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Control-Alt-Hack: delightful strategy card game about white-hat hacking Control-Alt-Hack is a tremendously fun, hacker-themed strategy card game that uses the mechanic of the classic Steve Jackson Ninja Burger game. It comes out of the University of Washington Computer Security and Privacy Research Lab, and features extremely entertaining and funny computer-security-themed scenarios, buffs, attacks and characters. The gameplay is very well-thought-through (here's a PDF of the rules). Three of us sat down to play it this weekend with only a cursory glance at the rules beforehand. By following the quickstart instructions, we were able to jump straight into play, and within a few turns, we really had the rhythm and were busily sabotaging one another and cursing at the dice when they rolled against our favor. Based on my play session, I'm really impressed. Though one player led the game early on, there were several reversals, wherein the leading and trailing players traded places -- always the mark of a great game. There was a good mix of skill, strategy and luck, and things were just complicated enough that it absorbed our full attention, without lagging or flagging. A full game takes about an hour, and between three and six people can play at once. We played it after Sunday brunch and it was a great digestive aid. All three of us loved the geeky, info-sec-y references, the funny scenarios (everything from devising a cryptographic protocol for implanted medical devices to pranking a labmate with a gag WiFi keystroke-inserter), and the grace-notes (like a scenario that is encoded as a cryptogram). There were moments of unlikely hail-mary-heroism, crushing defeat, and lots of laughs. We'll play this one again. Control-Alt-Hack: White Hat Hacking for Fun and Profit Control-Alt-Hack [Publisher's site]
Full details on William Hayes' new deal with Miami. We don't often see contracts being shortened, but that's exactly what has happened with the Miami Dolphins and DE William Hayes, per league sources. Miami acquired Hayes in a recent trade from the LA Rams, almost immediately re-tooling the deal. Hayes was previously scheduled to earn a $2M roster bonus on March 11, plus a base salary of $3.5M in 2017 (with $1M guaranteed), as well as $5M in 2018 (non-guaranteed). Under his new deal, Hayes was immediately given $2M in the form of a signing bonus, with his base salary now being at $2.7M, fully guaranteed (he also has a $50,000 workout bonus for this year). That bring his total compensation to $4.75M, down from $5.5M. Additionally, the 2018 year in his contract has been deleted, making Hayes a free agent after this season. In sum, Hayes added $1.7M in guaranteed money this year but can make $750,000 less in total. Additionally, he becomes a free agent a year earlier. The value of that can be debated: while Hayes is no longer scheduled to earn a non-guaranteed $5M in 2018, he does have an additional shot at free agency, something that matters for a soon-to-be 32 year old.
A whopping 23 percent of California Republicans say they still don’t know who they will vote for. In California, the leader in the GOP race in the run-up to the Feb. 5 primary has switched, according to the latest Field Poll, with Rudolph Giuliani dropping from a strong first to an anemic third, with 13 percent, falling behind John McCain and Mitt Romney, who are in a statistical tie, with 23 percent and 21 percent, respectively. Mike Huckabee is fourth, but in a statistical tie with Giuliani at 12 percent. In the previous two editions of the poll, from December and October last year, Giuliani had a double digit lead. In December, Giuliani had 25 percent to Huckabee’s 17 percent. Romney had 15 percent and McCain 12 percent. In October, the poll showed Giuliani with 25 percent, Romney with 13 percent and McCain with 12 percent. Perhaps the most interesting, and determinative, number in the new poll, however, is the number of California Republicans who are undecided two weeks before the vote: a whopping 23 percent say they still don’t know who they will vote for. Update: Per the comment below, Ron Paul has 7 percent now, which is up from 4 percent in December and double his 3 percent support in October.
From Bulbapedia, the community-driven Pokémon encyclopedia. Earthquake (Japanese: じしん Earthquake) is a damage-dealing Ground-type move introduced in Generation I. It is TM26 in all core series games so far, except for Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee!, where it is TM41. Effect Generation I Earthquake inflicts damage and has no secondary effects. Generations II to IV Earthquake can hit a Pokémon during the semi-invulnerable turn of Dig, and if it does, it will have its power doubled for that Pokémon. Earthquake will hit all adjacent Pokémon, including allies. Earthquake can also be used as part of a Pokémon Contest combination, causing Eruption and Fissure to have their base appeal points doubled if used in the next turn. Generation V onwards If Earthquake hits a Pokémon during the semi-invulnerable turn of Dig, instead of doubling power, damage is technically doubled instead now, resulting in virtually the same effect. If Grassy Terrain is in effect, Earthquake deals only half the usual damage. Description Learnset # Pokémon Types Parent Egg Groups Egg Move II III IV V VI VII 324 Torkoal Field Field ✔ Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move. Italics indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move. Special move # Pokémon Types Egg Groups Obtained with 207 Gligar Bug Bug Earthquake Gligar Stad2 Bold indicates a Pokémon gains STAB from this move. Italics indicates a Pokémon whose evolution or alternate form receives STAB from this move. In other games Prior to an update to Niantic's servers on July 30, 2016, Earthquake had a power of 60. Prior to an update to Niantic's servers on February 16, 2017, Earthquake had a power of 100 and a duration of 4.2 seconds. Description Games Description MD R B Damages all Pokémon in the same room. It inflicts double damage on any digging Pokémon. MD T D S Damages all Pokémon in the room except the user. It will inflict double damage on a Digging target. B S L おなじへやのじぶんいがいのすべてのポケモンにダメージをあたえるあなをほるじょうたいのポケモンには２ばいのダメージをあたえる MD GtI It damages all Pokémon in the same room except you. It can also damage Pokémon in the ground using Dig. S MD It damages all Pokémon in the same room except for you. It can also damage Pokémon that are underground while using Dig. In the anime In the manga In the Ash & Pikachu manga In the Pokémon Adventures manga In the Pokémon Colosseum Snatchers manga Metagross The user slams the ground, causing an earthquake. Pokémon Method User First Chapter Used In Notes Metagross Metagross slams its front legs into the ground, causing an earthquake. Nascour's Metagross PCS3 Debut In the Pokémon Diamond and Pearl Adventure! manga In the Pokémon Gotta Catch 'Em All manga Diglett An earthquake is created. Pokémon Method User First Chapter Used In Notes Diglett Diglett shakes its body which causes a vibration with the ground and in turn forms an earthquake. Shu's Diglett GDZ21 Debut Dugtrio Dugtrio shakes its body which causes a vibration with the ground and in turn forms an earthquake. A wild Dugtrio GDZ63 None In the Pocket Monsters Platinum: Aim to Be Battle King manga In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga In other generations Core series games Side series games Spin-off series games Trivia In other languages Language Title Chinese Cantonese 地震 Deihjan Mandarin 地震 Dìzhèn Czech Zemětřesení Danish Jordskælv Dutch Aardbeving Finnish Maanjäristys French Séisme German Erdbeben Greek Σεισμός Seismós Hindi भूकंप Bhookamp Indonesian Gempa Bumi Italian Terremoto Korean 지진 Jijin Norwegian Jordskjelv Polish Trzęsienie ziemi Portuguese Brazil Terremoto Portugal Tremor de Terra (Pokémon Chronicles) Russian Землетрясение Zemletryaseniye Serbian Zemljotres Spanish Terremoto Swedish Jordbävning Vietnamese Động Đất
(Image by Unknown Owner) Details DMCA - Advertisement - By Ashin Mettacara Allow me to discuss with the reader the subject of the Buddha and His views on politics. Being a Buddhist monk, I will try to illuminate you on the right way of life and the best kind of political involvement, according to Buddha's teaching. These teachings are not only for Buddhists, but also for all non-Buddhists: for everyone. What does "Buddhist"- mean? The best answer is that those who are practicing and living in accordance with the Buddha's teachings are Buddhists, because practice is much appreciated by the Buddha. Then, what are the teachings of the Buddha? The rudimentary and shortest answer is that we must always endeavor to do good and kindness, rather than doing evil and harm to others. - Advertisement - Obviously, no one could ever conclude that the current rulers of Myanmar are Buddhists. They have attached their names in name only, to affiliate with Buddhists, in order to rule the country. They essentially tried to become Buddhists without knowing any teachings of the Buddha. These generals are surviving on truly ignorant and blind faith. The true Buddhist must be a self-learner and must continually practice to achieve the highest liberation (nirvana). Politics and political matters in Buddhism are considered worldly concerns, yes. But the Buddha did not ignore such worldly concerns, because as a Prince estranged and removed from his prior worldly concerns, still He was living in society. Alms food comes from vast numbers of people constituting society. So should not we work to elevate society to evolve into a higher form, to be more effective and more just? The monks were also told by the Buddha to work for the good of many, for the benefit of all beings and for the betterment of society. The intent behind the founding of the community of monks (Sangha in Pali, Pali being the original language of the Buddha) was entirely for the benefit of the people. In the life of Buddha, we find that the Buddha often discussed politics with the rulers of realms in his time, such as King Mala, King Kosala , King Licchavi and King Ajatasattu . The Buddha always preached the kings that they must rule their kingdoms with dasarajadhamma. The dasarajadamma in Pali is based on ten precepts, in order for the king to best rule the country. They are: (1) be liberal and avoid selfishness, (2) maintain a high moral character, (3) be prepared to sacrifice one's own pleasure for the well-being of the subjects, (4) be honest and maintain absolute integrity, (5) be kind and gentle, (6) lead a simple life for the subjects to emulate, (7) be free from hatred of any kind, (8) exercise non-violence, (9) practice patience, and (10) respect public opinion to promote peace and harmony. Any government who wishes to peacefully rule any nation can effectively apply these 10 precepts even today; they haven't yet and never will "go out of date."- - Advertisement - The Buddha preached non-violence and peace as a universal message. He did not approve of violence or the destruction of life, and declared that there is no such thing as a "just" war. From his own words, He taught: "The victor breeds hatred; the defeated lives in misery. He who renounces both victory and defeat is happy and peaceful."- Not only did the Buddha teach non-violence and peace: He was perhaps the first and only religious teacher who went to the battlefield personally to prevent the outbreak of a war, when He diffused tension between the Sakyas and the Koliyas who were about to wage war over the waters of Rohini River. He also dissuaded King Ajatasattu from attacking the Kingdom of the Vajjis He showed how countries could become corrupt, degenerate and unhappy when the head of the government becomes corrupt and unjust. He spoke against corruption and how all governments' actions must be based on humanitarian principles. The Buddha once said, "When the ruler of a country is just and good, the ministers become just and good; when the ministers are just and good, the higher officials become just and good; when the higher officials are just and good, the rank and file become just and good; when the rank and file become just and good, the people become just and good." Clearly, religion and politics are something analogous to paper money having two sides. The front can be regarded as religion and the other side can be regarded as politics. They cannot be separated from each other. Otherwise the value of money is nothing. Similarly, Buddhist monks and other religious leaders also should not be separated from politics. I don't mean to imply that they should rule the country, but just to present and to advance their Buddhist precepts throughout the workings of a government in order to prevent so many wars and conquests, persecutions, such egregious atrocities, rebellions, and the destruction of works of art and culture. Perhaps Thailand can be looked at and considered an example of a successful but not perfect Buddhist Nation. Myanmar has a long way to go in this regard, and the Burmese Generals, if they were smart and wanted to survive as a government, would work at a rapprochement with the Buddhist leaders, who have always had the support and good will of the vast majority of Burmese people, rather than crushing them, infiltrating them, jailing them, beating them, killing them, and otherwise persecuting the Buddhist Monks of Myanmar. - Advertisement -
Remembering A'Lelia Walker, Who Made A Ritzy Space For Harlem's Queer Black Artists Enlarge this image James Weldon Johnson/Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library James Weldon Johnson/Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library If you stand just past High School Hill on Route 9 in Irvington, N.Y., and look west toward the Hudson River, you'll see a beautiful white house with lots of columns and terra cotta tiles that evoke a Mediterranean elegance. It is one of many mansions nestled on these leafy green streets; memories carved in stone from a time when this suburban town was the jewel of the "Hudson Riviera." Kykuit, Shadowbrook, and Nuits, Sunnyside, Hillside, and Strawberry Hill — these were the homes of robber barons and writers, judges and doctors, the 1 percent of the Gilded Age and the early 20th century. But Villa Lewaro, that white house, was unique. It was built by Madam C. J. Walker, who was born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, one of six children and the first born free. Walker rose to prominence as the first nationally successful black female business magnate in the country. She and her daughter, A'Lelia, were the hair care queens of black America. By the time she began building Villa Lewaro in 1917, the New York Times Magazine estimated her net worth at "a cool million" (a fact that didn't stop some of the neighbors from being appalled that a black woman was moving into town). Villa Lewaro was named after A'Lelia, back before she added the A-apostrophe to her name: Leila Walker Robinson. Le-Wa-Ro. Enlarge this image toggle caption Carl Van Vechten/Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Carl Van Vechten/Yale Collection of American Literature, Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library Until recently, the Walker legacy was treated somewhat poorly by history. The house itself was nearly torn down in 1976. It was saved, not for the memory of the women who inhabited it, but for the rare old growth trees they transported to its grounds. By those unfamiliar with her legacy, Madam Walker is often still painted as an opportunist who made money off of straightening black hair (a process she was adamantly against, according to her great-great-granddaughter A'Lelia Bundles, who wrote her own biography of Walker called On Her Own Ground). A'Lelia is rarely remembered at all, and when she is, it is as the prodigal daughter under whom the Walker hair care empire shrunk drastically. Or, as historian Eric Garber put it in his essay A Spectacle in Color, while "Madam Walker had been civic-minded, donating thousands of dollars to charity, A'Lelia used most of her inheritance to throw lavish parties." These were soirees that lasted for days, sparkling with the royalty of the Harlem Renaissance, like Alberta Hunter, Florence Mills, Paul Robeson and Langston Hughes. Actual royalty occasionally attended A'Lelia's "at homes" as well, as did many of the top entertainers and artists of the day, whether black, white or brown. In his autobiography, The Big Sea, Langston Hughes wrote that Walker's parties were "filled with guests whose names would turn any Nordic social climber green with envy." It's easy to dismiss these events as fluff and folderol. But Walker's parties, both in Irvington and at her Manhattan salon, The Dark Tower, played a crucial, if invisible role in the Harlem Renaissance: They provided a safe, welcoming environment for queer people at a time when there were few other social options available. While she herself was not known to be lesbian or bisexual, Walker's parties were places where anyone could express their sexuality however they pleased. Many of those who attended were among the leading gay artistic lights of their day, including Hughes, Countee Cullen, and Carl Van Vechten. All three counted Walker among their closest friends, and immortalized her in their writings. Hughes famously coined her "the joy goddess of Harlem's 1920s." As much as Walker's parties helped made a place for these queer people, they in turn helped make the Renaissance what it was. In his groundbreaking historical survey Gay New York, historian George Chauncey wrote, "Gay social networks played a key role in fostering the Renaissance," including "the extravagant 'mixed' parties thrown by the millionaire heiress A'Lelia Walker." Walker's parties weren't just for the rich and famous. Mabel Hampton, one of the early active members of New York City's Lesbian Herstory Archives (home to "the world's largest collection of materials by and about lesbians"), recalled being invited to one such event by her girlfriend sometime in the early 1920s. "There was men and women, women and women, and men and men," she said in a taped interview from 1983, "And everyone did whatever they wanted to do." A'Lelia was a pioneer in her own right, and dismissing her as a Gilded Age party girl does a disservice to both her memory and our understanding of that time in arts and letters. Sadly, almost all of this is forgotten today. I grew up in Irvington, and though I heard occasionally about Madam Walker, there's no monument to A'Lelia around. As a young gay boy in the 1980s and '90s, it was easy to believe there was no such thing as gay history, at least not in Irvington, where all the nuclear families lined up in neat little rows on streets that went in alphabetical order from Astor to Buckhout to Cottenet. It wasn't until I was in my 30s, when I started an organization called The Pop-Up Museum of Queer History, that I discovered that many of the greatest gay artists of the Roaring '20s had partied for weekends at a time not a half-mile from my parent's house. Were she alive today, A'Lelia would have turned 130 this summer. Maybe she wasn't half the businesswoman her mother had been. (Though maybe not even Madam Walker could have steered a company through the rocky waters of the Depression.) But A'Lelia was a pioneer in her own right, and dismissing her as a Gilded Age party girl does a disservice to both her memory and our understanding of that time in arts and letters. Who knows what important creative, sexual or emotional relationships were forged at those parties, or whose eyes were opened to other ways of living? And what about the countless young queer people, like myself, who learned to believe that history holds nothing for us, and nothing like us? A'Lelia Walker made space for us then. We'd do well to return the favor.
One of the core aspects of the competitive game mode of CS:GO is the economy. Initially all players start off with $800 for the pistol round, immediately they are faced with an crucial decision to make: What should they buy? This responsibility follows them for the rest of the game as players may not always have the cash to purchase all the utility they may require. This has caused different methods of buying to be created, and although many of us are familiar with the types of buys, I believe that the a good size of our community does not understand the philosophy behind them. This post aims to deepen peoples understanding and allow them to come up with new and more creative ways to play the game. But first we need to make sure that we all understand the basics of the economic system in CS:GO. Basics of CS:GO Economy The following will be a basic overview of the way the economy works in CS:GO. If you feel like you are already educated on this topic feel free to skip to the next section. At the absolute fundamental level you get money for winning a round and get considerably less money for losing a round. However this is not adequate information to devise an in-depth method of playing the game so I'll elaborate further. If either T or CT side wins the round by eliminating all of the enemies then they will receive $3250. If they instead win by either bomb defusal or detonation then they will receive $3500. Simple enough, right? However the round loss money is a bit more complicated. There is a round loss bonus, so for every round you lose in a row you gain an extra $500 on the original round loss bonus of $1400. For example: Losing 2 rounds in a row gives you $1900, losing 3 will give you $2400 and so on; this bonus caps off after losing 5 rounds in a row, the bonus being $3400. But that isn't everything. If the T side successfully plants the bomb and then loses the round the whole team gets an additional $800 on top of the money they would get when they lose the round. The round end money bonuses aren't the only ways to earn money though. For every kill you get, you are awarded with a "kill bonus". This kill bonus changes depending on which weapon you used to achieve the kill. You could look over the table below or alternatively check on the buy screen in game to see the kill rewards for each weapon. Weapon Reward Pistols (excluding CZ-75) $300 SMGs (excluding P90) $600 Shotguns $900 Rifles(excluding AWP) $300 CZ-75 $100 P90 $300 AWP $100 Knife $1500 Grenade $300 Pistol Round You have $800 to spend, that might not seem like much but the decisions you make will affect the following 3 rounds. There are two possible builds to consider for the pistol round. Kevlar/Raid boss This buy involves buying armor over nades. The idea is to maximise your fragging capability and relying on your team to support you. Buying armor negates the effect of aim punch which will cause your model to stagger and throw off your aim, it also provides some damage resistance to bullets to the chest. These two factors should allow you to do most of the heavy fragging for your team in the pistol round. The downside of this buy is that you won't be able to buy any nades apart from a decoy which has very limited use in competitive mode. The lack of nades may leave you in a tough spot should you need to smoke an area of the map off or flash yourself out of a bad position. Another form of this buy involves buying armor but also being dropped an upgraded pistol by your teammate. This will allow you to have the weapon advantage over your foes. You will hear this called the Raid Boss by casters. Utility Player This build will mean placing more importance on buying nades rather than Kevlar. The grenades you have bought will allow you to help your Kevlar teammate by supporting them. A typical utility player should buy a couple flashbangs and maybe a smoke. The flashes can be used to blind the enemies as the push on to the bomb site begins. Smokes on T side can be vital for certain tactics and executes. There are still more possibilities for the utility player though, they can opt to buy a defuse kit, something which is considered crucial for tournament time retakes. The Utility player is also the one who is the most likely to drop their teammate a upgraded pistol for the Raid Boss buy as mentioned above. Across a team you will want a mixture of these two loadouts in the pistol round. You want to have fragging power but also want the players with Kevlar to be supported. Most pro teams will play with 1 or 2 Utility players based on if they have an execute planned or if they want to play with a more loose style. Currently the emphasis seems to be on frags, with more players buying Kevlar in the pistol round, but in the future we could see teams with more complex pistol round executes that require more utility players. As it stands now, teams should only really have 2 Utility players at the most. On CT side, one of these utility player should buy a defuse kit and possibly buy a P250 and drop it to a Kevlared teammate. Reaction to the pistol round After the pistol round concludes, the battle for economic dominance begins. It starts with what kind of buys you are going to have going into the next 2 or 3 rounds. Those buys will be dependent on your team's performance in the pistol round. If you manage to get the bomb down as Ts but still lost the round it is recommended to Eco the next round and have a full buy on the third round; This puts you on the most even ground possible and makes winning the match easier. At least that's what most people have been thinking for the last year. Recently it has become popular to force buy on the second round after a bomb plant and loss on the pistol. The thinking behind this comes from the buff to SMGs, Shotguns and the Deagle. After the SMG/Shotgun buff, players have started to chose weapons such as the Nova, MP9 and MP7 to make money off what they believe to be an ecoing player. This would have been a safe bet to make, as around 6 months ago if Ts got the bomb down and lost on the pistol they would eco 95% of the time. But as people started to realise that players were trying to take advantage of the SMGs, they started force buying with Kevlar and an upgraded pistol or a scout. In theory, the force bought player will have the advantage over the player who bought the SMG, as the SMG's armor penetration is low and the force bought player can hold angles that give his weapon choice the advantage. However this strategy can be like shooting yourself in the foot if the opponents buy a Rifle such as a FAMAS, they will have the weapon advantage and will likely obliterate you. In this case you could be forced on to a double eco giving the other team a 0-4 lead for just winning the pistol round. It's a gamble to force buy on second, and, due to this, teams have started to have at least two players who buy rifles on second round to counter the second round force buy, which has lead to a return to the old meta of ecoing on the second round after a bomb plant. A lot less thought goes into the early game if you lose the round without a bomb plant. There are only two popular approaches currently, and the thinking behind them is quite straightforward. The first of them is to take the double Eco and allow the enemy to win the next two rounds and to have a strong buy for yourself on the fourth round. The downside to this is that there is a higher possibility of the opponent building up a strong economy by using anti-Eco weapons meaning that if you win the fourth round you will still have to face a full buy on the fifth. The other approach attempts to leave the oppositions economy weaker on that fourth round, meaning that if you win that round the enemy will be forced on to a weaker buy. This is achieved by force buying on the second round after the loss. The aim in this round is to kill as many of the enemy team as possible so that they will have to rebuy the next round. The primary goal isn't to win the round but rather to damage their economy. The more players you kill in this round, the weaker their buys will become in the following rounds. If you lose that second round after force buying you should be able to have a decent buy on the fourth round after Ecoing on the third. That buy won't be as strong as the one you could have gained by double Ecoing, but this won't matter if you have done a good amount of damage on the force buy. General Buys These are the decisions you will have to make in the rest of the half, I have already mentioned them previously and almost everyone is familiar with most of them. Full Buy Possibly the easiest buy to understand, if you choose to full buy you have the required amount of money(Rifle: $2700/3100 + Kevlar/Helmet: $1000 + Full Nades: $1000= $4700/5100). This will give you everything you will need to play the way you want in the round. You will have all the nades necessary to execute onto a bombsite as the Ts or hold them off by smoking choke points as the CTs. If these things aren't enough to win they round (and they normally aren't), then you will have the best weapons available to you take the round away from the other team. You may choose to add a Defuse kit or AWP depending on how you want to play that round or how much money you have in your bank. Alternatively if you are short of the minimum money you can sacrifice on the following aspects: Rifle(Buy a FAMAS or Galil instead of an AK-47 or M4) or if you are on CT side avoid spending £350 on a Helmet as the T side AK-47 is a one shot kill even with a helmet. Eco If you don't have enough money for a full buy you should choose to Eco. This means that you will buy close to nothing and save money for following round. Some may think of an Eco as a throwaway round but it can still have a significant impact on the rest of the game. Even if you don't win the Eco, if you manage to make it a close round where there are only 2 or 3 players left alive, then the other team's economy is notably decreased making it easier to break their bank. Eco rounds can still have an objective. Examples can be to get the bomb down (doing this gives everyone on your team an extra $800) or to isolate a player or two from the other team and steal their weapon to use in the following round. Anti-Eco An Anti-Eco round's main aim is to further your economic advantage over the opposition. Anti-Ecos take place when one team knows the other team is Ecoing and choses to buy weapons that have a high kill reward such as Shotguns and SMGs. The extra money from this round will help create a cushion for the team with the current economic advantage. This cushion will allow the team to buy if they lose a round or two in a row. Picking when to Anti-Eco is the key to its success. If you pick to Anti-Eco at the wrong time you make be facing people who have bought Kevlar and your SMGs will be as effective as nerf guns against them. Picking when to Anti-Eco is a very hard skill to learn. Some people use "game sense" to determine when the opposition is Ecoing, while others use the statistics on the scoreboard (Round win history, how many people survived in each round or number of kills) and the weapons the enemy had the last round to decide when to Anti-Eco. It's my belief that looking at the statistics is more reliable than game sense as that can be thrown off by things such an unorganised enemy team. Force Buy If teams don't have enough money to full buy but need to win that round desperately you will see them force buy. Players will empty their banks on Kevlar and traditionally a pistol of their preference or (more recently) a Scout. The way players should play on force buys rounds is distinctively different from a normal round. The team who has force bought needs to do something to bring the situation into their advantage. This may include a quick push in a certain part of the map to take control or to hold off angles which benefit their weapon of choice (Close Quarters for a CZ and Long Ranges for a Scout). If the team wins the force buy, they are then on the road to regain economic stability. The way to do this is to chain round wins with 3 or more players left alive. If they lose however they may have to Eco for the next round or two giving the enemy even more of an advantage, not just on the scoreboard but also in economy. Choosing when to force buy really depends on the players on the team and their own idea of how to play the economy. It is normally done when the team has already lost a couple rounds in a row, so their loss bonus is high, and they have an average of less than $3000. Some teams have a tendency to continue to force buy round after round, refusing to Eco; This can lead to an wipe out. On the other hand, some teams will be too conservative and never force buy, thus making it easier for the enemy to build up a really strong bank. The matter of Force Buy vs Eco is a very subjective matter and there may be no right answer, but I'm certain that neither option is 100% correct or incorrect. Examples of good off-angles to hold with Scout and CZ-75; de_dust2, B ramp and de_inferno B Porch. Quasi Buy The Quasi Buy is probably the buy that people are the most unfamiliar with, most of us will have heard of it but not many are sure what its intention is. As the name suggests, the buy is very uncertain. Let's say that across the team the average money is $3400. Some players have more than that, others have less; that's not enough for a full buy, but you could still get a decent force buy from it. When doing a Quasi Buy, you will buy weapons with consideration to what your economy will be like the following round, so to leave around $2400 for the next round. This will give you a larger chance to win the round than a full eco would, but it will reduce the strength your next full buy. Another thing the Quasi Buy can help with is confusing the enemy's perception of your economy, which will make calling Anti-Ecos harder for them. The way a Quasi Buy is played is very similar to a force buy, but the objective of it is much less defined. It's my belief that players almost treat a Quasi Buy as a throwaway. This may be because they know that they will have enough money to fully buy the next round and they just want to go for a big play that could win a round they didn't account for. Overall this buy is very abstract and can be summarised as buying a lottery ticket. You have a small chance of winning big, but to do that you are spending a comparatively small amount of money which could be used for a better buy. I still prefer it to the idea of force buying though which can be likened to going all in on a terrible hand hoping that the other person will fold. Hopefully sharing my thoughts about the buys that we make in CS have taught people something new and possibly inspired someone to put their own spin on the way we currently buy. Are you into fantasy leagues? Then check out AlphaDraft and put together your allstar lineup!
Technology that makes it easier and cheaper for money to move around the world could have many implications. The total value of the digital currency Bitcoin is now approximately $3.4 billion, and many companies and investors are working to prove that the technology can make financial services cheaper and more useful. But Stanford professor David Mazières thinks he has a faster, more flexible, and more secure alternative. If Mazières is correct, his technology could make digital payments and other transactions cheaper, safer, and easier—particularly across borders. He released the design for his system in a white paper last Wednesday. Bitcoin transactions rely on software run on thousands of computers linked up over the Internet. That distributed network uses a set of rules and cryptographic principles to reliably verify transactions even though no one person or organization is in control. The system was introduced to the world in 2008 in a technical paper released under the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto. Its design was significant for showing a way for a pool of contributors that don’t necessarily trust each other to collectively create a system to verify transactions. But the way Bitcoin achieves this makes it slower and less secure than is ideal for a system meant to become part of the world’s financial infrastructure, Mazières says. Mazières’s new cryptocurrency protocol, called SCP, is being adopted by a nonprofit called Stellar to replace a Bitcoin-inspired system meant to make financial services cheaper and more widely accessible in the developing world (see “Bitcoin-Inspired Digital Currency to Power Mobile Savings App”). Stellar’s original system was modeled on one developed at the startup Ripple Labs, which is using it to help banks and other financial organizations move money faster (see “50 Smartest Companies 2014: Ripple Labs”). Last year Stellar’s system unexpectedly “forked” into two networks that disagreed on which transactions were valid, and several hours’ worth of transactions got rolled back. Mazières says his new system avoids the part of the design that caused that problem. (Ripple maintains that its design is safe if used correctly.) Mazières is taking leave from Stanford to work four days a week on the project as Stellar’s chief scientist. Stellar’s backers include the payments company Stripe (see “Increasing the GDP of the Internet”). Bitcoin’s design rests on a process called “mining,” in which people run software that races to solve mathematical puzzles. Solving a puzzle verifies recent transactions made in Bitcoin and earns the solver some newly created bitcoins or some transaction fees (see “What Bitcoin Is and Why It Matters”). The distributed calculations also protect against fraud: you would need to gain control of more than half the total computing power working on mining to be able to, say, spend one bitcoin twice. However, it currently takes around 10 minutes for a new transaction to be confirmed by the miners, and mining is very energy intensive (Bitcoin miners together consume as much electricity as Ireland, researchers estimated in 2014). Mazières says that using mining to enforce trust and security also has limitations. “Bitcoin is good, but we wanted to start from scratch and address some of these additional properties,” he says. The new SCP system also relies on people running software that communicates over the Internet, but trust is not enforced through mining. Instead, each person running the software must identify a few other trusted participants to correctly apply the cryptographic rules used to validate transactions. Each instance of the software will recognize transactions only once a certain majority fraction of its trusted partners have also signed off. And the trust relationships are all public. Mazières says the math shows that those rules will allow his system to reliably verify transactions much more quickly and with less energy. Dan Boneh, a Stanford professor who did not work on Mazières’s system but has reviewed it, says that SCP avoids some security limitations of Bitcoin. “The security proposition of Bitcoin is that the people who invested in mining infrastructure can be trusted, but that may not be true,” he says. “Here I can choose for myself who to trust.” SCP also allows use of stronger cryptography, says Boneh. Bitcoin’s cryptography can only be so strong, because it needs to remain possible for miners to solve the puzzles. “By design, you can’t crank up the hardness of Bitcoin to the point it’s infeasible for a well-resourced attacker,” says Boneh. “With this you can.” Emin Gün Sirer, an associate professor at Cornell University, agrees that SCP seems to have advantages over Bitcoin. He says it also seems to resolve what he considers a gap in the Ripple protocol that led to Stellar’s “forking” problem last year. “The protocol looks sound,” says Sirer. It is, however, theoretically possible for SCP to break down if participants choose trusted partners in such a way that there aren’t enough overlaps to tie the network into one whole—or if an attacker orchestrates that situation, says Sirer. Just how unlikely that is will depend on the actions of the people who adopt SCP. “This is a social thing, not a technical thing,” says Sirer. Mazières acknowledges that possibility but says it’s unlikely. He imagines that certain large organizations, perhaps banks, will emerge to anchor the SCP network. Still, he acknowledges, “people are always a weak point.”
SEOUL – North Korea has tested short-range missiles in the Sea of Japan (known as the East Sea in Korea), in an apparent attempt to counter-act joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. “North Korea test-launched a short-range missile in the East Sea [Sea of Japan] this afternoon, amid the ongoing security crisis on the Korean peninsula following Pyongyang’s third nuclear test last month,” Yonhap news said. The source, Yonhap said, was a military source within the South Korean government. The North Korean military launched two KN-02 short-range missiles into international waters, the report said. Graphic: BBC News KN-02 missiles are mobile missiles. Based on the Soviet-era OTR-21 Tochka, they are launched from the back of SCUD-like trucks (see above headline image) and, of all North Korean missiles, they have the shortest range, as the above BBC infographic shows. The short-range missile is a domestic variant of the Syrian ‘Scarab A’ missile, and has a range of 120-140km. It is usually used to take out large building targets and, when miniaturized, can carry a small, tactical, nuclear load. This is not a ‘rocket’ test or ICBM launch, and this is not the first time North Korea has tested this particular short-range missile. Pyongyang has reportedly been ‘test-launching’ the same missile from its East Sea [Sea of Japan] coast since 2004, and other launches were detected in 2005, 2006 and 2007. Like the rest of the North Korean missile program, the KN-02 is based on old Soviet technology (in this case the reverse engineered 9K79 Tochka provided to North Korea by Syria in 1996). However, what separates the the KN-02 from the rest of the North’s missile arsenal is that it uses solid-fuel, is more accurate than the notoriously inaccurate SCUD derivatives, and is road mobile. The KN-02 allegedly also flies a cruise missile profile, making it difficult for PATRIOT missile batteries located in South Korea to intercept. If fired from close enough to the DMZ, it could target U.S. military installations in the ROK. The question today, however, is timing. With tensions at boiling point, today’s launches will get a lot more attention than normal. John Swenson-Wright senior lecturer in East Asian International Relations at the University of Cambridge told NK NEWS earlier today “the danger of uncontrolled escalation in this situation seems real and therefore something to be managed very very carefully.” “The real problem is one of miscalculation and misjudgement by either side – with the North believing it can risk a provocation comparable to the 2010 Yeonpyeong shelling, and the South determined to respond decisively.”
Authors: Jacob Avila, MD and Jonathan Bronner, MD (EM Attending Physicians, University of Kentucky) // Edited by: Alex Koyfman, MD (EM Attending Physician, UT Southwestern Medical Center / Parkland Memorial Hospital, @EMHighAK) and Brit Long, MD (@long_brit, EM Chief Resident at SAUSHEC, USAF) Your next 3 patients… #1: 35yo M w/ fever and agitation #2: 21yo F w/ “jitteriness” s/p a med change #3: 40yo F from nursing home w/ “stiffness” Serotonin syndrome (SS) and neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) are two types of pathologies that often give a very confusing picture. They are both associated with psychiatric diseases and are often seen in the setting of polypharmacy,1,2 which give the provider a broad differential to work through when these patients present in the emergency department (ED).2-8 To get a better understanding of how to differentiate between the two, let’s look at each of these diseases a bit more in depth. SEROTONIN SYNDROME Why do we care about this disease? We care about this because the medical community often misses it. In a previously published survey study, as many as 85% of physicians didn’t know what SS was.9 While that number is probably much better these days, SS still often goes unrecognized. At least part of the reason why we miss this disease is due to the fact that mild cases can present with non-specific symptoms such as tremors, diarrhea, and tachycardia.4 Often when SS starts advancing from the mild into the moderate category, we may inadvertently treat the condition with more serotonergic medications, further precipitating decline.10 Most importantly, it can be deadly. Unrecognized SS can quickly deteriorate into irreparable kidney damage, respiratory failure, or DIC.8 The mortality rate of severe SS has been reported to be 2-12%.6 Work hour restrictions in the US were first established after a case of missed SS where an intern continued to give serotonergic medications for agitation in a patient with SS, likely resulting in her death.11 So now that we’re scared, how do we not miss this deadly disease? First, let us consider the mechanism for how SS occurs. While most of the total body serotonin is found in the periphery,5 what we care about is the serotonin that causes SS, namely, the serotonin produced in the central nervous system (CNS). The overall level of serotonin in the CNS doesn’t matter as much as how much of it is stuck in the neuronal synapses, causing the effects of SS.7 Serotonin in the CNS is mostly produced in the pons and upper brainstem. Once released, it will bind to post-synaptic receptors and remains viable until it is either degraded by monoamine oxidase (MAO) or removed from the synapse by reuptake pumps.5 In the CNS, serotonin functions by modulating core body temperature, wakefulness, analgesia, sexual behavior, mood, affect, perception, personality, emesis, and eating behavior (among other things).7,12 The broad effects of serotonin are mediated by multiple receptors. There are 7 types of receptors, several of which have unique receptor subclasses. As a whole, this results in around 14 distinct serotonin receptors found throughout the body, though only two are thought to be involved in the mechanism of SS: 5-HT 1A and 5-HT 2A . As far as SS goes, the less important one is 5-HT 1A , which is thought to be responsible for myoclonus, hyperreflexia, and alterations on mental status.5,13-15 The most important receptor in SS is 5-HT 2A ,12,16,17 which increases heart rate, elevates blood pressure and temperature, and has a role in neuromuscular excitement.5,13,15,16 These abnormalities in vital physiologic homeostasis reflect adrenal gland stimulation of catecholamine release12,14,18 and stimulation of the hypothalamus manifesting as fever.5,13,15,16 Using this basic molecular understanding of the neurohormonal pathway, the triad associated with SS – mental status changes, increased neuromuscular tone, and autonomic instability in the setting of an individual who has taken a serotonergic medication – becomes more tangible. 3,4,7,8,17 One of the reasons this disease can be tricky do diagnose is that there is such a variable presentation. Not all patients with SS will present with the classic triad. In fact, the most commonly reported symptom (myoclonus) is only seen in 57% of patients.19 So now that we have an appreciation for the pathophysiology and how SS may present, how do we diagnose it? The first step is to recognize patients at higher risk of developing SS even before they’re exposed to serotonergic medications. Smokers, individuals with cardiovascular disease, and those with liver disease may develop acquired deficits in MAO activity and serotonin metabolism.7,15 Ethanol can stimulate the release of serotonin from neurons,15 and there is an increased incidence of SS in patients on dialysis who are also taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI’s).12 Patients with defective CYP2C19 and CYP2D6 enzymes (either acquired or congenital) may also be at a higher risk since these enzymes are responsible for the break down of many serotonergic medications. 8,20 So which medications have been known to cause serotonin syndrome? This long list includes MAOI, TCA, SSRI, SNRI, anti-emetics, street drugs/drugs of abuse, diet pills, antibiotics, opioids (including tramadol), dextromethorphan, Benadryl, linezolid, methylphenidate, and lithium.5,13,15,21-25 These medications increase the synaptic concentration of serotonin via multiple mechanisms— by increasing the synthesis or release of serotonin, increasing receptor stimulation, inhibiting serotonin reuptake, or decreasing the breakdown of serotonin. 5,25 Approximately 60% of SS is caused by drug-drug interactions – usually paroxetine and tramadol – while 40% is triggered by a single drug. The most common individual culprits are SSRIs, with opioids coming in second. 26 After ingestion of an offending medication or medication combination, symptoms often begin within hours. 4 In fact, the majority of patients will present with SS 6 hours after administration of the provoking agent.5,27 While the gold standard for the diagnosis is an examination by a medical toxicologist,5, 28 there are methods available to help you diagnose SS at bedside. The Sternbach and Hunter criteria are the most common and most accessible for the Emergency Physician,28, 29 though the Sternbach criteria is less sensitive and specific for serotonin syndrome when compared to the newer Hunter criteria.4,30, 28 The reason for this discrepancy is that the Sternbach criteria are more likely to miss mild, early, or subacute cases of SS. 8 While the Hunter criteria may also miss mild, early or subacute cases of SS, it has been reported to have a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 97%.28 Aside from the history and physical exam, there are ancillary tests that can be helpful in diagnosis. While there is no definitive test that can diagnose SS 4,25 a basic laboratory assessment and a CT of the head are helpful in both ruling out other diseases that present similarly to SS as well as monitoring the severity of the patient’s symptoms. 8 Other diseases that should be on your differential when you suspect SS are NMS, malignant hyperthermia, anticholinergic poisoning, sympathomimetic poisoning, opioid withdrawal, CNS infection, sepsis, delirium tremens, and heat stroke. 4-8 Once you’ve arrived at a diagnosis of SS, how should the emergency physician initiate treatment? As with most acute pathologies, you must start with the ABC’s, but in a simultaneous fashion the effort to stop the serotonergic medication is of utmost importance.30 In mild cases, this is usually all that is required. When evaluating a patient in the moderate category you might need to start benzodiazepines for agitation, tachycardia, and hypertension. 4,6 When things start to look bad, you may need to give serotonin antagonists. Although there are no randomized controlled trials supporting its use in this setting,5,30 cyproheptadine – a non-selective histamine H1 receptor and serotonin receptor antagonist – is the drug of choice to treat moderate and severe cases of SS.4, 17, 23 The initial recommended dose is 12 mg, followed by 4-8 mg every 6 hours as needed.4, 5 Some sources recommend starting at 12 mg, then tapering the dose down by 2 mg every 2 hours as needed. 6 The main downsides to this drug is sedation (which may actually assist in the patient’s care) and the fact that it is only available in oral form.5 In an uncooperative, agitated patient any medication by mouth may be difficult to administer. Other options are chlorpromazine (Thorazine),31-33 which can be given IV or IM, olanzapine (Zyprexa)31-33 which can be given IM, dexmedetomidine (Precedex)34 or propofol (Diprivan),34 both of which are given IV. Care must be taken when treating with chlorpromazine, since it has potential to cause serious hypotension and lower the seizure threshold. 6,7 The main things you need to consider when weighing treatment options is the autonomic instability and increased neuromuscular tone. More specifically, the hemodynamics and the temperature of the patient. There are two theories of how the fever develops – central versus peripherally mediated. From the central perspective, serotonin acts to stimulate receptors in the hypothalamus, thus increasing the set point for the body temperature. 5,13,15,16 The peripherally mediated theory suggests that the body’s temperature increases due to the hypermetabolic state caused by increased muscular tone. 6, 7 The truth is that they probably both play a role. Regardless of etiology, fever and hemodynamic instability are of critical therapeutic importance as these are the pathways leading to patient mortality. Up to 14% of patients with SS present with hypotension19 and when the vital organs aren’t perfused, patient outcomes suffer significantly. Impaired temperature regulation can also be deadly due to the sequelae of the fever itself as well as the processes that cause the fever. Patients with uncontrolled muscle spasms spill myoglobin into their serum and suffer renal failure due to rhabdomyolysis.3 If a patient’s muscle rigidity is difficult to control, you should consider intubation and neuromuscular paralysis. If the patient does undergo rapid sequence intubation, care should be taken with the administration of succinylcholine and the potential for elevated serum potassium.3 Typically after discontinuing the offending medication, symptoms are gone within 24 hrs.5,7,27 Still, some SSRI’s have half-lives of 1-2 weeks so symptoms can persist up to 6 weeks after cessation.12 There are a few other SS-inducing medications worthy of special mention. First, not all opioids cause SS. There are two broad classes of opioids called phenanthrenes and non-phenanthrenes. The phenanthrenes are divided into those with an oxygen bridge and those without. The only one in the latter class is dextromethorphan. The phenanthrenes with an oxygen bridge include buprenorphine, codeine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, hydromorphone, morphine, naloxone, and naltrexone. Theoretically speaking, none of these narcotics should cause SS. However, despite the biochemical structure, there have been case reports of SS associated with hydromorphone, buprenorphine, naloxone, and oxycodone. Specifically, synthetic medications such as fentanyl, meperidine, methadone, and tramadol have been associated with SS. On the other hand, there have been no case reports of SS associated with hydrocodone, morphine, or codeine.1 The second class of drugs necessitating mention are triptans. You know those anti-headache medications? They’re serotonin agonists. In 2006 the FDA sent out a warning about the potential for SS when using triptans and SSRI’s or SNRI’s in combination.35 Interestingly, the evidence for this phenomenon is not entirely convincing. Triptans are selective agonists of 5-HT 1B , 5-HT 1D , and 5-HT 1F .36 If you recall, SS is primarily mediated by 5-HT 2a and 5-HT 1A . Additionally, the FDA alert was based off of 29 cases of suspected SS, only 10 of which met Sternbach’s criteria. None of the 29 met the Hunter criteria.37 NEUROLEPTIC MALIGNANT SYNDROME Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a disease that tends to occur in a similar population as SS and can manifest in a similar manner.38 Previously, NMS was reported to occur in 0.2%-3.2% of patients on neuroleptics,39 but due to increased awareness of the disease and decreased use of 1st generation anti-psychotics the incidence of NMS has declined to 0.01-0.02% of all patients at risk.39 However, even though the incidence is low, the mortality rate has been reported to be as high as 55%.2 There is a certain population of patients that are at higher risk for the development of NMS, and those include dehydrated patients, patients with underlying brain damage and dementia, and those on high dosages of dopaminergic medications.3 As stated previously, the administration of neuroleptics (also known as anti-psychotics) are the medications most commonly associated with NMS. First generation anti-psychotics have an odds ratio of 23.4, while 2nd generation anti-psychotics have an odds ratio of 4.8 for the development of NMS.40 One of the differences between NMS and SS is the time of onset. While SS will usually manifest within 24 hours after the offending medication is administered, only about 16% of patients who develop NMS will do so within 24 hours, and 66% will develop symptoms within the first week.41 So now that we know a little background on NMS, what are the symptoms? In order to understand the symptoms, one must consider the pathophysiology of how NMS affects the body. It is very likely that there are multiple mechanisms involved, but the most probable theory is that dopamine acts as a tonic inhibitor of the central sympathetic nervous system (SNS).42 When the dopamine is removed, the SNS becomes unopposed. The evidence behind this isn’t grade A, but the pathophysiology of the theory makes sense, and multiple studies have found elevated levels of catecholamines in both the serum and the CSF.38,41-43 NMS manifests classically as extrapyramidal symptoms, altered mental status, and autonomic dysfunction.38 The extrapyramidal symptoms appear as Parkinsonian features such as rigidity, tremor, dystonia, and akinesia, and the autonomic dysfunction manifests as tachycardia, diaphoresis, hyperthermia, and labile blood pressure. Just as in SS, getting an adequate history and a medication list is crucial. That being said, often patients in extremis and with altered mental status present without any past medical history, and we then have to rely on the physical exam. The main differentiating feature of SS and NMS are reflexes. SS will typically be hyperreflexic whereas NMS will have rigidity. The initial treatment of NMS is identical to SS, which includes stopping the offending medication and administering supportive care, including benzodiazepines. However, if that doesn’t work, escalating care may be necessary. This is where the similarities between the treatment of SS and NMS diverge. The three main medications that are given are bromocriptine, amantadine, or dantrolene.41 The two former medications are dopamine agonists, and the latter blocks calcium release. Other options include L-dopa,3 and surprisingly, electroconvulsive therapy has successfully been used in refractory cases.3,41 Summary Even though both NMS and SS are relatively rare clinical entities, their incidences are expected to increase due to both enhanced awareness as well as a rise in medication administration. 34 Understanding the complex presentations is a critical initial step in identification of the process. If you do suspect SS or NMS, make sure to review the patient’s medications. At the bedside you will need to remember to check reflexes, especially in the lower extremities. These initial clues, along with a few other things, such as autonomic instability, mental status changes, extrapyramidal symptoms, and increased neuromuscular tone, will help you differentiate SS from NMS or from other pathologies and begin treating your patient appropriately. References / Further Reading Jhun P, Bright A, Herbert M. Serotonin syndrome and opioids – what’s the deal? Ann Emerg Med. 2015;65:(4)434-5. [pubmed] Su YP, Chang CK, Hayes RD, et al. Retrospective chart review on exposure to psychotropic medications associated with neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2014;130:(1)52-60. [pubmed] Carbone JR. The neuroleptic malignant and serotonin syndromes. Emerg Med Clin North Am. 2000;18:(2)317-25, x. [pubmed] Hillman AD, Witenko CJ, Sultan SM, Gala G. Serotonin syndrome caused by fentanyl and methadone in a burn injury. Pharmacotherapy. 2015;35:(1)112-7. [pubmed] Iqbal MM, Basil MJ, Kaplan J, Iqbal MT. Overview of serotonin syndrome. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2012;24:(4)310-8. [pubmed] Frank C. Recognition and treatment of serotonin syndrome. Can Fam Physician. 2008;54:(7)988-92. [pubmed] Heitmiller DR. Serotonin syndrome: a concise review of a toxic state. R I Med J (2013). 2014;97:(6)33-5. [pubmed] Boyer EW, Shannon M. The serotonin syndrome. N Engl J Med. 2005;352:(11)1112-20. [pubmed] Mackay FJ, Dunn NR, Mann RD. Antidepressants and the serotonin syndrome in general practice. Br J Gen Pract 1999;248:96–103. Tintinalli, J. (2011). Tintinalli’s emergency medicine: A comprehensive study guide(7th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Chapter 172 Lerner BH, (2006 November). A Case That Shook Medicine. The Washington Post Retried 9/22/15 from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/11/24/AR2006112400985.html Volpi-Abadie J, Kaye AM, Kaye AD. Serotonin syndrome. Ochsner J. 2013;13:(4)533-40. [pubmed] Tanaka T, Takasu A, Yoshino A, et al. Diphenhydramine overdose mimicking serotonin syndrome. Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2011;65:(5)534. [pubmed] Watts SW, Morrison SF, Davis RP, Barman SM. Serotonin and blood pressure regulation. Pharmacol Rev. 2012;64:(2)359-88. [pubmed] Brown TM, Skop BP, Mareth TR. Pathophysiology and management of the serotonin syndrome. Ann Pharmacother. 1996;30:(5)527-33. [pubmed] Steele D, Keltner NL, McGuiness TM. Are neuroleptic malignant syndrome and serotonin syndrome the same syndrome? Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2011;47:(1)58-62. [pubmed] Prakash S, Gosai F, Brahmbhatt J, Shah C. Serotonin syndrome in patients with peripheral neuropathy: a diagnostic challenge. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2014;36:(4)450.e9-11. [pubmed] Shioda K, Nisijima K, Yoshino T, Kato S. Extracellular serotonin, dopamine and glutamate levels are elevated in the hypothalamus in a serotonin syndrome animal model induced by tranylcypromine and fluoxetine. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2004;28:(4)633-40. [pubmed] Mills KC. Serotonin syndrome. A clinical update. Crit Care Clin. 1997;13:(4)763-83. [pubmed] Lorenzini K, Calmy A, Ambrosioni J, et al. Serotonin syndrome following drug-drug interactions and CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 genetic polymorphisms in an HIV-infected patient. AIDS. 2012;26:(18)2417-8. [pubmed] Türkoğlu S. Serotonin syndrome with sertraline and methylphenidate in an adolescent. Clin Neuropharmacol. 2015;38:(2)65-6. [pubmed] Carlsson A, Lindqvist M. Central and peripheral monoaminergic membrane-pump blockade by some addictive analgesics and antihistamines. Pharm. Pharmacol. 1969; 21: 460–464 Samartzis L, Savvari P, Kontogiannis S, Dimopoulos S. Linezolid is associated with serotonin syndrome in a patient receiving amitriptyline, and fentanyl: a case report and review of the literature. Case Rep Psychiatry. 2013;2013:617251. [pubmed] Joksovic P, Mellos N, van Wattum PJ, Chiles C. “Bath salts”-induced psychosis and serotonin toxicity. J Clin Psychiatry. 2012;73:(8)1125. [pubmed] Nelson EM, Philbrick AM. Avoiding serotonin syndrome: the nature of the interaction between tramadol and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Ann Pharmacother. 2012;46:(12)1712-6. [pubmed] Abadie D, Rousseau V, Logerot S, Cottin J, Montastruc JL, Montastruc F. Serotonin Syndrome: Analysis of Cases Registered in the French Pharmacovigilance Database. J Clin Psychopharmacol. 2015;35:(4)382-8. [pubmed] Mason PJ, Morris VA, Balcezak TJ. Serotonin syndrome: presentation of 2 cases and review of the literature. Medicine (Baltimore) 2000;79:201-9 Dunkley EJ, Isbister GK, Sibbritt D, Dawson AH, Whyte IM. The Hunter Serotonin Toxicity Criteria: simple and accurate diagnostic decision rules for serotonin toxicity. QJM. 2003 Sep;96(9):635-642. Sternbach H. The serotonin syndrome. Am J Psychiatry1991; 148:705–13 Miller DG, Lovell EO. Antibiotic-induced serotonin syndrome. J Emerg Med. 2011;40:(1)25-7. Rao BS, Das DG, Taraknath VR, et al. A double blind controlled study of propranolol and cyproheptadine in migraine prophylaxis. Neurol India 2000; 48: 223–226. Da Costa AR, Monzillo PH and Sanvito WL. Use of chlorpromazine in the treatment of headache at an emergency service. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 1998; 56: 565–568. Silberstein SD, Peres MF, Hopkins MM, et al. Olanzapine in the treatment of refractory migraine and chronic daily headache. Headache 2002; 42: 515–518. Rushton WF, Charlton NP. Dexmedetomidine in the treatment of serotonin syndrome. Ann Pharmacother. 2014;48:(12)1651-4. [pubmed] http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/DrugSafetyInformationforHeathcareProfessionals/ucm085845.htm Ahn AH, Basbaum AI. Where do triptans act in the treatment of migraine? Pain. 2005;115:(1-2)1-4. [pubmed] Evans RW, Tepper SJ, Shapiro RE, Sun-Edelstein C, Tietjen GE. The FDA alert on serotonin syndrome with use of triptans combined with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors or selective serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors: American Headache Society position paper. Headache. 2010;50:(6)1089-99. [pubmed] Sokoro AA, Zivot J, Ariano RE. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome versus serotonin syndrome: the search for a diagnostic tool. Ann Pharmacother. 2011;45:(9)e50. Jain RS, Gupta PK, Gupta ID, Agrawal R, Kumar S, Tejwani S. Reversible magnetic resonance imaging changes in a case of neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Am J Emerg Med. 2015;33:(8)1113.e1-3. Nielsen RE, Wallenstein Jensen SO, Nielsen J. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome-an 11-year longitudinal case-control study. Canadian journal of psychiatry. Revue canadienne de psychiatrie. 57(8):512-8. 2012. [pubmed] Strawn JR, Keck PE, Caroff SN. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Am J Psychiatry. 2007;164:(6)870-6. Gurrera RJ. Sympathoadrenal hyperactivity and the etiology of neuroleptic malignant syndrome. Am J Psychiatry. 1999;156:(2)169-80. Feibel JH, Schiffer RB: Sympathoadrenomedullary hyperactivity in the neuroleptic malignant syndrome: a case report. Am J Psychiatry 1981; 138:1115–1116. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22863827 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21373307 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22555052
When DC fire chief Kenneth Ellerbe showed up last week at the scene of an ambulance with flames shooting from its hood on Benning Road, he saw an on-duty firefighter with a smartphone who seemed as if he was taking photos of the truck ablaze. “The fire chief accused him of taking pictures and snatched the phone out of his hand,” says Ed Smith, president of the DC Firefighters Association. “He gave it right back to him.” The firefighter, who has not come forward, felt ill and went to the police and fire clinic for assistance. He filed a report, naming the chief and describing his actions. After the indent, the firefighter went on sick leave for stress. He declined to be interviewed. “He’s having a hard time,” Smith says. “He’s scared, he’s nervous. He’s still deciding what to do.” Ellerbe and the union have been at war for more than a year. The union voted “no confidence” in the chief in March. The union has charged him with depleting the number of paramedics and allowing emergency equipment to deteriorate. The ambulance that caught fire on Benning Road last Tuesday was the first of two ablaze that day. City council members have questioned Ellerbe’s management, and Ward 3 council member Mary Cheh called for him to resign. Ellerbe’s encounter with the firefighter over the ambulance fire fits the union’s narrative of a boss who’s out of touch with his troops. “Instead of worrying about the safety of his people,” Ed Smith tells Washingtonian, “he confronted his people.” Smith says he advised the firefighter to file a complaint with the department’s Equal Employment Opportunity Office. “It needs to be investigated,” he says. “The department has a zero tolerance for these kinds of events in the work place. The details need to come out.” Rumors circulated among police and firemen that the firefighter had filed assault charges against Ellerbe. None could be confirmed. Says Smith: “He’s considered it. He’s still deciding what course to take.” UPDATE 08/20/13: The fire department said Tuesday that its internal affairs section had started an “administrative investigation” at the request of Chief Ellerbe, according to deputy fire chief Milton Douglas, who heads internal affairs. The department has not received an official complaint from the firefighter involved in the incident, nor has a criminal complaint been filed with the DC Police. UPDATE 08/21/13: The firefighter has filed a formal complaint against Chief Ellerbe with the police, according to the MPD. The police report became public Wednesday. Ellerbe told the Washington Post he merely asked to see the firefighter’s phone, to check whether he had taken photos of the burning ambulance. The firefighter told the union Ellerbe forcefully took the phone; the fireman has since gone on sick leave. The fire department’s internal affairs division is investigating the incident, at the chief’s request.
The twenty-third of April bring your rhymes— It’s William Shakespeare’s birthday. Party time! Try talking like the Bard once wrote his plays, This site will give you tips on what to say. Talk Like Shakespeare originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2 originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2 originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2 originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2 originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2 originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2 originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2 originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2 originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2 originaldate 1/1/0001 6:00:00 AM height 344 width 600 orientation 1 camerasoftware Adobe Photoshop CC 2
Developed by Nintendo. Published by Nintendo. Released October 3, 2014. Available on 3DS. Copy provided by publisher. It's been six years since the last Super Smash Bros. appeared on the ridiculously successful Wii console. With over half a decade, you'd think Nintendo could come up with another word for "fight" and use it as a subtitle, alongside both Brawl and Melee. Instead, we're getting two Smash games with the most literal, self-explanatory titles in the world - Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Can't say fairer than that, I suppose. Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS is the first to arrive, bringing Nintendo-themed violence to the pockets of good children everywhere. Though there will be a few content changes, the 3DS version of Smash is a near-identical counterpart to the Wii U version, bringing all the same characters and action - though with some obvious graphical downgrades. The good news is that, despite the 3DS' control limitations, Smash 3DS really is everything you'd expect from a Smash Bros. game in a smaller package. It's as addictive, competitive, and amusingly frustrating as it's always been, with familiar characters and new faces joining the battle to create one of the most essential 3DS games you could hope to find. Super Smash Bros., in case you didn't know somehow, is a fighting game designed for literally everybody, born in a classic "easy to learn, tough to master" mold. Characters from across a large library of Nintendo games (and a few non-Nintendo ones) clash in 2D stages, punching, kicking and throwing their opponents in an attempt to increase their damage percentages. The higher a character's percentage, the further they fly when they're hit, and the greater the chance of knocking them off the screen - thus eliminating them from the competition. It's like sumo wrestling, but with more fire-breathing turtle dinosaurs and electric rats. You have your standard Smash mode, where up you can play a one-off battle against up to three human or CPU-controlled opponents. It's the quick and dirty way to just start bashing stuff. Smash Run is exclusive to the 3DS version, and has you face off against minion-grade enemies in a sprawling platforming environment, earning power-ups to strengthen your character before facing off against three opponents who've been doing the same. It's a neat little mode, though the onslaught of enemies can be quite irritating at times, especially if you get the wrong combination of freezing, exploding, and impervious minions at once. Still, it's a great laugh, if only to see how many referential enemies can be packed into one map. Meanwhile, Classic mode is a single-player "campaign" where you battle your way toward series nemesis Master Hand. Pick a character, travel along a map, choosing your destination based on how tough you want the next battle to be, and unlock various rewards and coins. Here, you'll face off against the Metal and Giant fighter variants, and it's where you'll do most of your character unlocking. In addition to these game types, All-Star mode runs you through the roster of fighters with set battle conditions, while the Stadium gives you a Home-run contest (beat on a punching bag to raise its damage percentage, then see how far you can hit it), Target Blast (smack a bomb into targets, Angry Birds style) and my personal favorite, Multi-Man Smash, a mode that pits you against an army of opponents in various ways, from a simple ten or 100-fighter battle, to an endless endurance run of foes. As always, these modes can be customized to include or exclude items, change time limits, tweak the damage ratio and more, allowing for a Smash experience that plays the way you want it to. If you want a fun, chaotic experience, where players can grab blue shells, fire laser guns, or gain the aid of any number of supporting characters through Assist Trophies, so be it. If you take your brawling seriously, you can play free from items and chance, relying solely on your skills while pretending to be in the Evo tournament and saying "rekt" all the time. Multiplayer is obviously a big part of the experience, and if you haven't got any friends, there's a full online mode included. While it's certainly enjoyable, and there are already millions of Japanese players to face off against, the online connection is certainly not the most reliable in the world. Those who already didn't like the idea of playing Smash over the Internet due to input lag will be thoroughly put off by what the 3DS has to offer, as the latency is quite noticeable, and the game even has to stop now and then while the connection plays catch-up. If you can overlook these issues, it's still quite a good laugh to hop online, though I'd recommend doing so only for casual play. Matchmaking is very quick, and it really only takes a few moments to jump in and get set up. You can also spectate other matches, should you be inclined more toward voyeurism than active participation, or you're just really intimidated by my superior Bowser skills. Get rekt kappa Pringles, and etcetera.
Well, color me surprised. The House voted on the budget after all, and they voted up or down, rather than amending the Senate bill. The House voted "Yea" and they did so quite convincingly (257 YEA to 167 NAY). Here's what the bill does: Income tax The tax cuts were extended - permanently - for all but those at the top. For this purpose, the top means $400,000 for individual filers and $450,000 for married couples. The top tax rate will increase to 39.6% from 35%. The Pease and PEP (personal exemption phaseout) restrictions on limitations were also extended. The applicable thresholds for the caps are $250,000 for individual filers and $300,000 for married couples. Capital gains tax rates and dividend tax rates stay low for most taxpayers. Taxes on capital gains and dividends will increase to 20% for taxpayers at the top. The alternative minimum tax (AMT) will be permanently adjusted for inflation . This is in red for a reason. Congress hasn't fixed this in more than 40 years. Each year, they put a "patch" on it instead of actually doing anything to fix it. This, for me, is the biggest surprise in the bill. . This is in red for a reason. Congress hasn't fixed this in more than 40 years. Each year, they put a "patch" on it instead of actually doing anything to fix it. This, for me, is the biggest surprise in the bill. Also extended for five years (not permanently) are number of individual tax credits including the child tax credit, the controversial earned income tax credit (EITC), and the American Opportunity Tax credit (the souped up version of the Hope Credit). On the deduction side, a couple of above the line deductions were extended, including the deduction for school teachers expenses and the tuition and fees deduction. On the itemized deduction side, the option to deduct state and local sales taxes in place of state and local income taxes was extended for a year. Surprising many (govtrack.us gave it a 1% chance of passing as a separate bill), the parity between the exclusion from income for employer-provided mass transit and parking benefits was extended. Without the extension, parking benefits would be disproportionately higher than those for mass transit. On the charitable side, while the Pease limitations were kept (mostly) at bay, the opportunity to make tax-free distributions to charitable organizations was extended. This is good news for retirees who want to donate their IRAs - and charities who want their money. Payroll tax Payroll taxes are going up. As expected, the payroll tax holiday is allowed to expire. The employee portion of Social Security contributions will return to 6.2%. Estate tax The federal estate tax exemption remains at $5.12 million (indexed for inflation). The top tax rate will be 40%, higher than the current rate of 35% but lower than what would have happened under the lapse. Sequester The sequesters (automatic cuts) have officially been pushed off for two months. Other stuff Long-term unemployment benefits are extend for one year. The so-called "doc fix" is also in play for one year. That means that the planned cuts - 27% - in Medicare reimbursements for physicians will be pushed off until 2014. A law allowing the IRS to communicate with prisons (yes, this is a big problem when it comes to fraud) was made permanent. The farm bill was also extended; no $7 gallon jugs of milk in 2013. I don't think the business tax provisions were terribly significant but some of the extensions deserve a nod. I do think the political capital involved in this one will have long-reaching effects... Look for that commentary in another post (otherwise, this one will never end). The bill has yet to be enrolled (a fancy way of saying the two versions of the bills from the House and Senate have to match as one document) but you can read the Senate version here. And if you're keeping score - and want to know how well I guessed what might happen since we all know I missed the boat on the timing of the vote - you can check out Facebook. Check tomorrow, though. It's been a long, long day. -- Want more taxgirl goodness? Sign up to receive posts by email, follow me on twitter (@taxgirl), hang out with me on Facebook, pin something to my Pinterest board or check out my YouTube channel. -- You can also buy my book in print at Amazon.com or as an ebook for the Kindle, the Nook from Barnes and Noble or through Hyperink.
XARELTO® may cause serious side effects, including: Increased risk of blood clots if you stop taking XARELTO ® . People with atrial fibrillation (an irregular heart beat) that is not caused by a heart valve problem (nonvalvular) are at an increased risk of forming a blood clot in the heart, which can travel to the brain, causing a stroke, or to other parts of the body. XARELTO ® lowers your chance of having a stroke by helping to prevent clots from forming. If you stop taking XARELTO ® , you may have increased risk of forming a clot in your blood. Do not stop taking XARELTO ® without talking to the doctor who prescribes it for you. Stopping XARELTO ® increases your risk of having a stroke. If you have to stop taking XARELTO ® , your doctor may prescribe another blood thinner medicine to prevent a blood clot from forming. Increased risk of bleeding. XARELTO ® can cause bleeding which can be serious, and may lead to death. This is because XARELTO ® is a blood thinner medicine (anticoagulant) that lowers blood clotting. During treatment with XARELTO ® you are likely to bruise more easily, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. You may have a higher risk of bleeding if you take XARELTO ® and take other medicines that increase your risk of bleeding, including: Aspirin or aspirin-containing products Long-term (chronic) use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) Warfarin sodium (Coumadin ® , Jantoven ® ) Any medicine that contains heparin Clopidogrel (Plavix ® ) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) or serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) Other medicines to prevent or treat blood clots XARELTO can cause bleeding which can be serious, and may lead to death. This is because XARELTO is a blood thinner medicine (anticoagulant) that lowers blood clotting. During treatment with XARELTO you are likely to bruise more easily, and it may take longer for bleeding to stop. Tell your doctor if you take any of these medicines. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure if your medicine is one listed above. Call your doctor or get medical help right away if you develop any of these signs or symptoms of bleeding: Unexpected bleeding or bleeding that lasts a long time, such as: Nosebleeds that happen often Unusual bleeding from gums Menstrual bleeding that is heavier than normal, or vaginal bleeding Bleeding that is severe or you cannot control Red, pink, or brown urine Bright red or black stools (looks like tar) Cough up blood or blood clots Vomit blood or your vomit looks like “coffee grounds” Headaches, feeling dizzy or weak Pain, swelling, or new drainage at wound sites Spinal or epidural blood clots (hematoma). People who take a blood thinner medicine (anticoagulant) like XARELTO ® , and have medicine injected into their spinal and epidural area, or have a spinal puncture, have a risk of forming a blood clot that can cause long-term or permanent loss of the ability to move (paralysis). Your risk of developing a spinal or epidural blood clot is higher if: A thin tube called an epidural catheter is placed in your back to give you certain medicine You take NSAIDs or a medicine to prevent blood from clotting You have a history of difficult or repeated epidural or spinal punctures You have a history of problems with your spine or have had surgery on your spine People who take a blood thinner medicine (anticoagulant) like XARELTO , and have medicine injected into their spinal and epidural area, or have a spinal puncture, have a risk of forming a blood clot that can cause long-term or permanent loss of the ability to move (paralysis). Your risk of developing a spinal or epidural blood clot is higher if: If you take XARELTO® and receive spinal anesthesia or have a spinal puncture, your doctor should watch you closely for symptoms of spinal or epidural blood clots. Tell your doctor right away if you have back pain, tingling, numbness, muscle weakness (especially in your legs and feet), or loss of control of the bowels or bladder (incontinence). XARELTO® is not for people with artificial heart valves. Do not take XARELTO® if you: Currently have certain types of abnormal bleeding. Talk to your doctor before taking XARELTO ® if you currently have unusual bleeding. if you currently have unusual bleeding. Are allergic to rivaroxaban or any of the ingredients of XARELTO®. Before taking XARELTO®, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you: Have ever had bleeding problems Have liver or kidney problems Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if XARELTO ® will harm your unborn baby. Tell your doctor right away if you become pregnant during treatment with XARELTO ® . Taking XARELTO ® while you are pregnant may increase the risk of bleeding in you or in your unborn baby. If you take XARELTO ® during pregnancy, tell your doctor right away if you have any signs or symptoms of bleeding or blood loss. See “What is the most important information I should know about XARELTO ® ?” for signs and symptoms of bleeding. will harm your unborn baby. Are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed. XARELTO® may pass into your breast milk. You and your doctor should decide if you will take XARELTO® or breastfeed. Tell all of your doctors and dentists that you are taking XARELTO®. They should talk to the doctor who prescribed XARELTO® for you before you have any surgery, medical or dental procedure. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Some of your other medicines may affect the way XARELTO® works, causing side effects. Certain medicines may increase your risk of bleeding. See “What is the most important information I should know about XARELTO®?” HOW SHOULD I TAKE XARELTO®? Take XARELTO ® exactly as prescribed by your doctor. exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not change your dose or stop taking XARELTO ® unless your doctor tells you to. unless your doctor tells you to. Your doctor may change your dose if needed. If you take XARELTO ® for: Atrial Fibrillation that is not caused by a heart valve problem: Take XARELTO ® 1 time a day with your evening meal. If you miss a dose of XARELTO ® , take it as soon as you remember on the same day. Take your next dose at your regularly scheduled time. Blood clots in the veins of your legs or lungs: Take XARELTO ® 1 or 2 times a day as prescribed by your doctor. For the 15-mg and 20-mg doses , XARELTO ® should be taken with food. For the 10-mg dose , XARELTO ® may be taken with or without food. Take your XARELTO ® doses at the same time each day. If you miss a dose: If you take the 15-mg dose of XARELTO ® 2 times a day (a total of 30 mg of XARELTO ® in 1 day) : Take XARELTO ® as soon as you remember on the same day. You may take 2 doses at the same time to make up for the missed dose. Take your next dose at your regularly scheduled time. If you take XARELTO ® 1 time a day: Take XARELTO ® as soon as you remember on the same day. Take your next dose at your regularly scheduled time. Hip or knee replacement surgery: Take XARELTO ® 1 time a day with or without food. If you miss a dose of XARELTO ® , take it as soon as you remember on the same day. Take your next dose at your regularly scheduled time. Reducing the risk of serious heart problems, heart attack and stroke in coronary artery disease or peripheral arterial disease: Take XARELTO ® 2 times a day with or without food. If you miss a dose of XARELTO ® , take your next dose at your regularly scheduled time. for: If you have difficulty swallowing the XARELTO ® tablet whole, talk to your doctor about other ways to take XARELTO ® . tablet whole, talk to your doctor about other ways to take XARELTO . Your doctor will decide how long you should take XARELTO ® . XARELTO ® may need to be stopped, if possible for one or more days before any surgery or medical/dental procedure. If you need to stop taking XARELTO ® for any reason, talk to your doctor to find out when you should stop taking it. Do not stop taking XARELTO ® without first talking to the doctor who prescribed it to you. Your doctor will tell you when to start taking XARELTO ® again after your surgery or procedure. may need to be stopped, if possible for one or more days before any surgery or medical/dental procedure. If you need to stop taking XARELTO for any reason, talk to your doctor to find out when you should stop taking it. Your doctor will tell you when to start taking XARELTO again after your surgery or procedure. Do not run out of XARELTO ® . Refill your prescription for XARELTO ® before you run out. When leaving the hospital following a hip or knee replacement, be sure that you have XARELTO ® available to avoid missing any doses. . Refill your prescription for XARELTO before you run out. When leaving the hospital following a hip or knee replacement, be sure that you have XARELTO available to avoid missing any doses. If you take too much XARELTO®, go to the nearest hospital emergency room or call your doctor right away. WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF XARELTO®? The most common side effect of XARELTO ® was bleeding. was bleeding. See “What is the most important information I should know about XARELTO®?” Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. You may also report side effects to Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., at 1-800-JANSSEN (1-800-526-7736). Please see full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warnings, and Medication Guide. Trademarks are those of their respective owners. cp-53637v2
This article is over 1 year old Energy transmission industry ramps up call for market mechanism and says clear regulation could lead to zero net emissions by 2050 Australians could save $100bn on electricity 'if government had clear policy' Australia’s electricity and gas transmission industry has intensified a call for a market mechanism to drive orderly transformation in the energy sector, warning a lack of clear regulation will result in higher prices for consumers and a less secure grid. Energy Networks Australia (ENA) says clear policy settings could ultimately save Australian energy customers $100bn, and allow a smooth transition, where large-scale variable renewable energy can be integrated securely, creating the prospect of Australia’s electricity sector achieving zero net carbon emissions by 2050. A new roadmap from the ENA to be released on Friday says the energy market is in the middle of a profound transformation that will only intensify over the next two decades. Australia's peak business lobby calls for emissions intensity scheme Read more Modelling produced for the report suggests that by 2050, up to 45% of Australia’s electricity supply could be provided by millions of distributed, privately owned generators, in homes and businesses. The report notes the trend towards decentralisation of power generation creates “profound adaptation challenges for the system’s architecture, stability and efficiency given it was originally designed for almost 100% of generation at the transmission end of the system”. The report’s estimated $100bn in cost savings is a function of governments rolling out nationally consistent policies that would encourage the two parts of the system to work harmoniously together – the current poles and wires of the national market, and the virtual grids in homes and businesses. Allowing efficient co-optimisation would prevent overinvestment in poles and wires. The ENA’s chief executive, John Bradley, said with stable policy settings, networks could buy grid support from customers instead of building their own infrastructure. The rise of distributed energy between now and 2050 will coincide with decarbonisation in the national grid. The report suggests by 2030, around 40% of generation could come from renewable technologies in Victoria and Western Australia, with an increasing share in New South Wales and Queensland as coal generators are retired. The report points out that Queensland alone will boast solar generation capacity almost as large as its current coal-fired generation capacity by 2030. Australia's energy transmission industry calls for carbon trading Read more The chief energy economist at the CSIRO, Paul Graham, who collaborated on the report, said the east coast grid would probably require the equivalent of 25 new large-scale solar or windfarms being built in just five years. But the report points out that the massive technological transformation is rolling out in a policy vacuum. “There is currently no enduring, clear long-term climate policy. There is also a lack of integration between electricity sector planning processes and climate policy,” the ENA report says. It notes barriers to efficient decarbonisation “will be exacerbated if distributed energy resources are not utilised to support system balancing, facilitated by network optimisation systems”. The release of the roadmap follows the publication of a draft version last December just before the Coalition decided to rule out an emissions-intensity scheme for the electricity sector after a brief internal revolt. The ENA’s new report continues to argue that an emission-intensity baseline and credit scheme for the electricity sector, and “technology-neutral” carbon policy, would allow the transition to low-emissions power sources at least cost to households. Australia must put a price on carbon, say institutional investors Read more It says an intensity scheme or an “alternative policy of similar merit” should be rolled out by 2020, and the government should pursue “review opportunities to introduce an economy-wide carbon pricing mechanism” by 2026. Bradley says the intense transformation required in the electricity sector will only be possible if the industry agrees on a clear roadmap, and with “stable and enduring carbon policy to support investment”. A range of influential organisations have told the current Finkel review of the national electricity market the Turnbull government needs to put a price on carbon or adopt a market mechanism to drive emissions reduction. A string of peak bodies have used the review to call for the adoption of a market mechanism, including the National Farmers’ Federation, the Investor Group on Climate Change and the Business Council of Australia, which explicitly called for an emissions intensity scheme. The current industry consensus around carbon pricing is a major turnaround in a very short period of time. Three years ago some of the same groups urged the parliament to get out of the way so that Tony Abbott could repeal the Gillard government’s “carbon tax”.
November 3 marks the 60th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik 2, a mere month after Sputnik 1's successful lift-off kickstarted the Space Age and a race that would last for almost the entirety of the Cold War. On November 3 in 1957, the Soviet Union stunned the world with the launch of Sputnik 2 — the second spacecraft the USSR had launched into the Earth's orbit, and the first ever to carry a living passenger — the famed space dog Laika. On 3 November 1957 — 60 years ago — #Sputnik2 was launched into space with the heroic #Laika on-board — first living being to orbit Earth pic.twitter.com/6ZqEzVhM3T — Russia in RSA 🇷🇺 (@EmbassyofRussia) November 3, 2017 The Space Age, and race, had erupted less than a month previously, with the launch of Sputnik 1, the first Soviet satellite, on October 4 in 1957. Due to the seismic success of that project, Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered leading rocket engineer Sergey Korolev back to work, in order to create a second satellite that could be in space in time for the 40th anniversary of the Bolshevik revolution. It has been suggested by some Western sources that Khrushchev pressured Korolev into creating Sputnik 2 against his will, and despite the engineer's belief the project would end in failure — in reality, Korolev was excited at the prospect of a new exploration project. He believed the second Sputnik could serve as a test run for launching humans into space. 60 years ago today, Nov 3, 1957, USSR launched Sputnik 2 with dog Laika, the first animal in orbit #History #space pic.twitter.com/w7vT5vKrsb — Charleston Daily (@ChuckTownDaily) November 3, 2017 The cone-shaped Sputnik 2 capsule was four-meters high, with a base diameter of two meters. On board, in addition to Laika, were radio transmitters, a telemetry system, a programming unit, regeneration and temperature-control systems for the cabin, and scientific instruments. Engineering and biological data were transmitted to Earth for a 15-minute period during each orbit. Two photometers on board measured solar radiation and cosmic rays, while a 100 line television camera provided images of Laika. It was launched into orbit with a period of 103.7 via a modified ICBM R-7, similar to the one used to launch Sputnik 1, about 5:30 PM Moscow time. Six days later, on the 40th anniversary of the revolution, Khrushchev said, "our first Sputnik is not lonely in its travels." Sputnik 2 reentered the atmosphere April 14 in 1958, after 162 days in space and somewhere in the region of 2500 orbits. Best in Show Laika was one of ten dogs — all strays found on the streets of Moscow — considered for the mission. Soviet scientists assumed stray animals had already learned to endure conditions of extreme cold and hunger. October 3 1957 Sputnik-2 was launched carrying first animal- #Laika, simple mongrel that made inestimable contribution to space exploration pic.twitter.com/gZ654KCLYS — МИД России Крым (@PMSimferopol) November 3, 2017 This dectet was whittled down to three — Laika, Albina (a back-up), and Muhka (used to test equipment). She was chosen for her "phlegmatic" temperament — weighing around 11 pounds, and three years old, Soviet personnel gave her several names and nicknames, among them Kudryavka (Little Curly), Zhuchka (Little Bug), and Limonchik (Little Lemon). Her true pedigree is unknown, although it's thought she was part husky. Laika, the Russian name for several breeds of dogs similar to her, was the name popularized around the world — although the US media mockingly dubbed her Muttnik. Vladimir Yazdovsky, who trained Laika, subsequently wrote that the intrepid hound was "quiet and charming." Laika is honored with a statue and plaque in Star City, Russia, the Russian Cosmonaut training facility, and Moscow's imposing Monument to the Conquerors of Space, constructed 1964, also includes Laika. © Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich The Monument to the Conquerors of Space in Moscow. Her cultural reach extends beyond Russia and the former Soviet Union — Laika is prominently mentioned in the 1985 film My Life as a Dog, in which the main character (a young Swedish boy in the late 1950s) identifies strongly with her. An eponymous 2007 graphic novel by Nick Abadzis offers a fictionalized account of her life —and she was also the inspiration for the song Neighborhood 2 by Canadian rock sensation Arcade Fire. Shock, Awe and Panic The rapidity with which the USSR followed their first space triumph awed and terrified the West in equal measure. The mission reaped a rich research bounty, with 70,000 signal acquisitions received from the satellite, and invaluable data on space radiation, shortwave emissions from the Sun, and the feasibility of living organisms surviving in space. The Van Allen radiation belt could even be named the "Verno Belt" after S.N. Vernov from Moscow State University — Sputnik 2 detected the Earth's outer radiation belt in the far northern latitudes, but researchers did not immediately realize its significance. Such was the shock at the highest echelons of American society, the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) published an analysis of the flight in March 1958. The study was initiated by fears the Soviets would put a human being in space not long after, which indeed did come to pass. Perhaps not wishing to believe their Cold War opponent was far more advanced in the field of space exploration, the document stated CIA officials were initially skeptical of whether Sputnik 2 did indeed transport Laika to space, but conceded the craft did indeed "carry a live dog." The day after Sputnik 2 went into orbit, the Gaither committee, which was investigating the impact of a nuclear attack on the US, met with President Dwight Eisenhower to brief him on the situation. Committee representatives were panicked, afraid they were falling so far behind the Soviets technologically it would put the country in danger of a nuclear strike. However, Eisenhower kept calm, keen to keep the country from "going hog-wild and from embarking on foolish, costly schemes."
The 2014-15 San Jose Sharks and Austin Powers have something in common, they each lost their mojo. Unfortunately for Sharks fans, Team Teal didn’t save the world and get the Stanley Cup in the end. They didn’t have their mojo all along because their GM Doug Wilson stole it and crushed it. Not “Close Enough” The much less talked about offseason comment from Wilson about 10 months ago was his stating that he doesn’t think his club is “close enough with where other teams are at.” Oh really? So 111 points, a top-3 possession team, and nearly beating the Stanley Cup Champions two years in a row isn’t close enough? That is an absurd take. The Sharks in 2013 and 2014 couldn’t have been any closer without winning the Stanley Cup. Losing in the first round versus any other doesn’t matter. Every year great teams get knocked out in the first round, that doesn’t mean they weren’t close enough, it is just that 16 teams get in and only half can move on. When you face a Stanley Cup final worthy matchup in the first round because of the new playoff format, losing that series doesn’t mean you weren’t good enough to make a deep run. The 2012-13 Sharks were much better than the 2010-11 Sharks that went one round further. Just because their season ended a round shorter doesn’t mean they were worse. The 2013 Antti Niemi was by far superior to his 2011 playoff self. This is a game of bounces, and sometimes you play great hockey and lose. It happens. By stating he thinks his team isn’t close enough to with where the other teams are at, Wilson might as well said “we’re not good enough to win the Stanley Cup” because that is essentially what he said. And when, do you ever hear anyone else say such a thing? Every offseason each team should be renewing confidence that with the right moves, this could be the year they put it all together. Instead, Wilson took a team that has always had a high level of confidence and mojo and he did the worst possible thing he could do, he crushed their confidence. Somber Dressing Room Those of us around the Sharks players and coaches will tell you that the word confidence gets mentioned time and time again in the dressing room. A large majority of the time when players or coaches are asked to praise certain players, they often will mention something about a high confidence level. Confidence is huge in hockey. And regardless of whether a team hoisted the Cup or finished dead last in the league the year before, the confidence level should always be high during the offseason. The goal and the expectation should always be to win the Stanley Cup. Certainly struggling teams may focus on simply making the playoffs, but you definitely don’t hear someone like Carolina Hurricanes GM Ron Francis saying “we’re not close enough” with other teams. Perhaps it is my bias clouding my recollection but even when the Sharks were in the middle of winning stretches this season, the vibe in the dressing room wasn’t the same. Maybe because the Sharks actually lost more home games than they won this season the general feel after games was somber because of the increase in losses. Regardless, largely because of Wilson’s bizarre offseason that lacked any sense of direction, the Sharks dressing room didn’t have the same feel whatsoever. One can only wonder what this Sharks season could have been if Wilson had instead said something like this after last season ended: “We’re all incredibly disappointed and pissed off about the finish to our season. Every single one of us takes responsibility for not finding a way to get the job done. That said, we will be back next season stronger than ever, we will re-tool, reload, get better, and be a top tier team yet again.” Negative Nancy Even if Wilson still made the majority of the same questionable personnel moves like Burns to defense and signing John Scott, had he kept confidence and expectations high, that could have been the difference between playoffs and no playoffs. Of course by keeping confidence high, that would have included leaving the captaincy with Thornton and not having made comments about players wanting to play here and not just live here. Had he stayed away from all that negativity, that would have been a significant boost to this team’s performance. It certainly wouldn’t boost the performance as much as adding a top-four defenseman would have, but confidence both individually and collectively for the team is crucial to sustaining success. There is no room for self-doubt or feeling sorry for themselves. And that is basically what Wilson allowed the Sharks to do this past season. He allowed the team as a whole to stop believing they were capable of more. And that is not what you want from your sports team. You always want to believe your team is capable of more.
Veteran Tory MP set to join 90 opposition MPs in voting against Brexit bill – as senior Labour MP Clive Lewis weighs up whether to rebel Kenneth Clarke is preparing to line up with around 90 MPs from opposition parties, including Labour rebels, the SNP and Liberal Democrats, to vote against the government’s Brexit bill. The veteran Conservative delivered an impassioned speech to colleagues about his decision, accusing the Conservative party that he has represented for almost five decades of becoming anti-immigrant. Clarke told colleagues that even his former colleague Enoch Powell, best known for his infamous Rivers of Blood speech, would be surprised to see what had become of the Tories. Only moderate Tories can prevent a rock-hard Brexit. They must rebel \| Rafael Behr Read more “If he was here he would probably find it amazing to believe that his party had become Eurosceptic and rather mildly anti-immigrant in a strange way in 2016,” he said. “I’m afraid on that I haven’t followed them and I don’t intend to do so.” The decision over how to handle the Brexit legislation is also causing angst for Jeremy Corbyn as dozens of Labour politicians prepare to rebel against a three-line whip ordering them to support the triggering of article 50. Clive Lewis, the shadow business secretary, has said he will vote with the government on Brexit on Wednesday but will not back the two-clause bill next week if Labour fails to secure any amendments to it. If Labour maintains a three-line whip in that situation he could become the second shadow cabinet member to resign, after Jo Stevens – with speculation also surrounding another frontbencher, Rachael Maskall. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Enoch Powell, shown speaking in 1970, is well known for the Rivers of Blood speech. Photograph: Popperfoto/Getty Images And in a letter, seen by the Guardian, the shadow Brexit secretary, Keir Starmer, admitted that people have urged him to consider resigning his frontbench post to reflect the 75% remain vote in his London constituency – Holborn and St Pancras. Sources tell the Guardian that May is planning to publish the government’s Brexit white paper on Thursday. They say the prime minister may make one further concession first to avoid Tory backbenchers lining up with opposition parties to vote for amendments. They suggest May is minded to agree to report back to parliament on the progress on Brexit negotiations four times a year. The Brexit bill, forced on the government by a supreme court ruling, triggered a passionate hours-long debate in parliament on Tuesday in which MPs from all parties clashed over the question of Britain’s exit from the EU. In his speech, Clarke, a lifelong Europhile, dismissed the “pathetic” arguments of both the leave and remain campaigns in June’s referendum, citing the promise of £350m for the NHS each week and the threat of a post-Brexit punishment budget as among the “dafter” ideas. He also mocked the optimism of Brexit supporters, saying: “Apparently you follow the rabbit down the hole and you emerge in a wonderland where suddenly countries around the world are queuing up to give us trading advantages and access to their markets that previously we had never been able to achieve as part of the European Union. Brexit bill and article 50: what happens next? Read more “Nice men like President Trump and President Erdoğan are just impatient to abandon their normal protectionism and give us access.” He said there was nothing disloyal about sticking to his principles on the issue of Brexit because supporting European cooperation through the union had been official Conservative policy for half a century. “I admire my colleagues who can suddenly become enthusiastic Brexiteers, having seen the light on the road to Damascus on the day that the vote was cast,” he said. “I’m afraid that light has been denied me.” Facebook Twitter Pinterest Clive Lewis is thought to be considering his position in the shadow cabinet over Corbyn’s three-line whip. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian Moreover, Clarke argued that hardcore Tory Eurosceptics would not have abandoned their arguments had they lost the referendum. The speech, which ended with a round of applause – normally banned inside the Commons’ chamber – from opposition MPs, was followed by similarly ardent interventions from Brexiters including Bill Cash, who called the vote to leave the EU a “peaceful revolution”. Labour’s Kate Hoey strongly rejected the notion that the referendum vote was anti-immigration, arguing that it was about making the system fairer for those from outside the EU. The speeches came after Brexit secretary David Davis opened the debate by urging MPs to deliver the will of the people. He said the “point of no return” had already passed, adding that there would be “no attempts to remain inside the EU, no attempts to rejoin it by the back door and no second referendum”. Ken Clarke ensures a quiet leaving do after article 50 fireworks \| John Crace Read more Davis said people were watching to see if politicians would keep their word: “Now we must honour our side of the agreement to vote to deliver on the result. We are considering a very simple question: Do we trust the people or not?” Starmer said Labour would not block the process, but he admitted it had not been an easy decision. “For the Labour party it is a difficult bill. We are a fiercely internationalist party, we are a pro-European party,” the shadow Brexit secretary told the Commons. “But we lost the referendum,” he said, adding that Labour was a party of democrats and had to honour the outcome, however painful that was. Starmer has also written to his London constituents, who voted overwhelmingly remain, to explain his position. In the letter, seen by the Guardian, he admitted: “I know that many people have urged me to reflect on the 75% remain vote in Holborn and St Pancras by voting against article 50 and resigning my post in the shadow cabinet,” he wrote, saying he understood the arguments. But Starmer argued that giving up his shadow cabinet post would stop him questioning the government “relentlessly” from the front bench. Only moderate Tories can prevent a rock-hard Brexit. They must rebel \| Rafael Behr Read more “It would be [wrong] to walk off the pitch just when we need effective challenge to government. I believe that would be the wrong thing to do,” he said. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Brexit secretary David Davis said the ‘point of no return’ had been passed. Photograph: PA Starmer and a Labour colleague, Chris Leslie, are pushing for amendments that would make the final vote on Brexit in parliament more meaningful, by ensuring that it comes before the negotiated deal is put to the European parliament. Some Tory backbenchers are interested in the idea, because they are unhappy with May’s suggestion that the vote will be a choice between accepting the deal or crashing out of the EU on World Trade Organization trading terms. But sources have told the Guardian that they are unlikely to be able to defeat the government in a vote and instead are pushing for concessions. It comes as a poll for Open Britain, carried out by YouGov, shows that 51% of people would want negotiations to continue if MPs reject the deal, while only 34% would want the UK to withdraw from the EU with no agreement. And a survey of MPs by the UK in a Changing Europe suggests big differences in what they want out of the negotiations, with 72% of leavers prioritising immigration control with a much more mixed response from remainers.
Emily Lakdawalla • February 4, 2015 Mars Orbiter Mission images Mars' moons, including the far side of Deimos There has not been very much news out of the Mars Orbiter Mission since the Siding Spring flyby last October. Today I'm excited to show you some previously unreleased images from Mars Orbiter Mission, containing Mars' moons Phobos and Deimos, which were also taken in October. Some of these photos were included in a Lunar and Planetary Science Conference abstract (PDF), which also mentioned that the Mars Colour Camera has returned a total of 250 images as of the time of the abstract submission. I contacted the Mars Colour Camera's head scientist, Ashutosh Arya, for permission to post the images of Mars' moons here, and he kindly shared these versions with me. According to a second abstract submitted to LPSC (PDF), the Mars Colour Camera team does eventually plan to make all images public in a format compatible with NASA's Planetary Data System, although they did not specify a schedule for the data release. OK, to the pictures. First: Phobos, seen above and then crossing Mars' disk. We have much higher-resolution images of Phobos, of course, but it's so rare to see it in color, to see its rich dark brown against Mars' orange. ISRO Phobos above Mars, from Mars Orbiter Mission Mars orbiter Mission saw Phobos above Mars at 11:25 UT on October 14, 2014. Stickney crater is at the lower right. Resolution of the image is about 550 meters per pixel; Phobos is roughly 25 kilometers wide. Mars orbiter Mission saw Phobos above Mars at 11:25 UT on October 14, 2014. Stickney crater is at the lower right. Resolution of the image is about 550 meters per pixel; Phobos is roughly 25 kilometers wide. ISRO Phobos over Mars, from Mars Orbiter Mission Mars orbiter Mission saw Phobos in front of Mars at 11:25 UT on October 14, 2014. Stickney crater is at the lower right. Resolution of the image is about 550 meters per pixel; Phobos is roughly 25 kilometers wide. Mars orbiter Mission saw Phobos in front of Mars at 11:25 UT on October 14, 2014. Stickney crater is at the lower right. Resolution of the image is about 550 meters per pixel; Phobos is roughly 25 kilometers wide. These photos remind me a lot of the ones from Phobos 2: Russian Academy of Sciences / Ted Stryk Phobos crossing Mars' limb from Phobos 2 The moon Phobos, 25 kilometers in diameter, is much darker than bright, dusty Mars, as seen in this image captured by the Phobos 2 spacecraft on February 28, 1989. Phobos 2 took a total of 13 color sets of images of Phobos before contact was lost on March 27, 1989. The moon Phobos, 25 kilometers in diameter, is much darker than bright, dusty Mars, as seen in this image captured by the Phobos 2 spacecraft on February 28, 1989. Phobos 2 took a total of 13 color sets of images of Phobos before contact was lost on March 27, 1989. And now, here's Deimos from Mars Orbiter Mission. It's okay, I don't blame you if you're underwhelmed by these pictures; it looks like a wad of chewing gum. But stick with me and I'll explain why these pictures are significant. Arya sent me these four pictures: ISRO Four views of the anti-Mars side of Deimos by Mars Orbiter Mission Mars Orbiter Mission captured these four images of Deimos about 12 seconds apart at 13:06 UT on October 14, 2014. The images have a resolution of about 300 meters per pixel; Deimos is roughly 13 kilometers wide. Mars Orbiter Mission captured these four images of Deimos about 12 seconds apart at 13:06 UT on October 14, 2014. The images have a resolution of about 300 meters per pixel; Deimos is roughly 13 kilometers wide. I enlarged them 400% and stacked them to try to make something of them. If nothing else, the stacking reduced the artifacts of the Bayer color interpolation in the originals. ISRO / processed by Emily Lakdawalla Mars Orbiter Mission photo of the far side of Deimos Like most solar system moons, Deimos always keeps the same hemisphere facing Mars. It's rare for spacecraft to view the hemisphere that faces away from Mars, but Mars Orbiter Mission's long, elliptical orbit permits it to do that. This image is a composite of four different exposures, stacked and enlarged 400%. Like most solar system moons, Deimos always keeps the same hemisphere facing Mars. It's rare for spacecraft to view the hemisphere that faces away from Mars, but Mars Orbiter Mission's long, elliptical orbit permits it to do that. This image is a composite of four different exposures, stacked and enlarged 400%. These photos don't look like much, but they are of a face of Deimos that we almost never see: the anti-Mars side, from a perspective just a little below the equator. (Many many thanks to Phil Stooke for helping me understand the orientation of this photo. Without him it would still look like a wad of chewing gum to me.) Here, I made a little Vine to show you, employing my handy-dandy paper model of Deimos: Please accept marketing-cookies to watch this video. I know of only one other photo taken from a similar perspective: NASA / JPL / O. de Goursac Deimos over Pasteur crater, Mars The moon Deimos over Pasteur crater, Mars. Taken as part of a transit sequence on January 2, 1978. The moon Deimos over Pasteur crater, Mars. Taken as part of a transit sequence on January 2, 1978. Most Mars missions operate in orbits much lower than that of Deimos. Since Deimos keeps the same face pointed at Mars all the time, any spacecraft that orbits below it only sees the Mars-facing hemisphere; it never sees half of Deimos. Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Express, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter -- they always only see half of the moon. Even the Viking Orbiters, which reached periapses outside Deimos' orbit, usually saw the leading and trailing hemispheres. Mars Orbiter Mission, with its uniquely elliptical orbit reaching to 77,000 kilometers above Mars, does get to face the far side of Deimos. And it gets color photos! I fervently hope that they will be able to get some pictures of Deimos from closer range, to achieve a better color portrait of the far side of Deimos. To place the Mars Orbiter Mission images in context, here are the best Deimos images from Mariner 9 (yes, Mariner 9 data is still relevant today, for Mars' outer moon): NASA / JPL / Emily Lakdawalla Five views of Deimos from Mariner 9 Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to capture detailed views of Mars' two moons. These five images were captured between December 20, 1971 and February 20, 1972. They showed a strangely smooth world with a linear ridge running across it. Mariner 9 was the first spacecraft to capture detailed views of Mars' two moons. These five images were captured between December 20, 1971 and February 20, 1972. They showed a strangely smooth world with a linear ridge running across it. And here is every single Viking Orbiter image targeted at Deimos. (It doesn't include sequences, like the color picture above, that were aimed at Mars but happened to have Deimos in the field of view.) This is what we are working with, when it comes to photographic maps of the far side of Deimos. Whatever Mars Orbiter Mission can add will be a bonus! NASA / JPL / Emily Lakdawalla Every Viking Orbiter image of Mars' moon Deimos Mars' outer and smaller moon Deimos appears in 111 Viking Orbiter images gathered between August 16, 1976, and October 18, 1978. Targeting Deimos was a challenge, and it was often cut off at the edge of the frame. Mars' outer and smaller moon Deimos appears in 111 Viking Orbiter images gathered between August 16, 1976, and October 18, 1978. Targeting Deimos was a challenge, and it was often cut off at the edge of the frame. Emily Lakdawalla Senior Editor and Planetary Evangelist for The Planetary Society Read more articles by Emily Lakdawalla
Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez has been accused of tax evasion during his time at Barcelona, with claims that the public prosecutor has opened an investigation over allegedly 'actively withholding' taxes. According to Barcelona-based newspaper El Periodico, the Chilean is accused of attempting to defraud the Inland Revenue of €983,443 [£888,736] during his time with Barcelona from 2011 until 2014. The newspaper also revealed that Sanchez could face a prison sentence if he was to be found guilty after accusations that he withheld taxes from his image rights. The 27-year-old is alleged to have failed to declare €587,677 [£531,372] in 2012 and a further €395,766 [£357,817] a year later. Sanchez is also accused of simulating the transfer of image rights to an offshore company, based in Malta, called Numidia Trading. Barcelona players Javier Mascherano and Lionel Messi have both previously been investigated for similar accusations, with the former handed a suspended jail sentence of one year. Mascherano admitted two counts of tax fraud totalling over €1.5m after failing to declare his earnings between 2011 and 2012. Messi was given a longer suspended sentence of 21 months having been found guilty of defrauding Spanish tax authorities of €4.1m, and was also ordered to pay €1.7m in fines in May this year. It's likely that, if Sanchez were to be found guilty, he would face a similar sentence. The former Barcelona forward was in action on Tuesday night and helped his teammates come back from behind to beat Ludogorets 3-2. Victory saw Arsenal confirm their progression to the last 16 of the Champions League with two group games remaining <section><h2>What's Your Football IQ?</h2></section><section><h2>Which player sold the most shirts over the course of the 2015/16 season?</h2></section><section><h3>Which club has the most lucrative shirt sponsorship deal in the world?</h3></section><section><h3>What is the most expensive football stadium ever built?</h3></section><section><h3>Which club made the most revenue last season?</h3></section><section><h3>What's the highest sum ever paid for a footballer?</h3></section><section><h3>Which of these players has two degrees to his name?</h3></section><section><h3>Which Premier League club sells the most expensive season ticket?</h3></section><section><h3>Who is the highest paid manager in the world?</h3></section><section><h3>Which of these three clubs were the last to go bankrupt?</h3></section><section><h3>Which Premier League club spent the most in the 2016 summer transfer window?</h3></section><section><h2>Lets hope you can pull off the "(I failed but) I am rich" line, because you're in lots of trouble!</h2><p><div>Bet You Didn't Know: Mario Balotelli was once presented with a bidet by an Italian TV show.</div></p></section><section><h3>Looks over brains. You'd hope, anyway.</h3><p><div>Bet You Didn't Know: Sergio Ramos loves to sing, plays classical Spanish guitar and loves dancing Flamenco.</div></p></section><section><h3>Nice one! You're the Juan Mata of football finance knowledge.</h3><p><div>Bet You Didn't Know - A savvy businessman, Mata part owns a tapas restaurant in Manchester.</div></p></section><section><h3>Cracking score! You're right up there with Frank Lampard for smarts!</h3><p><div>Bet You Didn't Know: Lampard once recorded an IQ score of 150.</div></p></section><section><h3>What a score! You're as smart as Socrates!</h3><p><div>Bet You Didn't Know: Socrates was a heavy smoker but also a qualified doctor of medicine.</div></p></section>
For more than 60 years the 10,000 Germans who fled their country to join the British Army and fight against the Nazi regime have remained silent. But yesterday those veterans who have survived spoke for the first time about taking up arms against their fellow countrymen. At the first reunion since the Second World War of those who chose to battle Adolf Hitler, 200 German and Austrian veterans met at the Imperial War Museum. While initially only allowed to do menial tasks in the Pioneer Corps the men were soon allowed into specialised units such as the SAS and Special Operations Executive. "The more Germans I fought against the better,” said Ernest Goodman who changed his name from Guttmann when he joined the Coldstream Guards. “We had to get rid of them. It was an evil gangster regime and the world was united against them.” As a German-Jew his family realised the dangers ahead and he was able to flee the country under a special scheme aided by the Quakers. "I was very thankful to Britain because I was safe. It was the noblest deed any nation has ever done.” He fought with the Guards armoured division through France, Belgium and Holland before suffering a gunshot wound during the River Rhine crossing. Back in London the Breslau-born soldier returned to mount guard outside Buckingham Palace and the Bank of England. The capture of the traitor William Joyce, otherwise known as the propagandist broadcaster “Lord Haw Haw” was largely down to a German who had also swapped sides. Geoffrey Perry, a German-Jew, was part of a special military unit called Target Force involved in “information control” as the Nazi regime collapsed. Patrolling with a colleague in woods outside Hamburg a few days after the War’s end, he came across a “lonely character” who addressed them in English. "We identified a voice that sounded like William Joyce. When I challenged him he denied it.” When the man put a hand in his pocket 2nd Lt Perry shot him. ”I thought he was going for a gun. I aimed low but in fact hit his buttocks and he suffered four holes because it went through both buttocks.” Joyce was hanged eight months later. Willy Field, now 87, avoided almost certain death in Dachau concentration camp - where his parents and brother were killed - when a permit was issued for him to come to England in 1939. He was granted “friendly enemy alien” status and joined the 8th Hussars because “I wanted to attack Germany after all that had happened to me” Mr Field, now 87 and married to a Berliner for 58 years, fought from the Normandy beaches to Hamburg and was the only survivor of a tank hit by artillery. The veterans were speaking at the launch of the book “The King’s Most Loyal Enemy Aliens”, by Helen Fry, which recounts the scores of experiences of those Germans who fled the Nazis and joined British forces.
She threw up in the bathroom after every bite of sushi. We were at Nobu, a relatively expensive sushi place in NYC. Earlier that day she had gone to the doctor and had her stomach stapled. Actually, that’s not quite correct. It was a newer technology. There was a band surgically placed inside of her stomach. When she wanted to prevent herself from eating, she would go to the doctor and he would tighten the band. And then later, she would get him to loosen it. She was going on a trip through all the great food countries of Europe. All the rich, buttery places: Paris, Rome, etc. She was going with her brand new fiancé, a high-priced patent attorney. So she knew she would be eating a lot and she wanted to avoid eating in the week before going. So why, then, go to Nobu? Because my new girlfriend had insisted to her that Nobu was the perfect place. She wanted to show off her new boyfriend, me. Or, if not show off, then at least get her girlfrend’s approval of me. And I was nervous. Just thirty minutes earlier I had thrown out my favorite coat. It was filled with holes. I bought a coat that I never wore again. I didn’t want to look cheap. I was insecure. My new girlfriend was a psychiatrist. Her friend’s fiancé was a fancy lawyer. And her friend, the girl with the stomach band was, and still is, the admissions officer at a high-priced private school for the children of actors and hedge fund managers. I was nothing. She had the tiniest sliver of raw tuna tartar. She got up, “Excuse me” and went to the bathroom. It was her fifth trip to the bathroom. Her fifth slice of the thinnest slice of tuna. Her fiancé smiled and shrugged his shoulders at us. My new girlfriend, the psychiatrist, leaned over at him and pointed her finger, “Listen,” she said and her voice was firm like a teacher’s, “My patients are all anorexic teenage girls. She has a problem and YOU have to tell her.” “I don’t know what to do?” he said, “she just does what she does.” “Sweetheart,” my girlfriend said to him, “you’re going to marry her. She’s going to be around your kids. You are condoning this behavior by not putting a stop to it. Do you want your kids observing this behavior every night?” And he shrugged his shoulders and smiled. He said, “you’re right but that’s who she is.” And then stomach girl came back. I was silent throughout. I was nervous and wanted to create a good impression. Creating a good impression was a complicated concoction of not saying anything, saying things that were funny, saying things about patent law that I had no clue about, saying things about food that made stomach girl laugh, saying pseudo-romantic things that made my psychiatrist girlfriend say, “oh, isn’t he so sweet?” and finally constantly reaffirming that I was definitely getting a divorce and the paperwork was in the mail, which was a lie. Plus I had my new coat. – Two or three days later I was late for a date with psychiatrist. I also knew roughly where I was going to take her but I wasn’t totally sure. I called her. She said, “You’re five minutes late and you still don’t even know where we are going to eat?” I agreed with her. “You are so close, honey. You are so close to landing on the landing strip but you’re going to crash and burn. You are totally crashing and burning right now. You are really crashing and burning.” I started to panic.I said, “Ok, I’m at the restaurant waiting for you.” AndI just walked into the closest restaurant I could find and told her the directions. When she got there she started crying. “Did I blow it already?”she said. “Did I blow it by telling you you had crashed and burned?” I told her no. I told her I thought it was endearing. She went to the bathroom to wash her tears. — A few days later we watched a movie at my place. I told her I lived at the Chelsea Hotel but she didn’t realize that was like saying I lived in a shithole with potential rats, condoms in the elevator, drug dealers in the room next door, prostitutes in the lobby, and horrible art all over the walls. Not to mention bad carpeting. I don’t know what she thought when I said I lived in a hotel but the reality turned out to be below her expectations. We just watched the movie and she didn’t stay the night. The next day she told me, “I had to talk to my therapist about you. You live in hell. I can’t go there anymore. I thought you would have more respect for yourself and live in a nicer place. My therapist thinks that you living in a hotel means you’re not really capable of committing to anything.” I tried to explain to her that I was staying in the exact same room I stayed in for three years BEFORE I had gotten married. That, if anything, this room was the most committed to any one location that I had ever been before. That returning to the Chelsea was my way of reestablishing my life, of building roots into what I was familiar with. “No,” she said, “You need an apartment”. So I got an apartment. Right across from the New York Stock Exchange downtown. “Don’t expect me to come visit you that much,” she said. “It’s too far away.” But she visited anyway. She didn’t want to fool around though. We went to dinner instead. I was feeling insecure. It was the first time she had seen my place. Aren’t you supposed to consummate things like this? “Oh no,” she said, “not this conversation already. Forget it. Just forget it.” I didn’t talk for the rest of the dinner but I felt like crying. I didn’t understand anything that was happening. I walked her to a cab and paid for the cab to take her home. She wrote me a long email the next day saying I had a lot of problems and she was an expert and that I should seek help. I didn’t respond. Nor did I ever see her again. A few weeks later she wrote to me and said,”hey, what happened to you? Where are you? Why haven’t I heard from you? This is such a drag because I finally cancelled my membership to match.com because of you.” But I didn’t respond. She has since unfriended me on facebook. — Psychiatrists, lawyers, admissions officers throwing up in the bathroom. I was the only one at that initial dinner that hadn’t finished a degree higher than a Bachelors (I was thrown out of graduate school. The actual letter throwing me out 20 years earlier cited my lack of maturity.) When your kid applies to an exclusive private school in Manhattan, I might actually know the admissions officer who decides if your kid is good enough. I hope this doesn’t sound bitter. I’m really not. And I’ve changed some details so any lawyers involved can’t sue me. It wasn’t Nobu, for instance. It was another sushi restaurant. And she wasn’t a psychiatrist but a psychologist. And it wasn’t match.com but another dating site. And she hadn’t allowed me to actually use the word “girlfriend” yet. “Too soon,” she said. And I actually did cry at the final dinner instead of just feeling like it. After that last dinner and I put her in a cab I was feeling lonely. I called a friend of mine who lived in the area and we went for a walk. I was happy because it was around midnight. “What happened to X?” she asked. “It doesn’t look like it’s working out,” I said “How come? I thought you really liked her.” We crossed the bridge that connected Battery Park City with the rest of Manhattan. I tried to think of why it wasn’t working out. All I could think was that New York City had too many people in it. Maybe too many people with advanced degrees. “To be honest, I have no idea why it’s not going to work out with her. I did really like her. But sometimes things just work out for the best instead.” And they did.
Melbourne Cup activists scale crane, block Flemington train line in Manus Island protest Updated A woman has been arrested after she was found "bolted" to the steering wheel of a car parked on the train line to Flemington Racecourse as part of a protest, police say. Key points: A group calling itself the Whistleblowers, Activists & Citizens Alliance claims responsibility for the protest The car's tyres had been let down and it was covered in protest messages About 20 protesters were at the scene when police arrived Police beefed up their presence at the Melbourne Cup as a result of the protest, and another in which two women scaled a crane to unfurl a banner, which read "SOS: Evacuate Manus Now". A group calling itself the Whistleblowers, Activists & Citizens Alliance (WACA) claimed responsibility. The car's tyres had been let down and it was covered in similar protest messages. It caused major delays on the Flemington Racecourse train line, and racegoers were forced to get off a train and walk along the tracks to the racecourse. Victoria Police Superintendent Tim Hansen said about 20 protesters were at the scene when police arrived. "They left the vehicle in situ with the tyres let down, and a female protester was bolted to the steering wheel of that vehicle," he said. "Police attended, all other protesters decamped immediately, and with the assistance of MFB we extracted that female from the vehicle and she was arrested." The woman, a 27-year-old from Moonee Ponds, was still being interviewed by police and was likely to be charged with offences including reckless conduct endangering life, Superintendent Hansen said. Two other protesters, Hannah Patchett and Katherine Woskett, abseiled from a crane at Flemington about 12.30pm to unfurl the protest banner. "We are joining with others across Australia to demand that the Government evacuate the men on Manus immediately and bring them to safety for processing," WACA spokeswoman Charlotte Lynch said. Superintendent Hansen said those women were interviewed, but no charges had been laid yet. "Police immediately made contact with the protest group and successfully negotiated an outcome where those protesters removed themselves from the crane after a period of time," Superintendent Hansen said. He said police were generally happy with crowd behaviour, but seven people were evicted for drunkenness and "general offending", and another two were arrested for drunkenness. The WACA group has a history of civil disobedience. Last year, protesters scaled Parliament House in Canberra and glued their hands to the public gallery. Australia's detention facility on Manus Island, which housed 600 men, was permanently closed at the end of October and returned to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force. The PNG Government told the men they had to move to new accommodation in the town of Lorengau, after the country's supreme court ruled the detention facility was unconstitutional. Power, water and the food service has now been cut off to the site. However, the men have been reluctant to leave, fearing for their safety, and had been stockpiling water in the lead-up to the closure of the centre. Topics: racing, community-and-society, immigration, refugees, government-and-politics, activism-and-lobbying, flemington-3031, melbourne-3000, vic First posted
oted actress Nagma, the Congress' Lok Sabha candidate from Meerut, is finding it harder to disperse Congress workers than to woo voters. In a brief chat with The Sunday Guardian during a campaign event in the city, she disclosed that some workers are showing too much "affection" toward her. She even slapped a worker who came too close to her when she filed her nomination last week. She has now called her mother to be with her and a bevy of female Congress workers accompany her wherever she goes to campaign. "Wherever I go, I am mobbed and people show their affection. People insist I have tea at every corner and keep coming up to greet me. I respect their feelings, but I am here to fight elections and we have very little time left to connect with voters in this large constituency. Unfortunately, many of our workers are not taking campaigning seriously," said Nagma. Angry with the workers' behaviour during her road shows, she announced at a poll meeting in Surya Palace Farms that she would not do any more of them. "If our party colleagues organise community gatherings with a sufficient number of people atttending, I will definitely come. But I should be informed of the number of attendees in advance," said Nagma. Although she said that she wanted to connect to a larger group of voters and thus avoid roadshows, some of her party colleagues said that "she is finding hard to protect herself from unruly elements at such events". But despite her determination not to let party workers come too close to her, when anxious workers and some journalists requested a photo-op after the poll meeting, she obliged without any fuss.
For the study, which was recently published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, Luhrmann and her colleagues interviewed 60 adults diagnosed with schizophrenia—20 each in San Mateo, California; Accra, Ghana; and Chennai, India. The patients were asked how many voices they heard, how often they heard them, and what the voices were like. There were a number of cross-cultural similarities: Everyone from the Ghanians to the Californians reported hearing both good and bad voices and hearing unexplained hissing and whispering. But there was one stark difference, as Stanford News points out: "While many of the African and Indian subjects registered predominantly positive experiences with their voices, not one American did. Rather, the U.S. subjects were more likely to report experiences as violent and hateful—and evidence of a sick condition." The Americans tended to described their voices as violent—"like torturing people, to take their eye out with a fork, or cut someone's head and drink their blood, really nasty stuff," according to the study. Meanwhile, the Indians and Africans were more likely to say that their hallucinations reminded them of friends and family, and that the voices were playful or even entertaining. "Mostly, the voices are good," said one Ghanian participant. A Chennai participant said, "I have a companion to talk [to] . . . [laughs] I need not go out to speak. I can talk within myself!" Luhrmann and her colleagues chalked up the differences in how the voices were perceived to distinct societal values. Americans desire individuality and independence, and the voices were seen as an intrusion into a self-made mind. Eastern and African cultures, meanwhile, tend to emphasize relationships and collectivism. There, a hallucination was more likely to be seen as just another point in the schizophrenic person's already extensive social network. In fact, the participants were sometimes so sympatico with their hallucinations that they didn't even see themselves as mentally ill: Many in the Chennai and Accra samples seemed to experience their voices as people: the voice was that of a human the participant knew, such as a brother or a neighbor, or a human-like spirit whom the participant also knew. These respondents seemed to have real human relationships with the voices—sometimes even when they did not like them. Luhrmann says she thinks her insights might help in the development of new therapies for schizophrenia sufferers the world over. There's no cure for schizophrenia, but some therapies urge patients to develop relationships with their hallucinated voices and to negotiate with them. In an article for the American Scholar, Luhrmann describes one such patient, a 20-year-0ld Dutch man named Hans, whose inner voices were urging him to study Buddhism for hours each day. He cut a deal with his demons, telling them he'd say Buddhist prayers for one hour per day, no more, no less. And it worked—the voices subsided and he was able to taper his dose of psychosis medications. At one support group for schizophrenic patients, Hans said a new, "nice" voice he had been hearing recently threatened to get mean. "This new voice seemed like it might get nasty," Luhrmann writes. "The group had told [Hans] that he needed to talk to it. They said that he should say, 'We have to live with each other and we have to make the best of it, and we can do it only if we respect each other.' He did that, and this new voice became nice."
FROM: Project Lead TO: Arma 3 Users INFO: First patch, Firstlook 2013 PRECEDENCE: Flash SITUATION We are in the final stages of preparing for the first post-release patch / main branch update. This does not yet contain the first campaign episode. There are a couple of fixes and improvements that will benefit the larger playerbase and would be good to get out. Recent optimizations benefit the performance of Altis, especially in scenarios with lots of AI units moving about. There are also a few fixes for Japanese and Korean versions - such as re-enabling blood and correcting broken font issues for some texts. The goal is to release later this week, but as per usual, this depends on testing. INTELLIGENCE If you are buying a digital copy of Arma 3, we recommend to use either Steam or Store.bistudio.com. This avoids the chance of encountering a fraudulent online Steam code vendor. Continuing a nice new tradition of pointing out developer favorite Workshop creations, designer Nelson Duarte shares his thoughts on 'Get The Hostages' by papy.rabbit.08: "You'll have to neutralize an AA vehicle, carefully approach a small enemy camp, rescue three civilian hostages, and call in the choppers for extraction. It's a short, but very cool open-world mission, which lets you complete the objective any way you like." OPERATIONS Two Dutchies on the Arma 3 team (Joris-Jan and Korneel van ‘t Land) will attend Firstlook 2013 expo in The Netherlands on October 5 / 6. Those who don’t know the game yet, can get hands-on at the MSI booth, as well as grill the devs for intel. Two main stage demos top things off - including, we hope, some first looks at future content additions. LOGISTICS Behind-the-scenes work continues on the campaign, new vehicles and weapons. We don’t have exact release dates set for individual assets. They are developed in parallel and when patches get close to release, we see if they are ready to be released. It’s very likely development branch will see new assets staged first. Devbranch aficionados have noted changes to existing idle animations they were using in modules and scripts. We have been splendidizing these and adding new ones for campaign purposes (in a seperate add-on due to release datalock). The new data will become available with the first patch (and devbranch before).
The board game space is expanding at a rapid pace, and there's still plenty of room for popular licensed IP. That goes for Saban's Power Rangers, which recently received a live-action reboot, and is more than due for a tabletop adaptation. The Power Rangers are primed for a tabletop debut. The series has loads of characters, Zords, enemies, and eras to choose from, and the on-screen action can take the form of miniatures, cards, dice, meeples, or pretty much any other mechanic you can think of. Now, it is true that the reboot did not light the box office on fire, though it did get a positive reception from fans and critics. Still, the beauty of the Power Rangers is that their popularity extends beyond just one avenue. The television series continues to thrive, including a brand new one this year called Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel. The toy lines are also some of the most popular (and profitable) toys on the market and in the comics BOOM! Studios has added another ongoing series to its Power Rangers universe for launch later this year. All said the franchise is doing quite well, so now the question becomes who's going to do it? All said the franchise is doing quite well, so now the question becomes who's going to make the game? That would fall to the talented crew over at Cool Mini Or Not (CMON for short). For those who have played their games, you know their visuals are second to none, and they have a penchant for developing systems for cooperative gameplay. Not only that, but their miniatures sculpts are stellar, and can either come in more realistic styles like those seen in Zombicide or more chibi styles like those in Arcadia Quest. Hit the next slide to see what storyline will bring this all together. (Photo: Saban) Slide 1/4 – The Premise So for inspiration, the game will pull from a few sources, including the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers as well as Zeo, Turbo, and the movies. This is the first game in the series though, so you have to start with Rita Repulsa and Lord Zedd. Rita and Zedd have found a way to reach through time and space to pluck some of the deadliest enemies the Rangers have ever faced and brought them to the present. That includes notable names like Koragg (Power Rangers Mystic Force), Ivan Ooze (Power Rangers Movie), Lord Drakkon (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comics), Astronema (Power Rangers In Space), and more. This being Rita, these generals will lead an army made up of smaller fodder consisting of notable monsters like King Sphinx and Pudgy Pig and soldiers like Goldar and Scorpina. It will be an invasion that will demand the Rangers and Zordon pull out all the stops, including an upgrade to the Thunderzords and recruiting some help from their future forms as well. Slide 2/4 – The Gameplay The game will have 1 to 6 players take control of the original 5 Power Rangers, including a Kickstarter exclusive of the Green Ranger. Each player takes control of a Ranger and pulls a random objective card. Each player takes control of a Ranger, who all have various special abilities that speak to their personality. Each player then pulls a random objective card. Players can attack their individual objectives in any order but will need to get all of them done before they can take on one of the major generals, which will also be pulled a random. At the beginning of every round, a draft of new enemies will be put on the board, mostly consisting of putties, but you can also pull bigger threats like Goldar and Scorpina. As players make their way through the objectives, you'll have the chance to pull ability cards that will let you take additional actions, including calling in your Zords. You can also once each round purchase select cards from Zordon, but this mechanic will only last until you get to the scenario's general, so you need to prepare for later battles early and often. This includes getting needed extra abilities for Megazord, which will help you in the final battle. Once you all complete your objectives you will enter the next phase of the game, taking on the general and their minions in a larger scale fight. Once that is complete the randomly chosen main Boss will appear, who has a character card illustrating his reactions and movements. At a random point in the battle, he or she will take on a more powerful form, and while you can attempt to battle him without your Zords, it isn't recommended. This is where your Zord cards come into play. Some players might have access to them while others won't, and it will limit what you can do in battle. If you all have a Zord card in hand you can form the Megazord, allowing you access to an increased power set. Once the villain is beaten the scenario is over, but the game can be played in a campaign like fashion with story elements tying it all together if you've got time.
It’s time for the NBA to take a serious look at scrapping the East-West conference system, and several league sources say that discussion is now happening in some infant stage. The schedule, both its makeup and length, represents the heaviest of several obstacles standing between the league and true postseason fairness. Screaming about conference imbalance is easy, but changing the system plunges you into the muck of schedule adjustments, flight times, arena booking, gate receipts, the imperiling of traditional rivalries, and more. Negotiating that thicket is overwhelming, and when people meet overwhelming barriers, the inertia of the status quo wins out. That can no longer suffice. The superiority of the West is laughable. The West is 64-26 against the East head-to-head this season, a winning percentage that would be the highest ever for one conference over the other. During the last decade, the no. 8 seed in the West has on average finished about seven games ahead of the East’s no. 8 seed. At least one lottery team from the West has finished with a better record than the East’s no. 8 seed in an average season during that stretch. Flip it around: The ninth-place team in the West has ended up with a better record than about 2.5 Eastern Conference playoff teams on average since 2003. We are staring at a realistic scenario in which two of the league’s three best players, Kevin Durant and Anthony Davis, miss the playoffs, while Brooklyn, Indiana, and Milwaukee slog through first-round playoff series. It’s time to think harder about deemphasizing conferences and making sure the 16 best teams overall participate in the playoffs. “The obligation of the league office is to make the competition as fair as possible,” says Jeff Van Gundy. “Why would you ever reward someone who’s worse with a treat?” Several teams have informally pitched fixes. In an email exchange last week with Grantland, Mark Cuban conjured up a temporary plan that would shift Chicago, Detroit, Indiana, and Milwaukee to the West, with the three Texas teams and New Orleans moving to the East. Robert Sarver, the Suns owner, says he brought up the idea of abolishing conferences for at least the purposes of playoff seeding at the league’s board of governors meeting in October. The wound of having the 48-win Suns miss the playoffs last season is still fresh, but Sarver vows to keep poking at the issue regardless of his team’s fate going forward. “It needs to be looked at,” Sarver tells Grantland. “I’m getting closer to the point where I just think there needs to be a change. It is on the league’s radar screen now.” Representatives from at least one other Western Conference team — the Thunder — have informally suggested a top-16 playoff structure over the last six months, according to several sources. Some pitches have included the wrinkle of re-seeding the playoffs after each round, league sources say. League higher-ups understand the outcry. “We are studying the issue closely,” says Adam Silver, the NBA’s commissioner. It’s convenient for Western Conference owners to propose some form of realignment now. The top teams would all but guarantee themselves at least two home playoff games, which can rake in $2 million apiece in gate receipts — and much more in some markets. But Cuban’s plan would only be temporary, subject to revision as the league’s balance of power shifts, he says. “A shakeup will create interest,” Cuban says. “And after five years, you can learn and adjust from there.” The imbalance is so severe right now that even an imperfect stopgap measure would be better than granting the East eight playoff teams just because that is what tradition says the NBA must do. Plucking the 16 best teams by overall record, even with the league’s current imbalanced schedule, would do a better job of rewarding teams that most deserve playoff shine. In an ideal world, you’d balance all 30 team schedules before putting everyone in the same pool for playoff seeding. Teams now play 52 games within their conference and just 30 games against the opposite conference. If every team is competing against every other team for playoff spots, then they should all play more or less the same schedule. That isn’t happening today. But guess what. The schedule imbalance benefits the East! Those teams get to slap-fight against themselves 52 times! The interconference gap is even larger than it looks. The diciest pitfall of just going with the top 16 teams under the current imbalanced schedule would be rewarding a team that plays an easier overall 82-game slate. But that is already happening. The NBA, at least for now, could scrap conference designations and put the 16 most deserving teams into the playoffs without changing the schedule at all. If any top-16 system proved too unstable, the league could guarantee slots to the teams with the 12 best records and put the next eight into a mini-tournament to decide the bottom four seeds. Any change would appear to be a hard sell for Eastern Conference owners who enjoy playoff revenue. There is anxiety around the league over more new owners voting in their teams’ interest rather than thinking league-first — a trend that seized the lottery reform debate and promises to intensify as the NBA discusses changes to its revenue-sharing system. Some in the anti-change crowd argue that the league’s power structure will eventually flip, and the East will reclaim the supremacy it enjoyed during most of the 1980s. Those people are probably right. The worst teams are in the East, and the lottery system will eventually shift more of the best draftees to those teams. “The root of the problem,” Cuban says, “is that we have a race to the bottom.” Older Western Conference stars will retire. The Nets and Knicks, looming big-money juggernauts, will emerge from a purgatory they imposed upon themselves with crazy spending and bad trades. A well-managed team in the West will do some dumb things, suffer bad luck, and become a doormat for 10 years. Star players set to hit free agency know the East is weak, and it takes only a couple of big West-to-East shifts to tilt the league’s axis of power. People have floated lots of reasons for the West’s long-term superiority, and while those theories have real merit, none of the underlying causes are intractable. If the East will eventually achieve equal footing, why bother with drastic measures like the abolition of conferences or a new playoff seeding system? But that’s exactly the point. There will always be random imbalances in the league’s macro structure. You don’t want those imbalances to affect which teams get to compete for the championship, and the easiest way to do that is to reserve playoff spots for the 16 best teams. If the Eastern and Central time zones someday sport 12 of the league’s 16 best records, then, by god, those time zones shall get a dozen playoff teams. The balancing process would accelerate if teams that needed high draft picks the most actually got them. That’s how you sell realignment to East owners who can’t see past playoff gate receipts: Your 35-win first-round roadkill doesn’t get a lottery pick today, but in a 1-to-16 world where conferences don’t matter, you might pick 12th instead of watching the 48-win Suns grin on the lottery dais. “I’ve had conversations with East playoff teams that end up disappointed in their pick,” Sarver says. Every part of the NBA ecosystem is linked to all the others; shift one branch, and you shift them all — sometimes by accident. That was the sneaky potential ripple effect of the league’s defeated lottery proposal, which would have given teams at the bottom of the lottery — the “best” lottery teams — a better chance at leaping up the draft order. If the 13th lottery slot is more valuable, then perhaps its value approaches the $4 million or so a team might reap in revenue from two home playoff games. Tilt that equation enough and you’ve shifted the way a team might think about the abolition of conferences or the reconfiguring of playoff seeding. It might also change the way that teams construct short- and long-term building plans. This is in part what Cuban means when he talks about the “race to the bottom” being the root problem driving conference imbalance and other ugly trends. You can see the vision of a robust meritocracy: more teams trying their hardest and all the best teams getting a chance in the playoffs. But to really get there, the league would need to balance the schedule. The 52/30 conference split might not affect which teams finish in the top 16 this season, but it absolutely affects the order of finish, and it would have an outsize effect on the composition of the playoff field in some seasons. “While seeding teams 1 to 16 in the playoffs certainly has appeal from a competitive standpoint,” Silver says, “it would not seem fair when teams in different conferences play unbalanced schedules.” This is where you run into the realities of what it would take for each team to play every other team the same number of times over an 82-game schedule. “None of the ideas being floated comes without a significant impact on overall travel, which could ultimately have an adverse impact on the quality of the games,” Silver says. That goes double for the playoffs, where seeding 1 to 16 raises the specter of multiple cross-country series in the first round — a problem that Tom Ziller noted in this outstanding piece last week. Mega-travel is already a problem in some Western Conference series — a Los Angeles–to-Memphis journey is no fun — and as Ziller notes, perhaps the league could play around with selective application of the 2-3-2 format. Private travel is easier on players, but switching time zones and trudging into hotels at 4 a.m. is draining regardless. There is also widespread concern over the potential death of intraconference rivalries that can only be forged over multiple playoff series. Our chances of getting another Grizzlies-Clippers or Cavaliers-Wizards drop if their pool of potential first-round opponents expands from seven to 15. Historic rivalries like Knicks-Celtics or Bulls-Pistons could wither without the occasional postseason nurturing. That is worth worrying about. But geographic proximity ensures some rivalries will remain strong, and an open playoff system holds the promise of more frequent visits with some classic East-West rivalries. How cool would a Lakers-Celtics first-round series be? All of that is secondary to scheduling issues. Several front-office executives suggested a system in which teams play each opponent three times, but that amounts to a monster 87-game schedule with some home/road imbalances. Slashing the preseason would allow for those extra five games, but with all we know now about rest and fatigue, suggesting more games feels wrong — even if it means more money for everyone. You could achieve some coastal balance in the 82-game schedule by sending teams on super-long road trips that allow for more games against the opposite conference. The Blazers could come East on a three-week trip that includes multiple games, or perhaps even baseball-style two-game “series” against Philly, Boston, Toronto, and the New York teams. Give every team one or two such trips per season, and, boom, you might get something like a balanced schedule. But it’s unclear how feasible that is. Nobody likes bouncing among hotels for a month. Teams would have to scramble for practice space, increase travel budgets, and deal with other complications. Some arenas are empty for 200-plus days a year, but others are stocked with concerts and events; fitting in a revamped schedule with longer road trips and homestands would prove tricky in some markets. The silver bullet is slicing games off the schedule. You don’t even need to get down to a 58-gamer in which every team plays everyone else twice, minimizing travel headaches. Every game you lop off from 82 makes it a hair easier to nibble away at schedule imbalances. That’s obviously not happening anytime soon. Gate receipts are soaring in some markets, and neither players nor owners are eager to give those up. The Knicks approached a record $145 million in net gate receipts last season, nearly $3.5 million per game, and the Lakers pushed $90 million, per several league sources. A bunch of smaller-market teams don’t even sniff $1 million in gate per home game, but that scarcity makes every game feel precious. The NBA’s mammoth new national TV deal might withstand a schedule slice, since the league could earmark the same number of games for its broadcast partners. But local TV deals are based on teams filling 82 prime-time slots, and several teams are set to negotiate fat new local deals over the next couple of years. These are the realities that should matter in discussing realignment. They are complicated, with lots of stakeholders. Perfect balance will prove elusive, but it’s time to start talking about imperfect alternatives to the current conference and playoff structure. Chip away enough, and you could build something better than the warped system the league is using now. 10 Things I Like and Don’t Like 1. Jeff Teague’s Weirdo Isolations Teague is quietly building an All-Star case for the surging Hawks, with career-best numbers almost across the board. He has taken on a bit more of the team’s scoring burden with Al Horford still finding his way back from injury. Teague can create for himself now with a one-on-one game that is simultaneously simple and weirdly difficult to defend. Teague just kind of dribbles right at his defender’s chest, works him into a backpedal, and rises up for a floater before the defender can find his balance: When he’s coming at you, Teague is all elbows and mini-Eurosteps that throw guys off-balance. 2. Golden State’s Switchability Lots of teams switch on defense in various situations, but the switching can be ad hoc and messy. Two guys miscommunicate and chase the same offensive player, or one defender gets stuck in between switching and staying on his original guy. Not the Dubs. They almost never screw this up, and given their personnel, switching can be a deadly weapon for their defense. Their starting lineup features three like-size players in Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, and Draymond Green who can all swap assignments. When Steve Kerr goes to his bench, he’ll sometimes play Barnes at power forward with two wing players and a giant point guard in Shaun Livingston. That makes four guys who can switch on the fly, especially since opposing second units rarely feature a power forward who can hurt a smaller player on the block. There is a real professionalism about this team. Switching is a strategy, one they approach with seriousness and precision. They don’t do it out of laziness or convenience. 3. The Lakers, Jumping Out Too Far Ed Davis is the only speedy dude among the Lakers’ four rotation big men, but Byron Scott has these guys venturing out near the 3-point arc in a failed effort to contain pick-and-rolls. Good luck, Bob Sacre! Carlos Boozer, Sacre, and Jordan Hill just aren’t capable of this; the Lakers’ league-worst defense would probably be better off if Scott adopted a more conservative style. Hill’s rim protection has been halfhearted, and the team’s starting lineup is getting absolutely torched. 4. Ty Lawson’s Fake Step-Back Jumper The best moves are built upon the threat of other established moves. Defenses know that Lawson, on fire right now, likes to use the threat of his dribble penetration to get his guy leaning toward the rim — only to yo-yo the ball back and ease into an open step-back jumper. It’s especially useful against bigger guys unfortunate enough to switch themselves onto an island against Lawson. Bad news: If you’re expecting the step-back and eager to challenge it, Lawson will roast you with this: 5. Philadelphia’s Transition Defense It’s not as bad as it looks, since Philly plays at a breakneck pace and will inevitably surrender some fast-break buckets; no team has allowed more fast-break points this season, per NBA.com. But when you consider opponent points per transition chance, the Sixers rank in the middle of the pack — or better. When it goes wrong, it goes horribly, horribly wrong — as you’d expect from a team of youngsters and D-League guys scrambling to find their assignments in the chaos of transition. Every Sixers game will feature at least one unopposed leak-out, and sometimes an enemy player will trot back to the offensive end, reach the basket, and stand around for a second before realizing no Sixer has noticed his presence. Brett Brown sprinted along the baseline himself during game play last week when a Blazer sneaked behind all five Philly defenders. It looked for a second like Brown might foul the guy to stop play. 6. Trying Out Kyle Lowry’s Post Game Lowry has already taken more shots out of the post this season (10) than in all of last season (eight), per Synergy Sports, and the Raps might look for him more there with DeMar DeRozan sadly out awhile. Lowry is never going to be a high-volume post-up guy, and the Drakes have smartly rationed Lowry’s post game so he breaks it out only against smaller defenders like Teague and Trey Burke. Lowry has the, let’s say, posterior heft, aggression, and intellect to create scoring chances for himself and his teammates on the block: Professor Andre Miller, PhD, proved long ago that you don’t need to be giant to clown suckas on the block. 7. The Derrick Rose–Jimmy Butler Pick-and-Roll Butler is a no-brainer All-Star as we near the quarter point of the season. He has proven emphatically that he can create his own offense, and the Bulls are leaning on him in all sorts of ways — post-ups, via pin-down screens, and the pick-and-roll. One intriguing wrinkle that Chicago is using in crunch time: the Rose-Butler pick-and-roll, with Butler as the screener: Butler is great at those little short rolls, where he kind of fades toward the foul line, catches the ball, and goes straight to the rim with his defender behind him. Butler is smart about leveraging his inside position, but he doesn’t rush, and that allows him to keep the defense off-balance and seek out cutters. Great stuff. 8. Terry Stotts’s Out-of-Timeout Plays When you watch Portland, pay special attention to the gorgeousness that the red-hot Blazers pull coming out of timeouts. Any measure of scoring efficiency in these situations is going to carry some statistical noise, but over multiple seasons, I’m betting Stotts’s Portland teams will come out near the top. Stotts is genius about leveraging one player’s strengths to open up things for a teammate, and he keeps defenses guessing with misdirection. And just when a defense is primed for some complex intersecting five-man motion, Stotts will call something so basic that the simplicity of it catches opponents off-guard. Tune in to these guys. They’re damn good, and fun to watch. Also, Chris Kaman’s beard. 9. Playing “Thunderstruck” Outside of Oklahoma City It’s a catchy AC/DC song, but now that an NBA team called the “Thunder” has co-opted the tune, it feels a little hokey when you hear it in other arenas. I’m still undecided about playing the “Gonna Fly Now” theme from Rocky outside of Philly. 10. New York’s 3-Point Defense Nitpicking the triangle and all the resulting midrange jumpers is the go-to story line here, but New York is a mess mostly because of a clueless and undermanned defense yielding open 3s all over the court. The Knicks are constantly sending needless help from the wrong places at the wrong times, including from shooters stationed along the strong side: Remember that stuff about Golden State’s pristine communication on defense? The Knicks are the opposite, even though they are switching much less this season under Derek Fisher. Watch here as both Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith linger on Arron Afflalo near the left corner after Afflalo passes the ball, as if they are both guarding him. That forces Shane Larkin to rotate off Lawson and take the suddenly neglected Wilson Chandler; the Nuggets swing it to Lawson, who has the entire shot clock to prep an open corner 3: The Knicks were never going to have a good defense; they play too many bad defenders. But they are wounding themselves with awful judgment.
Tuukka Turunen - Digia Director of R&D Digia is a Silver Sponsor of Akademy 2012 Tallinn. They are also a new supporting member of KDE e.V. Digia and KDE have a close partnership based on a common interest and commitment to Qt. Like many people in the KDE Community, I had some questions about Digia, their plans for Qt and their views of KDE. The interview with Tuukka Turunen follows. Tomaz: When Digia acquired the Qt commercial licensing and services business from Nokia, many people wanted to know more. Please tell us about Digia and how you came to be a Qt guardian. Tuukka: At Digia, we see and understand the potential of Qt as the best cross-platform development framework. We applaud its history and foundation from the Trolltech days where dedicated Trolls and Qt fans created a framework that hobbyists, developers and large corporations today use to drive the most innovative software available. It was the strength of the Qt community and its unmatched technology that in 2011 interested Digia in taking Qt forward by being its exclusive commercial licensor. Digia is a publicly listed Finnish company that employs over 1000 software professionals mostly in Finland, but also in Norway, Sweden, Russia, China and USA. Our mission is to provide inventive solutions that bring success for people and businesses in everyday life. Being a publicly traded organization, we are guided by the “maximize shareholder wealth” approach. We want to make business. BUT, we want to conduct business in such a way that others are able to succeed with the things we provide. We see the importance of cooperation with the open source Qt community and believe that together we can keep Qt moving forward. Therefore, Digia has no intention and has never had the intention to fork Qt. Our in-house development expertise and our committed investment into the technology coupled with the thriving Qt ecosystem make our relationship with the open source community mutually beneficial. In terms of Qt, our roots go back to the 90s. This is when the building blocks of what is now known as Digia were established. Since the early days, Digia has provided services and products for many different industries and started cooperating with Qt and Trolltech just under 10 years ago. Later, we produced a variety of products and services together with Nokia. Now, we are the proud owner of Qt Commercial, and want to continue to develop it further. We value the dual licensing model, and we want to keep it. With the LGPL available, we also need to create some differentiation so that the choice for a commercial use is clear. All bug fixes and patches made to Qt Commercial are submitted to the main Qt branch. Some are accepted by the Qt Project, others are not. Tomaz: How has the KDE Community helped the Qt evolution from Digia's point of view? Tuukka: I think that the cooperation between KDE and Qt has been really good. I expect it to really flourish through the open governance model and the Qt Project. For years KDE has been dedicated to the development of Qt. Its strong international community has always been the very first to try new Qt technology like QML and take it forth into many of its own projects. The KDE community has also brought many talented Qt developers— such as Matthias Ettrich, KDE’s founder—to the core Qt R&D teams in Trolltech and Nokia . Their expertise of Qt on desktop throughout the years has helped further strengthen Qt, making Qt on desktop the number one target for Qt Commercial customers. Tomaz: This is the second Akademy for Digia after you acquired the rights to Qt. The KDE Community is international and includes people from Asia, Africa and other countries that are emerging and using information technology and programming to improve their way of life. How is Digia planning to increase the awareness of Qt in countries not in the Europe-North America zone? Tuukka: The globe is large and although we believe in “Qt Everywhere”, we have to take baby steps in terms of where to put our regional focus. Our resources are still limited while in our take-off phase, so at the moment we need to concentrate where we see the strongest Qt commercial business, which is currently in North America and Europe. We have achieved great growth in Japan through strong partner relationships and will gradually bring in new markets. We are currently developing China, Russia and India, and see quite good traction already. Some might actually say that the progress has been amazing. For example, the Qt Conference developer event in China last year was almost as big as the European and the U.S one combined. Digia sees the potential of expanding Qt into other emerging markets, but we have to take baby steps. One thing at a time. Tomaz: Digia's focus is on the commercial side of Qt; companies need revenue to survive. How do the non-commercial and commercial parts of Qt work together in Digia? Tuukka: We like to think that we are like Trolltech. We are happy to see the community’s use of Qt being so active, and we truly value the contributions from the community. We are now in the middle of transition from Qt 4 to Qt 5, and I do not think this could proceed smoothly without having open governance in place, which allows everyone to contribute their fixes to Qt. For commercial purposes, the LGPL is a two-fold thing. On one hand, it has greatly expanded the use of Qt, making sure that the technology is in wide use and keeping, for example, the service business healthy and growing. On the other hand, it also means that there are many companies that choose the LGPL for commercial use in order to save money. Thus, in order to stay alive and be able to develop the framework further, we need to create enough differentiation in order to make Qt Commercial the right choice for them. We have been putting a lot of thought into how to do this in a sustainable way – and also asked openly for feedback from the community, especially KDE. Some of the differentiation, such as supporting a wide range of different desktop and embedded platforms, is easy and clear from the community’s viewpoint. And some other areas, mainly the functional differentiation, may be less so. We truly want to find a model that works for Qt, the community and our business. I personally think that this 3-way-win situation is possible to achieve and worth working towards. Tomaz: Thank you for sharing your views on Digia, KDE and Qt. We appreciate Digia's support of Akademy 2012 and KDE. Tuukka: You're welcome. We're looking forward to being at Akademy in Tallinn and working with KDE to continue Qt's success. Akademy 2012 Tallin, Estonia For most of the year, KDE—one of the largest FOSS communities in the world—works online by email, IRC, forums and mailing lists. Akademy provides all KDE contributors the opportunity to meet in person to foster social bonds, work on concrete technology issues, propose and consider new ideas, and reinforce the innovative, dynamic culture of KDE. Akademy brings together artists, designers, developers, translators, users, writers, sponsors and many other types of KDE contributors to celebrate the achievements of the past year and help determine the direction for the following year. Hands-on sessions offer the opportunity for intense work bringing those plans to reality. The KDE Community welcomes companies building on KDE technology, or looking to begin using it. For more information, contact The Akademy Team.
Hello and welcome to the 68th installment of the SWD . Military events/news are listed below by the governorates: Aleppo: As a part of the Fuah-Kafraya-Zabadani-Madaya deal Syrian Government reportedly freed 120 prisoners from Aleppo out of which 62 decided to stay in government-held areas and settled their cases, the rest of the prisoners were transferred to rebel-held Rashideen. Raqqa: North of Raqqa today’s advances by SDF are disputed so it is unclear if IS pocket was created, the latest update by SDF ‘s Liwa Suqur al-Raqqa stated that SDF entered Al-Hazimah and captured big part of it, nothing about the full capture was said. Even the SDF ‘s press office is still silent about the capture of Al-Hazimah so reports about full capture of it should be treated as unconfirmed for now. According to the material released by IS SDF suffered 370 casualties (killed/wounded) and lost 26 vehicles during the battles for Tabqa. Furthermore it states that 10 suicide and nine inghimasi (suicide fighters) attacks targeted SDF around the city. Unconfirmed situation north of Raqqa (shows Al-Hazimah as fully captured by SDF thus creating an IS pocket). Source: Syrian Civil War Map Hama: Now that the dust has settled around Tayyibat al-Imam it is confirmed by both sides that the city is completely under SAA control and yesterday’s rebel counterattack was repelled. Since Tayyibat al-Imam is crucial for rebel-held Halfaya at least one more rebel attack on Tayyibat al-Imam should be expected, possibly as a distraction for Halfaya rebels to evacuate from it now that the city is pretty much encircled on three sides and only two roads northeast of it lead to mainland rebel territory. Deir al-Zour: According to CENTCOM an Uzbek IS commander linked to Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi known as Abdul Rahman al-Uzbeki was killed in US ground operation near Al-Mayadeen on 6th of April. Abdul Rahman was reportedly the mastermind behind the 2017 Istanbul nightclub shooting that left 39 people dead and 70 injured, besides that he was also one of the IS figures responsible for foreign IS recruits and monetary funds coming in both Syria and Iraq. Damascus: Fronts in the eastern part of East Ghouta reopened again at least for a little while after longer stagnation, north of Al-Nashabiyah rebels reportedly repelled SAA attack in Hazrama area. West of Al-Nashabiyah around Hawsh al-Salihiyah SAA was able to advance, the advance was minor as nothing significant was reported as captured. Approximate situation around Al-Nashabiyah. Source: loomis Quneitra: Israel targeted several SAA positions in Quneitra after a projectile from Syria landed in Israeli-controlled Syrian Golan Heights. Targeted areas are at the recently activated front line against rebels, strikes occurred near Al-Samadiniyah al-Sharqiyah, Ain Ayshaa and Madina Baath, drones were also spotted around this area. According to the reports SAA didn’t suffer any casualties but there is some material damage done. Coincidentally moments before Israeli strikes, rebel group Alwiya Al-Furqan sent reinforcements against SAA just south of the targeted area. Iraq: Islamic State committed another wave of killing civilians in west Mosul this time in Al-Saha district. Around 60 civilians that tried to flee from Al-Saha south towards Iraqi Army’s positions in Al-Thawra were brutally killed by IS fighters because they tried to leave “the land of Islam” towards “the land of unbelievers”. Bodies of killed civilians are still lying on the streets out of which some are beheaded and some are hanging from electricity poles. IS targeted some of the civilians with snipers, it is believed that there are four of them stationed somewhere in either Al-Zanjili, Al-Saha or Al-Rifai districts. IS launched a failed attack against Iraqi Army in Old Mosul district, the attack was mainly comprised of the suicide fighters (inghimasi) as more than 20 of them were reportedly killed and eight SVBIED s destroyed. In Salah al-Deen governorate IS suicide bomber attempted to target pilgrims close to Al-Dujail on the road towards Baghdad, even though suicide bombing was foiled by Iraqi security forces which wounded the attacker he still managed to detonate himself injuring several civilians. Another foiled IS attack occurred in south Baghdad where it also tried to target pilgrims, IS fighter was on the motorcycle reportedly wearing police uniform. Syrian evacuation deal between government and rebels included the release of 26-29 Qatari hunters out of which some are royal family members kidnapped in December of 2015 around Al-Muthanna desert, south Iraq. Iraqi Kataib Hezbollah released the hunters after receiving large ransom for them. Prime Minister of Iraq Haider Al-Abadi reportedly received the released Qataris in his office shortly after they were released. CJTF-OIR : On the 20th of April 2017 CJTF-OIR has conducted 17 strikes in Syria. CJTF-OIR ‘s main focus in Syria at the moment is Tabqa-Raqqa-Deir al-Zour region where they did 16 strikes supporting SDF ‘s operation against IS destroying five IS oil tankers, six ISIS wellheads, two command-and-control nodes, three fighting positions, a tunnel, two IS oil equipment items, an IS-held building, a front-end loader and a vehicle-bomb facility; and damaged a fighting position. Other area where one strike occurred is Al-Qaim, Iraq destroying a vehicle-bomb factory. Full report on CJTF-OIR strikes conducted in both Syria & Iraq can be found here. Intellectual credited property used may vary from an edition to edition. Feel free to voice your opinion in the comments section below, constructive criticism is welcomed. For those of you interested, you can follow us on an official Twitter account @SyrianWarDaily, or me personally on my biased twitter @joskobaric where I occasionally tweet some things. Advertisements
Welcome back to Top Shelf Prospects, the daily column that brings you the next crop of professional hockey players. Each day I will bring you a new player profile or topical article in the lead-up to the 2014 NHL Draft. Be sure to bookmark the site, follow me on Twitter, and spread the word for the site that will bring you analytical and critical profiles and scouting reports! Last Word On Sports is your new headquarters for everything “Draft”! For a Complete Listing of all our 2014 Draft Articles Click here. Now that the order of 28 of the first 30 picks have been determined, I will be releasing my 3rd annual NHL mock draft. For those who haven’t read the LWOS mock before here are the rules. 1) No trades except for those that have already been made by NHL teams. 2) A two-round Mock draft will be done in four parts. The first two parts (ie the first round) will be done today and tomorrow. The next two parts (ie the second round) will be done next week.3) Since the final two positions in the draft (this year picks 28 and 29) will be determined by the Stanley Cup Final, as always we will be assuming that the the team with home-ice advantage in the Cup Final will win the cup. (This is not a slight to the New York Rangers, its just a fact that we need some way of determining draft order). 3) Clicking the Player’s name will bring you to a full scouting report. So with that out of the way, I present. The LWOS 2014 NHL Mock Draft Part 1 (Picks 1-15) 1) Florida Panthers – Aaron Ekblad, D, Barrie Colts, OHL: Normally, I always say that the team picking first overall should take the best player available. This year is no different, and with the Florida Panthers I believe they will take Aaron Ekblad, who is number one on our draft board. That said, the Panthers are also in good shape at forward with Jonathan Huberdeau and Aleksander Barkov as recent top 3 draft picks who have done well at the NHL level. Adding a defender to the cupboard, especially one as talented as Ekblad, would be ideal. 2) Buffalo Sabres – Sam Reinhart, C, Kootenay Ice, WHL: The Sabres were the worst team in the NHL this season, but then lost the NHL Draft Lottery to the Panthers. Despite that Buffalo will still get the player they covet in this draft class, taking the youngest (and best) of the Reinhart brothers. With Reinhart in the number one slot, Cody Hodgson as the number two, and Zemgus Girgensons as a number three centre, the Sabres will be extremely strong down the middle when they develop. If they also get Mikhail Grigorenko to develop to his potential, it will be an embarrassment of riches. 3) Edmonton Oilers – Sam Bennett, C, Kingston Frontenacs, OHL: The Oilers get another high draft pick, after another disappointing season. Obviously, the Oilers would love Ekblad to be available, but with him off the board they take Sam Bennett. Many blame the Oilers’ defence for the teams struggles, but the reality is that some defensive help from the forwards would also help their team, and Bennett has that two-way game that they have lacked in the middle of the ice. With Bennett in the fold look for the Oilers to try to move Sam Gagner to try and get some help on their blueline. 4) Calgary Flames – Nick Ritchie, LW, Peterborough Petes, OHL: Its the first pick that doesn’t follow the order of my draft rankings, as the Flames take Nick Ritchie. When I look at this draft though I see clear tiers, there is little difference from 1-3, and little difference from 4-8, so its not really a reach. Here I think that Brian Burke has promised Flames fans a big, tough (dare I say truculent), as well as talented team. Ritchie can score goals, he can hit hard, and he can win fights; that’s a combination that Brian Burke will find attractive. 5) New York Islanders – Michael Dal Colle, LW, Oshawa Generals, OHL: The Islanders are set down the middle with John Tavares and Ryan Strome, so they take Dal Colle who is a big, powerful, and extremely talented left wing who will soon be playing with one of those centres in their top six. The possibilities of having Dal Colle on one wing, and Kyle Okposo on the other are extremely intriguing. 6) Vancouver Canucks – Leon Draisaitl, C, Prince Albert Raiders, WHL: Its the first draft for the new Canucks GM, Jim Benning, who will be extremely pleased to see Leon Draisaitl fall to the sixth spot. The Canucks need an injection of young talent right now as the team got old in a hurry under Mike Gillis, and taking the best player available is a no-brainer. He may play the same position as prospects Bo Horvat and Brendan Gaunce who the Canucks have taken recently, but with one of the highest picks the Canucks have had since the Sedins were drafted, this is all about getting a potential elite player in the fold. 7) Carolina Hurricanes – William Nylander, C/RW, Modo, SHL: Like the Canucks, the Hurricanes also have a GM in his first draft, Ron Francis, but since he came up through the Hurricanes front office, he doesn’t bring quite the same radical organizational change that Benning does. The Hurricanes took Elias Lindholm last year, and go back to Sweden to take William Nylander this year. He was incredible at the Under 18s and his versatility to play both centre and the wing is something that the Carolina organization has always liked in their forwards. 8) Toronto Maple Leafs – Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Halifax Mooseheads, QMJHL: Obviously the Leafs are hoping to get their hands on a centre with this pick, but the reality is that with the way this mock has broken down taking a centre here would be a real reach. There isn’t a centre who is near as talented as Ehlers, and so the Leafs go Best Player Available here and take the skilled forward from the Halifax Mooseheads. Look for the “Electric Ehl” to be playing with Nazem Kadri in the near future, likely by the start of the 2015-16 season. 9) Winnipeg Jets – Jake Virtanen, RW, Calgary Hitmen, WHL: The Jets had their run at a playoff spot derailed by an injury to Mark Scheifele (SIA Profile) who was looking every bit the part of a future number one centre in his rookie season. The team now looks to put a future winger with Scheifele, and the powerful Jake Virtanen looks like a natural fit. A line of Evander Kane – Schiefele – Virtanen would provide a lot of headaches for Central Division and Western Conference opponents down the road. Fast, skilled, powerful, great stickhandling and passing, gritty, the line would have it all. 10) Anaheim Ducks (from Ottawa) – Brendan Perlini, LW, Niagara Ice Dogs, OHL: The Ducks have a lot of young talent in the system and have been a regular in the top of our annual prospect rankings. The seem to be well built going forward in nearly all positions, as Bob Murray has done a fantastic job. Getting a top 10 pick included in the Bobby Ryan trade was an unexpected surprise, but now that they have it, the Ducks have the luxury of going best player available in the spot. Brendan Perlini is a big and skilled winger who will only add to the Ducks roster that is already full of size and skill. 11) Nashville Predators – Jared McCann, C, Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds, OHL: If there is one thing we know about GM David Poile, he just loves to build the blue line. The Predators draft philosophy is usually defence, defence, defence, and what do you know? There is a good one on the board here if the Preds want him. However, there comes a time when you need to draft a forward, and the Predators do that with Jared McCann a two-way centre who has a ton of speed. 12) Phoenix Coyotes – Haydn Fleury, D, Red Deer Rebels, WHL: The Phoenix Coyotes have gone with forwards with their top two picks in 2012, and their top 3 picks in 2013 after spending three straight years going defence. With the top two players left in my rankings both being defencemen, and Haydn Fleury as the clear best player available they get another big, two-way defenceman which is important in the western conference. 13) Washington Capitals – Alex Tuch, RW/C, USNTDP, USHL: The Capitals look to take the big and talented power forward prospect out of the US National Team Development Program. His combination of size, power, and skill is something the Capitals have always been big on come draft day, and even with a new GM, he’s an internal hire, so I don’t see that changing. 14) Dallas Stars – Julius Honka, D, Swift Current Broncos, WHL: Jim Nill did a masterful job with Dallas last year, picking up a steal in Nichushkin in the draft, making a fantastic deal to get Tyler Seguin out of Boston, and taking the Stars back to the NHL playoffs. This year he goes and drafts a mobile two-way defender who can play top line minutes and quarterback the powerplay going forward. Honka may be undersized, but he plays bigger and has high end skill. 15) Detroit Red Wings – Kasperi Kapanen, RW, Kalpa, Sm-Liiga: This year showed the talented forwards in the Red Wings system with Gustav Nyquist, Riley Sheahan, and Tomas Tatar making NHL impacts, while Anthony Mantha was the CHL player of the year. On defence players like Ryan Sproul and Xavier Ouellet had solid seasons on defence in the AHL. As such the Wings can go best player available again. That is Kapanen, the son of former NHLer Sami Kapanen, and a speedy winger with two-way ability. For Part Two and the rest of the first round, click here. For a listing of NHL Mock drafts around the internet, please check out our friends at the NHL mock database. Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @lastwordBkerr. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport – and “liking” our Facebook page. For the latest sports injury news, check out our friends at Sports Injury Alert.
Impact Evaluation and the Millennium Villages Experiment in Africa Michael A. Clemens Update: The United Nations Development Programme has responded to the article. See below. Villagers of Bar Sauri in western Kenya, showing a crop of maize. / CIMMYT / flickr (cc) The Millennium Villages project (MVP) is an ambitious program to break targeted African communities free from extreme poverty and thereby demonstrate how poverty in general can be eradicated. Run by the United Nations Development Programme [] and Columbia Universitys Earth Instituteheaded by renowned economist Jeffrey Sachsthe MVP began its pilot phase in a Kenyan village in 2004 and has grown to include numerous rural village clusters in nine other countries. It hopes to scale up its approach across much of Africa, and has plans on other continents as well. The MVPs strategy employs an intense, multi-pronged aid package for agriculture, education, health, and infrastructurewith a total cost of about $1.5 million per village cluster spread out over five years. It seeks to disrupt, all at once, the factors that together create the conditions for destitution. The MVP treatment simultaneously deploys a variety of aid-financed interventions, including fertilizer, anti-malaria bed nets, and school meals, among many others. Where a single intervention might leave villagers trapped in poverty by other problems, the MVP asserts that its simultaneous execution of several interventions can break villages out of poverty traps for good. Although its aims are noble and its leaders well-intentioned, the MVP suffers from a glaring omission: it is not conducting an objective and independent evaluation of its impacts. The MVP downplays the importance of impact evaluation, since it accepts each element of its intervention package as already proven. According to the MVPs view, as long as basic science has already shown that fertilizer can raise crop yields, bed nets reduce malaria transmission, and so on, there is no need to prove that its multi-pronged package of interventions can, in context, do what it claims. For example, it claims that this package can spark self-sustaining economic growth in isolated rural villages. By ignoring the crucial step of objectively and independently evaluating its interventions impacts in context, the MVP cannot assure its donors that it has succeeded in achieving the promised development impact. Skipping this step means possibly wasting scarce aid money on one intervention, while a more effective one goes ignored. Impact evaluation is a set of applied scientific tools to measure exactly how a particular community improved due to a given anti-poverty project, relative to how that community would have faired without that project. With so many solutions on offer for eliminating global povertypopulation control, girls schooling, debt forgiveness, high-yielding seeds, free trade, microcredit, property rights, public-private partnerships, and information technology, to name a fewimpact evaluation provides a basis for adjudicating among them and determining which package of solutions is most effective for a particular context. What science has shown to be effective generally may not work in a particular milieu; what succeeded in a Malawian village, for example, may not work in Burundi. Despite its promise, there is surprisingly little impact evaluation of this kind performed in global-development circles, but there could easily be more. The MVP is no exception. Since the MVP views the solution to extreme poverty as essentially technological, it is concerned primarily with how to deliver technology. But this is profoundly problematic as development policy. A clear scientific finding in one context may tell us little about what makes a sensible development project. The Millennium Villages project cannot assure its donors that it has achieved the promised development impact. Take fertilizer. The basic scientific result is that fertilizer raises crop yields. But, first, this does not mean that any given aid package that includes fertilizer can end poverty and unleash self-sustaining economic growth in a small village, even in combination with other efforts. Second, that finding does not mean that any given project promoting fertilizer use will actually influence use. There may be contextual reasons why farmers in a given place and time dislike fertilizer. Third, numerous forces other than the project can affect crop yields: that crop yields went up after a village received fertilizer does not mean that the fertilizer was primarily responsible, or that lack of fertilizer is the binding constraint on crop yields in villages elsewhere. Just as the soundness of the basic science does not prove the success of an intervention, so too does in-house, qualitative evaluation obscure results. Yet this has been the MVPs approach. Together with my co-author, Gabriel Demombynes of the World Banks Kenya office, I have shown how wrong a project can go when it skips rigorous impact evaluation. Last year, the MVP issued a report (PDF) showing improvement in various development indicators at its sites. This work, described by the projects leaders as a major scientific report, shows increased cell-phone ownership, access to improved drinking water, and crop yields. The report describes all of these advancements and many others as the impacts of the intervention. In one instance, the report describes an increase in mobile phone penetration from 4 percent to 30 percent as among the projects biggest impacts in the Ghanaian village of Bonsaaso. Yet the same changes have been going on all around Bonsaaso, in areas untouched by the project. Considering all of the indicators and countries that public data allow, Demombynes and I have found that the MVP claims as its impacts several increases in indicators that are on the rise throughout the regions and countries where their sites are locatedthat is, in places untouched by the project. In some cases, increases away from the intervention sites have been smaller than increases at the intervention sites, suggesting that the MVP is having an effect. But while the MVP does intend to go beyond before-and-after analysis and observe outcomes at comparison villages that did not receive the intervention, its approach falls short of genuine impact evaluation. For example, it is unclear how the current intervention sites were chosen, which makes it difficult to know if they were unusually likely to respond well to the project. And the MVP only chose comparison villages and started to collect data on them years after the project began, rendering them an unreliable control group. Though development organizations frequently make overly optimistic claims about their impacts, the MVP is supposed to be different. Its publications, including the report referenced above, are prominently labeled as a product of Columbia Universityone of the worlds leading institutions of scientific research. The MVP often claims unique credibility due to its ostensible focus on science. And its special status as a flagship initiative of the United Nations [] gives it special responsibilities in this regard. We have a right to expect higher standards. United Nations Development Programme Administrator Helen Clark and economist Jeffrey Sachs / Maureen Lynch, UNDP / Wikimedia Commons There are many possible ways to evaluate the MVPs impact more credibly. One way depends on the kind of analysis mentioned above: comparing the intervention sites to trends happening around those sites. An even better way, feasible but more demanding, requires a randomized treatment design that has become standard in the research literature of development economics. When money is available to intervene at several more sitesonly twenty would be needed, far fewer than the MVP ultimately intendsan independent agency should randomly pick which sites receive the intervention. It would pick one from each of twenty matched pairs of candidate sites. That agency should then follow both members of each pair for several years after the intervention ends, to evaluate long-term impact. Such engaged, rigorous, objective experimentation would resolve the problems with settling for basic science and technology. It would judge the effect of the project against its goals, clearly document that the project was their cause, and be free of potential conflicts of interest. And as we have shown, the price would be less than a sixth of the intervention cost per villagea tiny investment that is surely worthwhile if the intervention is going to spread across the continent, affecting millions of hopeful Africans. Rigorous impact evaluation has many limitations. It can be hard to know if the effect measured in a small experiment would hold in a much larger intervention, hard to know on what factors the measured effect depends, and hard to measure all of the desired impacts comprehensively. These issues are now the subject of intense debate among the best minds in development economics. Whatever the standard, it is apparent that rigorous and independent impact evaluation should not be required for every project. Few would claim, for example, that emergency shipments of drinking water after an earthquake require rigorous evaluation. But careful impact evaluation should be used when the benefits outweigh the costs. This is likely to happen when, first, the cost of properly collecting evidence is relatively low; second, a policy decision is not needed more quickly than rigorous analysis can be performed; third, the consequences of applying the wrong policy are particularly bad; fourth, resource constraints make it impossible for everyone to receive the intervention at once; fifth, strong interests on different sides of a policy decision necessitate an objective criterion of success; and finally, the carefully evaluated setting is similar enough to the scaled-up setting. Many development projects, including the MVP, meet all of these conditions, so their impacts should be carefully and independently evaluated. A model in this regard is Mexicos PROGRESA (the Education, Health, and Nutrition Program)later renamed Oportunidades (Opportunities)which rewarded low-income families with cash for enrolling children in school. Its initial phase was built on a careful, randomized impact evaluation executed by researchers outside the Mexican government. After this independent evaluation demonstrated large positive impacts, similar policies were greatly expanded in Mexico, survived a major change of government, and spread throughout Latin America. In many of the countries where the idea was later applied, it was rigorously evaluated anew, in context, and independently. The challenges of impact evaluation are many and can frustrate the development of urgently needed delivery technologies in a world in which aid funding is scarce and has countless plausibly beneficial uses. Yet it is essential to assuring that promised aid is in fact doing more good for more people. The long, troubled history of efforts to help the poor suggests that we have much to learn. Since publication of the article, a spokesperson for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has told us the following: (1) The UNDP has not co-run or co-led the Millennium Villages project. The role of the UNDP has been to provide project management services (e.g. logistics, recruitment, etc.) within a technical and scientific framework led by the Earth Institute of Columbia University. This participation has been focused primarily on the first five-year phase of work, which is coming to an end this month. Since the UNDP provides these services to a large number of other projects, the MVP doesnt not enjoy a special status as one of UNDPs flagship initiatives. (2) The UNDP believes strongly in the role of evaluation, including the recent advances cited in the article, in identifying what works and what doesnt across a wide variety of contexts in the developing world. The focus of UNDPs engagement with the Earth Institute over the past several months has been on the rigorous identification of policy-relevant lessons learnt from the MVP that can help inform the wider development community, and also be used by UNDP itself. Boston Reviews sources of information regarding the relationship between UNDP and the MVP included public websites, such as the Millennium Villages website, that identified UNDP as the lead implementing partner of the project. As of June 23, the Millennium Villages website has been corrected.
Motions such as these are how most Muslim societies -- and other authoritarian states -- were founded: by depriving citizens of the basic right to express a difference of opinion, and worse, on the pretense of "doing good." The blasphemy laws of Pakistan were introduced on the premise of protecting the sanctity of the people's religious beliefs, but the laws only ended up meting out public death sentences to innocent and marginalized victims. People in hostile societies put their lives at risk by speaking against the majority; meanwhile, shutting out any criticism against hardliner behaviour in the West actually means giving extremists a license to keep on committing atrocities. Although these motions against "Islamophobia" are not legally binding, extremists have already started demanding them as laws. A resolution, M-103, seeking to condemn so-called "Islamophobia," was introduced a few weeks ago in the peaceful country of Canada by Liberal Party MP Iqra Khalid in the House of Commons, sparking a controversy. A similar motion, labelled M-37, was later tabled in the Ontario provincial legislature by MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers on February 23, 2017, and was passed by the provincial parliament. M-37, like its predecessor, demanded that lawmakers condemn "all forms of Islamophobia" and reaffirm "support for government efforts, through the Anti-Racism Directorate, to address and prevent systemic racism across government policy, programs and services". Although these motions are not legally binding, extremists have already started demanding them as laws. There are, of course, no comparable motions against "Judeophobia" or "Christianophobia". Neither motion M-103 nor motion 37 exactly define "Islamophobia," leaving that to the imagination of the supposed victim(s). Hardliners who support this form of censorship, and presumably other restrictions required by Islamic sharia law, aim to blur the line between genuine bigotry and criticism of core problems across the Muslim world, such as the murder of apostates and homosexuals, communal hatred, anti-Semitism, violence against women and minors, female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, unequal legal and inheritance rights for women, stoning, flogging and amputation, and social taboos such as honour killings or right to choose a husband for girls or restrict girls' education. Those who present these motions claim that "Islamophobia" is rampant across the country, but seem blind to Islamic sharia law's endorsement of killing homosexuals, violence against women and minors, atrocities such as those enumerated above, and notions of Muslim supremacy across the planet. These issues are genuine concerns for millions of Muslims as well as human rights defenders, but are never addressed by those apologists, who always try to present these atrocities as perfectly acceptable "cultural norms". People in hostile societies put their lives at risk by speaking against the majority; meanwhile, shutting out any criticism against hardliner behaviour in the West actually means giving extremists a license to keep on committing atrocities. Broadly speaking, in the West, where people have the opportunity to stand up against persecution, Muslim extremists seem determined to sell themselves as victims and to get rid of whatever obstacles contradict a clearly expansionist agenda. Motion M-103 claimed: "Recently an infinitesimally small number of extremist individuals have conducted terrorist activities while claiming to speak for the religion of Islam". Are those who set forth these resolutions oblivious to the clerics who rally hundreds of thousands across the world — organizations such as Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, CAIR, ISIS, Hezbollah, Al-Shabaab, Al-Qaeda, Taliban and Jamat e Islami, Sipah-e-Muhammad, TehrikNifaz-i-FiqahJafaria, JamatudDawa, Jaish-e-Mohammad, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, Lashkar-e-jhangwi, TehrikNifaz-i-Shariat Muhammadi, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Islam, Jamiat-ul-Ansar, Hizb ut-Tahrir, Khuddam-i-Islam, Fatah Al Islam (Lebanon), Ansar Al Sharia in Libya, Jabhat Al Nusra (Al-Nusra Front) in Syria, the Haqqani Network in Pakistan and other offshoots of these jihadi movements? The sales pitch for M-103 was given a pretty façade of human rights concerns, but actually inside was a veiled endorsement of a Muslim supremacist mentality. While M-103 asks to recognize the need to curb systematic racism and religious discrimination against Muslims, there are no traces of any systematic hatred or racism against Muslims or any religious groups in Canada. On the contrary, Canada already has laws to curb any discrimination or abuse against individuals or groups. All that is needed is to enforce those laws already on the books. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Criminal Code, carry progressive laws to handle hate crimes or racism. Section 318, 319(1) and 319(2) are specifically designed to deal with such offenses. Moreover, criticizing any genuine social concerns about a community or belief system is the democratic right of every citizen in a civilized country. Motions such as these are how most Muslim societies -- and other authoritarian states -- were founded: by depriving citizens of the basic right to express a difference of opinion, and worse, on the pretense of "doing good." The blasphemy laws of Pakistan were introduced on the premise of protecting the sanctity of the people's religious beliefs, but the laws only ended up meting out public death sentences to innocent and marginalized victims. Under Muslim blasphemy laws, such as those being slowly presented to Canada, such deeds are punishable by death or life in prison. Unfortunately, blasphemy laws are often interpreted as a state's permission to attack, lynch or destroy non-Muslim minorities, while the attackers are regarded as heroes for their crimes. Victims of these laws also include critics of this barbarism such as Punjab's Governor Salmaan Taseer, Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Shahbaz Bhatti, and often even human rights activists and the victims' lawyers. Aren't we setting up the foundation of such norms in the West on pretense of curbing "Islamophobia"? For example, a supposedly "infinitesimally small" number of jihadis are capable of shutting the mouths of approximately 200 million people (equivalent to the entire Pakistani population), seemingly forever, by literally killing dissent. In the last century, the jihadis' spiritual father, Sayyid Qutb, commissioned Muslims to impose salafist-style Islamic rule on the world by destroying the "infertile West" and eliminating anything non-Muslim. Qutb's book, Milestones, would undoubtedly be an eye-opener for those still unaware of what is required of "true" Muslims. The same is true of the writings of Hassan al-Banna, founder of the Muslim Brotherhood. This ideology is clawing its way into very fabric of the West, in places such as Britain, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, America, Australia and France. It poses an imminent threat to the free world. Free societies will have to pay a heavy price if they choose to ignore the menace of extremism through a policy of appeasement and accommodation. There is no need for specific laws about "Islamophobia": it is not even defined. Worse, many extremist clerics also consider as "Islamophobic" any criticism of their jihadism, communal hatred, polygamy and violence against women, minors or possibly anyone else they target. Canada has always been one of the most tolerant countries in the world; please let us keep it that way.
Wayne State University professor and biomedical engineering researcher Cynthia Bir is about to make it a very bad day for these crash test dummies. Wayne State University photo. DETROIT — Wayne State University professor and biomedical engineering researcher Cynthia Bir specializes in impacts. But her latest project undoubtedly produced the biggest bang of her career. Back in April, teamed with an international team of researchers, pilots and aircraft safety experts, Bir crashed a full-size passenger airplane into the remote desert along the U.S.-Mexico border, all in the name of science. The project was part of the Discovery Channel’s newest series, called Curiosity. This groundbreaking experiment looks at what actually happens during a plane crash and the science behind passengers’ best chance for survival. Crash test dummies as well as sensors throughout the plane will reveal just what types of forces are unleashed in a typical plane crash. Video footage from inside the remote-controlled plane will enable viewers to see what happens at the moment of impact. Bir said she was approached for the project “about four years ago actually” by a production company called Dragonfly. It took four years to pull off the crash, she said, because “we had a lot of things to figure out along the way — one of which was just where we were going to do it, whether it would be possible, how many crash test dummies we’d use — we wound up with three because of the cost.” In the end, Bir said, hundreds of people were involved on a safety team, a science team, and a flight team that included remote controlling the Boeing 727 that was crash-landed. The Discovery channel in the United States, Channel 4 in the United Kingdom, and another network in Germany bought rights to the show created around the crash. Bir said the Boeing 727 was crash landed in “what was meant to be a survivable crash” — say, if something went wrong with a plane and it had to land in the countryside rather than on an airstrip. The landing gear were down when the plane landed on a dry Mexican lakebed. Despite a controlled landing, Bir said the fuselage of the aircraft did break apart. So “there would have been fatalities on this particular crash in certain sections of the plane,” where it broke apart, and passengers would have been ejected from the plane at high speed. But other sections of the plane, Bir said, emerged intact, and would have been survivable. “Parts of the plane were completely intact, parts of the plane were scattered across the desert,” Bir said. Two of the crash test dummies were placed in “brace” positions, while one was not. And while smart-alecks love to make fun of bracing your body for anything so violent as a plane crash, Bir emphasized: “The take-home message here is that when they say to brace, you need to brace. In unbraced position you are a lot more vulnerable. Your head’s exposed, and there’s a lot of debris flying around. You’re also less likely to injure your lower back if you’re braced.” Overall, Bir said the crash was “a good show.” Bir is scheduled to discuss the show and her research on Good Morning America and Nightline, both on ABC, on Monday. The episode featuing the crash premieres at 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7. on the Discovery Channel.
High-dose estrogen (HDE) is a type of hormone therapy in which high doses of estrogens are given.[1] When given in combination with a high dose of a progestogen, it has been referred to as pseudopregnancy.[2][3][4][5] It is called this because the estrogen and progestogen levels achieved are in the range of the very high levels of these hormones that occur during pregnancy.[6] HDE and pseudopregnancy have been used in medicine for a number of hormone-dependent indications, such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and endometriosis, among others.[1][7][2] Both natural or bioidentical estrogens and synthetic estrogens have been used and both oral and parenteral routes may be used.[8][9] Medical uses [ edit ] HDE and/or pseudopregnancy have been used in clinical medicine for the following indications: The nonsteroidal estrogen diethylstilbestrol as well as other stilbestrols were previously to support pregnancy and reduce the risk of miscarriage, but subsequent research found that diethylstilbestrol was both ineffective and teratogenic.[24] HDE should be combined with a progestogen in women with an intact uterus as unopposed estrogen, particularly at high dosages, increases the risk of endometrial hyperplasia and endometrial cancer.[25] The majority of women with an intact uterus will develop endometrial hyperplasia within a few years of estrogen treatment even with mere replacement dosages of estrogen if a progestogen is not taken concomitantly.[25] The addition of a progestogen to estrogen abolishes the increase in risk.[26] Available forms [ edit ] The following steroidal estrogens have been used in HDE therapy:[1][27][28] As well as the following nonsteroidal estrogens (which are now little or not at all used):[27] Diethylstilbestrol (stilbestrol), fosfestrol (diethylstilbestrol diphosphate), bifluranol, and other stilbestrols Progestogens that have been used in pseudopregnancy regimens include hydroxyprogesterone caproate, medroxyprogesterone acetate, and cyproterone acetate, among others.[2] Progesterone has been little-used for such purposes likely due to its poor pharmacokinetics (e.g., low oral bioavailability and short terminal half-life).[29] Side effects [ edit ] General adverse effects of HDE may include breast enlargement, breast pain and tenderness, nipple enlargement and hyperpigmentation, nausea and vomiting, headache, fluid retention, edema, melasma, hyperprolactinemia, galactorrhea, amenorrhea, reversible infertility, and others. More uncommon but serious side effects may include thrombus and thrombosis (e.g., venous thromboembolism), other cardiovascular events (e.g., myocardial infarction, stroke), prolactinoma, cholestatic jaundice, gallbladder disease, and gallstones. In women, HDE may cause amenorrhea and rarely endometrial hyperplasia or endometrial cancer, but the risk of adverse endometrial changes is minimized or offset with pseudopregnancy regimens due to the progestogen component. The tolerability profile of HDE is worse in men compared to women. Side effects of HDE specific to men may include gynecomastia (breast development), feminization and demasculinization in general (e.g., reduced body hair, decreased muscle mass and strength, feminine changes in fat mass and distribution, and reduced penile and testicular size), and sexual dysfunction (e.g., reduced libido and erectile dysfunction). The use of HDE in men has been associated with cellulite, which has been attributed to androgen deficiency.[30] Pharmacology [ edit ] Estrogens are agonists of the estrogen receptors (ERs), the biological target of endogenous estrogens such as estradiol. When used in high doses, estrogens are powerful antigonadotropins, strongly inhibiting secretion of the gonadotropins luteinizing hormone and follicle-stimulating hormone from the pituitary gland, and in men are able to completely suppress gonadal androgen production and reduce testosterone levels into the castrate range.[31] This is most of the basis of their use in prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia.[31][28] When estradiol or an estradiol ester is used for HDE in men, levels of estradiol of at least approximately 200 pg/mL are necessary to suppress testosterone levels into the castrate range.[32] Synthetic and nonsteroidal estrogens like ethinylestradiol and diethylstilbestrol are resistant to hepatic metabolism and for this reason have dramatically increased local potency in the liver.[33][9][34] As a result, they have disproportionate effects on hepatic protein production and a greatly increased risk of blood clots relative to endogenous and bioidentical forms of estrogen like estradiol and estradiol esters.[35] Unlike synthetic estrogens, bioidentical estrogens are efficiently inactivated in the liver even at high dosages or high circulating levels, as in pregnancy, although changes in hepatic protein production can still occur.[33][9][34] A study that used high- to very high-dose oral estradiol to treat postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer found that mean steady-state estradiol levels in the 6 mg/day group were 302 pg/mL and in the 30 mg/day group were 2,403 pg/mL.[36] An example pseudopregnancy regimen in women which has been used in a few clinical studies for various indications is weekly intramuscular injections of 40 mg estradiol valerate and 250 mg hydroxyprogesterone caproate.[3] It has been found to produce circulating estradiol levels of 3,028–3,226 pg/mL after three months and 2,491–2,552 pg/mL after six months of treatment in peri- and postmenopausal and hypogonadal women, from a baseline of 27.8–34.8 pg/mL.[3] Levels of estrogen and progesterone in normal human pregnancy are very high.[6] Estradiol levels are 1,000–5,000 pg/mL during the first trimester, 5,000–15,000 pg/mL during the second trimester, and 10,000–40,000 pg/mL during the third trimester,[37] with a mean of 25,000 pg/mL at term and levels as high as 75,000 pg/mL measurable in some women.[38] Levels of progesterone are 10–50 ng/mL in the first trimester and rise to 50–280 ng/mL in the third trimester,[39] with a mean of around 150 ng/mL at term.[40] Although only a small fraction of estradiol and progesterone are unbound in circulation, the amounts of free and thus biologically active estradiol and progesterone increase to similarly large extents as total levels during pregnancy.[40] As such, pregnancy is a markedly hyperestrogenic and hyperprogestogenic state.[41][42] Levels of estradiol and progesterone are both up to 100-fold higher during pregnancy than during normal menstrual cycling.[43] History [ edit ] HDE has been used since the discovery and introduction of estrogens in the 1930s.[43] It was first found to be effective in the treatment of prostate cancer in 1941[44] and in the treatment of breast cancer in 1944.[1][45] HDE was the first medical therapy for prostate cancer and breast cancer.[46] Pseudopregnancy was developed in the 1950s following the introduction of progestins with improved potency and pharmacokinetics, at which time it was used to treat hypoplasia of the uterus and breasts and endometriosis.[3][4][13] In modern times, pseudopregnancy is rarely used.[4] However, studies in the mid-1990s were conducted and found it to be rapidly effective for increasing bone mineral density in women with osteopenia due to hypoestrogenism.[3][4] HDE has also commonly been used in transgender women since the 1960s.[47][48][49] Oral HDE for prostate cancer with diethylstilbestrol was used widely in men with prostate cancer until the mid-1960s, when it was compared directly to orchiectomy and was associated with improved cancer-related mortality but worse overall survival, mainly due to previously unrecognized cardiovascular side effects.[44][50] As a result of this study, HDE for prostate cancer fell out of favor.[44] However, in recent times there has been a resurgence in interest of HDE for prostate cancer with safer, bioidentical and parenteral forms of estrogen that don't share the same risks like polyestradiol phosphate and transdermal estradiol.[51] Modern HDE for prostate cancer has a variety of advantages and benefits over conventional androgen deprivation therapy with castration, including fewer side effects like osteoporosis, hot flashes, and impairment in cognitive, emotional, and sexual domains, potentially superior quality of life, and considerable cost savings.[51] The main drawback of modern HDE for prostate cancer is a high incidence of gynecomastia of about 40 to 77%, although it is generally only mildly or modestly discomforting.[51] In addition, prophylactic irradiation of the breasts can be used to prevent it and has minimal side effects, mostly consisting of temporary skin discoloration.[51] Following continued clinical research after the discovery of the effectiveness of HDE for breast cancer in 1944, HDE, most commonly with diethylstilbestrol and to a lesser extent ethinylestradiol, became the standard of care for the treatment of breast cancer in postmenopausal women from the early 1960s onwards.[1] In the 1970s, the antiestrogen tamoxifen was found to be effective for the treatment of breast cancer and was introduced for medical use.[1] Comparative studies found that the two therapies showed equivalent effectiveness, but that tamoxifen had reduced toxicity.[1] As a result, antiestrogen therapy became the first-line treatment for breast cancer and almost completely replaced HDE.[1] However, in the 1990s, HDE was revisited for breast cancer and was found to be effective in the treatment of women with acquired resistance to antiestrogen therapy.[1] Since then, research on HDE for breast cancer has continued, and safer, bioidentical forms of estrogen like estradiol and estradiol valerate have also been studied and found to be effective.[1] A major review was published in 2017 summarizing the literature to date.[1] Research [ edit ] Pseudopregnancy has been suggested for use in decreasing the risk of breast cancer in women, though this has not been assessed in clinical studies.[52] Natural pregnancy before the age of 20 has been associated with a 50% lifetime reduction in the risk of breast cancer.[53] Pseudopregnancy has been found to produce decreases in risk of mammary gland tumors in rodents similar to those of natural pregnancy, implicating high levels of estrogen and progesterone in this effect.[53] See also [ edit ]
VOTERS could be heading to the polls for an early election if Kevin Rudd becomes prime minister again with the independent MPs warning they would have to reconsider their deal with Labor. Tony Windsor - whose support, along with Rob Oakeshott's, delivered power to Labor - last night insisted "all bets are off" if Julia Gillard was ousted in a leadership contest, the Herald Sun reported. "If there is a change, there is no agreement. If there is a change, there can't be an assumption that the current arrangements will hold," the NSW cross-bench MP said. He warned a change in leadership was only likely to help Tony Abbott and the Coalition - who remain favourites to win the next election whenever it is held. "I'm not going to place myself in the middle of some sort of ... game that's going on and expect to just keep endorsing people whoever the revolving door produces," Mr Windsor said. "I did a deal with the current Prime Minister." Mr Windsor said he wasn't sure Mr Rudd had the right temperament to lead a minority government. "A hung Parliament is a fairly tenuous beast," he said.
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- The U.S. government is pulling telephone records of millions of domestic customers under a court order to Verizon Communications Inc.'s VZ, -0.25% Verizon Business Networks unit, the Guardian reported Wednesday. A copy of the secret court order posted on the newspaper's website demanded Verizon provide the National Security Agency with data on all calls involving a U.S. phone number. The order covers such data as location, call duration and timing and other identifiers, though not the contents of the phone conversations. The order is currently in force, giving the NSA full access to the data over a period running April 25 until July 19. A Verizon spokesman declined comment to the Guardian, which said it was unsure whether other telecom companies received similar orders. Have breaking news sent to your inbox. Subscribe to MarketWatch's free Bulletin emails. Sign up here.
Martin Sonneborn, leader of Die PARTEI Die Partei für Arbeit, Rechtsstaat, Tierschutz, Elitenförderung und basisdemokratische Initiative (Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroots Democratic Initiative), using the recursive acronym Die PARTEI (The PARTY), is a German political party that was founded in 2004 by the editors of the German satirical magazine Titanic. It is led by Martin Sonneborn. In the 2014 European Parliament election, the party won a seat, marking the first time that a satirical party has won a seat to the European Parliament. Name [ edit ] Partei für Arbeit, Rechtsstaat, Tierschutz, Elitenförderung und basisdemokratische Initiative ("Party for Labour, Rule of Law, Animal Protection, Promotion of Elites and Grassroot-Democratic Initiative") is a backronym for PARTEI, the German word for party. The phrase die Partei ("the party") is evocative of totalitarian parties—such as the SED (the former ruling party of East Germany) or the Nazi Party—and is thus a tongue-in-cheek reference to the ostensibly totalitarian ambitions of its founders. This is exploited and parodied in advertising in which the SED party hymn, Die Partei hat immer recht (English: The Party is always right) is played. Note that the actual text of the song starts with "Die Partei, die Partei, die hat immer recht" (English: The party, the party is always right) which when spoken can alternatively be parsed as "Die Partei "Die Partei", die hat immer recht" (English: The party "Die Partei" it is always right). Platform [ edit ] Amongst other things, the PARTEI parodies existing parties' features and election tactics and its parody events sometimes include visiting other parties' events. The PARTEI refers to itself as a haven for voters disappointed by other parties. It plans to engage in a (self-declared) "populist campaign" centering on: Rebuild the Berlin Wall and the Iron Curtain between East and West Germany, changing east Germany into an "SBZ", a "Sonderbewirtschaftungszone" (Special Economic Zone). East Germany was referred to by the same acronym between 1945 and 1949 when it was called "Sowjetische Besatzungszone" (Soviet Occupation Zone). The aforementioned phrase was used to refer to the GDR for years afterwards, especially by right wing politicians who did not wish to acknowledge or recognize its existence. The government even issued a book called "SBZ von A bis Z" about things happening in the GDR. Reform of the health insurance system Reduce working hours and abolish the Hartz IV laws and others introduced by "the neoliberal Schröder regime" (as an alternative to the Agenda 2010) Discuss and ratify a new constitution by the people (per article 146 of the German Constitution). Sonneborn explains this as follows: "Better that we get those votes than some sort of neo-Nazis". In order to achieve its majority, the PARTEI is willing to form a coalition with any other party other than the Free Democratic Party because, "We don't form coalitions with joke parties". It formed an "anti-constitutional platform" in an attempt to get the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution to surveil die PARTEI. The effort failed when the federal office refused, calling the PARTEI a frivolous political party. The goals of the anti-constitutional platform were:[3] Abolish federalism Wage a war of aggression against Liechtenstein in order to force democratization and abolish serfdom [4] Change the first article of the German Constitution ("Human dignity is inviolable") such that CEOs of certain TV channels would not possess human dignity. According to Die PARTEI, political goals are overrated; on the other hand, PARTEI promises a "modern" version of politics—i.e., they will ask for popular opinion and, once in power, will do something completely different. The party describes itself in the left-right politics scheme with "There cannot be anything, mustn't be anything and won't be anything left and right of the party!" (This is a reference to a famous sentence by Bavarian Minister-President Franz Josef Strauß: "There must not be a democratically legitimised party right of the CSU.") The only program points that cannot even remotely be found in other parties' programme are the resurrection of the wall that once divided East and West Germany, something that, according to certain polls, some 20% of all Germans wish for and the introduction of an official "Knoppers-Break" at German schools at half past 9 (as proposed by German Knoppers-advertisement) as well as some other fun election campaigns such as "A unicorn for everyone" (Ein Einhorn für alle) The PARTEI often caricatures the slogans of other political parties to emphasize how ridiculous some of them are. For example, "Hamburg – city in the North!", "overcome contents" (Inhalte überwinden), "Education starts with 'E'" (Bildung fängt mit 'B' an) or "Youth crime – not with us!"[5] By using satirical ways of running a campaign or making politics, the PARTEI highlights problems in the established system. For instance, the PARTEI successfully effected reforms of German party financing by selling 100 euro notes (and two postcards) for €105. German political parties are funded by the federal government based on their election results, donations, membership numbers, and income from the sale of merchandise (e.g. t-shirts, stickers). The far-right eurosceptic party Alternative for Germany (AFD) sold gold bars to its members, taking advantage of the fact that at the time the funding was based on revenue and not profit. This dramatically increased the AFD's federal funding. The PARTEI's campaign "Buy Money!" (German: "Geld kaufen!") led to a successful court decision and a change to party financing laws, closing the loophole.[6] Early history [ edit ] Background [ edit ] Titanic, whose employees would go on to populate the ranks of the PARTEI, began its political activities even before German reunification in 1990—it campaigned against it. As Titanic co-founder Chlodwig Poth explained, the magazine sought to parody the Bild newspaper's masthead, which read "The unity of our fatherland in freedom, that is our mission". Titanic has had the slogan "The definitive division of Germany – this is our mission" in its masthead since December 1989. At the heart of the PARTEI's political efforts lies the aim of resurrecting the Berlin Wall and all other border fortifications along the border with the former German Democratic Republic. This goal has however been hidden away in the last point of the party manifesto and was characterized by party chairman Martin Sonneborn as merely a "populist vehicle". He held out the prospect of a referendum after the PARTEI's accession to power. In order to raise the necessary finances for the erection of the Wall members are requested to donate the proceeds of their savings contracts. Sonneborn described the project as follows: "I give you and all the German public my word of honor, I repeat – my word of honor – that under us there will be no order to shoot at the Wall". (This is a reference to a false statement by former East Germany SED party leader Walter Ulbricht who in 1961 claimed that "Nobody has the intention of building a wall" shortly before the wall was actually built and a reference to "Waterkant-Gate" of politician Uwe Barschel.) The territory of the former GDR is thus to become a "Special Cultivation Zone" separated from the rest of Germany by edificial means in order to emphasize the visionary idea of such a zone and is to benefit from a de-bureaucratized and streamlined administrative system. Additionally, the PARTEI is demanding health care reform, protection of natural resources and a program for reduction of working time as an alternative to Agenda 2010, an unpopular set of labor market reforms introduced under Chancellor Schroeder in 2003. It also supports improved co-determination rights for citizens, in particular it demands that a new constitution be passed on the basis of wide-ranging discussions, to be ratified by the people (in line with article 146 of the constitution). Founding [ edit ] The PARTEI was founded on 2 August 2004, by the editors of Titanic, a Frankfurt-based satirical magazine. The leadership of the PARTEI and the Titanic editorial team are close; former Titanic editor-in-chiefs include PARTEI chairman, Martin Sonneborn, and current honorary chairman, Oliver Maria Schmitt. Despite the fact that the PARTEI's official headquarters are located at Mauerstraße in Berlin, the fax number given turns out to be the same as that of Titanic editorial offices. Titanic is the official print organ of the PARTEI. Titanic has a history of participating in election campaigns. For the 2002 German federal election it set up a stand claiming to be the Free Democratic Party and shouted racist slogans. In January 2003, Titanic staff pretended to be candidates of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) in Hesse. For the 2003 elections in Bavaria it surrendered in the name of the Bavarian Social Democrats ("SPD: Wir geben auf"), who always lose to the Christian Social Union. Participation in German politics [ edit ] The PARTEI has participated in four federal elections (2005, 2009, 2013 and 2017) and most state and municipal elections since 2005, achieving its best results in a few districts in Berlin and Hamburg without however doing well enough to gain any seats. German federal election, 2005 [ edit ] In June 2005, the PARTEI joined forces with the Anarchist Pogo Party in an alliance called Zweckbündnis ("marriage of convenience") for the 2005 federal election. One campaign tactic was to auction its advertising times in German television (all German political parties are allotted TV time for campaign spots for free) on eBay. An allusion to a scandal of masked advertising on public television, the (mostly satirical) TV spots were presented in the corporate design of a German airline company.[citation needed] Nominating candidates only in the cities of Hamburg and Berlin, the PARTEI gained 10,379 votes (0.022% of all votes on national level). German federal election, 2009 [ edit ] Die PARTEI, along with several other parties which had already participated in earlier federal and state election, was refused permission to take part in the 2009 federal elections. In July 2009 Roderich Egeler, Bundeswahlleiter (Federal Returning Officer) and president of the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, denied official party status and the approval for participation in the 2009 federal election. He criticised lack of seriousness and organisation within the party. He claimed his decision was based on a fax by Die PARTEI which expressed that there is just one single Landesverband (organisation in one of the states). Die PARTEI rejoined that no such fax existed and announced legal action. T-shirts saying "Where is my vote, Wahlleiter?" were sold as part of a protest campaign and the party demanded that Egeler resign after he did not revise his decision.[7] On 13 August 2009, a movie called Die PARTEI – Der Film was released in theaters.[8] On 3 November 2009 the party launched a challenge to the validity of the 2009 federal elections at the Bundestag. Die PARTEI also saw itself validated by Bundestag President Norbert Lammert's maiden speech in which he criticized the election registration process, because "representatives of the established parties decide whether or not to register the competition". The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's report on Germany's 2009 elections suggested reforming election registration in order to allow unregistered parties to appeal before elections. On 6 December 2010, the party filed an official complaint with the Federal Constitutional Court. It was officially accepted in February 2011 but ultimately the court rejected it in April 2011 on the grounds that the party chairman as the complainant did not have the necessary right to complain. State elections [ edit ] Die PARTEI garnered 0.17% of the votes cast in the state elections in Germany's largest state, North Rhine-Westphalia, on 9 May 2010. The candidate for the office of prime minister was forensic biologist Mark Benecke who was supported by several well-known artists. Many German-speaking celebrities are PARTEI members, some of whom participate as their candidates during election time, among them Rocko Schamoni, Heinz Strunk, Mark Benecke and the rappers Maxim and Nico from the Berlin Hip-Hop group K.I.Z. Rod Gonzáles, Hella von Sinnen, Dirk Bach and Guildo Horn all had their pictures taken with top-flight officials from the PARTEI to express their support during the 2010 state election.[9] Die PARTEI participated in state elections in Berlin, Hamburg and Baden-Württemberg in 2011. In the 2011 Hamburg state elections held on 20 February 2011, Die PARTEI won 23,994 votes (0.7% of the total).[10] In St. Pauli the party came in sixth place, winning 1,450 votes (4.9%), after SPD (37.4%), Greens (21.5%), The Left (20.1%), Pirate Party (6.7%) and CDU (5.8%).[11] In five districts (Hammerbrook, St. Pauli, Sternschanze, Veddel and Kleiner Grasbrook) the PARTEI beat the well-established FDP. The PARTEI did best in the Kleiner Grasbrook district, where it attracted 39 votes, or 5.3%, drawing level in the district with Germany's largest party, the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). City council elections [ edit ] Die PARTEI took part in municipal elections in North Rhine Westphalia on 30 August 2009, garnering 0.69% of the votes in Krefeld. On 17 May 2011, Manuel Lindlar, who had originally been elected to the Leverkusen city council via the election list of the "Die Linke" party, defected to the PARTEI. In 2012 Dirk Scholl, also former member of Die Linke, defected to the PARTEI in the city council of Saarlouis. In the elections for the city council of Lübeck in May 2013, the PARTEI won one seat. In the election for the city council of Cologne in October 2015, the candidate Mark Benecke received 7,22% of the votes. The vote had been postponed once because candidate Henriette Reker was injured in an assassination attempt. [12] German federal election, 2013 [ edit ] Information stall at "Kreuzberg jazzt!" in Berlin (2013) On 22 September 2013, Die Partei reached 0.2% of German voters in the 2013 federal election. German federal election, 2017 [ edit ] On 3 September 2017, members of Die PARTEI assumed full control over 31 secret Facebook groups dedicated to the AfD, a right-wing party, by infiltrating those groups and ascending to the rank of a group administrator. This was made public by altering the group names, removing all other administrators, making those groups public and uploading a video which shows a member of Die PARTEI, saying that all people in this group are now being fooled by real people instead of robots. According to the video, these 31 groups encompassed about 180,000 members. [13] Die PARTEI gained 1% of all votes, five times the turn out of 2013. [14] EU politics [ edit ] In the May 2014 European Parliament election, the PARTEI managed to get elected to the European Parliament with 180,000 votes (0.6% of the total).[15] Top candidate Sonneborn announced that all candidates from their list, starting with him, would take the seat for one month, then retire and thus get the most money out of the European Union. He also said he believed that they were "not the craziest party in the European Parliament".[16] Its campaign slogan was "For Europe, Against Europe", which Sonneborn explained that the PARTEI was inclusive—it welcomed the 70% of Germans opinion polls said were not interested in Europe, "But we also say yes to Europe so everybody opposed to or in favour of Europe can vote for us."[15] Specific campaign pledges included promising to "build a wall around Switzerland, put Chancellor Angela Merkel on a show trial in the Berlin Olympic stadium and to frack the rotund politicians Sigmar Gabriel and Peter Altmaier for cheap gas".[15] The LISTE – the PARTEI student organization [ edit ] Between 2005 and 2009 the PARTEI's student organizations began to make themselves felt in student parliaments in Bochum, Aachen, Berlin, Dortmund and Düsseldorf. In most cases the groups branded themselves as List for Grass-Roots Democratic Initiatives, Education, Animal Breeding and Promotion of Elites (German acronym LISTE -- Liste für basisdemokratische Initiative, Studium, Tierzucht und Elitenförderung). The student organization has 8,000 members nationwide according to its own reports. During the 2009/10 legislature the PARTEI student organization was able to advance its own man to the post of the President of the Düsseldorf student parliament. In the 2010/11 legislature the PARTY student organization now controls the post of assistant President of the student parliament at the Technische Hochschule Mittelhessen University of Applied Sciences, their LISTE standing for "List for Integration, Freedom from university fees, Technology and Promotion of Elites"). On 20 April 2011, Tobias M. Bölz, chairman of LISTE at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology was elected to the chairmanship of the executive committee of the student body, having been president of the student parliament in the previous legislative period. The Hintner Youth [ edit ] In line with the motto, "We need a children’s and youth wing, because we need a children’s and youth wing!", the Hintner Youth, named after the PARTEI's general secretary Thomas Hintner, was founded on 5 June 2005, during the state conference in Mannheim. The Hintner Youth's official greeting is, "Hi Hintner!", thus alluding to the Nazi Party's Hitler Youth and greeting. The Hintner Youth's uniform, with its blue shirt, gray trousers and red scarf are reminiscent of East Germany's Pioneer Organization and the Free German Youth (FDJ). The Hintner Youth organizes an annual summer camp at the Helmut Kohl memorial camp site near Waldhambach as well as a number of other events, among them climbing the Watzmann in the name of, "heaping up the summit to get up to at least 3,001 meters". The PARTEI school [ edit ] The PARTEI runs a school in Schwerin, which by allusion to the official SED schools is simply known as the "PARTEI school". The school's purpose is not only to improve PARTEI official's political literacy but also to provide general educational programs, including IT and foreign languages. The school's director is Heike Zeilinger, with Ulf Mittelstädt and Michael Padefke as heads of the individual departments. According to the PARTEI the school has no real estate of its own. State organizations [ edit ] The chairmen of the German states are: See also [ edit ] References [ edit ] Literature [ edit ]
An Afghan National Army soldier keeps watch near the Provincial Reconstruction Team as a NATO helicopter flies over the site of an attack in Jalalabad province April 15, 2012. (Parwiz Parwiz/Reuters) Since its troops swept into Afghanistan 12 years ago, the United States has dispatched hundreds of State Department employees to keep track of the massive American investment in developing the country. The days of such oversight are now ending. Nearly all U.S. diplomats are confined to Kabul because of the shrinking footprint of the American military, which once protected and transported civilian officials. That leaves diplomats here with a predicament: How do they oversee billions of dollars in projects, most of which are far from the capital, when they can’t leave Kabul? Beyond simply monitoring projects, the diplomats — often in small teams living in far-flung districts — have tried to nurture local Afghan governments in hopes of providing stability after U.S. troops withdraw from areas where the Taliban is active. Some U.S. officials say they were plucked from their regional posts as they were identifying important problems with government corruption and abuse. The State Department is planning some unusual ways to continue monitoring U.S.-funded projects. It will hire private contractors, who will submit photos with time and location stamps to prove that they visited the sites. Firms in Kabul might call far-off provinces by phone to ask villagers about education, nutrition or confidence in the government. Contractors might assess the progress of dams or roads by flying overhead and capturing aerial images. American officials will meet their Afghan counterparts during the local officials’ trips to Kabul.In some cases, the U.S. government may accept that its new posture has precluded any possibility of oversight. “We have built a lot of stuff, and we do worry whether or not we, and the Afghans, can keep it together,” said a U.S. official who, like several others interviewed, was not authorized to speak on the record to the media. “The goal is to maintain our core activities or programs, and that’s what we have to concentrate on.” In recent years, a “civilian surge” sharply increased the number of U.S. officials deployed to Afghanistan by the State Department, USAID and other agencies. They advised the national and local governments and tried to better monitor development projects, which have a history of multimillion-dollar waste, according to U.S. government investigators. The current retrenchment is a necessary part of the war’s endgame, U.S. officials say, but it presents a challenge for a Foreign Service accustomed to performing much of its own on-the-ground oversight in countries with major American aid programs. Some officials expressed confidence in the new process, saying Afghans are largely ready to manage U.S.-funded programs along with their own institutions. Projects that cannot be monitored may be shuttered, they said. “It shouldn’t matter whether we are there physically,” said another U.S. official. “What should matter is that they see a future for their country, and it’s a future that is led by Afghans.” In both Afghanistan and Iraq, State Department employees have relied heavily on the U.S. military for security. Civilian officials often have lived at Army or Marine bases, meeting regularly with local power brokers and inspecting the way aid dollars were being spent. When diplomats have taken day trips from Kabul, they typically have traveled on military aircraft, another dwindling resource here. In March 2012, there were 423 civilian officials spread across 83 installations in Afghanistan. By January 2014, there will be fewer than 99 people in 11 locations, officials said. “We can’t maintain that footprint, as much as we would like to, without the support from the military that goes with it,” said U.S. Ambassador James B. Cunningham. “There’s no way we could do that on our own.” Unforeseen security problems have hastened the civilian drawdown, officials said. Last August, a USAID officer, Ragaei Abdelfattah, was killed in a suicide attack in eastern Konar province. In April, a U.S. diplomat, Anne Smedinghoff, was slain in the capital of southeastern Zabul province. Last year’s deadly attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, also led to more risk-averse security policies for American civilian employees overseas. After April’s attack in Zabul, the State Department temporarily barred its employees stationed at bases outside Kabul from leaving them. Worried about “insider attacks,” it also ordered that diplomats could not travel in convoys that included Afghan soldiers. “We joked that the embassy would prefer that we never see Afghans,” said one U.S. official. The military’s consolidation has been lightning fast, forcing the State Department to remove employees from districts where they were once deemed critical. Some former U.S. officials in Afghanistan argue that they were withdrawn during an important stage of their missions. “There are still local tribal conflicts that go all the way to the president’s office. . . . The police in some districts are still literally raping and pillaging,” said a third U.S. official, who was formerly based in southern Afghanistan. “But the embassy’s mentality is: ‘It’s the end. Wrap it up. Get out.’ ” After the civilian drawdown in Iraq, the State Department looked for a private-sector solution to monitoring programs there that would be too dangerous for government employees to visit. In 2009, USAID issued a $14 million, three-year contract to the Washington-based QED Group to provide such oversight. But an inspector general report last year found that “the program did not operate as intended and, therefore, the contract did not significantly improve program management and oversight at USAID/Iraq.” The Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) has charged in recent reports that millions of dollars have been wasted on U.S. development efforts, including agriculture projects, hospitals that lack the staffing and operating budget to function, and a large utility where contractors were paid for work not completed. “As U.S. and coalition forces withdraw, it will become steadily more difficult for both the implementing and oversight agencies to monitor projects,” John F. Sopko, the special inspector general, told Congress in April. USAID officials said some of SIGAR’s allegations, including claims that projects were badly monitored, were products of poor research by the inspector general. “I can’t say that’s not true, but it’s not universally true,” said Larry Sampler, USAID’s acting assistant to the administrator in the Office of Afghanistan and Pakistan Affairs, responding to Sopko’s critique. “We do get out” to projects, he said. Sampler acknowledged, however, that the lack of security, particularly in southern and eastern Afghanistan, has “forced us to look for alternative mechanisms for monitoring and oversight.” Some critics, including U.S. government officials, have questioned the effectiveness of the “civilian surge,” which began in 2010.They argue that it often failed to improve Afghan governance and effectively track development spending. U.S. diplomats forced to travel with convoys of military personnel, critics say, were often unable to get a realistic sense of progress or public opinion because the troops’ presence was so disruptive. But with $15 billion in USAID funds invested in Afghanistan, no one doubts the importance of oversight and sustainable programs. “Some of what we had hoped to achieve in the districts and provinces hasn’t proved out as regularly or as quickly as we wanted,” Cunningham said. “But a lot of good work has been done in trying to prepare for this, and trying to move away from projects that are heavy on oversight and [include] big commitments of personnel resources.”
Well it’s getting there that’s for sure. I’m not too sure about my goals today (because they were from 36 hours ago) but I’ll walk you through the progress today – and there was plenty of it! Bugs The wolf seemed to be indecisive – It was switching between it’s attack and do nothing state. It turned out I messed it up somewhere along the way when I told it to stop attacking when the target was out of line of sight – but the conditions were vague. Actually I think that’s it for bugs. New Today A heads up display that tells you the basics – it will move over when you click the build button so you can still see what you have. When a corpse sits long enough it becomes a skeleton – clean up those bodies! Mouse over corpses – so you know who you’re burying. A star now appears over the head of units at level 3 – Also – in the unit HUD at the top left there is a star that will serve as a button for Job selection. Also made the tooltip a bit nicer for the auto-empty inventory. Goblin attack animation! It’s no Pixar film but you get the idea that he’s trying to punch your lights out and eat you children. And last but definitely not least – we have our first Job created! The Swordsman! So far I’m just working out a few bumps but it’s attack/flee is very functional. The swordsman will flee when it has 25% or less HP and will attack any hostile unit. When it flee’s it can still run into the townhall just like any other unit; I think it will still man an archer tower but I’m going to remove that tomorrow. I am also working on tasks for the Swordsman – so far I have 1-Go Here 2-Guard Position 3-Follow(or escort/protect) and 4-stop. Tomorrow will be about programming those in. Well I was just playing my own game for about 20 minutes and it was actually fun! I didn’t even get to build houses or anything – just managing the villagers, trying to keep up with everyone’s food was challenging! I started with 1 female and 1 male – then 5 swordsman (because I don’t actually have the mechanic to turn a villager into a swordsman yet) – and by the end of it there were 200 villagers. Then they were dying of hunger so I was telling my swordsman to attack skeletons – It was actually fun! I don’t know if it’s coming through in my typing but I’m excited because I know there’s still so much to add that will multiply the fun (hopefully)! Anyway, tomorrow will yield even more progress I guarantee, unless there’s a large structure fire that keeps me from the computer (I literally just knocked on wood because that would be terrible). Check my twitter for all the updates as I go! Thanks for reading, I’ll be back with more tomorrow! Advertisements
Golden Gate bridge, of course, one of the most recognizable bridges in the world! It's 4200 feet long and was the longest suspension bridge in the world from 1937 to 1964 when it was succeeded by the Verrazano Narrows Bridge in New York. It cost 35$ million to build in 1933, and it came in under budget and ahead of schedule. I’m just amazed that they built a six lane bridge in 1933 in California of all uninhabited places. The story of the construction of this bridge is nothing short of incredible. There were several major engineers involved in the design of the bridge, with the final design by Charles Alton Ellis. The project went through several other engineers before it reached Ellis, including Leon Moisseiff, who is (in)famous for designing the Galloping Gertie bridge across Puget Sound that collapsed so dramatically ON VIDEO in 1940 just months after it opened. (Good thing Moisseiff didn’t do the final design on golden Gate bridge) The head of the Golden Gate Bridge project Joseph Strauss completely gypped Ellis on credit for the design and cut all mention of his name from the grand opening ceremonies and the commemorative plaque, but it’s Ellis’ signature on the plans that are in the Library of Congress. (which is a big deal because an engineering signature is basically a professional guarantee) sordid history: The construction of the bridge was extremely dangerous for the workers, because of the 200 foot height from the deck to the ocean. An enormous net was constructed underneath to catch people as they fell, it failed once and killed 10 men in one day, but it generally succeeded and saved the lives of 19 people who I’m sure would have preferred not to join the ‘Halfway to Hell Club’. My favorite part of the constructions was the immense project to build the underwater pylon in 110 feet of water. Here’s a great link with old photos of the divers preparing to go down with dynamite to blast to the bedrock. The aesthetic design of the towers was done by Irving Morrow, yet another product of the famous Beaux Arts school in Paris which gave San Francisco architects like Julia Morgan and shaped so much of the California’s architectural style. The Golden Gate is done in good old 1930’s Art Deco style, and the wikipedia page has tons of beautiful photo examples if you want to see more. Dum dum te dum! Here it is!!!: CHATEAU GRIEF IS ON PATREON (woot!) I have gone on a posting bonanza over there! All bright and shiny and ready for the GRAND OPENING! 7 tutorials (Including a walkthrough of today's bonus pic!) CG 117 June's swag with brushes, palettes and special effects Xander would support. (BUT GO TO PATREON INSTEAD, looks so cool!) And it doesn't charge you until the first of the month (Aug1) so it's basically all free until then! Go sign up for the 10$ tier and get everything! You can unsubscribe at any time or change your tier, so there's no reason not to go for gold. And then tell me how I'm doing on the tutorials thing because I want to make sure I'm showing what people want. Please support it would mean a lot to me!Xander would support. You know he would. (link back to comic) Free way to help out: TopWebComicsVoteForChateauGrief You don't even need an account, click the link, click vote.Just in case the links don't work, the URL is www.patreon.com/chateaugrief
The show has quickly become a fan favorite since it was released in July, and its spooky atmosphere lends itself well to VR. The eight-episode series is a love letter to supernatural 1980s classics, with inspiration from films like Poltergeist, The Shining, and E.T. Minor spoilers ahead. Stranger Things follows the story of a young boy, Will Byers, who mysteriously vanishes due to supernatural forces, and his friends' and family's attempts to find and save him. The scene in question is when Will's mother Joyce, played by Winona Ryder, finds an unusual way to communicate with her son using Christmas lights in her house.While Joyce is trying to figure out what Will's saying, a monster appears out of nowhere and begins chasing Joyce. That's where the 360 video begins, allowing you to fully look around the dimly lit living room and hallway while keeping an eye out for a deadly creature.A 360 video is an interesting way to promote a series like Stranger Things, as it allows people who've yet to watch the show feel like an active participant in its eerie world, enticing them to further check out what else it has to offer. It's a well-executed video, and is a sign that Netflix is interested in VR storytelling moving forward.
Copyright monopolists insist on the idea of controlling the fruits of other people’s labor, such as when other people copy a particular file. This attitude is offensive, insulting, and antithetical to a free market. The famous philosopher John Locke once published the idea that a person has the right to profit off of the fruits of their labor. This is only partially true: once you have sold something, you hold no further rights to profit off of it. This is fairly obvious, but needs to be stated for context. An entrepreneur can sell one or both of two things: you can sell products, and you can sell services. If somebody decides to make shiny things and sell them, they have a right to profit off the fruit of that labor – but only up until the point where they sell the shiny things. Their ownership of the shiny thing, and their right to profit, ends the second the item is sold to somebody. Conversely, if somebody decides to sell their time in selling services, their right to profit ends the second they stop working for the person they have sold their time to. In geek terms, entrepreneurship is finding a value differential in society, constructing a conduit between the two endpoints and sticking a generator in the middle of the conduit. Profit ensues from the generator until the value differential has equalized to the point where the pressure is no longer sufficient to overcome the resistance of the generator, at which point the conduit stops working. This is how a free market works, and it is regarded as the foundation of our economy. However, copyright monopolists are trying their hardest to muddle this simple and fundamental principle, by claiming a continued kind of ownership even after something is sold. That’s not how a market works. That’s a monopoly. That’s harmful. That’s bad. We have indeed observed before how the copyright monopoly stands in direct opposition to property rights, sabotaging this foundation of our economy and the fundamentals of entrepreneurship. So for the sake of argument, let’s assume I am given a copy of the movie The Avengers by somebody. It is one of many copies. There are many ones like it, but this one is mine. It is my property in all its aspects. However, copyright monopolists would argue that they should continue to control my property. This is not just strange, but offensive. Even worse, when I do some labor on my own property, such as executing a “copy file” command on it, the copyright monopolists claim they should control that labor too – as well as the fruits of it. This is outrageous and has me fuming over their arrogance. When I manufacture another copy of the Avengers using my own property and my own labor, copyright monopolists somehow believe they have a right to the fruits of my labor. I find that idea offensive and insulting. It is true that the ease of my labor depends on many people having worked on other things before me. However, this is true with all entrepreneurship. My ability to copy a particular file depends not just on those who created the file, but also on those who invented electricity generators, the modern graphics card, the keyboard, wire insulation, storage media, networking protocols, and many, many other things. This is as ancient as Rome: entrepreneurship has always built on the already-performed work of others, and one set of previous such entrepreneurs do obviously not get any kind of special privileges on a functioning market. Anybody is free to create shiny things, but their ownership over the shiny thing stops the instant they sell it. That’s how a market works. Claiming control over the fruits of other people’s labor, such as when somebody makes a copy of a file using their own property, is deeply, deeply immoral.
Jan 5, 2016 Ξ Comments are off By Ed Diokno Apparently, there’s more to Miss Universe than simply looking beautiful and smiling for the cameras. Well, smiling, looking good and remaining perfectly poised is part of the job description and she had to do lots of that during a flurry of television appearances Monday morning. Pia Alonzo Wurtzbach, who represented the Philippines, wants to use her celebrity status as the newly crowned Miss Universe to promote HIV prevention, improving donations for disaster relief and anti-bullying work. In her first official act as Miss Universe, Wurtzbach was interviewed on Good Morning America Monday on U.S. television. It was a busy morning for Wurtzbach as she made the rounds of the morning shows including Live with Kelly & Michael, Access Hollywood and Extra TV. ABC Breaking News \| Latest News Videos As one of the two semi-finalists for the Miss Universe crown two weeks ago ago, Wurzbach was stunned as everyone else watching the show in one of the most controversial pageants in recent memory, when emcee Steve Harvey announced Miss Colombia, Ariadna Gutierrez Arevalo, as the new Miss Universe and Miss Philippines as First Runner-up. Seconds later, Harvey apologized for his error and named Wurtzbach as Miss Universe. In an extremely awkward moment, the sparkling silver crown was taken off Miss Colombia and transferred to Miss Philippines. Supporters of Miss Colombia, including high-ranking officials in the Colombian government, began expressing their displeasure at the pageant on social media where the hashtag #RespectTheCrown trended. “They put the crown on her head,” Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos said Monday. “The photos are there to prove it. To me, as a Colombian, she is still Miss Universe.” The poised Wurtzbach expertly danced around the controversy when asked by GMA’s Lara Spencer if she would be willing to share the crown, as suggested by some of Arevalo’s supporters. “I think it would be a little bit difficult for two girls to share a crown,” Wurtzbach answered, smiling, “but I have high hopes that this will this give great opportunities for me and Miss Colombia.” Wurtzbach is the first Asian winner since 2007 when Riyo Mori won the Miss Universe crown representing Japan. The last Miss Philippines to win the title was Margie Moran in 1973. (Ed Diokno writes a blog :Views From The Edge: news and analysis from an Asian American perspective.)
Google started dropping hints about its Chrome OS-like plans for Windows 8 back in October. At the time it was merely an experiment in the developer version of Chrome, but today Google is rolling out a new user interface to all Chrome Windows users alongside a noisy tabs tracking feature. The new "Metro" mode essentially converts Chrome for Windows 8 into Chrome OS. Just like Google's full Chrome OS, you can create multiple browser windows and arrange them using a snap to the left or right of the display or full-screen modes. There's even a shelf with Chrome, Gmail, Google, Docs, and YouTube icons that can be arranged at the bottom, left, or right of the screen. An app launcher is also available in the lower left-hand corner, providing access to search and recent apps. It’s all clearly designed to work well with touch on Windows 8, something that the traditional desktop version of Chrome has not focused on so far. The "Metro" mode presents the keyboard automatically, and also includes the ability to navigate and resize windows within the Chrome OS-like environment. Some UI elements still require some touch optimization, but overall it’s a better experience than the existing desktop version with touch. While the Chrome browser acts as a Windows 8 application, it's using a special mode that Microsoft has enabled specifically for web browsers. The software maker allows browsers on Windows 8 to launch in its "Metro-style" environment providing they're set as default. The applications are listed in the Windows Store and they're still desktop apps, but the exception allows them to mimic Windows 8 apps and access the app and snapping features of the OS. While Chrome runs in this mode on Windows 8, Microsoft does not permit this type of behavior on Windows RT. A true Trojan horse Google’s latest update for Windows 8 is clearly a big step forwards in its Chrome Apps initiative. The search giant is working with developers to create apps that exist outside of the browser and extend Chrome’s reach into more of a platform for third parties to build upon. Having a Chrome OS-like environment directly inside of Windows 8 extends Google’s browser into a Trojan horse to eventually convince users to download more and more Chrome Apps and possibly push them towards Chrome OS in the future. We’ve reached out to Microsoft for comment on whether Google’s latest Chrome OS update conforms with the Metro-style browser policies, and we’ll update you accordingly.
THE man who replaced Jarryd Hayne as NSW fullback now wants to tread the same path to the NFL. St George Illawarra custodian Josh Dugan has spoken with his manager about possibly making the transition in the wake of Hayne’s stunning success with the San Francisco 49ers. Hayne starred in the four pre-season games to make the cut in the 49ers’ final 53-man roster and is in line to make his NFL debut on Tuesday against the Minnesota Vikings at Levi’s Stadium. Dugan has been inspired by Hayne’s example and feels he would be well equipped to succeed. “If I had the opportunity to do it I would give it a crack,” Dugan told Channel 9 news. “I feel like I could make an impact over there as well. “We have similar sort of games and he’s a special player, and I like to see myself as a similar sort of player. I feel like I could definitely do some of the things he’s doing over there.” Dugan will put those ambitions aside when he turn out for the Dragons in their sudden death NRL finals match against the Bulldogs this weekend. But, like Hayne, Dugan has a deep love for American football and follows it closely. And The fact Hayne has accomplished the aim he set himself to make the 49ers roster has been inspirational. Josh Dugan has spoken of his desire to test himself in the NFL after Jarryd Hayne’s success. Source: AAP “If I was going to defer to any game I’d like to go to the NFL but at the moment it’s just a dream at the back of my mind,” Dugan said. “It’s awesome Haynesy has achieved his dream and is doing good things over there. He’s opened up the door for a lot of other people as well. “It just goes to show just how much of a freak athlete he is. He is a special player and person.”
Wyden, Lofgren, Paul Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Aaron’s Law to Reform Abused Computer Fraud and Abuse Act WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.) Representative Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) introduced bipartisan legislation today to better target serious criminals and curb overzealous prosecutions for non-malicious computer and Internet offenses. The legislation, inspired by the late Internet innovator and activist Aaron Swartz, who faced up to 35 years in prison for an act of civil disobedience, would reform the quarter-century old Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) to better reflect computer and Internet activities in the digital age. Numerous and recent instances of heavy-handed prosecutions for non-malicious computer crimes have raised serious questions as to how the law treats violations of terms of service, employer agreement or website notices. Cosponsors of the legislation also include U.S. Representatives Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.), Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.) and Jared Polis (D-Colo.). “Violating a smartphone app’s terms of service or sharing academic articles should not be punished more harshly than a government agency hacking into Senate files,” Wyden said. “The CFAA is so inconsistently and capriciously applied it results in misguided, heavy-handed prosecution. Aaron’s Law would curb this abuse while still preserving the tools needed to prosecute malicious attacks.” "The Computer Fraud and Abuse Act is long overdue for reform," said Lofgren. "At its very core, CFAA is an anti-hacking law. Unfortunately, over time we have seen prosecutors broadening the intent of the act, handing out inordinately severe criminal penalties for less-than-serious violations. It's time we reformed this law to better focus on truly malicious hackers and bad actors, and away from common computer and Internet activities." “I am proud to join Sen. Wyden and Rep. Lofgren today in offering this bipartisan and bicameral legislation which will amend the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. Aaron’s Law will reduce overbroad prosecutions and adjust unfair sentencing practices,” Paul said. Aaron’s Law would address fundamental problems with the CFAA by: Establishing that breaches of terms of service, employment agreements, or contracts are not automatic violations of the CFAA. By using legislative language based closely on 9th and 4th Circuit Court opinions, the bill would instead define 'access without authorization' under the CFAA as gaining unauthorized access to information by circumventing technological or physical controls — such as password requirements, encryption or locked office doors. Hack attacks such as phishing, injection of malware or keystroke loggers, denial-of-service attacks, and viruses would continue to be fully prosecutable under the strong CFAA provisions this bill does not modify. Bringing balance back to the CFAA by eliminating a redundant provision that enables an individual to be punished multiple times through duplicate charges for the same violation. Eliminating the redundant provision streamlines the law, but would not create a gap in protection against hackers. Bringing greater proportionality to CFAA penalties. Currently, the CFAA's penalties are tiered, and prosecutors have wide discretion to ratchet up the severity of the penalties in several circumstances, leaving little room for non-felony charges under CFAA (i.e., charges with penalties carrying less than a year in prison). The bill ensures prosecutors cannot seek to inflate sentences by stacking multiple charges under the CFAA, including state law equivalents or non-criminal violations of the law. Aaron’s Law was first introduced by Sen. Wyden and Rep. Lofgren in the 113th Congress. Click here for bill text, and a section-by-section summary of the legislation.
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I want to thank a reader who sent me this. Jenna Fischer‘s story could be any one of ours. Struggling to get an agent, finding money for headshots and classes and trying our best to rustle up work. This is a long read but well worth your time. She talks about how she got to where she is today, great advice and even tells you the name of her acting coach. The Acting Advice Blog – by: Jenna Fischer from The Office I’ve received tons of letters from people asking advice about the entertainment industry and, in particular, pursing a life as an actor. People have also asked how I got to be on The Office.This blog, I hope, will address some of those questions. I grew up in St. Louis Missouri. I always wanted to be an actor but when you grow up in a place like St. Louis that is sort of like saying, “I want to be a superhero when I grow up”. It hardly seems real. The world of Hollywood is mysterious.You hear stories of girls being discovered at ball games. Success is about having “it” or being pretty or some other intangible magic. You have no model for how to succeed. Everyone’s story is different. One person does stand-up for 15 years and then gets a TV show, someone else finances their own movie and it takes off at a festival and suddenly they are the hottest thing. But for each of those people there are thousands of stand-up comics and filmmakers who never got their break. How do you know what to do? I thought being an actor meant being famous. But, most actors aren’t recognizable. It’s funny. I watch TV in a whole new way now. Like, I watch a show and I see the person who has 3 lines on Law and Order and I think, “Their family is gathered around the TV flipping out right now. I bet that was a huge deal for that person!” There are so many actors that make a living by doing support work on shows. I was that person for many years.For me to stay in this business, it had to be okay if I was never recognized. I learned that I loved the craft of acting more than the idea of being famous. My first piece of advice to someone who is serious about being a professional television or film actor is:move to Los Angeles. Moving to Los Angeles can be difficult but it is the only city that doesn’t put a ceiling on where you can go with your career.New York is the place to go if you want to do theater. But if you want to be in film and television, move to LA. I had a teacher once who said, “If you can think of anything else you are passionate about besides acting, do that.Your life will be better for it.” I actually think that might be good advice.I couldn’t come up with anything so I moved to LA. I fully expected to be working in movies within a year of moving to LA.That was not my reality and it is not the reality of most people who move to LA to pursue acting.It can take a very, very, very long time to succeed in this business and my best piece of advice is to not give up.You have to motivate yourself and just keep going.Create projects for yourself.Don’t whine.The first year is the hardest followed by every anniversary up to about year 5 when you’re so beaten down you don’t notice the years passing anymore.I have a friend who is so incredibly talented it is a crime that after 10 years in LA he still has to wait tables to make a living. He gets acting work here and there but he can’t hold down an agent.This business is not fair.It is not like other businesses where if you show up, and work above and beyond everyones expectations, you are pretty much guaranteed to move up the ladder.I don’t know why it works out for some and not for others.And when you move here you have no idea which camp you are going to fall into. It isn’t who you know.It just doesn’t work that way. I didn’t know anyone when I moved to LA.Most people don’t.I shared an apartment with an old college buddy.He had a commercial agent and I was sure that by knowing him, this agent would take me on.She didn’t. Here is how I got “discovered”. I had been living in LA for about 2 years.A friend wrote a TV script and wanted to do a live stage version as a way of attracting TV producers.He asked me to play a small role.It meant lots of rehearsal for very little stage time and no pay.Along the way I questioned why I had agreed to do it.But, it was very funny and he was a friend, so I agreed.After our 3rd performance, his manager approached me and asked if I had representation. I said, no.She offered to represent me saying she thought I had a real future in television comedy.Naomi is still my manager today. A month later, I was doing a very strange play – a musical adaptation of the movie Nosferatu – at a small theater in Los Angeles.I was doing it because I loved the Commedia dell’arte style of the show and the people involved.I worked all day as a temp doing mind-numbing data entry for a medical company and then went to rehearsals for 5 hours a night, often getting home past midnight.One night an agent came to see the play and left his card at the box office asking to meet me.He became my first agent. Now, that sounds easy right?Well, that was all after 2 years of working as a temp, doing every acting gig I could find – usually for no pay, borrowing money to buy a new engine for my car and wearing a pair of shoes with a hole in them because I couldn’t afford anything else.Did I mention my living room curtain was made from a torn bed sheet?It was another 3 years before I got my first speaking part on a TV show.That show was Spin City.(I played a waitress in a scene where the girl playing Charlie Sheens crazy date threw bread at me.) Every year I did a little more than the year before.My first 5 years I probably earned between $100 – $2,000 a year from acting.Year 6 brought me some of my biggest success and I only made $8,000 from acting. But, I put a lot more money into my career than that. Headshots are expensive. The photo session and getting prints can run anywhere from $500-$800. Classes range from $150-500 a month. It costs $1,200 to join SAG once you are eligible.And apartments are crazy expensive.$700 – $1,000 for a crappy apartment that you share with at least one roommate.Its no wonder my living room curtain was a bed sheet. So, how did I get The Office? Spin City was cast by Allison Jones.She also casts The Office.She became a fan of mine through a series of auditions.I kept going into her office year after year auditioning for different things.I got some and not others but she kept bringing me back.I developed a relationship with her – not because I met her at a party and we schmoozed – but because I had proven to her over the course of many years that I was a reliable and serious actor capable of providing a consistent body of work.That is what this business is all about – from a real working actors perspective.Allison remembered me when it was time to cast The Office.She called me to audition and I finally got the part. Most actors think their first priority after moving to LA is to get an agent.I disagree.I think the first priority should be to build a body of work.Become a pro so that you are valuable to an agent.No agent wants to sign a non-union newbie.It’s not their job to get you ready.Join NowCasting.com or LACasting.com and submit yourself for non-union work. Get experience. These websites require you to pay a monthly fee for their service.I would normally warn you about places that charge you a fee, but NowCasting and LACasting are legit businesses. You post your photo and resume.They post casting notices for student films, short films, non-union work and some commercials.You are able to submit yourself for work and hope you get a request to audition.I have friends who work all the time doing this.It is a great way to get commercial work.I think the website LACasting.com submits their non-union members to commercial agents as part of their service. (You need to live in LA to participate.) Work as an extra.If you are new in town this is a very good way to learn how a movie or television set operates.I did this my first year and I’m glad I did.No one gets treated worse than an extra (or as they are called now, background artists) but since I went through it myself I know how to be gracious now that I’m more successful.It’s a great boot camp. You learn the set terminology and etiquette from a safe distance. That way, when you book your first acting gig you will know what it means to “hit your mark” or how to “clear for second team”. The top extras casting agency is Central Casting.If you work enough you can earn your SAG card.That’s how I did it. You need your SAG card to be taken seriously by an agent.You cannot work on a TV show or a studio movie without belonging to the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Union.You can do some extra work if you are not in the union but you cannot have a speaking role in a major production.There are non-union productions that hire non-union actors (like student films and low-budget features) and that is a great way to get practice in front of a camera. When you are ready to get an agent you should know a few things.Legitimate agents only take 10 percent and they should NEVER charge you a monthly fee or startup fee.They should not force you to use a certain photographer to take your headshots. If they do, they are probably just signing you up so that you’ll hire the photographer and they’ll get a kick-back.Agents should only make money if you make money.An agent may ask you to sign a contract – this is normal.A standard contract is for 1-2 years.I would not sign a contract for more than 3 years.And, READ THE CONTRACT.A friend of mine met with an agent who tried to write a clause into the contract that made it so that, at the agent’s discretion, the contract never ended.If you are unsure, contact SAG and ask them for a standard Agent/Client agreement.Ask if the agent you are thinking of going with is SAG certified. If you are good at comedy, take classes from the Groundlings or I.O. (formerly known as Improv Olympic).Second City in Chicago is also great.These are the most recognized improv comedy places. They look good on a resume.It’s a great place to meet people when you are new to town. Classes are expensive so that can be hard when you are just starting out.I didn’t do this but I wish I had. Almost every actor on The Office has studied with one of these 3 places. There is a book you can get at the LA bookstore Samuel French called “The Actor’s Guide to LA”.It is a spiral bound book that is updated every year.It lists all the extras casting agencies, casting directors, agents, photographers…etc.This is a great resource for the new actor.I also suggest reading Backstage West.It has casting notices and articles for actors. Finally, there is an amazing book you can do called The Artists Way by Julia Cameron.I highly recommend it.It is a 12-week self-lead creativity seminar in the form of a book.It’s brilliant.You don’t have to move to LA to do it.In fact, it would be a good thing to do if you are thinking of moving to LA.It might give you the answers you need.It was through doing The Artists Way that I was inspired to make my movie LolliLove. I completely credit this book with giving me the tools and courage I needed to complete that project (a project that took over 4 years to finish.)And I credit LolliLove with giving me the confidence and practice with the mockumentary style that lead me to landing my job on The Office. Yes, you will meet some scumbags if you move to LA. People that prey on newcomers.I can tell you with absolute certainty that those people have NO POWER in the grand scheme of things. For example, it was my first year in town and I was part of a theater group.At a party for a new play opening the playwright came up to me and asked me if I was an actress.I said yes.He asked if I was interested in doing a part in his new movie.I was kind of floored.How did he know I was any good?I said, “What is it about?”And he said, “Well, you’d have to do a raunchy sex scene with nudity.Would that bother you?”I laughed and said, “I wouldn’t do anything I wouldn’t be proud to show my parents.”He then said, “That was a test.You aren’t a real actress. A real actress would never say that.A real actress would piss herself onstage if the part called for it.You aren’t going to make it in this town.You should just go home.”And then he walked away.I went back to my apartment and cried.Why was Shem Bitterman (that is his real name) such a dick?I have no idea.Stuff like that will happen to you if you decide to become an actor. People will roll their eyes when you tell them what you do.You have to develop a thick skin – without becoming jaded, guarded or cynical.That’s a tall order.I’ll say now what I wish I had said then, “Shem, sir, with all due respect, you are a fuckface and you can kiss my ass.” I have a great acting coach who says that success in Hollywood is based on one thing: Opportunity meets Readiness. You cannot always control the opportunities, but you can control the readiness.So, study your craft, take it seriously.Do every play, every showcase, every short film, every student film you can get.Swallow your pride.Be willing to work for nothing in things you think are stupid.Make work for yourself.Make your own luck.Don’t complain.Hopefully, the work will find you if you are ready. I know how hard it can be when you first get out here.Go out and meet as many people as you can.Create a family for yourself of creative, supportive people.AND, don’t stop your personal life for your career.I know a lot of people that wait to do things – visit family, friends, have relationships, get married – because they are waiting until they “make it”. Or, they don’t go to a friend’s wedding because they might “miss something”. Life is too short and it’s not worth it in the end.I always took off and did that stuff and it turned out fine.I was often anxious and worried in the process but I did it.I believe that in order for my professional life to move forward, I have to keep my personal life moving forward as well. I wouldn’t be where I am today if not for my ex-husband James. He is the one who convinced me to quit my job as a secretary (ironically) and focus full time on acting. I didn’t totally believe I could make it but he did. He supported us financially and supported me emotionally. He ran lines with me and coached me before countless auditions. He put up with my highs and lows. He was, and still is, my biggest cheerleader. And, you need that out here. It will be hard to explain your first milestones to friends and family back home.They are waiting to see you on TV or on the big screen.It is hard to explain how a 2nd callback for a job you didn’t land was the highlight of your month and a very valid reason to celebrate.I remember one year my proudest moment was at an audition for a really slutty bar maid on a new TV show.It was written for a Pam Anderson type.I thought, “I can never pull this off.I just don’t have the sex appeal.I feel stupid.No one is going to take me seriously.” But, I committed to the role and gave the best audition I could.I didn’t get the job.I didn’t get a callback. But I conquered my rambling, fear-driven brain and went balls out on the audition anyway. That was a huge milestone for me – but hard to explain at Christmas.A year later I booked the role of a trashy prostitute in a little indie movie called Employee of the Month. In the past I would have turned down the audition thinking that I would embarrass myself.But after that earlier breakthrough I felt confident.The success is not always in getting the part but in the seed that is planted. If you live in LA and are serious about acting, I know a great acting coach. He teaches a class on How to Audition.Being a great actor isn’t enough.You have to master the art of the audition – showing people you are a great actor.His class is both inexpensive and amazing. I completely credit him with changing me from a good actor to a working actor. His name is Robert D’Avanzo 818-508-0723. Ask about his 6-Week On Camera Audition Class. He’s the best kept secret in town. And he’s AFORDABLE! This Spring marked my 12 year anniversary in Los Angeles. I didn’t land the part of Pam on The Office until year 8. I’m hardly an overnight success. Likewise, Rainn Wilson toured the country doing theater and was one of those working but unrecognized actors for over 10 years. Steve Carell had been kicking around for close to 20 years. Most of us on The Office have a story like that. I think that is one of the reasons why we are all so very, very grateful to have landed such a wonderful job. Slow and steady wins the race. I hope that answered your questions about the biz. Good luck!
Share This Story Tweet Share Share Pin Email The pregnant woman was found slumped behind the toilet. Mary Holland had been shot through the right temple at close range. Police didn’t find any other signs of a struggle. There were a couple of bruises and cuts on her body, but they said those were likely caused when she fell to the floor. The 33-year-old, who was due to give birth to her child that summer, was so wedged behind the toilet in the back of Bellemeade Liquor Store that police had a hard time pulling her body free. Her husband, A.C. “Doc” Holland, found her there just after 11 p.m. on Dec. 2, 1954. It was so dark in the restroom that he didn’t see her at first. Then he noticed the blood. They owned the store with Mary’s father and took turns running the place. Mary had been at the helm since 5:30, and Doc had just finished his shift as an assistant yardmaster at L&N when he stopped by to help Mary close for the night. But he knew something was wrong as soon as he stepped inside. Mary’s purse lay open on the floor, the billfold missing. An open bottle of Calvert’s whiskey stood on the counter near the open register. And when he called his wife’s name, she didn’t answer. Mary Holland in an undated picture. The 33-year-old woman was Leslie Irvin's first victim. She was shot once in the head on Dec. 2, 1954 at Bellemeade Liquor Store. She was three-months pregnant at the time. (Photo: Courier & Press archives) Doc suspected the thief got away with about $250. He told police they had a policy at the store that if they ever faced a robbery, they would fork over the money without any fuss. So he knew his wife hadn’t put up a fight. But someone killed her anyway. “It was a cold-blooded crime,” Detective Dan Hudson told the Evansville Press the next day. Authorities didn’t know then that Mary’s death would mark the beginning of the bloodiest, most notorious crime spree in this area’s history. Over the next five horrifying months, five more people would turn up dead – all shot to death with a .38 revolver. Victims ranged from a World War II veteran to a housewife to a farmer slaughtered alongside half his family. Some killings happened in the middle of the night. Others in the middle of the day. Terrified residents locked their homes and stocked up on guns. One salesman in Henderson County said every time he knocked on a door, a panicked housewife would swing it open and point a rifle in his face. Hysteria gripped the Tri-State until late March 1955, when a group of young guys tooling around Vanderburgh County backroads in an old Ford noticed a dark-haired man stalking up a hill near their house. Suspicious of everyone in those days, they jotted down the man’s license plate. Days later, a similar car was spotted at the scene of a triple murder in Henderson County. The boys called it in. It came back registered to Leslie Irvin: a handsome 31-year-old neighbors described as well-liked and polite. Irvin confessed to the killings, and it seemed like a straightforward case at first. But by the time it was over, it would upend the Supreme Court and change murder trials forever. “I can remember my mother telling me not to go outside,” said local author Peggy Newton. “Because Leslie Irvin may be out there.” CLOSE Jon Webb talks about his series on serial killer Leslie Irvin. Wochit The veteran Three weeks after Mary Holland’s murder, Wesley Kerr called his wife on the phone. It just was just before midnight on Dec. 22. Kerr was in the middle of a late shift at the Standard Oil Station at U.S. 41 and East Franklin but took a quick break so he and Peggy could finalize their plans for the holiday. The itinerary was to spend Christmas Eve with the kids at their house before driving to Dayton, Tennessee, to exchange gifts with Kerr’s family. Christmas dinner would consist of a turkey his bosses gave him as a reward for superior customer service. “But sometime between 1:30 a.m. and 1:45 a.m. yesterday,” reporter Paul Townsend wrote in the Dec. 24 edition of the Courier, “a gun-wielding bandit wiped out all of those plans when he fired a bullet into the back of Kerr’s head for a few dollars in the cash register.” Like Holland, police found Kerr’s body in the bathroom. He’d been killed execution style, leaving behind Peggy and three young children, including a three-month-old daughter. The irony was downright brutal. The man had survived two wars, and yet there he was, meeting his end in a dirty washroom on the South Side. Wesley Kerr is seen dressed in his military uniform. The 29-year-old was Leslie Irvin's second victim, shot and killed two days before Christmas, 1954. Kerr was a veteran of both World War II and Korea. (Photo: Courier & Press archives) Kerr barely made it out of World War II. He served as a paratrooper in the Battle of the Bulge, and his feet froze so badly they almost had to be amputated. After going home to heal, he reenlisted in 1949 and married Peggy soon after. The first two children arrived before he was shipped off to the Pacific. “The Army wanted him to join a demolition unit in Korea, but Wesley said he couldn’t because he had a family,” Peggy told the Courier the day after the murder. After returning home for good in 1953, the family moved to Evansville, and he bounced between jobs. He eventually landed his position at Standard Oil in the fall of ’54 – a couple of months before his death. His funeral was on Christmas Day. The housewife Wilhelmina Sailer’s 7-year-old son came home from school on March 21, 1955, and found his mother in the living room. She was lying face-down on the floor, a single gunshot wound shining from her head. Her husband, John Sailer, got home about five minutes later and cased the house. He discovered his wife’s purse lying open and empty on their bed. She normally only carried small bills, he told police, so the assailant didn’t get away with much. Investigators discounted any connection with the killings of Mary Holland, Wesley Kerr and the 47-year-old farmer’s wife who lived in a five-room home seven miles north of Mount Vernon, Indiana. “I can’t see any similarity in the Kerr and Holland murders in Evansville and this death,” Indiana State Police Sgt. Russell Cox told the Press. “Except that a .38 caliber pistol was used, and the victim was shot in the head.” A headline in the March 22, 1955 edition of the Evansville Press. The story describes possible links between the murders of Wilhelmina Sailer, Wesley Kerr and Mary Holland. (Photo: Courier & Press archives) The last time John saw his wife was that afternoon. He had come home to eat lunch, and when he left at 1 p.m., she was doing the dishes. About an hour later, a family member who lived a quarter-mile up the road saw a man wheel up the driveway and knock on the door. The boys “At the time this was going on, Evansville sold out of locks for their doors,” Gary Peerman said last week. “And anytime any people got together, that’s what was talked about.” It was certainly what Gary and his brothers and the neighborhood boys who gathered at their house on Vienna Road were talking about one cool evening in late March of 1955. Sailer had just been killed, and police still didn’t have any leads on the Kerr and Holland murders. The boys were milling around. Peerman’s parents and his little sister were home, too, but Peerman just couldn’t sit still. When his friend Bill pulled up in his 1940 Ford sedan, he got an idea. “I said, 'Well, why don’t we just go out and catch that S.O.B.?'” So they piled into Bill’s car and headed down the driveway. “And (Bill) started to turn left to go to the highway, which was 500 yards from the house. And I was sitting in the passenger seat in front, and I looked to the right and I said, ‘Wait a minute Bill! There he is down there!’” He pointed to a car parked alongside a gravel road not more than 50 yards from the driveway. Its driver was stomping through the woods, headed up a hill that led to the backside of the Peerman home. That was a little suspicious, maybe, but Gary was just joking around about catching a murderer. He didn’t know this random guy from Adam. But at the time, he seemed pretty confident. “I said, ‘Bud, what the hell are you doing? We’re investigators!'” Peerman said, laughing now. “And he reached down like he was zipping his pants up. Like he got out to relieve himself. He went down there and got in his car. I told Bill ‘OK let’s go. I’ve got his information.’” Leslie Irvin (Photo: Courier & Press archives) Peerman, now 81 and who still works 12-hour shifts at SRG Global, still remembers the license plate number -- EL351. And the small dent in the left front fender. “We took off and didn’t think no more about it. Couple days later it came out that the family in Kentucky had been shot,” he said. “And the newspaper said the only thing neighbors (saw) was a black car with a dent in the left front fender.” READ PART TWO This is the first in a series of articles detailing the life and crimes of Leslie “Mad Dog” Irvin. All information was collected either through interviews or Evansville Press and Evansville Courier archives. Contact columnist Jon Webb at jon.webb@courierpress.com
A new generation of bionics that can connect wirelessly with the nervous system are under development. Animal tests have already been conducted in which devices are implanted directly into the nerve to process and transmit signals wirelessly to an external device. Other researchers are developing prosthetic skin that might wrap around a bionic limb and feed back sensory information to the nervous system, in theory enabling users to detect and feel objects. The current generation of bionic hands can pinch or grasp using two or more electrodes fitted inside the portion of the prosthetic which fits over the stump. These electrodes are positioned to pick up signals from the user’s peripheral nerve system that are naturally amplified by muscles in the stump. German company Otto Bock has developed a hand incorporating multiple electrodes that can drive wrist flexing and rotation. Scottish company Touch Bionics builds hands that use software to control individual finger movement, so that the hand can clasp around objects. The surgical rewiring of nerves in an amputee can also offer a great deal, enabling those with no arm at all, for example, to drive bionic arms with elbow and hand movement. Wireless bionics Scientists such as Prof James Fawcett, of the Centre for Brain Repair at Cambridge University, are meanwhile developing neural interfaces whereby prosthetics will communicate wirelessly with implants fitted directly into the nerve fibers in a stump. Once the device is inserted into the nerve, nerve fibres grow through it. Nerve signals associated with particular movements are then selected, and these signals transmitted wirelessly to a receiver in the prosthetic. Researchers in Italy are also working on wiring bionics to the peripheral nerve system, and have already conducted trials in which electrodes temporarily connected to the nerves were used to drive an unattached prosthetic hand. Prosthetic skin Elsewhere, researchers are looking to make more responsive prosthetics with many looking to flexible electronics or “prosthetic skin” to do the job. Eventually, such sensors might feed information back to the brain via neural interface devices. In Switzerland, researchers are testing a thought-controlled wheelchair that uses electrodes placed on the skin in a skullcap to drive the chair.
Intel was tilting at the internet rumor mill this morning as word circulated that its newly-launched Core i7 chips suffer from a technical glitch similar to the one that previously dogged AMD's Phenom and Opteron cores. A recent Core i7 software programmer's manual update seems to indicate the chips have some Translation Lookaside Buffer-related issues. But Intel says it isn't so. From the document in question: In rare instances, improper TLB invalidation may result in unpredictable system behavior, such as system hangs or incorrect data. Developers of operating systems should take this documentation into account when designing TLB invalidation algorithms. For the processors affected, Intel has provided a recommended update to system and BIOS vendors to incorporate into their BIOS to resolve this issue. Several months earlier, TLB bugs soured AMD's launch of its four-core Opteron chips despite the company's shouts it wouldn't manifest in real world conditions. With inklings of similar Core i7 problems, cue jokes about Intel copying AMD's chip design so faithfully, they took the errors along too. Intel spokesman George Alfs tells El Reg the incriminating paragraph relates to a Core 2 Duo issue which was fixed via a BIOS update before the launch of the Core i7. The programmer's manual was first written in April 2007 and hasn't been properly pruned. Chipzilla said the original reporter didn't contact the company before reporting the alleged problem. ®
Whoops! Turns out debt doesn't ruin economies A paper justifying international austerity measures had a couple of mistakes that totally undermine its argument Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff are two very, very well-respected Harvard economists. They are the authors of a very well-received account of the financial crisis and its antecedents. In 2010 they released a paper that is among the most influential economic papers of the modern era. The paper argued that countries with a debt-to-GDP ratio above 90 percent average negative GDP growth. (The paper also suggested that correlation is causation, in the direction neoliberal misers prefer.) In other words, this was, for many people, concrete proof -- with numbers and a chart -- that government debt is bad for the economy and should be reduced even in the midst of a recession and an employment crisis. The authors have briefed leaders and legislators around the world on their finding, and the paper has essentially been used to justify most debt hysteria around the world, since its publication. But! Whoops, turns out they were wrong, about that one central fact that has been repeated as the gospel truth by purveyors of Tough Talk on debt the world over for the last three years. They screwed up their spreadsheet. Turns out average GDP growth in countries with debt-GDP ratios 90 percent and higher is positive, not negative. Advertisement: The error was revealed in a new paper by Thomas Herndon, Michael Ash and Robert Pollin of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and written about by Mike Konczal. Those authors also noted a couple of counties had years of data excluded -- data that would've undermined Reinhart and Rogoff's argument -- and criticized the way Reinhart and Rogoff weighted each country's data in a way that privileges years of high debt and low growth over years of high debt and regular growth. The reason we are just now getting critical second looks at Reinhart and Rogoff's findings, when the paper in question came out in 2010, is that the economists just didn't release their data. Here's Dean Baker complaining about that fact in 2010. As he wrote: "Mr. Rogoff and Ms. Reinhart have declined to adhere to standard ethics within the economics profession and have refused to share the data on which they base their conclusion with other researchers." This is important -- it should in fact be a Big Deal -- because Reinhart and Rogoff have been the ultimate authorities in the appeals to authority from everyone advocating austerity in the U.S. and across the world for the last few years. Tim Fernholz excerpts Tom Coburn's account of the address the two gave to 40 senators, and quotes officials and politicians from Europe and the U.S. and from both sides of the American party divide praising Reinhart and Rogoff's study. So, austerity's canceled, right? Haha, no, sorry. The problem is that debt moralists used the study to justify a political belief, and they will not shed that belief now that the study has been shown to be flawed. The idea that debt is just innately bad, and indicative of a sort of national deficiency of character, will persist. It's not based on data, it's based on facile analogies to kitchen table checkbook balancing and "common sense" about how it is always necessary to "live within your means." We already have plenty of evidence that austerity doesn't boost economies, and no one cares. No one will care about this. It is sort of shocking, to me, that respected economists can release a widely cited paper without just putting their damn Excel spreadsheet online for people to check their work, but apparently the economics field operates at a lower level of scrutiny than elementary school arithmetic. Next time you hear someone on TV confidently state that "economists say" that high debt kills economic growth remind yourself that they're chanting a mystical incantation, not referencing objective data.
Emotions coordinate our behavior and physiological states during survival-salient events and pleasurable interactions. Even though we are often consciously aware of our current emotional state, such as anger or happiness, the mechanisms giving rise to these subjective sensations have remained unresolved. Here we used a topographical self-report tool to reveal that different emotional states are associated with topographically distinct and culturally universal bodily sensations; these sensations could underlie our conscious emotional experiences. Monitoring the topography of emotion-triggered bodily sensations brings forth a unique tool for emotion research and could even provide a biomarker for emotional disorders. Abstract Emotions are often felt in the body, and somatosensory feedback has been proposed to trigger conscious emotional experiences. Here we reveal maps of bodily sensations associated with different emotions using a unique topographical self-report method. In five experiments, participants (n = 701) were shown two silhouettes of bodies alongside emotional words, stories, movies, or facial expressions. They were asked to color the bodily regions whose activity they felt increasing or decreasing while viewing each stimulus. Different emotions were consistently associated with statistically separable bodily sensation maps across experiments. These maps were concordant across West European and East Asian samples. Statistical classifiers distinguished emotion-specific activation maps accurately, confirming independence of topographies across emotions. We propose that emotions are represented in the somatosensory system as culturally universal categorical somatotopic maps. Perception of these emotion-triggered bodily changes may play a key role in generating consciously felt emotions.
(Week of 6/29/2013) Americans still distrust the National Security Agency’s honesty, and disapprove of its collection of metadata about phone conversations, but their opinion of the man who leaked that information, the NSA contract employee Edward Snowden, has changed for the worse in the latest Economist/YouGov Poll. Snowden spent the last week in a transit facility at the Moscow Airport after the U.S. revoked his passport, attempting to find a country that would grant him asylum. In that time, public opinion, which up until last week had been evenly divided, has now turned negative. 43% have an unfavorable view of Snowden now, while just 36% remain favorably. Those under 45 are still closely divided. Among senior citizens just 31% are favorable, while 57% are not. Both Republicans and Democrats hold negative views of Snowden, while independents are narrowly positive. What may be more concerning for Snowden is the growth in support for his prosecution. Two weeks ago, opinion leaned towards notprosecuting Snowden for revealing government secrets. Last week, Americans were closely split (although Republicans, who had opposed prosecution at first, favored prosecution last week). This week, even more Americans support prosecuting him. The only groups not clearly favoring Snowden’s prosecution are those under 30, liberals and political independents. Those groups are evenly split, or narrowly opposed. Despite the changing opinion of Snowden, Americans remain opposed to the NSA’s activities. By 55% to 28%, they say the surveillance was an unnecessary intrusion into American lives. They remain divided on whether the surveillance has prevented terrorist attacks. And they continue to believe that the NSA, despite its claims to the contrary, has listened in on the conversations of Americans. Economist/YouGov poll archives can be found here Photo source: Press Association
(UPDATED) In a Senate hearing, the former Davao policeman links Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo 'Pulong' Duterte to illegal drugs Published 12:08 PM, March 06, 2017 MANILA, Philippines (2nd UPDATE) – If former Davao policeman Arturo “Arthur” Lascañas is to be believed, Davao City Vice Mayor Paolo “Pulong” Duterte, whose father, President Rodrigo Duterte is leading a war against illegal drugs, dipped his finger into the illegal drug trade himself. Speaking under oath during a Senate probe into the existence of the so-called “Davao Death Squad” on Monday, March 6, Lascañas said that sometime in the early 2010s – either in 2012 or 2013, the younger Duterte called him for help in speeding up a shipment of furniture from China. (Watch the Lascañas hearing live on Rappler) The 40-foot container van was supposed to bring in items for the younger Duterte’s new home. It had been delayed for a few months, prompting him – who was then vice mayor of Davao City – to ask for Lascañas’ help. A certain Davao-based “Charlie Tan”, whom Paolo Duterte had met in China, asked that he insert “souvenirs” in the container van that the vice mayor was going to ship to Davao anyway. The younger Duterte at the time suspected that drugs – “shabu,” in particular – had been inserted in the container van, according to Lascañas. Lascañas would later say that Charlie Tan, who owns a KTV Bar in Ecoland, Davao City, was known to have links to illegal drugs in Davao City. Paolo Duterte allegedly asked Lascañas to escort the van upon arrival to the covered courts in Barangay Catalunan in Davao City. The plan was to open the van upon arrival and for Lascañas and other police with him to arrest Tan on the spot. When the delivery was done, however, Lascañas said Paolo Duterte called him up and said he would “arbor” the situation. Duterte also allegedly said he would take care of Charlie Tan himself. Lascañas said this was the last time he dealt with the younger Duterte. Questioning the Dutertes “Dito nagkaroon ako ng maraming iniisip. Siguro kung hindi ako gumawa ng isang maling judgment call sa mga kapatid ko, kung inarbor ko mga kapatid ko, baka buhay pa ngayon, nakakulong lang,” he said, referring to his two brothers whom he allegedly helped plot to kill because of links to illegal drugs. (It was then that I had a lot of doubts. Maybe if I did not make a wrong judgmental call over my brothers, if I had vouched for them, they might still be alive today, although behind bars.) Lascañas admitted he did not see for himself what the container van contained but nonetheless, he already had hard feelings about the situation. “Puwede palang mamili. Samantalang ako, nakalubog ang dalawang paa ko sa impyerno dahil sa pag-enforce ko sa campaign ni Mayor Rody sa illegal drugs,” he said. (He had the option to choose. But… my two feet are already in hell because of my enforcing Mayor [Duterte’s] campaign against illegal drugs.) This is not the first time that Duterte’s son has been implicated in confessions by self-confessed DDS hitman, Edgar Matobato, the first among them to come out publicly, said the president’s eldest son had tapped the hit squad to eliminate personal enemies. Also either in 2012 or 2013, Lascañas claimed that Paolo Duterte complained that somebody had been pretending to be him in cellphone and telephone calls to scam businesses in Davao City. The suspect was investigated, validated but later killed during an operation, allegedly by Matobato and Senior Police Office 1 Renante Medina. The operation also resulted in the death of a bystander, an old man. Lascañas is a self-confessed hitman of the supposed DDS, an infamous death squad that apparently was – or is – behind the killing of suspected criminals in Davao City. In a press conference and in his affidavit, Lascañas said Duterte himself ordered the killing of alleged criminals and personal foes in Davao City. The Senate resumed its probe on the DDS on Monday after Lascañas' February 21 public confession. The retired policeman apologized to the Senate for his October 2016 testimony, where he denied the existence of the DDS and the alleged involvement of President Duterte in it. He said he was forced to "deny everything." Trillanes ‘desperate’ In a statement released to media hours after the hearing, the younger Duterte slammed Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, among his father’s chief critics and the senator whom Lascañas turned to when he decided he wanted to go public. “No less than retired SPO3 Lascañas admitted that he sought the help of Trillanes in recanting from his earlier Senate testimony,” said the Davao city vice mayor. He added: “This only shows that Trillanes is behind the latest Lascañas testimony that not only dragged the name of President Duterte in the summary killings but also tried in vain to include me and my friend in the illegal drug trade. Trillanes is now desperate in bringing down my father that he would move heaven and earth just to pin us down in these made up accusations. Trillanes is making money in this circus because his political career is already at a dead end.” – Rappler.com
Latest: An Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald has addressed the Dáil on the controversy surrounding the receipt of an email relating to Garda Maurice McCabe, which the former Minister for Justice said she could not remember receiving or reading in May 2015. This evening, the Tánasite said: “‘I can only assume I did read the email.” In sometimes heated Dáil exchanges, Ms Fitzgerald repeated that she had no “hand, act or part” in a legal strategy adopted by An Garda Síochána in respect of treatment of Sgt McCabe. She also said repeatedly that she had taken many measures to support whistleblowers. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Tánaiste: “Did you read the email, and forget about it?” “I can only assume that I did read it,” she answered. Deputy Roisín Shorthall asked who wrote the email and who was it addressed to. The Tánaiste said a senior official in the Department of Justice summarised a call from the chief state solicitor’s office, and that is the content of the email, which was then sent to her departmental secretary. Shortall, from the Social Democrats also asked her why she did not react more strongly to the email. She said: "Your predecessor had been forced to resign, the Garda Commissioner had been forced to resign as a result of that campaign to denigrate Sgt McCabe and yet you are told in this email that the new Commossioner is continuing on with that campaign to denigrate whistleblowers." The Tánaiste has repeatedly said: “I have no role in the legal strategy adopted by An Garda Síochána.” The Tánaiste said she met Sgt McCabe once, with his wife Lorraine to discuss the difficulties of his situation and his ideas for reform of the Force. Here’s the email from May 2015 that Frances Fitzgerald couldn’t remember when this latest Maurice McCabe related controversy arose last week. pic.twitter.com/Y4Re9CLJWH — Hugh O'Connell (@oconnellhugh) November 21, 2017 Fianna Fáil’s Jim O’Callaghan said: “You told the country earlier today that you cannot remember whether you read that email.” He said was it not the case that a conscientious Minister for Justice would have read the email. “I had no role in relation to the evidence that was being put forward,” the Minister answered. “To this date, we do not know what that (Garda legal) strategy was,” the Tánaiste said. “Anytime this was discussed with Garda management, it was made clear that Garda McCabe should get every support...I have always supported Sgt McCabe.” Watch live coverage form the house below: SF’s Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked why did the Tánaiste not hand this information (on the email) over to the Taoiseach on Thursday night? Reports suggest it was after 11pm last night when the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar first saw the email. The Tánaiste said further legal advice was being sought and she was awaiting the outcome of that. Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald has said she waited four days to inform Taoiseach of email about #MauriceMcCabe as she was waiting to see if other info emerged if relevant and was waiting for legal advice #Dail — Juno McEnroe (@Junomaco) November 21, 2017 Frances Fitzgerald said the email says the allegation against Sgt McCabe was of a “serious criminal complaint”. Labour’s Brendan Howlin said: “You surely should have intervened with the Garda Commissioner (on receipt of the email)...The email should have acted as a red flag, that you should have held the Garda Commissioner to account for the action she was taking?” The Tánaiste said: “I did hold the Garda Commissioner accountable for the treatment of whistleblowers.” The Tánaiste added: “The idea the Department (of Justice) or myself as Minister would be part of discussions about a legal strategy for a party appearing at the Commission...would be absolutely wrong.” Latest:Tánaitse Frances Fitzgerald has begun addressing the Dáil on the controversy surrounding an email in respect of Maurice McCabe, which broke overnight. Frances Fitzgerald has told the Dáil: “I welcome (this) opportunity….My objective is to put as much information as I can into the public domain, while respecting the work of the Charleton Tribunal.” “I can only speak about my own personal experience and knowledge. “Neither I, nor the Department of Justice, had any hand, act or part in the formation the legal strategy is respect of the case. “I had no knowledge of the details that emerged in May 2016...I learned of them in media reports like everyone else. “As Minister for Justice, I strongly encouraged Garda management to put in place comprehensive policies for whistleblowers...I established the Policing Authority...and at all times sought to support whistleblowers. “As Minister for Justice, I paid tribute to” Maurice McCabe. “Everyone is entitled to basic, fair procedures enshrined in our Constitution”, and she encouraged everyone to let the Charleton Tribunal complete its work. “My record speaks for itself.” Update 5.45pm:Tanaiste Frances Fitzgerald will face questions in the Dail this evening on her knowledge of a garda strategy to discredit whistleblower Maurice McCabe at the O’Higgins inquiry. Jim O'Callaghan, Fianna Fáil's justice spokesman wants the Tanaiste to provide more details on what exactly she knew. He said: "I've no problem calling for somebody to resign, I've done that before when I feel it is necessary. "However, I don't call on people to resign just to hop on the bandwagon. "I think it is important that we get all the relevant information, that we consider it and if it appears on the front of all that information that a minister should resign, we will call for that but we are not calling for that at this stage." Earlier Labour leader Brendan Howlin said claims the email couldn’t be published as it was before the Disclosures Tribunal didn’t stack up. He said: "In the past on other occasion, tribunals went on for a decade and were used as a shield for providing free suit, I would ask that there would be an immediate agreement that such a debate would take place, including questions and answers." Update 4.30pm: The Tanaiste is to make a statement to the Dail this evening on when she became aware of a garda strategy to discredit Maurice McCabe. Frances Fitzgerald has said she does not remember an email she got in May 2015 which described a row between the legal teams of the Garda commissioner and Sergeant McCabe. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar told the Dail he did not mislead it when he said last week that Minister Fitzgerald only became aware of the garda strategy at the start of the O’Higgins commission in May 2016. Last week, Leo Varadkar told the Dail that former Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald only became aware of garda plans to discredit whistleblower Maurice McCabe at the O’Higgins inquiry in May 2016. But it has since emerged Frances Fitzgerald received an email on the matter in May of 2015. Today, the Taoiseach said he was not misleading the Dail on that matter but none of the Opposition was willing to accept this explanation and Fianna Fail’s Micheal Martin, Labour’s Brendan Howlin and Sinn Fein’s Pearse Doherty called on the Tanaiste to make a statement to the house. Bowing to pressure Leo Varadkar said Frances Fitzgerald would speak on the matter this evening. Update 3.25pm: The Taoiseach has repeated assertions that the Tanaiste, Frances Fitzgerald, did not have prior knowledge of a garda strategy to discredit Maurice McCabe. Leo Varadkar told the Dail last week that Frances Fitzgerald only became aware in May 2016 that the garda legal team had been instructed to call into question the motives of the whistleblower. But this afternoon, the Taoiseach admitted that the Tanaiste had received an e-mail about a dispute between the Garda legal team and Sergeant McCabe in May 2015 but said Minister Fitzgerald was told she had no role to play in that dispute. "This pertains to a legal strategy in which the Tanaiste and dept had no hand, act or part in, knew nothing about prior to the fact and only found out about after the fact and the conclusion at that time was that they had no role in the matter." 2pm: Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald has confirmed she received an e-mail from "a Department of Justice official" in May 2015 referencing a row over "a serious criminal charge" against Maurice McCabe which failed to be properly investigated, writes Fiachra Ó Cionnaith. Ms Fitzgerald admitted the situation - and the fact the e-mail was sent to her after discussions between officials and the attorney general's office - despite continuing to insist she had "no hand, act or part" in the garda legal strategy to discredit Mr McCabe. Last week, Ms Fitzgerald and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said the Tánaiste only became aware of an alleged smear campaign by senior gardai against Mr McCabe when the information became public knowledge in May 2016. However, on Monday night, the Department of Justice confirmed she was in fact told in May 2015 of a disagreement between the garda legal team and representatives of Mr McCabe in relation to the incident. Speaking on RTE Radio's News at One programme after being ordered to attend an emergency meeting with Mr Varadkar and Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan, Ms Fitzgerald insisted she had "no hand, act or part" in the garda legal strategy and has always attempted to protect and support whistleblowers. However, she confirmed she received an e-mail in May 2015 from an unknown "Department of Justice official" who had spoken with the office of the attorney general which warned "a serious criminal charge" was not properly investigated by the gardai. "It [the e-mail] was that a serious criminal charge about Maurice McCabe had been raised. It wasn't for me to get into the criminal charge. "What was reported to me, the allegation was a serious criminal complaint which he'd always denied had not been properly investigated by an garda siochana. "The allegation had been a serious criminal complaint was made which he'd always denied," she said. Ms Fitzgerald said she did not read the e-mail in depth, did not ask about the exact nature of the allegations and was told she had no role to play in the matter because it was under discussion by the O'Higgins commission. However, speaking in the Dáil, Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said he received a phone call from Mr McCabe just before 2pm to say the allegations were not in fact specifically raised at the commission. Ms Fitzgerald was speaking after she was ordered to attend an emergency meeting with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan over the latest McCabe controversy at Government Buildings this morning. It is understood the meeting involved urgent discussions between the three senior cabinet members over a "definitive" timeline as to when Ms Fitzgerald was first informed about the garda legal team strategy to discredit Mr McCabe at the O'Higgins commission. Labour TD Alan Kelly said this morning Ms Fitzgerald's position in Government is now "precarious". Update 12.49pm: Labour TD Alan Kelly has said that he does not believe it's credible that the Tánaiste knew of a row over the legal strategy to discredit Maurice McCabe for a full year, without probing the details of it. He added that both the Taoiseach and Tánaiste have very serious questions to answer. "This is the biggest thing, probably, that's ever faced her in her political career," he said. It is a crisis that was across Governments. It is a crisis for the justice system going on a number of years, it has multi layers to it. "And the idea that, as a Minister, you would be informed that there was an issue down there in relation to a legal strategy and that you wouldn't ask follow-up questions, and you wouldn't probe it... I don't believe it's credible." Alan Kelly Earlier: The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar is being urged to correct the Dáil record in relation to Sergeant Maurice McCabe. The Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald is being accused of knowing about the gardaí's plan to discredit him since 2015. Last week, Mr Varadkar told the Dáil that Ms Fitzgerald only found out in May 2016. The Department of Justice has confirmed that Ms Fitzgerald was made aware of the strategy in May 2015 — a year before it entered the public domain in May 2016 as the Taoiseach claimed last week. Former Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald and former Garda Commissioner Nóirín O'Sullivan. Speaking in the Dáil last week, Leo Varadkar said Ms Fitzgerald had “no hand, act, or part” in that strategy. “She found out about it after the fact, but around the time it was in the public domain when everyone else knew about it as well,” said Mr Varadkar. The information came to light in May 2016 when Michael Clifford in ?the Irish Examiner, and Katie Hannon on? ?RTÉ?,? brought the matter into the public domain. Social Democrats TD Roisín Shortall says it is time for the truth. She said: "We're calling now on the Taoiseach to clarify the situation, to correct the record of the Dáil. "Because quite clearly what he told us last week was misleading and tell us exactly now when Frances Fitzgerald became aware of the legal strategy and what action, if any, did she take on foot of that."
Can you set and weigh anchor under sail, without turning the ignition key? Tom Cunliffe demonstrates a handy cruising skill How to anchor under sail Few of us anchor under sail these days – a pity, because nothing beats making a passage without the engine, then letting go the hook to complete a perfect day. Cranking up the diesel doesn’t only make noise, it also erodes the satisfaction factor. In any case, when engine failure looms, dropping the pick in a safe spot to sort things out is the number one safety measure. My wife and I cruised extensively in a 13-ton gaff cutter with no engine and no windlass. Tackled sensibly with an understanding of what a boat is likely to do when way comes off, the job holds no horrors. Weighing anchor can be more challenging without a powerful windlass. To explore the skills of engineless anchoring, we borrowed an Océanis 343 in Lymington and cruised out to the roadstead behind Hurst lighthouse in the West Solent. Lots of space there, and a turning tide to spice things up. For the purposes of this article, we’re assuming that suitable calculations have been made regarding depth to anchor in, and that we’re using a scope – with chain – of three or four to one. My experience of heavy displacement yachts with meaty ground tackle tells me that 3:1 is almost always adequate. Four is even more secure. If you’ve all the space in the world, loads of chain and a hefty windlass, lay as much as you like and sleep easy. Light yachts, with no forefoot and tiny anchors strung from chain selected to keep weight out of the bows rather than to hold the boat in a gale, generally need more scope. Approaching the anchorage Approaching an anchorage, what are we aiming to achieve? The ideal is to drop the hook where you want it to lie, then move the yacht away from it, steadily paying out cable, until you’ve laid the chosen scope for the probable HW depth. At this point, the cable is snubbed and the yacht should dig in her tackle. Under sail, one or two sophistications enjoyed by the vessel under power are not possible, so you can only rely on the weight of the boat to dig in the hook. We look at specific situations over the rest of this page and the next, but first, seamanlike preparation is key. Before actually dropping the anchor overboard, a useful order of events goes like this: Sort out where you’re going to anchor and decide on a suitable depth at which to let go Drop, or roll away any sails that won’t be needed Free up the hook and lower it over the bow so that it can be let go promptly If there’s a windlass, make sure its brake is ready to knock off or that it’s all set to wind out cable electrically. The cable should be suitably marked, or the windlass itself should read how much chain has passed over it Without a windlass, flake the cable you’ll need on the foredeck. Make the bight fast at the mark, so that you don’t have to handle the chain if it’s running out under load. So long as the chain is made off in advance, no fingers need be lost. If a sensible amount of chain is spliced onto a warp to achieve full length, the beginning of the warp is often a useful starting point for making fast. Once all that is done, there are several ways to proceed, depending on the wind and tide situation. Laying the anchor – wind with tide or no tide Where there’s no tide running, a yacht can approach her anchoring spot under any sail combination at all. If she sails well under main only, this is generally best, because it keeps the foredeck clear for the hands to work the ground tackle. Where it’s windy and you feel uncomfortable without a headsail for manoeuvring, roll most of the genoa away and set just enough to do a bit of good. Here is how it generally happens on my boat: Roll or drop the headsail Prepare the ground tackle Approach the let-go point on a close reach so you can control speed by spilling wind from the mainsail Luff up and, as the last of the way comes off, drop anchor Ideally, if crew numbers allow, back the mainsail to drive the boat astern. To do this, overhaul the mainsheet so you can physically shove the boom out as far as possible. A well-mannered boat will now trundle off making a controlled sternboard, steering just as she would when going astern under power, while the foredeck crew pay out cable to the mark. If the boat won’t do this, her bow will certainly blow off as she loses way. Depending on how far this is likely to be – and only experience of an individual boat can tell you – it may now be necessary to drop the main to prevent it from filling. If so, do it smartly as soon as you let go the hook, then let her drift off sideways until the cable is all out. You may feel uneasy about not having any sail set, but remember, unrolling some jib or whipping the headsail halyard up only takes a second or two, so if the whole manoeuvre ends up badly out of shape, you can always get way on in a hurry. If all is well, you’ll feel the anchor grab the bottom. Coil down, tidy up, and hoist the anchor ball. Laying the anchor – wind against tide This is the tricky one and you need to judge the best way to do it for your situation, however there should be no discussion about one thing. If you anchor with the main up, the boat will try to lie to the tide as soon as the hook bites. This fills the mainsail as the wind comes abaft the beam, an all-round bad scene. In a small yacht, you might get away with luffing very quickly and dragging down the main just as you let go, but it’s messy. A far better plan is to stow it early and approach under genoa alone, rolling it up steadily to lose way. Where the breeze is stiff and the tide weak, you can approach up-tide and downwind, or sometimes partly across the wind, under bare poles. However, generally speaking, the following is a good starting point for your thinking and a method I have used many times: Sail on a close reach, let off the mainsheet and drop the main. Stow it away Approach the chosen spot under jib, downwind, stemming the tide. Juggle your speed with sheet and furling line so you can become stationary over the ground just when you want to be. If you have a hanked-on headsail, hoist it part-way up and hold the leech out to give you as much way as you need and no more. This is often easier than letting the sheet fly on the whole sail, because the windage of a flapping genoa can be enough to carry the boat straight past where you want to stop Let go the anchor and pay out cable as the tide carries you back downstream Snub off when you’re ready, and that’s the job. Laying the anchor – wind across tide The best maxim for this indeterminate situation is the old favourite: ‘When in doubt, drop the main’. Modern yachts sail well under headsail only and getting shot of canvas from the boom does away with any chance of a gybing débâcle. Laying the anchor – crash anchoring Sometimes, in light going, you can’t be sure the hook has really ‘taken’, particularly if the boat is of modest displacement and doesn’t really develop enough inertia to plough the anchor fluke into the ooze. Similar circumstances can arise when a stronger wind is blowing against a weak tide. If it looks like being one of these days and you’re feeling adventurous, the following procedure removes all doubt. Safety precautions are vital, however. No hands near the chain, please. There can be a lot of load. Drop the main and approach downwind under jib, even in no tide Let go the pick as you sail over your spot, then let the chain run. Keep steering downwind and try to keep way to a minimum by rolling up the sail or dumping sheet until the hook takes. There won’t be the slightest doubt this has happened, because the boat will spin round in short order. Watch out! There can be a serious lurch Make sure that as soon as the hook shows signs of biting, you steer so as to swing the stern away from the cable, which will be running down one side or the other This is a somewhat extreme process. If you aren’t careful, a fin-and-spade profile boat can do her propeller a mischief, and any boat can give her topsides a mashing with the cable. Care avoids these contingencies. The technique is definitely for the young at heart, but it can be a winner in a light boat that lacks the inertia to crank the pick into the bottom, or for any yacht when you really need to know you are securely anchored. Weighing anchor with a windlass – wind with tide or no tide Hoist the mainsail and have the headsail ready to go Heave up towards the hook until the cable is ‘up and down’ – the old term for ‘ready to break out’ If you’ve plenty of space, break out the pick and let the boat fall off on whichever tack suits her. If space is limited, use a backed headsail to help her decide. Bring the anchor on board, clean up with bucket and deck brush while the cockpit idlers cruise slowly away under mainsail. When all is stowed, break out the jib and blast off. Weighing anchor with a windlass – wind against tide 1. Keep the mainsail stowed. It won’t hoist easily in any case, because the wind will probably be abaft the beam 2. Heave up to the anchor with no sail set, but the headsail ready to unroll or hoist in short order. You could have it unrolled at this stage, but if you can keep it out of the way the guys up forward will appreciate the clear foredeck 3. When the hook is aweigh, if there is any pressure on you – as there will be in a river, for example, or in a crowded anchorage – break out the jib and get under way. On the other hand, when there’s no stress, why not just clean up, stow, then hoist some sail when you’re ready? If the tide obliges you to use the headsail first, start out with this, then come up onto a close reach, overhaul the mainsheet, shove the boom out and hoist the main. If it can flap as it goes up and any lazyjacks behave themselves, there should be no problem. Weighing anchor without a windlass – wind with tide or no tide If the going is light, you may be able to hoist the main then heave the boat up to the hook. Try to build up plenty of way pulling the cable so that, if the anchor is well dug in, the boat’s inertia will break it out as she coasts over it. If it’s windy and you’re struggling, you’ll have to sail it out. Hoist the main lying well back from the anchor. Ease the sheet out. Unroll a modest amount of jib The person at the helm now backs the jib to lay the boat onto one tack or the other, while the crew stands by on the foredeck As the yacht pays off, sheet in the main a little – not too much so as to stall it – then sail away on a close reach When you’ve travelled something like the scope of your cable, tack smartly and sail across the wind towards the anchor The foredeck crew now gathers in slack on the cable as you go. When he or she runs out of slack, snub the cable. One of two things happens. Either the anchor breaks out and you’re off, or the boat snubs hard, allowing you to tack promptly then sail over the hook on the other tack. Once again, the crew grabs the slack when it’s offered, then snubs. This time the anchor will almost certainly break out. If not, try again, and so on It goes without saying that careless seamanship on the foredeck in his dynamic exercise can lead to damaged hands, so always be ready to take a turn, rather than relying on pure strength to hold the cable. If it’s chain, keep those fingers well clear of the cleat while you’re doing it. I have rarely known this method to fail in real life, but we did have some fun with it on our YM test. We concluded that it was because we weren’t communicating well enough from foredeck to cockpit and vice-versa. When my wife and I did this every day, we didn’t exchange a word. We just knew what we both needed and did it. With a strange crew, I found that it’s not like this. What’s more, a modern yacht can easily sail to windward beyond and over the anchor. Communication will obviate this possibility, as we discovered. Weighing anchor without a windlass – wind against tide Because it is quite likely the boat is lying right over the anchor, or even to windward of it, this is the easier of the two scenarios. As usual, because the wind will be abaft the beam, don’t even consider hoisting the main Once again, by far the least dramatic way of dealing with this is to take in all the slack on the cable with no sail set at all When it’s up and down, take a good look around to check the space available. If there’s all the searoom in the world, break out the anchor by hand, bring it aboard and clean up, then start to hoist sail If searoom is limited, have the jib ready to go the moment the hook breaks out, or hoist/unroll it earlier if things are really tight Sail away and hoist the main on a close reach when you have enough searoom. Conclusion Anchoring under sail is an ancient art. It involves actions such as drifting around with no sail set and no engine turning which seem strange to a sailor of the diesel generation. In the days before the internal combustion engine, such techniques were commonplace. All that’s needed is a little confidence. And, as always, practice.
Interesting Giant otter Facts: Giant otters have dense, velvety and thick brown fur which is water repellent (prevents water from reaching the skin). Giant otter has 3.25 - 4.5 feet in length and weights between 49-71 pounds. Tail is 18-26 inches long. Some specimens can be 6 feet long (like adult man), but due to small weight they have streamlined sleek look, which is perfectly adapted to the life in the water. Giant otters are excellent swimmers and divers thanks to their short, webbed feet and flattened tail. They swim 9 miles per hour and pass distance of 330 feet in 30 seconds. Giant otter have small ears and nostrils which close each time they dive under water. Giant otters spend most of the time in water because they feed mostly on fish and because they require large quantities of food: each animal eats 6-9 pounds of food per day. Small anacondas, caimans, crustaceans and other sea creatures are also on the giant otter's menu. Giant otters have well developed sense of sight, used primarily for the hunting. Besides eyes, they use the whiskers to detect the prey in the water by identifying changes in the water pressure and current. Giant otters do not store food. When they catch a prey, they will find a peaceful place ("picnic spot") to eat it. Besides humans, main predators of giant otters are jaguars, large anacondas and large caimans. Giant otters are very loud animals. They produce around 9 different types of sounds, such as quick barks, explosive snorts, wavering screams or low growls, to inform other otters about potential danger (alarm sound) or to send aggressive warning. Giant otters live in groups composed of 3 to 10 animals, formed by the monogamous couple (mother and father) and few generations of their offspring. Giant otters mate throughout whole years, but most babies are born during the dry season. Pregnancy lasts 64 to 72 days, and female gives birth between one and six babies. They spend their first month in a den, which is usually located underground. All members of the group take care of the young. After two or three weeks after they are born, mother puts babies in the water where they learn to swim. In month or two, they become proficient swimmers and can hunt with the rest of their family. They stay within the family group usually until they reach sexual maturity, at age of 2.5 years.
Mr Brown wants Britain, the US and Europe to take the lead Gordon Brown has increased speculation he may cut taxes, saying he was looking "at everything" that could be done to help people through the downturn. He told GMTV tax changes were a matter for the pre-Budget report - expected next week although he said that it would be "in the next few days". Meanwhile David Cameron says the Tories will announce "tax changes to encourage businesses to take on workers". The Lib Dems have already said they would cut taxes for lower paid people. Food prices Asked about possible tax cuts by a "hard-pressed" family taken into No 10 by the breakfast programme, Mr Brown said petrol duty had been frozen and people were already getting £120 back in their income tax following the 10p tax row. He added: "Of course we are going to look at everything but that's a matter for the Budget and the pre-Budget report. TAX PROPOSALS Labour: Raised personal tax allowance to benefit basic rate taxpayers by £120 this year after 10p tax row, stamp duty threshold raised, 2p fuel duty rise postponed. Any further cuts expected to come in pre-Budget report Conservatives: Abolish stamp duty for first time buyers on homes up to £250,000, raise inheritance tax threshold to £1m, cut corporation tax from 28p to 25p, encourage council tax freeze. Expected to unveil more tax cuts on Tuesday Lib Dems: Have already pledged tax cuts for low and middle-income families by cutting basic rate from 20p to 16p. Would remove tax loopholes for the rich. At-a-glance: Party tax cut policy Tories 'to act on unemployment' "What I'm determined to do is get all countries around the world trying to get their economies moving again. "And one way you can do that is by putting more money into the economy by tax cuts or public spending rises but that's something we have got to look at in the next few weeks." When it was put to him that help was needed now, rather than having to wait for weeks, he said: "We've got a pre-Budget report in the next few days." Asked again about rumours that VAT may be cut he said: "We're looking at everything we can to see how we can help people and we will make announcements very soon about what we are going to do." David Cameron said in a speech later that the Conservatives would not allow unemployment to ruin people's lives. There have been reports the party may propose a National Insurance payments holiday for new workers, to encourage employers to take on staff. 'Enormous deficit' Mr Cameron told journalists after the speech they would have to "wait and see" what the proposals were, but said there were some clear principles: "We want to help and we will help and we will put money back in people's pockets." He also warned against permanently damaging the public finances and criticised the government for having an "enormous budget deficit even before the recession began". "This government is talking and behaving as if there's no limit to what you can borrow," he said - adding any new proposals had to make clear where the money was coming from. FROM THE TODAY PROGRAMME Please turn on JavaScript. Media requires JavaScript to play. Read Nick's blog The prime minister's spokesman said that increasing borrowing was now the accepted view across the world and the government would have to look at all the issues relating to tax and spending. Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg told the BBC other parties were "clambering on the bandwagon" as the Liberal Democrats had been advocating tax cuts for low and middle income earners for months. 'Rebalance' taxes But he dismissed Conservative proposals to cut inheritance tax and freeze council tax as "smoke and mirrors" adding: "We are the only party saying that tax cuts have got to be big, they have got to be permanent and they have got to be fair." He said there was no point borrowing more to fund tax cuts, as it would eventually have to be paid back. Instead it was time to "rebalance the tax system to make it fairer" by removing "loopholes" that benefit only the rich on capital gains and tax relief on pension contributions, as well as clamping down on tax avoidance and introducing more green taxes. Mr Brown's comments came ahead of a keynote foreign policy speech in which he will argue the global financial crisis has given world leaders a major opportunity for change. The PM, in his annual speech at the Lord Mayor's Banquet in London, is expected to call for the rebuilding of the international financial system. Ahead of a meeting of leaders of the world's 20 major economies in the US at the weekend, Mr Brown is expected to say that recent co-ordinated global action during the credit crisis showed the potential of a stronger multilateralism. Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these? E-mail this to a friend Printable version
Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman has again declined to file criminal charges against University of Minnesota football players after reviewing a campus report that found a student’s claims of sexual assault credible. Freeman said Friday that veteran prosecutors and victim witness advocates from his office reviewed the 80-page report from the U’s Office of Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action (EOAA). The extensive report, which details the alleged sexual assault by several players in a Dinkytown apartment, found that the student’s claims were valid and recommended the suspension of 10 Gophers football players, and expulsion for five of them. The players, who are appealing, deny assaulting the woman, and those directly involved say the sex was consensual. “That report shined a light on what can only be described as deplorable behavior,” Freeman said. “And while the university’s investigation included a handful of new interviews, the information elicited was not significantly different from the information presented to this office following a thorough investigation” by Minneapolis police. Freeman, who first declined to file charges in October, said that reviewing the EOAA report and comparing it to the police investigation shows “no new significant evidence” that would enable prosecutors to bring charges against any of the players. He pointed out that prosecutors have a higher standard of proof. “As a result, our decision not to bring charges remains unchanged.” Freeman said. In response, a U statement said: “We respect the county attorney’s decision. As he notes, the University’s athletic suspension decision rests upon different standards and different policies.” Lee Hutton, an attorney for the players, did not return messages seeking comment Friday. Hutton had previously said that the EOAA recommended expulsion for Ray Buford, Carlton Djam, KiAnte Hardin, Dior Johnson and Tamarion Johnson; one-year suspensions from the university for Seth Green, Kobe McCrary, Mark Williams and Antoine Winfield Jr., and probation for Antonio Shenault. The players will have their appeals heard in January. After the suspensions, in an act of solidarity with punished teammates, Gopher football players announced a boycott of the Holiday Bowl played Tuesday in San Diego. The team ended the boycott the weekend of Dec. 16, reportedly after reviewing details of the EOAA report. One witness interviewed by the EOAA was a football player who said that he and others were listening at the door when he recalled “from the stuff [the woman] said, it didn’t seem like she was into it. She said something and [the men present] decided it was messed up.” Minneapolis police initially investigated after the U student accused the players of sexual assault in the bedroom of one player’s off-campus apartment. In its report, completed in about two weeks, an MPD investigator reviewed three brief cellphone videos filmed at the beginning of the incident and wrote that the “sexual contact appears entirely consensual.” However, the Minneapolis police report was far less thorough than the EOAA report, which was made public when it was obtained and released by KSTP-TV. The report found after a four-month investigation that the alleged victim’s account was “more credible” than the players’. The university also uncovered evidence indicating that the players “deliberately attempted to impede the university’s fact-finding efforts,” according to its report. While the players weren’t obligated to talk to police investigators, the university had more leverage over students. They had to talk to EOAA investigators or face violating the student conduct code, which could result in anything from a warning to an expulsion. U investigators also had a different standard — the preponderance of evidence — meaning they had to determine whether more likely than not the assault happened. When Freeman initially declined to file charges this fall, he cited “insufficient admissible evidence” to prove a sexual assault occurred beyond a reasonable doubt. He agreed last week to review the EOAA investigation. After Freeman’s decision, MPD spokeswoman Sgt. Catherine Michal said the department would not reopen the investigation. Staff writer Brandon Stahl contributed to this report.
In semi-private booths, each with a chair and a mirror, Denver heroin users could shoot up with clean needles, no threat of arrest and under the supervision of staff trained to jump in with a life-saving antidote in case of overdose. It would look more like a medical clinic than a party lounge, with floors and furniture that workers could hose down in the event of vomit or blood spills. Staffers would hand out sterile needles and possibly distilled water, but clients would bring their own drugs to cook and inject. It’s called a supervised injection site, and Denver is on a path to become one of the first U.S. cities to open one — although doing so would require action by the City Council, the state legislature and possibly the federal government. Seattle and San Francisco, ahead of Denver in planning, are attempting to open the first sites in this country, although there are more than 100 around the world. Cities in Canada, Australia and Europe with supervised injection sites have seen fewer overdose deaths, reduced public drug use and decreased dropped syringes. A review of 75 studies found the sites were not linked to increased drug use or crime. In Denver, officials supportive of the idea want fewer used needles dropped in city parks and hidden in the vines along the Cherry Creek bike path. They want fewer people using drugs in alleys along 16th Street Mall and overdosing in public bathroom stalls. In 2016, 174 people died of overdoses in Denver. Twenty of them died in a public park, alley or bathroom. Michael Torpacka, who first tried heroin at age 13, looks for empty alleys and bathrooms around downtown Denver multiple times a day to get his fix. Now 37, he lives on the city’s streets. He rushes through the cooking to boil his heroin. He rushes through the injection. He’s always nervous someone will see him and call police. “You’re scared and you don’t have time to get this done,” he said Thursday. Torpacka predicted Denver would see fewer needles in parks and along the river — and have fewer people using bathroom stalls to get high — if the city were to open a supervised injection site. A plan to open a pilot site in Denver is part of legislation that won unanimous, bipartisan approval Tuesday from a 10-member legislative committee looking for solutions to Colorado’s opioid crisis. But the real test comes in January, when the General Assembly convenes and takes up the issue in its regular session. The Denver City Council is intrigued, too. Council president Albus Brooks plans to lead a trip leaving Wednesday to Vancouver, British Columbia, to visit that city’s injection clinic, called InSite, which opened in 2003. It was the first in North America. Laurent Vu The/AFP/Getty Images The front door of the Insite supervised injection Center in Vancouver, Canada, on May 3, 2011. Laurent Vu The/AFP/Getty Images A client of the Insite supervised injection Center in Vancouver, Canada, collects her kit on May 3, 2011. With more 600 visits per day on average, Insite believes it has made advances in the fight against AIDS. Laurent Vu The/AFP/Getty Images Addicts inject themselves at the Insite supervised injection Center in Vancouver, Canada, on May 3, 2011. In a radius of 500 meters around the center, deaths by overdose dropped by 35 percent since the opening, according to a study published in the medical newspaper The Lancet. Laurent Vu The/AFP/Getty Images A client of the Insite supervised injection Center in Vancouver, Canada, prepares a dose of drug to inject on May 3, 2011. In a radius of 500 meters around the center, deaths by overdose dropped by 35 percent since the opening, according to a study published in the medical newspaper The Lancet. Laurent Vu The/AFP/Getty Images A client of the Insite supervised injection Center in Vancouver, Canada, injects himself on May 3, 2011. Insite believes it has made advances in the fight against AIDS. Laurent Vu The/AFP/Getty Images A client of the Insite supervised injection center in Vancouver, Canada, injects himself on May 3, 2011. In a radius of 500 meters around the center, deaths by overdose dropped by 35 percent since the opening, according to a study published in the medical newspaper The Lancet. Laurent Vu The/AFP/Getty Images A worker at the Insite supervised injection Center in Vancouver, Canada, arranges syringes to be used by addicts on May 3, 2011. The Canadian Supreme Court is to settle a conflict between the government's wishes to close the center and the center's success in fighting the spread of AIDS among drug addicts. In eight years of existence, and with more 600 visits per day on average, Insite believes it has made advances in the fight against AIDS. The momentum behind a Denver site comes largely from Lisa Raville, executive director of the Harm Reduction Action Center, a treatment and counseling center. It provides users with clean needles and naloxone, the antidote to an opioid overdose. The center on Colfax Avenue, across from the state Capitol, collects about 3,500 used syringes each morning — a total of 16,848 in the last week. In a two-week stretch in January, seven of the center’s clients died, six from overdose and one from an aneurysm related to shooting drugs into the lower extremities. That’s when Raville told her board of directors it was time to push for a supervised injection site. “It’s time,” Raville said. “We’ve lost too many people.” She wants to put the supervised injection site inside her center, where the neighbors include the Colorado Department of Education, the Capitol and a Vietnamese pho restaurant. But the ultimate location is likely to be a point of intense discussion among public officials. Looking for safe space In a storage room at the center — an area potentially large enough to fit a supervised injection site — five clients who inject methamphetamine and heroin, including Torpacka, described sneaking around Denver looking for a safe place to get high. Hurried and scared, they worry about not properly boiling the drug before injecting it. They worry about injecting it into a muscle instead of a vein, causing an abscess. They worry about not having clean skin and getting a skin infection. They worry about children seeing them do it even when they are hiding their lighters under their coats, and they worry about looking nonchalant as they walk past management to use public bathrooms. Most of all, they worry about dropping dead in an alley, only to be discovered by a kid taking out the trash. “We’re people too. We care what people think,” said Xavier, a 25-year-old couch-surfer. He did not want his last name published. “Imagine if we could do this someplace safe and we wouldn’t have to be in Civic Center park embarrassing the (expletive) out of ourselves?” “If I die in the alley behind the trash can, how do I have a chance to improve my life?” asked Vernon Lewis. He said he would use a supervised injection site because it would be safer than using heroin alone in his apartment. “It’s terrifying,” he said of the risk. Besides the likelihood of reducing drug use in public places, supervised injection sites also could serve as a first step in a user’s recovery, advocates and physicians say. Similar to a needle exchange, staffers would offer information on treatment when people came in to use drugs. Dr. Steve Sherick, an emergency department physician and chair of the Denver Medical Society board, says he has treated “thousands” of opioid-addicted patients. And they are living “hour by hour.” For them, he said, injecting drugs in a safe zone — where staff members are on hand to make sure they don’t die — is perhaps a step closer to thinking “week by week.” The Denver Medical Society and the Colorado Medical Society are in favor of opening an injection site as part of a “comprehensive strategy” to fight the opioid epidemic. “People are dying already,” Sherick said. “Shaming them clearly does not stop them from being addicted to drugs. What I want to do, from a doctor’s standpoint, is to try to stop people from dying.” Shooting up at library At this point, the Denver Public Library’s central location downtown has become a de-facto city injection site, albeit unsanctioned — and without the safeguards of a dedicated facility. The problem is so rampant that library employees are trained to use naloxone on injection-drug users they find unconscious in the bathrooms. Other popular spots to inject include a downtown bus depot, bathrooms in Union Station and various homeless camps. “This is a trial,” Sherick said of a potential safe injection site. “Let’s try it. If it doesn’t work, we can close it.” But opening a site in Denver wouldn’t be as simple as a legislative vote. For one thing, while the city health department has been exploring the issue, Mayor Michael Hancock’s administration is not ready to endorse the idea. Nationally, a handful of cities and states have looked at the possibility of opening injection sites, while federal officials have offered only a long-standing federal prohibition against maintaining premises for the purpose of using a controlled substance. Last week, a commission convened by President Donald Trump notably left out of its recommendations any support for sanctioning supervised injection sites. That hasn’t stopped some places from trying — most prominently Seattle, which has put in a bid to be the first in the United States. In January, Seattle’s mayor and the executive of King County announced they would support opening two injection sites, one in the city and one elsewhere in the county. But it has been a struggle. City after city, including several with prevalent opioid abuse, has passed an ordinance preemptively banning injection sites. Elsewhere, California, Maryland and Maine are among states that have considered legislation in the last year to allow cities to set up injection sites, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. But those efforts have failed in the face of opposition from legislators concerned about violating federal drug laws or sending the wrong message by, in their eyes, sanctioning illicit drug use. In Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan, a Republican, accused a Baltimore-based Democratic lawmaker who sponsored safe-injection site legislation of “trying to legalize heroin.” Spikes in disease Until their states’ legislators act, cities such as San Francisco and Baltimore may have little legal cover to open safe injection sites — although that hasn’t stopped San Francisco’s leaders from pressing forward. Dr. Robert Valuck, who coordinates the Colorado Consortium for Prescription Drug Abuse Prevention, says he doesn’t expect that a pilot site in Denver would draw scrutiny from federal law enforcement officials. “Right now, people are injecting in libraries, public buildings, business bathrooms, parkways, public spaces. People are injecting. Period,” he said, noting that spikes in HIV and hepatitis probably are due to sharing needles. “So we really need to figure this out.” Brooks, the council president, says he will be joined on his trip to the Canadian clinic by an assistant city attorney and by his office staff. Besides visiting InSite, they planned to meet with Vancouver’s mayor, police chief and a City Council member. Despite the recent push, Brooks has no illusion that an injection site will open anytime soon in Denver. He still has questions about how one would operate, he said — and he sees a treatment component as necessary “for it to be palatable in Denver.” The idea faces uncertainty that includes not only the federal prohibition but effective bans on such a center at both the state and local levels that would need to be repealed. Brooks has worked with state Rep. Leslie Herod, a Denver Democrat, on the issue but says he is most encouraged lately by the involvement of another lawmaker who has stepped up as a sponsor for the state bill: Sen. Kent Lambert, R-Colorado Springs. “We’re still a long way from it,” Brooks said, “but the fact that Republicans are coming on board is huge. And I hate to give credit, but President Trump” — by declaring opioid abuse a public health emergency in late October — “I think that was really good, and it helped Republicans see that this is a really big issue.” Brooks cites a personal connection — an experience with prescription painkiller OxyContin last year that scared him. In July 2016, doctors removed a 15-pound, 6-inch-diameter tumor near his pelvis. “I went through one of the largest surgeries — opened up twice in three weeks,” Brooks said. “And I had to take a lot of medicine, and I had to wean myself off of it. It was a big issue. And I just realized that a lot of people without the same support network and privilege that I have would end up in a really bad situation.” He wasn’t addicted to the OxyContin, he said, but he felt the drug’s hooks in him. It took about a month of gradually reducing the dosage to stop. “What’s accurate is that I went through a state of withdrawals on it,” he said. In the next couple months, Brooks and Herod will hold a series of community meetings to educate the public on safe-injection facilities and to gauge concerns. The first is set for 5:30 p.m. Nov. 30 at United Way, 711 Park Avenue West. Staff writer John Frank contributed to this report.
In a blog post published Friday, Google admitted to 'mistakenly' collecting sensitive private data sent over WiFi networks. Germany's data protection authority (DPA) requested Google audit the WiFi data collected by its Street View cars. The audit revealed that contrary to the company's claims, for at least three years, Google has been collecting payload data (the information users send over a wireless network) from non-password-protected WiFi networks. A programming error from 2006 was at fault. Explaining how this collection of sensitive data occurred, Google's Senior VP of Engineering & Research Alan Eustace said, "Quite simply, it was a mistake." He explained, "An engineer working on an experimental WiFi project wrote a piece of code that sampled all categories of publicly broadcast WiFi data. A year later, when our mobile team started a project to collect basic WiFi network data like SSID information and MAC addresses using Google’s Street View cars, they included that code in their software—although the project leaders did not want, and had no intention of using, payload data." Google outlined the steps it plans to take as a result of the mistake. The company says it intends to delete the data "as quickly as possible." It has already grounded its Street View cars, and will halt collection of WiFi network data. Additional measures include: * Asking a third party to review the software at issue, how it worked and what data it gathered, as well as to confirm that we deleted the data appropriately; and * Internally reviewing our procedures to ensure that our controls are sufficiently robust to address these kinds of problems in the future. Google tried to mitigate concerns by clarifying that none of the private data was used in Google products and only "fragments" of information were collected. The admission comes following outspoken criticism from Germany's Federal Data Protection Commissioner Peter Schaar, who was "horrified" to learn that Google's Street View car cataloged private WiFi network data like Mac (Media Access Control) addresses and SSIDs, in addition to snapping pictures of public streets. Read Google's full blog post here.
Mosul: Iraqi special forces 'already inside' battleground city held by Islamic State Updated As the Iraqi army makes its final push to retake Mosul from Islamic State (IS), a small group of special forces are already in the city operating as a secret unit, undermining the militants and sending out vital intelligence to coalition forces. Key points: Iraq's army says its special forces are in Mosul Commandos are calling in air strikes and gathering intelligence Iraq's army says local resistance is rising up Speaking about the elite resistance unit for the first time, Sergeant Major Mshaal Al Shimary of the Iraq Special Operations Force (ISOF) said that in many instances the small band was calling in air strikes in and around Mosul to assassinate IS operatives. "We are coordinating with them, they provide us with coordinates for IS positions to be bombed by the air forces and they kill IS members inside Mosul," he told 7.30. "Yesterday we had one killed at 3:00am in west Mosul." It is dangerous and difficult work, but Iraq's military believes it is making a difference. "We know everything now — IS, they have nothing," another officer, Sergeant Major Maythum, told the ABC. Islamic State not as strong as claimed, spies say The groundwork being done by the special forces group is essential for the Iraqi troops who are slowly closing in on Mosul. "The special operation is this — we clear all the buildings inside Mosul, we protect the Iraqi army," Sgt Major Maythum said. "(The army) clears all the roads. Our (special forces') job inside Mosul is to clear all the buildings." IS has declared it is prepared for the looming battle, but Iraq's army spies say the extremists are not as strong as they claim to be. "They talk about the bombs, the car bombs, and maybe some terrorists have AK-47s and RPGs [rocket propelled grenades], but not too many," Sgt Maj Maythum said. "All the leaders are in Syria." 'After liberation they will control the area' The resistance inside Mosul is named after an ancient prophet whose shrine in the city was destroyed by IS when it established its puritanical rule there. The demolition angered many locals and bolstered support for the resistance. "The resistance is rising up from Mosul's citizens, and they rose up when they heard that ISOF were heading to Mosul. They rose up to destroy Daesh (Islamic State) and unsettle them to facilitate our mission in entering Mosul and kill Daesh or arrest them," Sgt Maj Maythum said. When Mosul falls it will be the resistance that will be essential in holding the city. "After the liberation they will control the area," Sgt Maj Shimary predicts. "Currently we are defusing IEDs [improvised explosive devices] on our way to Mosul. "And we have our people inside Mosul, and God willing, Mosul will come back to our country." Topics: unrest-conflict-and-war, world-politics, terrorism, iraq First posted
After a string a good results the struggles of September and October are seemingly gone. The mighty Reds are on a 3 game winning streak in all tournaments that saw them score 10 goals and concede just 1. A lot of supporters and writers urged patience during the string of underwhelming results in autumn throwing around expected goals. And indeed even without the more advanced statistic the Reds fired blanks on too many occasions – failing to win several games in which they took 20 more shots than the opponents. The whole streak looked like a statistical anomaly – a trend that can’t be sustained over an extended period of time. So now that the numbers have normalised and balanced out it is interesting to see where Liverpool is going into the festive schedule. Premier League comparison The Reds have taken more shots than any other team so far this season – trying their luck 199 times, 5 times more than Manchester City. Yet Pep Guardiola’s team has managed to score 17 more goals. But that is an extreme example since the league leaders are having a start a for the ages: Team Total Goals scored xG xG Delta Conversition rate xConvRate xConv Delta Manchester City 194 38 31.77 6.23 20% 16% 3.21% Manchester United 157 23 21.95 1.05 15% 14% 0.67% Liverpool 199 21 23.58 -2.58 11% 12% -1.30% Tottenham 191 20 18.77 1.23 10% 10% 0.64% Arsenal 184 20 21 -1 11% 11% -0.54% Chelsea 151 19 13.76 5.24 13% 9% 3.47% Watford 131 17 15.51 1.49 13% 12% 1.14% Leicester 114 16 15.82 0.18 14% 14% 0.16% Stoke 122 13 11.66 1.34 11% 10% 1.10% Brighton 95 11 8.97 2.03 12% 9% 2.14% West Ham 116 11 9.76 1.24 9% 8% 1.07% Burnley 104 10 6.54 3.46 10% 6% 3.33% Newcastle United 145 10 12.22 -2.22 7% 8% -1.53% Everton 125 10 12.68 -2.68 8% 10% -2.14% Southampton 157 9 13.94 -4.94 6% 9% -3.15% West Bromwich Albion 96 9 9.12 -0.12 9% 10% -0.12% Huddersfield 92 8 7.4 0.6 9% 8% 0.65% Swansea 88 7 10.13 -3.13 8% 12% -3.56% Bournemouth 108 7 8.05 -1.05 6% 7% -0.97% Crystal Palace 137 4 12.5 -8.5 3% 9% -6.20% Average 135.3 14.15 14.26 -0.11 10% 11% -0.08% Top 6 avg 179.33 23.5 21.81 1.70 13% 12% 0.95% The quality of the chances created is best determined by the expected conversion rate, which is the rate between shots and xG. Manchester City, Chelsea and Burnley are the only teams who so far have managed to score from harder chances. What is interesting to note is the Manchester United manage to create higher quality chances from fewer shots compared to the rest of the top 6. So Mourinho’s tactic to park the buss and hope for a winner in the last 10 minutes has some merit. On the other side of the spectrum – Crystal Palace. The shot conversion rate of 3% (basically the same as LFC’s from corner kicks) stands out. Looking at Liverpool – the wastefulness of the attack shows in the table. While the quality of the chances created is relatively high even for the top 6 the actual conversion rate is way below average. The Reds look like they have started to turn the corner and have performed better than xPected in the last two Premier League games. LFC have missed the two main offensive players from last season in Coutinho and Mane for big chunks of season so far, so things should start to get better as the attack line gets to full strength. But still where does the negative delta come from? Set pieces… From open play the team has done well when it comes to creating and finishing – 17 goals scored/17.34 xG, so the problem lies elsewhere. I’ve been calling our relationship with set pieces abusive for quite some time now. It’s too hard for the Reds to score from one, while seemingly every cross leads to chaos in our box. At this point most supporters, including me, can’t really remember the last time when we were good at defending them. On the contrast with Luis Suarez leaving and Steven Gerrard retiring we have seen the quality of the crosses from set place go from bad to worse as the seasons went, with the only bright light being Philippe Coutinho’s brilliant direct free kick goals. Sidenote: This article is an attack analysis but this stat is so underwhelming I couldn’t miss it. The shot conversion rate of opposing teams from set pieces (excluding pens) is the staggering 19% with the expected conversion rate being over 20%. That is better than Manchester City’s current conversion rate. Truly appalling numbers. Back to the offense. Strangely Liverpool’s most wasteful player so far this season has been Joel Matip with Dejan Lovren being the third worst at finishing. Even on the rare occasions when someone manages to put a good cross in the box from a set piece, our central defenders miss the chance, with the draws against Newcastle and Manchester United coming to mind. Last season we were one of the top teams in goals scored from set pieces, even if it was on an average rate. This season Klopp’s team is failing to meet even those, not so high standards so far. End Game woes Since the start of last season the Reds have taken 169 shots after the 76th minute resulting in just 7 goals. This season LFC have scored 1 goal from 40 shots in the last 15 minutes of matches. That is comparable to Crystal Palace’s numbers. Over the last two season the breakdown looks like this: Shots Goals xG xDelta Conversion rate xConvRate xConvDelta 1st – 75th 668 91 75.35 15.65 14% 11% 2.34% 76th+ 169 7 15.6 -8.6 4% 9% -5.09% The main reason behind this number is the lack of squad depth and Jurgen Klopp’s substitution pattern. The German usually takes his time when making changes and their impact is minimal in most cases. Combine the late substitutions with the physically demanding style of play and that paints the full picture. You can’t really blame the manager since for the most part of the last two season he hasn’t had much options on the bench. Even this season with injuries, suspensions and transfer sagas the squad has been stretched thin. With the return of Sadio Mane and Adam Lallana, with the Ox finally having some impact on games this should no longer be the case in the coming months. Klopp showed a bit ruthlessness when he took Lovren out in the first half against Spurs. Conclusion With momentum changing and key players starting to come back the numbers can only continue to improve. Philippe Coutinho has consistently put scored more goals than xG over the past 4 season, while Sadio Mane has failed to do so on only 1 occasion. Adam Lallana coming back will add much needed depth to midfield and hopefully give Jurgen Klopp a selection headache. The next two Premier League games are at Anfield where even the defense has been mostly solid. Finally there are reasons of being optimistic this season.
You and I both can agree that saving money on one’s internet service has passed the budget-conscience mind at least once. But, what if you don’t want to lower your service level? Say you’re paying $60 a month on a 30mbps up and 5mbps down speed with your cable internet service provider (ISP), and you had the cable guy install your modem/router or gateway with Wi-Fi, and also a hard line to your desktop computer. Great! It’s all working fine and dandy, but you get the bill and are reminded by the rental fee they told you about. You may have forgotten there ever was more than that $60 to pay, but were surprised anyway to see an extra $6 added that reads “Modem Rental Fee”. I’m here to tell you there’s an easy way to cut that extra fee out of the equation. Have you ever heard of BYOM, “Bring Your Own Modem”? No? Good, because I made it up. You can easily start cutting out the modem rental fee by purchasing a modem or gateway that is compatible with your cable ISP. I will focus here on purchasing a modem over a gateway, because I personally feel it’s a better setup to use a separate modem and router. A modem can save you money in the long run, and give you options for upgrades in the future, you can say it’s a more future proof setup, assuming you will have cable internet for a number of years. A good DOCSIS™ 3.0 Cable Modem is your best bet to receive the fastest speeds possible with the level plan you have coming in to your home or business. In fact, most cable ISPs require that you have DOCSIS™ 3.0. OK, I Bought A Modem – How Do I Set It Up? Simply calling your ISP can help prompt you on their particular setup. Our award winning DOCSIS™ 3.0 Cable Modem (DCM-301) is compatible with Time Warner, Comcast, Cox Cable, and many others. Make sure when you shop around for a cable modem that you check to see that it’s compatible with your current ISP. Normally they have a list online you can refer to. Another great thing about modems is how easy they are to setup; start by calling your ISP and listening to what the representative asks of you on the other end and you’ll get through it quickly. I set mine up in under 15 minutes. You will be prompted at one point on the call to provide the MAC address of your modem, which can normally be found printed on the bottom. What You Need: Modem Router Phone Old Gateway/Modem When you are fully installed after setting up over the phone with your ISP; make sure to ask them if you need to send in the old modem/gateway. For example, Time Warner requires that you return your old equipment (with the power supply) to one of their local service stores to see your rental fee diminish on the next bill. That’s It! Just by following BYOM you can save money every month by getting rid of modem rental fees. Hopefully this short guide has prompted you to take a little action and save yourself from paying to rent something that you can own. DOCSIS™ 3.0 is projected to have a 10 year future-proof lifespan; most can save on the first year of ownership. May your modem live long and prosper.
FILE - In this Jan. 16, 2015 file photo, Geraldo Rivera participates in "The Celebrity Apprentice" panel at the NBC 2015 Winter TCA in Pasadena, Calif. Rivera said Sunday, Feb. 12, 2017, on Twitter that he resigned from a voluntary position at Yale University after the school decided to change the name of a residential college that honors a slavery supporter. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File) NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) — Fox News personality Geraldo Rivera says he resigned from a voluntary position at Yale University after the school decided to change the name of a residential college that honors a slavery supporter. Rivera said Sunday on Twitter that he resigned as an associate fellow of Calhoun College. He said the position was an honor “but intolerant insistence on political correctness is lame.” Calhoun College was named after 19th century alumnus and former Vice President John C. Calhoun, an ardent supporter of slavery. After years of debate, Yale announced Saturday it is renaming the college after trailblazing computer scientist Grace Murray Hopper. Yale said in a statement Sunday that it respected Rivera’s decision, but said its choice to rename the college was based on principle, not political correctness.
This post is part of our special coverage of Egypt Protests 2011. As the night sky extended over Egypt, protests in Cairo and around the country continued. News was dominated by events in Cairo’s Tahrir Square, where police dispersed a sit-in with tear gas, rubber bullets, and water canons leaving many people wounded. In Suez, three people were reported dead. In Alexandria, a sit-in of thousands began amidst arrests. In El-Mahala, a large industrial and agricultural city, there were reports on Twitter of police thugs destroying public property in El-Shoon square and of further clashes between citizens and police. @Alaa tweeted that doctors were badly needed in Tahrir Square: Try to move ppl to hospitals instead, doctors need medicine & equipment ♻ @husseinelsaid: @alaa doctors needed at Tahrir DESPERATELY pls RT Earlier today, the Egyptian government blocked Twitter, and also cut mobile phone coverage around Tahrir Square, leaving protesters with no means to communicate with the outside world. This led to a spontaneous act by residents in the neighborhood to remove the passwords from their wireless routers so protesters could go online: @Mohrad المواطنين والمحلات لغوا باسوردات شبكات الوايرلس والمعتصمين في التحرير يستطيعون الآن التواصل مع الناس#Jan25 #fb Citizens and shops canceled the passwords of their wireless routers. Protesters in Tahrir square can reach people now. Also, nearby shops began offering protesters food and water. @Mohrad من التحرير: هارديز طلع ساندوتشات صغيرة للمعتصمين والأمن منعهم وطلب منهم يقفلوا ويمشوا ورفضوا يقفلوا ومشاركين الشباب From Tahrir: Hardees gave out free sandwiches to protesters, but the police stopped them and asked them to leave. Shops refused, and joined the people. A few celebrities joined the protests, and were updating their Twitter accounts. Actors Amr Waked and Khaled Aboul Naga, a female television presenter Bouthayna Kamel, director Amr Salama, and politician Ayman Nour. Amr Salama and Khaled Aboul Naga, wrote wrote an update from the protesters to all Egyptians: رسالة من المعتصمين: كلنا موجودين في ميدان التحرير مش هنتحرك، و هنبات و هنكمل مظاهرتنا بكره الصبح رغم كل اللي بيعمله الأمن، اللي يقدر منا ينزل للناس دي ينزل، و اللي يقدر يجيبلهم مية أو أكل يجيب، و اللي مايقدرش ينشر الخبر دا و مايصدقش اللي بيتقال عن إنهم هيمشوا أو هيتحركوا من مكانهم… قوم يا مصري From protesters: We will stay in Tahrir Sq. We will not move. We will stay and continue our demonstration tomorrow morning despite police brutality. Whoever can join us, please do. Whoever can bring us water or food, please do. We will get them out of the country. Believe it. Get involved Egyptians! It was around 10:00PM local Cairo time when Farouk tweeted from Tahrir Square. @farokadel: من التحرير المعنويات مرتفعة بس الامن بيجهز هجوم تقريبا There are high hopes. But the police look like they are preparing something. @Sandmonkey noted: Fun fact of the day: not a single girl was sexually harassed today. Everyone acted with utter respect. #jan25 However, the mood changed abruptly around midnight when police began dispersing protesters in Tahrir Square by force. @Mohamed_A_Ali tweeted from the location of the sit in: الضرب اشتغل الحقونا They started beating. Help us. According to well-known female politician, Gameela Ismail, at least 40 people were arrested by the police and taken to an unknown place, including her son Noor, Dr. Mostafa El Nagar, the general coordinator for the Campaign for Change, journalist Mohamed Abdelfattah, and AbdelRahman Ayyash, an engineering student who was scheduled to take an exam tomorrow in his faculty. There are calls for more protests in different public squares of Egypt tomorrow, but whether demonstrations will actually continue or not in the morning still remains to be seen.
Destiny 2, the sequel to Bungie’s MMO / first-person shooter hybrid, has been officially announced following rumors last week. Bungie is remaining quiet on further details as to what gameplay might look like in the sequel or when to expect Destiny 2 to release, but we’ll probably find out more about Destiny 2 at E3 in June. Like the final Rise of Iron expansion for Destiny released last year, Destiny 2 will only be available on current-generation consoles, but rumors of PC support have yet to be confirmed or denied either way yet. The news comes after Activision confirmed earlier this year that Destiny 2 was still on track for a 2017 release. Bungie also announced recently that while characters themselves will transfer over from the original Destiny to the sequel, none of the items or abilities that players have unlocked over the last three years will be making the jump to the next game.
Protesters in Thailand's capital have entered the finance ministry compound in an escalating campaign to topple the government and put an end to what they say is the continued influence of the deposed former prime minister, Thaksin Shinawatra. A crowd of protesters swarmed into the compound's courtyard and then entered buildings, including the ministry itself and the Budget Bureau on Monday, in the boldest act yet of opposition-led protests that started last month. The intrusion was one of several tense encounters on a day when protesters fanned out to 13 locations across Bangkok, snarling traffic and raising concerns of violence in Thailand's ongoing political crisis. I have no intention to resign or dissolve the House. The cabinet can still function. Prime MinisterYingluck Shinawatra Shortly after the protesters burst into the ministry, the building's power was cut. Reuters news agency reported that about 1,000 protesters had entered the compound. More than 30,000 protesters chanted "Get Out!" as they spread across the city on Monday to government offices, military and naval bases and state television channels. Yingluck Shinawatra, the country's current prime minister and sister of Thaksin, has refused to step aside. "I have no intention to resign or dissolve the House," she told reporters. "The cabinet can still function, even though we are facing some difficulties. All sides have shown their political aims; now they must turn to face each other and talk in order to find a peaceful way out for the country." Demonstrations were triggered last month by a since-shelved government plan to grant amnesty to Thaksin, in self-imposed exile since 2008, and pardon those responsible for a 2010 military crackdown on pro-government "Red Shirt" supporters that left more than 90 people dead. The opposing group, who stand against the government, are known as the "Yellow Shirts." Though the bill has been dropped for the time being, the protests have escalated into an all-out call for government change and the toppling of Yingluck, who faces a no-confidence debate on Tuesday. "This week is precarious. The options are very limited for the government," said Thitinan Pongsudhirak, a political analyst at Bangkok's Chulalongkorn University. Protesters marched to 12 buildings, including the Royal Thai Army headquarters, to urge civil servants to join their campaign. "We will protest peacefully, blowing whistles and handing out flowers," Suthep Thaugsuban, a former deputy prime minister under the previous Democrat-led government and now leader of the anti-government campaign, told a massive crowd on the weekend. Thailand's National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanathabutr said as many as 180,000 people turned up to demonstrate on Sunday, while police estimates put the crowd at 100,000. Historic proportions A constitutional court also blocked Yingluck's plans this week to create a fully-elected Senate, which would have enabled her to consolidate power in both of Thailand's houses of parliament. "This is a demonstration that is taking on historic proportions," Al Jazeera's Veronica Pedrosa reported from the protests in Bangkok. "The people who have turned up are united in their push to kick the prime minister and the influence of her brother out of leadership, out of power. They want to dismantle those networks." The political protests are the most significant in Thailand since the bloody rallies in 2010. Thaksin, who won elections in 2001 and 2005 by landslides, remains a populist hero among the poor, whose votes helped Yingluck and her party sweep polls in 2011. But corruption scandals steadily eroded his popularity among Bangkok's middle class.
by Steve On Sens and Bonk's Mullet The Mullet: "Hey Steve, seeing as how bad this season has been, it seems only fitting if you do the summary to end the year" Steve: "I don't know..." The Mullet: "I'll snag you a Paddy's Pub keychain from the Philly airport next time I'm in Ottawa" Steve: "You're a good man Doty. I'll do it." 1st Period 16:42 - Robin Lehner makes a save off of a deflected puck. Chris Cuthbert refers to him as "The Lehner". We liked "The Lehner" before it was mainstream. 10:36 - Chris Neil drops the gloves with Tanner Glass. Not the first Senator to punch glass. 5:14 - Jussi Jokinen redirects a pass that squeaks through Lehner. Goal horn goes on about 10 seconds late. Poor guy probably fell asleep. 1-0 Pittsburgh Seconds later - NHL GameCenter notifies me that the schedules for the playoffs have been released. 1:21 - Kyle Turris beats Zatkoff with a shot that appears to catch him off guard. At least he beat his 2048 score on the play. 1-1 0:10 - Erik Karlsson gets hit in the mouth with a Beau Bennett stick...Karlsson still looks très Beau! Colin Greening gets a penalty. Intermission Report - Apparently chewing tobacco flew out of Karlsson's mouth after getting hit with the stick. Another reason why @wheelingprobs loves him. 2nd Period We'll save you some time here. Two notable events take place in the second: 14:44 Lee Stempniak tips a Beau Bennett shot that beats Lehner. 2-1 Pittsburgh 2:44 - After some pretty passing on the power play, Mark Stone buries a rebound. 2-2 3rd Period Editor's Note: Bonk's Mullet decided to spare Steve from the pain of summarizing this game and to turn to Twitter for material for the rest of the summary. @ian_mendes @BonksMullet 1 out of 1 twitter doctors recommend Zatkoff. Side effects include smiling Bylsma, and not having to dress Fleury. — Jo Innes (@JoNana) April 14, 2014 @BonksMullet Can you include the reason you never Paypal'd me the money for the bedazzling of your fanny pack?? FAX ME — Steph (@PuckPossessed) April 14, 2014 Well Steph, the bedazzling job was shoddy as Robin Lehner's eyebrows fell off after one wear! @BonksMullet can you include the season's average Neilsi % ( successful wraparounds vs. Offsides per game) — Dan (@SensFanDan) April 14, 2014 Neilsi% is actually calculated as (Leadership + Offsides + Failed wraparounds) / Scoring chances. Neil's Neilsi% is... DIV0 ERROR. @BonksMullet If you're not paying @chet_sellers, then how is he in a new tropical destination every second weekend? — Zach (@MightyMcAllster) April 14, 2014 Excellent question Zach! Chet is actually wanted in seven countries for his involvement in an off-shore banking scandal. Lucky for him, all seven countries believe he is a Nigerian prince. @BonksMullet you could provide ideas of what I should do for the next four months. New hobbies for sens fans? — Alex Beaudoin (@AlexBeaudoin2) April 14, 2014 1. Taking a good hard look in the mirror. 2. Reading BonksMullet.com. Seriously, we'll be here all summer! 3. Repeat steps 1 and 2. Sens fans also took to Twitter to thank everyone for following along all season. thanks to @BonksMullet for taking a chance on a drunk, twice-divorced loser when everybody thought it was a bad idea. congrats @SteveOnSens — Chet Sellers (@chet_sellers) April 14, 2014 And some decided to recount their favourite 2013-2014 memories. The time we lost 2 pre-season games in the same day to the Islanders #SensMemories — Steve On Sens (@SteveOnSens) April 14, 2014 What a great one-two punch!Well Steph, the bedazzling job was shoddy as Robin Lehner's eyebrows fell off after one wear!Neilsi% is actually calculated as (Leadership + Offsides + Failed wraparounds) / Scoring chances. Neil's Neilsi% is... DIV0 ERROR.Excellent question Zach! Chet is actually wanted in seven countries for his involvement in an off-shore banking scandal. Lucky for him, all seven countries believe he is a Nigerian prince.1. Taking a good hard look in the mirror.2. Reading BonksMullet.com. Seriously, we'll be here all summer!3. Repeat steps 1 and 2.Sens fans also took to Twitter to thank everyone for following along all season.And some decided to recount their favourite 2013-2014 memories. Oh yeah, the game! In what seems like a microcosm of the whole season, this one is dragged out way longer than anyone would ever hope for. We're off to a shootout! Shootout Pittsburgh Bennett - Misses Jokinen - Misses Ottawa Turris - Scores Spezza - Picks up the puck Thanks everyone! Thanks a lot from everyone here at BonksMullet.com. I founded the site under a year ago and since then we've added 6 amazing writers/photoshoppers/glorified homeless people in Chet, Kevin, Luke, Gains, Brochenski, and Steve. We're super thankful for everyone who reads our stuff, and we look forward to bringing you trash material all summer. Please leave all of your praise and worship in the comment section. Thanks! - The Crew at BonksMullet dot com
Barney Frank said he supports the protest movement 'to the extent that they obey the law.' Frank backs protests, taps Wall St. Rep. Barney Frank might sympathize with the Occupy Wall Street protesters, but he’s still got friends in the financial world. The Massachusetts Democrat headed to New York hoping to raise tens of thousands of dollars Thursday at a fundraiser at the home of Charles Myers, a senior investment banking adviser at Evercore Partners. Myers is one of several Wall Street execs listed on the invite soliciting up to $2,500 from attendees for Frank’s reelection committee, according to a copy obtained by POLITICO. Story Continued Below Frank, the co-author of the sweeping financial regulatory reform bill signed into law last year, said in a recent interview with POLITICO that he didn’t see any conflict between supporting the protests and taking financial services money. “If you take money from them, but you don’t vote [for] the things they want, how does that put you in conflict?” Frank questioned. Frank said he supports the movement “to the extent that they obey the law” and that he wishes “that kind of energy was around two years ago when we were voting on the financial reform bill. We’d have a tougher bill.” Frank spokesman Harry Gural said the event isn’t exclusively a Wall Street fundraiser and will include members of the gay and lesbian community and others. The invite lists 15 co-hosts, including: Jefferies & Company’s Bill Derrough, Franklin Templeton Investment’s Philippe Brugere-Trelat, Frank Selvaggi, co-chairman of the Empire State Pride Agenda and Tim and Nina Zagat, founders of the Zagat Survey. Other guests include powerful members of the New York delegation, including Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer, as well as Reps. Gary Ackerman, Yvette Clarke, Joe Crowley, Carolyn Maloney and Nydia Velazquez. Gural also noted that Frank isn’t counting on Wall Street cash, what with the financial reform law, Dodd-Frank, named for him. “There are people in the industry who are seriously not happy with him” and will not be showing up at his fundraisers, Gural said. For example, about six months ago, members of the financial industry declined to attend another Frank fundraiser. “The feedback that one of our people got … was, ‘Barney Frank, are you kidding?’”Gural said. Still, Frank is not avoiding New York entirely. “The fact is in Congress you need to raise money; that’s just the reality of it,” Gural added, noting that his boss could be attacked at any moment by political opposition.
A light & refreshing kale salad full of flavor, vitamins and spicy tempeh bites that add the perfect crunch! Happy Thursday everybody! Hope everyone had a great 4th of July. It was definitely a hot one for us! Once again, 90 degree weather for I don’t know how many days in a row. “Heat wave” they call it. Why? I’m not sure. It’s been hot and humid since summer started! Ok, I know, time to get over it. Nothing I can do about it really, so there’s no point in complaining. So… How about all the good food everyone ate yesterday? Care to share with us? We would love to hear about the creations you came up with for your “festivities”. I, personally like to keep it fresh and simple. Lots of light, colorful salads, maybe some veggie burgers and super cold refreshing drinks. Keeping it light but with tons of flavor. And let me tell you something, my body really thanks me for it the next day! One of my very favorite greens to “play” with is kale. Packed with nutrients, filling and super versatile! This salad I particularly love because it pretty much has it all: protein and carbs from the chickpeas and tempeh, loads of vitamin A, it’s crunchy, it’s nutty, it’s tangy… Just delicious. And the leftovers make a great lunch to take to work the next day! Enjoy!! Have a great weekend, Vicky Kale Salad with Chickpeas and Spicy Tempeh Bits ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 from 3 reviews Author: https://mayihavethatrecipe.com Prep Time: Prep Time: 15 mins Cook Time: Cook Time: 20 mins Total Time: Total Time: 35 mins Yield: Yield: 3-4 Print Recipe Pin Recipe Description A light & refreshing kale salad full of flavor, vitamins and spicy tempeh bites that add the perfect crunch! Ingredients TEMPEH BITS: 8oz tempeh ¼ cup vegetable oil 1/4 tsp salt 2 tsp onion powder 2 tsp garlic powder 2 tsp sweet paprika 1 tsp chili powder 1 tsp lemon pepper 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (add more if you like more heat) Smoked sea salt (optional) SALAD: 1 lb kale, chopped 1 cup shredded carrots 1- 15.5oz can chick peas 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds DRESSING: 1/3 cup seasoned rice vinegar 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (you can also use Bragg liquid aminos) 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil 1 tbsp fresh grated ginger Instructions Blanch kale in salted boiling water for about 30 seconds Run under cold water and drain. Once it cools, squeeze excess water. Set aside Preheat oven to 425F Combine all spices for tempeh in a small bowl Pour vegetable oil on a small bowl Cut the tempeh into thin slices Dip each slice in vegetable oil and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle spices on top until they are all well coated (one side is enough) Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and crispy (keep an eye so they don’t burn!). Sprinkle with some smoked sea salt if using Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl Combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar, close the lid and shake well. Pour over salad and toss until all the ingredients are coated with the dressing. Crumble tempeh on top right before serving. ENJOY! From May I have that recipe Cut the tempeh into thin slices. Dip each slice in vegetable oil and arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle spices on top until they are all well coated (one side is enough) Bake at 425F for about 20 minutes, until golden brown and crispy (keep an eye so they don’t burn!). Sprinkle with some smoked sea salt if using. Combine all salad ingredients in a large bowl
Amtrak trains have traveled through East Texas since 1974. Their route is called the Texas Eagle, which travels through Texarkana, Marshall, Longview, and Mineola. President Trump has asked Congress to approve a budget cut that would take 13 percent of the Department of Transportation's budget. Amtrak receives federal subsidies from that Department. "It would end all Amtrak service in the country except for the Northeast corridor," East Texas Corridor Executive Director Griff Hubbard said. "The funding would not only take away passenger service but people would lose their jobs as well." The East Texas Corridor Council works to secure higher speed rail for residents along the I-20 $ U.S. 59 corridors. This spans from Dallas/Fort Worth to Arkansas and Louisiana border connections. Hubbard has worked in the railroad industry for 46 years. He says this is not the first time he has had to deal with the threat of losing his job because of funding. "This is not my first rodeo, the battle for the Texas Eagle is long from over," Hubbard said. Mary Huizia is a frequent traveler who uses public transportation for work. She voted for President Trump and is against his proposal. "Train travel is a convenience for many people that don't have a car and want to go go long distances," Huzia said. "There has to be other parts of the federal budget that the President can cut." All proposed budget cuts have to be approved by Congress. Officials say if this cut is approved, expect changes in East Texas train service to take affect next year.
A chilling video has emerged of villagers being beaten brutally in Meghalaya by suspected militants who allegedly wanted to make an example out of "informers".The video was allegedly taken on mobile phone by a militant.In the footage, militants believed to be from the outlawed Garo National Liberation Army are shown thrashing several villagers mercilessly with canes until they fall unconscious.The villagers were hit with so much force that the canes broke. Some were attacked by four or five men at the same time.The beatings took place on September 4, the Meghalaya police say.Armed men allegedly came to the village, lined up young men and accused them of being passing on information to the police.Six days later, the police raided the village to find the militants camping there. In the crossfire that followed, one alleged militant was killed.The mobile phone clip was found during that raid, said senior Meghalaya police officer GHP Raju."They took the footage to show it as an example. But we never use innocent villagers as informers," he told NDTV.The police are worried that militants like these have abandoned the jungles and are veering towards villages where they terrorise people. "It is very disturbing that the militants are operating from villages. Our police teams are now visiting village to village to take out militants," the police officer said, talking about the operation code-named "Hillstorm" in the Garo hills.
Major League Soccer today announced Denver, Colorado will serve as the host city for the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. The MLS All-Star team will take on a prestigious international club on Wednesday, July 29 at 7 p.m. MT at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. MLS Commissioner Don Garber today joined Colorado Rapids executive and MLS Board of Governors member Josh Kroenke, as well as officials from the state of Colorado, city of Denver, Commerce City and Visit Denver at Union Station in Denver to make the announcement. FOX Sports 1 and UniMás will broadcast the AT&T MLS All-Star Game live in the United States, and TSN and RDS2 will televise the match in Canada. The game will be simulcast online via FOX Sports GO and FOXSportsGO.com. In addition, more than 100 countries are expected to broadcast the game. “Colorado has become a destination for marquee soccer events, and we are thrilled to bring the AT&T All-Star Game to the region,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “Dick’s Sporting Goods Park is a tremendous stadium, and we know the enthusiastic support of Centennial 38 and other Rapids fans will provide a great home-field advantage for the MLS All-Stars.” The annual showcase will again feature several exciting days of events surrounding the match such as concerts, community service initiatives and player appearances. In addition, the Chipotle MLS Homegrown Game, featuring the league's best homegrown players, will return for a second consecutive year. The Rapids, one of MLS’ original clubs, will host the All-Star Game for the second time as the MLS All-Stars defeated Scottish power Celtic FC 2-0 in front of a capacity crowd at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in 2007, the stadium’s inaugural season. Rapids head coach Pablo Mastroeni, who played for the MLS All-Star team in the victory over Celtic, will serve as head coach of the All-Stars in July. Rapids season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase tickets with full details of pricing and purchasing windows to be released at a later date. “We’d like to thank Commissioner Garber and Major League Soccer for the faith they have shown in the Colorado Rapids by allowing us to host the All-Star Game for the second time. It is a great showcase for our organization and community,” said Colorado Rapids Alternate Governor Josh Kroenke. “We are one of the original ten clubs in the League, and we hope this game will highlight the growth and progress the MLS and Colorado Rapids have made in the 20-year history of the league.” The 2015 All-Star Game will mark the 12th time that an elite international club has played the MLS All-Stars, who are 8-3-1 in those matches following last year’s 2-1 victory against Germany’s FC Bayern Munich. In addition to honoring the best players in MLS, the game has featured successful, world-famous clubs such as Manchester United FC (2010 and 2011), Chelsea FC (2006 and 2012), AS Roma (2013), and Chivas de Guadalajara (2003). The opponent for this summer’s game will be announced at a later date. “As a long-time supporter of Major League Soccer, we’re happy to see the AT&T MLS All-Star Game return to Colorado, where the league has such a legacy of success,” said Bill Moseley, Director of Sponsorships, AT&T. “We cannot wait to mobilize the passion of the country’s soccer fans once again for what should be an fun, action-packed week this July.” Home to the Colorado Rapids, Dick’s Sporting Goods Park’s 917-acre site is a public-private partnership between Kroenke Sports & Entertainment and Commerce City. The site also hosts the city offices of Commerce City, lots for retail outlets, offices for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and a visitors’ and educational center for the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, among other entities. CLICK HERE to download the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Logo CLICK HERE for sound from MLS players about Colorado hosting the 2015 AT&T MLS All-Star Game. MLS ALL-STAR GAMES 1996: East 3, West 2 (E. Rutherford, N.J.) 1997: East 5, West 4 (E. Rutherford, N.J.) 1998: MLS USA 6, MLS World 1 (Orlando, Fla.) 1999: West 6, East 4 (San Diego, Calif.) 2000: East 9, West 4 (Columbus, Ohio) 2001: East 6, West 6 (San Jose, Calif.) 2002: MLS 3, U.S. National Team 2 (Washington, D.C.) 2003: MLS 3, CD Guadalajara 1 (Carson, Calif.) 2004: East 3, West 2 (Washington, D.C.) 2005: MLS 4, Fulham FC 1 (Columbus, Ohio) 2006: MLS 1, Chelsea FC 0 (Bridgeview, Ill.) 2007: MLS 2, Celtic FC 0 (Commerce City, Colo.) 2008: MLS 3, West Ham United FC 2 (Toronto, Ont., Canada) 2009: MLS 1, Everton FC 1 (Everton 4-3 pen) (Sandy, Utah) 2010: Manchester United FC 5, MLS 2 (Houston, Texas) 2011: Manchester United FC 4, MLS 0 (Harrison, N.J.) 2012: MLS 3, Chelsea FC 2 (Chester, Pa.) 2013: A.S. Roma 3, MLS 1 (Kansas City, Kan.) 2014: MLS 2, FC Bayern Munich 1 (Portland, Ore.) 2015: MLS vs. TBD (Commerce City, Colo.) About Major League Soccer Major League Soccer kicks off its 20th season in early March 2015 featuring 20 clubs throughout the United States and Canada. The 2015 season will feature the most comprehensive U.S. media rights partnership in the history of the league, as eight-year agreements with ESPN, FOX Sports and Univision Deportes will commence. The 2015 regular season schedule can be viewed here. For more information about MLS, visit www.MLSsoccer.com. About AT&T AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) is a premier communications holding company and one of the most honored companies in the world. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and internationally. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the network with the nation’s strongest LTE signal as well as the nation’s most reliable LTE network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet, voice and cloud-based services. A leader in mobile Internet, AT&T also offers the best global wireless coverage, based on offering voice and data roaming in more countries than any other U.S. based carrier, and offering the most wireless smartphones and tablets that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV service with the AT&T U-verse® brand. The company’s suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://about.att.com or follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/att and YouTube at //www.youtube.com/att.
A lot of people have heard about, and made, marijuana recipes like pot brownies and cookies, but what if you want a full meal? If you would like to have some real food and have some pot at the same time, then consider making a meaty and delicious lasagna filled with that magical green her Marijuana. What you need: About two ounces of weed. Use less if you aren’t sure 1 pound of ground beef A cup of water A can of spaghetti sauce 9 lasagna noodles Mozzarella Cheese Parmesan Cheese Ricotta Cheese Salt and pepper for taste Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Ground the weed up beforehand. Make sure there are no lumps of weed because it will ruin the taste Cook ground beef and add salt for taste Add pepper if needed to improve the taste as well Add one can of spaghetti sauce and stir up the mixture Add one cup of water to the sauce mix to help thicken it up Stir it all up for about five to ten minutes until it’s nice and thick Pour ricotta cheese and mozzarella cheese in a bowl, and add an egg and then stir all that up Take some of the beef mixture and put it on the bottom of the oven dish, creating a small layer of mixture at the bottom. It makes the noodles not stick to the bottom of the dish. Once that’s done add three of the lasagna noodles to the dish, covering the ground beef mixture Add a bit of parmesan cheese to the noodles for flavour if you’d like After that add the first layer of the cheese sauce you made with the egg. Remember to only use about a third of the mixture because you’ll be making three layers of it. Now you can add the weed, using as much or as little as you’d like. How much of a flavour and effect the lasagna is going to have on you depends on how much weed you use. Don’t feel the need to use a full ounce (there are two layers of weed) if you don’t feel like you can handle it. Some people use more, some people use less. Add more meat sauce from the pan to cover everything. Use a good amount to make a proper layer this time. Add another layer of lasagne noodles Add another layer of parmesan cheese and ricotta/mozzarella cheese mix Add another layer of weed, again using as much or as little as you want. Add another layer of the meat sauce, use all that you have left as you’re coming up on the end. Add one last layer of noodles and press them down into the sauce Add one last layer of parmesan cheese Add one last layer of the cheese mix to cover everything Lastly add some extra shredded cheese on the top layer to give it that melted cheesy goodness Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes Serve up and enjoy If you like our recipe, you’ll like the video even better. Here’s the link to Weed Lasagna Recipe Video on Youtube. Be sure to check out our weed firecracker recipe too! The next time someone tells you that you can’t make anything nutritious out of weed, keep in mind that you can make practically anything out of it, and now you know how to make lasagna. Everything tastes better coated in melted cheese, even weed.
PITTSBURGH -- James Harrison, now a member of the AFC rival New England Patriots, wanted out of Pittsburgh because of playing time, a fact that has rankled multiple Steelers. "He erased his own legacy," Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey told reporters. According to his now former teammates, everything went according to plan for Harrison, who was unhappy with a limited role that included 40 snaps in 14 games. However, Harrison said that while he anticipated a reduced role, he was unhappy that he was playing even less than expected. "After the first week of the season, I said to them, it's clear you want to play your younger guys, and I understand, so why don't you release me? You go on your way, and I'll go on mine," Harrison told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "They said, 'No, no, no, we got a role for you.'" Harrison added that he stopped asking for his release after he played only 15 snaps in a Week 6 win over Kansas City. Although he says he was told by the team to "be ready" to play a lot of snaps in a Week 15 loss to the Patriots, Harrison again did not play at all. "If I didn't play in the biggest game of the year, that told me I wouldn't get any more snaps," Harrison told the newspaper. "So all that lip service you gave me before didn't matter." Coach Mike Tomlin briefly explained Harrison's release Tuesday, citing the need for a corresponding roster move with Marcus Gilbert's return from suspension. "If you didn't want to be here, come out and say it. Don't make it look like it's the team's fault ...You think the team and the organization wanted to get rid of James Harrison? Come on now. If I wanted out, I wouldn't let the team take the blame for it." Teammates were not as calculated after Wednesday's practice, with Pouncey calling out Harrison for not addressing frustrations publicly. "If you didn't want to be here, come out and say it," Pouncey said. "Don't make it look like it's the team's fault. ... You think the team and the organization wanted to get rid of James Harrison? Come on, now. If I wanted out, I wouldn't let the team take the blame for it." Added linebacker Bud Dupree: "I don't want the media to portray that we're the reason he left. That ain't the reason. He chose to leave. He made certain decisions, and his actions got him to this circumstance." Cornerback Artie Burns said Harrison's "energy" showed the team that he was upset about a lack of playing time, which created "a whole thing with him and the guys upstairs," leading to his release on Saturday. "I guess [New England is] where he wanted to be," Burns said. One team source said Harrison went to great lengths to get himself released. Players witnessed Harrison sleeping in a recliner during position meetings and snoring loudly while outside linebackers coach Joey Porter tried to teach, the source said. Sometimes, Harrison would skip meetings altogether, and when he missed practices for various injuries, player suspicions would rise when Harrison conducted his famous power-lifting sessions the same week or day, the source said. Harrison left the building at random times, would leave stadiums before or during games on days he was inactive and told teammates he was trying to get traded, released or placed on Injured Reserve, the source said. The source said Harrison exhibited the behavior throughout the season, but players really started to notice Harrison checking out on game days after a Week 4 win over the Ravens. Dupree said on his weekly radio show Wednesday night that Harrison showed no interest in mentoring him or rookie linebacker T.J. Watt. "I don't know how many secrets about the playbook Harrison could give to [the Patriots] because I never saw him in meetings," said Dupree, according to host Paul Zeise. Bill Parise, Harrison's agent, said Saturday that the parting was amicable, but Harrison was "clearly" frustrated over his role in the defense. Pouncey spoke strongly about the responsibility of a longtime Steeler to carry out what's best for the team, including mentoring young players. Watt and Dupree -- both first-round picks -- replaced Harrison on a full-time basis this season. When asked whether Harrison was a mentor to him, Dupree laughed while walking out of the interview scrum. "We're going to speak the truth. That's what it is," Pouncey said. "I want [backup B.J. Finney] to be the best offensive lineman. If he comes and takes my position, it is what it is. ... I'm not going to complain about that. I'm very thankful for everything. I'm a man about everything. Any time I messed up, every time I never did anything, I stood up to everybody and told them. It is what it is. I'm not going to run from no one." This is a strange ending to Harrison's career in Pittsburgh. He spent all but one of his 15 seasons with the Steelers, making five Pro Bowls and winning two Super Bowl rings and a Defensive Player of the Year award. Teammates had lauded Harrison's ability to lead by example. Safety Mike Mitchell said Harrison is a friend, but he added about Harrison's going to New England, "I probably wouldn't have done it for $59,000." Harrison is due $58,823.50 in Week 17 salary. Playoff games are paid by share. Harrison said there was "a little hesitation" in signing with the Patriots, but the Steelers never reached out to him after waiving him. "I cleared waivers, New England had called and said they wanted me to come up, and we talked," Harrison told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday. "At 4:30 that afternoon, I flew to Boston, and there was no communication from the Steelers about anything." Harrison added that he expects to play in the Pats' regular-season finale against the Jets on Sunday, but he has not been asked "one thing" about the Steelers since joining his new team. Asked whether Harrison became a locker room distraction toward the end, Pouncey sent a message to the pass-rusher. "I don't care. Bye. Have fun," Pouncey said.
TORONTO (Reuters) - BlackBerry (BB.TO) is considering equipping an upcoming smartphone with Google Inc.’s (GOOGL.O) Android software for the first time, an acknowledgement that its revamped line of devices has failed to win mass appeal, according to four sources familiar with the matter. The Blackberry sign is pictured in Waterloo June 19, 2014. REUTERS/Mark Blinch The move would be an about-face for the Waterloo, Ontario-based company, which had shunned Android in a bet that its BlackBerry 10 line of phones would be able to claw back market share lost to Apple’s (AAPL.O) iPhone and a slew of devices powered by Android. The sources, who asked not to be named as they have not been authorized to discuss the matter publicly, said the move to use Android is part of BlackBerry’s strategy to pivot to focus on software and device management. BlackBerry, which once dominated smartphone sales, now has a market share of less than 1 percent. It is not clear whether a move to use Android would spell the end of the company’s BlackBerry 10 line of devices that were initially launched to much fanfare in early 2013. After positive early reviews, the late-to-launch BlackBerry devices haven’t competed well with Android or Apple, mainly due to a lack of big name apps. “We don’t comment on rumors and speculation, but we remain committed to the BlackBerry 10 operating system, which provides security and productivity benefits that are unmatched,” said the company in an email. A Google spokeswoman declined to comment. BlackBerry Chief Executive John Chen is banking on the company’s new device management system, BES12, that allows corporate and government clients to not only manage BlackBerry devices on their internal networks, but also devices powered by Android, Apple’s iOS platform and Microsoft Corp’s (MSFT.O) Windows operating system. One of the hurdles it faces in that transformation is convincing big customers that its device management software works across many different platforms. Two sources said that by launching an Android-based device of its own, BlackBerry would be sending a signal to skeptics that it is confident that the BES12 system can not only manage, but also secure smartphones and tablets powered by rival operating systems. BlackBerry will probably use Android on an upcoming slider device that is likely to be released this autumn, two sources said. The slider will combine a touch screen with a physical keyboard that users can use if they prefer. BlackBerry briefly showed off the slider device on stage at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in March, but it has provided little detail on it since then. By making an Android device that boasts a large touchscreen and a physical keyboard, BlackBerry hopes to snag a niche in the touchscreen-dominated Android market. The device may attract those still using older BlackBerry keyboard handhelds but who want access to the larger app options Android offers. HARDWARE CONUNDRUM Two sources said that if BlackBerry moves forward on a plan to launch an Android device, it could come with some of the patented features in its BlackBerry 10 operating system. In March, BlackBerry announced that it planned to deliver its patented security, productivity and communication tools to any mobile device running iOS, Android or Windows. The company, which a while ago opened its popular BlackBerry Messaging app to those using rival operating systems, has said it plans to offer more in-house features on rival devices, including BlackBerry Hub and the predictive text capabilities of its virtual keyboard. Chen in March said the company was still committed to its own devices business. Since that time however, BlackBerry has cut headcount in its hardware unit even further. The company, which at a 2011 peak employed 17,500 people and in February was down to 6,225, said last month that it was making further cuts on the device side, without providing any numbers.
It should come as no surprise that certain sacred religious practices are remarkably unhygienic. Holy water in church fonts tends to be rife with fecal bacteria. Believers who ritually kiss the same holy stone or other religious artifacts no doubt end up sharing microbes. Millions take ritual baths in filthy lakes and waterways in which human waste and dead bodies float conspicuously on the surface. And closer to home, well, are you sure that Father Murphy washed his hands before pinching a series of eucharists between his fleshy fingers and putting the Jesus crackers, and maybe those digits, on one wet tongue after another? Could habits like these have anything to do with the spread of religiosity itself? Are some microbes essentially carriers and distributors of faith? It sounds far-fetched, but, according to Michael Schulson in the Daily Beast, That, more or less, is the suggestion of a paper published last month in the online journal Biology Direct. Written by Alexander Panchin and two colleagues associated with Moscow’s Institute for Information Transmission Problems, “Midichlorians — the biomeme hypothesis” suggests that the impulse behind some religious rituals could be driven by mind-altering parasites. Looking for chances to spread, these hypothetical microbes push their human hosts to do seemingly irrational things — like, say, share a cup of wine en masse, or dunk themselves in the Ganges, or gather themselves from all corners of the earth in order to kiss the same wall, stone, or icon. On the whole, this paper must make for some of the weirdest academic reading of 2014. It features Jedi knights, cat-borne diseases, the Eucharist, and bacterial mind control. And it’s been making the rounds lately, if by “making the rounds” one means “simultaneously entrancing and horrifying renowned biologists while earning a major cameo in Nature.” … isn’t quite as outlandish as it sounds. Many germs really do alter their hosts’ behaviors in ways that help the germ spread (think of rabies, which spreads by biting, and which alters the brains of infected mammals to make them feel very, very aggressive; or consider Toxoplasmosis, a protist associated with cats, that seems to cause infected rats to feel less fear of felines). That latter graf is the part where Schulson, who isn’t a scientist but instead holds a B.A. in Religious Studies, can engage in some dismissive editorializing. (Further down in the article, he also gives a drubbing ; considering some of Schulson’s other writings , he isn’t taking much of a shine to atheism). At the same time, though, he acknowledges that the thought of germs driving people to perform certain acts… It’s unlikely that Panchin and his fellow authors have written the year’s high point of biological brilliance, mostly because they readily concede (read their full paper here) that they operate in the realm of inquiry, a.k.a. hypothesis. They do, however, deserve props for the courage to ask an intriguing and (it seems) rationally defensible question, one that microbiologists and neuroscientists are now free to debate and (I sincerely hope) research further. More here and here. (Image via Shutterstock)
Monday, a three-judge U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit panel handed down a third opinion in Wollschlaeger v. Governor, the Florida “Docs vs. Glocks” case. Florida law limits doctors’ conversations with patients about guns. The first opinion in the case held that the law wasn’t really a speech restriction, because it just regulated the practice of medicine (a deeply unsound view, I think). The second opinion, issued after a petition for rehearing, changed course and held that the law was a speech restriction, but that — as a restriction on professional-client speech — it had to be judged under “intermediate scrutiny,” which it passed. (For more on professional-client speech, see item 2 in this post.) Then the panel asked for further briefing in light of Reed v. Town of Gilbert (2015), a recent Supreme Court decision that had to do with content-based sign restrictions, but that the panel thought might be relevant to content-based restrictions more broadly, including restrictions on professional-client speech. Monday, the court concluded that, after Reed, such restrictions might be subject to strict scrutiny. But it didn’t decide whether that was so, or whether a more pro-government standard of review should be applied, because the panel concluded (by a 2-to-1 vote) that the Florida doctor speech restriction passed even strict scrutiny (usually a very hard standard to satisfy). This, I think, is quite wrong — and because strict scrutiny is the standard for evaluating content-based speech restrictions generally, and not just doctor-patient or professional-client speech restrictions, the error risks undermining free speech rights more broadly. In fact, much of the argument that the 11th Circuit panel accepted is structurally very similar to arguments used for restrictions on “hate speech,” campus speech codes and the like. I hope the 11th Circuit reconsiders the matter en banc, and adopts the dissenting judge’s view; or, failing that, I hope the U.S. Supreme Court decides to hear the case. 1. First, what does the statute actually do? A. It provides that a doctor may not ask questions (in writing or orally) “concerning the ownership [or home possession] of a firearm or ammunition by the patient or by a family member,” unless the doctor “in good faith believes that this information is relevant to the patient’s medical care or safety, or the safety of others.” And, according to the panel majority, “relevant” here means relevant based on “some particularized information about the individual patient, for example, that the patient is suicidal or has violent tendencies.” A doctor thus may not ask all patients, or all patients with children, whether they own guns, whether on an intake questionnaire or in person, even if the doctor believes that this information would indeed be useful in giving general advice about safe gun storage, the supposed dangers of any gun ownership, and the like. B. It bans doctors from “intentionally enter[ing] any disclosed information concerning firearm ownership into the patient’s medical record if the practitioner knows that such information is not relevant to the patient’s medical care or safety, or the safety of others,” with the same interpretation of “relevant.” C. It provides that patients may “decline to answer or provide any information regarding ownership [or home possession] of a firearm,” though such a refusal “does not alter existing law regarding a physician’s authorization to choose his or her patients.” Nonetheless, it provides that doctors “may not discriminate against a patient based solely upon the patient’s exercise of the constitutional right to own and possess firearms or ammunition.” This suggests that doctors may turn away patients for refusing to answer questions about guns (so long as they are “relevant” based on “some particularized information about the individual patient”), but may not turn away patients for answering the questions with “yes, I own a gun.” D. It bans doctors “from unnecessarily harassing a patient about firearm ownership during an examination.” This means, according to the panel majority, that a doctor “should not disparage firearm-owning patients, and should not persist in attempting to speak to the patient about firearm ownership when the subject is not relevant [based on the particularized circumstances of the patient’s case, such as the patient’s being suicidal] to medical care or safety.” These are content-based restrictions on what a speaker can say, and the 11th Circuit evaluated them under “strict scrutiny” — a deliberately demanding standard in free speech clause case law, which is only very rarely satisfied, and which requires that the government show that the law is “narrowly tailored” to a “compelling government interest.” 2. A. The first compelling government interest on which the panel majority relied is “protect[ing] the right to keep and bear arms” that is secured by the Second Amendment. But wait: A doctor’s questioning, however annoying, can’t actually deny anyone the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms. The Second Amendment, like almost all constitutional rights, only protects people from government intrusion. That’s why, for instance, an employer’s firing an employee for owning a gun at home isn’t a Second Amendment violation; indeed, most state statutes (including Florida’s statutes) don’t even ban such firing. But even if one views the Second Amendment discussion as shorthand for an asserted interest in protecting people’s gun possession against (some) private restrictions, here no doctor’s speech has any power to take away any guns. Even if the doctor’s speech is mistaken (and indeed I find much “public health” literature about guns to be quite weak), “harassing,” or not sufficiently “relevant,” no amount of my doctor’s speech will cause my gun to disappear. The panel majority concludes that the government protects the right to keep and bear arms by “protecting patients from irrelevant questioning about guns that could dissuade them from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights, questions that a patient may feel they cannot refuse to answer, given the significant imbalance of power between patient and doctor behind the closed doors of the examination room.” But why is there a compelling government interest in preventing speech on the grounds that it can dissuade people “from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights”? Persuasion and dissuasion are usually seen as constitutionally protected advocacy, and not things that the government has a compelling interest in stopping. (Note also that the statute is not at all limited to attempted dissuasion using factually inaccurate arguments; it applies to speech without regard to its factual accuracy.) Now there is one way a doctor might be able to pressure a patient into not exercising his Second Amendment rights, beyond just persuasion: by threatening to stop treating the patient if the patient keeps his guns. Most patients, I suspect, will respond by just finding a new doctor. But it’s possible that some patients (especially in rural areas, a point the panel opinion makes) might find that there are few doctors around, especially if they’re looking for specialists. If that’s what the legislature worried about, though, it could easily solve that problem through the much less speech-restrictive solution of not allowing doctors to discriminate based on patients’ gun ownership — something the legislature conspicuously failed to do. Instead, the legislature banned even doctor speech that contains no such threat, and affects gun ownership only through its power to “dissuade.” Again, hard to see how preventing such a dissuasion is a “compelling” enough interest to justify a content-based speech restriction. B. And because the panel majority is applying the general First Amendment test, its reasoning would set a precedent for many other restrictions. Indeed, the opinion validates many arguments that are already urged to restrict “hate speech,” justify campus speech codes and the like. Free speech being trumped by the supposed need to protect other constitutional rights — that’s exactly the argument given for restrictions on supposedly bigoted speech, on the theory that bigoted speech undermines the 14th Amendment right to equal protection. Of course, as critics of such restrictions point out, bigoted speech isn’t really government action denying equal protection; at most, it can help persuade people to have bad opinions. There really is no constitutional conflict. But the Wollschlaeger panel is perfectly willing to see First Amendment rights trumped, in the absence of any real constitutional conflict, to protect Second Amendment rights against mere private “dissuading.” Why not then trump First Amendment rights, even in the absence of any real constitutional conflict, to protect Fourteenth Amendment rights against the malign effects of private persuasion? “We must … place the doctors’ right to question their patients on the scales against the State’s compelling interest in fully effecting the guarantees of the Second Amendment,” says the panel majority. We must place students’ right to express racist, religiously biased, sexist, anti-gay, etc. views against the State’s compelling interest in fully effecting the guarantees of the Equal Protection Clause, say those who want to ban “hate speech.” C. Note also the panel’s repeated focus on the “imbalance of power” between doctor and patient. Black or gay or Muslim students, supporters of campus speech codes argue, lack power compared to the white or heterosexual or Christian majority; therefore, the speech of the powerful should be restricted to protect the powerless. (Similar arguments are made with regard to speech outside universities.) Now I think that the supposed imbalance of power between doctor and patient, like the supposed imbalance of power among students, is quite overstated. Many patients can change doctors; those who don’t want to can tell their doctors they don’t want to talk about something; and, if need be, patients have the power to conceal their gun ownership from doctors. But in any event, even if in some situation patients can feel powerless in front of their doctors — just as some minority students can feel powerless when they hear speech from students who are in the majority — that can’t be reason to restrict the speech. (Doctors do have “power” in the “knowledge is power” sense: Because they know much more about medicine than you do, you’re likely to follow their instructions. That’s why bad medical advice can lead to malpractice liability, or professional discipline. But the law isn’t limited to doctors who advise you to do things that prove dangerous to you. It covers all blanket questions about gun ownership, regardless of whether those questions lead to sound advice, professionally incompetent advice, or no advice at all.) D. Likewise, note the panel’s discussion about how patients should be protected against doctor speech because of the patients’ “vulnerability.” The panel’s image of patients is very much like the image of students given by many modern advocates of campus speech restrictions. They are vulnerable. They are psychologically constrained from speaking up. They are fragile, easily susceptible to speech that questions their worth (campus speech codes) or tries to “dissuade them from exercising their constitutionally guaranteed rights” (the doctor speech restriction here). We can’t expect them to be psychologically robust, willing and able to reject speech they dislike. No, we need to protect these vulnerable listeners from speech that might oppress them. E. The panel majority’s argument that the patient is the doctor’s “captive audience” has similarly dangerously broad implications. I think that “captive audience” arguments can’t justify content-based restrictions on particular ideas or information, but the panel takes a different view. And once it’s accepted that it’s fine to restrict speech about guns when the audience is “captive,” exactly that argument would be used — because it often has been used — to support campus speech codes and similar restrictions. 3. The panel majority also reasoned that the Florida law is backed by a compelling interest in protecting “the privacy of gun owners’ status as such from inclusion in their medical records.” But the legislature didn’t just enact a narrow law banning doctors from recording gun owners’ status. (That would itself be a content-based speech restriction, but at least a much narrower one.) Instead, it also limited doctors’ conversations with patients even if the results are never entered into records. And beyond this, Florida law allows doctors to ask all sorts of private questions, including questions about the exercise of constitutional rights: “Are you sexually active?” “Are you using contraceptives?” “What kinds of contraceptives are you using?” “Do you want to have children at some point?” “Have you ever been pregnant?” “How many sexual partners have you had in the past year?” “Are you engaging in anal sex?” “How much television do your children watch?” “Do your children play violent videogames?” Some doctors likely do ask some such questions, on a relatively blanket basis. The questions are at least as intrusive as questions about guns; indeed, many people find some such information more private than gun ownership. Yet the legislature doesn’t seem to take the view that Floridians need to be protected against such supposed “intrusions on privacy.” The normal ways of dealing with intrusive questions — such as saying “I’d rather not talk about this with you,” something people can say even to doctors — seem to be quite sufficient when it comes to private information such as this. Why aren’t they sufficient when it comes to guns? The majority again points to “the significant power imbalance between patient and doctor.” But a doctor isn’t going to arrest you. (He might in some situations get you mentally committed, but in those situations he wouldn’t even be covered by the Florida speech restriction, since then he would have a particularized reason to ask about your guns.) He’s not going to fire you. At most he might tell you to find a new doctor — a hassle, but generally not something that’s so hard to do. If this sort of “significant power imbalance” is all it takes to suppress the “powerful” person’s First Amendment rights, the First Amendment is in pretty substantial danger. This selective targeting of questions about guns — when other, likely quite common, questions about private matters aren’t restricted — suggests that this law isn’t really about protecting privacy as such. Rather, it’s about preventing doctors from spreading what many gun rights supporters see as unsound anti-gun propaganda. I share some of this concern. But this can’t be a permissible basis for the government restricting doctors’ speech (again, unless the speech is itself so unreasonable and harmful as to constitute malpractice, something to which this law is not at all limited). * * * The panel majority opinion, then, is dangerous — indeed, more dangerous than the earlier opinions in this case, which at least claimed that professional-client speech is less protected than other speech, and which thus wouldn’t set much of a precedent for restricting fully protected speech. The logic of the opinion extends far beyond restrictions on doctors or on other professionals (though it’s bad enough even there, and even on the facts of this case). Rather, it can apply to a wide range of situations where the government can claim some supposed tension (however indirect) between constitutional rights, some “power imbalance” between speaker and listener, or some “vulnerability” or “captivity” of the listener. If not reversed, it will set a dangerous precedent for speech far outside the gun debate.
Image copyright AP Image caption Angry at the speaker's move while he was away, Vanuatu's president vowed to "clean up the mess" Fourteen politicians in the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu have been handed jail sentences for corruption. The members of parliament were convicted of bribery on 9 October, when President Baldwin Lonsdale was abroad. In his absence, Parliamentary Speaker Marcellino Pipite used his powers as acting president to pardon himself and the others. On his return the president overturned the pardons, and the Supreme Court has now ruled them unconstitutional. The verdict puts half the governing party's MPs behind bars and makes it likely another election will be called, despite the current administration only taking power in June, according to New Zealand's TVNZ. Image copyright Reuters Image caption Prime Minister Sato Kilman's government, only in power since June, is now in a precarious position The original corruption allegations were that Deputy Prime Minister Moana Carcasses paid 13 opposition politicians 35 million vatu ($312,000; £202,000) last year. On Thursday, Mr Carcasses was sentenced to four years in prison, and the others for three years each. Justice Mary Sey, in the capital, Port Vila, said the payments were made to influence the MPs. Those who "occupy a position of trust or authority can expect to be treated severely by the criminal law," she said, according to Australia's ABC News. As well as the deputy prime minister, many of the other convicted MPs were also cabinet ministers, including the Foreign Minister Serge Vohor and Finance Minister Willy Jimmy. Willy Jimmy was given a 20-month suspended sentence, as the only one to plead guilty at his original bribery trial. Sentencing for the original corruption offences was due to happen on 22 October, so it is not clear whether the ruling that the pardons were unconstitutional affected their jail terms.
`Windowck` is a set of Xfce plugins which allows you to place the maximized window title and window buttons on the panel, somewhat similar to Unity. This is useful for increasing the vertical screen space: the window titlebar and buttons are removed for maximized windows and they are displayed on the Xfce panel instead. , somewhat similar to Unity. This is useful for increasing the vertical screen space: the window titlebar and buttons are removed for maximized windows and they are displayed on the Xfce panel instead. show the title and buttons of the maximized window on the panel (there is an option to control active windows even if they aren't maximized); allow window actions on buttons and title clicks (activate, (un)maximize, close); allow window action menu on left button click; title formatting options; xfwm4/unity theming support for buttons; the window title / buttons can be placed anywhere on the panel (unlike under Unity for example), the button order can be changed, etc. Install Windowck Plugins in Xubuntu Xubuntu 14.04 and 14.10 only: to install Windowck Plugins, simply download the deb from HERE, then install it using Ubuntu Software Center, Gdebi or from the command line. Xubuntu 13.10, 12.04: For older Xubuntu versions, you'll have to build it from source (important: you need Xfce 4.10 or newer, which isn't in the official repositories for Ubuntu 12.04 so you'll need to use or newer, which isn't in the official repositories for Ubuntu 12.04 so you'll need to use a PPA for it, or else it won't work!): sudo apt-get install autotools-dev pkg-config intltool dh-autoreconf libgtk2.0-dev xfce4-dev-tools xfce4-panel-dev libxfce4util-dev libxfconf-0-dev libxfce4ui-1-dev libwnck-dev wget cd wget https://github.com/cedl38/xfce4-windowck-plugin/archive/v0.3.0.tar.gz tar -xvf v0.3.0.tar.gz cd ~/xfce4-windowck-plugin-0.3.0 ./autogen.sh --prefix=/usr make sudo make install "Window Header - Buttons" to put the maximized window buttons on the panel "Window Header - Title" to put the maximized window title on the panel Arch Linux users can install Windowck Plugins via users can install Windowck Plugins via AUR To grab the source code, report bugs, etc., see the Windowck Plugins GitHub page. Remove maximized window borders Since the window titlebar and/or buttons are now displayed on the top Xfce panel, you'll probably want to remove the window titlebar for maximized windows. You can do this using Maximus. To install it in Xubuntu, use the following command: sudo apt-get install maximus By default, Maximus maximizes all new windows but you can disable this behavior by running the following command: gconftool-2 --set /apps/maximus/no_maximize --type=bool true Update: instead of Maximus, you can use instead of Maximus, you can use xfwm4-titleless , which should work better on Xfce, but you'll have to compile it from source (thanks to Rober for the tip!). Arch Linux users can grab it via AUR Here are a couple of screenshots with the plugin options:1. Install the required dependencies:2. Download and extract xfce4-windowck-plugin:3. Compile xfce4-windowck-plugin:Once you install Windowck Plugins, right click the Xfce panel, selectand add:And finally, log out and log back in. That's it!
Junk foods are addictive. There is no question about it... they light up the same areas in the brain as drugs of abuse (1). For many people, food addiction can become a very real and very serious problem (2). The biochemistry of the brain gets hijacked and people lose control over their thoughts and behavior. They end up eating way too much of these foods and are simply unable to stop, no matter how hard they try. Junk Food Addiction and Drug Addiction Are Basically Identical I am a recovering drug addict with a history of multiple rehabs, jail more often than I can count and several trips to the emergency room due to overdose. I am also an ex smoker and have extensive personal experience with addiction (been sober since January 4th, 2007). Several years after I stopped doing drugs, I started developing an addiction to unhealthy foods. I had become highly interested in nutrition and health, but I had an extremely difficult time actually sticking to what I thought was healthy. One day I realized that the cravings and thought processes were exactly the same as they had been for drugs of abuse like amphetamine. There was no difference, only a different substance and the social consequences weren't as severe. Craving junk food felt the same as craving an addictive drug. Exactly the same. I've since spoken to several of my friends who are also recovering drug addicts. They agree that craving junk food feels the same as craving drugs. Even though a lot of people don't even know that food addiction exists, I am personally convinced that it is a huge problem in society today and one of the key reasons it is next to impossible for some people to stick to a healthy diet. Btw... you do NOT need to have problems with smoking, drugs or alcohol to become addicted to junk food. It is very common, actually. If you think you might have this problem, then ask yourself these 5 questions: Do you get cravings despite feeling full? Do you feel guilty after eating particular foods, yet do it again soon after? Do you make excuses in your head about why you should eat certain foods? Have you unsuccessfully tried setting rules (like cheat meals/days) about certain foods, but been unsuccessful? Do you feel unable to control your consumption of certain foods, despite knowing that they are causing you physical harm (includes weight gain)? These are all typical symptoms of food addiction. If you can relate to this, then you DO have a serious problem and you better start doing something about it, or it will only get worse and end up ruining your health. The Law of Addiction During my years of battling addiction, I learned many things that have stuck with me. The most important lesson I learned is called the law of addiction: "Administration of a drug to an addict will cause reestablishment of chemical dependence upon the addictive substance." An ex-smoker who has a puff of a cigarette will become instantly addicted again and might be back to a pack-a-day habit the next day. An alcoholic who has a sip of beer will relapse... with all the horrible consequences that follow. One sip can ruin an alcoholic's life. I am personally convinced that junk food addiction is no different. One bite, one "cheat" - that's all it takes. A food addict that has been abstinent for a long time and decides to indulge "just once" will relapse and start eating that food more frequently again. Many people with a history of yo-yo dieting will be able to relate to this. Although some food addicts may be able to control their consumption while they are highly motivated, these "cheats" or occasional indulgences will quickly turn into more regular habits when the motivation runs out. What About Moderation? Many nutrition professionals argue against "extreme" approaches like completely eliminating junk food from the diet. They often say that people should make en effort to include these foods in their life, only in small amounts (the "everything in moderation" mantra). Although this approach may be reasonable for some people, it is a complete disaster for people with food addiction. When it comes to addiction, moderation fails. Every single time. There is no reason to believe that food addiction is different. Telling a food addict to eat junk food in moderation is about as ridiculous as telling an alcoholic to drink beer in moderation. It simply does not work, period. We Don't "Need" to Eat Junk Food We all need to eat something... otherwise we'll die from hunger. That is inevitable. But it is very important to realize that not all foods have this effect. Most people with food addiction aren't binging on broccoli and eggs, they're stuffing themselves with processed junk foods high in sugar, wheat and highly refined ingredients. There is no physiological need for junk food in the diet. This crap didn't exist until very recently in evolutionary history and our genes haven't changed since then. Food addicts can eat most real, unprocessed foods without problems. But they DO need to avoid the trigger foods that cause cravings, binge eating and addiction. People who manage to do this often lose a lot of weight without any major effort. That's what happened to me and every other recovering food addict I know. Complete Abstinence is The Only Thing That Works Against Addiction So... what is the answer for food addicts? What can they do to finally get rid of the nasty, disease promoting foods from their lives? The solution is the same as it is with any other addiction... avoiding the addictive substance. Completely. No junk food on birthdays, no junk food on Christmas. Nothing. Ever. Not a single bite. For addicts, this is an ALL or NOTHING deal. Either you avoid junk food completely, or you eat it constantly. There is nothing in between. A single bite will trigger a relapse and ruin everything. Abstinence is the only thing that works against addiction, period.
The article added, among other things, that Mnuchin foreclosed on a 90-year-old Florida woman “after a 27-cent payment error.”The list keeps going:* Mnuchin “ played hardball ” with federal officials to profit from the 2008 global economic crash.* Two housing advocacy groups alleged to U.S. regulators that Mnuchin’s OneWest Bank “broke federal laws by keeping branches out of minority neighborhoods and making few mortgages to black and Latino borrowers.”* Mnuchin’s OneWest Bank was also accused of squeezing Hurricane Sandy victims.* When public interest groups balked at Mnuchin’s sale of OneWest, “a parade of community-based nonprofits stepped forward to testify” in support of the bank. Politico found that those same nonprofits “received tens of thousands of dollars each from the bank’s foundation, which was run by Mnuchin.”Under normal political circumstances, a president-elect’s team would uncover these details during a review/vetting process and conclude there’s simply no way Steven Mnuchin – who has no governing experience or background in overseeing a large organization, and was only picked because he was a Trump fundraiser – should be nominated for a cabinet post.Under normal political circumstances, if the vetting process missed these details, media reports like these would lead Mnuchin to quietly withdraw his name to avoid further embarrassment to himself and the president-elect.Under normal political circumstances, if Team Trump stood by Mnuchin, Senate Republicans would let the incoming White House know that such a nominee would face a tough, uphill fight during the confirmation hearings.But since normal political rules appear to be a thing of the past, it’s entirely possible GOP senators will overlook all of this and confirm Steven Mnuchin anyway.
Image caption The development would have 50 houses and 244 apartments, said L&Q A plan to build 294 homes and a leisure complex at Walthamstow Stadium in east London has been approved by Waltham Forest Council. It paves the way for the owner of the Grade II listed greyhound racing track, housing association London and Quadrant (L&Q), to develop the site. Local MPs - Conservative Iain Duncan Smith and Labour's Stella Creasy - had urged for the plan to be rejected. The scheme will need to be approved by Mayor of London Boris Johnson. The famous landmark hosted racing for 75 years, with the last race held in 2008. Following the decision, Ms Creasy said she was "saddened" and added: "Walthamstow deserves better than the L&Q plans". 'Critical flaw' She and Mr Duncan Smith said the scheme provided no social rented properties and only 24 of the flats would be affordable. In a statement, they said: "Given that there are 21,000 people on our housing waiting list this omission is a critical flaw in L&Q's plans." They added that they would be lobbying Mr Johnson. Campaign group, Save Our Stow, has vowed to continue fighting the plan. The group supports businessman and greyhound enthusiast Bob Morton's proposal to reinstate greyhound racing. English Heritage has said the stadium is "the best surviving and most architecturally interesting vintage greyhound stadium in the country, with bold Art Deco influences in the stepped and streamlined detailing." L&Q's plans involve demolition and removing the roof. During a consultation 433 representations were received by Waltham Forest Council, with 412 objecting to the proposal and 18 supporting it. Image caption English Heritage has said it is the best surviving 'vintage' greyhound stadium in the country As well as objections over the loss of the historic structure, there have been concerns from residents about the height of the proposed buildings and the impact of increased traffic. Waltham Forest Council said it was inappropriate for it to comment. Mike Johnson, land director at L&Q said it was an "important milestone". He added: "Our proposals offer a mix of 50 houses and 244 apartments providing high quality and much needed homes for people on a range of incomes." L&Q said it had carried out its own research and found that of the local people they have spoken to 58% said they liked the plans, 60% liked the design of the new homes and 57% supported proposals for a children's nursery included in the scheme. A spokesman said the plan included 301 new homes, allotments and new public spaces. It will involve investment of £50m and create up to 250 new jobs.
Polymer is the whole package Last week we introduced you to Web Components by creating one for showing a list of posts from your favorite Reddit channel. That component was written with vanilla JavaScript following the Custom Elements v1 spec. As you’d probably expect, there are already libraries which act as abstractions to make building Web Components even easier. One of the largest and most well-developed of these is the Polymer library developed by Google’s Chrome team. I was first exposed to Polymer in its early days (version 0.3) during the years I spent at Google. During my time there Material Design was unveiled and many Google teams were planning redesigns, if not total rebuilds, of their products while the Polymer team was building early exploratory Web Components following the Material Guidelines exactly. This made Polymer incredibly attractive as teams were able to easily build their interface out of Polymer components and get material “for free”. Many Google products would soon be released built with Polymer, including Google Play Music, Google Sites, and YouTube Gaming. Seeing this momentum, I was able to successfully petition my team towards Polymer and we built two internal products using it, learning quite a bit along the way. Today, Polymer is my favorite way to build front-end web applications as its component nature makes it really easy to build functionality in small, collected ways and then to compose those components together to build larger and more complex functionalities. Like neurons in a human brain, connecting many small, simple web components together can create very powerful functionality in ways that are easy and understandable for developers: a true win-win situation. Polymer, the library Polymer the library is itself a lightweight syntax sugar that makes it easier to develop Web Components by taking care of several parts for you, such as: Automatically creating a Shadow DOM root for you Automatically taking your HTML template and “stamping” it into your Shadow DOM for you. Providing data binding for a simple property system that allows you to put data into elements, get it back out, and to run your custom code when this data changes or the element triggers particular events. Providing utility methods for managing your element’s DOM and conditional rendering, among others. Automatically registering your element with the browser. Polymer also provides an easy interface for adding and using Web Components in your projects. Because Polymer components are simply HTML files, you can import a Polymer element into your project and immediately use it in two lines: 1 2 <link rel= "import" href= "my-element.html" > <my-element first-name= "Zachary" company= "Northern Logic" ></my-element> This type of import, called an HTML Import, is an up and coming feature of web browsers and is used extensively in Polymer to import needed elements. This allows the browser to easily de-dupe elements and only download a dependency once. Polymer, the ecosystem Polymer as a whole, however, is more than a library. To encourage a Web Component future, the Polymer team has also built out an expansive collection of components themselves which serve as building blocks for your further creations. These first-party elements (currently there are 87!) are available in Polymer’s Catalog on the Web Components website. These components make it trivial to build modern complex progressive web applications with features such as responsive design, service workers, and offline data support (via IndexedDB and Local Storage). The Google products I mentioned above are themselves built in part using these same components which are available to your applications as well. Polymer, the tooling The Polymer team has also built out an extensive collection of tooling which is all open source for you to play with and repurpose. True to the modular nature of Web Components, many of these tools are actually compositions of individual projects by the team, meaning you are free to recompose as you see fit. Some examples of these tools and why you might want to use them: Polymer CLI The Polymer CLI is a handy tool which lets you bootstrap and build Polymer components you intend to share (more on that in a later post) and applications you’re building out of other components. The CLI is opinionated and steers you towards a project layout the Polymer team recommends, though. This is usually fine for new projects, though, and combined with the Firebase CLI for hosting it makes it dead simple to develop, do a professional production build, and deploy to the Internet in no time. Polymer Build If you are working on an existing project or you have a complicated setup where the Polymer CLI default project structure is a hindrance, you can use the polymer-build library to build a custom build chain with Gulp. The beauty here is that the CLI also uses polymer-build , so future features and improvements to it will benefit the other Polymer tooling. This is a common thing in the Polymer tooling ecosystem and is one of the reasons I love working within it: a side effect of the pieces being so modular means everyone benefits from everyone else’s improvements. In Polymer tooling land it truly is the tide that raises all ships. Web Component Tester The Web Component Tester tool is exactly what it sounds like. It is a streamlined way to test your web components in various environments. Once configured, you can simply run wct in your project directory and all of your components will be tested in various browsers automatically and a report displayed of the progress. The Polymer CLI tool comes with it built in and its project templates include examples of how to write tests. Given how discrete the functionality in Web Components is, this setup makes it very easy and non-overwhelming to actually write tests for your components. Polymer Analyzer The Polymer Analyzer is a static analysis tool for your code that can be used to perform all kinds of optimizations and linting of your code. One very cool thing about the Analyzer is that it’s actually not specific to Polymer and can be used to analyze other types of Web Components. This is handy when you’re using them together which, by the way, you easily can. Polymer IDE plugins One powerful example of how these various tooling pieces can come together is the Polymer Editor Service, which is a tool that combines several of the previously mentioned tools and editor-specific plugins to provide a first-class development experience in whatever modern text editor you use. It enables Web Components-aware linting, autocompletion (even for third-party elements you import), in-editor documentation, and more. The Polymer team’s decision to split this into a central Editor Service and then make individual editor-specific plugins that bundle it means that hopefully the functionality across editors should stay relatively equal, which is a nice assurance that you don’t end up using the editor that gets neglected. Polymer, the community Another great thing about Polymer is its community and the investments the Polymer team is making into it. The documentation for the library is available on their website and is pretty easy to grok: thanks in part to Polymer itself actually being a very small library. It’s very handy to reference if you need to do something a little unordinary. The Chrome Developer Relations team also publish a show on YouTube called Polycasts, which feature Rob Dodson and Monica Dinculescu teaching you through screencasts how to accomplish things in Polymer/Web Components land. This is one of the few shows in YouTube I watch without fail. There’s also a Polymer Slack, where many of the Polymer team hangout and discuss what they’re working on and fellow Polymer users help each other out. It reminds me of the Django IRC channel that was so helpful to me ten years ago when I was just learning Django. Lastly, one of the most valuable things the Polymer team does is provide free annual multi day Summits where the team presents their latest enhancements to the tools, examples of how to build things, and invite select teams using Polymer exceptionally well to present so that we all learn from their experience. These are free to attend if you can attend (so far they’ve both been in Europe, which is challenging for US-based people like me) and are all streamed live on YouTube. Here’s this year’s playlist if you want to dig in. Polymer is the whole package The experience of developing with Polymer is a very well-rounded one with a great library, a great collection of first- and third-party web component “pieces”, great tooling to help you put those pieces together, and a great community to learn from. Polymer is but one of a [small] handful of Web Components libraries in existence now but definitely the most invested in. It’s our pick for the technology that really makes Web Components take off. As the Web Components spec has reached v1 and more browsers have started building native support for its features, things are going to start really heating up for this new style of developing amazing, “feature-full” web applications. Chrome is of course leading the pack in browser support, but Chrome also happens to be the most used browser on desktop and mobile with an astonishing 2+ billion active installs, according to Google. We at Northern Logic are very excited to see where this leads and to hopefully play a meaningful part in this new future for the Web.
Tracking down 'Bleachman,' San Francisco's AIDS-fighting hero of 1980s ads A bit of '80s San Francisco ephemera. Bleachman, as played by Les Pappas, appears in a television commercial. Bleachman, as played by Les Pappas, appears in a television commercial. Photo: Youtube/screenshot Photo: Youtube/screenshot Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Tracking down 'Bleachman,' San Francisco's AIDS-fighting hero of 1980s ads 1 / 8 Back to Gallery He was the hero San Francisco deserved. And with his bleach-jug head, crimson cape and comically oversized needle, Bleachman might just be the one it needs right now. In the late 1980s, the San Francisco AIDS Foundation launched a campaign targeting IV drug users. Before needle exchanges or safe injection rooms, encouraging addicts to sterilize their needles with household bleach before reusing them was one pragmatic way of reducing HIV transmission rates. Bleachman put a smiling face to the message. Longtime city residents might remember the costumed mascot's grinning mug from bus stops, comics and posters. But despite Bleachman's kid-friendly appearance, the ads were surprisingly frank. One surreal television commercial survives on YouTube. "If you use the drug, you gotta use the jug," Bleachman says to the camera, standing before a shot of the pre-Salesforce Tower SF skyline. Then, he demonstrates how to clean a needle. Behind the mask (or jug, rather) was Les Pappas, who worked at SFAF for 10 years. Bleachman was his brainchild, he said, and the costume was initially made to fit him — though according to SFAF spokesman Andrew Hattori, he wasn't the only one to wear it. On weekends, Pappas said he and a group of T-shirt-wearing outreach workers would venture into the Mission and Tenderloin neighborhoods to distribute pamphlets and bleach. The ridiculous costume grabbed drug users' attention and, unlike more negative ad campaigns, it also "brightened people's day." "At that time, drug users were looked down on even worse than they are today," he said. "The idea was: Why not have a superhero? Why can't they have a superhero? It was meant to be a very positive kind of thing." "(Drug users) would see that not only did people care about them, but they cared enough to make, for (drug users), a hero of their own," he added. As Bleachman, Pappas would take Polaroid selfies with his fans. (The photos would remind drug users to clean their needles, he said.) One day, he recounted, a woman came running up to him with a crumpled old photo in hand. "It was probably the only thing she'd really hung onto for a while," Pappas said. "She was so excited to have the picture and then to see Bleachman again." The jug-headed hero generated publicity wherever he went, and his appeal stretched beyond the Bay. Pappas toured with the costume to other cities, like Los Angeles and Toronto, and he credits Bleachman's success with inspiring later goofy mascots, like the anthropomorphized anatomy of the Healthy Penis campaign. Some things have changed since Bleachman's heyday. The number of HIV infections reported annually in San Francisco has been trending downward in recent years, according to the city's Department of Public Health. There are fewer infections nationwide as well; The estimated number of new HIV infections in the U.S. decreased by 10 percent from 2010-14, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The CDC also updated its guidelines regarding needles and bleach – it's always safer to use a new syringe, the CDC now advises, though bleach "continues to have an important role in reducing the risk for HIV transmission." As drug use and needle waste continue to be problems, both across the country and around the Bay Area, could creating another Spandex-clad crusader be the answer? Maybe, Pappas said – but it's compassion, not a cape, that's the important part. "The existence (of a drug-user) is very much full of negativity. If you want to help people, you can't come at it that way," he said. "There certainly could be another superhero, but the underlying things are to show respect (and) treat IV users the same as everybody else."
(CNN) Noelle Velentzas, 28, couldn't understand why U.S. citizens like herself were traveling overseas to wage jihad when they could simply "make history" at home by unleashing terrorist attacks, according to a federal criminal complaint unsealed Thursday. Velentzas and her former roommate, 31-year-old Asia Siddiqui, were arrested and accused of planning to build an explosive device for attacks in the United States, federal prosecutors said. Siddiqui is also a U.S. citizen. The complaint paints a picture of a disturbing trend in homegrown violent extremism. Siddiqui had repeated contact with members of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, published jihad-themed poems in magazines affiliated with the terror group and possessed propane gas tanks along with instructions on turning them into explosive devices, the complaint said. One day, Velentzas pulled a knife from her bra and showed Siddiqui what do with it if attacked, according to the complaint. "Why can't we be some real bad bitches?" asked Velentzas, adding that people needed to refer to them as "citizens of the Islamic State." Velentzas and Siddiqui did not enter pleas when they appeared in federal court in Brooklyn on Thursday. They were held without bond and ordered to appear on May 4. Thomas Dunn, attorney for Siddiqui, said outside court that his client intends to plead not guilty. "She and I will address everything in court," he said. "We're going to fight it out in court." If convicted, the women face a maximum sentence of life in prison. In the past 18 months, the Justice Department's National Security Division has prosecuted or is prosecuting more than 30 cases of people attempting to travel abroad to join or provide support to terrorist groups. Of those cases, 18 allegedly involve support to ISIS. "Given how the terrorist threat to the world is evolving, how the potential terrorist threat to our nation is evolving, homeland security is becoming a matter of 'hometown security,'" Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson told reporters Thursday. "The terrorist threat is more decentralized, more diffuse, more complicated. It involves the potential lone wolf actor, it involves the effective use of social media, the Internet." Killing a cop 'easier than buying food' In December, Velentzas and an undercover agent discussed the shooting deaths of two New York City police officers who were ambushed in Brooklyn. The shootings demonstrated how easy it is to kill a cop, she said. "Killing a police officer is easier than buying food," she is quoted as saying in the complaint, "because sometimes one has to wait in line to buy food." When the undercover agent later pointed out that more than 25,000 officers had gathered for the funeral of one of the cops, Officer Rafael Ramos, Velentzas complimented the agent for "coming up with an attractive potential target" for a terror attack, the complaint said. Velentzas and Siddiqui repeatedly expressed support for violent jihad, the complaint said. They praised successful and unsuccessful terror attempts against Americans. "As alleged, the defendants in this case carefully studied how to construct an explosive device to launch an attack on the homeland," Loretta Lynch, U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York, said in a statement. "We remain firm in our resolve to hold accountable anyone who would seek to terrorize the American people, whether by traveling abroad to commit attacks overseas or by plotting here at home." Of poetry and war In 2009, Siddiqui wrote a poem in a magazine published by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula that urged readers to wage jihad. She declared there is no "excuse to sit back and wait -- for the skies rain martyrdom." Prosecutors said the women "researched and acquired" components for a car bomb such as the one used in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, a fertilizer bomb such as the one used in the 1995 bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City and a pressure cooker device such as the one used in the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing. Velentzas described the late al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden as one of her heroes. She kept a photo of bin Laden holding an AK-47 as the background image on her cellphone, the complaint said. There were more opportunities of "pleasing Allah" by engaging in jihad on American soil, she said. In February, Velentzas and the undercover agent drove past a Home Depot in Queens. Velentzas laughed about once having told a Home Depot employee that she was having a barbecue when she was looking for propane. "Some women like to look at clothes," the complaint quotes her as saying. "I like to look at electric equipment." In a statement, Islamic Circle of North America said Velentzas was formerly homeless and provided shelter by the relief organization. "She stayed for a short period of time between 2008 and 2009," the statement said. "While she was staying in our shelter, our staff helped her get on her feet. During this time she successfully completed studies to become a home health care provider after which she became gainfully employed. She left the facility when she married." Velentzas appeared to have experienced hardship in her life but was "working towards self-development and long-term stability," the statement said. "She also appeared to be someone who had greatly benefited from the assistance ICNA Relief provides through our shelter system, so we asked her to speak about the experience of our shelter. She appeared at several fundraisers and was the subject of videos as well." Ashley Chung, a neighbor in Queens, said Velentzas had a young daughter and lived with her husband. "She's a very friendly woman and I would never even expect that at all," Chung said when asked about the allegations. "They're very lovely people. ... It's so crazy how you live next to someone and you have no idea what they're up to." Other cases Thursday's arrests are part of a series of cases being built by the federal government. Last month, an Army National Guard member and his cousin were arrested in Illinois and accused of conspiring to provide material support to ISIS, federal prosecutors said. The alleged plot included a plan to attack a U.S. military installation in Illinois. Spc. Hasan Edmonds, 22, was arrested last week at Chicago Midway International Airport while attempting to travel to Egypt to eventually join ISIS, according to Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin and other federal officials. His cousin, Jonas "Yunus" Edmonds, 29, was arrested at his home in Aurora, Illinois, in connection with an alleged plot to carry out an armed attack on an unspecified U.S. military facility in northern Illinois where Hasan Edmonds had been training. The two U.S. citizens were charged in criminal complaints filed in U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Illinois with one count each of conspiring to provide material support and resources to a foreign terrorist organization. In February, three New York men were arrested and accused of a failed attempt to join ISIS in Syria, prosecutors said. Abror Habibov, 30, who operated kiosks at malls along the East Coast, was arrested along with Akhror Saidakhmetov, 19, and Abdurasul Juraboev, 24, in connection with an alleged failed attempt by the two younger men to join ISIS in Syria.
Anyone with a heart would agree that the Jewish bris is a barbaric event. Grown-ups sit chatting politely, wiping the cream cheese off their lips, while some religious guy with minimal medical training prepares to slice up a newborn’s penis. The helpless thing wakes up from a womb-slumber howling with pain. I felt near hysterical at both of my sons’ brisses. Pumped up with new-mother hormones, I dug my nails into my palms to keep from clawing the rabbi. For a few days afterward, I cursed my God and everyone else for creating the bloody mess in the diaper. But then the penis healed and assumed its familiar heart shape and I promptly forgot about the whole trauma. Apparently some people never do. I am Jewish enough that I never considered not circumcising my sons. I did not search the web or call a panel of doctors to fact-check the health benefits, as a growing number of wary Americans now do. Despite my momentary panic, the words genital mutilation did not enter my head. But now that I have done my homework, I’m sure I would do it againeven if I were not Jewish, didn’t believe in ritual, and judged only by cold, secular science. Every year, it seems, a new study confirms that the foreskin is pretty much like the appendix or the wisdom toothit is an evolutionary footnote that serves no purpose other than to incubate infections. There’s no single overwhelming health reason to remove it, but there are a lot of smaller health reasons that add up. It’s not critical that any individual boy get circumcised. For the growing number of people who feel hysterical at the thought, just don’t do it. But don’t ruin it for the rest of us. It’s perfectly clear that on a grand public-health level, the more boys who get circumcised, the better it is for everyone. Twenty years ago, this would have been a boring, obvious thing to say, like feed your baby rice cereal before bananas, or don’t smoke while pregnant. These days, in certain newly enlightened circles on the East and West Coasts, it puts you in league with Josef Mengele. Late this summer, when the New York Times reported that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control might consider promoting routine circumcision as a tool in the fight against AIDS, the vicious comments that ensued included references to mass genocide. There’s no use arguing with the anti-circ activists, who only got through the headline of this story before hunting down my e-mail and offering to pay for me to be genitally mutilated. But for those in the nervous middle, here is my best case for why you should do it. Biologists think the foreskin plays a critical role in the womb, protecting the penis as it is growing during the third month of gestation. Outside the womb, the best guess is that it once kept the penis safe from, say, low-hanging thorny branches. Nowadays, we have pants for that. Circumcision dates back some 6,000 years and was mostly associated with religious rituals, especially for Jews and Muslims. In the nineteenth century, moralists concocted some unfortunate theories about the connection between the foreskin and masturbation and other such degenerate impulses. The genuinely useful medical rationales came later. During the World War II campaign in North Africa, tens of thousands of American GIs fell short on their hygiene routines. Many of them came down with a host of painful and annoying infections, such as phimosis, where the foreskin gets too tight to retract over the glans. Doctors already knew about the connection to sexually transmitted diseases and began recommending routine circumcision. In the late eighties, researchers began to suspect a relationship between circumcision and transmission of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. One researcher wondered why certain Kenyan men who see prostitutes get infected and others don’t. The answer, it turned out, was that the ones who don’t were circumcised. Three separate trials in Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa involving over 10,000 men turned up the same finding again and again. Circumcision, it turns out, could reduce the risk of HIV transmission by at least 60 percent, which, in Africa, adds up to 3 million lives saved over the next twenty years. The governments of Uganda and Kenya recently started mass-circumcision campaigns. These studies are not entirely relevant to the U.S. They apply only to female-to-male transmission, which is relatively rare here. But the results are so dramatic that people who work in AIDS prevention can’t ignore them. Daniel Halperin, an AIDS expert at the Harvard School of Public Health, has compared various countries, and the patterns are obvious. In a study of 28 nations, he found that low circumcision rates (fewer than 20 percent) match up with high HIV rates, and vice versa. Similar patterns are turning up in the U.S. as well. A team of researchers from the CDC and Johns Hopkins analyzed records of over 26,000 heterosexual African-American men who showed up at a Baltimore clinic for HIV testing and denied any drug use or homosexual contact. Among those with known HIV exposure, the ones who did turn out to be HIV-positive were twice as likely to be uncircumcised. There’s no causal relationship here; foreskin does not cause HIV transmission. But researchers guess that foreskins are more susceptible to sores, and also have a high concentration of certain immune cells that are the main portals for HIV infection.
This summer, I've been working at Microsoft Research implementing Backpack, a module system for Haskell. Interestingly, Backpack is not really a single monolothic feature, but, rather, an agglomeration of small, infrastructural changes which combine together in an interesting way. In this series of blog posts, I want to talk about what these individual features are, as well as how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. But first, there's an important question that I need to answer: What's a module system good for anyway? Why should you, an average Haskell programmer, care about such nebulous things as module systems and modularity. At the end of the day, you want your tools to solve specific problems you have, and it is sometimes difficult to understand what problem a module system like Backpack solves. As tomejaguar puts it: "Can someone explain clearly the precise problem that Backpack addresses? I've read the paper and I know the problem is 'modularity' but I fear I am lacking the imagination to really grasp what the issue is." Look no further. In this blog post, I want to talk concretely about problems Haskellers have today, explain what the underlying causes of these problems are, and say why a module system could help you out. The String, Text, ByteString problem As experienced Haskellers are well aware, there are multitude of string types in Haskell: String, ByteString (both lazy and strict), Text (also both lazy and strict). To make matters worse, there is no one "correct" choice of a string type: different types are appropriate in different cases. String is convenient and native to Haskell'98, but very slow; ByteString is fast but are simply arrays of bytes; Text is slower but Unicode aware. In an ideal world, a programmer might choose the string representation most appropriate for their application, and write all their code accordingly. However, this is little solace for library writers, who don't know what string type their users are using! What's a library writer to do? There are only a few choices: They "commit" to one particular string representation, leaving users to manually convert from one representation to another when there is a mismatch. Or, more likely, the library writer used the default because it was easy. Examples: base (uses Strings because it completely predates the other representations), diagrams (uses Strings because it doesn't really do heavy string manipulation). They can provide separate functions for each variant, perhaps identically named but placed in separate modules. This pattern is frequently employed to support both strict/lazy variants Text and ByteStringExamples: aeson (providing decode/decodeStrict for lazy/strict ByteString), attoparsec (providing Data.Attoparsec.ByteString/Data.Attoparsec.ByteString.Lazy), lens (providing Data.ByteString.Lazy.Lens/Data.ByteString.Strict.Lens). They can use type-classes to overload functions to work with multiple representations. The particular type class used hugely varies: there is ListLike, which is used by a handful of packages, but a large portion of packages simply roll their own. Examples: SqlValue in HDBC, an internal StringLike in tagsoup, and yet another internal StringLike in web-encodings. The last two methods have different trade offs. Defining separate functions as in (2) is a straightforward and easy to understand approach, but you are still saying no to modularity: the ability to support multiple string representations. Despite providing implementations for each representation, the user still has to commit to particular representation when they do an import. If they want to change their string representation, they have to go through all of their modules and rename their imports; and if they want to support multiple representations, they'll still have to write separate modules for each of them. Using type classes (3) to regain modularity may seem like an attractive approach. But this approach has both practical and theoretical problems. First and foremost, how do you choose which methods go into the type class? Ideally, you'd pick a minimal set, from which all other operations could be derived. However, many operations are most efficient when directly implemented, which leads to a bloated type class, and a rough time for other people who have their own string types and need to write their own instances. Second, type classes make your type signatures more ugly String -> String to StringLike s => s -> s and can make type inference more difficult (for example, by introducing ambiguity). Finally, the type class StringLike has a very different character from the type class Monad , which has a minimal set of operations and laws governing their operation. It is difficult (or impossible) to characterize what the laws of an interface like this should be. All-in-all, it's much less pleasant to program against type classes than concrete implementations. Wouldn't it be nice if I could import String , giving me the type String and operations on it, but then later decide which concrete implementation I want to instantiate it with? This is something a module system can do for you! This Reddit thread describes a number of other situations where an ML-style module would come in handy. (PS: Why can't you just write a pile of preprocessor macros to swap in the implementation you want? The answer is, "Yes, you can; but how are you going to type check the thing, without trying it against every single implementation?") Destructive package reinstalls Have you ever gotten this error message when attempting to install a new package? $ cabal install hakyll cabal: The following packages are likely to be broken by the reinstalls: pandoc-1.9.4.5 Graphalyze-0.14.0.0 Use --force-reinstalls if you want to install anyway. Somehow, Cabal has concluded that the only way to install hakyll is to reinstall some dependency. Here's one situation where a situation like this could come about: pandoc and Graphalyze are compiled against the latest unordered-containers-0.2.5.0, which itself was compiled against the latest hashable-1.2.2.0. hakyll also has a dependency on unordered-containers and hashable, but it has an upper bound restriction on hashable which excludes the latest hashable version. Cabal decides we need to install an old version of hashable, say hashable-0.1.4.5. If hashable-0.1.4.5 is installed, we also need to build unordered-containers against this older version for Hakyll to see consistent types. However, the resulting version is the same as the preexisting version: thus, reinstall! The root cause of this error an invariant Cabal currently enforces on a package database: there can only be one instance of a package for any given package name and version. In particular, this means that it is not possible to install a package multiple times, compiled against different dependencies. This is a bit troublesome, because sometimes you really do want the same package installed multiple times with different dependencies: as seen above, it may be the only way to fulfill the version bounds of all packages involved. Currently, the only way to work around this problem is to use a Cabal sandbox (or blow away your package database and reinstall everything, which is basically the same thing). You might be wondering, however, how could a module system possibly help with this? It doesn't... at least, not directly. Rather, nondestructive reinstalls of a package are a critical feature for implementing a module system like Backpack (a package may be installed multiple times with different concrete implementations of modules). Implementing Backpack necessitates fixing this problem, moving Haskell's package management a lot closer to that of Nix's or NPM. Version bounds and the neglected PVP While we're on the subject of cabal-install giving errors, have you ever gotten this error attempting to install a new package? $ cabal install hledger-0.18 Resolving dependencies... cabal: Could not resolve dependencies: # pile of output There are a number of possible reasons why this could occur, but usually it's because some of the packages involved have over-constrained version bounds (especially upper bounds), resulting in an unsatisfiable set of constraints. To add insult to injury, often these bounds have no grounding in reality (the package author simply guessed the range) and removing it would result in a working compilation. This situation is so common that Cabal has a flag --allow-newer which lets you override the upper bounds of packages. The annoyance of managing bounds has lead to the development of tools like cabal-bounds, which try to make it less tedious to keep upper bounds up-to-date. But as much as we like to rag on them, version bounds have a very important function: they prevent you from attempting to compile packages against dependencies which don't work at all! An under-constrained set of version bounds can easily have compiling against a version of the dependency which doesn't type check. How can a module system help? At the end of the day, version numbers are trying to capture something about the API exported by a package, described by the package versioning policy. But the current state-of-the-art requires a user to manually translate changes to the API into version numbers: an error prone process, even when assisted by various tools. A module system, on the other hand, turns the API into a first-class entity understood by the compiler itself: a module signature. Wouldn't it be great if packages depended upon signatures rather than versions: then you would never have to worry about version numbers being inaccurate with respect to type checking. (Of course, versions would still be useful for recording changes to semantics not seen in the types, but their role here would be secondary in importance.) Some full disclosure is warranted here: I am not going to have this implemented by the end of my internship, but I'm hoping to make some good infrastructural contributions toward it.
[the last shot mentioned in this post] Intro I’ve lived with my EK for a little over six months at this point, and I’m finally happy with the espresso it produces. I’ve sold my HG One. So let’s get into the details. Using the EK means re-learning a lot of your habits and, to some extent, recalibrating your palate a bit. This doesn’t mean you need to “drink the kool aid.” What you get are bright, sweet, creamy, balanced, and probably slightly longer shots. What you don’t get are ultra-thick, chocolatey ristrettos. Keep your conical if you want those; I’ll just get mine at cafes. Pulls & Specifics First, I’ll describe a few shots I pulled this morning. They’re some of the best espressos I’ve pulled (and some of the best I’ve had in quite a while, to be totally honest with you). [detail of an EK pull, the second shot mentioned] The first was in a VST 18, 18.5 g dose, 1.2 setting on the EK (where 1.0 is minimum), ~200 F at the grouphead (remember that different machines PIDs are calibrated differently, so don’t just use 200 F), ~6.5-7 bars at the grouphead with no preinfusion. I didn’t nutate for this one. I got 56.7 grams in 22 seconds. (Quick shots taste nice with the EK. Also keep in mind there’s no preinfusion, so shots will tend to be a little faster.) I was using a couple bare city roasts of the Gedeo washed Yirgacheffe from Coffeeshrub this morning. These roasts were exactly my brew profile, no adjustments. The shot pulls nicely, no splatter from a naked portafilter. It’s candied lemon, roasted oolong tea, and hops. Super sweet, bright, and pleasant. The mouthfeel’s non-trivial but not thick. Then I pulled a couple nutated shots, with the same parameters otherwise. From the first, I got 39.7g in 27 seconds; the second, 44.5 in 26. These shots were super creamy, with really impressive mouthfeel given the grinder, lemon tea, and jasmine. I finally felt like I was drinking espresso, not just strong coffee. And, again, these were the best shots I’ve had in recent memory. I’d had quite a bit of coffee already and was tempted to finish them regardless. [the first nutated shot] Suggestions & The End So let’s get into some of the things I’ve done to get a drink that actually seems like espresso. 1) Updose in VST baskets - not a lot, just .5-1 gram 2) Meticulous distribution - I generally use a dissecting needle 3) Nutate - only for shorter shots, remember that it’s a hack, not an improvement 4) Reduce grouphead pressure - I dropped my CC1 from 9 to 7 bars. I might drop it to 6. 5) Switch from a VST 15 to a VST 18. The 18 actually pulls tighter shots given equivalent updosing. I have a 20 coming soon, which I’ll also try. I think a VST 22 with a split portafilter might be viable in a higher-volume commercial seting, pulling two one-and-a-half shots at a time. 6) Use a fitted tamper. 58.3 is not good enough. 58.5 works. I use a Pergtamp so I can nutate shorter espressos. [detail shot of the last pull above; you can see that it converges rapidly to a single stream] What you get from the EK is insane clarity, great sweetness, and unmuddled and balanced acidity. You don’t get ultra-tight ristrettos, or mouthfeel that’s any better than good, but you can pull 2:1 (or even a little tighter) with the right precautions. You can pull well-developed brew roasts as espresso. (Caveat: most commercial brew roasts are darker and less developed internally than they could be.) You can pull a 90 point coffee, brew roasted, as an SOE and taste the quality of the green coffee, not the roast or the barista’s technique. The EK produces espresso as coffee, not as some separate entity. And that’s something that appeals to me.
Skyrim - Home of the Nords Thread #13 Project Forums The Skyrim: Home of the Nords modding project aims to add the province of Skyrim to The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind’s in-game world. Skyrim is a land of frosty mountain peaks, thick forests of towering pines and barren tundra scavenged by giants and their lumbering mammoth herds. Here the martial Nords make their homes in the storied capitals of their Hold Kingdoms and the isolated strongholds of their proud clan families. Everywhere, they live for battle and ballads – eking out a hardy life in an ancient land awaiting exploration. Our rendition of Skyrim draws heavily from the golden age of Elder Scrolls lore – the fantasy renaissance that brought us the first Pocket Guide to the Empire’s brilliant provincial sketches and Morrowind’s creative tone and unconventional charm. At the same time, we take into account the best ideas presented in Bethesda’s landmark action RPG, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, adapting them to fit our vision. Using unique 3D models, massive detailed landscapes and in-depth world building, we hope to shape a land and gameplay experience well worth an adventurer’s attention. I am proud to present a new update to mark what feels like a fresh start at Skyrim: Home of the Nords. A few months ago, our project’s founder and leader since 2008 – Lestat DeLioncourt – stepped down from administrating the mod to pursue a career in professional game design. Since then, our team has gone through a spirited transition, moving to a new forum that now hosts Province: Cyrodiil and other ambitious landmass mods under the Project Tamriel banner. With this consolidation, we hope to promote cooperation and collaboration between our efforts to build portions of Tamriel. At the moment, the SHotN team is focusing its efforts on developing The Reach, Skyrim’s most cosmopolitan Hold. Located in the far west of the province, The Reach acts as a borderland between the competing cultures of Skyrim, Hammerfell and High Rock. From bands of near-feral Reachmen to the crumbling fortress ruins of esoteric High Elven merchant-princes, every race imaginably has left its mark on the region’s rugged landscape. Scarred by war and largely untamed, The Reach offers plentiful secrets to uncover atop its lofty mesas and within its deep ravines. Progress has picked up on our second release, the sprawling merchant city of Karthwasten. Putting this massive metropolis of over 80 buildings together took a prolonged effort, and I am personally excited to see it come so close to completion. Work on the city’s dialogue has progressed nicely, and players can expect a diverse mix of noble, shady and egotistical characters to meet and chat with. At the same time, our level designers recently finished the last of three massive manors that dominate the city. Only a few token interiors remain unfinished. While we continue to chisel away at Karthwasten, work has picked up significantly on other corners of The Reach. Our longtime modeler Worsas (also known as Muspila) recently took it upon himself to completely overhaul Karthgad. Many of our project’s longtime followers have likely already visited this backwoods village in our first release, though much about it has changed since then. Worsas has reshaped the original settlement’s blocky layout into a far more compact and organic design. To go along with its outward redesign, Karthgad’s NPCs and dialogue are also receiving a major facelift, to give the village an unfriendly atmosphere befitting the lawless clansmen who dwell with in its palisade walls. As we review our project’s exterior landscape, other areas will receive similar tweaks and reworks. Last week, Berry – our project’s newest exterior wizard – finished revitalizing a section of wilderness to the west of the Vorndgad Forest, transforming a flat field into a craggy cliff-range that features a clifftop Direnni ruin and tribal Reachmen hideouts. Berry has brought a newfound sense of mystery to this area, hiding plenty of secrets in its inhospitable crevices. Finally, work has rapidly commenced on one of The Reach’s crowning jewels – the capital Markarth. Anyone who has played the fifth installment in Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series will no doubt recognize the city’s name, though we have made sure to give our version a distinct visual identity. In the place of Dwemer ruins, our Markarth rests within a crumbling fortress built by the Direnni – a High Elven clan that once ruled over northwestern Tamriel. Constructed on different planes of elevation, the city will present a multitude of interesting sites to explore, including the Imperial College of the Voice, founded by Emperor Tiber Septim to return the power of Thu’um to the ancient and honorable art of war. Conspicuously absent from The Elder Scrolls V: Skryim, the college’s unique building is part of a treasure trove of resources painstakingly crafted by our modeling team over the years, of which Worsas has created roughly 40 percent, Lestat 40 percent, while other modders like Dirnae and Berandas have chipped in the remaining 20 percent. Of course, resources alone wouldn’t be of much use without talented level designers. Roerich has built Markarth from the ground up as a truly brilliant settlement fit for The Reach’s king. As a project that hopes to bring to life an entire nation, Skyrim: Home of the Nords is always looking for passionate Elder Scrolls fans to join our team. Contributors are needed across the board. Exterior and interior work will see much attention in the coming months, as we complete and fill new lands and start work on the divided city of Dragonstar. In addition, we need quest designers to fill our lands with stories, and modelers who can construct additional building blocks. Most of all, we want more people to join in on the fun of hobbyist game design and world building.
After MLG Columbus, we made the decision to stop releasing replays because the files contained information that could be used maliciously by third parties. We have been working with Blizzard to resolve the issue, and we are pleased to announce that, with the release of patch 1.4, full replay packs from both MLG Anaheim and MLG Raleigh are now available. Going forward, full replay packs will be made available roughly two weeks after each tournament. You can access the replays from Anaheim and Raleigh in the tournament brackets by clicking on an individual game, or you can download the replay packs and get them all at once, in one glorious chunk. Thank you very much for your patience, and enjoy the games! Access by Bracket MLG Anaheim: Open Bracket \| Champ Bracket MLG Raleigh: Open Bracket \| Champ Bracket Download Replay Packs MLG Anaheim: Open Bracket \| Champ Bracket \| Full Tournament MLG Raleigh: Open Bracket \| Champ Bracket \| Full Tournament
San Francisco - The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) urged the high court of Massachusetts today to protect the rights of passengers in cars that law enforcement are tracking with GPS surveillance technology, arguing that both the driver and the passenger of a car have legal standing to challenge the collection of sensitive location data gathered by the GPS devices. In Commonwealth v. Rousseau, police obtained a search warrant to install a GPS device on a car owned by a suspect in a number of arsons throughout the state. Ultimately, the owner of the car and his frequent passenger – Rousseau – were charged with a number of crimes, but both moved to challenge the search warrant. They argued that the police had made material misrepresentations in obtaining the search warrant, and as a result the GPS evidence should be excluded from the trial. Although the trial court agreed that police had misrepresented the facts in order to get the search warrant, it upheld it anyway. Additionally, the court found that Rousseau had no legal ability – or standing – to challenge the GPS evidence because he was merely a passenger. But in an amicus brief filed today, EFF argues that critical privacy questions affect everyone who is traveling in a tracked vehicle, and they should all have the opportunity to protect themselves and their location data, whether they are a driver or passenger in the car. "Location data communicates a huge amount of personal information to law enforcement," said EFF Staff Attorney Hanni Fakhoury. "Where you go throughout the day could point to your religious affiliation, who your family and friends are, your medical conditions, and your political leanings. It's only fair that everyone who is caught up in this extraordinarily invasive surveillance has the right to contest its gathering and use, particularly when that evidence is used by the state to try and throw someone into jail for decades." Police are increasingly employing persistent locational tracking – through GPS, cell phone records, or other, more aggressive tools like cell tower dumps and "stingrays" – as part of routine criminal investigations. As this kind of evidence-gathering becomes more widespread, it's important to ensure that individuals who are targets of the data-collection dragnet have the legal right to challenge whether the surveillance has been done properly. "The idea that you lose your right to challenge the use of invasive technology designed to track your location simply because you were in the passenger seat of a car rather than the driver's seat is ludicrous," said Fakhoury. "Giving police this sort of windfall based solely on which car seat a person is in ignores the reality that everyone has an expectation of privacy in their movements, and it only encourages police to aggressively gather a digital dossier of someone's movements. Proper court oversight is necessary to protect the Fourth Amendment, and that's all we're asking for here." Thanks to Kit Walsh at the Cyberlaw Clinic at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet and Society for assistance with writing and filing the brief. For the full amicus brief: https://www.eff.org/document/amicus-brief-15
In last week’s survey, quite a few of you said you wondered how it’s possible to stay frugal when you’ve got teens in the house. I’m not super far into the teen years (only two of mine are teens so far, and the oldest is only 16), but I’m glad to share my thoughts on this topic so far. (Incidentally, two frugal bloggers who have more teen experience than me come to mind: Katy from The NonConsumer Advocate, and Jen from Beauty and Bedlam.) We pay for needs, they pay for wants. There are some exceptions to this, and we define “need” fairly generously, but the basic idea is that if they want something a little frivolous or unnecessary, they need to pay for that themselves. This policy really is fundamental to the way we handle money with our kids, and it’s the way things go at our house from an early age. We don’t do this because we’re trying to pad our bank account, but rather because we want to prepare our kids for wise money handling in the future. If they get used to Mom and Dad buying them anything they want, they’ll be in for a rude awakening when they hit the real world. It’s better to be 6 than 26 when you learn that you can’t always get what you want! Plus, having to pay for some things motivates kids to do paid work and helps them to treasure their possessions more (which is important because you tend to take good care of a valued possession.) Teenagers = Higher Grocery Bill My two teens are super slim, but boy, they do both eat a lot more food than they used to! They eat more at meals and they’re hungry pretty quickly after meals too. This past year, I’ve averaged about $200/week for groceries, whereas when my kids were younger, I used to be more around $150. I think this increase is somewhat unavoidable, but one thing that helps is to give up on the idea that every item which goes into a teen’s mouth needs to be packed with nutrition. I don’t buy a lot of junk food and I try to provide nutritious items for meals (green smoothies, whole grains, vegetables, fruit, meats, etc.), but I really do not stress about it if, say, Joshua eats three banana muffins and a bowl of cereal at 8:00 PM. I’m not saying nutrition is irrelevant, but if I tried to keep my teens fed on only vegetables and lean proteins, my grocery bill would be through the roof, and they’d probably be unhealthfully slim. There will be other times in life where they will need to watch their carbs and such, but now is not that time. Clothing Luckily for me, neither of my teens are particularly obsessed with fashion, and they’ve both been happy with somewhat minimalist wardrobes. We buy all of their basic clothing, and if they want something out of the ordinary, they spend their own money on it. (For instance, Lisey bought a Totoro dress with her own money, as she already had plenty of dresses, and this was just a fun item she wanted to have.) I buy almost all of Joshua’s clothing new, although we look for sales and clearances. He’s so tall and slim, buying secondhand would be nigh onto impossible. Lisey’s clothing is a mixture of new and second-hand clothing (mostly from Schoola). As with Joshua, I keep an eye on sales and clearance racks to help keep her clothing costs down. Smartphones Lisey has Mr. FG’s hand-me-down iPhone 4s, and Joshua has the Android phone that Ting gave me to try out a few years back. Thus far, their phones do not have service, so they’re limited to using them when wi-fi is available. Soon, Joshua will be driving, though, and a job will be coming shortly after that, and we plan to get him signed up with Ting so that he has a way to contact us even without wi-fi. Like Mr. FG and me, though, we expect him to keep using his phone mostly as though it has no service (which he’s pretty good at, given that he’s had a lot of experience!). So, that should only add about $6 to our low monthly cell phone bill. (He does like to talk on the phone to his friends sometimes, but we’ve got our Ooma service at home for that, which is costing us $0.00/month apart from taxes.) The story will be the same for Lisey when she gets a little older. She’s not much of a phone talker at all, though, so she probably won’t be chatting on either our home phone or her smartphone. She’s more of a texter. FamZoo for money management I keep meaning to write a post about this, but we’ve been using FamZoo.com (affiliate link) for the last year or so, and it’s pretty great for helping to keep track of our kids’ money. I bought Joshua and Lisey both prepaid cards for giving, spending, and saving, and the cards basically function like debit cards. Their allowance is automatically distributed to each card every month, and when I do something like paying Joshua for mowing the lawn, I can put the funds into his FamZoo account electronically, which is super handy. (I paid the $60 for two years of FamZoo service, which means I’m paying $2.50 a month for having all four kids use the service. Totally affordable.) Extra-Curricular Activities I’m probably not the best person to address this because we are not a sports family, and sports are probably the most common expensive teen extra-curricular activity. But here’s how things go at our house: Neither Joshua or Lisey are interested in team sports, but they do both participate in a martial arts class. This isn’t super cheap, but the nice thing is that since we all go, there’s a sliding discount. Joshua and Lisey both play music (guitar, bass, ukelele) and generally, we’ve helped support their musical purchases by splitting the cost 50/50. This makes their budget go farther but still helps them value the item. I teach piano to both of them, but the cost of that is free. As far as other extra-curriculars go, they both babysit (yay for earning money!), they both volunteer at church, and Joshua plays some airsoft, a hobby he pays entirely for himself. I have some general thoughts about extra-curricular activities, which I’ll share in an upcoming post, but for now, I’ll just say that it’s ok to have your teen contribute to part of the cost if the expenses are out of your budget, and I’d also encourage you to remember that most kids don’t need to be in multiple activities, so it’s completely ok to limit these to what works with your financial situation. Oh, and do check out what scholarships might exist for your extra-curriculars. Those are there for people to use, and there’s no shame in taking advantage of ’em when there’s just no budget room. I know my even my martial arts school has scholarships, so I imagine they’re available in a lot of places. ________________________ Alrighty! I know that there are a lot of you out there with teenagers, and I’m positive some of you are more experienced than me. So, would you share your wisdom in the comments? What are your best tips for keeping expenses down with teens in the house?
"Central banks have the power to create economic, political and social change. This is how they do it." This passage opens the film, and that is precisely what non-partisan political and socio-economic documentarian group QueuePolitely puts under the microscope in the Princes of the Yen. Based on a book by Professor Richard Werner and directed by Michael Oswald, the film aims to break down and simplify the ways in which central banks influence the world we live in. The film opens on archival footage from the 1941 Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor, and works to set the stage for what would become an American-led occupation of post-war Japan where Democracy was imposed upon the nation "as if they'd never heard of it." The commercial banking system of the country was logically in shambles, with most of its assets being comprised of war bonds and loans to industries that had been wrecked by the war - rendering it basically bankrupt. This shortcoming was alleviated by the Japanese central bank swooping in and buying these worthless assets with newly-created reserves. The first two post-war Japanese central bank governors were appointed by the American occupation hierarchy, and numerous other high-ranking government officials that would assume power in the war's aftermath were very much in line with the American agenda. Through an economic principal called "window guidance," the Bank of Japan, after being awarded complete autonomy with its economic policies, would maintain strict control over who and what commercial banks were allowed to lend money to. As time went on and the Japanese economy continued the grow at unprecedented rates, these controls catered to the trend because it was of course easiest and most ideal to sustain the financial bubble. By the 1980's, Japanese bankers had become notorious for pushing loans onto high-risk candidates at bargain interest rates, a practice encouraged by management because the banks themselves needed to hit the lending quotas imposed on them by the Bank of Japan. These risky financial decisions eventually led to a monumental economic crash in the early 90's, which is the inevitable outcome of reckless and greedy practices like these.
Ngawang Tenzin Jangpo is a revered figure of Tibetan Buddhism A religious leader in Nepal's Everest region has criticised security measures ahead of the Olympic torch's arrival on top of the world's highest mountain. Ngawang Tenzin Jangpo told the BBC that the government had gone too far in the precautions it was taking before the torch arrives at the summit. Nepal says it will use force to prevent anti-Beijing protests during the Olympic torch relay up Mount Everest. The torch is scheduled to be brought up from the Chinese side in early May. Nepal is determined to prevent protests which may damage relations with China. Ngawang Tenzin Jangpo, the Rinpoche or Reincarnate, of Tengboche Monastery, is the man from whom Nepalese and foreign climbers of mountains in the region traditionally seek a Buddhist blessing. 'Talking about guns' He told the BBC's Charles Haviland that the Everest region was a "zone of peace" and that he was surprised by government moves to send security personnel into the region with arms for the torch relay. "The home ministry has sent a huge number of army and police with guns and has also given them permission to open fire," he said. "So in this country of peace, which has the world's highest peak, the home ministry is talking about guns. I am surprised to hear that. I am so sad." Ngawang Tenzin Jangpo said he was "very worried " about the development. "It may be that the Chinese government has put pressure on our one to use guns. Or it may be that our own government, our own country, wants to use them." Nepal says the increased security measures on the mountain, including baggage searches, are necessary. On Wednesday an American man was sent down from base camp after being discovered with a pro-Tibet flag which insulted China. Such items have been banned from the Sagarmatha (Everest) National Park. 'UN should monitor' Nepal has also brought in rules to stop summiteers carrying items such cameras and other electronic devices beyond base camp before 10 May. Nepali police have been quick to quash anti-China protests Ngawang Tenzin Jangpo said it was highly unlikely that pro-Tibet protesters would reach the top of the mountain. "I think it would be better that the United Nations should look after this issue, should monitor the Everest region, if there's any threat of shooting and disharmony," he said. The Olympic torch is not being taken anywhere near the Nepalese base camp. But Nepal's military and police have been deployed in extra numbers on the southern flank of the mountain because of sensitivities over the torch. Nepal does not want to alienate China, one of its two neighbours and a country it depends on for foreign aid and diplomatic support, our correspondent says. E-mail this to a friend Printable version Bookmark with: Delicious Digg reddit Facebook StumbleUpon What are these?
Ford did a good job of stealing the spotlight from Chevrolet’s ZL1 Camaro at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show by announcing a 650-horsepower Mustang Shelby GT500 . As if that wasn’t enough, the automaker further upgraded the car’s transmission, suspension and brakes, making the 2013 Shelby GT500 more track-ready than its predecessors. In other words, Ford wants to ensure that the 200-mile-per-hour-plus 2013 GT500 is the baddest pony car of all time, right out of the gate. We now know what the starting price for all that velocity will be: according to Ford’s retail site, the new Shelby GT500 will begin at a reasonable $54,200, excluding destination charge. If you prefer a topless GT500, the price of admission begins at $59,200, also excluding destination charge. Opt for the SVT Performance Package, which includes a Torsen limited-slip differential, 19-inch forged-aluminum front wheels, 20-inch forged-aluminum rear wheels, Bilstein adjustable dampers, unique rear springs, a unique instrument cluster and an SVT gear shift knob, and the price increases by $3,495. If you want the Electronics Package, which adds things like voice-guided navigation, HD radio and dual zone climate control, that’s $2,340. The leather-wrapped Recaro seats? Another $1,595. That puts the price of a well-equipped Shelby GT500 coupe at $62,425, including the required $795 destination charge. A loaded Shelby GT500 convertible will sticker at $5,000 more, coming in at $67,425. Even in base trim, the GT500 is priced on par with the $54,095 Camaro ZL1, so the question really boils down to this: are you a Ford guy, or a Chevy guy?

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