drug out of the U.S.

ONTARIO, Canada – Frances Oldham Kelsey, the doctor and pharmacologist who refused to allow thalidomide into America, died on Friday.

Kelsey died at her daughter’s home in London, Ontario, where she had been inducted into the Order of Canada less than 24 hours before.

Thalidomide – then marketed as Kevadon – was popular in Europe, Canada and the Middle East, where pregnant women were taking it for morning sickness. It began to be noted that the babies of women who took the drug often had major defects, especially underdeveloped limbs.

Kelsey was born in British Columbia in 1914. She became qualified in both medicine and pharmacology at a time when very few women studied either. In 1960, she was put in charge of licensing new drugs for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

Thalidomide was never approved for use in the United States largely because of the work of FDA medical reviewer Kelsey
Thalidomide was never approved for use in the United States largely because of the work of FDA medical reviewer Dr. Kelsey

When the William S. Merrell Company applied for a license for Kevadon, Kelsey insisted that they prove its safety. The company failed to do so, but tried to pressure Kelsey into letting the drug through.

Months later, a link was established between thalidomide and increasing deformities among European newborns. Babies do not have the enzymes to cope with the drug, which can enter their systems via the placenta. The number of ‘thalidomide babies’ may be in the tens of thousands for Europe alone.

Kelsey became a national heroine. Following the Kevadon case, tougher drugs regulations were adopted in America and abroad. She was given the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service by John F. Kennedy, and was later inducted into the National Women’s Hall of Fame. An F.D.A. award for Drug Safety Excellence, and a school in British Columbia, are both named after her.

By Robbie Carney

Mayor In Crimea Found Hanged

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Crimea, Mayor In Crimea, Hanged
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The mayor of Koktebel, Crimean Republic, was found hanged in his home Friday.

“This morning at a place of temporary residence, the mayor of Koktebel was found dead after hanging. Today, law enforcement officers will be working on the case, after which will be a procedural decision,” said an official of the public prosecutor, according to RIA Novosti.

Rostislav Stroika, 41, the head of the Koktebel settlement administration was found by his wife hanged at the Hotel Primorye, Russian news organization TASS reported today, referring to the information of the Investigative Committee of the region.

The mayor was still living when his wife pulled him from the loop of the cord, it was reported, but died before the arrival of emergency health services.

The night previous, the mayor was in good health, visiting the chief of police in the town, according to investigators.

Greater details have not been released as of yet, and the prosecutor’s office in Crimea has said that it will wait until information is mature before doing so.

Stroika was appointed to his post as mayor by a federal decree April 28, 2015.

By James Haleavy

Selfies Are Linked To Narcissism In Men, But Not In Women, New Research Finds

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According to new research, selfies are linked to narcissism in men, but not in women. The research, undertaken by Polish psychologist, went further, providing an understanding about which aspects of narcissism were associated with selfie-taking for each gender.

Research, though still scant, is emerging about who posts selfies and why.

According to the new Polish study, which examined three types of selfies — solo selfies, selfies with a romantic partner, and group selfies — and examined almost 1300 Polish men and women — not just American men, the subject of the recent popular news report on selfies and narcissism — men and women vary in exhibiting selfie behavior.

The researchers tried two things: they asked one group of men and women to self-report how many selfies of each of the three types they posted to Facebook and other social media. Then they obtained access to the social media accounts of a second group to count the selfies.

Women post more selfies than men do on social media, the researchers found.

But the researchers also wanted to get an understanding of the relationship between selfie posting and narcissism. They tested participants for narcissistic traits — four separate traits: Exhibitionism, Admiration Demand, Leadership and Self-Sufficiency.

When they compared their narcissism test results with the selfie posting numbers, they found that selfie posting by males was positively correlated with Exhibitionism, Admiration Demand and Leadership, but not Self-Sufficiency. For men, these relationships existed for all types of selfie pictures.

For women, only a correlation between selfie posting and Admiration Demand was found, and only for solo selfies in the first study and romantic partners in the second.

However, the researchers concluded that narcissism only explains a small part of self-posting, because the correlations were all quite modest.

The study, “Selfie posting behaviors are associated with narcissism among men,” was completed by Sorokowski, P., Sorokowska, A., Oleszkiewicz, A., Frackowiak, T., Huk, A., & Pisanski, K. and was published in Personality and Individual Differences.

By Cheryl Bretton

First Brit Convicted Of Revenge Porn Sentenced Today

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Under new UK laws introduced last April, the first Brit to be convicted faces sentencing today.

The 21-year-old, who distributed intimate photos of a woman on the internet and by text without her consent, pled guilty last May, one month after the new laws were passed.

He faces a maximum sentence of two years’ in prison for the crime.

The new crime is distinguished from non-criminal posting of intimate photos by “a violation of trust between two people, with a purpose to publicly humiliate,” according to Britain’s Director of Public Prosecutions.

Before the new legislation was passed, similar crimes were brought to trial under harassment and copyright laws. The new law makes it easier to successfully bring charges against vengeful ex-partners, according to the DPP.

The new law is already being flexed in the UK, as police in the country are dealing with the largest ever volume of revenge porn cases, the DPP said.

“We live in a world where images are able to be shared instantaneously and the criminal justice system needs to keep pace with that reality,” Attorney General Jeremy Wright QC said.

“The case (of Asagba) shows that anyone maliciously and deliberately distributing intimate pictures of people without their consent can and will be brought to justice.”

By James Haleavy

Ukraine Subpoenas Ex-President Yanukovych For Corruption

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Yanukovych
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Ukraine has subpoenaed former President Viktor Yanukovych to appear in Kiev this month to give testimony in a corruption investigation.

The investigation involves “misappropriation of property” and embezzlement of funds. Questions exist about Yanukovych’s possible use of his previous post as president to commit large-scale fraud.

Proceedings against several high-ranking Ukrainian officials — including the ex-President and other former civil servants who are no longer in the country — began July 28 in Kiev.

Yanukovych has said that he will not return to Ukraine for questioning, but would give testimony via videoconference.

The former Ukrainian leader has been in Russia since fleeing Ukraine in the wake of the Euromaidan protests in early 2014. His exact whereabouts not known.

By James Haleavy

First Online Autism Test Developed – The RBQ-2A

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The RBQ-2A Online test, the first self-assessment test for autism spectrum disorder, has been developed by psychologists from the University of Cardiff. The test can also be used to help in diagnosing other diseases that involve behaviors similar to those associated with autism, such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Parkinson’s disease, and Tourette syndrome.

The test measures adults’ response to one of the primary criteria used in the diagnosis of autism — repetitive behaviors.

The psychologists behind the test say that it is a reliable method for measuring whether a person has frequent or severe autism-related behaviors. However, a diagnosis of autism requires more than just one test. The researchers believe the RBQ-2A can be combined with other tests to fully diagnose autism.

The RBQ-2A was tested out on 311 British and Australian adults — some of which had been diagnosed with autism, some of which had not. The researchers found that those with autism scored higher on the test for repetitive behaviors.

“Many measures used for research and diagnoses of autism rely on parents, teachers or caregivers to report the behaviours of individuals with the condition,” said Professor Sue Leekam, Cardiff University’s Chair of Autism and Director of the Wales Autism Research Centre.

“What our research has done is develop a test where individuals can report on their own behaviours, for both research and clinical purposes, ensuring we get a fuller picture of the way that these behaviours affect people,” she added.

The next step for the researchers is to expand the test to apply to all people, not just adults, and from there, they hope the test will be implemented in clinics across the UK.

By Cheryl Bretton

Elegant Hair-Thin Robot Water-Strider Leaps Into Air (Video)

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Water strider robot
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Who doesn’t still vaguely remember the first time they saw a water strider standing on top of a lake?

The insects do it by taking advantage of water’s surface tension, which their thin water-repellent legs and light bodies can rest upon without puncturing through.

Now, a Harvard University and Seoul National University joint team have built robots inspired by water striders. The small bots can hop on water, taking advantage of surface tension in the same way.

The robots are simply built from hair thin rods, and their 2 cm-long bodies and 5 cm-long legs weigh only 68 milligrams.

To leap into the air, the legs of the bots are rotated inward, boosting them upward.

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By Sid Douglas