Latest news with #Maass
Epoch Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Epoch Booklist: Recommended Reading for June 6–12
This week, we feature a logic-driven collection of Stoic philosophy, and a zany book of 'dad jokes' that will have you and the rest of the family in stitches. Military History ' ' By John R. Maass The 250-year celebrations of the start of the American Revolution War began t his past April. Now is the perfect time to learn about the great historical moments in America's fight for independence. John Maass's new book is perfectly themed for these important national reflections. Journey through five of the most consequential military moments of the Revolutionary War as the author explains why these moments were truly turning points.
Int'l Business Times
07-05-2025
- Automotive
- Int'l Business Times
CBP Pushes for Tech to Capture Faces of Everyone Crossing the Border by Car
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is seeking proposals from tech vendors for a facial recognition system that would capture and identify every person inside a vehicle crossing the border, including those in back seats. The goal is to match each face to existing travel or identity documents, according to a Request for Information (RFI) posted last week. CBP already uses facial recognition at air, sea, and land pedestrian ports of entry, but extending the system to vehicles has proven technically challenging, as Wired explained in a sprawling report on Tuesday . Environmental obstacles, seating arrangements, and human behavior hinder the agency's ability to consistently capture usable images of all passengers. A 152-day test at the Anzalduas border crossing in Texas, cited by the report as an example, revealed that the current system captured images of all occupants in only 76% of vehicles. Of those, only 81% met facial validation requirements to match with identity documents. "The current system is one-to-one facial recognition," said Dave Maass, director of investigations at the Electronic Frontier Foundation to Wired. "The risk is the system failing to recognize that someone matches their own documents." This differs from one-to-many facial recognition systems, often used in policing, which carry the risk of false matches. CBP has not specified whether the capture issues stem from the image-gathering cameras or the software performing the matching, as Maass noted, "We don't know what racial disparities, gender disparities, etc., come up with these systems." CBP's call for enhanced surveillance technology follows the recent disclosure that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has contracted Palantir Technologies to build a $30 million platform called ImmigrationOS, designed to enable near real-time tracking and analysis of undocumented migrants, particularly those who self-deport. According to ICE, the platform will integrate biographic, biometric, and behavioral data from various sources to identify individuals based on factors including country of origin, visa status, tattoos, and vehicle movements. The ICE contract was awarded without competitive bidding and justified as essential to addressing threats from transnational criminal organizations. Palantir, founded by Peter Thiel, has longstanding ties to U.S. immigration enforcement. ImmigrationOS builds on the case management system Palantir has provided to ICE since 2014, which already integrates a wide range of personal data, including from covert tracking devices and license plate readers. Though driven by the current administration's enforcement goals, Maass emphasized that CBP's surveillance expansion is not something unique to the current Trump administration.: "CBP surveillance strategy carries over from administration to administration—it always falls short, it always has vendor issues and contracting issues and waste issues and abuse issues. What changes is often the rhetoric and the theater around it" Originally published on Latin Times
Epoch Times
29-04-2025
- General
- Epoch Times
Placing a War's Military Moments Into Their Proper Context
What is a 'turning point' in a war? Which conflicts within a specific war can accurately be considered a 'decisive battle'? This is the focal point of John R. Maass's new military history book 'From Trenton to Yorktown: Turning Points of the Revolutionary War.' In his introduction, Maass suggests that these terms have been overused, even at times quite haphazardly. This overuse of 'turning point' and 'decisive battle' has resulted in not only diluting their proper definitions, but also diluting actual turning points or decisive battles, as well as overemphasizing and overestimating moments and battles during a war that are neither a turning point nor decisive. To demonstrate the proper use of such terms, and therefore place such moments in their proper perspective, Maass has utilized the American Revolutionary War as his syllabus. Maass's teaching abstract has enabled him to not only prove his point, but do so in a manner that is entertaining from a military standpoint and educational from an American history standpoint. The author has taken five moments from the Revolutionary War to demonstrate exactly what is required to be considered a 'turning point.' These moments and battles are the battles of Trenton and Princeton (1776 and 1777, respectively), the Battle of Saratoga (1777), wintering at Valley Forge (from 1777 to 1778), the Battle of Guilford Courthouse (1781), and the Battle of Yorktown (1781). Painting of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse by H. Charles McBarron. Public Domain What Are the Consequences? As Maass's examples illustrate, it is not always a battle that proves to be a turning point during a war, such as the winter at Valley Forge. Nor is it always a victory that proves to be a decisive battle, such as his selection of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. What seems most important, according to Maass, is the consequence of the battle or moment. This, as just mentioned, is not strictly dictated by the outcome of a battle. As the old adage suggests, one can win the battle, but lose the war. The consequences stem from what transpires from the moment, and how significant that consequence is. Maass demonstrates how the surprise attacks and quick victories at Trenton and Princeton, during the winter of 1776 to 1777, resulted in enabling the Continental Army to continue the war. At the time, the army had suffered a string of defeats, morale was at a significantly low ebb, enlistments for thousands of soldiers were due to expire in the coming weeks, and the trust in Gen. George Washington's leadership had begun to weaken. The result of these battles completely altered all of those negatives, and was therefore less about the victories themselves and more about the consequences of those victories. Concerning the nonengagement of Valley Forge, the Continental Army suffered through a harsh winter (though, as Maass clarifies, not as harsh as some historians like to suggest), sickness, and an extreme lack of provisions (food, clothing, and shelter). Thousands deserted or died from disease and exposure during these winter months, though the vast majority of Washington's army remained together. The consequence of headquartering at Valley Forge was taking the opportunity to drill the soldiers to the point of becoming a professional army (or at least as professional as possible). When Baron von Steuben, the Prussian military officer arrived at headquarters, he was placed in charge of drilling and training the officers and soldiers. What resulted was a confident and better prepared army that could conduct maneuvers more seamlessly and would, therefore, be less likely to panic in the face of the British. The winter had profoundly transformed the army. A Choice for Debate Maass's selection of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse is possibly the one choice that American Revolution enthusiasts and military history buffs may attempt to debate. The battle was not a victory, but a defeat, although it was, in the same vein as the Battle of Bunker Hill, a victory that felt like a defeat. The British, under the command er of Gen. Lord Cornwallis, suffered an approximate 25 percent casualty rate, leading one British member of Parliament to suggest that 'another such victory would ruin the British Army.' Related Stories 10/18/2022 5/11/2023 But what about the Battle of Kings Mountain or the Battle of Cowpens, which occurred during the same campaign (known as the Southern Campaign)? Maass discusses these and their importance to the overall conflict. His reasoning, however, for choosing Guilford Courthouse rather than Kings Mountain or Cowpens as the turning point was not about the win/loss outcome on paper, but the consequence of the battle. It was the Battle of Guilford Courthouse that forced Cornwallis to retreat and maneuver toward Virginia, and, ultimately, Yorktown, where his final defeat would take place. This immediate consequence of retreat and then the longer-term consequence of arriving in Yorktown would spell the end not only of Cornwallis's army, but of Britain's willingness to continue the war. A Cause to Reconsider It should be understood that Maass is not attempting to shortchange any specific battles or moments from the Revolutionary War. He is simply trying to ensure that historians and readers alike place such moments in their proper context and therefore assess the complexities of war with more care. 'From Trenton to Yorktown' is not an attempt to thoroughly detail each of these moments in the war. Maass admits that an attempt at doing so would require a much larger book. What Maass does provide, however, is enough information and detail to introduce the reader to the major, and some minor, players involved in the specific conflict; the geographic location and how the geography proved beneficial or detrimental to either side; some of the maneuvers conducted by the combatants; the personal perspectives from military officers and political leaders on both sides; and, most importantly, the overarching results of such moments. Maass has written an enjoyable and informative book, which should cause readers to consider or reconsider their views on what defines a 'turning point' or a 'decisive battle.' What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
Yahoo
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chicago street festivals at risk due to rising costs, dip in donations, organizers say
CHICAGO (WGN) — Chicago street festivals are facing rising costs and declining donations, prompting the formation of a coalition to try to save the events. Launched on April 18, the Save Our Street Festival Coalition brings together nearly two dozen organizers. As a result of financial strain, Pamela Maass, executive director with the Wicker Park-Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, warns that many festivals may not be able to continue. 'In 2024, we had an executive director meet-up of a number of chambers across the north and east side of the city, and we all had the same issue — 2024 gate donations dropped,' Maass told WGN anchor Ray Cortopassi on Friday's Evening News at 5 p.m. 'Some fests report anywhere between 25%. Festivals like Wicker Park Fest, the festival that my organization produces, gate donations dropped by almost 50% compared to the year before, so we really wanted to band together before festival season started.' Scams targeting REAL ID seekers surge as deadline approaches, BBB warns While overall attendance remains high, organizers note that the costs to produce the festivals have risen each year, in addition to the increasing expenses of security, EMTs, insurance, fencing, and portable restrooms. Maass suggests that a funding misconception is also lending to dwindling returns for street festivals. 'In 2024, festival attendees showed up at the gates with a very different attitude of 'I don't need to pay for this. My taxes pay for this,' and we need to stop this misinformation in its tracks,' Maass said. 'Street fests, in those little neighborhoods, those tucked away little gems, are all independently funded, and we need to make sure that messaging is very clear.' A list of street festival organizers who have joined the coalition includes: Belmont Sheffield Music Festival Ribfest Chicago Andersonville Midsommarfest Taste of Randolph Wells Street Art Fest Chicago Pride Fest Square Roots Fest Roscoe Village Burger Fest Ravenswood on Tap Wicker Park Fest Northalsted Market Days Thirsty Ears Festival Edison Park Fest Lakeview Taco Fest Edgewater Music Fest Ravenswood Art Walk Lakeview East Festival of the Arts Norwood Park Fall Fest Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest Chicago German-American Oktoberfest Read more: Latest Chicago news and headlines Watch the full interview in the video player above. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chicago street festivals struggling to survive amid rising costs, dwindling donations
The Brief Chicago's beloved summer street festivals are at risk of disappearing due to rising production costs and declining gate donations. Organizers have formed a coalition called "Save Our Street Fest" after many events, including Wicker Park Fest, saw donations drop by as much as 50% in 2024. They are urging festivalgoers to contribute at the gate, warning that without public support, many festivals may not return after this year. CHICAGO - Local street festivals are a beloved part of Chicago's summer identity, but organizers say the future of many of these events is now in jeopardy. Pamela Maass, executive director of the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, sounded the alarm in a Chicago Tribune op-ed published Friday, warning that escalating costs and declining gate donations are pushing some of the city's most iconic festivals toward the brink. Maass said her group has now formed a coalition of more than 20 Chicago festivals under the banner "Save Our Street Fest" in an effort to preserve these events. What they're saying According to Maass, Wicker Park Fest saw a 50% drop in gate donations in 2024 — a blow she called unsustainable. While vendor booths and concessions help fuel the local economy, she emphasized that those revenues go directly to the individual businesses, not the organizers. "When you're walking past that gate thinking, 'My $5 doesn't matter,' everyone else was starting to think the same thing," Maass said. Local perspective Without sufficient gate donations, Maass said organizers are forced to scale back programming. Wicker Park Fest, for example, will lose one of its three music stages this year, and some vendor slots have been eliminated due to budget constraints. She also noted that public safety costs are nearly on par with the price of booking original live music acts. Despite the perception that the city sponsors these events, Maass said local nonprofit chambers or community groups shoulder the full financial and logistical burden — including hiring private security, which is required to obtain city permits. The coalition's message this summer is simple: donate at the gate. Maass warns that if 2025 mirrors the donation shortfalls of last year, several festivals may disappear for good. Street festival organizers who have joined this movement include: Belmont Sheffield Music Festival Ribfest Chicago Andersonville Midsommarfest Taste of Randolph Wells Street Art Fest Chicago Pride Fest Square Roots Fest Roscoe Village Burger Fest Ravenswood on Tap Wicker Park Fest Northalsted Market Days Thirsty Ears Festival Edison Park Fest Lakeview Taco Fest Edgewater Music Fest Ravenswood Art Walk Lakeview East Festival of the Arts Norwood Park Fall Fest Lincoln Square Ravenswood Apple Fest Oktoberfest in Avondale The Source This report came from an interview with Pamela Maas Wicker from the Wicker Park Bucktown Chamber of Commerce.
