Prompt: Snout-less 'hero dog' Kabang arrives at UC Davis ANIMALS Kabang, pictured here, had her snout and upper jaw sheared off when she leapt in front of a speeding motorcycle just before Christmas last year in an apparent attempt to save two little girls in Zamboanga City, Philippines. The dog, which has become a national hero and an international sensation, is being brought to UC Davis for reconstructive surgery. less Kabang, pictured here, had her snout and upper jaw sheared off when she leapt in front of a speeding motorcycle just before Christmas last year in an apparent attempt to save

two little girls in Zamboanga City, ... more Photo: Anton Mari H. Lim, Courtesy Anton Lim Photo: Anton Mari H. Lim, Courtesy Anton Lim Image 1 of / 5 Caption Close Snout-less 'hero dog' Kabang arrives at UC Davis 1 / 5 Back to Gallery A dog who became an international cause celebre after her snout was sliced off saving two young girls in the Philippines was examined by veterinarians Thursday at UC Davis, a milestone event in a remarkable humanitarian effort to help a canine heroine. The mixed-breed dog, named Kabang, became an unlikely star in the Philippines after she reportedly threw herself into the path of a speeding motorcycle just as it was about to hit two young girls crossing a roadway in Zamboanga City. The lunge, by all accounts, saved the lives of the daughter and niece of Kabang's owner, but cost the dog her snout and upper jaw, which was sheared off when she got tangled in the motorcycle's spokes. The gruesome injury puts her in grave danger of developing an infection. At minimum, the gaping wound must be closed, a delicate procedure that is beyond the capability of veterinarians in the Philippines. Kabang was brought to the William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, at UC Davis, where a team of veterinarians looked over her wounds. "We are pleased with what we discovered," said Frank Verstraete, one of the veterinary surgeons who conducted an hour-long exam Thursday that included blood and urine tests. "We are confident we can improve her condition going forward." Verstraete and fellow surgeon Boaz Arzi said they anticipate that Kabang will need at least two surgeries over the next six weeks, one focusing on dental work and the other to close the gaping wound on her face. "Contrary to some rumors


Prompt: If you're waiting for someone who has to drive in San Francisco, especially around the Moscone Center area, take a deep breath and get comfortable. A giant tech conference is in town and it's causing all sorts of detours and delays. Scott Budman reports. (Published Monday, Nov. 6, 2017) Codie the bear, Cloudy the ram, Appy and friends — despite the cute, fuzzy animal emojis adorning the giant blue Salesforce sign smack in the middle of Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco, Dreamforce is, for the uninitiated, serious business (aka the world’s largest software conference). The annual tech event by

cloud giant Salesforce typically brings in more than 100,000 people to San Francisco every year — 170,000 people are expected to show up this year from all over the world over the course of the next three days shutting down streets, filling up hotels, and injecting millions of dollars into the local economy. One of the only negatives, especially for residents, is traffic. So if you’re driving, bring extra patience. Eighteen years ago, Salesforce started in a small apartment in San Francisco. Today it is leasing the tallest, most expensive building in the city — the Salesforce Tower, a 1,070-ft-high skyscraper, the tallest on the West Coast. Salesforce also made news after it decided to close the pay gap for employees. The company’s CEO, billionaire philanthropist Marc Benioff, spent $6 million to close the gender gap, and has promised to evaluate salaries on a regular basis. On Saturday, Benioff shared a video of a mountain lion walking outside his house in the Presidio. The timing of the mountain lion sighting presents an intriguing coincidence given that one of the designated "Dreamojis," or emoji for Dreamforce, just so happens to be an apparent lynx or other member of the cat family known as "Appy." Benioff used the hashtag #AppyDF while sharing his mountain lion encounter on social media. Every year, Salesforce brings in influential speakers — including women like Patricia Arquette and Jessica Alba — to reinforce the importance of women in the workplace. This year, former first lady, Michelle Obama, will be taking the stage Tuesday. However the event has requested no publicity or cameras from the media. On Monday, actor and venture capitalist Ashton Kutcher or @aplusk was part of the keynote which focused on “tech innovations as a force for good.” Other keynote speakers included Salesforce CEO Marc


Prompt: The Around the Horn panel weighs in on the NBA sending a memo to teams about appropriate social media behavior. (1:11) The NBA, citing concerns about provoking exchanges between players that could damage the league's reputation, issued a memo to all 30 franchises this week emphasizing rules prohibiting "mocking and/or ridiculing" opponents or officials by official team social media accounts. "While we understand that the use of social media by teams, including during games, is an important part of our business, the inappropriate use of social media can damage the reputation of the NBA, its teams and its players," NBA

deputy commissioner Mark Tatum wrote in the memo obtained by ESPN. "Recently, social media postings (e.g., on Twitter) by some teams have crossed the line between appropriate and inappropriate. In addition to other concerns, such conduct by teams can result in 'Twitter wars' between players that can cause further reputational damage and subject players to discipline by the League. Editor's Picks McCollum, Parsons get involved in Twitter spat A social media feud was launched Jan. 27 between C.J. McCollum and Chandler Parsons over a video of Parsons shooting an air ball on a 3-point attempt. "As a result, we want teams to be aware of the NBA's rules with respect to the use of social media by teams. As with in-game entertainment, teams are prohibited from mocking and/or ridiculing opponents (including teams, players, team personnel (including owners) and opponents' home cities) and game officials on social media in any form, including through statements, pictures or videos." The memo was issued in the wake of an exchange between Memphis Grizzlies small forward Chandler Parsons and Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum that started with the official Trail Blazers Twitter account posting a GIF of Parsons air-balling a 3-pointer during the Jan. 27 game between the teams. Parsons, who received maximum-contract offers from Portland and Memphis before choosing to go to the Grizzlies in free agency last summer, replied after the game: "Good luck in the lottery show this year." McCollum quoted that tweet and added a snarky one-liner directed to Parsons, who has struggled while coming back from knee surgery this season: "We hit the lottery by not signing you." Grizzlies forward Chandler Parsons traded Twitter barbs with the Blazers' C.J. McCollum after a Jan. 27 game between the teams. Joe Murphy/NBAE via Getty Images Parsons later laughed about the exchange


Prompt: Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino has preached patience when it comes to DeAndre Yedlin's development. Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has stressed to FutbolMLS.com that the club will be handling the development of DeAndre Yedlin with care over the coming months. Yedlin, 21, sealed a £2.5 million move to Tottenham in August following his impressive World Cup cameos, but remained with the Seattle Sounders for the rest of the MLS season as part of the agreement between the two sides. After helping his hometown club clinch the US Open Cup and Supporters’ Shield titles, the US international made his permanent switch

to north London last month, but is still to get close to a first-team appearance. Making just one 60-minute run out for the Under-21s so far, the promising right-back was allowed to join up with the US national team for their recent friendlies against Chile and Panama as a result, although his performances in both games came in for some criticism among fans and the media. Nevertheless, Pochettino remains a huge proponent of Yedlin’s potential, having pushed to bring him over from Seattle this winter rather than next summer, but wants to give him some more time to adapt to life at White Hart Lane before throwing him into the first-team picture. "We knew he was a player with great potential, who has already done interesting things in the MLS, and has even been in the last World Cup," the Argentine said. "So we decided to advance his arrival time and start working with him for a bit. "DeAndre is newly arrived in London and, like all young players, requires a process of adaptation, to learn a new way, to know a new culture," "We have to go with it carefully, quietly, giving him precious time to settle both on and off the pitch and maybe, from there, to show his qualities.” Having risen from the US college level to the Premier League in the space of just two seasons, Yedlin looks set for a bright future in the game considering his rapid progress, but it’s also clear that he is far from the finished product. Perhaps still somewhat too raw for the English top-flight, Pochettino seems to be approaching his development in the right manner thus far and, given the former Southampton boss’s track record in developing emerging talent, fans should rest assured that he is in good hands.


Prompt: Hundreds gather at De la Guerra Plaze to cheer on alternative choice to Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump “For the first time in my life, I have someone I can stand behind as a presidential candidate,” Texas resident Diane Boyd, 69, said at a Santa Barbara rally for Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein. With 31 days left until the Nov. 8 election, Stein brought her campaign to De la Guerra Plaza on Saturday morning, speaking in front of more than 200 supporters. During the rally, she promoted “the push for peace, justice and democracy.” “The biggest wasted vote is the

one that is thrown away voting for the political parties that have thrown us under the bus,” Stein said. “The best use of our vote is an investment in the future and a real declaration of the power we have.” Key issues in Stein’s platform are college debt and making public higher education free, she said. The Harvard University graduate and physician said the 43 million people in student loan debt “have one place to put their vote.” “Most people are struggling and they aren’t recovering,” Stein said. “There’s only one candidate who will cancel that student debt and who will bail out the students like we bailed out Wall Street — the crooks who crashed the economy.” Referring to that 43 million people, Stein said the bloc “is enough to win a three-way presidential race and the numbers it takes to turn the election on its head.” Stein also discussed the need for a “Green New Deal,” the idea to create millions of jobs by making the transition to 100 percent clean renewable energy by 2030. She said there’s a need to create 20 million livable wage jobs with clean renewable energy that will help restore ecosystems. “In doing this, we not only revive the economy, we turn the tide on climate change,” she said. Enthusiastic fans applauded in support after her statements. Addressing her supporters at the rally, Stein advocated “health care as a human right, for everyone, through a health care-for-all system.” Throughout her remarks, Stein referenced Republican candidate Donald Trump’s position on immigration. “We don’t need your frigging wall, we just need to stop invading other countries,” she said. “We call for a welcoming path toward citizenship for the immigrants who have always been at the front of our economy and community.” She also addressed the


Prompt: BIGBANG is one of those musical entities that transcends language. It’s one of those rare groups that both innovates and defines the direction a genre takes. Covering a sound that includes hip hop, R&B and electronic dance, BIGBANG and its solo acts (G-Dragon, T.O.P, Taeyang, Seungri and Daesung) have left a musical imprint that has affected the global music market. In fact, even Diplo, a household name in EDM, worked with G-Dragon and T.O.P for their rap album. So when the band announced its world tour to promote the release of its third full-length studio album MADE after a 3

year hiatus, fans lost their minds – including myself. In fact, tickets for each of BIGBANG’s North American legs sold out. As a result, I was lucky enough to witness this larger-than-life Korean pop group perform a couple Saturday nights ago on Oct. 10 at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. As I waited in line to enter the venue with my friends, mobs of fans raved about BIGBANG's new tracks (and surprisingly, not everyone was Asian). Leading up to this particular leg of their North American tour, BIGBANG released 2 songs every month starting from May to August, resulting in 8 freshly minted tracks. After everyone pushed their way through security, a slew of fans rushed to the merchandise table hoping to get either apparel or light up accessories they could wave around during the concert. Being the broke boy I am, my friend and I instead made our way to our seats at the front of the upper level and waited for the BANG to make its appearance. (Floor admission was anywhere from $600 - $800.) In the hour leading up to BIGBANG’s presence, a large screen played popular music videos from both the group as a whole and its solo acts. Though the pit was half full and other fans were sparsely scattered in the seated areas, fans emphatically cheered when their favorite idol appeared in a music video. Prudential Center wasn’t even a quarter full yet. As the venue slowly flooded to capacity, the group finally made its appearance. Gradually, the lights dimmed while the sound of a motor revving filled the venue. Fans energetically waved their light-up flower accessories in anticipation and stood up. Almost immediately, the instrumentals to “BANG BANG BANG” blared through the speakers, and the 5 members walked out of the splitting


Prompt: Earlier this week, Red Bull announced that the 15-year-old from Mount Kisco would become part of its young driver programme – as it bids to get a full-time American back on the F1 grid for the first time in a decade. For Verhagen, whose successes in karts and the US Formula 1600 Championship brought him to the attention of Red Bull's Helmut Marko, news of the energy drink giant's interest came at the most unexpected of times. "I was in school when he [Marko] first called, in maths class," Verhagen told Motorsport.com. "Obviously, the number wasn't recognised as I'd never

talked to him before. I let it ring, but then I was sitting in there and I was kind of thinking more and more 'OK, this obviously shows an area code which was Austria'. "I'm sitting there and thinking... and then there is a voicemail now. So I ended up going to the bathroom and listening to it and hearing it was Dr. Marko. "From that point, I called my father and had him take me out so that I could make a proper phone call to him back at the house. "That was probably the most exciting phone call I've ever received before. The entire week after that was absolutely amazing for me." Verhagen's success in stepping up to single-seaters, which included nine wins last year in F1600, allied to Red Bull's backing to move him to Formula Renault 2.0 in 2017, means he could be American's next best hope of a full-time F1 driver. The United States has been without a full-time F1 racer since Scott Speed in 2007, although Alexander Rossi did five races in 2015. Verhagen admits is more determined to make the move to F1 than he is the local IndyCar category. "The original goal from the beginning has always been Formula 1 for me," he said. "I've enjoyed watching Formula 1, and IndyCar would have been satisfying for me, it's a really professional series, but everybody's ultimate goal has always been F1. "That's the best of the best. I would have been happy with IndyCar but I'm just amazingly happy right now being in the position I am. To have a chance to get to F1 is an amazing feeling." Dutch links With a Dutch-born father, and now living in Holland to help with his 2017 season, Verhagen obviously is well aware of fellow


Prompt: Evols had the right idea: turn dinosaurs into dracos. 31st Duel Off, Local Tournament, 04/03/2017 —————————————————————- 1st Place: True Draco Kozmo —————————————————————-2nd Place: Zefra Dinosaur—————————————————————-3rd Place: True Draco DinosaurDuel Night #3, Local Tournament, 04/03/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-2nd Place: Zefra Dinosaur—————————————————————-3rd Place: True Draco KozmoToreca ga Ippai, Local Tournament, 04/02/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: Blue-EyesManga Warehouse Kagoshima Shop, Local Tournament, 04/02/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: True Draco DinosaurLaccus Kashihara Shop, Local Tournament, 04/02/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: True Draco WindwitchLaccus Yonezawa Shop, Local Tournament, 04/02/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: True Draco Metal Kozmo2nd Orange CS, Domestic Tournament, 04/01/2017, 15 Teams (45 Players)—————————————————————-1st Place, Player A: True Draco Windwitch—————————————————————-1st Place, Player B: True

Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-1st Place, Player C: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-2nd Place, Player A: True Draco—————————————————————-2nd Place, Player B: Demise True Draco—————————————————————-2nd Place, Player C: Demise True Draco—————————————————————-3rd Place, Player A: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-3rd Place, Player B: True Draco Metal Kozmo—————————————————————-3rd Place, Player C: Demise True Draco—————————————————————-4th Place, Player A: Demise True Draco—————————————————————-4th Place, Player B: Demise True Draco—————————————————————-4th Place, Player C: Demise True DracoCard Strike, Local Tournament, 03/31/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: ZoodiacToreca ga Ippai, Local Tournament, 03/31/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: Blue-EyesCard Strike, Local Tournament, 04/01/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: True DracoLaccus Kashihara Shop, Local Tournament, 04/01/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: True DracoCard Kingdom Tokushima Shop, Local Torunament, 04/01/2017, 5 Players—————————————————————-1st Place: True Draco Dinosaur1st Hobby Stage Okayama CS, Domestic Tournament, 04/01/2017, 10 Teams (30 Players)—————————————————————-1st Place, Player A: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-1st Place, Player B: True Draco Windwitch—————————————————————-1st Place, Player C: Dinosaur Yang Zing—————————————————————-2nd Place, Player A: True Draco Windwitch—————————————————————-2nd Place, Player B: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-2nd Place, Player C: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-3rd Place, Player A: True Draco Windwitch—————————————————————-3rd Place, Player B: Invoked True Draco—————————————————————-3rd Place, Player C: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-4th Place, Player A: True Draco Windwitch—————————————————————-4th Place, Player B: True Draco Metal Kozmo—————————————————————-4th Place, Player C: Demise True Draco1st Oyama Cup, Domestic Tournament, 04/01/2017, 20 Teams (60 Players)—————————————————————-1st Place, Player A: Demise True Draco—————————————————————-1st Place, Player B: Zoodiac—————————————————————-1st Place, Player C: True Draco Metal Kozmo—————————————————————-2nd Place, Player A: True Draco Metal Kozmo—————————————————————-2nd Place, Player B: Demise True Draco—————————————————————-2nd Place, Player C: Demise True Draco—————————————————————-3rd Place, Player A: Demise True Draco—————————————————————-3rd Place, Player B: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-3rd Place, Player C: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-4th Place, Player A: Masked HERO—————————————————————-4th Place, Player B: True Draco Dinosaur—————————————————————-4th Place, Player C: Demise True DracoToreca ga Ippai, Local Tournament, 03/29/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: Blue-EyesToreca ga Ippai, Local Tournament, 03/28/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: True DracoToreca ga Ippai, Local Tournament, 03/27/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: True DracoToreca ga Ippai, Local Tournament, 03/26/2017—————————————————————-1st Place: Grass NoidCard Strike, Local Tournament,


Prompt: How about four supernovae for the price of one? Using the Hubble Space Telescope, Dr. Patrick Kelly of the University of California-Berkeley along with the GLASS (Grism Lens Amplified Survey from Space) and Hubble Frontier Fields teams, discovered a remote supernova lensed into four copies of itself by the powerful gravity of a foreground galaxy cluster. Dubbed SN Refsdal, the object was discovered in the rich galaxy cluster MACS J1149.6+2223 five billion light years from Earth in the constellation Leo. It’s the first multiply-lensed supernova every discovered and one of nature’s most exotic mirages. Gravitational lensing grew out of Einstein’s

Theory of Relativity wherein he predicted massive objects would bend and warp the fabric of spacetime. The more massive the object, the more severe the bending. We can picture this by imagining a child standing on a trampoline, her weight pressing a dimple into the fabric. Replace the child with a 200-pound adult and the surface of the trampoline sags even more. Similarly, the massive Sun creates a deep, but invisible dimple in the fabric of spacetime. The planets feel this ‘curvature of space’ and literally roll toward the Sun. Only their sideways motion or angular momentum keeps them from falling straight into the solar inferno. Curved space created by massive objects also bends light rays. Einstein predicted that light from a star passing near the Sun or other massive object would follow this invisible curved spacescape and be deflected from an otherwise straight path. In effect, the object acts as a lens, bending and refocusing the light from the distant source into either a brighter image or multiple and distorted images. Also known as the deflection of starlight, nowadays we call it gravitational lensing. Simulation of distorted spacetime around a massive galaxy cluster over time Turns out there are lots of these gravitational lenses out there in the form of massive clusters of galaxies. They contain regular matter as well as vast quantities of the still-mysterious dark matter that makes up 96% of the material stuff in the universe. Rich galaxy clusters act like telescopes – their enormous mass and powerful gravity magnify and intensify the light of galaxies billions of light years beyond, making visible what would otherwise never be seen. Let’s return to SN Refsdal, named for Sjur Refsdal, a Norwegian astrophysicist who did early work in the field of gravitational lensing. A massive elliptical galaxy in


Prompt: Researchers are closer to understanding what animals need to regrow their body parts, after Australian scientists established the key role of the immune system in salamanders. Also known as Mexican walking fish, salamanders can regenerate their own limbs, tails, jaws, retina and heart. But the researchers found that if certain immune cells were blocked, the amphibians were unable to regrow limbs, though healing did occur. "It means that we have turned this perfect process of regenerating a limb into a failure of the kind you would normally see in mammals," said lead researcher James Godwin, of Monash University's Australian Regenerative

Medicine Institute. Published in the Pro-ceedings of the National Academy of Sciences today, the research explains the previously unknown role of immune cells, known as macrophages, in the amphibian's ability to regrow arms and legs. The results have implications for humans, who also have these immune cells – it could lead to ways to tweak the human immune system, putting it on a more regenerative path for both limbs and other body parts. In salamanders, the new tissue is scar-free. This has benefits for liver and heart disease, which are linked to fibrosis or scarring. "Now we have a really good idea of what is required for perfect regeneration," Godwin said of his work with colleagues Nadia Rosenthal and Alexander Pinto. "We have a smoking gun. If we can find out what they deliver to make regeneration occur, then we might be able to tweak the human wound-healing scenario." Godwin calls macrophages "the guardian angels of the body". The highly mobile immune cells can communicate with other cells and gobble up debris or harmful bacteria. They arrive at the wound site within six days of amputation. "If the macrophages are not present in the early phases of healing, regeneration does not occur," he said. The researchers used "poisoned lipids" to block the immune cells in salamanders. With the immune cells disabled, the animal lost the ability to regrow limbs and instead the wound healed as an amputation would in humans. "You get a limb stump with lots of scarring at the tip," Godwin said. "It shows that those immune cells are required to be there to oversee and manage the early stages of wound resolution. If they're not there then the whole thing goes wrong." The goal is to make a drug that when applied to a wound would make


Prompt: Valentine’s Day is quickly approaching, which means that men (and women) all over the U.S. are performing courtship rituals to woo a companion. But while we humans often have trouble figuring out the right moves to attract a potential mate, fruit flies have it down to a science. And incredibly, researchers can study fruit fly courtship to gain a better understanding of our own brains. The fruit fly courtship ritual has a set of specific steps. Image modified from The fruit fly courtship ritual has a set of specific steps. Image modified from Greenspan and Ferveur, 2000. In polite fruit

fly society, males have the responsibility of wooing a female. The mating behavior is composed of several specific steps (see figure), which the males perform in repetition until the female responds (or until the male gives up trying). This courtship behavior is very well understood by researchers, due in part because the courtship ritual is so stereotyped and predictable. Courtship is a complex innate behavior, which means that all flies are born with the knowledge of how to do it. Successful mating means passing your genes on to the next generation, so the networks of neurons responsible for this behavior are critical for survival and therefore consistent among flies. This consistency provides a perfect system for studying how neurons interact to give rise to a behavior. Fly researchers have made great progress in unraveling the anatomy underlying courtship, and found that the behavior arises from the integration of multiple sensory cues, including smell (is the female releasing “come and get me” pheromones?), vision (does the female look interested?), and touch (am I in the right spot?). The fruit fly brain has to combine all of this information to influence the fly’s decision making. Should he start the next step of the courtship ritual, or try this one again? Can he approach the female and try to mate? “But who cares about fruit fly sex?” you might ask. The fly researchers studying courtship aren’t necessarily interested in exactly how flies get it on. They’re more interested in a general understanding of how the brain integrates multiple sensory cues to influence decisions. The fact that the “courtship circuit” is critical for survival suggests that it is also used by other important behaviors, and is shared by other species. Think about how much information needs to be integrated for you to hunt for


Prompt: The 2017 NBA offseason was perhaps the most intense and relentless summer in the league's history. Already in the midst of an era of star movement, a handful of big-name players switched teams again, and much of it happened with surrounding drama. But there was a method to the madness. Here's a look at everything you may have missed (or forgotten) in the offseason and what it may mean. 2017 was really about 2018 Transaction season truly started in February, when DeMarcus Cousins was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans. Many of the star players who were moved in the

following months had the same thing in common: They will or can be free agents in 2018. Other moves were about setting up cap space for 2018. Photo by Layne Murdoch/NBAE via Getty Images Cousins was in position to be traded as the Sacramento Kings tried to get out ahead of a possible contract impasse in 2018. The same situation played out with Paul George, who was traded by the Indiana Pacers to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Isaiah Thomas, who is headed for a potentially complex 2018 free agency because of a hip injury, was moved by the Boston Celtics to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It's even relevant for Chris Paul. He was involved in a blockbuster trade before he became a free agent and picked up a one-year option as part of his move to Houston. He will be a free agent next summer, too. Of course, LeBron James can be a free agent in 2018, as can Carmelo Anthony and Russell Westbrook, if they choose. The Lakers have been most aggressive in clearing and protecting cap space for next summer. Before drafting Lonzo Ball, they sent D'Angelo Russell and Timofey Mozgov to Brooklyn for Brook Lopez, who comes off the books next summer. It's a safe bet they will be looking for ways to offload Luol Deng's contract as this season unfolds. Although there was more huge spending throughout the summer, the money dried up for some free agents. Lower cap projections for the future and concerns about luxury tax spending chilled the market a bit by mid-July as teams started thinking more about their 2018 books. Warriors win again One of the major reasons a handful of teams chose to focus more on 2018 is because the Warriors show no signs of slowing. They successfully navigated a bit


Prompt: Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Earthquake victims, writhing in pain and grasping at life, watched doctors and nurses walk away from a field hospital Friday night after a Belgian medical team evacuated the area, saying it was concerned about security. The decision left CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Sanjay Gupta as the only doctor at the hospital to get the patients through the night. CNN initially reported, based on conversations with some of the doctors, that the United Nations ordered the Belgian First Aid and Support Team to evacuate. However, Belgian Chief Coordinator Geert Gijs, a doctor who was at the hospital

with 60 Belgian medical personnel, said it was his decision to pull the team out for the night. Gijs said he requested U.N. security personnel to staff the hospital overnight, but was told that peacekeepers would only be able to evacuate the team. He said it was a "tough decision" but that he accepted the U.N. offer to evacuate after a Canadian medical team, also at the hospital with Canadian security officers, left the site Friday afternoon. The Belgian team returned Saturday morning. Gijs said the United Nations has agreed to provide security for Saturday night. The team has requested the Belgian government to send its own troops for the field hospital, which Gijs expects to arrive late Sunday. Responding to the CNN report that Gupta was the only doctor left at the Port-au-Prince field hospital, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said Saturday that the world body's mission in Haiti did not order any medical team to leave. If the team left, it was at the request of their own organization, he said. Edmond Mulet, the U.N. assistant secretary general for peacekeeping operations, told reporters later that local security officers deemed the makeshift hospital unsafe. "It seems that we've heard some reports in the international media that the United Nations asked or forced some medical teams to not work any more in some clinic -- that is not true, that is completely untrue," Mulet said Saturday. CNN video from the scene Friday night shows the Belgian team packing up its supplies and leaving with an escort of blue-helmeted U.N. peacekeepers in marked trucks. View or add to CNN's database of missing persons in Haiti Gupta -- assisted by other CNN staffers, security personnel and at least one Haitian nurse who refused to leave -- assessed the needs of the 25 patients,


Prompt: The investigation into suspected collusion between US President Donald Trump and the Russian government has claimed its first three victims: one (Paul Manafort) for completely unconnected money laundering charges, and two (George Papadopoulos and Michael Flynn) for lying to investigators about things which were not themselves criminal, and which are therefore crimes which would never have happened had there never been an investigation. To date, the evidence of direct collusion between Trump and the Russians is looking a little thin, to say the least. Now, into this maelstrom steps Guardian reporter Luke Harding with his book Collusion: Secret Meetings, Dirty

Money, and How Russian Helped Donald Trump Win. Collusion spends over 300 pages insinuating that Trump is a long-standing agent of the Russian secret services, and hinting, without ever providing any firm evidence, that Trump and his team acted on orders from the Kremlin to subvert American democracy. I’ll be honest, and admit that I picked this book up expecting it to be a series of unsubstantiated conspiracy theories, and to be utterly unbalanced in its analysis, and in that sense I’m not an unbiased reader. At the same time, I was interested to see if Harding had come up with anything that everybody else had not, and was willing to give him a chance. I needn’t have bothered. For alas, my worst suspicions proved to be true, and then some. The first thing to note about Collusion is that most of it is padding. That is to say, that it consists mainly of a lot of digressions in which Harding describes people and events not directly related to the main story of collusion. Whenever a new character is introduced, you tend to get pages of background information, along with descriptions of various places they’ve been to, things they’ve done in the past, and so on. At the start of the book, for instance, Harding introduces Christopher Steele, who prepared an infamous dossier purportedly based on secret sources within the Kremlin, which made all sort of extreme accusations against Trump. We learn about Steele’s parents, his childhood, his education, his career, and so on. Harding recounts how he met Steele. We learn about how they tried one café, then another, who drank what, etc, etc. This pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the book. There’s a lot of padding. This padding makes Collusion an easy read, and


Prompt: The handy to-do list and task management app Astrid is shutting down. What's your favorite app for simple task reminders? Yahoo-owned Astrid was scheduled to shut down on Monday. (Photo11: Photodisc Getty Images) Story Highlights Yahoo acquired Astrid in May The Astrid service is scheduled to shut down on Monday Any.do is a handy replacement for simple task management SAN FRANCISCO — Today's to-do list: Settle on a good replacer for Astrid, the handy Yahoo-acquired to-do list app that is slated to shut down today. Done and done. In the spirit of the handy little reminder and task management app,

the Astrid team on Sunday night sent an email to users reminding us that the service is shutting down on Monday and will no longer be available. Astrid had about 4 million downloads before its purchase by Yahoo in May for an undisclosed sum. As of Sunday night, you could download any data you wanted to retain from the service at astrid.com/home/export. The folks at Astrid recommended several replacements — Wrike, Wunderlist, Sandglaz, and Any.do — though there are a truly exhausting number of to-do list apps available on multiple platforms. I didn't want to spend a ton of time checking out alternatives. After a quick search in Google Play, Apple's App Store and the web a few weeks ago, I settled on Any.do and it has filled nearly all of my simple requirements. It's simple to add a task reminder in Any.do and that is all I really want in a to-do list app — a way to quickly add tasks, prompts and lists to get me through my personal day and work day: Move the car! Edit these stories! Call this person back! Any.do, from an Israel-based startup, does all that in a very minimalist way, much like Astrid, which I'd latched onto as much for its cheeky prompts as ease of use. I liked that I could log in with my Google account and sync tasks across my devices — whether Android or iOS or via the web (like Astrid, there's also a Chrome browser extension for Any.do). You could use it to screen incoming calls or set up meeting reminders. Any.do does all of that too, although you must either create an account or log in via Facebook rather than Google. There is nice integration with my Gmail account with Any.do. Open an email and you


Prompt: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. AP Images / Business Insider North Korea attempted to fire a missile Sunday, but it blew up within seconds. It happened one day after the anniversary of the country's founding. While North Korea's missile program may be the shadowiest on earth, it's possible that US cyber warriors were the reason for the failed launch. A recent New York Times report uncovered a secret operation to derail North Korea's nuclear-missile program that has been raging for at least three years. Essentially, the report attributes North Korea's high rate of failure with Russian-designed missiles to the

US meddling in the country's missile software and networks. Although North Korea's missile infrastructure lacks the competence of Russia's, the Soviet-era missile on which North Korea based its missile had a 13% failure rate, and the North Korean version failed a whopping 88% of the time, according to the report. While the missile failure on Sunday could have just been due to poor workmanship, US Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland seemed to leave room for speculation about espionage, telling Fox News, "We can't talk about secret intelligence and things that might have been done, covert operations, so I really have no comment." Vice President Mike Pence on Monday visited the demilitarized zone between the Koreas, saying that "all options are on the table to achieve the objectives and ensure the stability of the people of this country," and that "the era of strategic patience" with North Korea "is over." To those in the know, the campaign against North Korea came as no surprise. Ken Geers, a cybersecurity expert for Comodo with experience in the National Security Agency, told Business Insider that cyber operations like the one against North Korea were the norm. While the US hacking another country's missile program may be shocking to some, "within military intelligence spaces, this is what they do," Geers said. "If you think that war is possible with a given state, you're going to be trying to prepare the battle space for conflict. In the internet age, that means hacking." Reuters North Korea's internal networks are fiercely insulated and not connected to the internet, however, which poses a challenge for hackers in the US. But Geers said it was "absolutely not the case" that hacking requires computers connected to the internet. A recent report in The New Yorker on Russian hacking detailed one


Prompt: February 14, 2016 Comments (2) Smoking Meat Why Did We Write This Guide About Smokers? We have put this guide together to remove all the mystery and hype about smokers. There is a ton of information on smoking meats and vegetables on the internet. So much, in fact, that it is easy to slip into information overload. How is one to dig through the mountain of information to sift out the actual data you might need? Have no fear. We will give you tips, buying guides, detailed information, and more. This is the most up-to-date, comprehensive guide on smokers that

you will find. Who Is This Guide For? This guide is for anyone who is thinking of getting a smoker. We’ll help you find the best one for you. Whether you are contemplating buying your very first smoker, or maybe upgrading your existing unit, the information you will need is right here. We will give you basic information on how to smoke meats and vegetables, as well as descriptions of each type of smoker, and what they are best for. We will help you determine what smoker is right for you. We will take all of the guesswork out of selecting a smoker, setting it up, and enjoying the wonderful tastes and smells of real smoked food. Buying a Smoker: Our Infographics To make it easy for you, we’ve created this image that summarizes our guide: Share The Infographics – Copy and Paste This Code! By: TastyMeat.net The Art Of Smoking Meat The process of smoking meat is so old that no one knows exactly when it started. We do know that it wasn’t long after humans learned how to make fires and cook food that they discovered you could dry meat and fish near a fire to preserve it. At some point, someone obviously left a piece of fish, or meat too close to the fire, and instead of just drying it, it became smoked, and one of life’s great pleasures was born. Every primitive culture that has ever existed has smoked meat. The ancient Carib tribes of the Caribbean went one step further, and invented a special smoking technique that led to the invention of barbecue: Barbacoa. It originated centuries ago in Barbados, a Caribbean island. The word “barbados” comes from “Los Barbadoes” that means “the ones with beards”. It was given by the Portuguese explorers that arrived


Prompt: DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran has removed the core of its Arak heavy water nuclear reactor and filled it with cement as required under a nuclear deal signed with world powers last year, the semi-official Fars news agency said on Monday, citing an informed Iranian source. A general view of the Arak heavy-water project, 190 km (120 miles) southwest of Tehran January 15, 2011. REUTERS/ISNA/Hamid Forootan/Files Any such move, reducing the plant’s ability to produce plutonium, might signal imminent implementation of the nuclear deal and clear the way for Tehran to receive relief from economic sanctions. Separately, the European Union’s foreign

policy chief said that EU nuclear-related sanctions on Iran could be lifted soon. “I can tell you that my expectation is that this day could come rather soon. The implementation of the agreements is proceeding well,” Federica Mogherini said during a visit to Prague. The fate of the reactor in central Iran was one of the toughest sticking points in the long nuclear negotiations that led to an agreement in July between Iran and six world powers, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). Under the deal’s terms, Iran accepted that the Arak reactor would be reconfigured so it could not yield fissile plutonium usable in a nuclear bomb. China, the United States, France, Britain, Russia and Germany have agreed to participate in the redesign and the construction of the modernised reactor. The Islamic Republic has said that the 40-megawatt, heavy-water plant is aimed at producing isotopes for cancer and other medical treatments. It has denied that any of its nuclear activity is aimed at developing weapons. Behrouz Kamalvandi, the spokesperson for Iran’s atomic energy agency, said in an interview with Iran’s Etemad newspaper published on Monday that “Iran has met its commitments under the July nuclear agreement earlier than expected”. “Implementation of JCPOA will finish in the next 7 days,” he added. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said in a speech broadcast live on state television on Monday: “We are hopeful that the sanctions against Iran would be lifted in the next few days.” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said last week that “we are days away from implementation, if all goes well.” Some oil traders said oil’s deep slide so far this year, including its 6 percent slump on Monday, was being fuelled in part by signs that Iran might emerge from crushing sanctions sooner rather


Prompt: Practice brought to light in recent case out of Pierre; AG says it's not illegal Argus 911 police tile (Photo: Argus 911 / iStockphoto) Police in South Dakota are collecting urine samples from uncooperative suspects through the use of force and catheters, a procedure the state's top prosecutor says is legal but is criticized by others as unnecessarily invasive and a potential constitutional violation. The practice isn't new, according to attorneys, but it's been brought to light in a recent case in Pierre. An attorney for a man charged with felony drug ingestion is asking a judge to throw out

evidence from an involuntary urine sample, saying it violated his client's constitutional rights. FOLLOW UP:S.D. chief justice says he can't address forced catheterization Dirk Landon Sparks was arrested March 14 after a report of a domestic disturbance. While in custody, officers with the Pierre Police Department observed Sparks fidgeting and his mood changing rapidly. A judge signed off on a search warrant for police to obtain blood or urine. After Sparks refused to cooperate, police transported him to Avera St. Mary's Hospital in Pierre, where he was strapped to a bed while a catheter was forced into his penis so that officers could obtain a urine sample. Sparks' urine tested positive for THC and methamphetamine. He was charged with obstruction, two counts of felony drug ingestion, and possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. INVESTIGATION:Argus Leader coverage on Human Services Center Sparks' attorney, Jeremy Lund, declined to comment on the case. In a motion filed May 16 in Hughes County he argued the way in which police obtained the urine sample, through forced catheterization, was never authorized by the judge and violated his client's Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches and seizures. “Sticking a needle in your arm is very intrusive – I can’t imagine anything more intrusive than this,” said Ryan Kolbeck, a Sioux Falls lawyer and president of the South Dakota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. It's unclear how widespread the practice of forced catheterization is in South Dakota. Attorney General Marty Jackley said in an interview that the practice is permitted with a signed court order under state law, and he cited several cases that supported the legality of the practice. The attorney general said law enforcement would prefer not to collect urine samples by force, but that ultimately it's up to suspects if they don't want to


Prompt: Political correctness is a pathological disorder. You can't say "niggardly" or "black holes" or "chink in the armor" without provoking protests or risking your job. You can't invoke the Constitution or call illegal behavior "illegal" without being accused of hatred. And now, you can't goof around at a high school basketball game in silly costumes without the world accusing you of "racial insensitivity." Last week, thanks to hyperbolic grievance-mongers and irresponsible reporters, the students of Holy Spirit High School in Absecon, N.J., garnered international headlines and Internet infamy. "Shocking moment students at Catholic school dressed as monkeys and a banana

and taunted black basketball players ... and DIDN'T get punished," the U.K. Daily Mail blared last week. "Students who taunted black players at New Jersey basketball game get warning, no punishment," USA Today decried. Bossip.com, "the premier destination for African-American pop culture and entertainment," exclaimed: "Really?!? White High School Students Taunt Black Basketball Team in Monkey and Banana Costumes." No, not really. If any of these media outlets had bothered breathing into paper bags before making abject fools of themselves, they might have actually committed journalism. Holy Spirit is a tight-knit community with a 50-year tradition of excellence in academics, sports and character education. I know more than a little about the school and its student body because I am a proud alumna of H.S.H.S. and have stayed in touch with many of its dedicated teachers and administrators over the years. Part of Holy Spirit's half-century legacy includes a storied athletic rivalry with nearby Atlantic City High School. The competition between the Holy Spirit Spartans and the Atlantic City Vikings has always been fierce but friendly. At a basketball game two weeks ago, Holy Spirit students decided to show their team spirit by recreating Arizona State University's famous "Curtain of Distraction" during their rivals' foul shots. Unlike the pot-stirrers who've turned an innocent prank into an international p.c. incident, Holy Spirit's senior class president Pat Shober was actually in the stands on Feb. 18 during the game. He donned a green ballerina tutu for the foul shot skits. Other students scrounged up a bumblebee suit, monkey pajamas, costumes for Dorothy from the "Wizard of Oz," a jack-o'-lantern and a banana. "The fan section was louder than it had been all season long, and the fans, of both sides I may add, were thoroughly amused and actually complimented many of us


Prompt: Berkeley College Republicans, or BCR, held a candlelight vigil for Kate Steinle on Thursday evening, garnering criticism from local activists. The vigil took place on the steps of Sproul Hall, where participants laid down flowers and candles in memory of Steinle, who was fatally shot in San Francisco in 2015. Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, who was initially charged in connection with Steinle’s death, was acquitted of murder and manslaughter charges Nov. 30. BCR held the vigil in light of Garcia Zarate’s acquittal, according to BCR external vice president Naweed Tahmas. “We were appalled and disappointed by the decision not to

charge (Garcia Zarate) with murder or, at the very least, manslaughter,” Tahmas said. “We don’t want her name or memory to be forgotten.” BCR arranged candles to spell out Steinle’s name and, according to Tahmas, organized a signed poster to send to the district attorney in the hopes that their condolences would reach the Steinle family. BCR organized the event without the family’s coordination, although Tahmas said BCR had tried to reach out to them. About 20 people attended the vigil, which was met with both support and opposition from local activists. Raphael Kadaris, a member of Refuse Fascism, condemned BCR for politicizing Steinle’s death. He and two other members of the group held banners to demonstrate their support of immigration. “These people don’t care about Kate Steinle,” Kadaris said. “They are using the tragic death of Kate Steinle to incite hatred and bigotry against immigrants.” A crowd formed around Kadaris, whose banners accused Republicans of justifying “ethnic cleansing” and called for an end to the Donald Trump-Mike Pence administration. Kadaris also initiated an argument with the Refuse Fascism protesters about fascism. Bay Area resident Jeanne Solnordal, who said she attended the vigil because of the “unfair” verdict, engaged with Kadaris in debate and said she found his presence “disrespectful.” BCR member Chase Aplin said he believed that the jury’s decision was an “injustice.” Aplin said he also believed “political vindictiveness” against Trump motivated the jury’s decision to release Garcia Zarate. “Certain deaths should be politicized,” Aplin said. “This is a death that if the policies I support were in play, she would still be alive.” Cal Berkeley Democrats president Caiden Nason briefly attended the event and expressed disapproval at the organization of the vigil, which he claimed “politicized” Steinle’s death against her family’s will. Nason alleged that BCR was


Prompt: ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Friday submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) a four-phase plan for the removal of illegal slums in the capital. The plan will be executed with the help of Pakistan Rangers, Islamabad police and the district administration soon after Eidul Fitr. The plan requires the assistance of 700 employees of the CDA, 20 reserves of the police, one company of the Rangers besides assistant commissioners, magistrates and other officials. Illegal structures in the slums will be removed by 10 bulldozers, five excavators and five tractor trolleys. The civic agency will also deploy five

fire vehicles and a similar number of ambulances during the operation. As many as 42 slums in different parts of Islamabad will be removed while allocating two-10 days for each katchi abadi. As part of the pre-operation activities, the civic agency proposed the disconnection of all the allied facilities of the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco), Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) and the CDA. Four-phase plan to remove 43 illegal katchi abadis in the capital to begin after Eidul Fitr The authority also proposed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) should register FIRs against the slum dwellers for having illegal connections. For this, it also requires the support of the district administration and the police. Under the plan, the directorate of the municipal administration, CDA, will launch an awareness campaign in the illegal slums asking the dwellers to vacate the land. As part of the awareness campaign, notices and banners will be displayed at different locations. The special branch of the police will also be assigned the task of monitoring the katchi abadis before, during and after the operation. In the report, the city managers said the slums had been illegally constructed on the CDA land. The dwellers have also established illegal connections of utility outlets. The report claimed: “many crimes have been traced to the inhabitants of these abadis” and the slums also provide ‘hideouts’ to criminals. In the phase-I to be launched soon after Eid, the civic agency proposed the removal of slums in the greenbelts of 1-10, H-10, H-11, I-12, Bari Imam katchi abadi, Mohalla Dari Bagh, Maskeen Colony and Shopper Colony in G-7. Phase-II included katchi abadis in Chak Shahzad, Dhoke Pattan, Khanna Pull Road, New Shakrial and Shams Colony. Phase-III is about slums of Bheka Syedan, Sumbol Karok, G-12, F-12, and some parts of E-12.


Prompt: One of the first homes to get the Tesla Powerwall is running. It's part of a one-of-a-kind partnership between Green Mountain Power and Tesla on an energy-storage project. We first told you about it back in May. Here's a reminder of how the technology works. Large Tesla batteries are stationed outside and smaller ones are inside the homes of some Vermonters. During peak times of the day, when lots of people are using electricity, power is pulled from the batteries and sent across the state. GMP representatives say that means they won't need to turn on costly generators, which saves

customers money. The battery inside someone's home also acts as an energy-efficient generator when the power goes out. It's already helped one Vermonter keep the lights on as our Alexandra Montgomery found out. "The Powerwalls are over here," Andy McMahan said. "This is it right here. There's two of them here, there's the back one and the front one." It's a modern piece of technology running inside a Vermont log home. McMahan is one of 102 Vermonters who have a Tesla Powerwall already up and running. I'm told 1,200 others are on a waiting list. "I feel like a guinea pig, to a little point," McMahan said. "But someone's got to do it, right?" McMahan says just days after her Powerwalls were installed, a wind storm knocked out power for thousands of Vermonters, including her. "This went on, went off, went on, went off and we're like, 'oh boy,'" she said. McMahan says after a call to Tesla's customer service and a few flipped switches... "Boom! All the lights came on and we were golden after that," she said. Despite the hiccup the first time around, she says the next time she lost power, she didn't even know. "The seamlessness is just, you know, you don't have to go out and start a generator. It just-- it's quiet, doesn't use fuel, it's what it is-- it's powered by the sun," McMahan said. McMahan has solar panels to recharge her Powerwall after GMP pulls power during peak times. But GMP reps say she isn't left uncharged if a sunny day isn't in the forecast. "We're always making sure we're always looking at things like the weather, make sure that in those cases we would be ensuring that the storage devices are fully charged and ready for the customer to use," GMP


Prompt: 6 reasons there's no such thing as compassionate conservatism Paul Ryan is the latest Republican to feign concern for the less fortunate. Here's why it's always a sham The word is out that Republicans are attempting to rebrand themselves as compassionate conservatives (again). “Compassionate conservatism” is a term that typically comes up after Republicans have taken things to such an extreme that the country is revolted and tries to push them and their nasty ideology of greed and hate aside. George W. Bush famously resorted to using this term to campaign for president after Republicans disgraced themselves with anti-Clinton conspiracy

theories, witch hunts and the unpopular impeachment. Of course, Bush is best known for Iraq and Katrina. And now we have a budget “deal,” courtesy of Paul Ryan, that drops unemployment benefits for 1.3 million long-term unemployed. Earlier in the week, Senator Rand Paul said helping the unemployed does them a “disservice” because it keeps them from getting jobs. Advertisement: Yet Paul Ryan still had the gall to claim the mantle of "compassionate conservatism." Paul Ryan? That Paul Ryan? Compassionate? Last month, a Washington Post fluff piece titled, “Paul Ryan, GOP’s budget architect, sets his sights on fighting poverty and winning minds,” portrays Ryan as trying to steer Republicans away from the angry Tea Party and toward a “more inclusive vision.” Yes, the Paul Ryan of the infamous "Ryan Budget," also called the "Path to Prosperity" and passed by House Republicans, that privatizes Medicare, repeals Wall Street regulation, wipes out student loans, repeals Obamacare, guts Social Security and dramatically reduces taxes for the wealthy and corporations. That Paul Ryan. Ryan "has been quietly visiting inner-city neighborhoods … to talk to ex-convicts and recovering addicts about the means of their salvation.” But Ryan and Republicans need some salvation of their own. Just one look at their ideology will tell you why. Ryan has said, “[T]he reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand.” Who is Ayn Rand, and what is the philosophy of this person Ryan calls a “thinker? Ayn Rand’s philosophy actually says it is not only bad for society, but morally wrong to help other people because it makes them “dependent.” Rand’s philosophy says that altruism is evil, and that democracy (which they call “collectivism”) is the ultimate expression of this evil because


Prompt: Fez II is no longer in active development, according to developer Polytron and its designer, Phil Fish. That’s the word from Fish, who dropped his mic this weekend. “FEZ II is cancelled,” said Fish in a statement on Polytron’s website. "i am done.i take the money and i run. this is as much as i can stomach. this is isn’t the result of any one thing, but the end of a long, bloody campaign. you win.” For the record, I don’t believe him, even though I’ve “confirmed” the news with Fish myself over email. I suspect we will, at some

point, see (and play) the sequel to Fez, but this weekend’s events provide an opportunity for Fish to leave the spotlight and protect his sanity from the world and, well, himself. Fish speaks too passionately about games to leave them behind. That isn’t some subtle hint, either. It’s my gut feeling. But how did we get here? It begins with the latest episode of Invisible Walls, a Game Trailers podcast, featuring a lengthy rant from Marcus Beer, a longtime member of the industry now commentating under the named “Annoyed Gamer.” The podcast was discussing the recent turn of events regarding Xbox One self-publishing, and how both Fish and Braid designer Jonathan Blow used Twitter to criticize the press for running towards both of them for quotes about what was, then, still a rumor coming from Game Informer about the news. A rumor with some legitimacy? Sure, and while it eventually proved true, Blow was upset reporters were asking for commentary without more information (for example, the revenue share ratio) and Fish lamented the press seeking a quote before everything was confirmed. Fish's divisive nature is easy traffic. Cue Beer: “But, of course, the press, wanting to get reactions, they went to a couple of indie developers. In this case, Jonathan Blow and Phil Fish, because those guys are the self-styled kings of the indie genre. They’ve been on Indie Game: The Movie, and they’ll turn up and quote for anything and everyone. And Ms. Fish and Blow, or BlowFish as I’m going to call the two them right, because while they may be moderately tasty, they’re also kind of lethal. [They] decided to go bananas and bitch and moan to Game Informer, in particular about “How dare you, how dare you ask us questions about this story! I’m sick of


Prompt: A hole in the border fence. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo/GAO) (CNSNews.com) - During a six-year stretch of the Obama presidency, people illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border cut 9,287 holes in the “pedestrian” fencing that currently covers only 354 miles of the 1,954-mile border, according to a report published by the Government Accountability Office. Only 654 miles of the 1,954-mile-long U.S.-Mexico border currently have any type of fencing, according to GAO. The other 1,300 miles of border have no fencing. Of the 654 miles of fencing, 354 miles consists of what the Department of Homeland Security calls “pedestrian” fencing.

The other 300 miles is “vehicle” fencing. “Border fencing types,” explains GAO, “include pedestrian fencing, which is primarily intended to slow down and deter pedestrians from crossing the border, and vehicle fencing, which is intended to resist vehicles engaged in drug trafficking and alien smuggling operations and is typically used in rural or isolated locations that have a low occurrence of illegal pedestrian traffic.” The report notes that the 300 miles in “vehicle” fencing on the border is not designed to stop smugglers and other illegal crossers from entering the U.S. on foot. “Although Tucson sector officials stated vehicle fencing has been effective in slowing and prohibiting drive throughs,” says the GAO report, “vehicle fencing is not designed to slow or deter illegal entrants from entering or smuggling contraband into the United States on foot.” 37 miles of the 354 miles of “pedestrian” border fencing is backed up by a layer of secondary fencing, according to GAO. Another 14 miles of that is backed up by tertiary fencing. A hole in the border fence. (U.S. Customs and Border Protection photo/GAO) The GAO report noted that it is common for “illegal entrants” to cut holes in the existing border fences so they can enter the United States. “Agents we spoke with in the El Paso and Tucson sectors explained that one of the most common methods employed by illegal entrants involves cutting openings, or breaches, in pedestrian and vehicle fencing,” says GAO. “Once breached, illegal entrants can cross through the fence or smuggle people and contraband into the United States. In six years during the Obama administration, “illegal entrants” cut 9,287 holes in the pedestrian fencing along the border. “Between fiscal years 2010 and 2015, CBP recorded a total of 9,287 breaches in pedestrian fencing,” says the report. “According to our


Prompt: After the most unprecedented denigration of a presidential candidate in US history, the worst may be yet to come, beginning Friday with Trumps inauguration as Americas 45th president. Pro-Hillary dark forces call him illegitimate. Media scoundrels beat on him relentlessly. Whatever he does or says or doesnt do or doesnt say is criticized. Nothing in memory resembles whats gone on since mid-2015. The problem isnt Trump. Its Americas debauched system - fantasy democracy, not the real thing. Leaders like Obama govern by the script handed them, doing the bidding of powerful dark forces running the country. Trumps anti-establishment sounding rhetoric

scares them, especially talk of getting along with Vladimir Putin - anathema in neocon infested Washington. Days before his inauguration, a disgraceful Huffington Post article contemptuously headlined Hillary Clinton is the Legitimate President, saying: The evidence is clear. Hillary Clinton is the rightful president-elect, and courts must use the broad discretionary powers with which they are vested to enjoin an illegitimate president from taking office. Shocking stuff, here in America, not in some faraway tinpot dictatorship. The evidence is very clear. Trump won convincingly. Hillary lost whining, whimpering, simpering and groaning, believing it was her turn as a woman to claim the nations highest office. Her defeat let humanity dodge a possible nuclear bullet. Huffpo saying US courts should intervene on her behalf is seditious or treasonous - despicably promoting coup detat action to prevent an elected US president from taking office. Huffpo: Every major intelligence agency in the country has reached the same conclusion: Russian hackers engaged in cyber attacks with the express purpose of helping Donald Trump win the election. They operated at the directive of Russian President Vladimir Putin, apparently motivated by his hatred for Clinton. Fact: This is what passes for mainstream news and information - utter rubbish, knowing, or should know, not a shred of evidence suggests Russian US election hacking. The whole dirty story was fabricated - a disgraceful scheme to delegitimize Trump and prevent normalizing ties with Russia. Promoting the notion of Hillary as Americas legitimate president is scandalous, stuff commonplace in banana republics or despotic monarchies. Itll likely continue after Trump enters office - instead of focusing solely on how he governs, judging him by what he does or doesnt do for good or ill. A rough ride awaits him. Fidel Castros advice to Hugo Chavez before his death applies to Trump,


Prompt: SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – Oakland police beat a war veteran so badly they ruptured his spleen, then sent him to a jail where “medical personnel mocked and ignored his pleas for help,” the man claims in court. Kayvan Sabeghi sued Oakland and three police officers – Marcell Patterson, Sgt. Patrick Gonzalez, and Frank (last name unknown) – in Federal Court. Sabeghi claims the police beat him as he walked home alone after participating in an Occupy Oakland protest. “These wrongs occurred in the wee hour of Nov. 3, 2011, during political demonstrations initiated by the Occupy Oakland movement,” the complaint

states. “Mr. Sabeghi had participated in the protect activity, gone out to dinner and was making his way home when he encountered a police line blocking his path. When Mr. Sabeghi, a veteran of the war in Afghanistan, questioned and verbally criticized the officers’ actions, defendant Officer Frank Uu and other Oakland Police officers brutally beat and arrested him in retaliation for his exercise of his First Amendment rights. “Officer Uu and other officers beat plaintiff so viciously that they ruptured his splenic vein, causing severe pain and internal bleeding. Rather than summoning medical attention or taking plaintiff to the hospital, the Oakland Police officers proceeded to detain him at various locations near City Hall for some hours, and then transferred him to the Alameda County Jail, in further unlawful punishment for his First Amendment expression. Police officers, jailers and jail medical personnel mocked and ignored his pleas for help. Plaintiff was not taken to a hospital until approximately 18 hours after the beating. He had been bleeding internally the entire time and was in dire condition necessitating immediate emergency surgery.” Sabeghi says the officers confronted him after her stopped at a newsstand near his home. “Plaintiff asked to be allowed to pass, but the officers refused. Plaintiff was upset by this arbitrariness and began verbally arguing with the officers and criticizing the police. The police line began to move slowly forward … and two Doe officers jabbed plaintiff repeatedly with wooden clubs. Plaintiff retreated backward at a pace with the police. At no time did plaintiff present a physical threat to the police. “Suddenly, defendant Uu came through the police line and confronted plaintiff, cursing at him, and then struck him repeatedly with a club, driving him towards the west sidewalk in front of the police line. Although plaintiff


Prompt: The Role of ICE Detainers Under Bush and Obama Over the years, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainers, often called "immigration holds," were thought to be a primary tool that ICE needed to apprehend the suspects it was seeking to deport. However, as data has emerged tracing ICE's actual use of detainers , whether they ever played such a necessary or primary role has been called into question. This report extends the body of evidence now available and documents how surprisingly low the number of individuals deported as a result of the use of detainers actually appears to have been.

Large-scale use of ICE detainers is a relatively recent phenomenon. Detainers were infrequently used during the first five and half years of former President George W. Bush's Administration. However, during the last two years under Bush, detainer usage increased rapidly and continued to grow when President Barack Obama assumed office. Examining what detainers actually achieved and did not achieve during the Obama and Bush years is important because under the Trump Administration's recent flurry of immigration executive orders it appears that the use of detainers is likely to surge . It also should be observed that very recent changes in the agency's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) policies indicate that transparency about this and other ICE activities has been sharply reduced. The data indicate that the growth in the use of detainers under Bush and Obama was surprisingly short lived. The preparation of ICE detainers peaked in August 2011 when 27,755 were recorded. And the number of these detainers that were followed by ICE taking the individual into custody peaked even earlier, during March 2010. In that month 16,713 of the detainers, according to ICE records, were followed by the individual being taken into custody. This peak in March of 2010 was barely a year after President Obama assumed office. Detainer usage fell off after this. Just because a person was taken into ICE custody also didn't automatically mean the individual was ordered deported and removed from the country. Newly available government records suggest that a surprisingly small proportion of those taken into custody ultimately were deported. Figure 1 compares detainer-connected removals to the volume of detainers issued. Note that actual removals are relatively few as compared with the number of ICE detainers. Figure 1. Comparing ICE Detainers to Detainer-Connected Removals Figure 1. Comparing ICE Detainers to Detainer-Connected Removals These


Prompt: LAGUNA NIGUEL – Local and federal law enforcement authorities descended on a house in Laguna Niguel Thursday morning to investigate two men suspected as traffickers in counterfeit hair straighteners, which if poorly made can pose significant safety hazards to consumers, including burning and electrocution. About 10 investigators with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and special ICE Homeland Security Investigations agents combed through the garage and the single-story house in the 29500 block of Pelican Way near Niguel Road and Alicia Parkway. The home is owned by Seyed Rafizadeh, according to property records. Twin brothers Mohsen and Hosein Rafizadeh, 24,

live in the home, according to an affidavit in support of a search warrant that was signed March 19 by Shawn Porter, an investigator with the D.A.’s Major Fraud Unit. In addition to the Laguna Niguel property, investigators also searched a home and car in Aliso Viejo owned by Masoud “Alex” Ahmadpourbahnamiri in connection with the case, along with a PayPal account registered to the email address lagunadeals@gmail.com, according to the affidavit. Investigators believe Ahmadpourbahnamiri is an employee of the Rafizadeh brothers. The focus of the probe is a business that operates under the name Briskdeals.com, which is owned by the Rafizadeh brothers and is linked to numerous international parcel shipments from China, including one shipment that was seized in July by U.S. Customs and Border Protection and determined to be counterfeit, according to the affidavit. Mohsen Rafizadeh said Thursday afternoon that he thinks the raid was a misunderstanding. He said he imports some goods from China, such as iPad accessories and folding camping knives, and purchased goods at the International Consumer Electronics Show and from government liquidation websites. He said U.S. Customs officials have examined his products from China to make sure they’re not counterfeit. Mohsen Rafizaden also said his brother had just come from being in Iran for six months, and investigators “thought he was doing something with the government” and asked him if he was bringing money into the country. The UCI electrical engineering graduate student said the raid gave his mother an anxiety attack and law enforcement authorities called an ambulance to take her to the hospital. “They attacked the house like they thought we had guns, like we’re a gang or gun-running or something,” he said. He said Briskdeals.com is a daily deals site. As of Thursday afternoon, the site primarily offered SilverCut folding knives


Prompt: Dec. 23 was original deadline for enrolling on exchange to ensure coverage beginning Jan. 1. Susan Rider, an insurance broker in Indianapolis, says the wait time have improved but glitches remain on HealthCare.gov. (Photo11: By Karl Ahlrichs) Story Highlights High demand, multiple time zones prompted extension through Christmas Eve, HHS says More than 1 million visited the site over the weekend; 200,000 phoned the call center Obama signed up for a bronze plan over the weekend... that is, his staff signed him up. More than 1 million visitors logged into HealthCare.gov by late Monday, racing to meet the administration's new

midnight, Christmas Eve deadline to enroll in health insurance. Officials pushed back the Dec. 23 deadline by a day, acknowledging the site was still having problems signing people up. Earlier Monday, more than 60,000 people hit the landing page when it was too busy to accommodate them and left an email address so they could be alerted when the site wasn't busy, said Julie Bataille, spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Enrollment for plans under the Affordable Care Act is falling far below expectations, especially on the troubled federal website that is handling insurance sales for 36 states. But actual numbers won't be available until mid-February. The Congressional Budget Office projected 7 million people would sign up on the state and federal exchange by the end of 2014. The deadline for Jan. 1 coverage was Monday, but because of high demand and to ensure everyone who attempts to sign up can, Bataille announced people would be able to enroll Dec. 24, as well. "If you want insurance starting Jan. 1, you should sign up today," she said Monday. "But if you have trouble due to high demand, we will make sure we help you get signed up. "Anticipating high demand and the fact that consumers may be enrolling from multiple time zones, we have taken steps to make sure that those who select a plan through tomorrow will get coverage for Jan. 1," she said. The move was "too little too late," for the 70,000 insurance brokers racing to sign up clients for insurance on the exchange, said Jessica Waltman, the top lobbyist for the National Association of Health Underwriters. In Indianapolis, broker Susan Rider said wait times were down but glitches remained Monday, including challenges signing up consumers who were eligible for subsidies. Angel Rivera (L)


Prompt: Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email Pupils are still taught in Shakespeare’s historic 587-year-old half-timbered former classroom today. But if a £1million Heritage Lottery Fund bid is successful, one of the finest surviving old schoolrooms in Britain could become open to the public for the first time. Bennet Carr, headmaster of King Edward VI Grammar School (KES), Stratford-upon-Avon, said: “It became William Shakespeare's classroom when he was educated in the 1570s. “John Shakespeare, William’s father, was appointed Bailiff, or Mayor in 1568,

and had the right for his son to attend the school free of charge. There would have been 40-60 boys in the one class. “It is where Shakespeare would have been taught Latin, rhetoric and Greek and was most likely to have experienced theatre for the first time, as 30 troupes came out of London. “We would like to restore the building and open it up for the first time. “We would continue to teach until mid-morning and open the classroom in the afternoons, weekends and holidays. It’s the first time it will ever have been opened. It’s an absolute gem.” The simple timber-framed medieval classroom is on the second floor of The Guild Hall in Church Street and has not changed since Shakespeare’s day. The ground floor was used as a library until last year. School archivist Richard Pearson said: “The Guild Hall has the first authorised painting of the Tudor Rose dating back from 1493.” Mr Carr said restoration work which needs to take place includes a new roof, new timbers and stone preservation work. He said: “The ground floor of the Guild Hall was created in 1420 and the top floor added in 1427. “It was the civic heart of Stratford-upon-Avon pre-Reformation. The last time it was restored was in the 1890s. It’s virtually unique for a Guild Hall and needs to be preserved. It’s had hundreds of boys going in-and-out. “For local people who have never been in it to see where Shakespeare was taught, it’s really exciting. Everyone comes to Straford once – now there would be another reason to come down. It has the wow factor.” The Guild Hall lottery bid will be submitted later this month as Stratford-upon-Avon gets ready for Shakespeare’s 450th birthday celebrations and the school will find out if it


Prompt: CC Saad Akhtar (CC BY 2.0) Vandaag brengen we op onze website een dossier over detachering – het tijdelijk tewerkstellen van EU-burgers uit een lidstaat in een andere lidstaat, waarbij ze hun sociale zekerheid in hun land van herkomst kunnen blijven regelen. Een aantal zaken valt op. Ten eerste blijkt detachering sterk toegenomen. Recent onderzoek van het HIVA van de KU-Leuven leert dat het aantal gedetacheerden op tien jaar tijd verdrievoudigd is van 80.000 naar 210.000. In de bouw steeg het aantal gedetacheerden van 45.300 naar 130.000 (terwijl de tewerkstelling voor Belgen met 16.000 eenheden daalde). Ten tweede is het

opmerkelijk dat er tussen 2011 en 2015 – de nadagen van de financiële crisis met nog behoorlijk wat werklozen - in ons land meer banen zijn geschapen voor gedetacheerden dan voor Belgen: 65.000 Belgen kregen een nieuwe baan als loontrekkende of zelfstandige, tegen 87.000 gedetacheerden, vooral uit Oost-en Centraal-Europa. Daarmee willen we niet beweren dat alle gedetacheerden werk van Belgen hebben ingenomen, maar denken dat geen enkele van die 87.000 jobs voor gedetacheerden door Belgen zou zijn ingenomen, is evenmin realistisch. Ten derde viel ons op dat de ergernis in een sector als de bouw groeit. Zeker bij grote bedrijven worden Belgen stelselmatig vervangen door buitenlanders. Belgen krijgen boudweg te horen dat ze te duur zijn. Dat zet kwaad bloed. Sommigen voorspellen nog meer Brexits als het zo doorgaat, anderen stemmen op het Front National . ‘Op sommige werven ken ik amper nog iemand’, vertelt een Belg die op economische werkloosheid staat en nog een week per maand mag komen werken. Het spreekt voor zich dat vakbonden invloed verliezen als er op de werven amper nog iemand werkt die bij hen is aangesloten. ‘Gedetacheerden gooien onze pamfletten weg’, vertelt Wim Baeyens van ACV Bouw. Ten vierde is het zo dat de stap naar fraude in die omstandigheden snel gezet is. Als Polen, Roemenen of Portugezen blij zijn met lagere lonen, is het moeilijk om overtredingen te controleren. De controle op de fraude is de voorbije jaren versterkt, maar de nochtans zeer gedreven rechters en sociale inspecteurs zeggen unisono: ‘Wij gaan dit probleem niet oplossen. De politiek heeft het probleem geschapen, hij moet het ook oplossen.’ Gevolg is dat fraude ruim verspreid blijft. In het onlangs gesloten slachthuis van Tielt – om redenen van dierenmishandeling - werkten werknemers die aangeleverd werden door liefst twintig verschillende “uitzendkantoren” – “bedrijven” gevestigd in gezinswoningen,


Prompt: Kuala Lumpur - Sitting in a court library surrounded by Islamic law books, Nenney Shushaidah Binti Shamsuddin is polite and softly spoken as she describes the rigours of her job. When I'm on the bench, I'm not a woman, I'm not a man. I'm a judge. Nenney Shushaidah Binti Shamsuddin, Syariah High Court judge One day she could be sentencing an offender to be caned for breaking Islamic law, the next could see her giving a man permission to take a second wife. Islamic law enforcers are not often credited with being feminist pioneers, but Judge Nenney fits both those

descriptions. She made history in Malaysia last year when she was appointed one of the first two female Syariah High Court judges in this Muslim-majority nation. "Syariah" is the Malay spelling for the Arabic word "sharia", meaning Islamic law. And the 42-year-old mother of three doesn't shy away from imposing the harshest punishments prescribed by Islamic law. "When I'm on the bench, I'm not a woman, I'm not a man. I'm a judge," she says. "I need to deal with the case fair and firm, to follow the law, no bias." In Malaysia, more women are pursuing careers in the Islamic justice system, from judges and lawyers to court mediators. Under Malaysia's two-tier court system, Islamic law courts deal with family and morality cases involving Muslims, such as consuming alcohol, gambling and polygamy, while secular courts hear criminal and many civil cases. Malaysia appointed its first two female Syariah judges in 2010. Now, 27 of the country's 160 Islamic court judges are women. Rising female judges "Personally, I think it's not a question of gender," says Mohd Na'im Mokhtar, the former chief judge in the state of Selangor who oversaw the appointment of Judge Nenney and her colleague. "We are looking for the best people to administer justice." We feel that it's extremely important for the courts to have a balance in terms of gender because a lot of the issues involve women. Shareena Sheriff, Sisters in Islam group Other countries such as Indonesia, Pakistan and Sudan also have female Islamic law judges, however, some religious scholars argue that Islamic law does not allow women to hold the position. Malaysia's national religious authorities issued a fatwa (religious edict) declaring that women could be Syariah judges in 2006. But the country's top Islamic court judge and director-general of the national Syariah


Prompt: This November, San Franciscans will likely be asked to vote on a measure criminalizing circumcision and imposing thousand-dollar fines and even jail time for violators. With petitions for ballot initiatives due in April, the Committee Opposing Forced Male Circumcision expects to have well over the 7,168 signatures that it needs to get on the ballot. Thus the Bay Area, already a hotbed of anti-circumcision activism, is about to become roiled in a debate over foreskins. “Once we qualify for the ballot, I’m hoping we can enlist people from across the world to come to San Francisco and help us do

the legwork,” says Tina Kimmel, one of the activists behind the initiative. Even if they lose, they’re relishing the attention. “It’s wonderful that we’re getting so much press,” she says. “There’s no such thing as bad publicity.” In a way, it’s odd that San Francisco, of all places, would be the site of such a challenge to multiculturalism. Male circumcision, after all, is a hugely significant rite in both Judaism and Islam—indeed, one salutary result of San Francisco’s ballot initiative is the way it has momentarily united Jews and Muslims in their opposition. But while the removal of the foreskin has long signaled a Jewish boy’s entry into the community, for circumcision opponents, it signals the intolerable toll that custom and clan take on the individual. A complex debate about individual versus community rights hinges on that single primal cut. That complexity, though, is often eclipsed by hysteria. Anti-circumcision activists—or “intactivists,” as they rather cringingly call themselves—are a lot like Free Mumia people. They have a point, but their self-righteous intensity does little for the credibility of their cause. They regularly compare male circumcision to the clitoridectomies performed on girls in parts of Africa. Male and female circumcision are “hands down exactly the same thing,” says Georganne Chapin, executive director of Intact America. Marilyn Milos, founder of the National Organization of Circumcision Information Resource Centers, compares a boy’s dawning realization of his foreskinless state to a girl whose parents tell her that “one in eight girls is going to develop breast cancer, so we decided to cut yours off.” Kimmel insists that circumcision is on the way out, just as “stoning adulteresses to death has gone by the wayside as people become enlightened.” There’s something at once poignant and unsettling about the amount of pain and rage men in the


Prompt: On Sunday, former US ambassador to the UN and recent Trump deputy secretary of state appointee, John Bolton, challenged the primary intelligence-gathering agency of the United States government, arguing that reports of Russian hacking during the presidential election may not be what they seem. In an interview with Fox News’ Eric Shawn, the former ambassador used the phrase “false flag operation” in reference to the CIA’s purported assessment which concluded that Russia deliberately interfered with this year’s US election to help Donald Trump secure the White House. Suggesting that the Obama administration’s lack of transparency makes it impossible to definitively

conclude that the Russians were behind the hacking of US political parties, Bolton, who was reportedly appointed as Trump’s deputy secretary of state (the second highest position at the State Department), appeared to break away from his characteristically national security-first philosophy to assert a theory about foul play at the highest levels of government, “It is not at all clear to me, just viewing this from the outside, that this hacking into the DNC and the RNC was not a false flag operation,” he told Fox News. When asked to explain what he meant by the highly suggestive phrase “false flag,” Bolton gave a hazy answer. “We just don’t know,” stated Bolton, refusing to say whether the US government was purposely misleading the public, or worse, had a hand in the “false flag operation.” “But I believe that intelligence has been politicized in the Obama administration to a very significant degree,” said Bolton, adding: If you think the Russians did this, then why did they leave fingerprints… We would want to know who else might want to influence the election and why they would leave fingerprints that point to the Russians. That’s why I say until we know more about how the intelligence community came to this conclusion we don’t know whether it is Russian inspired or a false flag Here's the transcript, detailing the relevant part of Bolton's interview with Eric Shawn: Bolton’s comments reflected echo the skeptical attitude of the Trump team in the wake of The Washington Post’s report on the CIA’s unsettling findings about Russia’s interference during the presidential election. Trump, himself, called the CIA’s assessment “ridiculous” in a pre-taped interview that aired Sunday. “I think it’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it,” the president-elect told Fox News’ Chris Wallace. “Every week it’s another excuse.”


Prompt: There is not a sysadmin in the world who has not had to deal with a botched software rollout; for most, it is a coming-of-age experience. But few are likely to have made quite as many mistakes as the people behind the Alameda court system's new software. They have managed a rollout so inept that it should serve as a case study for what not to do for future generations. Of course, most disastrous rollouts tend to be dealt with internally, shared only occasionally as war stories with other admins. Not so the Odyssey system, for the simple reason that

it caused people to be wrongly arrested, saw drug offenders labeled as sex offenders, and introduced delays that literally saw people spend more time in jail as a result. How did it happen? See if this sounds familiar: A management rush, complete with budget. A software company that seduced the higher-ups on how great the system was. Wide-open configuration with a large number of people given input. Inadequate consultation with the people using the current system. Lack of training for those expected to use the new system. A bureaucracy that won't admit failure. The old system used by Alameda County in California – which covers the east side of the San Francisco Bay Area, including the island of Alameda but most significantly Oakland – was 40 years old, largely based on paper, and needed updating or replacing. Some bright spark thought it would be a great idea to have a single system working across the whole of California and its 50+ courts. One miserable $500m failure later, and Texas-based Tyler Technologies saw an opportunity to fill the vacuum with its Odyssey system. Money, money, money It turned out during a postmortem of that failure that many local courts were stockpiling cash. And that, naturally enough, led to the state legislature deciding it would rather have the money. So it passed a law that placed limits on the money courts could set aside, complete with a requirement to give all the current reserves back to the state. The courts accepted the logic of this approach but took the opportunity to enact clear, careful planning decisions before returning all the money without so much as a whisper of complaint. No, of course they didn't: they went on a massive spending splurge in an effort to allocate every last cent so the money-grubbers


Prompt: 'Baahubali ��� the beginning' produced by Shobhu Yarlagadda and directed by S S Rajamouli won the honours at the awards which were announced on Monday. The Telugu film industry is the most prolific film industry in the world itself. If India produces the world���s most number of films, it is Telugu films in the country which top the list.Statistics available show that between April 2013 and March 2014, a total of 1966 films were made in India. Out of this, 349 were Telugu films, topping the list of films produced.Considering that the long drought of the coveted best national film

award had eluded the Telugu film industry, the producer of ���Baahubali��� was naturally elated after the award was announced.���Winning the 63rd National Award for the best film is a huge achievement. Being the first Telugu Film to do so makes it all the more special!��� producer of ���Baahubali��� Shobhu Yarlagadda said. Prasad Devineni and K Raghavendra Rao are the other producers of the film.The epic movie set in the mythical ���Mahismathi��� kingdom in India wowed audiences across India and abroad too. Made with an estimated budget of Rs 120 crore, it is said the film garnered revenue up to Rs 600 cr.The film fascinated audiences because of its visual effects. The fact that producer Shobhu Yarlagadda acknowledged Srinivas Mohan who oversaw the visual effects speaks for the visual delight the movie was. The award means recognition for the producers.The best director award, however, has eluded S S Rajamouli who has literally worked magic at the box-office with the film.Till late in the afternoon, Rajamouli did not react about the national award on his twitter account. His last tweet was on March 25 appreciating the released recently film 'Oopiri' starring Nagarjuna and directed by Vamsi. The lead actor of the film Prabhas retweeted all the congratulatory messages which poured in, including from Anuskha Shetty, who also featured in the film. Another actor Rana Dabbubati who also featured in the movie was excited about the film getting the award.Actress Tamannaah Bhatia was also all excited about 'Baahubali' winning the award. ���Congratulations to our lovely team,��� she tweeted. ���This is awesome, awesome, awesome,��� said well-known director Krish Jagarlamudi about 'Baahubali' winning the best national film award. Actresses Samantha Ruth Prabhu also congratulated the team.Actor NTR Jr also congratulated the team. ���Congratulations to team Baahubali and Rajamouli scoring the prestigious national award for the


Prompt: Snapchat Hack Tool Kit Snapchat is a really common social media app where people can create videos and share photos right after which sometime that video will be self destructed if the receiver sees it. Snapchat was identified out by Evan Spiegel, Bobby Murphy, and Reggie Brown. Numerous men and women want to know how to hack someones snapchat but they are not looking in right path, straightforward google search will bring numerous results on snapchat hack topic. Attempt Ahead of You Purchase We are confident that Monitor iPhone spy app is highquality and userfriendly. http://www.artfulchange.org/ Tap and drag it

into the Snapchat record button and VOILA, it ought to record a ten second video completely hands-cost-free. We have produced anything which nobody has established ahead of: a Snapchat Hack that works. It is almost certainly the most critical thing to any Snapchat user, as we often uncover that anytime somebody sends us a image, as it automatically gets deleted inside 15 seconds. As opposed to other Snapchat Spy providers, we never charge you any funds or ask your credit card info. Component of that consists of that we produced our Snapchat hack in such a way that it automatically makes you totally anonymous. Following all, the people at Snapchat claim that sound is a massive element of what makes Snapchat videos so appealing. Everyone who has worked on this app has had at least 10 years of understanding & expertise in hacking, from working in the specialist field all the way to the dark side of the community. Hackers seem to have posted account information for four.six million customers of quickie social-sharing app Snapchat, generating usernames and at least partial telephone numbers accessible for download. Like I said earlier, I produced the hack for myself in order to see what my girlfriend was doing. Hold reading to find out 15 hacks to assist you master Snapchat and impress every pal on your list. As you can to consider out - Snapchat Spy is a specific software to watching private posts or messages of the Snap users. When you go back onto Snapchat it will then show the lenses that were obtainable on the day you have chosen instead. How Can I Track Mobile Telephone%2c WhatsApp Calls Records%2c WhatsApp Text Messages Our hack is basic and efficient to use, safety features have been implemented to maintain your usage anonymous. If


Prompt: According to some of the most popular dating advice books, one of the keys to attracting a romantic partner is to take the somewhat counterintuitive step of pretending like you aren’t interested in the other person. But does this tactic really work? Can “playing hard to get” really help you score a date? According to a new set of studies published in the European Journal of Personality, it would appear so. In one of these studies, researchers gave 270 heterosexual college students three dating profiles that were equivalent in terms of attractiveness, age, and background information [1]. The only thing

that differed was the likelihood that the person would go out with someone they had just met (i.e., the target was described as having either low, intermediate, or high availability). Participants were asked to choose which person they would be most likely to have casual sex with, which one they would be most likely to date, and which one they would be most likely to start a romantic relationship with. Participants could choose the same or different persons for each option. When it came to casual sex, both men and women overwhelming preferred the highly available target. So, if you’re hoping to get lucky, playing hard to get is not particularly advantageous. However, when it came to dating and starting a romantic relationship, both men and women preferred the target with intermediate availability. So, if you’re looking for love, playing at least a little hard to get seems advisable. In another study, the researchers gave heterosexual college student participants photos of equally attractive targets that again varied in perceived availability (low, intermediate, or high). Participants were asked what kind of restaurant they would take this person to (fast food, casual, or fine dining) and how much money they would be willing to spend on the other person’s dinner. In this case, the low availability targets won hands down. Both men and women reported that they would take the low availability target to a fancier restaurant, as well as spend more money on this person. Specifically, the low availability target was worth $44.45 on average, compared to $34.99 and $33.10 for the intermediate and high availability targets, respectively. In other words, playing hard to get may lead your date to spring for a better meal. One other question this set of studies sought to answer is how people play hard to