Prompt: Its atmosphere is stiflingly hot, with temperatures generally hovering around 800 degrees Celsius (1,470 degrees Fahrenheit) -- in the shade. The air is filled with billowing clouds of highly toxic gas. Anyone setting foot on this faraway planet would die a speedy death. Nevertheless, the recently launched study of HR 8799 c is a breakthrough in the search for extraterrestrial life. Astronomers unveiled a groundbreaking achievement in the field of metrology last week. By measuring the spectrum of light coming from HR 8799 c, they have managed to determine the chemical composition of its atmosphere. "For the first time, we

have directly obtained the spectrum of a planet outside our solar system," says study co-author Wolfgang Brandner of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg. Nowadays, the discovery of planets outside our solar system has become practically routine. In recent years, scientists have discovered more than 400 of these so-called exoplanets. But in most cases, their existence could only be proven indirectly, for example, by virtue of the fact that they cause a slight weakening in the light emitted by a much brighter star. Mechanical Ballet Only with the help of the world's most advanced observatory, and the European-run "Very Large Telescope" (VLT), did it become possible to directly capture the weak light coming from a planet and analyzing it using spectroscopy. The massive telescope is located on a 2,600-meter (8,528-foot) peak in Chile's Atacama Desert. After nightfall, the robotic eyes come to life on the mountain, known as Cerro Paranal. Four giant domes, as outlandish as the stone sculptures on Easter Island, are silhouetted against the evening sky. The steel giants begin moving almost inaudibly, as the domes, each a 400-ton maze of cables and supports, ladders and steps, perform a mechanical ballet. Each of the VLT's four main mirrors has a diameter of more than eight meters. They are the most sensitive devices designed to peer at the sky ever built by human hands, so powerful that they could pinpoint the light coming from a car headlight on the moon. One of their most important objectives is the search for a second Earth -- and for extraterrestrial life in space. "What we are currently experiencing is the emergence of a new conception of the world," says Michael Sterzik, "comparable to the sea change that occurred when Copernicus described how the earth revolves around the sun." The astrophysicist


Prompt: Whatever the outcome of the leadership election, we know that there will be many in our party who are disappointed with the result. Someone winning inevitably means that others will have lost. It will take time for wounds to heal – particularly after a fractious contest. That is why it’s vital we choose a deputy leader who can unite the party. Someone who can rise above the divisions and bring us together to focus on the real fight of challenging this divisive Tory government. I back Stella Creasy as the unity candidate for deputy leader because whoever wins the leadership

race, I believe she can do this job – and do it with compassion, vision and integrity. She has drawn praise from all parts of our movement and spoken clearly of the need for Labour to move on from the tribalism that has plagued our past and could risk our future. She is supported by MPs who back each one of the four leadership candidates, demonstrating her broad appeal and ability to work with everyone. And Stella is the choice for deputy leader that would enthuse and inspire Labour members – as shown again in recent days by a LabourList poll of party supporters. A vote for Stella can help guarantee that Labour will not have an all-male leadership team. For that to come to pass in this day and age would send a terrible signal about Labour being stuck in the past rather than a modern campaigning force ready to face the future. Stella will help ensure that we can draw on the broadest range of support inside and outside Parliament. Like myself, she is part of a new group of politicians in the Labour Party, elected from 2010 onwards. We’ve only ever sat on the opposition side of the House of Commons and share a deep desire for this to change. However, the scale of the challenge is so great that ‘business as usual’ just won’t cut it. Now is the time to think radically about how we work – and this is where Stella really stands out. She has bold ideas about how we campaign in the future, how we harness technology and find genuine ways to engage with people. Her award-winning, law changing campaign on Wonga highlighted her natural abilities in this field. And as part of her deputy leadership campaign she’s delivering campaign training sessions


Prompt: Most Russians acknowledge that the country is facing a potentially lengthy economic crisis, but at the same time don’t expect to suffer any personal consequences such as redundancy or delays in salary payment in the near future as a result. The latest poll conducted by the independent public opinion agency Levada Center in mid-September showed that 82 percent of Russians currently agree with the statement that their country’s economy is in decline or stagnation. When a similar poll was held in 2014 only 61 percent of respondents shared this opinion. A quarter of Russians polled said they expected the current

crisis to be long-term, compared to just 16 percent two years back. Around a fifth – 21 percent – said they expected it to end no sooner than in two years. READ MORE: 80% of Russians would not join protests – poll shows At the same time, those questioned were mostly optimistic about their own perspectives amid a stagnating economy. Just under half – 49 percent – were confident that they and their family members would not experience delays in receiving wages, while 24 percent admitted that such a scenario was possible and 17 percent confessed that they had already experienced this. Forty-four percent of respondents said they did not expect to lose their jobs in connection with the ongoing crisis. Just under a third – 28 percent – said that this was possible and 14 percent answered that they knew about ongoing job cuts from personal experience. Deputy director of the Levada Center Aleksey Grazhdankin explained the results of the poll by the fact that people compare the current economic difficulties with the much worse crisis of 1998. “Only a sharp fall in living standards can really affect public opinion. People tend to adapt to smaller deviations.” Researcher Leontiy Byzov from the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Sociology institute said in comments with Kommersant daily that the picture revealed by the poll could be explained by the fact that the average Russian thought that the economic crisis was imposed by hostile forces from abroad and therefore could not be really deep or serious. “Russians consider the current problems to be provoked by foreign-based ‘enemies of the people.’ They do not expect any cuts in their wages because they fully trust the authorities not to allow this,” he said. Similar research conducted by the state-run agency VTSION in January this year


Prompt: Last year, theatre owners and exhibitors in Pakistan temporarily stopped screening Indian films after Pakistani artistes and technicians were banned by the Indian Motion Pictures Producers’ Association (IMPPA) from in India. The controversial move was taken in the wake of political tension between India and Pakistan, post the Uri (Jammu and Kashmir) attacks in September. However, earlier this year, Pakistan lifted the ban on Indian films and began screening them in the country. And a few days ago, local distributors from the neighbouring nation apparently requested for Dangal (2016) to be released there. Aamir Khan and the film’s team were

“absolutely okay” with that, especially since Pakistani audiences have always loved Hindi films and Indian actors. Aamir was surprised with the demands of the Pakistan censor board to omit the scenes featuring the Indian flag and playing the national anthem. ( You Tube ) However, Hindustan Times has learnt that the release of the film couldn’t go through when a “surprising” demand came in from the other side of the border. A source says, “When the film went to the Pakistan censor board, they were fine with it except for two particular scenes towards the end — one in which the Indian flag is shown and another in which the Indian national anthem is played after Geeta Phogat (played by Fatima Sana Shaikh) wins the gold medal. The Pakistan censors wanted the scenes to be edited out before they gave Dangal the green signal,” says an insider. Dangal is the Hindi movie industry’s biggest blockbuster with over Rs 385 crore at the Indian box office. ( You Tube ) But Aamir — who is also the producer of the film — felt that the “demand for the two cuts was surprising, because the film isn’t jingoistic in nature”. The source says, “It’s a sports-based biopic with no direct or indirect reference to Pakistan. The film only highlights India’s nationalistic sentiment, so what is the reason to chop off those scenes?” Aamir then decided that the film would not be released in Pakistan. Dangal is the Hindi movie industry’s biggest blockbuster with over Rs 385 crore at the Indian box office. “It will result in an economic loss to the tune of Rs 10-12 crore, as Pakistan is an important international territory vis-à-vis money, but he isn’t willing to edit the scenes in question. He is aware that not releasing the


Prompt: A Royal Marine taking part in a selection process for the SAS died after he fell down a gorge which he did not realise was there because it was marked on a map in Welsh. An inquest into the death of 25-year-old marine Ashley Hicks, heard that he plunged more than 100ft down a steep gorge, in the dark, near Trawsfynydd in Snowdonia in October 2012 during an "escape and evasion" exercise. Later the same night a second soldier suffered a broken leg after falling 30ft on to a ledge in the same gorge. The coroner said the marine's death

was avoidable as she recorded a verdict of accidental death. "Had the gorge been identified in the recce procedure it would have been out of bounds and he wouldn't have been there," Nicola Jones, the coroner said. She added: "Crucially there will be more attempts to gain local specialist knowledge of unacceptable hazards on training grounds. "The failure to identify this gorge as an unduly hazardous location is clearly the most significant contributing factor to Ashley slipping and falling." The coroner said the word "ceunant" (gorge) appeared on the planning map and asked why no one had identified it, as it was the local language. "It's unlikely they would obtain translation of the words. We tend to operate in symbology," Soldier AA, the assistant chief of staff at the Ministry of Defence responsible for specialist units, told the inquest. A service inquiry had been carried out following the incidentand Soldier AA was one of three panel members. The panel felt the planning and reconnaissance of the area was not as comprehensive as it could have been. He told the hearing that Google maps were now used "to try to fly the terrain." He added :"We are quite proud of our map-reading ability. On this occasion that ability wasn't good enough to prevent the non-identification of this hazard. We have taken steps to make sure that doesn't happen again. One of these steps is to take advice." He added :"We now know what 'gorge' in Welsh looks like." Another officer, known as 'Soldier R' and in charge of selecting new recruits said :"We can't eliminate all risk." He said in a statement that procedures had been reviewed. "Escape, evasion and survival are inherent skills a soldier must demonstrate to join this specialist unit," he added. Around 250 students took part in


Prompt: The selection of Congressman Trey Gowdy as Chair of the Select Committee on Benghazi by House Speaker John Boehner was the best act of the Speaker in this Congress. Gowdy has impressed most fair observers with his preparation for prior Benghazi hearings, his careful questioning, his command of the facts and his approach to witnesses --allowing them to answer questions rather than eating up time with showboating. An experienced former state district attorney as well as a federal prosecutor for a half dozen years, Gowdy knows how to put together a case and how to assemble and mange a team.

These skills will greatly benefit the country as it looks for answers as to what happened and why on 9/11/12. The naming of Gowdy's fellow committee members and the committee's staffing will be as crucial as naming the chair. I spoke with House Rules Committee Chair Pete Sessions and a member of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Pompeo of Kansas, on Monday's radio show --transcripts and audio here-- and it is clear that the Committee will be formed at least as to its GOP members by the end of this week. National Review's Andrew C. McCarthy and the Washington Examiner's David Drucker also provided key background Monday on the considerations that will go into the filling out of the Committee's membership and its staffing, and the transcripts of those interviews will be posted here later today. Drucker's reporting yesterday suggested some of the names to watch for: Besides Gowdy, they include: Intelligence Committee members Devin Nunes, R-Calif., and Lynn Westmoreland, R-Ga., who served as the informal panel's chairman; Oversight and Government Reform Committee member Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah; and Armed Services Committee members Mike Conaway, R-Texas, and Joe Heck, R-Nev., who also serve on the Intelligence Committee. Additionally, Boehner asked Rep. Jim Gerlach, R-Pa., to participate because of his prosecutorial background and to bring a fresh perspective. Gerlach does not serve on any of the five committees of jurisdiction that have been jointly investigating the Benghazi attack, which include the Foreign Affairs and Judiciary panels. Nunes discussed Boehner’s informal Benghazi committee on Friday during a radio interview with conservative talk show host Hugh Hewitt. All of those members bring excellent backgrounds --Chaffetz has actually been to Benghazi to see the site of the attack-- but I'd like to see some military veterans like Pompeo and/or Florida's Ron Desantis (both Pompeo


Prompt: Claim: Photograph shows a famine stricken child crawling on the ground while a vulture waits in the background. Status: True. Example: [Collected via e-mail, June 2006] The PHOTO in the mail is the “Pulitzer prize” winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan famine. The PHOTO in the mail is the “Pulitzer prize” winning photo taken in 1994 during the Sudan famine. The picture depicts a famine stricken child crawling towards an United Nations food camp, located a kilometer away. The vulture is waiting for the child to die so that it can eat it. This picture shocked the whole

world. No one knows what happened to the child, including the photographer Kevin Carter who left the place as soon as the photograph was taken. Three months later he committed suicide due to depression. This was found in his diary, “Dear God, I promise I will never waste my food no matter how bad it can taste and how full I may be I pray that He will protect this little boy, guide and deliver him away from his misery. I pray that we will be more sensitive towards the world around us and not be blinded be our own selfish nature and interests.” I hope this picture will always serve as a reminder to us that how fortunate we are and that we must never ever take things for granted. Origins: If a hundred of the most talented members of the advertising industry were tasked with creating an image to illustrate the concepts of poverty and famine, quite possibly none of them would come up with anything nearly as grippingly and devastatingly effective as this 1993 picture by South African freelance photographer Kevin Carter. His poignant photograph of an emaciated toddler who collapsed from hunger on her way to a feeding center in famine-ravaged Sudan while a vulture ominously loomed in the background was originally published in the New York Times (which later described it as “a metaphor for Africa’s despair”) and earned Carter the 1994 Pulitzer Prize in the Feature Photography category, and the image has since become widely known as a metaphor for Africa’s despair. As described in Time magazine, the scene Carter captured in his now-famous photograph was one he stumbled across during a trip he made on his own in order to cover the civil strife in war-torn Sudan: In 1993 Carter headed north of


Prompt: Ked.ai passes 100,000 registered users, aims to increase sales and merchants Optimistic on future of cryptocurrencies, adds Bitcoin as a payment method WHEN Digital News Asia (DNA) first featured Ked.ai in January of 2013, its founder Arsyan Ismail (pic) said the team’s biggest challenge would be trying to achieve critical mass. One year on, the Malaysian online marketplace has garnered a respectable base, having passed the 100,000 mark for registered users and approaching its internal milestone target of 150,000 users. In an interview with DNA, Arsyan claimed that the estimated monthly sales is about RM194,118 (US$59573), based on what the

team can track via its backend system. “One of our more memorable achievements was signing up some big clients such as Afdlin Shauki and Karyaneka Malaysia,” he said. The focus for 1337 Tech, the company behind Ked.ai, for the coming year will be on merchant acquisition and increasing sales. Ked.ai ('kedai' is Malay for 'shop') is estimating an increase of 10% of total sales every month within its network. The e-commerce space in Malaysia getting increasingly crowded, and Arsyan admitted that there are many big players the team cannot afford to compete with. That said however, he believes the market is big enough. “If we can have a slice of the cake, then that is good enough already. There is no player that can conquer the entire market. There will be some portions for the small players to play [in] and profit. And ... if we're doing it right, we might just grow organically from there to hopefully [garner] at least half of the cake,” he said. Arysan also said that with the right product and the right user experience, the 1337 team could make it happen. “We can reach there slowly, but we need to continuously evolve and innovate and not be stagnant in one era. All in all, we're quite satisfied of where we are in the e-commerce space currently in Malaysia,” he said. Betting on Bitcoin As part of the team’s efforts to evolve and innovate, Ked.ai now accepts bitcoins as a payment option, enabling its merchants to integrate a Bitcoin wallet into their shops easily. Merchants just need to key in their wallet address and shoppers will be able to pay for their purchases with Bitcoin. Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer payment system and digital currency introduced as open source software in 2009 by a developer or


Prompt: About This Game Casino Blackjack 21 with a TWIST!! Cheat and Play against Cheaters to Win Cash. Cheaters Blackjack updates the Classic Casino Gambling Game with Cheating, Wild West Type Showdowns, 6 Game Modes and Worldwide Internet Scoring Leaderboards. CHEATERS BLACKJACK 21 adds the 'Cheating' twist to the classic game. Cheating steals the next card in the deck and swaps it with the worst card in your hand *IF* it improves your hand (Improve Hand/Avoid Busting). Play against Cheating CPU opponents to win match play and compare your scores to other player Worldwide!! CATCH CPU players to prevent them from

cheating to gain advantage. CHEAT to Improve your hand and chances of winning BUT if the CPU players catch you cheating it could spell trouble since they can challenge you in a Old West type showdown for Cash. Win hands to increase your Cheat Percent. Use Cheat Percent to CATCH Cheaters or CHEAT to improve your hand. Get ready to play the classic game like you've never seen it before. You know the rules, You've played the classic game, now try it with this exciting New Twist - Blackjack 21, Cheating and Wild West Showdowns - Whats not to Like? Compare your scores to players around the Globe. Good Luck!! ★ CHEAT to Steal/Swap Next Card if Better ★ CATCH CPU Players to Stop them from Cheating. ★ PLAY Multiple Seats to CHEAT Faster. (Each Win Improves Your Odds) ★ DISABLE Cheating for Normal Blackjack Play ★ Colorful HD Player/CPU/Table Graphics ★ WILD WEST Type Caught! CHEATER Showdowns ★ COMPARE Scores against Players Worldwide ★ 6 Exciting Game Modes - 6 Web LeaderBoards ★ Play Alone or with up to 4 CPU Opponents. ★ Perfect for a Quick Game or Extended Match. ★ EASY to Learn. Use Strategy to Win!! Cheaters Blackjack 21 plays a 100% fair gambling game. There is NO computer peeking or cheating to gain advantage over the player. Each 6 deck shuffle is randomized to maintain fairness. Players also can easily DISABLE cheating mode to practice proper Blackjack gambling strategy in a simulation quality mode. Steam Notes: Hi fellow Steamers!! Cheaters Blackjack is a program I created because I LOVE Blackjack. Its a reboot of a PC/Pocket PC app I created years ago. I made the game to play on multiple platforms (so I could enjoy it everywhere!!). All versions compete using the same scoreboards since


Prompt: The Pentagon budget will shrink slightly next year for the first time since 1998, the Obama administration said Thursday, in an attempt to chip away at the federal deficit while reorienting the armed forces toward Asia. Under the proposal, the administration will reduce the size of the Army and Marine Corps, trim the number of fighter aircraft and ships, and seek congressional approval for another round of military base closures. The administration will instead spend more on unmanned vehicles and Special Operations forces that can be deployed quickly and will not require large, expensive bases. The military will also largely

preserve its manpower and weapons systems geared toward the Middle East. The Pentagon said it would ask Congress for $525 billion in 2013, which represents a 1 percent decrease from the current year. While the difference may sound small, it represents a new era of austerity for the Defense Department that would have been unthinkable just a few years ago, when the military was still accustomed to huge annual raises after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Pentagon leaders characterized the cuts in solemn tones. Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta called them a “difficult undertaking.” Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, added: “Make no mistake, the trade-offs were tough. The choices were complex.” The changes are part of a broader effort by the Pentagon to decrease its projected spending by $487 billion over the next decade in accordance with a deficit-reduction deal President Obama reached with Congress in August. Those cuts could soon swell substantially. If Obama and Congress cannot agree on another package of spending reductions or tax increases by next January, the Pentagon could be forced to slash an extra $600 billion over 10 years. “It basically takes a chain saw to the budget,” said Adm. James A. Winnefeld Jr., vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Many analysts say that the chances of that happening are small, and that Obama and Congress are likely to work out a compromise ahead of time. But even if they do, many believe the Pentagon is in for more pain as lawmakers search for a long-term solution to the nation’s fiscal troubles. “In terms of the overall federal budget, these changes are a rounding error,” Thomas Donnelly, a defense analyst at the American Enterprise Institute, said of Obama’s Pentagon budget for next year.


Prompt: FC Dallas travel to Denver this Friday to face the Colorado Rapids in a rematch of the match no one will forget this year. The last time these teams faced off, Colorado picked FC Dallas apart piece by piece and went on to score four goals in a 4-0 romping, the worst loss for FC Dallas in the Oscar Pareja era. It was a loss that made this FC Dallas team much more focused, and motivated, which we saw in the match against Toronto. This week could also mark the return of Mauro Diaz, which could change Colorado’s game plan

heading into this Friday’s match. The biggest thing we saw during the last match against Colorado was that the Rapids knew exactly what FC Dallas were going to do, and stuck to their guns to shut down Dallas. After the quick goal Colorado got from Dominique Badji, all they had to do was see out their game plan. The plan was to force FC Dallas into the middle and never effectively use Fabian Castillo or Ryan Hollingshead. When you do not have the passing prowess of Mauro Diaz in the midfield, which Dallas did not have against Colorado the first time, it can be troubling. There was no one there to play cutting through balls through the middle of the backline. The plan was very effective, as no one on this FC Dallas team has quite the vision that Diaz has and it was apparent as they could not find the open outside pass. Move the calendar forward eight days, and we see a motivated FC Dallas come out and run rampant over Toronto FC until a storm comes and delays the game ruining their flow. We really have to look at the three goals we saw from FC Dallas, as they were exactly what FC Dallas want to do week in and week out. The first goal was made with brilliant passing, and burning speed from Fabian Castillo proving that Castillo is absolutely one of the most dangerous attackers in MLS. It was the fastest goal against an MLS opponent in club history. The second goal was a brilliant through ball from Blas Perez and a great curler from Castillo, and goal number three was just flat out hustle from Hollingshead and then Perez being Perez with his poacher goal. FC Dallas played exactly how they wanted to play,


Prompt: Michelle enjoys her first Deathgasm. If there is one thing that New Zealand does right (other than Lord of the Rings and Flight of the Conchords) it's hilarious and gory horror flicks. Deathgasm follows in the footsteps of such films as Dead Alive,The Frighteners and Black Sheep as it continues the tradition of 'effed up yet funny as hell splatterfests. Jason Lei Howden makes his directorial debut with Deathgasm and it was an audience favorite at Austin's South by Southwest film festival. "Sweet Force lightning, bro." The film follows the adventures of a couple of high school metal heads who

are trying to start a death metal band. They inadvertently summon demons (pretty damn brutal, I would say) and have to figure out a way to stop the monsters before they destroy the small town they reside in. Truth be told, the storyline isn't that complex or subtle though it moves briskly. The writing is snarky with lots of black humor thrown around in between (and sometimes during) the horror scenes. Overall, I would say the story is above average compared to the majority of horror films and for the most part it's entertaining. What sets this film apart from other indie horror movies is the heavy metal music motif. Both of the main characters Brodie (Milo Cawthorn) and Zakk (James Blake) embody all of the common metal clichés: long hair, studded leather jackets, combat boots, denim vests with patches on them--the works. Luckily, it doesn't come off as contrived though a couple of the references fall flat. The music is spot on with lots of bands contributing songs to the soundtrack. If you are a fan of heavy metal you will definitely enjoy the tune-age in this film. "This ice cream tastes like death." Now here comes the best part of Deathgasm: lots and lots of blood and guts! Once the demons are unleashed, all hell breaks loose...literally! Demons vomit blood all over their victims, gouge out eyeballs, tear out intestines and all sorts of other ghastly things. It's awesome! Almost all of it is done with practical effects and props too--this is seriously some outstanding work in this movie. The term "splatstick" has been coined to describe the type of disturbing and funny mayhem that New Zealand horror films are famous for. Gorehounds will be incredibly pleased with the gore in this movie. What stands out the most


Prompt: Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "An unnecessary court conflict will ensue" US Attorney General Eric Holder has been held in contempt of Congress for refusing to hand over a set of files on a failed gun-running investigation. In a 255-67 vote, 17 Democrats joined with the House of Representatives' Republican majority. Mr Holder is the first sitting attorney general and US presidential cabinet member to be held in contempt. The White House has refused to hand over files outlining how problems with Fast and Furious emerged. The operation saw US agents lose track of hundreds of

illegal guns sold in Arizona and allowed into Mexico to target dealers. Two of the weapons were found in December 2010 at the scene of a US border agent's murder. Fast and Furious ended in early 2011. 'Political game' Mr Holder told reporters that the vote was "misguided" and said lawmakers had been circulating "truly absurd" conspiracy theories. "It will not distract me from the important tasks that are our responsibility," Mr Holder said. Image caption Dozens of House Democrats, including leader Nancy Pelosi, walked out The House also voted 258-95 to ask the courts to force Mr Holder to turn over the documents. Many Democratic lawmakers, including the Congressional Black Caucus and Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, walked out of the chamber in protest on Thursday. "We don't want to play a part in this political game," Democratic Representative Gregory Meeks said. The roots of the current Congressional investigation began on 4 February 2011 when the justice department sent lawmakers a letter denying they had sanctioned or otherwise knew about guns illegally ending up Mexico. The department withdrew the letter 10 months later, acknowledging the operation had allowed guns across the border. Led by Republican Darrell Issa, the House Oversight Committee subpoenaed documents for the 10-month period. The Department of Justice says it has denied access to the files because they contain information that could affect ongoing criminal investigations. Demand for answers Mr Issa did not accept an offer of files and a briefing on the operation, saying the department needed to hand over all the documents requested. Image caption Eric Holder spoke to a civic group in Florida before the contempt vote The justice department sent to the House Oversight Committee more than 7,000 documents relating to Fast and Furious, and to a similar operation that took place during


Prompt: Paul Kimmage on rugby was the main talking point from the Sunday Independent journalist's appearance on The Last Word with Matt Cooper. Days after L'Equipe broke the news that Dan Carter, Juan Imhoff and Joe Rockocoko had tested positive for cortisone after the Top 14 final, the issue of doping in rugby has found itself back upon the wider sporting consciousness. In the case of Carter, his agent released a statement to say that the out-half had a Therapeutic Use Exemption for the supplement. The entire story has brought the medicalisation of rugby under scrutiny. Ronan O'Gara offered a strong

defence of his Racing players, saying that it was a "sad state of affairs" that his players were attacked based on such little information: I've been in the meetings and I'm fully aware of exactly what's gone on. There's 60-80 of these administered in a year - an injection into a joint - and that's exactly what it is. Every player gets tested after a final, that's the rule. And there were three readings showing a corticoid and the readings are extremely low. And if you have an explanation as to why you administered them then it's a non-story. Kimmage is one of the few journalists who regularly returns to the topic of the medicalisation of rugby. In 2014, Kimmage conducted a very interesting interview with former French rugby player with Laurent Benezech on this very subject. And following the Racing revelations, Kimmage wrote in the Sunday Independent of the nature of cheating in rugby, and what exactly constituted a performance-enhancing drug in the game. He recalls a conversation with Brian O'Driscoll as to whether pre-game painkillers constituted a doping offence. Advertisement "I'd say the abuse of painkillers in rugby is massive," I observed. "I would have thought that was very much a doing offence. "Would you?", he asked. "Painkillers? Of course. The whole game is about confrontation and trying to get the ball. So if I can endure more pain than you..." "I disagree", he said. "It's a game of skill. It's a game of intensity and an ability to handle collisions and things..." "Which is pain", I suggested. Prior to Kimmage's appearance with Cooper, Paul O'Connell was on the show, who said that Kimmage was of the belief that "[he thinks] you should not even take a paracetamol". Kimmage responded as follows: He totally misrepresents my position on


Prompt: Web design has certainly come a long way since the first HTML files were published, and Cascading Style Sheets have given designers lots of freedom to specify typefaces, sizes, and styles for text. But most type on the Web is still limited to the 10 common "Web fonts" commissioned and distributed by Microsoft in the late 90s. Web designers and developers have done their best to work within these constraints, and even developed clever workarounds using images, Flash, and/or JavaScript. A number of solutions have been proposed which would let developers use their preferred fonts directly, but getting everyone involved

on the same page, so to speak, has revealed a morass of competing needs. Web designers want to be able to design websites using just the right typefaces—something that they can do with relative ease when working in print and other non-Web media. Browser vendors want to implement widely adopted standards so webpages render as well in one browser as they do in another. Type designers and font foundries want to make sure their font files aren't trivially easy to download, especially since fonts are already often pirated. Current tools Web designers have over a decade of experience using CSS to specify what fonts should be used when displaying a webpage. While a designer can specify any font by name, there's no guarantee that the viewer has that particular font installed. Thankfully, CSS allows designers to specify fallback fonts, and the browser will essentially go through the list specified in the stylesheet until a match is found among the installed fonts. CSS even allows a generic fallback such as "serif" or "fixed-width," and the browser will use whatever fonts are specified in its preferences for each of these generic classes. Microsoft also decided to help by creating a set of fonts that it hoped would be widely distributed with operating systems. Known as the core "Web fonts," these are included with Windows and Mac OS X, and they are freely downloadable for Linux. These typefaces were specifically designed for screen use, and have since become the most commonly used type on the Web. The collection includes 10 typefaces: the popular Verdana and Georgia, reworked versions of Times and Courier, Trebuchet MS, Andale Mono, Impact, the Helvetica-esque Arial (the default for Ars text), the Webdings dingbat font, and the generally-reviled Comic Sans. While the collection is certainly serviceable—especially Verdana and Georgia—it


Prompt: Mr Putin , who was re-elected as president almost a year ago, stands accused of bringing in new laws to stifle criticism of his regime and adapting existing laws to silence dissent. "The Russian government has unleashed a crackdown on civil society unprecedented in the country's post-Soviet history," the HRW report states. "The authorities have introduced a series of restrictive laws, harassed, intimidated and in several case imprisoned political activists, interfered in the work of NGOs and sought to cast government critics as clandestine enemies." In a move that Amnesty described as "deliberately reminiscent of the Cold War," Mr Putin

has brought in a new law which requires any organisation that receives funding from abroad to describe themselves as "foreign agents" if they are considered to be involved in undefined "political activities". Since the start of the year, the Russian authorities have carried out more than 200 inspections of organisations campaigning to protect human rights. Amnesty's Moscow office was "inspected" by prosecutors and tax inspectors on 25 March. The first organisation to face legal proceedings is a group named Golos – or "voice" in Russian – which played a prominent role in organising election monitoring and reporting fraud in the vote which saw Mr Putin re-elected. In several cases the inspectors demanded to go through computers or emails. In one case, officials demanded that an organisation prove that its staff had been vaccinated for smallpox, and in another the officials asked for chest X-rays of staff to ensure they did not have tuberculosis. "The government claims the inspections are routine, but they clearly are not," said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at HRW. "The campaign is unprecedented in its scope and scale, and seems clearly aimed at intimidating and marginalising civil society groups. This inspection campaign can potentially be used to force some groups to end advocacy work, or to close them down." Another law, adopted in December, essentially banned funding emanating from the United States for "political" activity by non-governmental organisations, and bans groups whose work is "directed against Russia's interests." A third law, the treason law, expands the legal definition of treason in ways that could criminalise involvement in raising awareness of human rights. The publication of the reports comes at a time of mounting pressure for Mr Putin. On Wednesday – the same day the report was launched in Moscow – a high-profile critic of


Prompt: And pretty much every spread shows underlying techniques and tricks you likely never thought of. For instance, a simple quinoa salad with cauliflower--it just requires a pressure cooker, and it's really fast--it takes just four minutes of cooking for the quinoa, something that never occurred to me to try, and includes the tip of freezing a baking sheet to cool the cooked grain for the salad. And cauliflower is rendered palatable (i.e., invisible) to doubters by being shaved over a mandoline or grated on a Microplane grater, mixed with green apple, celery, pine nuts, currants, and a hone-vinegar and lemon

dressing. Easy, right? And good for winter. And not what you'd expect from this book. Some of the techniques that will likely change your own regular practices include "low-temp oven steak," which involves first freezing steaks or any other tender cut of meat, quickly searing them, then putting it into the oven at the lowest temperature until a digital thermometer reads 133 F (or your desired degree of doneness). This, Myhrvold explains, yields meat that's evenly done to exactly the degree you want, rather than meat with an overdone exterior and underdone dead-center. And there are unexpected forays, such as deconstructed carnitas that just require a pressure cooker and provide incidental lessons in braising meat, which the authors extend on the next pages to other braised recipes: steamed omelets that, like the frozen-then-low-temp steak, result in a completely uniform doneness and texture that the authors assure us is tender and delicate, as well as braised short ribs that, of course, require a sous-vide setup, the $300-or-so vacuum-bag and controlled water-bath machine that started being a foodie must last year--and a set-up, on a larger scale, that most restaurant cooks routinely use for short ribs, though they almost always fail to say so. I still think you should go into debt to get the six-volume set--but that's just for hardcore cooks who want an invaluable reference. This is the book for anyone who wants to understand her or his kitchen better, and have a taste of what all the controversy over sous-vide and xanthan gum has been about. Burma: Rivers of Flavor, by Naomi Duguid Naomi Duguid, a tireless wanderer, a photographer with marvelous eye, and a teacher of cooking classes in Chiang Mai, Thailand, has a deep knowledge of Asia from her decades of chronicling and writing about village food


Prompt: Throughout 2012, The Caucus will occasionally pose five questions to individuals from across the political spectrum who have special insight into government, policy making and political combat. If there is someone you think should be interviewed, let us know in the comment section below, or send me an e-mail at michael.shear@nytimes.com. This week’s subject is Jill Stein, a candidate for the Green Party’s presidential nomination. Ms. Stein, a former physician and teacher of internal medicine, writes and speaks about the connections between the environment and health. She ran for governor of Massachusetts in 2002 against Mitt Romney. Q. Why are

you running for president? Michael Manning/Associated Press A. We are in crisis and people are losing their jobs and their homes and their health care and affordable higher education and civil liberties. You name it, they are losing it. We have got a 1 percent that’s rolling in dough as much as ever and the political establishment is not fixing it. The establishment got us into this mess, in both parties. And that’s clear as day. Over 10 years, I have been a recalcitrant political challenger, a recurrent alternative that would not go away. Q. Is your campaign trying to tap into the Occupy movement? A. Occupy is very much a part of a broader move for democracy and economic and social justice. That is alive and well around the world. Just look at what is going on in Wisconsin which is directly linked to Occupy. It doesn’t have the name of Occupy, but they slept for three weeks in the statehouse. If that’s not Occupy, what is? The Occupy movement, beneath the surface, represents a political coming of age of a younger generation who have been on the receiving end of a generally exploitative economy. One of those groups to exploit has been young people. They have been exploited in education. The unemployment crisis hits them the hardest. They are bearing the burden for the climate disruptions that are coming down the pike. Q. Does President Obama deserve credit for health care and other accomplishments? A. Small time, sure. There are minor improvements. But on the other hand, he took single-payer off the table. He absolutely took a public option off the table. As we found on issue after issue — the war, reappointing George Bush’s secretary of defense, sticking to George Bush’s timeline on Iraq, expanding the war,


Prompt: The killer whales trapped in the ice in northern Quebec appear to have left the area, but they may not be out of harm's way yet. Lyne Morissette, a marine researcher with the St. Lawrence Global Observatory, said the ice can move quickly, and while a split in the ice opened a pathway for the whales, the orcas are still inside the ice-covered Hudson Bay. "This is not a victory yet," she said. Marine mammal researcher Lyne Morrisette said warmer than usual sea temperatures probably confused the orcas into thinking it was safe to stay in Hudson Bay. According to

Morissette, the whales still have over 100 kilometres to travel before they are in the open waters of the North Atlantic Ocean. She said they may be able to survive in Hudson Bay for the winter, but it won't be easy. If the whale pod doesn't make it, she said it would be a significant loss for the northern whale population. On Wednesday, residents of an Inuit village called for the government's help to save a dozen killer whales trapped in the ice about 30 kilometres off the coast of Inukjuak, Que. The orcas were spotted Tuesday, 30 kms from Inukjuak, Que. The orcas were spotted at a breathing hole at the eastern top of Hudson Bay. When two hunters, Jobie Epoo and Jamisee Weetaluktuk, went to check the ice before 8 a.m. ET on Thursday, they discovered the whales were gone. They called the local radio station to let them know the orcas were out of sight. A group of 22 local men had been getting ready to go out to the site and see what they could do to help the whales reach open water. Epoo said the plan was to make that hole larger and create another hole about 45 metres away, by sawing and drilling in the ice. "It was a very dangerous area," Epoo said. "We're talking about flowing ice, moving ice — continuously, constantly moving ice — and depending on the time of the month, you never know when the ice is going to decide to go." Inuit elders credit new moon Inukjuak Mayor Peter Inukpuk said elders in the community credit the new moon for current changes that split the ice and opened a pathway for the whales. The patch of water in the ice on Hudson Bay, where a pod of killer


Prompt: For six months, Hillary Clinton’s campaign has approached the nomination along two distinct, nearly opposite tracks: with an operation focused on the Democratic primary — and a message built to contrast almost exclusively with Republicans. At her town halls and rallies, Clinton only rarely mentions her Democratic opponents and compares her policies with theirs. Her focus remains on the other party. But on the eve of the first Democratic debate, one of the candidate’s most trusted defenders, linked formally to the campaign through a coordinated super PAC, is set to sharply outline the case to progressives for Clinton — and

against Sen. Bernie Sanders. David Brock, the conservative-turned-liberal who has become a central player in the frontrunner’s campaign, will deliver a speech on Monday in San Francisco that casts Clinton as a lifelong progressive with the best platform, rooted in achievable proposals and decades of service to the Democratic Party at every level. Brock’s speech does not mention Sanders by name, according to an advanced copy provided by his pro-Clinton research group, Correct the Record. But his point is clear enough. The pre-debate appeal is a kind of tour through Clinton’s strengths — undergirded throughout by allusions to Sanders, the Vermont socialist polling competitively with Clinton, and to his likely weaknesses as a nominee. One by one, his speech runs through each implicit contrast. There’s Clinton, the “strongest possible messenger for a progressive vision.” (And Sanders, the impractical nominee.) Clinton, the candidate with “real plans that work.” (And Sanders, with larger proposals that would likely fail in Congress.) Clinton, the Democrat who claims a “broad coalition” inside a party “she’s spent three decades building” — many, Brock adds, from the Senate seat occupied by Democratic icon Robert F. Kennedy. (And there's Sanders, the registered Independent who, until this summer, had never attended a party-wide meeting.) “Hillary is the real progressive champion in this race,” Brock will tell the crowd on Monday afternoon at the Commonwealth Club of California, citing what he calls her “ambitious, specific, and realistic plans” to raise incomes and tackle problems like college affordability, mass incarceration, and immigration. “Hillary isn’t moving in a progressive direction. She’s been there all along,” Brock will say. Clinton, too, has argued while campaigning this year that her "record of standing up and fighting for progressive values" takes a "backseat to no one." (Last month, however, Clinton said she pleaded "guilty" to


Prompt: As millions celebrate Easter, I need to ask my fellow Christians to wake up to the terrible fact that far too many LGBT youth are being abused and rejected in Christian homes. Many conservative Christians are increasingly preoccupied with fighting against the equal treatment of LGBT people in our society. And no one suffers more harm from this fight and the intolerant climate it creates than the LGBT children of too many of these Christians. As the director of the Ali Forney Center, the nation's largest organization providing housing and support to homeless LGBT youths, I see the reality of

this harm in the faces of the thousands of desperate and frightened teens who turn to us for help after being driven from their homes and reduced to homelessness. The stories these youth tell us about the religion-based abuse they endure from their parents are heartbreaking and deeply disturbing. I think about the 15-year-old boy from rural Delaware whose father, a minister in the Church of the Nazarene, attacked him when told his son was gay, tried to strangle him, and then immediately banished him from their home. Or the 17-year-old girl whose Pentecostal parents drove her out into the back woods of New Jersey and tossed her out of the car. I think of the 16-year-old boy from Connecticut whose Catholic mother, upon learning he was gay, called a priest who made him lay the floor and attempted to "drive the demons out of him."Or the boy from New Hampshire whose Baptist parents told him that God is so disgusted by homosexuals that he "vomits them out." Again and again we hear young people tell us tales of torment and abuse in their homes. Told that they are disgusting, that they are sinners, that they are abominations. Made to hate themselves. Made to wish that they were dead. In recent weeks, I have filmed several of the young people who receive care at the Ali Forney Center talking about the religious abuse and family rejection they endured in their Christian homes. The stories they tell of physical and verbal abuse and the destructive toll taken on their young selves are very hard to hear, but it is important that we listen. A recent study by the Family Acceptance Project on the impact of family rejection of LGBT youth found that parents who identify as "strongly religious" were significantly more


Prompt: The Toronto Transit Commission might be "The Better Way," but is it the safer way? TTC property is fitted with numerous safety features--CCTV, security mirrors, public telephones, intercoms, and designated waiting areas--and the new streetcars, which begin rolling out this weekend, will come with the same yellow Passenger Assistance Alarms found on the subway. Despite the security, crime still occurs, but how safe is the TTC compared to other transit systems? The TTC keeps a record of offences against customers and staff--assaults, thefts, sexual assaults that involved police attention--and publishes the numbers in the monthly CEO's report. Over the last

12 months, there were 413 recorded offences against customers and 398 against TTC staff, a total of 811 incidents in roughly 528 million trips. The odds of experiencing a crime on the TTC were about 667,000 to 1. The numbers average out to about 2.22 incidents a day, about evenly split between riders and workers. Customer incidents peaked at 42 in July 2014, 43 for staff in Oct. 2013, but the numbers remained relatively stable throughout the year. Compare those numbers with the Montreal transit system, where, in 2013, there were a total of 754 criminal code infractions from 412.6 million trips reported to transit police, an average of 2.07 incidents a day, odds of about 476,000 to 1. Another report, released April, showed an overall 20 percent decrease in criminal activity on the Metro, but singled out one hub, Berri-UQAM, as the most dangerous. Crimes against people: assault, robbery, sexual assault were most common (303 incidents,) edging out property crimes, like theft and robbery (279.) Other criminal code infractions, including prostitution, accounted for the remainder. On the Calgary C-Train, there were a total of 856 person, property, and other criminal code infractions in 2013 from 107.5 million rides, an average of 2.34 incidents a day. Like in Montreal, person crimes were the most common (259,) but property crimes (221) saw the biggest increase--up 31.5 percent from 2012. Odds of a crime occurring in 2013 were 12,500 to 1. Cops on Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority recorded a total of 718 criminal incidents on the city's various transit lines in 2013 from 352.6 million rides. Compared to the first six months of 2014, there was a 28 percent decrease in robberies, but a 38 percent increase in aggravated assault. Larceny accounted for the majority of police activity. Across the year,


Prompt: The youngest person arrested was 13. All of the kids were handcuffed, cursed at and humiliated, and several spent 30 hours or more in jail. To date, there has been no evidence produced — no witnesses, no photographs or videotapes, no dented vehicles or broken mirrors, nothing whatsoever — to indicate that any of the youngsters had done anything at all that was wrong. How is it that you can have a rampage in broad daylight on a street in New York City and not be able to show in any way that the rampage occurred? Photo At least 22

of the 32 people arrested have had their charges dismissed or were never formally charged at all. No one has been convicted of anything. The case against 18-year-old Zezza Anderson was dropped last month after his lawyer, Ron Kuby, filed a motion demanding that Mr. Hynes’s office produce documentary evidence of the youngsters misbehaving. No evidence was produced. Instead, an assistant district attorney moved to have the charges against Mr. Anderson dismissed, acknowledging that the case against the defendant could not be proved. I’d like to know why, after the better part of a year, the authorities are still tormenting some of these kids. Why are charges still hanging over 10 of them? Why should it take more than nine months to resolve charges of unlawful assembly and disorderly conduct? Newsletter Sign Up Continue reading the main story Please verify you're not a robot by clicking the box. Invalid email address. Please re-enter. You must select a newsletter to subscribe to. Sign Up You will receive emails containing news content , updates and promotions from The New York Times. You may opt-out at any time. You agree to receive occasional updates and special offers for The New York Times's products and services. Thank you for subscribing. An error has occurred. Please try again later. View all New York Times newsletters. A number of the kids have missed days at school to show up for court dates at which nothing of consequence happens. Asher Callender, a senior at Bushwick Community High School, had to go to court on Friday, only to have his case postponed again until March 3. These are not gangsters. These are not drug dealers. These are kids who were trying to go to a wake for a friend. It was not the kids who were out of


Prompt: While team RWBY meandered through Vale, Weiss felt… jealous. Jealousy was not a feeling that someone such as Weiss should feel, she knew that, it was… beneath her to feel that petty. That she shouldn't feel that way just because her partner spent less and less time with her. That she had been replaced. I don't get it, Weiss watched Ruby lead Blake into an arcade, I thought we were partners, ergo close friends? It made sense to her. Your partner is the person you are closest to, but I don't feel close to Ruby at all anymore. When their

first semester had started, Ruby and her were more or less, well, inseparable. Not that Weiss hadn't tried to separate herself from Ruby; it got more than a bit too much for her sometimes having the younger teen constantly trying to interact with her. Looking back at it, as much as Weiss had found Ruby to be annoying it was still nice. It was nice to have someone who genuinely wanted to be your friend and not because of your name. Towards the end of the last semester, it felt like that closeness was slowly receding as Ruby spent less and less time with Weiss and more with another one of their teammates; Blake. It was little surprise to Weiss that Ruby knew about Blake's… heritage, given the amount of time the two had spent together. What did surprise Weiss was the fact that Blake had stayed with Ruby and Yang over the semester break. No, that's not quite right, it didn't surprise me, it also hurts. Her teammates, no, her friends, spent the break together. Without her. Weiss felt alone. At first Weiss had assumed she was feeling needy, that she was perhaps being a bit too harsh on Ruby when they studied and that was what was pushing her partner away. During the break, Weiss had made a promise to fix whatever… issue had come up, to reconnect with her partner. Yet Weiss felt more alone than ever, her partner was off with Blake, almost entirely ignoring her. I suppose I have been replaced. Weiss let out a sigh. Did I screw up? Was it something I did? Or perhaps Blake is just better than me? No, that wasn't the case. Weiss knew the answer all too easily; Ruby had a crush on Blake. Ruby could never be


Prompt: OSAKA, Japan / PALO ALTO, Calif. — Panasonic Corporation and Tesla Motors today announced that the two companies have reached an agreement in which Panasonic will expand its supply of automotive-grade lithium-ion battery cells to Tesla. With this agreement, the two companies update and expand their 2011 arrangement to now supply nearly 2 billion cells over the course of four years. The lithium-ion battery cells purchased from Panasonic will be used to power the award winning Model S as well as Model X, a performance utility vehicle that is scheduled to go into production by the end of 2014. This

agreement builds upon a multi-year collaboration between Panasonic and Tesla to develop next-generation automotive-grade battery cells and accelerate the market expansion of electric vehicles. Panasonic’s cells combined with Tesla’s proven EV battery expertise have already enabled more than 130 million customer miles driven in Tesla Roadsters and Model S. “This expanded agreement with Panasonic is important to Tesla as we continue to increase the pace of production,” said Tesla Co-Founder and CEO Elon Musk. “We look forward to strengthening our relationship with Panasonic, and I’m confident that this partnership will continue to be an integral part of Tesla’s success for years to come.” Together, Panasonic and Tesla have developed a next-generation battery cell technology that provides the highest energy density and best performance cells in the market. Panasonic’s cylindrical cell is a customized technology designed specifically for optimizing electric vehicle quality and life. These cells are integrated by Tesla into the battery pack in a way that enables an industry-leading range of approximately 265 miles for the Model S. “We are extremely proud to be a strategic partner of Tesla,” said Yoshihiko Yamada, president of the Automotive & Industrial Systems Company, an internal company of Panasonic. “Panasonic will increase its production capacity of lithium-ion battery cells to supply Tesla’s growing needs as it expands its production of EVs.” ABOUT PANASONIC Panasonic Corporation is a worldwide leader in the development and engineering of electronic technologies and solutions for customers in residential, non-residential, mobility and personal applications. Since its founding in 1918, the company has expanded globally and now operates over 500 consolidated companies worldwide, recording consolidated net sales of 7.30 trillion yen for the year ended March 31, 2013. Committed to pursuing new value through innovation across divisional lines, the company strives to create a better life and a better world


Prompt: GRINNELL, Iowa (CNN) -- The college student who was told what question to ask at one of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign events said "voters have the right to know what happened" and she wasn't the only one who was planted. Student Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff said a staffer told her what to ask at a campaign event for Sen. Hillary Clinton. In an exclusive on-camera interview with CNN, Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff, a 19-year-old sophomore at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, said giving anyone specific questions to ask is "dishonest," and the whole incident has given her a negative outlook on politics.

Gallo-Chasanoff, whose story was first reported in the campus newspaper, said what happened was simple: She said a senior Clinton staffer asked if she'd like to ask the senator a question after an energy speech the Democratic presidential hopeful gave in Newton, Iowa, on November 6. "I sort of thought about it, and I said 'Yeah, can I ask how her energy plan compares to the other candidates' energy plans?'" Gallo-Chasanoff said Monday night. According to Gallo-Chasanoff, the staffer said, " 'I don't think that's a good idea, because I don't know how familiar she is with their plans.' " Watch the student speak out about question » He then opened a binder to a page that, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, had about eight questions on it. "The top one was planned specifically for a college student," she added. "It said 'college student' in brackets and then the question." Topping that sheet of paper was the following: "As a young person, I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming. How does your plan combat climate change?" Watch the student ask the planted question » And while she said she would have rather used her own question, Gallo-Chasanoff said she didn't have a problem asking the campaign's because she "likes to be agreeable," adding that since she told the staffer she'd ask their pre-typed question she "didn't want to go back on my word." Clinton campaign spokesman Mo Elleithee said, "This is not acceptable campaign process moving forward. We've taken steps to ensure that it never happens again." Elleithee said Clinton had "no idea who she was calling on." Gallo-Chasanoff wasn't so sure. "I don't know whether Hillary knew what my question was going to be, but it seemed like she knew to call on me because there were so many


Prompt: Ancestry Edit Maria Fyodorovna Dostoevskaya Mikhail Andreyevich Dostoevsky Dostoevsky's parents were part of a multi-ethnic and multi-denominational noble family, its branches including Russian Orthodox Christians, Polish Roman Catholics and Ukrainian Eastern Catholics.[4] The family traced its roots back to a Tatar, Aslan Chelebi-Murza, who in 1389 defected from the Golden Horde and joined the forces of Dmitry Donskoy, the first prince of Muscovy to openly challenge the Mongol authority in the region,[5] and whose descendant, Danilo Irtishch, was ennobled and given lands in the Pinsk region (for centuries part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, now in modern-day Belarus) in

1509 for his services under a local prince, his progeny then taking the name "Dostoevsky" based on a village there called Dostoïevo.[6] Dostoevsky's immediate ancestors on his mother's side were merchants; the male line on his father's side were priests. His father, Mikhail Andreevich, was expected to join the clergy but instead ran away from home and broke with the family permanently. In 1809, the 20-year-old Mikhail Andreevich Dostoevsky enrolled in Moscow's Imperial Medical-Surgical Academy. From there he was assigned to a Moscow hospital, where he served as military doctor, and in 1818, he was appointed a senior physician. In 1819 he married Maria Nechayeva. The following year, he took up a post at the Mariinsky Hospital for the poor. In 1828, when his two sons, Mikhail and Fyodor, were eight and seven respectively, he was promoted to collegiate assessor, a position which raised his legal status to that of the nobility and enabled him to acquire a small estate in Darovoye, a town about 150 km (100 miles) from Moscow, where the family usually spent the summers. Dostoevsky's parents subsequently had six more children: Varvara (1822–1892), Andrei (1825–1897), Lyubov (born and died 1829), Vera (1829–1896), Nikolai (1831–1883) and Aleksandra (1835–1889).[11] Childhood (1821–1835) Edit Fyodor Dostoevsky, born on 11 November [O.S. 30 October] 1821, was the second child of Dr. Mikhail Dostoevsky and Maria Dostoevskaya (born Nechayeva). He was raised in the family home in the grounds of the Mariinsky Hospital for the Poor, which was in a lower class district on the edges of Moscow. Dostoevsky encountered the patients, who were at the lower end of the Russian social scale, when playing in the hospital gardens. Dostoevsky was introduced to literature at an early age. From the age of three, he was read heroic sagas, fairy tales and legends


Prompt: With a Supreme Court decision on healthcare fast approaching, House Republicans are doubling down on efforts to bring attention to President Obama’s signature legislative issue. The effort, which includes votes on several measures to repeal taxes under the law, is intended to highlight unpopular aspects of the landmark bill as the presidential campaign between Obama and Republican Mitt Romney heats up. ADVERTISEMENT The House next week will consider measures to repeal taxes imposed on medical devices and over-the-counter medication. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor Eric Ivan CantorPelosi warns GOP: Next president could declare national emergency on guns Ousted GOP lawmaker

David Brat named dean at Liberty University business school Trump, GOP seek to shift blame for shutdown to Pelosi MORE (R-Va.) announced the votes late last month, and called the tax on medical devices in particularly “draconian” in a memo sent to GOP lawmakers. Democrats argue the GOP effort is nakedly political and timed for the Supreme Court decision, which is expected this month. On Friday, Romney criticized Obama’s handling of the economy, arguing the nation would be creating more jobs if Obama had not focused on healthcare in 2009 and 2010. Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) – a key player in brokering deals within his party to pass the healthcare bill – called the upcoming debate a “waste of time” and said the House should be focus on legislation to create jobs. “(The timing) is probably not coincidental, I think the Republicans are trying to poison the well before the Court decision,” Andrews said in an interview with The Hill. House Republicans, who rode a wave of voter outrage into power in 2010 unfurled in part by the healthcare law, dismiss the Democratic arguments. “Well, I'm glad they are giving us that much credit in planning but obviously the medical tax bill has had a lot of bipartisan support for many weeks,” Ways and Means Chairman Dave Camp (R-Mich.) told The Hill. Only two Democrats on the Ways and Means Committee, Reps. Ron Kind Ronald (Ron) James KindSteel lobby's PR blitz can't paper over damaging effects of tariffs Congress should stop tariff power grab, bring balance to US trade policy Ocasio-Cortez sparks debate with talk of 70 percent marginal rate MORE (Wis.) and Shelly Berkley (Nev.) supported the medical device and over-the-counter drug bills at mark-up. Debate at Thursday’s lengthy mark-up provided a flavor of what to expect when the


Prompt: The great-grandchildren of Anna Short Harrington, the woman whose likeness was used for the “Aunt Jemima” logo, are seeking what they say are their just desserts, along with at least $2 billion, in a class action lawsuit brought recently against a group of companies, led by PepsiCo and its subsidiary The Quaker Oats Company, in federal court in Illinois. The suit, which also names as defendants Pinnacle Foods and its former suitor Hillshire Brands, accuses the companies of failing to pay Harrington and her heirs an “equitable fair share of royalties” from the pancake mix and syrup brand that uses

her likeness and recipes. According to the lawsuit, Quaker Oats took control of “64 of [Harrington’s] recipes and 22 complete menus” and marketed them to the public. Filed last week by Harrington’s great-grandson, D.W. Hunter, who is representing himself, the lawsuit alleges that Chicago-based Quaker Oats hired Harrington to take over the pre-existing Aunt Jemima role in 1935—a role she continued to serve when the company first registered the brand’s trademark two years later—and that the company also reproduced Harrington’s own pancake recipe on a mass scale. The suit claims that Harrington had entered into a “written contractual agreement to play the actress role of Aunt Jemima” that entitled her to royalties, including a percentage of the proceeds, accumulated by the brand over the years. Hunter’s lawsuit accuses the companies of lying to cover up Quaker Oats’ employment of Harrington, adding that the heirs determined they were owed royalties when they say they discovered last October that the company had trademarked the image of their great-grandmother with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1937 and after they found a death certificate for Harrington that named the company as her employer. Hunter has accused the companies of breach of contract, conspiracy, and fraud, among other charges, while alleging that Quaker Oats engaged in “industrial espionage” to procure Harrington’s trade secrets before failing to compensate her estate on an annual basis following her death. The lawsuit estimates that Pinnacle has sold roughly $300 million worth of frozen pancakes, waffles, and other products from the Aunt Jemima line without providing Harrington’s family with any royalties. Hillshire (HSH) had agreed to buy Pinnacle earlier this year in a $4.2 billion deal that was later called off to free up the former to be bought by Tyson Foods for $8.6 billion. Hunter’s 108-page complaint


Prompt: About The Wandering Realms takes place in the universe of the Hyperion Empire following the events of The Exile Empire. After the destruction of the old human civilizations before the Phoenix War billions of humans were displaced into unknown space. After the formation of the Empire from the human - illani alliance a fleet of ships were commissioned to seek out survivors of this conflict and return as many as possible to the Empire. This story follows several exemplary characters as this fleet encounters powerful new enemies and unexpected allies. The Wandering Realms is a story of war, justice, slavery,

and trial. This is not a story for the feint of heart, a true heroic war story set in a gritty future full of advanced and powerful weaponry that barely keeps mankind on equal footing with their monstrous enemies. The funds for this project will go to the artist, who has already been secured, production, and distribution of the comic. Excess will help to ensure the project runs smoothly and is properly marketed. We plan to bring The Wandering Realms to comic conventions and events as money and time allow and the more financial resources we can gather the further it will take us. We have access to all the talent and production resources we need. All we need at this point is the initial bank roll and we have a project. It is our sincere hope that you will help us turn this dream into a reality and the Wandering Realms into bookstores and comic stands everywhere. We greatly value our contributors and have a large range of rewards for those who choose to support our project. We are offering everything from a free prequel short story to a thank you phone call and a fictional title of nobility! Pledge $5 or more and we will give you a big thanks on our website, lasting as long as we exist. Given advancing technology and a successful series of projects we plan on this being FOREVER! Pledge $7 or more and you will get the previous reward and a digital download of Lost Daimyo, the short story prequel to the Wandering Realms that explains why the fleet is searching for people in such an inhospitable and dangerous part of space. Pledge $10 or more and you will get the previous rewards plus a digital download of the graphic novel. Pledge


Prompt: There is an old saying that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I really like this saying because it is a basic principle of skepticism, and it goes hand in hand with a statement that was made famous by none other than Carl Sagan. Namely, “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.” I find that these two principles are broadly applicable to the many “miracle treatments” and fad diets that pervade the internet, but in this post I am just going to focus on the “Miracle Mineral Solution” (a.k.a. Miracle Mineral Supplement or MMS) as an illustration.

Basically, this post is just an exercise in common sense in which I am going to point out some obvious hallmarks of snake oil. What is MMS? To put it simply, it’s bleach. To put it more technically, it is a 28% solution of sodium chlorate which breaks down to release chlorine dioxide, and it is the chlorine dioxide which actually reacts with pathogens (remember this chemical, it is going to show up a lot in this post). To be clear, MMS is not the same type of bleach that is used to clean your house (sodium hypochlorite), but it is nevertheless a type of bleach and is used to bleach various paper, wood, and textile products. This is also one of the chlorines that is sometimes used in very low concentrations to disinfect drinking water. Now, the fact that someone is selling a concentrated bleach solution as a miracle cure should throw up some red flags, but let’s investigate further. After all, the skeptic principle is to demand evidence, not to blindly reject something without looking for evidence. Are its effects plausible? According to the almighty internet, MMS cures pretty much everything. Spiritportal.org states that it “CURES” (their emphasis) “malaria, AIDs, most cancers, any type of hepatitis, tuberculosis, typhoid, pneumonia, asthma, herpes, HPV, chicken pox, smallpox, measles, influenza (including bird flu), colds, food poisoning, snake bite, Lyme disease, ringworm, roundworm, tapeworm, yeast infections, and many other common diseases.” Many other websites list additional ailments, and one hilariously unfactual website even goes as far as saying that it kills 95% of all diseases! Similarly, MMSWiki has an insanely long list that includes things like Down syndrome, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, depression, etc., and, of course, what good would a miracle cure be if it didn’t cure baldness and erectile dysfunction. This type


Prompt: By ProPublica Friday, April 23rd, 2010 A microbiologist who supervised the work of accused anthrax killer Bruce E. Ivins explained to a National Academy of Sciences panel Thursday why the arithmetic of growing anthrax didn't add up to Ivins' mailing deadly spores in fall 2001. "Impossible," said Dr. Henry S. Heine of a scenario in which Ivins, another civilian microbiologist working for the Army, allegedly prepared the anthrax spores at an Army lab at Fort Detrick. Heine told the 16-member panel that Ivins would have had to grow as many as 10 trillion spores, an astronomical amount that couldn't have

gone unnoticed by his colleagues. According to FBI calculations, Ivins accomplished this working after-hours in a special suite for handling lethal agents designated B3, for Biohazard Level 3. A bar chart released by the bureau (PDF) when it closed its nearly 9-year-old Amerithrax case in February showed that in August and September 2001, the months immediately before the first anthrax letters were mailed, Ivins logged 34 more hours in the B3 suite than his combined total for the previous seven months. "That's more than 8,000 hours (close to a year) short of what he would have needed to grow the anthrax," Heine told ProPublica in an interview after his NAS presentation. Heine, one of the few scientists at the Army lab with the skills to grow large batches of anthrax, told ProPublica it would have taken around "100 liters of liquid anthrax culture," or more than 26 gallons, to grow all the dried spores that killed five Americans and infected 17 others. Story continues below... "He couldn't have done that without us knowing it," said Heine. Other biodefense scientists who didn't work with Ivins have done the same calculations and reached the same conclusion as Heine. The FBI declined to comment on this latest challenge to its decision to end one of the most expensive manhunts in the bureau's 102-year history. In closing the case, the agency said Ivins alone was responsible for the anthrax letters. Ivins committed suicide in 2008. Many of Ivins' colleagues and some federal lawmakers protested that the FBI was premature in closing the books on Ivins before the academy had completed its review of the science undergirding the bureau's case. "To this day, it is still far from clear that Mr. Ivins had either the know-how or access to the equipment needed to produce the


Prompt: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off came out when I was 15, and as such I consider myself extremely fortunate to have been the perfect age for its theatrical release. The film was huge at my school. Everyone saw it and most kids went twice. John Hughes wrote and directed the film, and it came right after his other monumental teenage film of the time, The Breakfast Club. The two films are mirror images of each other. The Breakfast Club is a film about teenagers having a terrible day and all of the pain and angst that is associated with being a

teenager. While Ferris Bueller’s Day Off is about a teenager’s perfect day and how much fun and opportunity there is for teenagers at that age. The other day I caught a documentary about the inside story of the filming of Ferris Bueller. It is a bit cheesy and is one of those obviously made for television specials that stations throw together on the slimmest of budgets. But hidden away at the 1:09:00 minute mark is a startling observable truth of the feminine imperative in action. In the documentary they’re talking about testing the film in front of audiences so as to make any final tweaks before the general release. The executive producer and one of Paramount’s vice presidents at the time, (who was a woman), talk about this first test screening. It all went extremely well but there was one negative reaction, and it was a big negative reaction. It concerned the parade scene when Mia Sara is talking to Cameron, Ferris’s best friend. The line she says goes something like this: It’s so much harder for boys because a girl can always cop out and have a baby and find some guy to support her. Cameron says that this is depressing. Mia replies, It is depressing, but it’s an option. You don’t even have an option. Well, believe it or not, but at that first test screening, girls hated that line. As the VP at Paramount recounts: The young female scores for the film at that first preview were very low, and we realized right away from the cards and the focus group that it all came down to that one line, and we cut the line. I think it’s the most dramatic preview change I’ve ever seen by simply cutting one line. We cut that one line and


Prompt: Despite predictions of gloom and doom, the province posted a surplus last year of more than $1 billion, no matter how it’s counted. The previous Tory government initially forecast a $514-million surplus last year, but when oil prices plummeted last fall, premier Jim Prentice warned Alberta could end up in the red. The 2014-15 consolidated surplus of $1.1 billion ends of string of six consecutive deficits and boosts the province’s contingency fund to $8.2 billion — a reserve Finance Minister Joe Ceci says will come in handy in dealing with the drop in non-renewable resource revenue. “Going forward the climate

— the economy today — is very different from what it was then,” he told reporters at the legislature Tuesday as the NDP government released the final year-end numbers. But Ceci said he was reluctant to use the cash savings to fill the projected revenue void. “If we can find a way to achieve greater revenue stability without the use of the contingency account — though it’s probably not possible — that would be my first desire,” said the Calgary MLA. “Philosophically, I think contingencies are there to smooth things out. They’re not there to totally drain the bank account.” Although the price of oil has stayed below $60 US per barrel for much of this year, Ceci said he hoped new corporate tax increases and hikes in personal income tax for the wealthiest Albertans will meet some of the projected shortfall. He also mused about other “revenue measures,” but would not elaborate. During the spring election, the NDP campaigned on a budget with a projected $5.4-billion deficit — $400-million more red ink than was forecast in the PC budget for 2015-16 that was released in March. The final Tory budget, however, was never passed as the Prentice government called an early election, which it lost to Rachel Notley’s NDP. PC interim Leader Ric McIver said the fact the province recorded a hefty surplus during a period of falling oil prices proves the former government was fiscally prudent and left the province in strong economic shape. “The government did control expenditures last year because it was the right thing to do,” said McIver, former labour minister in the Prentice government. “This annual report is a good sign post to go look at what good shape Alberta is in overall.” But Wildrose finance critic Derek Fildebrandt said the report doesn’t reflect


Prompt: Meditation and the Self Within Can meditation solve our everyday problems? Is there life after death? Can drugs help us achieve self-realization? During a recent visit to South Africa, His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada discussed these questions with Bill Faill, a reporter for the Durban Natal Mercury. Srila Prabhupada: “Krishna” is a name for God which means all-attractive. Unless one is all-attractive he cannot be God. So this Krishna consciousness means God consciousness. All of us are small particles of God, equal in quality with Him. Our position as living entities is like that of a small particle

of gold in relation to a large quantity of gold. Bill Faill: Are we something like sparks in a fire? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. Both the fire and the spark are fire, but one is big, and the other is very small. Unlike the relationship between the spark and the fire, however, our relationship with God is eternal, although at the present moment we have forgotten that relationship due to contact with the material energy. We are facing so many problems only because of this forgetfulness. If we can revive our original God consciousness, then we shall become happy. This is the sum and substance of Krishna consciousness. It is the best process to revive our original God consciousness. There are different processes of self-realization, but in the present age of Kali, people are very fallen, and they require the simple process of Krishna consciousness. Now they are thinking that so-called material advancement is the solution to their problems, but this is not a fact. The real solution is to get out of the material condition entirely by becoming Krishna conscious. Because God is eternal, we are also eternal, but in the material condition we are thinking, “I am this body,” and therefore we must repeatedly change from body to body. This is due to ignorance. Actually we are not our bodies but spiritual sparks, parts and parcels of God. Bill Faill: Then the body is just like a vehicle for the soul? Srila Prabhupada: Yes. It is just like a motorcar. Just as you go from one place to another in a car, similarly, due to mental concoction in the material condition of life, we are going from one position to another trying to become happy. But nothing will make us happy unless we come to our real position, which


Prompt: Although there is little case law on medical cannabis use in the Canadian workplace, there are a few cases that can guide both employees and employers on this topic. Today we look at the case of Wilson vs. Transparent Glazing Systems. Gregory Wilson was employed as a glazier and held a medical cannabis prescription for chronic back pain and migraine headaches. His employer was aware of his back pain and that he took medication for his disability. The Project Superintendent of the job site where Wilson was working sent a fax to his employer, Transparent Glazing Systems. The fax indicated

it was suspected that he was impaired by the medication he was taking. The employer acted on the fax about the suspected impairment from the medical cannabis, terminating Wilson's employment. The employer stated that his was fired because of his temper, lack of productivity and generally poor attitude in the workplace. Wilson filed a complaint alleging that the employer discriminated against him on the basis of physical disability and his use of medication. The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal agreed with Wilson and directed the employer to stop its discriminatory practices. Wilson was also awarded a small amount in damages. However, the Tribunal upheld the termination because it was found he would have been fired nevertheless because of his incompetence. What went wrong? One of the main issues is the employer used the complaint from the Project Superintendent related to Wilson's medical cannabis use to initiate his termination when its obvious there were performance issues that were a large concern for the employer. If an employer fires a disabled employee for poor performance, they need to show that the decision was based on the performance alone and not impacted by the disability. Why? Because the employer has a duty to accommodate an employee with a disability and cannot simply fire them as a result of the disability. In this case, the employer muddied the waters by firing Wilson when the complaint about his medical cannabis use was made (which is discriminatory) and then stated they terminated him because of poor performance. If they had simply dealt with his poor performance and acted on that alone, they likely would have avoided the discrimination allegations. The other issue here is the employer didn't talk with Wilson about his disability and medication in an attempt to understand the situation. They simply moved straight


Prompt: Press Release Blue Light Observations Indicate Water-Rich Atmosphere of a Super-Earth September 3, 2013 A Japanese research team of astronomers and planetary scientists has used Subaru Telescope's two optical cameras, Suprime-Cam and the Faint Object Camera and Spectrograph (FOCAS), with a blue transmission filter to observe planetary transits of super-Earth GJ 1214 b (Gilese 1214 b) (Figure 1). The team investigated whether this planet has an atmosphere rich in water or hydrogen. The Subaru observations show that the sky of this planet does not show a strong Rayleigh scattering feature, which a cloudless hydrogen-dominated atmosphere would predict. When combined with

the findings of previous observations in other colors, this new observational result implies that GJ 1214 b is likely to have a water-rich atmosphere. Figure 1: Artist's rendition of a transit of GJ 1214 b in blue light. The blue sphere represents the host star GJ 1214, and the black ball in front of it on the right is GJ 1214 b. (Credit: NAOJ) Super-Earths are emerging as a new type of exoplanet (i.e., a planet orbiting a star outside of our Solar System) with a mass and radius larger than the Earth's but less than those of ice giants in our Solar System, such as Uranus or Neptune. Whether super-Earths are more like a "large Earth" or a "small Uranus" is unknown, since scientists have yet to determine their detailed properties. The current Japanese research team of astronomers and planetary scientists focused their efforts on investigating the atmospheric features of one super-Earth, GJ 1214 b, which is located 40 light years from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus, northwest of the center of our Milky Way galaxy. This planet is one of the well-known super-Earths discovered by Charbonneau et. al. (2009) in the MEarth Project, which focuses on finding habitable planets around nearby small stars. The current team's research examined features of light scattering of GJ 1214 b's transit around its star. Current theory posits that a planet develops in a disk of dense gas surrounding a newly formed star (i.e., a protoplanetary disk). The element hydrogen is a major component of a protoplanetary disk, and water ice is abundant in an outer region beyond a so-called "snow line." Findings about where super-Earths have formed and how they have migrated to their current orbits point to the prediction that hydrogen or water vapor is a major atmospheric component of a


Prompt: The true history of Iceland’s ‘innovative’ constitutional reform. One of the recurring issues in news coverage on Iceland is how absolutely rubbish foreign news media is at reporting about Iceland. We’ve seen how detached from reality economic news on Iceland is, ignoring our burgeoning mortgage crisis and the consequences of the government’s harsh austerity measures. Their frothy and exuberant reports about Iceland’s proposed new constitution also tend to gloss over the details and ignore domestic discourse in favour of completely fabricated spin. If you read what foreign language blogs and newspapers wrote about the constitution you’d believe that it was

a daring experiment going from success to success and that we were now enjoying a completely new crowd-sourced constitution that had been passed into law with a referendum last autumn. Which is not true. A complete and total clusterfuck is much closer to the truth. It started well, with a national forum where a thousand attendees where chosen by lottery. These meetings gathered together a cross-section of society and let them outline what they felt ought to be the priorities in the constitutional process—what issues and matters should be covered. This worked. It resulted in a predictably vague and wishy-washy list of touchy-feely priorities—little more than ordering a list of pre-selected words in order of importance along with a bunch of meaningless single sentence slogans—but it worked. The problems began with the election for a constitutional parliament. First, those running weren’t given nearly enough time to promote and canvass, meaning that the list tat voters could choose from consisted mostly of strangers. Second, the ballot itself was extremely confusing, requiring extensive explanations. Thirdly, and most importantly, a lot of people didn’t believe any of it mattered. Y’see, it was known from the start that whatever the constitutional parliament drafted would be non-binding—that the constitution draft would be rewritten by politicians anyway, rendering the entire exercise somewhat meaningless. So, voter participation reached record lows in Iceland, where we’re used to voter participation in the 80–90% range. Fewer than 37% percent voted in the election for the constitutional parliament. And the clusterfuck continued. One thing that most foreign reporters omit is that there is considerable resistance to constitutional reform by a lot of influential groups in Iceland. Another thing omitted is the fact that the government at the time was a mess and couldn’t organise a piss-up in a brewery. So, it


Prompt: The gravity of how difficult it will be to fully repeal and replace Obamacare is settling in on Capitol Hill. Republican senators who spent years railing against the president’s signature health care law are now trying to find consensus on how they want to make good on their years-long campaign promise to dismantle it – and the growing consensus is that it is going to take time to find a replacement. “Its gonna take us awhile to make that transition from the repeal to actually replacing it with more affordable health coverage, which provides people better access,” Sen. John Cornyn

(R-TX), the Senate majority whip, told reporters Tuesday. “There is a lot to do so it’s not going to happen overnight.” Republicans’ inability to coalesce around a replacement plan in the six years after Obamacare was passed means they have no easy alternative to queue up with a repeal, which they have vowed to make the top of their agenda next year. Their current inability to settle on a clear repeal and replace plan also reflects the trade-offs that have been dogging the GOP in last half-decade. Within the Republican caucus are deep, philosophical rifts over basic questions about health care policy and the government’s role in providing access to coverage. Lobbing critiques at rising premiums while on the campaign trail was far easier than what comes next as Republican confront the reality that along with their much bemoaned individual mandate, fully repealing Obamacare also would mean unraveling popular provisions and benefits that have become available under the law and expanded health care coverage. Rank and file Republicans Tuesday voiced an array of concerns about what moving too fast could mean for millions of individuals who had attained health care coverage through expanded Medicaid programs in the states and about what would happen to individuals with pre-existing conditions, who under the ACA were able to obtain health insurance. Instead of repealing and replacing Obamacare suddenly, Republicans in the Senate are now discussing a way to “transition” from Obamacare to their alternative, which is still to be determined. Senators stressed Tuesday that they were leaning toward a process that gave Republicans the opportunity to repeal Obamacare now and then spend an undefined amount of time working on a replacement. “I’m from a state that has an expanded Medicaid population that I am very concerned about,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV).


Prompt: It is ok to hate your personal bests. Actually, I’d encourage it. I hate most of mine. When you get a new one, it’s so exciting! You see your name printed next to a fancy new number that you’ve never seen before, and it validates everything you’ve been working towards. But then the next day you wake up, watch the race video and think, ‘I could have gone faster had I just done this, this and this.’ Maybe the next few weeks you’ll still beam with pride when congratulated on the number, but time passes and it grows old. Then

you’re sick of it. And then it’s 3 years of self-loathing and conversations about the existence of short tracks. But when I crossed the finish line in South Carolina and saw the clock was way lower than ever before, I flipped out! In 2012, while a senior at Columbia, I was able to use a few connections to gain a late entry into a small Monday night 1500 at Swarthmore College. Training had been going really well, and racing was on a sharp upswing. I stepped on the line calm and ready, knowing that the 3:39 Olympic Trials qualifying time was well within reach of my fitness. The plan was just to follow the leader, and slowly move up in the field. We strung out immediately, and with the help of Nick Willis pacing for 1300 meters, I ran splits of 59-58-57-41 for the American Collegiate Record* of 3:35.59. A couple years later I had a conversation with Nick about why that race was so fast, and I think he summed it up perfectly: Most rabbits go out fast, slow down and step off after their slowest 100. Now the athletes behind have lost their momentum, and have to shift gears again to head into the kick. In that race, we were wound up and released. If your goal is to break 5 minutes in the mile, you can most likely find a race that would set you up for a chance to do it. It’s nice in HS and most of college, to have so many prospective races setup to get the times you are chasing. Unfortunately, at the professional level, you have to earn [deservedly so] the right to be in those races unless you get lucky being in the right place at the right time (i.e-Swarthmore, Furman).


Prompt: Every team needs a scapegoat, a hacktastic hitter or struggling reliever. Remember Gregor Blanco last year? Sure you do. If you're in the mood for some yuks, scroll through the #FreeGaryBrown movement, being careful to weed out the ironic mentions. People were so very mad at Blanco, mad enough to completely forget how valuable he was in the previous two seasons. It's like Voltaire tweeted that one time: If the Giants didn't have someone worthy of being scapegoated, it would be necessary to invent him. This year's goat is Ehire Adrianza. Because, hoo, has he been bad. He has a

.476 OPS, which is just below Chris Heston and just above Tim Hudson. As such, he has become a cause célèbre among the grumbling set. What's he's doing out there? Why is he still on the 40-man roster? I hope to answer these questions with a little explainer. What in the world are the Giants thinking by continuing to employ Ehire Adrianza? 1. He's almost certainly not this bad That isn't to say that he's very good, or that he's good at all. He's just not a .476 OPS guy. He's not Hal Lanier with dropsy, even if he's looked like that at the plate. And this isn't to say that Adrianza's dreadful hitting hasn't messed the Giants up, because it certainly has. With a merely bad offensive performance from their backup, the Giants might have an extra win. That's important. But while complaining what Adrianza has done in the past is valid, most of the complaints have to do with him screwing up the team in the future. His true talent, though, isn't so low that the Giants can immediately replace him with someone clearly better. Adrianza's career line in Triple-A is .317/.400/.434. I'll eat a plate of cilantro if he ever tops a .400 OBP in the majors in more than 200 at-bats, but at least it's evidence of some latent skills. It beats any evidence for the players brought up most often as replacements. I'll agree that his bat looks awfully slow and he's often overmatched, but I'll stick by the evaluation that he's not a true .400 OPS guy. He's probably closer to a true .600 OPS guy, which isn't good at all, but nothing that's worse than what the Giants could replace him with. Nick Noonan's career OPS in Triple-A, by the way: .677. League