The World Junior Championship 1987 was a very special event for me. Since it took place in Baguio City (Philippines), it was my first opportunity to travel outside of the "iron curtain" and see the world's top junior players. In those prehistoric times, young players were not spoiled with an abundance of tournaments, so the whole world's junior elite took part in the championship. I knew for sure that a future world champion (or even champions) was playing in the beautiful convention center, and I even could predict who they were. The easiest candidate for the future world title to predict was Viswanathan Anand.

During our training camp before the world championship, we studied the games of our future opponents. Long before computers and databases changed the way chess players study chess, we had a bunch of folders with Xerox copies of our opponent's games. I still have some of them Of all the foreign opponents, Anand looked like the most dangerous one. We heard all kinds of legends about the speed of his play. Our coaches were showing a game from the previous World Junior Championship where Anand beat the Soviet representative, future super-GM Bareev, and spent about 15 minutes for the whole game!

Yes, White's play was very logical and strong, but how it was humanely possible to play such a beautiful game in just 15 minutes? During the World Junior Championship in 1987, Anand kept playing very fast. In fact, I was telling everyone that I pushed Anand into severe time trouble because he spent 40 minutes in our game. (The time control was 40 moves in two hours, then 20 moves in one hour, and then the game would be adjourned.

When it was Ivanchuk's turn to play Anand, I told him that he should do anything he can to avoid time trouble. "You get into a time trouble, you are a toast!", was my final advice.

Ivanchuk didn't get into time trouble, yet he was gradually outplayed and eventually lost the game:

After the game, he accused me of giving him very bad advice. "I played too fast, and that's why I lost," he said. One way or another, the tournament was practically decided at that point. Nevertheless, in the last round at some point, I had a theoretical chance to catch Anand. He was losing against GM Gad Rechlis from Israel. Ivanchuk offered a draw to GM Pavel Blatny, and I had a very promising attack against GM Simen Agdestein (the future coach of Magnus Carlsen). For a couple of minutes, my thoughts were occupied with math: If Anand loses, Blatny agrees a draw, and I win, there would be a three-way tie for first, and since we all played top players, who knows who would have a better tie break? Pretty soon I got a blunt dose of reality: Anand survived, Blatny rejected Ivanchuk's draw offer and lost, and my beautiful-looking attack unexpectedly fizzled out. As a result, Anand became the new World Junior Champion, Ivanchuk was second, and I got the bronze medal. Unfortunately, I missed a historic chance to appear in the same picture as Anand, which I mentioned in my old article.

Can you play like Vishy Anand?

Try our Play Like Vishy Anand course featuring five of Anand's best games!

While I was pretty happy about my result being just slightly behind these two geniuses, Ivanchuk was disappointed by his performance. The loss against Anand clearly bothered him. To make things worse, the very next year he lost a beautiful miniature to Anand. Can you find Black's final shot?

The next duel between these two superstars took place in the famous Linares tournament. That was probably Ivanchuk's best performance ever. Not only did he convincingly win the super tournament, but he also beat the world champion, Kasparov. Anand was one of numerous Ivanchuk's victims. Find a textbook break that demolished White's position.

By that time the whole chess world was well aware of the unique talent of both players, and therefore a match between Anand and Ivanchuk took place next year in Linares. It was another major disappointment for Ivanchuk. Not only did he lose the match, but the quality of Anand's play was also better. The next game is a true strategic masterpiece. Can you find a remarkable sequence of Black moves?

That's simply unbelievable! Black broke all known positional rules: He damaged his kingside pawn structure, gave White an outside passed h-pawn, and traded his "good" bishop for his opponent's "bad" bishop. Despite this, his grand plan came to fruition: He got his central passed pawns and won the game!

Many years after this match, Ivanchuk mentioned in one of his interviews that he sees every new game vs. Anand as a continuation of their match. I saw firsthand Ivanchuk's reaction after his loss to Anand in their first game. It seems to me that for Ivanchuk, every new game versus Anand is a continuation of their rivalry that started in 1987.

To be continued...

Read more:

A Match That Lasts The Whole Life: Anand vs Ivanchuk - Chess.com

03.03.2020 Buenos Aires, Argentina REHUNO Humanist Network of Health News Luis Ammann is a journalist, with a degree in Modern Languages and specialized in Linguistics. He has been a member of the Humanist Movement since 1969, where he formed and directed human structures of volunteers in 11 countries during 37 years. He has made different theoretical contributions to the current of thought of New Humanism, founded by Mario Luis Rodrguez Cobos, also known as Silo. He is the author of the book Self-Liberation, first published in Barcelona, Spain, in 1980 and published in more than 10 languages.

REHUNO spoke with Luis as part of the 40th anniversary of the launch of the first edition of the book Self-Liberation, which proposes personal work practices that have been used by thousands of people around the world.

The method of Self-Liberation is conceived as a response to the deepest needs of the human being; the overcoming of suffering. In this perspective, Self-Liberation is a tool that allows this objective by modifying behaviors, as the author explains.

REHUNO: How was the process of putting together this book? What is the relationship that the book has with Silo, founder of the Humanist Movement?

LA: This book was first published in 1980, but it was finished in February 1979. The materials that gave rise to it were notes of work carried out by groups of people in what was called Bases. These were six-month retreats where they carried out self-knowledge and research. They began in a place called El Arenal (Jujuy, Argentina) in 1966 and continued in different places in Argentina. In 1972, in Yala (Jujuy, Argentina) a first compilation of these works was made, entitled Siloism. Silo gave some clues in direct talks, notes were taken and work was done in groups, and there were many working with that until the 70s. The central ideas were always from Silo; we never added our own ideas to the text, only suggestions for implementation. After 72 there were new topics collected in unofficial notes and they were written from what some of us researched, such as transferences, for example. In other words, the intellectual author is Silo and the rest is the work of many people. Thats how it was. I always try to explain in that way, a teamwork, of many people, but in the end all the intellectual conception is Silos.

REHUNO: The book Self-Liberation is organized in two parts; the first covers relaxation exercises, psychophysical practices and self-knowledge practices. The second, called Operative, proposes works of catharsis, transference and self-transference. What is the origin of these works, did you create them?

LA: The work with the centres of response that is in the part of Psychophysics, for example, comes originally from Gurdieff (George Ivanovich Gurdjieff, Russian Master, creator of the Fourth Way) and the one who exposes for the first time for the West is Peter Demianovich Ouspensky in his book Psychology of the possible evolution of Man; but they did not develop those themes.

They explain only the cenrers, the parts and sub-parts, but they did not establish, or did not reach us, the exercises to determine what corresponded to each part and sub-part. And this is precisely what was done in the bases and fields before I entered in January 1969. Gurdjieff is also the one who discovered that it is fundamental to relax the face and the head in order to produce a good relaxation. Starting from the top is important for the subject of relaxation, but he did not leave a written work that could be followed to practice relaxation; that is what we developed. As far as Transference and Self-Transference are concerned, Silo explained the theory, gave a guide and many of us worked and made observations. This happened at a meeting with Silo in Corfu, a Greek island, in 1975. From there in Argentina two research groups were formed. One was coordinated by Juan Jos Pescio, who worked with Siloists from Buenos Aires to the South and the other by me, who worked with groups from Cordoba to the North. We coordinated several groups to work on transference. It was not written how the transferences were done, we had nothing more than the central idea discussed with Silo, a general guide. And we began to practice based on those central ideas, discovering new situations, solutions for those situations, understanding which were the paths that were not to be taken and where it was appropriate.

REHUNO: In the 1990s edition you explained that the system of Self-Liberation is not a therapy, nor is it a medicine, but it is a tool for personal development. Today, modern science is increasingly confirming what was said by the most ancient medicines such as Ayurveda or Traditional Chinese Medicine, which in turn are derived from philosophical systems. They knew that breathing correctly, keeping the body relaxed and meditating are fundamental practices for good health.

LA: Self-Liberation is based on a central thought of Silo that is the overcoming of human suffering, a thought of clear Buddhist root. The Buddha basically proposes this and creates a school of psychology, not a religion, although later some transform it into a religion. Today we could say that Buddha was an atheist, because the theme of god does not appear anywhere; his contribution is more referred to the theme of suffering, to the possibilities of coming out of the cycle of the different incarnations and everything else. Silo, in The Inner Look faces, in his books basically, the theme of the meaning of life and transcendence, that is, the overcoming of death. Silos work is more mystical, Self-Liberation is a translation, its made for a more western thought. Its the same central nucleus of overcoming suffering but its made for a more western mentality; its more like a cookbook (laughs) with the different things to do on that path of overcoming suffering. The overcoming of suffering has to do with health, psychophysical health, mental health, which is something that has been talked about more in the last 20 years and that Silo had already explained 50 years ago.

REHUNO: What is the key you found about relaxation and breathing?

L.A.: Few people paid attention to Gurdjieff about the importance of relaxation of the face, and we started there. The head, the face, the eyeballs, the two parts of the nose, the corner of the lips, all that is well stopped in our relaxation. And then the breathing as a concrete thing that serves basically for everything, from calming down before going to a job interview, for example, to facing any other situation or starting an internal work practice or a ceremony. Looking a little bit deeper into the theme of allegorical and symbolic that are in the transference chapter of the book, the connectives between one situation and another, one wonders:- And what are the connectives? It can be an image of a bus trip, or any image that has to do with going from one place to another, where you take advantage of it to close what you have already done and prepare for what is to come. Then relating that content to psychophysics: -How can you take advantage of a connective? -Making a muscle relax? -Impossible many times! But you can relax in a short interval with your breathing. Because breathing is the way we reach the internal organs. I can work the external muscles from the outside: I tense and release the muscles and they relax, but the internal organs how? Basically its with the air, through breathing. The air in turn is emotion, so it does not only helps you physically, but also neutralizes you emotionally, leaves you in a good tone, neutral. So its all very intertwined, and those exercises are synthetic.

REHUNO: The structure of how a transference is made, for example, the different elements that are analyzed allegorically such as the connectives, attributes, continents, contents None of this was previously theorized?

L.A: The idea, for example, that one had to work on three planes of images (high, medium and low), that is explained by Silo. What is there in each plane as significant? That wasnt established, we found that and Silo ordered it. For example, The luminous city at the top, which is a recurring image, we also found a luminous city at the bottom, so we thought, how can that be distinguished? Which is located at the top and which is located at the bottom? In short, all these explanations were given by Silo. We discovered that there was all that, and he helped to put it in order, to make sense of it. In other words, to a great extent it was a collective work, there was participation by many people. Everyone who entered the Movement at that time went to the field and grassroots work and that was related to the testing of the centres of response to the world. We all went through that, and that is how this manual was put together.

REHUNO: And at that time you also wrote what would later become Psychology 1, 2 and 3, which were precisely the notes from Corfu and the Canary Islands. Is it correct to say that in those years the main theoretical basis of Silos work was developed?

L.A: Yes, totally. Corfu in 1975 and the Canary Islands in 1976 and 1978. Then Self-Liberation was published in 1980, the year in which the mission of the 80s was launched, and that closed a whole stage, a stage of a lot of research, of very good work, other diffuse and disparate works, that is, materials of different levels, but all that is the basis of the subsequent stages.

REHUNO: And, do these works remain then as a synthesis of the internal work of the previous stage?

L.A: And yes, precisely the first two official books were published: The Inner Look and Self- Liberation, both in the 80s. Until that moment we didnt have official books, they were just notes.

REHUNO: In general, it is not part of Western culture to meditate, to know oneself, and even less so 40 years ago. How was the acceptance of that book at that time?

L.A.: Silo proposes meditation on oneself, he always insisted that you dont need teachers, but that you do need to reflect. Of course, this result can be quite different among people, first of all because almost nobody meditates. And those who do meditate already have a lot of co- presences, experiences and beliefs from their previous formation, so to really meditate on the present without the noise of the past and the expectations of the future, is something very difficult. Silo had already discovered and exposed in The Inner Look the key: nothing has meaning in life if everything ends with death. And how do Westerners who wants to do something with themselves, how do we translate that which Silo had discovered? Then Silo puts together a psychology too, and that psychology creates elements that are key, core elements that are exposed in the prologue of the first edition, creates a series of exercises that have interesting antecedents. For example, what Gurdjieff had left were techniques that this Master supported in art, in music, in dance, very elaborate things. I have spoken with music specialists who say that the work Gurdjieff had developed was very elaborate, with the theme of metrics and scales. That is, there is a lot of knowledge but it has to be passed on to people in a simple way.

REHUNO: Was that a concern in the book?

L.A.: Exactly! Yes, to make it as simple as possible. And later, Silo makes it even easier in The Message.

REHUNO: How do you propose to work with the book Self-Liberation? How often should people work with these practices?

L.A.: If you are looking to synthesize, the work in that book could be done once in a lifetime. If you do it well, working with the whole system of Self-Liberation could be only once in a lifetime. But then one wonders what you do with the new situations that arise, or in the face of things that you thought you had overcome and are not overcome. For example, very difficult situations that require elements of reconciliation. And not only with others! I have discovered that the greatest difficulty is in reconciling with oneself, with images in which one feels that one has failed, or feels that one has done something harmful to others or to ones own process. It is not easy. So for that I think you have to reach self-transference to reconcile yourself, self-transference to overcome certain internal conflicts, in short, self-transference to balance contents. Because the ideal for the consciousness is that there are no too dazzling contents that become a kind of food for secondary dreams. That you have balanced your life, your mission and that you can transfer some of it to the outside, to those closest to you, or wherever you can get to. And with the issue of health I think there is a very large field of application.

REHUNO: The basic model of psychological work that we have today is basically that of a patient and a professional, whether it be the therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist. Does Self-Liberation have that intention of proposing work that can be done alone?

L.A.: What we permanently recommend is to work with others. If you want, there are many practices that can be done alone, but the work is much richer if its in a group. Everything in Siloism points towards the relationship with one another, or with others. The Principles, for example, speak of valid action, of actions that end in others, that one would repeat, that make one grow internally. Always in a relationship of parity, our works do not contemplate the therapist and the patient, always horizontal.

REHUNO: One part of the research you were doing was during the dictatorship in Argentina. How was that?

L.A.: We went through two dictatorships, and suffered the lack of freedom, the clandestinity, but without major consequences because we were very much infiltrated by the intelligence services. They knew we had nothing to do with the violence, they had our materials, they knew what we were doing because they were investigating us. We did suffer arrests and many of us were imprisoned, some in very harsh conditions and there were even friends killed in La Plata, but this was mainly during the rise of a parapolice gang called Triple A (Argentine Anti-Communist Alliance). In 1975 some friends from Crdoba, including my partner and I, were imprisoned in very harsh conditions in the clandestine detention centre D2. But fortunately here we are.

REHUNO: Would you change anything in a future edition of the book?

L.A.: In the chapter on psychophysics there is an explanation of the response centres (intellectual, emotional, motor, vegetative) and we decided to put only the examples of the intellectual center with parts and sub parts, of the others there are no examples, there is only the detail of the intellectual centre. I recently found a work that is quite well done, contributed by Mara Anglica Soler, and in a next edition of Self-Liberation we should make a call citing that work, for those who want to go deeper, because she develops it more and better. Another question that we should improve in a next edition is the subject of the bibliography. Although Silos work is very original, and for that reason it is difficult for us to put together a bibliography, since we dont have one, these books are not taken up in universities. That would have to be done, although we cant detail each part, since its a work that arises from experience, we would have to put those previous references.

REHUNO: What are your future projects?

LA: Im working on two projects. I want to develop the chapter on self-transference, which is a part of the book that many people end up not using because it seems complex, and I am writing a paper on conflict resolution. From dtente we are focusing on a part of the most serious conflicts, but we are going to expand it. The conflict has three vertices formed by a visual image of a problem, another is the muscular tension that this image produces and the third is the corresponding emotion. For example: a person is being harassed by their boss in front of their colleagues. There is the image of the boss saying I dont know what, and then the colleagues around them laughing, others feeling sorry, etc. And the person feels a terrible muscular tension, which is not always in the same place, it depends on the person. If you work only the muscular, physical tension, you can achieve relaxation to a great extent, but you can also achieve relaxation by changing the image of the situation that caused such tension. If you start working on the image, introducing elements that were not there, for example, curtains, a funny picture of a man with a moustache, imagine that while the boss is scolding and degrading their pants are falling down, that changes the scene, it is no longer the same scene, then the physical tension and the emotion associated with that image dissolves. That helps a lot in the resolution of conflicts, whether they are of childhood, adolescence or the present moment. The idea is to give new tools.

REHUNO: Luis, thank you very much for that interview and congratulations on the celebration of the books 40th anniversary.

L.A.: No, please, thank you very much. To know more: http://www.luisammann.com.ar/ Response Centres: An educational perspective on psychophysics. Maria Angelica Soler. Original article in Spanish https://www.pressenza.com/es/2020/03/entrevista-a-luis-amman-autor-del-libro-autoliberacion/

Translation Pressenza London

View original post here:
Interview with Luis Amman, author of the book "Self- Liberation - Pressenza, International Press Agency

Alexis Gordon stars in Room at the Grand Theatre. Derek Ruttan/The London Free Press)

Whats happening in and around London this weekend and next week:

Chaucers Pub: Runa, Wednesday, doors open at 7 p.m.; tickets $25 advance, $30 at the door; 122 Carling St.; 519-319-5847 or visit http://www.folk.on.ca.

Eastside Bar and Grill: The RJ Conspiracy, Friday, 10 p.m.; Blues Jam, Sunday, 3 p.m.; Eastside Open Jam Night, Wednesday, 8 p.m.; 750 Hamilton Rd.; 519-457-7467.

Fox & Fiddle: Three Penny Piece, Thursday, 9 p.m.; Karaoke, Friday, 9 p.m.; 355 Wellington St., 519-679-4238.

Jimbos Pub And Eatery: Karaoke Party hosted by Maggie, Fridays, 10 p.m. and Tuesdays, 8 p.m.; Free Latin dance with host DJ Tavo, Saturday, 10 p.m.; 920 Commissioners Rd. E.; 519-204-7991 or visit http://www.jimbospub.ca.

London Music Club: Acoustic Open Mic, 7:30 p.m., Mike Evin, 7:30 p.m., Friday; A.M.S. (Ask me Somethin), Saturday, 6 p.m.; SOUP Ukulele Jam, Wednesday, 6:45 p.m.; 470 Colborne St.; 519-640-6996.

Oliver Whitehead

London Wine Bar: Oliver Whitehead, Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m., no cover; 420 Talbot St.; call 519-913-3400 for reservations or e-mail info@londonwinebar.ca; walk-ins welcome.

Mustang Sallys: Askher, Friday, 9:30 p.m.; Acoustic Jam with Alan Lynch, Bobby Keener, Jack Coveney, Don Oullette and Friends, Tuesdays, 10 p.m.; Lonnie Chicago, Wednesdays, 6:30 p.m.; 99 Belmont Drive, 519-649-7688.

Richmond Tavern: Ball of Light, Fiends, Drug Rug, Dream Seer, Saturday, 9 p.m.; Karaoke Sundays, every Sunday, 9:30 p.m.; 370 Richmond St.; 519-679-9777.

Rum Runners: Onyx (Fredo Starr & Sticky Fingaz) with JD Era, Tef Zee, Rizzy Rio, Thursday, 8 p.m., $25; 178 Dundas St.; 519-432-1107.

St. Regis Tavern: Musical chairs with a St. Paddys-ish evening with Irish Stew, Saturday, 9 p.m., pay-what-you-will; 625 Dundas St.

Taproom: Popup Weekend, Friday, 5 p.m. and Saturday, 3 p.m.; Beerlab London, 420 Talbot St., 519-859-8853.

Wortley Roadhouse: Bluetonium, Friday; Journeymen of Soul, Saturay, HiLife, Sunday, 4-8 p.m.; 190 Wortley Rd.; 519-438-5141.

Come Dancing: With Patricia and Robert, Friday dance from 8 p.m. till 11 p.m. to ballroom, Latin and swing music; free cookies cheese and crackers; still only $10 per person and all are welcome, call 519-421-7234; at the Polish Hall London, 554 Hill St.

Royal Canadian Legion Lambeth: Dance to the music of Joan Spalding, Saturday, 2-5 p.m., free admission; 7097 Kilbourne Rd.; 519-652-3412.

Royal Canadian Legion Victory: Dance to the music of Guy Melanson & Band, Saturday, 8 p.m., $10 at main floor door; everyone welcome; The County Road Band, Wednesday, 7:30 p.m., $5 at main floor door; 311 Oakland Ave.; 519-455-2230.

Singles Dance Party: Saturday, 8 p.m. with DJ Wolfeman host; $13 per person, snacks on the tables, all welcome; 1738 Gore Rd., 519-433-2579.

Tuesday Tunes:Old time fiddle and traditional style country music, every Tuesday, 1-3:30 p.m. at Seaforth Community Centre, 122 Duke St.; singers, musicians, dancers and listeners welcome, bring your own musical instruments; admission by donation; 519-357-1016.

Film screening: The Seekers of Truth, a film by Jean-Claude Lubtchansky documenting a life spent seeking and the philosophy of G.I. Gurdjieff, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; admission free with RSVP; Museum London, 421 Ridout St.

The Amazing Corbin: The Magic and Mysteries Show, Saturday, 1 p.m.; for kids of all ages, this will be a great event to end your March Break, children must be accompanied by an adult; to register, visit http://www.eldonhouse.ca/events or call 519-661-5169; cost: $15 per person including children and adults; Interpretive Centre, Eldon House, 481 Ridout St.

Art Emporium: Featured artists for March are Deb Dicker, Ethel Mitrovic, Jacqueline Kinsey, Robin Baratta, Christa Oglan, Judy Ross, Michelle Boyer; hours: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., weekends only or by appointment, parking is free; 177 Main Street, Port Stanley, 226-658-1888.

Artlab Gallery: Together We Average As Zero- Take 1, extended to March 14 at John Labatt Visual Arts Centre at Western University; hours: Monday to Friday, noon-6 p.m., Thursdays till 8 p.m.; open to the public.

Art with Panache: Featured artists for March include Paul Snoddy and Robert Armstrong (until March 13) and Lynne Pinchin (March 16-27); the Gallery Artists also present The Alex Colville Challenge with their own interpretations on display; Talbot Centre, 140 Fullarton St.; 519-870-7218.

Aylmer-Malahide Museum: In Service Of, a look at the local service clubs, fraternal orders and community organizations and the impact they have on their communities, runs till May 29; hours: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., evenings and weekends by appointment; 14 East St., Aylmer; 519-773-9723.

Eldon House: Londons oldest residence contains family heirlooms, furnishings and priceless treasures of the Harris Family; hours: Thursday to Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; admission by donation; 481 Ridout St. N.; 519-661-5169 or visit http://www.eldonhouse.ca.

Excavo Fine Art: Carpe Diem Multiplos, runs till April 4; hours: Tuesday to Saturday, noon-5:30 p.m.; 711 Central Ave.; 519-719-3190 or visit http://www.excavo.ca.

Gallery in the Grove: Faces, Places, and Spaces: A Canadian Perspective, juried exhibition, runs till April 25; Justine Goulets glass art on display in Gift Shop; 2618 Hamilton Rd. at Wildwood Park, Brights Grove; visit http://www.galleryinthegrove.com.

Ingersoll Creative Arts Centre: Wings, mixed media images of birds by David Vancook, runs till March 29; hours: Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Sunday, 1-4 p.m.; 125 Centennial Lane, Victoria Park, Ingersoll; 519-485-4691 or visit http://www.creativeartscentre.com.

Jill Price, Landscape on Table at Westland Gallery.

Jet Aircraft Museum: Cold War era jet aircraft and historic displays honouring Canadian aviation heritage; hours: Thursday to Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; admission by donation; 2465 Aviation Lane, Unit 2; 519-453-7000 or visit jetaircraftmuseum.ca.

McIntosh Gallery: Accountability: solo exhibition by Kelly Greene, runs till April 9; Listening to Trees by performance artist Johannes Zits, runs till April 9; hours: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; Western University, 1151 Richmond St.; 519-661-2111 ext. 87576.

Museum London: Realisms: Canadian Art, 1850 to the Present, runs till May 3; Dean Carson, runs till May 17; 100 Years of Nursing Education in London, runs till May 24; hours: Tuesday to Sunday, noon-5 p.m., Thursdays till 9 p.m.; admission by donation; 421 Ridout St. N.; 519-661-0333 or visit museumlondon.ca.

Portside Gallery: Miniature Show and Sale features more than 150 little treasures on display, runs through March; hours: daily, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; 187 1/2 Main St., Port Stanley; 519-782-7066 or visit portsidegallery.ca.

Wallaceburg & District Museum: Giant Indoor Vendors sale, Saturday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.; 505 King Street, Wallaceburg, for information call 519-627-8962.

Westland Gallery: Abstraction: new exhibition by Sharon Barr, Jill Price, Maggee Day and Bryan Jesney, runs till March 28; hours: Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Sunday, noon-4 p.m.; 156 Wortley Rd.; 519-601-4420 or visit http://www.westlandgallery.ca.

Woodstock Art Gallery: Plates of Printers, runs till March 28; Given Her Due: Oxford County Women Artists 1880-1980, runs till June 27; Walk On: ongoing sculpture project of John McEwen, runs till June 27; 449 Dundas St., Woodstock; 519-539-6761.

Gardening in the City: Fruit Tree Maintenance, learn the basics of growing your own fruit in your garden, Thursday, 7-9 p.m.; London Public Library, 251 Dundas St., 519-661-4600.

Sarnia Horticultural Society: Monthly meeting, Wednesday, 7 to 9 p.m. with guest speakers David Hughes & Brian Corsault, Project Monarch, everyone welcome, free admission. 2020 memberships available to purchase, valid until Dec. 31, 2020; for more info, call Barb Toye 519-332-5837; Lochiel Kiwanis Centre, 180 College Avenue, Sarnia.

Amy Helm

Amy Helm: With special guests Altameda, Monday, 8 p.m.; tickets $30 advance, $35 at the doors; Aeolian Hall, 795 Dundas St., visit aeolianhall.ca or call 519-672-7950.

El Sistem: Aeolian concert, Thursday, 6:30 p.m.; free admission, donations accepted; Aeolian Education Campus at Cronyn, 442 William Street, visit aeolianhall.ca or call 519-672-7950.

Lenten Noon Recital: Claire Jones-Fright, violin and Lauren Thomson, piano, Friday, noon; lunch following $8 per person; freewill donation; First-St. Andrews United Church, 350 Queens Ave.

Lenten Organ Recital Series: Sandra Young-Tangjerd, Wednesday, noon; $10 per person includes soup, sandwich, dessert and coffee/tea; contact Dave Mathers at 519-631-3503 or admin@centraluc.ca; Central United Church, 135 Wellington Street, St. Thomas.

Matthew Good: Moving Walls Tour with Ellevator, Friday, 8 p.m., $39.50; London Music Hall, 185 Queens Ave.; 519-432-1107.

Opera Gala: Favourite Scenes, the annual opera gala includes scenes from opera and musical theatre, Friday, 7:30 p.m.; Paul Davenport Theatre, Talbot College, Western University, email musicevents@uwo.ca or call 519-661-3767 or Grand Theatre Box Office at 519-672-8800.

Parkhill Carnegie Concert Series: Londons Grace Lou and her ensemble, will play traditional Chinese erhu music and will wear traditional costumes, Sunday, 2:30-4 p.m. at the Gallery, 233 Parkhill Main St.; tickets are $12 which are available at the door.

The Dreamboats: Friday, 8 p.m.; tickets $30 advance, $35 at the door; Aeolian Hall, 795 Dundas St., visit aeolianhall.ca or call 519-672-7950.

Crinklaws Maple Products: Watch the maple sap being made, runs Thursday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; 4570 Westminster Drive, 519-690-1086.

Fort Rose Maple Company: Saturday and Sunday, runs till April 5 and March Break Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; 27382 Coldstream Road, Parkhill, 519-232-9041.

Jakemans 4-H Pancake House: Take a horse-drawn wagon ride, runs Saturday and Sunday, till April 5, 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.; 454414 Trillium Line, Sweaburg, 519-539-1366.

Kinsmen Fanshawe Sugar Bush. File photo

Kinsmen Fanshawe Sugar Bush: Get outside and enjoy the tapping of the trees, runs Saturday and Sunday and March Break, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., till April 5; Lakeside Drive, Thorndale, 519-461-1073.

McLachlan Syrup and Sugar Bush: Learn about how our family makes maple syrup; hours: daily 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., closed Mondays, runs till April 11, open all of March Break; 10279 Lamont Drive, Komoka, 519-666-1846.

Palmers Maple Syrup Shanty: Join us for a tour of the syrup shanty, learn about both modern and traditional methods of making maple syrup, runs till March 29; 34308 Lake Line, Port Stanley.

Saturday Morning Walks: Walk through The Coves, meet at Greenway Park, 50 Greenside Park, first car park on right; walks are approximately one hour; families with children are welcome, no dogs please; John Clark, 519-641-0442 or visit http://www.tvta.ca.

Ska-Nah-Doht Village & Museum: March break fun, guided nature hike and tour the village, from March 16-20, 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., one hour in length, dress for the outdoors; Longwood Road Conservation Area, 8348 Longwoods Road (Mt. Brydges) just 6.5 km west of Delaware or 10 km east of Melbourne, 519-264-2420.

Springwater Maple Syrup Festival: Enjoy wagon rides through the Springwater Forest, weekends and March Break, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., runs till March 29; 8079 Springwater Road, Aylmer.

An Evening with Samra Zafar: Author of A Good Wife: Escaping the Life I Never Chose, Thursday, 5:30-8:30 p.m.; Western University, Faculty of Education, Auditorium room 1050; 1137 Western Road, 519-661-4040.

Book launch: When Poverty Mattered, Then and Now with author Paul Weinberg, Thursday, 7-8:30 p.m.; the event is free and copies of the book will be sold; Bread and Roses Books, 870 Dundas St., call 519-697-4132.

Art Show: Exhibition features acrylic, oil, and water colour paintings by London artist Richard Thompson, runs till April 1 at Hillside Londons cafe space, 138 Thompson Rd.; free admission.

Genesis An Exhibition of Quilts: Encounters Art Quilt group from Israel will display their work, opening reception Thursday, 7-8 p.m., runs till April 2; hours: Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.; London Jewish Community Centre, 536 Huron St., visit http://www.jewishlondon.ca, 519-673-3310.

Jeff Dunham and Peanut

Jeff Dunham: Comedy show Seriously!?, Wednesday, 7-9 p.m.; tickets $69; Budweiser Gardens, 99 Dundas St., 519-667-5741.

*CANCELLED* Wearable Art Show and Sale: A show of original, unique pieces that can be worn, including garments, purses, hats, scarves, jewelry, and more, Friday, 5 to 9 p.m. with a reception from 7 to 9 p.m., Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, 12 to 3 p.m.; First-St. Andrews United Church, 350 Queens Ave. at the corner of Queens and Waterloo; all works are hand made by London area artisans, no admission charge, church is fully accessible, free on-street parking; more details at http://www.wearableartsale.com.

Women in Business Fair & Variety Show: Keynote speaker Carole Eriksson, Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; tickets $10; Goodwill Industries, 255 Horton St.

Grand Theatre: Room by Emma Donoghue, runs till March 28 on Spriet Stage; 471 Richmond St.; 519-672-9030 or visit grandtheatre.com.

London Youth Theatre Education: Guys & Dolls, runs March 18-22, evenings 7 p.m., matinees 2 p.m.; Palace Theatre, 710 Dundas St.; tickets available at box office, by calling 519-432-1029 or online at http://www.palacetheatre.ca.

A.N.A.F. 393: St. Paddys Day Celebration with Derek, Frank & Jimmy Saturday, 4 to 7 p.m., dinner served at 6 p.m.; 649 Colbourne St. (Colbourne & Pall Mall), 519-434-5130.

Canadian Celtic Choir: An Irish Celtic Celebration with special guests Dan Stacey & Kyle Waymouth, Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; tickets $25 advance, $30 at the door, available at Centennial Hall Box Office, Long & McQuade (725 Fanshawe Park Rd W), The Village Idiot (Wortley Village), Creation Bookstore (900 Oxford St E), and http://www.ticketscene.ca/events/27768/ or http://www.celticchoir.ca; Royal View Church, 218 Clarke Rd.

Eastside Bar and Grill: Daves Not Here St. Paddys Day Bash, Saturday, 10 p.m.; 750 Hamilton Rd.; 519-457-7467.

Fox & Fiddle: St. Patricks Day Party, all day, entertainment by Three Penny Piece, special menu & prizes, Tuesday; 355 Wellington St., 519-679-4238.

The Irish Rovers, from left, Gerry OConnor, Morris Crum, Davey Walker, Fred Graham, Sean ODriscoll (front), Geoffrey Kelly (rear), George Millar and Ian Millar, bring their farewell Saints and Sinners tour to London March 12 and Chatham on St. Patricks Day. (Supplied)

Irish Rovers: Wasnt That a Party, Thursday, 7:30 p.m.; tickets $49; Centennial Hall, 550 Wellington St., visit centennialhall.london.ca or call 519-672-1967; Tuesday, 7:30 p.m., Capitol Theatre, Chatham-Kent, tickets available at http://www.cktickets.com.

Mustang Sallys: St. Paddys Day Party, Saturday, 9:30 p.m.; 99 Belmont Drive, 519-649-7688.

Royal Canadian Legion Byron: Celebrate St. Patricks Day early, join us for Paddy-rama with celtic singer Tara Dunphy, Saturday, 1-6 p.m.; Corrigan School of Irish Dancing performing; 1276 Commissioners Rd. W., 519-472-3300.

Royal Canadian Legion Dorchester: St. Patricks Day party with Three Penny Piece, Saturday, 1-5 p.m. at 1227 Donnybrook Dr., Dorchester; free admission; 519-268-8538.

Royal Canadian Legion Lambeth: Jiggs Dinner to celebrate St. Patricks Day with corned beef and cabbage dinner, 6 p.m. followed by dancing with music by May & Company, Saturday, $20 per person; 7097 Kilbourne Rd.; 519-652-3412.

Getty Images

St. Paddys Day Celebration: With Derek, Frank & Jimmy, Tuesday, 5 to 9 p.m.; Kelseys, 900 Oxford St. E. (Oxford & Gammage, across from the Superstore), 519-455-9464.

Calgorm, a group comprised of Mike Mulhern, Kate Emerson and Wayne Carroll. File photo

St. Patricks Concert: Wear your green and celebrate your Irish; Calgorm, a trio of musicians featuring Mike Mulhern, Kate Emerson and Wayne Carroll will get your toes tapping to traditional Irish music; Sunday, 2-4 p.m.; admission is $10 at the door; all proceeds to Inn out of the Cold, Centrals Music Fund & Veterans Poppy Fund; Central United Church, 135 Wellington Street, St. Thomas.

St. Patricks Day Dance: Kracker Jax Band, Saturday, 8 p.m.; $10 per person in advance available online at onstagedirect.com or $12 at the door; German Canadian Club, 1 Cove Rd., 519-433-2901.

St. Regis Tavern: St. Paddys Day Celebration with Irish Stew (Adair, Derek, Frank & Jimmy), Saturday from 9 p.m. to midnight; 625 Dundas St.

Wortley Roadhouse: Ken OThorne, Tuesday, 4-9 p.m.; 190 Wortley Rd.; 519-438-5141.

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Arts, culture, fun in London this weekend and beyond (March 12-18) - The London Free Press

By Matthew Keeton

WEST BRANCH Michael Mier, who faces charges related to the Sept. 6 robbery of Mercantile Bank in Rose City, was arraigned in 34th Circuit Court on Wednesday, Feb. 26, for eight charges of false report for threat of terrorism related to his alleged bomb threats to area schools and hospitals the morning of the robbery. A hearing was also held in which Mier filed multiple motions regarding his bank robbery and armed robbery charges on Feb. 26-27, most of which were ultimately denied by presiding Judge Robert Bennett.

Mier faces two charges of bank robbery and two armed robbery charges, each of which carry potential life sentences, while the false report for threat of terrorism charges each carry up to 20 years and/or $20,000 in fines and costs along with reimbursement of any costs incurred as a result of those threats. However, as he is also facing a felony fourth offense notice on all counts, he is effectively facing 12 life sentences.

Mier previously requested self-representation, though appointed attorney Thomas Schaiberger continued to serve as co-council. However, Schaiberger requested and was granted dismissal from the case on the grounds that Mier filed a grievance with the State Bar of Michigan. Mier also filed a grievance against Schultz for what he alleged to be prosecutorial misconduct. It was stated during the hearing that Mier currently has court-appointed representation for the threat of terrorism charges and still maintains the right to an attorney for the charges related to the robbery, which Mier stated his wish to excercise in future court proceedings.

Motions filed by Mier included a motion to suppress DNA evidence and evidence seized from initial and subsequent search warrants, however, Bennett explained at length that the warrants for that evidence were justified.

Mier also filed a motion to suppress on other grounds and to dismiss for reasons surrounding his arrest, arraignment, access to evidence, actions of 82nd District Court Judge Richard E. Noble and Prosecuting Attorney LaDonna Schultz, excessive force regarding his arrest and confession. After hearing examination of witnesses by both prosecution and defense, arguments presented by Mier and documentation related to the case, Bennett found Miers motion to be without merit.

Within hours of that (arrest), a warrant a weekend warrant is reviewed by the magistrate and approved, and bond is reviewed, Bennett said in part regarding his denial of Miers motion. Under the court rule, that is all thats necessary. On the next business day, you were arraigned. Again, your constitutional rights were adhered to and respected right along the way.

During the course of the proceedings, it was revealed that a be-on-the-lookout was put out for what is alleged to be Miers vehicle shortly after the robbery occurred, as a local resident saw the vehicle parked in a cemetery in close proximity the bank, found its location odd and sent a photo of the vehicle to Rose City Police Chief Dean Coleman. The vehicle was gone shortly after the robbery took place, and a police K-9 later followed a trail leading from the bank to the area where the vehicle had been parked. The photo of the vehicle matched the make and model of Miers vehicle, a late-model GMC pickup truck, and articles of clothing containing Miers DNA were later found near the scene. Mier argued this evidence to be circumstantial and not justifiable grounds for Arenac County Sheriffs Department deputies to later attempt a traffic stop, which Mier admitted during proceedings to fleeing, leading to a deputy performing a PIT maneuver which resulted in his vehicle leaving the roadway by a cornfield where he was subsequently arrested after a search.

Examining the evidence in its totality, that is a legitimate basis for a be-on-the-lookout to be disseminated to local law enforcement, and it gave the officers in the field reasonable suspicion to stop your vehicle Bennett said. If you would have stopped and complied you know what might have happened? They may have had to let you go, because at that time, you may have been right. But you didnt do that, did you? You ran, and now they have a right to arrest you, and because they have a right to arrest you, and theyre investigating the crime of bank robbery in this county, they have a right to take you here to continue that investigation. You were arrested, you were seized, and there was probable cause to do it.

One of Miers motions was to make video recording of his initial interview following his arrest part of the court record, which Bennett allowed. Mier alleged excessive use of force during the interview by Michigan State Police Detective Sgt. Craig Johnson, citing Johnson threatened to bury him, the validity of which Bennett also declined.

I watched the entire interview, Bennett said. You are taking totally out of context Detective Johnsons statement about burying you. He was not implying that he was going to kill you and literally put you six feet in the ground. He was talking about, in this legal process, in this case were talking about, Im going to bury you, and Im going to see to it that you spend the rest of your life in prison.

Furthermore, Bennett stated in regard to that issue that no other coercive actions took place, Mier was read his Miranda rights, and that both he and law enforcement officers conducting the interview initialled a form attesting to that fact.

Ultimately, you didnt make any statements against your interest theres nothing to suppress, because you didnt confess, Bennett said.

Mier argued there was not sufficient evidence to justify his initial arraignment by the magistrate.

All that evidence the money, the clothes, the shoes that I was wearing, the truck even, did not come to the police until after I was arrested, Mier stated.

So is it your contention under Michigan law that before someone can be arrested for a crime, the department has to have all their evidence wrapped up and ready to go? Bennett asked, to which Mier replied, They have to have something.

They did, and Ive already gone through that twice, Bennett replied. By the time you were arraigned, all of that was in. Its in the affidavit for the search warrant. Thats probable cause for a search warrant and probable cause for an arrest.

Mier is scheduled for a pretrial conference on Friday, April 3 at 9:30 a.m.

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Mier arraigned in circuit court on threat of terrorism charges relating to bank robbery case - Ogemaw County Herald

The man was tracked and brought back within hours, say officials. (Representational image)

A man under observation for suspected coronavirus infection at the isolation ward of the district hospital here fled, but was tracked and brought back within hours. The man was among those who had interacted with the three-member family who returned from Italy and have tested positive for the virus.

Pathnamthitta district collector PB Nooh said one person, who was under observation at the general hospital had escaped but was later tracked and brought back. "If even a single person under observation goes out, it is a threat. This is a public hazard".

The one excercise which the health authorities have to undertake on Tuesday is to see how many people had come incontact with this person after he left the hospital. There is need to isolate those people with whom he mayhave come into contact, the collector said "This is the timeto behave in a very socially responsible manner".

With six positive cases being reported, the state government has already warned that stringent action would be taken against those flouting the directions of the health department. Health Minister K K Shailaja has warned that those coming from COVID19 affected nations, should report to authorities on arrival in the state, failing which a case would be registered against them under the Public Health Act.

A 3-member family, which had come from Italy recently and had tested positive along with two of their relatives had not reported their arrival to the authorities, health officials said.

At least 733 people who had come in contact with them have been tracked, the collector said and have been placed under observation. While 18 have been admitted to isolation wards in hospital the remaining are under home surveillance.

A two-year-old child is among those under obsevation at the isolation ward, health department sources said. The tracking excercise would continue on Wednesday also.

Meanwhile, an awareness class was held for migrant workers at Pathnamthitta district this morning. However, no directions have been issued to workers fromother states to leave the state. "We are planning to give extra care to migrant workerswith labour officer visiting their colonies and as part of theawareness drive and speaking to them in a language theyunderstand," he said.

A three-year-old boy, who arrived with his parents in Kochi from Italy, tested positive on Monday, a day after three people, also with travel history from the European nation,were declared positive for the virus along with two of their relatives.

The Health Minister has said surveillance system would be stregthened with the support of ASHA workers, civic authorities and ward members and resident associations. Presently, 1,116 people are under surveillance in thestate for the corona virus, 967 in home quarantine and 149 in isolation wards of hospitals. Two 90-year-old relatives of the Pathnamthitta family, who tested positive, have been admitted to Kottayam medicalcollege hospital and their samples have been sent for testing, she said. "If they test positive for the virus, it would be highlyrisky", she had said.

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Kerala Man Suspected Of Coronavirus Flees Isolation Ward, Brought Back Within Hours - NDTV News

Its release will be in mid-2020.

The race to build the best and the fastest quantum computer continues, but now it's not just Google AI and IBM who are running Honeywell has joined in too.

Entering in style, Honeywell made the bold statement that "By the middle of 2020, we're releasing the most powerful quantum computer yet."

SEE ALSO: IBM'S 53 QUBIT QUANTUM COMPUTER WILL BE AVAILABLE BY OCTOBER

Google AI and IBM have been in the race for a while now. Just last October Google claimed to have made it to "quantum supremacy" by creating a quantum computer that could solve a problem that would have taken the world's most powerful supercomputer 10,000 years to figure out.

Immediately after, IBM refuted Google's statement.

Perhaps it's now time for both Google and IBM to move aside and let a third contender join in on the fun. North Carolina-based multinational conglomerate, Honeywell, has claimed that their quantum computer has twice the power as the best quantum computer that currently exists.

It's an interesting statement to make given there isn't yet a universally accepted standard for the power of a quantum computer.

Honeywell's quantum computer is supposedly extremely stable, and instead of depending on faster superconducting chips like Google AI and IBM use, Honeywell's computer uses ion traps instead. This technology enables individual ions to be held in place using electromagnetic fields and moves around thanks to laser pulses.

It's these ion traps that Honeywell claims will make its quantum computer far more scaleable.

We're yet to see a commercially available quantum computer, however, these technologies hold the real potential to revolutionize computing by being able to solve unbelievably long and complicated numerical problems simultaneously by using qubits instead of bits.

After Honeywell's rather large claim, the company has yet to reveal the computer but as they stated, we'll just have to wait until the middle of 2020.

Link:

Honeywell Claims to Have Built the "Most Powerful" Quantum Computer - Interesting Engineering

Auto Network, localisation, pricing keep Maruti unchallenged. Amid slowdown, rivals sit on the fence.

Competitors are monitoring the Toyota-Suzuki integration and are hoping for a slowdown in decision making. But a sluggish Indian market isnt attractive enough for them to put in money and effort to snatch Marutis market share. Indias largest carmaker, however, faces profitability hurdles, among other challenges. Last of a two-part series.

Startups such as WorkIndia, Betterplace, Awign, and Utter have ushered in the digital age for blue-collar job search. Today, millions of such workers are using the apps of these companies to find jobs, pick up skills, and run gigs. However, the segment largely remains a niche for impact investors, with mainstream VCs still watching from the sidelines.

RBIs proposed write-down of Yes Banks perpetual bonds has grave implications for Indias ailing financial system. The country cant be seen as indifferent to creditor obligations. It couldnt have come at a worse time just when India is making efforts to quickly expand its small bond market and tap international debt markets through a larger presence in global bond indices.

The deadly coronavirus has taken a toll on the global economy, with the Indian stock market also becoming a casualty. While the NSEs benchmark index, Nifty, is down by 7% over the last one month, the Quality Index has largely held steady. And investors, who paid high valuations for these stocks, are relatively unhurt.

Though zero-alcohol beer has grown immensely popular in the country within a short span, cola giants dismiss the segment as too tiny to worry about. But attractive pricing and rapidly shifting consumer preferences give the beer zero category a clear edge. Hence, industry participants believe it can create a dent in the market share of cola giants.

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Inside the race to build the best quantum computer on Earth - Economic Times

FRAMINGHAM, Mass., March 11, 2019 A recent International Data Corporation (IDC) survey of IT and business personnel responsible for quantum computing adoption found that improved AI capabilities, accelerated business intelligence, and increased productivity and efficiency were the top expectations of organizations currently investing in cloud-based quantum computing technologies.

Initial survey findings indicate that while cloud-based quantum computing is a young market, and allocated funds for quantum computing initiatives are limited (0-2% of IT budgets), end-users are optimistic that early investment will result in a competitive advantage. The manufacturing, financial services, and security industries are currently leading the way by experimenting with more potential use cases, developing advanced prototypes, and being further along in their implementation status.

Complex technology, skillset limitations, lack of available resources, and cost deter some organizations from investing in quantum computing technology. These factors, combined with a large interdisciplinary interest, has forced quantum computing vendors to develop quantum computing technology that addresses multiple end-user needs and skill levels. The result has led to increased availability of cloud-based quantum computing technology that is more easily accessible and user friendly for new end users. Currently, the preferred types of quantum computing technologies employed across industries include quantum algorithms, cloud-based quantum computing, quantum networks, and hybrid quantum computing.

Quantum computing is the future industry and infrastructure disruptor for organizations looking to use large amounts of data, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to accelerate real-time business intelligence and innovate product development. Many organizations from many industries are already experimenting with its potential, saidHeather West, senior research analyst, Infrastructure Systems, Platforms, and Technology at IDC. IDCs quantum computing survey provides insight into the demand-side of cloud-based quantum computing, including preferred technologies and end-user investment and implementation strategies. These insights should guide the product and service offerings being developed by quantum computing vendors, independent software vendors, and industry partners.

The IDC Special Study,Quantum Computing Adoption Trends: 2020 Survey Findings(IDC #US46049620), provides insights into near-term cloud-based quantum computing investment sentiments as well as end user cloud-based quantum computing adoption trends that will shape the future of the quantum computing industry. The study reports on findings from IDCs 2020 Quantum Computing End-User Perception and Adoption Trends Survey, which gathered insights from a multitude of sources, including surveys of 520 IT and business users worldwide and in-depth interviews with current quantum computing end-users.

The special study is part of IDCs Quantum Computing Special Report series, which also includes end-user insights from study of 2,700 European organizations, and secondary research focusing on quantum computing use cases. Additional findings can be found in the following IDC reports:The Rise of Quantum Computing: A Qualitative Perspective(IDC #US45652919),European Quantum Computing End-User Sentiment: In Search of Business Impact(IDC #EUR146014220) andEuropean Quantum Computing Use Cases Handbook, 2020(IDC #EUR146014420).

About IDC

International Data Corporation (IDC) is a provider of market intelligence, advisory services, and events for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets. With more than 1,100 analysts worldwide, IDC offers global, regional, and local expertise on technology and industry opportunities and trends in over 110 countries. IDCs analysis and insight helps IT professionals, business executives, and the investment community to make fact-based technology decisions and to achieve their key business objectives. Founded in 1964, IDC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of International Data Group (IDG), the worlds leading tech media, data and marketing services company. To learn more about IDC, please visitwww.idc.com. Follow IDC on Twitter at@IDCandLinkedIn. Subscribe to the IDC Blog for industry news and insights:http://bit.ly/IDCBlog_Subscribe.

Source: International Data Corporation

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IDC Survey Finds Optimism That Quantum Computing Will Result in Competitive Advantage - HPCwire

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., March 12, 2020 An Army project devised a novel approach for quantum error correction that could provide a key step toward practical quantum computers, sensors and distributed quantum information that would enable the military to potentially solve previously intractable problems or deploy sensors with higher magnetic and electric field sensitivities.

The approach, developed by researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Army funding, could mitigate certain types of the random fluctuations, or noise, that are a longstanding barrier to quantum computing. These random fluctuations can eradicate the data stored in such devices.

The Army-funded research, published in Physical Review Letters, involves identifying the kinds of noise that are the most likely, rather than casting a broad net to try to catch all possible sources of disturbance.

The team learned that we can reduce the overhead for certain types of error correction on small scale quantum systems, said Dr. Sara Gamble, program manager for the Army Research Office, an element of U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Commands Army Research Laboratory. This has the potential to enable increased capabilities in targeted quantum information science applications for the DOD.

The specific quantum system the research team is working with consists of carbon nuclei near a particular kind of defect in a diamond crystal called a nitrogen vacancy center. These defects behave like single, isolated electrons, and their presence enables the control of the nearby carbon nuclei.

But the team found that the overwhelming majority of the noise affecting these nuclei came from one single source: random fluctuations in the nearby defects themselves. This noise source can be accurately modeled, and suppressing its effects could have a major impact, as other sources of noise are relatively insignificant.

The team determined that the noise comes from one central defect, or one central electron that has a tendency to hop around at random. It jitters. That jitter, in turn, is felt by all those nearby nuclei, in a predictable way that can be corrected. The ability to apply this targeted correction in a successful way is the central breakthrough of this research.

The work so far is theoretical, but the team is actively working on a lab demonstration of this principle in action.

If the demonstration works as expected, this research could make up an important component of near and far term future quantum-based technologies of various kinds, including quantum computers and sensors.

ARL is pursuing research in silicon vacancy quantum systems which share similarities with the nitrogen vacancy center quantum systems considered by the MIT team. While silicon vacancy and nitrogen vacancy centers have different optical properties and many basic research questions are open regarding which type(s) of application each may be ultimately best suited for, the error correction approach developed here has potential to impact both types of systems and as a result accelerate progress at the lab.

About U.S. Army CCDC Army Research Laboratory

CCDC Army Research Laboratory is an element of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command. As the Armys corporate research laboratory, ARL discovers, innovates and transitions science and technology to ensure dominant strategic land power. Through collaboration across the commands core technical competencies, CCDC leads in the discovery, development and delivery of the technology-based capabilities required to make Soldiers more lethal to win the nations wars and come home safely. CCDC is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Futures Command.

Source: U.S. Army CCDC Army Research Laboratory Public Affairs

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Army Project Touts New Error Correction Method That May be Key Step Toward Quantum Computing - HPCwire

AI is one of the most happening domains in the world right now. It would take a lifetime to skim through all the machine learning research papers released till date. As the AI keeps itself in the news through new releases of frameworks, regulations and breakthroughs, we can only hope to get the best of the lot.

So, here we have a compiled a list of top exciting AI announcements released over the past one week:

Late last year, Google locked horns with IBM in their race for quantum supremacy. Though the news has been around how good their quantum computers are, not much has been said about the implementation. Today, Google brings two of their most powerful frameworks Tensorflow and CIRQ together and releases TensorFlow Quantum, an open-source library for the rapid prototyping of quantum ML models.

Google AI team has joined hands with the University of Waterloo, X, and Volkswagen, announced the release of TensorFlow Quantum (TFQ).

TFQ is designed to provide the developers with the tools necessary for assisting the quantum computing and machine learning research communities to control and model quantum systems.

The team at Google have also released a TFQ white paper with a review of quantum applications. And, each example can be run in-browser via Colab from this research repository.

A key feature of TensorFlow Quantum is the ability to simultaneously train and execute many quantum circuits. This is achieved by TensorFlows ability to parallelise computation across a cluster of computers, and the ability to simulate relatively large quantum circuits on multi-core computers.

Also Read Making A Case For Machine Learning Compilers With MLIR

As the devastating news of COVID-19 keeps rising at an alarming rate, the AI researchers have given something to smile about. DeepMind, one of the premier AI research labs in the world, announced last week, that they are releasing structure predictions of several proteins that can promote research into the ongoing research around COVID-19. They have used the latest version of AlphaFold system to find these structures. AlphaFold is one of the biggest innovations to have come from the labs of DeepMind, and after a couple of years, it is exhilarating to see its application in something very critical.

As the pursuit to achieve human-level intelligence in machines fortifies, language modeling will keep on surfacing till the very end. One, human language is innately sophisticated, and two, training language models from scratch is exhaustive.

The last couple of years has witnessed a flurry of mega releases from the likes of NVIDIA, Microsoft and especially Google. As BERT topped the charts through many of its variants, Google now announces ELECTRA.

ELECTRA has the benefits of BERT but more efficient learning. They also claim that this novel pre-training method outperforms existing techniques given the same compute budget.

The gains are particularly strong for small models; for example, a model trained on one GPU for four days outperformed GPT (trained using 30x more compute) on the GLUE natural language understanding benchmark.

China has been the worst-hit nation of all the COVID-19 victims. However, two of the biggest AI breakthroughs have come from the Chinese soil. Last month, Baidu announced how its toolkit brings down the prediction time. Last week, another Chinese giant, Alibaba announced that its new AI system has an accuracy of 96% in detecting the coronavirus from the CT scan of the patients. Alibabas founder Jack Ma has fueled the vaccine development efforts of his team with a $2.15 M donation.

Also Read Adobe Applies Real-Time Layered Approach To Customer Journey Analytics

Facebook AI has released its in-house feature of converting a two-dimensional photo into a video byte that gives the feel of having a more realistic view of the object in the picture. This system infers the 3D structure of any image, whether it is a new shot just taken on an Android or iOS device with a standard single camera, or a decades-old image recently uploaded to a phone or laptop.

The feature has been only available on high-end phones through the dual-lens portrait mode. But, now it will be available on every mobile device even with a single, rear-facing camera. To bring this new visual format to more people, the researchers at Facebook used state-of-the-art ML techniques to produce 3D photos from virtually any standard 2D picture.

One significant implication of this feature can be an improved understanding of 3D scenes that can help robots navigate and interact with the physical world.

As the whole world focused on the race to quantum supremacy between Google and IBM, Honeywell silently has been building, as it claims, the most powerful quantum computer yet. And, it plans to release this by the middle of 2020.

Thanks to a breakthrough in technology, were on track to release a quantum computer with a quantum volume of at least 64, twice that of the next alternative in the industry. There are a number of industries that will be profoundly impacted by the advancement and ultimate application of at-scale quantum computing, said Tony Uttley, President of Honeywell Quantum Solutions in the official press release.

Also Read Artificial Intelligence Is Writing The Next Game Of Thrones Book, And It May Just Have Proved Some Long-Held Fan Theories

The outbreak of COVID-19 has created a panic globally and rightfully so. Many flagship conferences have been either cancelled or have been moved to a virtual environment.

Nvidias flagship GPU Technology Conference (GTC), which was supposed to take place in San Francisco in the last week of March was cancelled due to fears of the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Whereas, Google Cloud also has cancelled its upcoming event, Google Cloud Next 20, which was slated to take place on April 6-8 at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. Due to the growing concern around the coronavirus (COVID-19), and in alignment with the best practices laid out by the CDC, WHO and other relevant entities, Google Cloud has decided to reimagine Google Cloud Next 20, the company stated on its website.

One of the popular conferences for ML researchers, ICLR2020 too, has announced that they are cancelling its physical conference this year due to growing concerns about COVID-19. They are shifting this event to a fully virtual conference.

ICLR authorities also issued a statement saying that all accepted papers at the virtual conference will be presented using a pre-recorded video.

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Top AI Announcements Of The Week: TensorFlow Quantum And More - Analytics India Magazine